Phylogeography of Eomecon chionantha in subtropical China: the dual roles of the Nanling Mountains as a glacial refugium and a dispersal corridor.[Pubmed: 29426277]

Mountains have not only provided refuge for species, but also offered dispersal corridors during the Neogene and Quaternary global climate changes. Compared with a plethora of studies on the refuge role of China's mountain ranges, their dispersal corridor role has received little attention in plant phylogeographic studies. Using phylogeographic data of Eomecon chionantha Hance (Papaveraceae), this study explicitly tested whether the Nanling Mountains, which spans from west to east for more than 1000 km in subtropical China, could have functioned as a dispersal corridor during the late Quaternary in addition to a glacial refugium.

Molluscicidal effect of Eomecon chionantha alkaloids against Oncomelania hupensis snails.[Pubmed: 21710848]

The molluscicidal effects of Eomecon chionantha alkaloids (ECA) against Oncomelania hupensis snails were determined by immersion method. The molluscicidal effect was positively related to ECA concentration, immersion time and temperature of the immersion solution. The mortality of the snails reached 100% by 72 hours in ECA at a concentration of 2.5 mg/l at 25 degrees C. The alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level of liver cells treated with ECA was higher than controls at 24 and 36 hours (57.7 and 60.3 U/l versus 39.2 and 49.2 U/1, respectively) but the level decreased at 48-72 hours after treatment. The decrease points to the toxic effect of ECA against liver cells. After ECA treatment, the liver cells were edematous with swollen or disintegrating nuclei; they were enlarged and had vacuolated rER; they had dilated and vesiculated mitochondria with broken crests further indicating a hepatotoxic effect of ECA in O. hupensis snails. ECA has a molluscicidal effect that may be of practical use in the field to control O. hupensis snails.

[Concentration of four alkaloids in the aerial parts of Eomecon chionantha from different mounth in year].[Pubmed: 12575122]

The concentration of four alkaloids (sanguinarine, chelerythrine, protopine and alpha-allocryptopine) in the aerial parts of snowpopy (Eomecon chionantha) collected from April to August in 1996 were determined by capillary electrophoretic method. The results show that the change of contents of alkaloids according to months is similar to that of the underground parts of snowpopy, i.e. the contents of sanguinarine and chelerythrine wrer lower in June than other months; the contents of chelerythrine were higher than that of sanguinarine and alpha-allocryptopine were higher than protopine.