Bisphenol‒A (BPA) is a known endocrine‒disrupting chemical used extensively to manufacture plastic bottles, canned food linings, thermal receipts, and other commonly used items. BPA is capable of inducing chromosomal alterations in germ cell line, thereby produced transgenerational effects on brain function, social recognition, reproductive diseases, sperm quality, gene expression, and obesity. Here, we aimed to investigate the transgenerational effects of BPA on murine male fertility. Six-week-old male mice (F0) were gavaged with corn oil (control), two different doses of BPA (5 mg, and 50 mg·kg bw-1·day-1),andethinylestradiol(EE,0.4mg·kg bw-1·day-1), dailyfor6weeks. Treated male mice were mated with wild‒type female and sibling pairs were bred up to the third generation (F3) in a similar manner with no further BPA exposure. Testes and spermatozoa were collected from 14-week-old males of all generation (F0 to F3) to evaluate testis weight, sperm function, and fertility. We found that high concentration of BPA significantly increased testicular weight in F2. Although the sperm viability, capacitation status, and intracellular ROS levels were not affected by BPA, however, sperm count, motility, hyperactivated motility, and intracellular ATP levels were significantly altered by BPA, dose dependently. In majority of the cases the effects were prominent in F2 followed by F1 and F0, whereas the effects were diminished in F3 generation. Simultaneously, high concentration of BPA significantly decreased cleavage and blastocyst formation rate in both F1 and F2. Similar inhibitory effects on cleavage and blastocyst were also noted in F1 by low dose of BPA. Depending on these findings we conclude that BPA decreases the fertility potential of exposed males and has an adverse impact on sperm function and fertility in subsequent generations.

Processes of cryopreservation consists of three steps: dilution with the extender/cooling (Step 1), addition of cryoprotectant (Step 2), and freezing/thawing (Step 3) and spermatozoa are exposed different kind of environment and stress in each step. We categorized sperm samples as good freezablitiy (GF), damaged by cryoprotectant (DCP), and damaged by freezing (DF) and identified characteristics of each group in different step of cryopreservation. In Step 2, DCP was significantly decreased in motility, rapid speed and increased in slow speed. DF was significantly decreased in only motility whereas there were no significant difference between GF and DF and significantly higher than DCP in Step 2. Motility, rapid, medium speed of all group were significantly decreased in Step 3 and GF was significantly higer than other groups. AR pattern of all groups were significantly increased in Step 3 whereas GF was significantly lower than other groups. Additionally AR pattern of DF was significantly increased in Step 2. F pattern of DF and DCP were significantly decreased in Step 3. There no difference of B pattern in whole process. Mitochondrial activity of DCP was significantly decreased in Step 2 and mtichondrial activity of all groups were significantly decreased in Step 3. However mtichondrial activity of GF was higher than other groups. Viability result shows same significant difference with mitochondrial pattern. The present study compared with various sperm parameters in different groups which has different freezability. We defined different two types of group that damaged from different step of cryopreservation. DF and DCP is mainly damaged in Step 3 and Step 2 respectively. The results of current study suggest that various sperm parameters can be used as physical markers in freezability.

Recently, RNA interference (RNAi) technology has been emerged as a potent tool for pest control strategy. Based on the previous studies on RNAi via leaf disc-mediated systemic delivery of dsRNA and in planta expression of hairpin RNA by agroinfiltration, the coatomer subunit alpha (COPA) gene has been found to be a crucial target for RNAi against Tetranychus urticae. In current study, transgenic plants of Arabidopsis thaliana expressing COPA hairpin RNA were generated by the floral dip method. Putative transgenic plants were screened by PCR and positive transformants were subjected to bioassay using age-synchronized and host-adapted T. urticae. T. urticae feeding on plants expressing dsRNA/siRNA showed more than 80% mortality as compared to the mites feeding on control plants at 6 days post-infestation. Our data shows that in planta expression of hairpin gene such as COPA may serve as an effective way for the control of this important pest in ornamental and economically important plants.

In our previous study, COPA (coatomer subunit alpha) gene from the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, exhibited RNA interference (RNAi)-based lethality when its double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) was systemically delivered via multi-unit chambers or its hairpin RNA was in planta-expressed by agroinfiltration. The cumulative mortality of T. urtcae was 55.0 ±14.2% in soybean plants agroinfiltrated with COPA gene. To investigate the temporal expression profiles of hairpin RNA following agroinfiltration, the amount of hairpin RNA expressed in plants was quantified over time by quantitative real-time PCR. Relative transient expression levels of T. urticae COPA hairpin RNA was highest at 46 h post-agroinfiltration and the extent of COPA gene knockdown was lowest at 12 h post-infestation on soybean plants. To investigate small interference RNA (siRNA) profiling, northern blot assay is currently under progress.

