Immunomodulatory activity and chemical characterization of fixed oils obtained from different parts of Oxytropis glabra DC.[Pubmed: 29716852]

Oxytropis glabra DC. is a plant with enormous therapeutic vitality. In the present study a comparison of lipophilic profiling of different parts of O. glabra has been carried out by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 32 compounds have been identified from this plant, amongst which 31 have been identified for the first time. These compounds have been further confirmed from their Van den Dool and Kratz (I) Indices. Out of these 32 compounds, 18 have been identified from flower (80.94%), 15 from fruit (85.36%), 11 from leaves (66.35%) and 11 from root (45.96%). The major class of metabolite identified from different parts is fatty acid. Hydrocarbons have also been detected in flower and fruit but not in root and leaves. The extracts were screened for their immunomodulatory activity on whole blood cells. The root oil was found to be moderately active (IC50 32.3 μg/mL). At present only limited data is available on the phytochemical composition of O. glabra.

[Microscopic distribution and quantitative detection of endophytic fungus Undifilum oxytropis from Oxytropis glabra DC and Astragalus variabilis].[Pubmed: 25199256]

The characteristics of microscopic distribution and content of Undifilum oxytropis were observed and quantified in different tissues of Oxytropis glabra and Astragalus variabilis from natural grasslands of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Province.

Cerebellar ataxia suspected to be caused by Oxytropis glabra poisoning in western Mongolian goats.[Pubmed: 24572629]

In the last five years in western Mongolia, a neurological disorder and resultant economic loss have developed in goats, sheep, cattle and horses: association of the disease with ingestion of Oxytropis glabra, a toxic plant, was suggested. Affected goats showed neurological signs, including ataxia, incoordination, hind limb paresis, fine head tremor and nystagmus. Three goats, one with moderate clinical signs and the other two with severe clinical signs, were necropsied and examined to describe and characterize the histologic, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural lesions. Although no gross pathological changes were observed in a variety of organs including the central nervous system of these goats, microscopic examination of the cerebellum demonstrated degenerative changes in all these goats, such as vacuolar changes and loss of Purkinje cells, torpedo formation in the granular layer, increased number of spheroids in the cerebellar medulla, and loss of axons and myelin sheaths of Purkinje cells. The chemical analysis of the dried plant detected 0.02-0.05% (dry weight basis) of swainsonine. This is the first report describing the clinical and pathological findings in Mongolian goats suspected to be affected by O. glabra poisoning.

[Distribution of endophytic fungi in Oxytropis glabra DC].[Pubmed: 23957152]

Endophytic fungi were detected and isolated from the stems, leaves, petioles and seeds of Oxytropis glabra DC sampled from Alashan of Inner Mongolia to investigate the infection rate and species distribution in different tissues.

Rhizobium tubonense sp. nov., isolated from root nodules of Oxytropis glabra.[Pubmed: 20382797]

Four rhizobial strains, designated CCBAU 85046(T), CCBAU 85051, CCBAU 85048 and CCBAU 85049, isolated from root nodules of Oxytropis glabra grown in Tibet, China, were previously defined, using amplified 16S rRNA gene restriction analysis, as a novel group within the genus Rhizobium. To clarify their taxonomic position, these strains were further analysed and compared with reference strains of related bacteria using a polyphasic approach. The 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that the four isolates formed a distinct phylogenetic lineage in the genus Rhizobium. The isolates showed highest sequence similarity (97.8  %) to Rhizobium indigoferae CCBAU 71042(T). Phenotypic and physiological tests, DNA-DNA hybridization, phylogenetic analyses of housekeeping genes recA, atpD and glnII and fatty acid profiles also indicated that these four strains constitute a novel group distinct from recognized species of the genus Rhizobium. Based on this evidence, strains CCBAU 85046(T), CCBAU 85051, CCBAU 85048 and CCBAU 85049 represent a novel species in the genus Rhizobium, for which the name Rhizobium tubonense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CCBAU 85046(T) (=LMG 25225(T) =HAMBI 3066(T)) and its DNA G+C content is 59.52 % (T(m)). Strain CCBAU 85046(T) could form effective nodules on plant species Vigna unguiculata and Medicago sativa but not on its host of origin Oxytropis glabra.

Mesorhizobium gobiense sp. nov. and Mesorhizobium tarimense sp. nov., isolated from wild legumes growing in desert soils of Xinjiang, China.[Pubmed: 18984702]

