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Commelina communis L., a functional food and herbal plant in Asia, has been used against obesity, diabetes, and infections for centuries. A growing body of studies has demonstrated that indigestible polysaccharides are significant in obesity management. However, the structures and bioactivities of homogeneous polysaccharides from C. communis remain unclear. This study presented the structural characterization, simulated digestion, and human gut Bacteroides proliferation promotion activity of a novel homogeneous polysaccharide (CCB-3) from C. communis. The results showed that CCB-3 was an arabinoglucuronoxylan, primarily composed of arabinose, galactose, xylose, glucuronic acid (GlcA), and 4-O-methyl GlcA with a molecular weight (Mw) of 58.8 kDa. Following a 6-hour exposure to simulated gastrointestinal fluid, the Mw of CCB-3 remained unchanged, revealing that CCB-3 was an indigestible polysaccharide. Notably, CCB-3 could promote the proliferation of B. thetaiotaomicron, B. ovatus, and B. cellulosilyticus and produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and 1,2-propanediol. These findings might shed light on the discovery of polysaccharide-based leading compounds from C. communis against obesity.

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BACKGROUND: Sepsis causes inflammation in response to infection, often leading to acute lung injury (ALI). Yazhicao (Commelina communis L., YZC) is widely distributed in the global tropics and has good anti-respiratory inflammatory activity; however, the protection of YZC against septic-ALI has not been established. PURPOSE: The role of YZC in septic-ALI will be investigated in this study. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, YZC was shown to inhibit excessive inflammation and alleviate septic-ALI. Network pharmacology predicts that Quercetin, Acacetin and Diosmetin have the potential to serve as the pharmacological substance basis of YZC in alleviating septic-ALI. The metabolomics results indicated that YZC could improve the metabolic disorders caused by septic-ALI, which were mostly concerned with energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism, with Trimethylamine (TMA)/Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) being potential small molecule metabolic markers for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of septic-ALI. YZC inhibits the initiation and progression of septic-ALI by controlling the TMA/TMAO metabolites. Our results also suggest that YZC protects the intestinal barrier from damage. Furthermore, our research indicated that YZC reduces TMAO synthesis by inhibiting TMA production through remodeling the intestine microbiota. We investigated the mechanism of YZC-mediated protection against septic-ALI and showed that YZC reduced the expression of proteins associated with NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles in the lung by inhibiting the expression of NF-κB. CONCLUSION: These results show that YZC inhibits the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway by regulating metabolic and intestinal flora disorders in septic-ALI mice to reduce TMAO synthesis. This study presents a theoretical groundwork for the advancement of novel medications and clinical use of YZC to enhance septic-ALI and furnishes a theoretical rationale for regulating intestinal microbiota as a therapeutic instrument to treat sepsis and septic-ALI.

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Commelina communis L. is a troublesome weed in agronomic fields and increasingly threatens the yield security of corn in north-eastern China. Previously, we found that a C. communis population (JL-1) has evolved resistance to atrazine. Although the potential genetic and enzymic differences contributing to atrazine resistance in this population have been investigated, the specific molecular mechanisms underlying C. communis resistance are still poorly understood. Here, the expression level of the target gene PsbA and the non-target-site resistance (NTSR) mechanism for this population were studied. The results showed that the decline in chlorophyll content in JL-1 leaves was less than in the susceptible JS-10 population following atrazine treatment. JL-1 exhibited an enhanced expression of the PsbA gene compared with JS-10 of 7.28- and 14.28-fold higher at 0 and 24 h after treatment with atrazine, respectively. The cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) inhibitor piperonyl butoxide (PBO) increased the phytotoxicity of atrazine in both populations of C. communis. Seven candidate genes associated with NTSR of Jl-1 were identified through RNA-seq and validated by quantitative real-time PCR, including 5 upregulated genes involved in herbicide metabolism. In addition, the activities of glutathione S-transferases and P450s in JL-1 were increased compared with JS-10. Collectively, PsbA gene overexpression and enhanced metabolism are likely to be responsible for JL-1 resistance to atrazine.

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Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis L.) is a detrimental weed that mainly infests corn and soybean fields in China. Recently, some C. communis populations have exhibited resistance to atrazine, intensifying the difficulties in controlling the weed. However, little is known on the mechanism underlying C. communis resistance to atrazine. Therefore, two populations collected from Jilin (JL-1) and Jiangsu (JS-10) provinces of China were used to evaluate their growth responses to atrazine. The results showed that the JL-1 population displayed a low level of resistance to atrazine compared with JS-10 population, with the resistant index (RI) value of 2.9. To determine if a mutation in the psbA gene was the basis for varied resistance to this herbicide, the full-length gene encoding 353 amino acids with no intron was sequenced by using genome-walking techniques. No mutation known to confer resistance to atrazine was observed in either JL-1 or JS-10 populations. The malondialdehyde (MDA) contents relative to the control group were significantly higher in JS-10 population than in JL-1 population at 7 days after treatment with atrazine, suggesting that atrazine induced severer oxidant damage on JS-10 population. Additionally, significantly enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), were detected in the JL-1 population, which was most likely to confer resistance to atrazine. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation into the potential genetic and enzymatic differences contributing to atrazine resistance in this population.

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The effects of homonojirimycin (HNJ), one of alkaloids from Commelina communis L., on protection against influenza virus infection in mice were investigated. HNJ was found to improve the survival rate, prolong the mean survival time and reduce virus yields in lungs on days 4 and 6 post-infection (p.i.), after the agent had been orally administered to the mice from 2 days before infection to 6 days p.i. Administration of HNJ (1 mg/kg) significantly increased interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-10 levels but decreased tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6 levels in serum and lungs of influenza-infected mice on days 2, 4 or 6 p.i. These results showed that HNJ exerted protection against influenza virus infection and produced effective immune responses in vivo.

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Stem rot was found for the first time on the Asiatic dayflower plant (Commelina communis L.) in Korea. A detailed description of this Korean specimen is given, along with its rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequence. The fungus was identified as Sclerotium rolfsii Saccardo based on mycological characteristics and molecular data.

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Stem rot was found for the first time on the Asiatic dayflower plant (Commelina communis L.) in Korea. A detailed description of this Korean specimen is given, along with its rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequence. The fungus was identified as Sclerotium rolfsii Saccardo based on mycological characteristics and molecular data.

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A definition of plant hormone sensitivity is proposed which is based on the initial rates of responses at different hormone concentrations. By analogy with enzyme kinetics, it is concluded that simple concentration-response curves can be described by a function containing three 'sensitivity parameters'. Objective methods for determining the values of these parameters and for comparing curves are described. These methods are used to describe the responses of Commelina communis L. stomata to abscisic acid. If certain assumptions are valid, the sensitivity parameters can be assigned physicochemical meanings. To validate the assumptions, certain experimental criteria must be fulfilled and these are discussed.