Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi, known as kudzu and used as a \"longevity powder\" in China, is an edible plant which is rich in flavonoids and believed to be useful for regulating blood sugar and treating diabetes, although the modes of action are unknown. Here, a total of 53 flavonoids including 6 novel compounds were isolated from kudzu using multidimensional preparative liquid chromatography. The flavonoid components were found to lower blood sugar levels, promote urine sugar levels in mice, and reduce the urine volume. Molecular docking and in vitro assays suggested that the antidiabetic effect of kudzu was attributed to at least three targets: sodium-dependent glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2), protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP1B), and alpha-glucosidase (AG). This study suggests a possible mechanism for the antidiabetic effect that may involve the synergistic action of multiple active compounds from kudzu.

Osteoporosis is characterized by bone loss and deterioration in bone microstructure, leading to bone fragility. It is strongly correlated with menopause in women. Previously, we reported that diets supplemented with a kudzu (Pueraria lobata) vine extract suppressed bone resorption in ovariectomized (OVX) mice, a postmenopausal model. The main isoflavone in kudzu is puerarin (daidzein-8-C-glycoside). Puerarin (daidzein-8-C-glycoside), which is main isoflavone of kudzu, probably contributes to the beneficial effect. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. Therefore, the nutrikinetics of puerarin and the comparison with the suppressive effects of kudzu isoflavones on osteoclast differentiation was examined in this study. We demonstrated that orally administered puerarin was absorbed from the gut and entered the circulation in an intact form. In addition, puerarin accumulated in RAW264.7 pre-osteoclast cells in a time-dependent manner. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity was decreased by puerarin treatment in a concentration-dependent manner in RAW264.7 cells stimulated with the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand. Ovariectomy-induced elevated bone resorption was suppressed, and the fragile bone strength was improved by puerarin ingestion in the diet. These findings suggested that orally administered puerarin was localized in bone tissue and suppressed bone resorption and osteoclastogenesis in ovariectomized mice.

Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata), a plant native to Southeastern Asia, has become a major noxious weed covering millions of hectares in the Southern United States. A kudzu patch displaying virus-like symptoms located in Ackerman, northeastern Mississippi (MS), was used as a source for virus isolation and characterization involving mechanical and vector transmission, ultrastructural observation, surveys, Sanger and high-throughput genome sequencing, and sequence analyses. The results revealed the presence of a new potyvirus in infected kudzu, closely related to wisteria vein mosaic virus (WVMV) and provisionally named kudzu chlorotic ring blotch virus (KudCRBV). Genome features and pairwise comparison with six WVMV genomes currently available in GenBank and three additional isolates from MS sequenced in this work suggest that KudCRBV is likely a member of a new species in the genus Potyvirus. Furthermore, under experimental conditions, KudCRBV was successfully transmitted by cotton and potato aphids and mechanically to soybean and beans. A state-wide survey revealed several kudzu patches infected by the virus in northern MS.

Marble is one of the materials most susceptible to copper leaching, resulting in easily identifiable turquoise stains on the marble. This problem is particularly relevant when we are talking about marble structures of heritage value. For this reason, conservators look for cleaning materials that are specific to the structure to be treated without damaging the original surface. Materials such as agar have been studied for a long time. Agar creates a controlled water release system that adapts to the needs of conservators who seek the greatest possible cleanliness without damaging the material to be treated. To improve the cleaning, chelating agents such as EDTA are added to the agar composition. However, the microbiological growth and the damage it produces to the original material are disadvantages to take into account. In order to solve these problems, other natural materials with cleaning potential such as kudzu and konjac gels were studied in combination with other chelating agents such as citrate, oxalate, and gluconic acid. For the characterization and evaluation of copper cleaning, various analytical techniques were used, including Raman spectroscopy, colorimetry, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In this study, both konjac and kudzu emerged as promising alternatives to agar, revealing distinctive features such as simplified preparation methods and inherent antimicrobial properties. The EDTA chelator was found to be the most harmful for marble surfaces, as it extracted a greater amount of calcium from the marble during application of the gels doped with it. Citrate and gluconic acid have been identified as a promising substitute to prepare doped gels for the removal of copper stains. These compounds exhibit comparable or potentially superior cleaning capabilities than EDTA, with no negative side effects.

