Graduate School of Biotechnology and Oriental Medicinal Materials and Processing, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, 446-701, Republic of Korea.
Published: February 2015
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
The stems of Zea mays L., otherwise known as cornstalks, were extracted with 80 % aqueous MeOH, and the concentrated extract was successively partitioned with ethyl acetate (EtOAc), normal butanol, and water. From the EtOAc fraction, a new lignan along with three known flavonoids, tricin (1), salcolin A (2), and salcolin B (3), were isolated. The chemical structure of the lignan was determined to be tetrahydro-4,6-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1H,3H-furo[3,4-c]furan-1-one (4) through spectroscopic data analyses including NMR, MS, and IR. All compounds were isolated for the first time from this plant. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against NO production in Lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 cells and their protective activity in glutamate-induced cell death in HT22 cells. The compounds 1, 2 and 4 showed anti-inflammatory effects with IC50 values of 2.63, 14.65, and 18.91 μM, respectively, as well as neuroprotective effects with EC50 values of 25.14, 47.44, and >80 μM, respectively.
Microplastics are a new type of pollutants that have attracted attention recently. However, there is limited research on the uptake of environmental microplastics by plants. In this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and Raman mapping were employed to identify and detect label-free micron-sized polystyrene (PS) microplastics accumulated in the roots and stems of maize (Zea mays L.
Maize is a worldwide crop yet can be associated with mycotoxigenic fungi, much investigated in humid tropical and cooler, wet temperate regions. However, in hot, arid/semi-arid regions data on their occurrence are poor. In this paper, we focused on interactions between maize and Fusarium fungal species in Tunisia, which has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and milder, damper winters.
Plant stems grow towards the incident light in response to unilateral blue light to optimize photosynthesis. However, our findings reveal that unilateral high-intensity blue light (HBL) triggers backlit lodging in etiolated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum ) hypocotyls when they are pulled approximately 1.5cm from the soil.
The study examines how modified corn straw biochar impacts water-related soil properties by preparing biochar through pyrolysis and modifying it with specific solvents.
Various tests were conducted to analyze soil hydraulic conductivity, water evaporation, and moisture content using different concentrations and amounts of biochar.
Results indicated that adding modified biochar significantly reduced soil hydraulic conductivity, improved water retention, and affected evaporation rates, providing insights for enhancing soil water retention in arid regions.
The study identified 23 three-amino-acid-loop-extension (SbTALE) genes in sorghum, classifying them into KNOX and BEL1-like families and locating them on ten chromosomes.
It revealed high conservation of gene structures and motifs among SbTALE subfamilies, while also finding close evolutionary ties with corn (Zea mays) and evidence of gene duplication.
The expression patterns of these genes varied across different plant parts and environmental conditions, suggesting their roles in growth regulation and responses to stress, providing a foundation for further research on plant resilience traits.