Twenty-four Mesorhizobium strains were isolated from desert soils in the Xinjiang region of China and were characterized by a polyphasic approach. These strains grouped into three clusters in IGS-RFLP, SDS-PAGE analysis of whole-cell proteins and BOX-PCR analysis, corresponding to genomic species V, VI and VII as found in a previous study. The results were supported by sequencing analyses of rrs, IGS, atpD and recA genes. Genospecies VII was most related to Mesorhizobium septentrionale, while genospecies V and VI were both most closely related to Mesorhizobium tianshanense, but were distinct from each other and from M. tianshanense. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between the representative strain CCBAU 83284 (genospecies VII) and the type strain of M. septentrionale was 90.1 %. Genospecies VII was thus defined as M. septentrionale. The DNA-DNA relatedness value for representative strains of genospecies V or VI with the related reference strains of recognized species were always lower than 60 %. Low values of DNA-DNA hybridization (32.79 %) between representative strains of genospecies V (CCBAU 83330(T)) and of VI (CCBAU 83306(T)) were also observed. Based upon these results, two novel species are proposed: Mesorhizobium gobiense sp. nov. represented by genospecies V (type strain, CCBAU 83330(T)=LMG 23949(T)=HAMBI 2974(T)) and Mesorhizobium tarimense sp. nov. represented by genospecies VI (type strain, CCBAU 83306(T)=LMG 24338(T)=HAMBI 2973(T)). Strain CCBAU 83278 grouped as the most peripheral member with genospecies VI in SDS-PAGE of whole-cell proteins and BOX-PCR analysis and in the phylogenetic tree of 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer (IGS) sequences. The results of analyses of rrs, atpD and recA gene sequences, as well as those of DNA-DNA hybridization studies, strongly supported the suggestion that this strain belonged to a species quite different from genospecies V and VI and from any other recognized species of the genus Mesorhizobium. As only one strain has been isolated to date, strain CCBAU 83278 was not proposed as a novel species in this study. Mesorhizobium gobiense sp. nov. and Mesorhizobium tarimense sp. nov. could be differentiated from each other as well as from recognized species of the genus Mesorhizobium on the basis of phenotypic characteristics. The symbiotic loci (nodC and nifH) of the two novel species formed two phylogenetic branches related to Mesorhizobium loti and M. tianshanense. The type strains of the two novel species were able to nodulate Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Lotus corniculatus, Oxytropis glabra and Robinia pseudoacacia but not Astragalus membranaceus, Leucaena leucocephala, Phaseolus vulgaris, Pisum sativum or Medicago sativa.

The biogeochemistry of selenium in Sunan grassland, Gansu, Northwest China, casts doubt on the belief that Marco Polo reported selenosis for the first time in history.[Pubmed: 18351293]

In order to clarify the historic academic problem of whether or not livestock poisoning in ancient Suzhou of Northwest China, recorded by Marco Polo in 1295, was selenosis, this study deals with the biogeochemistry of selenium in Sunan County in the Hexi Corridor, which is part of ancient Suzhou in China. It was found that quite a number of farm animals had suffered from intoxication and died as a result of grazing poisonous grasses, mostly Oxytropis DC, Stellera chamaejasme, and Achnatheru inebrians. Toxic symptoms of livestock grazing on Oxytropis DC are similar to those of selenium toxicity, for instance, hair loss and hoof lesions as described by Marco Polo. Therefore, we thought that toxic grass, probably Oxytropis DC, led to the intoxication of livestock recorded by Marco Polo. Average Se concentrations in two members of this species were 0.112 +/- 0.038 mg/kg for the root of Oxytropis glabra, 0.102 +/- 0.027 mg/kg for the stem and leaf of Oxytropis glabra, and 0.066 +/- 0.009 mg/kg for Oxytropis ochrocephala. The average soil selenium concentration was 0.205 +/- 0.127 mg/kg on grassland producing Oxytropis glabra and 0.152 +/- 0.024 mg/kg on grassland producing Oxytropis ochrocephala. The average Se concentration in other plants was 0.076 mg/kg in the root of Ephedra monosperma Mey, 0.029 mg/kg in the root of Rheum palmatum, 0.031 mg/kg in the root of Stellera chamaejasme, 0.037 mg/kg in Achnatherum inebrians, and 0.067 mg/kg in forage grass (Achnatherum splendens ohwi). Selenium concentrations in soils and plants in Sunan County are far less than the thresholds causing selenium toxicity in livestock. As a result, this study concludes that the livestock poisoning recorded by Marco Polo in 1295 might not have been selenosis.

Characterization of symbiotic and endophytic bacteria isolated from root nodules of herbaceous legumes grown in Qinghai-Tibet plateau and in other zones of China.[Pubmed: 17541555]

Qinghai-Tibet plateau is the highest place in the world and the environment in that plateau is hard for animals and plants, with low temperature, low concentration of oxygen and high solar radiation. In this study, 61 root nodule isolates from Vicia, Oxytropis, Medicago, Melilotus and Onobrychis species grown in Qinghai-Tibet plateau and in loess plateau were comparatively characterized. Based upon the results of numerical taxonomy, ARDRA, AFLP, DNA-DNA hybridization and 16S rDNA sequencing, the isolates were classified as Rhizobium leguminosarum, Sinorhizobium meliloti, Sinorhizobium fredii, Mesorhizobium sp., Phyllobacterium sp., Stenotrophomonas sp. and two non-symbiotic groups related to Agrobacterium and Enterobacteriaceae. The strains isolated from Qinghai-Tibet plateau and from the loess plateau were mixed in these species or groups. Oxytropis spp. and Medicago archiducis-nicolai grown in Qinghai-Tibet plateau were recorded as new hosts for R. leguminosarum, as well as Oxytropis glabra and Medicago lupulina for S. fredii. In addition, strains resistant to high alkaline (pH 11) and high concentration of NaCl (3-5%, w/v) were found in each of the rhizobial species. This was the first systematic study of rhizobia isolated from Qinghai-Tibet plateau.