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Sanwei-Tanxiang powder (SWTX), a traditional Mongolian and Tibetan medicine containing a cocktail of active molecules, relieves angina pectoris and improves recovery in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). The pharmacological effect of SWTX on CHD was analyzed at a systemic point of view in our previous studies. The bioinformatics prediction showed that the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway was one of important pathways of SWTX on treatment of coronary heart disease. Based on it, the aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of SWTX in acute myocardial ischemic-reperfused (MIR) rat in vivo and H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells under oxidative stress induced by H2O2 in vitro, and further investigate the involvement of PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway in these processes. Ex vivo, under physiological conditions, SWTX did not show any modification in the heart rate and contraction amplitude. However, against a MIR injury, SWTX pretreatment provided significant protection, including reduced ST-segment elevation, pathological changes and myocardial infarct size in vivo, meanwhile, some monomers of SWTX showed antioxidant capacity and inhibited cardiomyocytic apoptosis in vitro. The effect was correlated with the activation of the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a signaling pathway downstream and the regulation of downstream pro-apoptotic Bim of FoxO3a experimental verified by qRT-PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescent assay. In vitro, blocking Akt and p-FoxO3a activation with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 effectively suppressed the protective effects of several active monomers (including quercetin, macelignan,methyleugenol and Santol) of SWTX against H2O2-induced injury. Collectively, these results suggest that SWTX decreases I/R injury, and the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway takes part in protection during this process, gallogen (G3) and quercetin (G8) of GZ, methyleugenol (R2) and macelignan (R7) of RDK, santol (T1) of TX are responsible at least in part for SWTX's cardioprotection effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allopatric divergence is often initiated by geological uplift and restriction to sky‐islands, climate oscillations, or river capture. However, it can be difficult to establish which mechanism was the most likely to generate the current phylogeographical structure of a species. Recently, genomic data in conjunction with a model testing framework have been applied to address this issue in animals. To test whether such an approach is also likely to be successful in plants, we used population genomic data of the Rheum palmatum complex from the Eastern Asiatic Region, in conjunction with biogeographical reconstruction and demographic model selection, to identify the potential mechanism(s) which have led to the current level of divergence. Our results indicate that the R. palmatum complex originated in the central Hengduan Mts and possibly in regions further east, and then dispersed westward and eastward resulting in genetically distinct lineages. Populations are likely to have diverged in refugia during climate oscillations followed by subsequent expansion and secondary contact. However, model simulations within the western lineage of the R. palmatum complex cannot reject a restriction to sky‐islands as a possible mechanism of diversification due to the genetically ambiguous position of one population. This highlights that genetically mixed populations might introduce ambiguity regarding the best diversification model in some cases. Although it might be possible to resolve this ambiguity using other data, sometimes this could prove to be difficult in complex biogeographical areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Rheum palmatum complex comprises all taxa within section Palmata in the genus Rheum, including R. officinale, R. palmatum, R. tanguticum, R. tanguticum var. liupanshanense and R. laciniatum. The identification of the taxa in section Palmata is based primarily on the degree of leaf blade dissection and the shape of the lobes; however, difficulties in species identification may arise from their significant variation. The aim of this study is to analyze the patterns of variation in leaf blade characteristics within and among populations through population-based sampling covering the entire distribution range of R. palmatum complex. Methods: Samples were taken from 2340 leaves from 780 individuals and 44 populations representing the four species, and the degree of leaf blade dissection and the shape of the lobe were measured to yield a set of quantitative data. Furthermore, those data were statistically analyzed. Important Findings: The statistical analysis showed that the degree of leaf blade dissection is continuous from lobed to parted, and the shape of the lobe is also continuous from broadly triangular to lanceolate both within and between populations. We suggested that taxa in section Palmata should be considered as one species. Based on the research on the R. palmatum complex, we considered that the quantitative characteristics were greatly influenced by the environment. Therefore, it is not reliable to delimitate the species according to the continuously quantitative vegetative characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Fargesia decurvata is closely allied with F. dracocephala and differs in 5 major characters (i.e. the culm sheath blade base shape, the width of the culm sheath blade base, the auricle shape, and the lower surface of leaf blade) in Fargesia. It is difficult to distinguish these two species because of existing of transitional statements of characters. The aims of this paper are to (i) investigate whether the variation of the characters is continuous or not; (ii) reveal whether the publishment of F. dracocephala was the result of discontinuous sampling of F. decurvata or not. Methods: Ten populations of F. decurvata and F. dracocephala were investigated in their entire distribution (including type localities). The statements of 5 major characters were measured from 693 annual and 693 perennial culms of 231 individuals in 10 populations, and analyzed at population, individual and culm levels. UPGMA cluster analysis was carried out based on 29 characters from 10 populations of F. decurvata and F. dracocephala and 2 populations of F. qinlingensis as outgroup. The ITS sequences were also sequenced and analyzed. Important Findings: Five major characters exhibited great variation not only at population level, but at individual level within a population, even the culm level