The antioxidant activity of 70% methanol, 70% ethanol and chloroform-methanol (CM, 2:1, v/v) extracts from turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) was investigated in this study. The antioxidant potential of various extracts of turmeric was evaluated by using different antioxidant tests, namely DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, ABTS [2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt] radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power and β-carotene bleaching assays as well as total phenol content and total flavonoid content. All extracts exhibited abundant total phenol content, total flavonoid content and strong antioxidant activity. Particularly, higher activity was exhibited by CM extract with 46.32±0.35 mg CAE/g and 15.58±0.39 mg QE/g of total phenol content and total flavonoid content. Generally, antioxidant activity of various extracts from turmeric increased in the following order: 70% methanol extract, 70% ethanol extract and CM extract, respectively. Results suggested that turmeric could be widely used as a source of antioxidant and a kind of functional material in food.

The belief that honey bee venom (BV) can be used to treat certain immune-related diseases, such as arthritis and rheumatic conditions, goes back to antiquity. A growing number of reports have demonstrated that BV contains at least 18 pharmacologically active components, including phospholipase A2 (PLA2). Recent research has shown that bee venom PLA2 (bvPLA2) induces protective immune responses against several diseases including asthma, Parkinson’s disease, and drug-induced organ inflammation. However, the antiviral properties of bvPLA2 have not been well investigated. Hence, we examined the potential inhibitory effects of bvPLA2 and its possible mechanism of action against a broad panel of pathogenic viruses in vitro. Pre-treatment with bvPLA2 significantly inhibited the replication of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), coxsackie virus (H3), enterovirus-71 (EV-71), herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Adenovirus (AdV) dramatically. However, bvPLA2 did not show antiviral activity against Influenza A virus (PR8) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Such inhibitory effects were explained by blocking of the attachment of the virus to cells upon bvPLA2 treatment. Additionally, we observed that Heparan sulfate (HS) has an inhibitory effect on the attachment of HSV to the cell surface dose dependently, which was inconsistent with bvPLA2 treatment. These findings suggest that bvPLA2 has an inhibitory effect on the replication of diverse viruses by blocking their attachment to the cell surface and could be a promising source of natural antiviral agents.

Although country-of-origin has been a controversial topic in literature, there has been little research effort to explain the nature linkage between country-of-origin and perceived quality from consumers in emerging markets. Drawing on the notion of country-of-origin, this study proposes the concept of product-country-image which is operationalized with the three components of cognitive, affective and conative. Structural equation modeling is employed to explore the relationship between the product-country-image and perceived quality. The findings indicate that only ‘affective components’ are positively related to ‘conative components’ among three pairs. What is more, structural equitation modeling demonstrated that the influence of product-country image on perceived quality is simultaneously regardless of the level of consumers’ familiarity with a foreign country’s product. Using data collected from 348 Vietnamese consumers, this study generates new insights for academics and practitioners.

The aim of this study was conducted to investigate the proximate and nutritional compositions including mineral, vitamin, amino acids and fatty acids in Korean yam (Dioscorea batatas DECNE.). Carbohydrate (68.1%) possessed the large single constituent of yam. Small amounts of crude protein (16.9%), crude ash (5.8%) and crude fat (2.0%) contents were found. Yam was found to be good sources of essential minerals such as K (1295.5 mg/100 g), Mg (115.3 mg/100 g), Na (99.0 mg/100 g) and Ca (56.5 mg/100 g) but Zn (0.3 mg/100 g) content was low. Relatively abundant vitamin B1 (11.5 mg/100g) could be observed while vitamin A, B3 and B6 were not found. The amino acid analysis revealed that the yam was superior with respect to glutamic acid (1770.6 mg%), lysine (1210.6 mg%) and urea (550.9 mg%). Essential amino acids were calculated to be 2954.5 mg%. The amino acid profiles showed that yam to be limiting in valine and leusine. Palmitic acid and linoleic acid were the most predominant fatty acids with the value of 31.5% and 41.5%, respectively. And the polyunsaturated fatty acids including linoleic acid and linolenic acid were present in a large quantities in yam. And it also contained higher amounts of unsaturated fatty acids compared saturated fatty acids.

The bioactive compound and antioxidant property of Korean yam (Dioscorea batatas DECNE.) were studied using in vitro methods. Yam available in Korea was analyzed for lycopene, chlorophyll a, b, tannin, phytic acid and total saponin contents. 70% Methanol, 70% ethanol and chloroform–methanol mixture (CM, 2:1, v/v) were used to extract yam. Then the antioxidant activity evaluated through ferrous ion chelating activity, β-carotene bleaching method, lipid peroxidation inhibition and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging activity. 70% Methanol extract showed the highest ferrous ion chelating activity and NO radical scavenging activity. And CM extract was the most effective in inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation evaluated by β-carotene bleaching assay and lipid peroxidation inhibition assay. Based on the results obtained, yam is a potential active ingredient that could be applied in antioxidation as well as bio-health functional food to take a good part in prevention of human diseases and aging.

The objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of Korean yam (Dioscorea batatas DECNE.) by different extraction solvents including 70% methanol, 70% ethanol and chloroform–methanol mixture (CM, 2:1, v/v). Raw yam was analyzed for its color property, total phenol content and antioxidant activity. Yam possessed high L* value and H° value, which were 81.64±2.59 and 83.36±0.15, respectively. Raw yam was found to have great antioxidant activity evaluated through ABTS [2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt] radical scavenging activity, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and ferric reducing antioxidant power. Total phenol contents of various extracts from raw yam increased in the following order: 70% methanol extract (37.62±0.88 mg CAE/g), 70% ethanol extract (43.38±0.66 mg CAE/g) and CM extract (67.17±0.12 mg CAE/g), respectively. The same trend was also could be found in the ABTS radical scavenging activity, DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays. These results implied that Korean yam might play an important role in antioxidation and serve as the bio-health functional food to take a good part in prevention of human diseases and aging.

RNA interference (RNAi) has been proven as an operative technique for efficient gene silencing in many organisms. In our study, Tetranychus urticae, an extremely polyphagous and rapidly resistance developing mite against acaricides, was screened by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) delivery method using multi-unit chambers. Among several lethal genes of T.urticae, COPA (the coatomer subunit alpha), a gene involved in membrane transport between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi complex, showed the highest mortality rate [median lethal time (LT50)=54h]. To investigate the effect of dsCOPA treatment to lysosome formation, we used the Lysotracker green DND26 dye, selective to acidic cellular compartments such as lysosome. The result revealed that the dsEGFP-treated T. urticae has 1.3-fold more of lysosome than that of dsCOPA treated, indicating that downregulation of COPA affected lysosomes function and autophagy, thereby resulting in lethality. To investigate the further detailed toxic mechanism of COPA knockdown, investigation on histological changes in T. urticae fed COPA dsRNA is currently on going.

Expression of hairpin RNA corresponding to the part of COPA transcript was done by agroinfiltration in soybean plants and was confirmed by qRT-PCR. In a pot experiment, T. urticae was infested on agroinfiltrated soybean plants and T. urticae mortality was observed and compared with control plants overtime. Significantly higher mortalities of T. urticae were observed in the COPA-agroinfiltrated soybean plants from post-infestation day 2 (15 ±5%), day 4 (50 ±10 %). At post-infestation day 6, mortality reached to (70 ± 15%). To validate the observed COPA silencing effect in T. urticae fed on the agroinfiltrated soybean plant expressing COPA hairpin RNAs, qRT-PCR analysis was performed. The transcript level of COPA gene was decreased in T. urticae fed on agroinfiltrated soybean plants expressing COPA hairpin RNA from post-infestation day 2. At post-infestation day 2, 4 and 6, COPA transcript levels were reduced by 23.8, 20.7 and 18.8 fold, respectively compared to post-infestation day 1 (control). The results obtained in this study also ruled that the plant mediated production and uptake of silencing (dsRNAs/siRNAs) is an effective way to trigger RNAi in the T. urticae.

Antennal olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) for pheromone and plant volatile compounds were identified and characterized in Sitona lepidus and S. discoideus, using the single sensillum recording technique with five pheromone-related compounds and 40 host and non-host plant volatile compounds. Different types of olfactory sensilla containing specialized ORNs were identified in these weevils. Different types of sensilla housed ORNs specialized for pheromone-related compounds, 4-methyl-3,5-heptanedione or one or more of four stereoisomers of 5-hydroxy-4-methyl-3-heptanone. In addition to the pheromone-related ORNs, several types of olfactory sensilla contained ORNs responsive to plant volatile compounds. Most of the ORNs showed high specificity to specific volatile compounds although some of the active compounds showed overlapping response spectra in the ORNs across different types of sensilla. Our study indicates that both S. lepidus and S. discoideus have species-specific set of highly sensitive and selective ORNs for pheromone and plant volatile compounds. The behavioral implication of these findings is discussed.

This study was carried out to investigate the antioxidant activities, total phenol, and flavonoid contents of 70% methanol, 70% ethanol, and chloroform-methanol (CM, 2:1, v/v) extracts from garlic (Allium sativum L.) peels. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical and ABTS [2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6- sulfonic acid) diammonium salt] radical scavenging activity, β-carotene bleaching assay, and ferric reducing antioxidant power. Total phenol and flavonoid were in a range of 32.59-63.05 mg CAE/g, 5.26-9.22 mg QE/g, respectively. Total phenol and flavonoid were predominant with the values of 63.05±0.20 mg CAE/g and 9.22±0.17 mg QE/g in 70% ethanol extract. Additionally, 70% ethanol extract also displayed the strongest antioxidant activity followed by 70% methanol extract and CM extract in all assays. These results showed that garlic peel can be used as natural antioxidant in nutraceutical preparations to prevent human diseases.

Consumption of fruits and vegetables has been conducted to be effective in the prevention of chronic diseases. In this study, 70% methanol, 70% ethanol and chloroform-methanol mixture (CM, 2:1, v/v) were used as solvents in the extraction of apple peels. The total phenol content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity of various extracts were investigated using in vitro assays. The extract obtained by 70% methanol showed the highest total phenol content (20.87±0.17 mg CAE/g), ABTS [2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt] radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power. However, 70% ethanol extract possessed the strongest antioxidant activity assayed by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and β-carotene bleaching method. And CM extract was found to show the highest total flavonoid content with the value of 9.26±0.06 mg QE/g. These results indicated that apple peels can be used in dietary applications with a potential to reduce oxidative stress.