In view of growing requirements of the food industry regarding elderberries (genus Sambucus), a need to increase their productivity and improve their chemical composition has emerged. With this purpose in mind, numerous elderberry interspecific hybrids have been created. In the present work, the content of minerals in their crucial plant parts was studied. It was also investigated whether superior genotypes regarding the mineral composition of berries and inflorescences could be predicted at early stages of plant development. The results showed that elderberry leaves contained the highest amounts of Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, and Sr, while K and P were predominant in fruit stalks. Fe and Al prevailed in roots and Cu in bark. Although berries showed lower mineral content compared to other plant parts, their mineral content is not negligible and could be comparable to other commonly consumed berries. Genotypes with a favorable mineral content of inflorescences and berries could be predicted on the basis of known mineral composition of their shoots and leaves. The study also indicates that S. nigra genotypes and the majority of interspecific hybrids analyzed are suitable for further genetic breeding or cultivation.
COBISS.SI-ID: 58353155
Glucose uptake and transportation across intestinal epithelial cells is mediated by glucose transporters and significantly affects postprandial blood glucose levels. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of wood extracts, rich in hydrolysable tannins (HTs) originated from sweet chestnut (Castanea Sativa Mill.) and oak (Quercus Patraea), on gene expression of glucose transporters and bioavailability of the glucose and HTs constituents’ in a porcine small intestinal epithelial 3D cell model. The viability of epithelial cells CLAB and PSI exposed to different HTs was determined by alamarBlue®. The qPCR was used to analyze gene expression of SGLT, GLUT2, GLUT4 and POLR2A. The glucose bioavailability was confirmed by assay kit and for HTs bioavailability, LC-MS/MS analytical method was used. The HTs at certain high concentrations adversely affected cell viability and downregulated the expression of the housekeeping gene RNA polymerase II POLR2A. The HTs extracts at the concentrations of 1 or 4 µg/mL upregulated the expression of SGLT1, GLUT2 and GLUT4. Glucose bioavailability was associated with the origin of the HTs. The time-dependent passage of gallic acid through enterocytes was affected by the concentration and origin of HTs. These results indicate that wood HTs could modulate a glucose uptake and gallic acid passage in the 3D cell model.
COBISS.SI-ID: 46450435
Although human clinical studies have suggested probiotic effects on blood glucose levels, knowledge about molecular mechanisms is still scarce. To test the hypothesis that selected Lactobacillus probiotic bacteria could regulate the activity of enterocyte glucose transporters, we aimed to measure in vitro effects of selected Lactobacillus probiotic bacteria on transcription and translation of intestinal glucose transporters sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1) and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) as well as transepithelial glucose transport. Lactobacillus plantarum strains (PCS20 and PCS26), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) (ATCC 53103) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) (ATCC 4356) were co-cultivated with noncarcinogenic porcine enterocytes (CLAB) and human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2) (ATCC HTB-37). Changes in transcription and expression of SGLT1 and GLUT2 were strain and cell line-specific. In CLAB, LGG was the most potent SGLT1 up-regulator, and PCS26 the most potent down-regulator of GLUT2 transcription, which was also reflected on the protein level. In Caco-2, all tested strains tended to downregulate GLUT2 gene expression, while L. acidophilus most effectively reduced GLUT2 protein levels. Statistically significant effect of PCS26 and L. acidophilus on GLUT2 molecular and protein levels in CLAB and Caco-2 cell lines, respectively, was also followed by a decreased rate of transepithelial glucose transport. Careful selection of specific Lactobacillus probiotic strains could be used to downregulate glucose absorption in intestinal epithelial cells and thereby could be beneficial as a support treatment of pathologies related to glucose homeostasis.
COBISS.SI-ID: 39073027
This paper compares LIDAR and manual measurements of leaf area in orchards. The LIDAR measurements were performed in real orchard conditions. LIDAR data were used to count the number of points and to measure the canopy volume of individual volume elements. Manual measurements included defoliation, counting and leaf area measurements. Both types of measurements were performed in 8 volume elements for 20 apple trees of three different ages and varieties ('Golden delicious', 'Jonagold' and 'Gala'). Using regression analysis, we estimated the relation between number of points in the cloud, canopy volume (both LIDAR measurements) and the leaf area (manual measurement). The maximum value of the correlation coefficient was 0.87816, when established from the relation between the number of points in the cloud and the canopy leaf area. The maximum value of the correlation coefficient was 0.80167, when established between the volume of tree canopy volume element and the leaf area.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4647212
The weaning process poses considerable challenge in pig production. The standard procedure usually involves mixing multiple litters in a relatively dense group where the pigs do not have much space and opportunity to interact uninterruptedly and therefore cannot exhibit the full natural display of agonistic behaviour to establish a hierarchy. Understanding the newly-formed group dynamics in this way is hardly possible under standard weaning procedures. Therefore, we implemented a weaning approach that allowed piglets to mix spontaneously and willingly – each litter was weaned in its pen, separated with an empty pen, with all pens connected by narrow passages that were opened 24 h after weaning. Twelve litters (117 piglets) were included in the study. A total of 2792 fights and 1567 mounts were recorded during the 8-day study period. Fighting was the predominant interaction between litters, most frequent at the beginning of mixing. We found no territorial tendencies in the interactions, except for a lower probability of winning the fight in the piglet’s pen of origin. Heavier piglets were involved in fighting to a significantly greater extent immediately (first day) after mixing, while there were no differences in the frequency of fights regarding body weight later on. However, the probability of initiating a fight increased with body weight, and usually, the initiator was also the winner. On the other hand, mounting was the activity initiated and performed mainly by the piglets of medium body weight. In general, females were more involved in both fighting and mounting. These two interactions showed clear opposing temporal dynamics, with the frequency of fighting steadily decreasing over time, while mounting increased and surpassed fighting in relative occurrence. Thus, the formation of the new dominance hierarchy appears to be a two-phase process: an early phase of high aggression, followed by a phase of low aggression in which mounting replaces fighting. Mounting appeared to serve as a means of mutually determining strength in order to avoid fighting; thus, it plays an important role when the relative strengths of group members are known from previous confrontations. Therefore, in assessing the establishment of social structure, we should not neglect subtle agonistic behaviours (e. g., mounting) that serve as a means of establishing or reinforcing social positions within a group.
COBISS.SI-ID: 58415363