OBJECTIVETo study the bioactivities of the extracts from Pinellia ternata against Plutella xylostella.

METHODThe active material in P. ternata was Soxhlet extracted with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, ethanol successively. The bioactivities of the extracts were determined.

RESULTResults indicated that all extracts using three solvents showed inhibition of oviposition and ovicidal action activities, but the activity of ethanol extract was the strongest. The higher concentration, the more obviously the effect on the pest was. 24 h after treatment with 100 g x L(-1) ethanol extract in no-choice tests and choice tests, the deterrent rates were 85.13%, 73.38%, respectively. Furthermore, treatment with 100 g x L(-1) ethanol extract after 5 d could effectively reduced the percentage of eggs incubation, ovicidal rate could reach 62.40%.

CONCLUSIONThese results suggest that extracts of P. ternata could be used to control pest.

Animals ; Female ; Moths ; drug effects ; physiology ; Oviposition ; drug effects ; Ovum ; drug effects ; Pinellia ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology

Glycerol monolaurate (GML) has been widely used as an effective antibacterial emulsifier in the food industry. A total of 360 44-week-old Hy-Line brown laying hens were randomly distributed into four groups each with six replicates of 15 birds, and fed with corn-soybean-meal-based diets supplemented with 0, 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 g/kg GML, respectively. Our results showed that 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 g/kg GML treatments significantly decreased feed conversion ratios (FCRs) by 2.65%, 7.08%, and 3.54%, respectively, and significantly increased the laying rates and average egg weights. For egg quality, GML drastically increased albumen height and Haugh units, and enhanced yolk color. Notably, GML increased the concentrations of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and reduced the concentration of total saturated fatty acids in the yolk. The albumen composition was also significantly modified, with an increase of 1.02% in total protein content, and increased contents of His (4.55%) and Glu (2.02%) under the 0.30 g/kg GML treatment. Additionally, GML treatments had positive effects on the lipid metabolism of laying hens, including lowering the serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels and reducing fat deposition in abdominal adipose tissue. Intestinal morphology was also improved by GML treatment, with increased villus length and villus height to crypt depth ratio. Our data demonstrated that GML supplementation of laying hens could have beneficial effects on both their productivity and physiological properties, which indicates the potential application of GML as a functional feed additive and gives us a new insight into this traditional food additive.
Albumins/analysis* ; Animals ; Chickens ; Diet ; Dietary Supplements ; Egg Yolk/chemistry* ; Female ; Gonadal Steroid Hormones/blood* ; Intestines/cytology* ; Laurates/administration & dosage* ; Lipid Metabolism ; Monoglycerides/administration & dosage* ; Oviposition/drug effects* ; Ovum ; Oxidative Stress