Selenium (Se) hyperaccumulator plants can concentrate the toxic element Se up to 1% of shoot (DW) which is known to protect hyperaccumulator plants from generalist herbivores. There is evidence for Se-resistant insect herbivores capable of feeding upon hyperaccumulators. In this study, resistance to Se was investigated in seed chalcids and seed beetles found consuming seeds inside pods of Se-hy...

The aim of this study was to investigate the preventative effect of Astragalus flavescens on hepatic fibrosis in rats and its mechanism of action. A total of 60 rats were randomly divided into normal control, model control, high-dose treatment and low-dose treatment groups, and a hepatic fibrosis model was established. The high- and low-dose treatment groups were treated with 2 g/100 g and 0.5 ...

The hepatoprotective activity of the ethanol extract of Astragalus kahiricus (Fabaceae) roots against ethanol-induced liver apoptosis was evaluated and it showed very promising hepatoprotective actions through different mechanisms. The extract counteracted the ethanol-induced liver enzymes leakage and glutathione depletion. In addition, it demonstrated anti-apoptotic effects against caspase-3 a...

The disease burden of diabetes mellitus is increasing throughout the world. The need for more potent drugs to complement the present anti-diabetic drugs has become an imperative. Astragalus membranaceus, a key component of most Chinese herbal anti-diabetic formulas, has been an important prospect for lead anti-diabetic compounds. It has been progressively studied for its anti-diabetic propertie...

Most studies which aim at detecting effects of parasites on fish show that intermediate stages of parasites affect their host while adult parasites are usually less virulent in the final host. We studied the effect of the acanthocephalan Acanthocephaloides propinquus on one of its final hosts, the fish Gobius bucchichii. This study showed that the adult parasites affect host fitness. Moreover, ...

the anticonvulsant activity of astragalus squarrosus total extract was assessed in pentylenetetrazole (ptz)-induced convulsion in mice, with diazepam as the standard drug, while mechanistic studies were also conducted using flumazenil, a gaba a-benzodiazepine receptor complex site antagonist. the extract produced protection against convulsion at 400 mg/kg, comparable with protection of benzodia...

*Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A43, D-14473 Potsdam, Germany {State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan Nanxincun 20, 100093 Beijing, China {Department of Plant Ecology and Natural Conservation, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 2, D-1...