This study explored the effects over time of lactic acid (LA) on I Bα phosphorylation and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF- B) p65 protein expression, and on tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA levels in rat intestinal mucosa microvascular endothelial cells (RIMMVECs) stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). I B , phosphorylated I B (p-I B ) and p65 protein levels were monitored by Western blot analysis, and TNF- and IL-6 mRNA levels were analyzed using real-time PCR. LA treatment reduced TNF- and IL-6 mRNA levels in LPS-stimulated RIMMVECs, with the greatest effect being after 3 h. The highest inhibitory effect of LA on I B phosphorylation to prevent activation of NFB was after 6 h. These results suggest that LA reduces TNF- and IL-6 mRNA levels through decreasing I B phosphorylation and blocking the dissociation of IKK complex, which prevents activation of NF- B.

Timing of harvest is critical for mechanical picking in cotton production, especially in those regions with double cropping system. Appropriate and safe harvest aids will improve timing and facilitate harvest of cotton in the double cropping system. Three defoliants (dimethipin, thidiazuron, and thidiazuron-diuron) and one boll opener (ethephon) were included in this research. They were evaluated for their effects on defoliation, boll opening, seedcotton yield, seed quality, and fiber quality of field grown cotton when used alone or as a mixture in 2009 and 2010. Defoliation and/or boll opening were increased by all three defoliants and ethephon, especially by mixtures of a defoliant and ethephon. First harvest of seedcotton was significantly increased with defoliant-ethephon mixtures. No significant adverse effects were observed on boll weight, lint percentage, seed quality, and fiber properties. It was estimated that tank mixes of ethephon and one of the three defoliants can improve the adjusted gross revenue. Boll opening can be used as an alternative indicator for the adjusted gross revenue, because, it was linearly and positively correlated with the relative adjusted gross revenue and convenient in measurements. Wheat seedling growth was not affected by thidiazuron, whereas its seedling emergence, root dry weight, relative water content, and electrolyte leakage were adversely affected by dimethipin and thidiazurondiuron when concentration was above 340 and 100 g (a.i.) ha-1, respectively. 90% defoliation and 80% boll opening were observed with the high rate of thidiazuron-ethephon mixture, but no adverse effects on winter wheat. The results suggested that tank mixes of ethephon with thidiazuron can be used effectively and safely in the cotton-winter wheat double cropping system to improve yield without adverse effects on seed quality and fiber quality.

To investigate whether lactic acid could inhibit the LPS-activation of NF-κB p65 in rat intestinal mucosa microvascular endothelial cells (RIMMVECs), RIMMVECs, cultured in vitro, were pretreated with different concentrations of lactic acid and then exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cells and cell culture media were then collected at different time intervals.Production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was examined at the protein level by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The influence of lactic acid on the LPS-activation of NF-κB was examined at mRNA and protein levels by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. TNF-α and IL-6 protein levels were significantly decreased after pretreatment with lactic acid compared with cells exposed to LPS only. After pretreatment with 7.5, 5.0, and 2.5 μL mL^-1 lactic acid, NF-κB mRNA levels were increased by 1.51-, 2.62- and 3.00-fold, respectively, compared with levels in control cells without LPS treatment. Western blot analysis indicated that the level of NF-κB p65 in the lactic acidpretreated group was significantly lower than that in the group treated with LPS only (positive control) and was unchanged compared with the group without LPS treatment (blank control). These results suggest that lactic acid may inhibit LPSactivation of NF-κB, leading to the down-regulation of TNF-α and IL-6.