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Hemerocallis citrina Borani is a traditional folk food used to promote the lactation of postpartum mothers in China; however, the active ingredients and corresponding mechanisms are still unknown. In this study, the lactogenic effect of alcoholic and aqueous extracts of H. citrina was primarily evaluated, and the aqueous extract (1,000 and 2,000 mg/kg) displayed significant lactation-promoting effects. Three eluates of the aqueous extract (0%, 30%, and 50%HCW) were further evaluated for their lactogenic effect, and 30% and 50% HCW showed significant lactation-promoting activity. Nineteen ingredients, including those with a high content of rutin and isoquercetin, were then identified from 30% and 50%HCW using the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) method. Finally, the lactogenic effect of rutin and isoquercetin was evaluated, and both compounds displayed significant lactation-promoting activity. The mechanisms relative to the lactation-promoting active ingredients for H. citrina extracts and compounds are to stimulate the release of prolactin (PRL) and progesterone (P), as well as to induce the expression of prolactin receptor (PRLR) and improve the morphology of mammary tissue. This study first clarified the lactation-promoting active ingredients of H. citrina and the corresponding mechanisms, which provide a new insight into the new lactation-promoting drug and promote the high-value utilization of H. citrina resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poria cocos (Schw.) wolf (P. cocos) is an important medicinal material with both therapeutic and edible properties. This study investigated volatile constituents, amino acids, proteins, polysaccharides, triterpenoid ingredients, and alcohol-soluble extracts on P. cocos during eight drying processes. A total of 47 volatile components were found and identified; the main volatile components of shade drying (SD) and hot-air drying at 50 °C (HD50) were esters and alcohols, while for drying in hot air at 60 °C~100 °C (△ = 10 °C) and infrared drying (ID), the main compounds were aldehydes and hydrocarbons. The amino acids in P. cocos remained the same when dried with various methods. Compared with SD samples, with the temperature increase, the content of amino acids showed a trend of first decreasing and then increasing, while the content trend of proteins was the opposite. The HD70 samples had the highest content of polysaccharide, triterpenoid ingredients, alcohol-soluble extracts, and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, volatile compounds showed a correlation between non-volatile constituents. This research provides evidence that the aroma, active components, and activity of P. cocos were affected by the drying method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The study investigates the therapeutic effects of protopine type alkaloid (MPTA) derived from Macleaya cordata (Willd) R. Br. in a mouse model of intestinal inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The research demonstrates MPTA's ability to alleviate intestinal inflammation, increase intestinal goblet cell abundance and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines. MPTA also modulates the gut microbiota and volatile short-chain fatty acids, suggesting its potential as a treatment for gastrointestinal diseases. In this study, we assessed the therapeutic effects of Macleaya cordata (Willd). R. Br.-derived protopine-type alkaloids (MPTAs) in a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal inflammation. The experimental design involved the allocation of mice into distinct groups, including a control group, a model group treated with 6 mg/kg LPS, a berberine group treated with 50 mg/kg berberine hydrochloride and low-, medium- and high-dose MPTA groups treated with 6, 12 and 24 mg/kg MPTAs, respectively. Histological analysis of the ileum, jejunum and duodenum was performed using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining. Moreover, the quantification of intestinal goblet cells (GCs) was performed based on PAS staining. The serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α were quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while the mRNA levels of TLR4, NF-κB p65, NLRP3, IL-6 and IL-1β were assessed using quantitative PCR (qPCR). The protein levels of TLR4, Md-2, MyD88, NF-κB p65 and NLRP3 were determined using Western blotting. Furthermore, the 16S rDNA sequences of bacterial taxa were amplified and analysed to determine alterations in the gut microbiota of the mice following MPTA treatment. Different doses of MPTAs were found to elicit distinct therapeutic effects, leading to enhanced intestinal morphology and an increased abundance of intestinal GCs. A significant decrease was noted in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α). Additionally, the protein levels of TLR4, MyD88, NLRP3 and p-p65/p65 were markedly reduced by MPTA treatment. Furthermore, 16S rDNA sequencing analysis revealed that the administration of 24 mg/kg MPTAs facilitated the restoration of microbial composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tapetum, the innermost layer of the anther wall, provides essential nutrients and materials for pollen development. Timely degradation of anther tapetal cells is a prerequisite for normal pollen development in flowering plants. Tapetal cells facilitate male gametogenesis by providing cellular contents after highly coordinated programmed cell death (PCD). Tapetal development is regulated by a transcriptional network. However, the signaling pathway(s) involved in this process are poorly understood. In this study, we report that a mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade composed of OsYDA1/OsYDA2‐OsMKK4‐OsMPK6 plays an important role in tapetal development and male gametophyte fertility. Loss of function of this MAPK cascade leads to anther indehiscence, enlarged tapetum, and aborted pollen grains. Tapetal cells in osmkk4 and osmpk6 mutants exhibit an increased presence of lipid body‐like structures within the cytoplasm, which is accompanied by a delayed occurrence of PCD. Expression of a constitutively active version of OsMPK6 (CA‐OsMPK6) can rescue the pollen defects in osmkk4 mutants, confirming that OsMPK6 functions downstream of OsMKK4 in this pathway. Genetic crosses also demonstrated that the MAPK cascade sporophyticly regulates pollen development. Our study reveals a novel function of rice MAPK cascade in plant male reproductive biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the effects of pre-and post-processing on total protein, amino acid composition, and nutritional value of Polygonatum, and to clarify the nutritional basis of its edible nutritional value and therapeutic effect. The protein amino acid composition of Polygonatum and processed products were analyzed, and the differences in amino acid composition in the samples were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and t-test, and the protein nutrition of Polygonatum and processed products were evaluated according to the amino acid reference model of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations / World Health Organization. Results showed that there were 17 kinds of amino acids in Polygonatum before and after processing, and the content of umami amino acids (glutamic acid and aspartic acid) was the highest, and it was rich in medicinal amino acids, essential amino acids, branched-chain amino acids, and so on. More medicinal amino acids and umami amino acids revealed the reasons why Polygonatum, as a traditional medicinal and edible material, could improve the physical functions and make the dishes more delicious. The results of PCA and HCA showed that the roots were divided into two types, including the processed group and the non-processed group, which indicated that processing played an important role in the changes in the amino acid composition of Polygonatum protein. Compared with the non-processed group, serine, cysteine, lysine and arginine were significantly lower, while methionine, isoleucine, valine, leucine, threonine, phenylalanine, proline, and glycine were significantly higher. There was no significant difference in functional amino acids between processed and non-processed groups, and essential amino acids showed a significant increase, all of the results indicated that processing could help not only to keep its work on healthcare but also to improve its nutritional value. In processed and non-processed Polygonatum roots, respectively, the first limited amino acids were lysine and isoleucine. The priority order on protein nutritional value was processed roots > raw roots according to protein nutrition evaluation results. Thus, processing is beneficial to improve the nutritional value and quality of Polygonatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduction of C = N double bond is the most important phase I metabolism process of quaternary benzophenanthridine alkaloids (QBAs). Inspired by the NADPH mediated reduction in QBAs, a visible-light promoted reductive aminomethylation of QBAs for synthesis of 6-substituted benzophenanthridines was reported using QBAs and N,N-dimethylaniline as coupling partners in this study. An α-amino radical that derived from QBAs was supposed to be the key intermediate in this visible-light promoted reductive aminomethylation reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]