Cinnamomum micranthum (Hayata) Hayata is a tree species that is often confused with Cinnamomum kanehirae Hayata, which is an endemic species in Taiwan and the sole natural host of the valuable medicinal fungus Antrodia cinnamomea. However, the two species are highly similar in morphology and difficult to distinguish based on traditional vegetative structures or wood anatomical methods. The aim of the present study was to identify of these two species by DNA and chemical analysis. The complete chloroplast genome of C. micranthum has been determined and compared with that of C. kanehirae. The leaf methanol extracts of these species were also analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). The length of the C. micranthum chloroplast genome was 152 675 bp, i.e. 25 bp shorter than that of C. kanehirae. In phylogenetic analysis, C. micranthum was more closely related to C. kanehirae than other six Lauracea species. Six validated insertion/deletions of bases in the DNA (InDels) are suitable for differentiation of the two species. Moreover, high amounts of linalool and sesamin were present in the leaves of C. kanehirae, but not in C. micranthum. Overall, this study provided new insight for distinguishing the two species on the basis of the chemical composition of the leaves and the InDel markers.

The complete chloroplast genome of Cinnamomum kanehirae (Hayata), the first to be completely sequenced of Lauraceae family, is presented in this study. The total genome size is 152,700 bp, with a typical circular structure including a pair of inverted repeats (IRa/b) of 20,107 bp of length separated by a large single-copy region (LSC) and a small single-copy region (SSC) of 93,642 bp and 18,844 bp of length, respectively. The overall GC content of the genome is 39.1%. The nucleotide sequence shows 91% identities with Liriodendron tulipifera in the Magnoliaceae. In total, 123 annotated genes consisted of 79 coding genes, eight rRNA genes, and 36 tRNA genes. Among all 79 coding genes, seven genes (rpoC1, atpF, rpl2, ndhB, ndhA, rps16, and rpl2) contain one intron, while two genes (ycf3 and clpP) contain two introns. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis revealed that C. kanehirae chloroplast genome is closely related to Calycanthus fertilis within Laurales order.

Cinnamomum kanehirae Hayata and C. camphora (L.) Presl are important tree species in eastern Asia. The wood of C. kanehirae is in increasing demand for culturing Antrodia cinnamomea, a medicinal fungus that naturally grows inside the trunk of C. kanehirae. Putative hybrids between C. kanehirae and C. camphora were previously reported but with no scientific evidence, leading to confusion or misplanting. First, to identify the female parent of putative hybrids, the maternal inheritance InDel (insertion/deletion) markers were developed by using low-coverage sequencing. SNPs were developed by using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach in C. kanehirae, C. camphora and putative hybrids. The results indicated that the female parent of the studied hybrids was C. camphora. Eight hundred and forty of the 529,006 high-density SNPs were selected and used for analysis. Hybrids were classified as F1 (C. kanehirae × C. camphora), F2 and backcrosses. Hybridization has occurred in the human-developed area of eastern and southwestern Taiwan, and the introgression was bidirectional. For producing pure wood, buffering zones should be established around seed orchards to avoid cross-species pollination and to preserve the genetic purity of C. kanehirae. The DNA markers developed in this study will also be valuable for further wood identification, breeding and evolutionary research.

We investigated the efficacy of mung bean sprout in reducing hypertension. Different dosages of raw sprout extract (RSE) or dried sprout extracts (DSE) and enzyme-digested sprout extracts were used in a single intragastric administration test to examine the short-term effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats.Results indicated that high doses (600 mg peptide/kg body weight) extracts significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) of the rats after administration for 6-9, 3-6 and 3-9 h, respectively. Plasma angiotensin I-converting enzyme activities in the treated rats also decreased. A long-term (1 month) intervention study that consists of treatment groups of fresh sprout powder, dried sprout powder and concentrated extracts of the sprouts (RSE and DSE, respectively) was carried out.Results indicated that the sprout powders were not as efficacious as concentrated sprout extracts. SBP of the rats in the RSE and DSE groups were significantly reduced during the intervention period from week 1-4 and week 2-4, respectively. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe results suggested that although fresh and low doses of mung bean sprout or sprout extracts did not have apparent antihypertensive effects, high 3 Corresponding