Leymus chinensis and Leymus secalinus are perennial rhizome grasses; photosynthetic physiological characteristics were compared between them in Sandy and Saline-Alkaline Soils on the Songnen Plains of China. The contents of chlorophyll and soluble saccharides were positively correlated with photosynthetic characteristics. The photosynthetic capacity of L. chinensis was significantly greater tha...

previous studies have indicated that some species of cuscuta possess anticancer activity on various cell lines. due to the lack of detailed researches on the cytotoxic effects of cuscuta chinensis and cuscuta epithymum , the aim of the present study was to evaluate cytotoxic effects of chloroform and hydroalcoholic extracts of these plants on the human breast carcinoma cell line (mda-mb-468), h...

Insect genitalia exhibit rapid divergent evolution. Truly extraordinary structures have evolved in some groups, presumably as a result of postmating sexual selection. To increase our understanding of this phenomenon, we studied the function of one such structure. The male genitalia of Callosobruchus subinnotatus (Coleoptera: Bruchinae) contain a pair of jaw-like structures with unknown function...

The in vitro antiradical activity of Schisandra chinensis lignans was investigated using DPPH, ABTS+, Fenton reaction inhibition and tyrosine-nitration inhibition assays, as were the in vivo antidiabetic activities of selected lignans in an animal model of alloxan-induced diabetes. Different degrees of antiradical activity were found, depending upon the structural parameters of the tested compo...

Drug resistance in cells is a major impedance to successful treatment of lung cancer. Taxus chinensis var. inhibits the growth of tumor cells and promotes the synthesis of interleukins 1 and 2 and tumor necrosis factor, enhancing immune function. In this study, T. chinensis var.-induced cell death was analyzed in lung cancer cells (H460) enriched for stem cell growth in a defined serum-free med...

Coptis chinensis Franch has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treating infectious and inflammatory diseases for over two thousand years. Berberine (BN), an isoquinoline alkaloid, is the main component of Coptis chinensis. The pharmacological basis for its therapeutic effects, which include hepatoprotective effects on liver injuries, has been studied intensively, yet the therap...

Leymus chinensis (Trin.) is the dominant vegetation type in eastern Eurasian temperate grasslands but is decreasing due to the combined pressure of reduced precipitation and overgrazing. This study evaluated the separate and combined effects of precipitation and defoliation on net primary productivity (NPP) and composition of a L. chinensis steppe to promote the sustainable development of tempe...