within an individual and in different parts of the same culm. Cluster analyses showed that 10 populations of F. decurvata and F. dracocephala were not divided into two species, but they were well separated with outgroup. There was no difference in floral organ between F. decurvata and F. dracocephala. MP and NJ trees based on ITS sequences showed the same results with the cluster analysis on morphological characters. All the facts indicated that the publishment of F. dracocephala was the result of discontinuous sampling of F. decurvata, and F. dracocephala should be treated as the synonym of F. decurvata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the ambient condition, the simple self-assembly between ZnI, KI, and dabco in acidic HO/CHOH solution produced a tetranuclear iodine cluster with diprotonated dabco as the cation [Hdabco](I) (dabco = 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane) 1. But the same precursors reacted under the solvothermal condition, producing a chained iodine cluster polymer with dedabco as the cation [dedabco](I) (dedabco = N, N′-diethyl-1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane) 2. Note that dedabco originated from the solvothermal in situ N-alkylation of dabco with CHOH solvent in acidic KI solution. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Preliminary field observations in 2001 and 2002 suggested that Kingdonia uniflora (Circaeasteraceae, Ranunculales) exhibits heterodichogamy, an unusual kind of reproductive heteromorphy, hitherto unreported in Ranunculales and known from only one other genus in basal eudicots. Methods During several subsequent years flowers were observed in the field. Flowers were fixed in FAA and studied with microtome sections series and with the scanning electron microscope. Key Results The flowers proved to be heterodichogamous, with protandrous and protogynous morphs, which have a 1 : 1 ratio. Both morphs equally set fruit. Each year a single flower is formed at the tip of a rhizome or more rarely two flowers. The flowers are already open when they appear at the soil surface, before they are receptive and before pollen is dispersed. In both floral morphs the styles elongate early and the stigmas are positioned above the anthers before anthesis begins. In protogynous flowers the stigmas become receptive in this position; later the styles become reflexed and then the anthers dehisce. In contrast, in protandrous flowers the stamen filaments elongate during early anthesis such that the dehiscing anthers come to lie above the (still unreceptive) stigmas; after dehiscence of all anthers in a flower the styles begin to elongate and become receptive. Conclusions This is the first record of heterodichogamy in a representative of Ranunculales, in an herbaceous eudicot, and in a plant with uniflorous ramets. The occurrence of heterodichogamy in Kingdonia in which clonal reproduction appears to be dominant might be an adaptation to avoid mating between the ramets from a common mother individual (genet). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With the protonated piperazine (pip) and triethylenediamine (1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane, dabco) as the templates, two chained chlorocadmates [H2pip][Cd2Cl6(H2O)2] 1, [H2dabco][Cd2Cl6]·H2O 2and two chained cadmium-chloro thiocyanates [H2pip][CdCl3(SCN)]·2H2O 3, [H2dabco]2[Cd3Cl8(SCN)2]·H2O 4were obtained, and characterized by IR analysis, CHN analysis, TG analysis and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The 1-D chain structure of compound 1is the simplest, and can be described as a zigzag infinite extension of Cd octahedra viasharing the edges. Compound 2shows a double-chain structure, comprising the dinuclear Cd2Cl9subunits linked together viasharing the corners and the edges. Compounds 3and 4are the first examples of a family of organically templated chained cadmium-chloro thiocyanates. Compound 3shows a linear-chain structure, comprising the Cd2Cl6dimers by the SCN−groups, whereas compound 4shows a stepped-chain structure, comprising the hexanuclear Cd6Cl16subunits by the SCN−groups. Through intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen-bonded interactions, all the title compounds are self-assembled into the 2-D or 3-D supramolecular networks. The fluorescence spectra show that compounds 1–3possess fluorescence properties with emission peaks around 370 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete chloroplast genome of the medicinal plantRheum palmatumL. (Polygonaceae) has been reconstructed from the whole-genome Illumina sequencing data. The genome is 161 541 bp in length, and exhibits a typical quadripartite structure of the large (LSC, 86 518 bp) and small (SSC, 13 111 bp) single-copy regions, separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 30 956 bp each). The chloroplast genome contains 131 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes (78 PCG species), eight ribosomal RNA genes (four rRNA species) and 37 transfer RNA genes (28 tRNA species). Phylogenetic tree based on the maximum parsimony (MP) analysis of 65 chloroplast protein-coding genes for 13 taxa demonstrated a close relationship betweenR. palmatumandFagopyrum esculentumsubsp.ancestralein Polygonaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A suspension of rice amylose was subjected to dynamic high‐pressure microfluidization (DHPM) at 60, 100, 140, and 180 MPa and the effect on the microstructure and particle characteristics was investigated. After DHPM treatment, more hollows and grooves were found in the surface of the rice amylose and the particle size decreased and became uniform with an increase in pressure, which increased the specific surface area. DHPM treatment at above 100 MPa was sufficient to cause the complete destruction of the crystalline structure of rice amylose. We proposed a hypothesis of the mechanism, namely, that a decrease in particle size and puffing of granules both occurred after DHPM treatment to yield a uniform and homogeneous system. Moreover, complex DHPM forces could modify the structure and the interaction between amylose and other molecules, playing an important role in some functional properties of amylose. Practical applications: Rice is one of the most important staple food in China. Its main component is rice amylose. In this study, the structure and morphology of rice amylose treated by DHPM were analyzed. The results are helpful to understand the mechanism of the modification of amylose induced by DHPM and contribute for us to explain our previous studies of the effect of DHPM on physicochemical and functional properties of rice amylose. Meanwhile, it can also provide theoretical support for starch modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]