Endophytic fungus strain 28 isolated from Houttuynia cordata possesses wide-spectrum antifungal activity.

The aim of this paper is to identify and investigate an endophytic fungus (strain 28) that was isolated from Houttuynia cordata Thunb, a famous and widely-used Traditional Chinese Medicine. Based on morphological methods and a phylogenetic analysis of ITS sequences, this strain was identified as Chaetomium globosum. An antifungal activity bioassay demonstrated that the crude ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extracts of strain 28 had a wide antifungal spectrum and strong antimicrobial activity, particularly against Exserohilum turcicum (Pass.

[Phylogeny and functional divergence of ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acid desaturase families].

The deduced amino acid sequences characteristics, phylogeny, and functional diverge of ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acid desaturase families were analyzed by using Bioinformatics methods. The results showed that all the deduced amino acid sequences shared three highly conserved histidine rich motifs (Hisbox). All the plastidial ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acid desaturases possessed putative N-terminal signal peptide with different amino acids.

Possible mechanism of benign prostatic hyperplasia induced by androgen-estrogen ratios in castrated rats.

Objectives: To explore the role of androgen-estrogen balance in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) induced by varying doses of estradiol/testosterone propionate (E(2)/TP) in castrated rats.

Materials And Methods: A total of 222 rats were divided into 37 groups at random, including 35 groups of different E(2)/TP, one control, and one castrated group. All 37 groups except the control group were castrated, for eliminating endogenesis of testosterone in rats.