BACKGROUND: Pueraria montana var. lobata (kudzu) is an important food and medicinal crop in Asia. However, the phylogenetic relationships between Pueraria montana var. lobata and the other two varieties (P. montana var. thomsonii and P. montana var. montana) remain debated. Although there is increasing evidence showing that P. montana var. lobata adapts to various environments and is an invasive species in America, few studies have systematically investigated the role of the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary patterns of plastomes between P. montana var. lobata and its closely related taxa.
RESULTS: 26 newly sequenced chloroplast genomes of Pueraria accessions resulted in assembled plastomes with sizes ranging from 153,360 bp to 153,551 bp. Each chloroplast genome contained 130 genes, including eight rRNA genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 85 protein-coding genes. For 24 newly sequenced accessions of these three varieties of P. montana, we detected three genes and ten noncoding regions with higher nucleotide diversity (π). After incorporated publically available chloroplast genomes of Pueraria and other legumes, 47 chloroplast genomes were used to construct phylogenetic trees, including seven P. montana var. lobata, 14 P. montana var. thomsonii and six P. montana var. montana. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that P. montana var. lobata and P. montana var. thomsonii formed a clade, while all sampled P. montana var. montana formed another cluster based on cp genomes, LSC, SSC and protein-coding genes. Twenty-six amino acid residues were identified under positive selection with the site model. We also detected six genes (accD, ndhB, ndhC, rpl2, rpoC2, and rps2) that account for among-site variation in selective constraint under the clade model between accessions of the Pueraria montana var. lobata clade and the Pueraria montana var. montana clade.
CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide novel comparative plastid genomic insights into conservative gene content and structure of cp genomes pertaining to P. montana var. lobata and the other two varieties, and reveal an important phylogenetic clue and plastid divergence among related taxa of P. montana come from loci that own moderate variation and underwent modest selection.

Kudzu (Pueraria montana [Lour.] Merr. var. lobata [Willd.] Maesen & S.M. Almeida ex Sanjappa & Predeep) is an invasive woody vine widespread throughout much of the southeastern United States. New occurrences and recent studies using climatic parameters suggest that the Midwestern region of the United States is at the greatest risk of kudzu invasion. As there are already multiple reports of kudzu within the Great Lakes basin and no previous landscape models exist specifically for the basin, we developed probability models from existing spatial data (forest type, geology, land cover, precipitation, temperature, and known kudzu locations) by using maximum entropy methods at the national, regional, and basin scales. All three models had relatively high accuracy and strong positive correlation between predicted and observed values. Based on evaluation of the models using a testing data set, we determined a presence threshold and categorized areas within each model as suitable or unsuitable habitat. We pooled the models and calculated mean habitat suitability within the Great Lakes basin. Much of the southern half of the basin was suitable for kudzu. Continuing management and further monitoring of kudzu spread are likely necessary to limit further introduction and mitigate spread of kudzu within the Great Lakes region.

Pueraria lobata is a traditional medicinal and edible plant. Its root is often used as a nutritional supplement, but its stems and leaves are often discarded. In this study, the types and contents of compounds in roots, stems and leaves of kudzu were studied by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 446 metabolites were identified, which were mainly divided into eight categories; 40 unique compounds were detected in roots. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences in the contents of metabolites in the roots, stems and leaves of kudzu, and the most significant differences were found in the roots and stems. Most flavonoids and terpenoids accumulated in roots, while alkaloids, flavonoid glycosides, lignans and coumarins accumulated in stems and leaves. In addition, isoflavones accumulated least in stems and most in roots. These results improved our understanding of the accumulation of metabolites in kudzu and provided a reference for the full study of the medicinal value of different parts of kudzu.

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is an important medicinal plant, which can associate with rhizobia for nitrogen fixation. The mutualistic symbiosis between rhizobium and kudzu is not well understood, but it is necessary to fully utilize kudzu. Nodules and rhizosphere soils collected from 16 sampling sites were characterized based on phylogenetic analyses of the rpoB gene; 16S rRNA gene; the housekeeping genes SMc00019, truA, and thrA; and the symbiotic genes nodA and nifH. The relationships between biogeographic pattern, nitrogenase activity, and environmental factors were studied. Results indicated that a clear biogeographic pattern of rhizobial communities in the kudzu rhizosphere existed in southern China; latitude and soil pH were found to be the most important factors affecting the biogeographic pattern. Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens and Bradyrhizobium erythrophlei were the dominant species in kudzu rhizosphere. The symbiotic rhizobia in kudzu nodules mainly belonged to B. lablabi, B. elkanii, B. pachyrhizi, and B. japonicum. Nitrogenase activities in the nodules of kudzu in the Jiangxi sampling region were significantly higher than those in the Guangxi and Hunan sampling regions, and they were significantly negatively correlated to pH and exchangeable Ca. These results constitute the first report of the existence of symbiotic genes in kudzu bradyrhizobia, which are similar to those in B. elkanii and B. pachyrhizi. Our findings could improve the understanding of kudzu-rhizobium symbiosis and could advance the application of rhizobial inoculation in medicinal legumes in terms of increasing the content of active ingredients.

BACKGROUND: Kudzu is a term used generically to describe members of the genus Pueraria. Kudzu roots have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine in view of their high levels of beneficial isoflavones including the unique 8-C-glycoside of daidzein, puerarin. In the US, kudzu is seen as a noxious weed causing ecological and economic damage. However, not all kudzu species make puerarin or are equally invasive. Kudzu remains difficult to identify due to its diverse morphology and inconsistent nomenclature.
RESULTS: We have generated sequences for the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and maturase K (matK) regions of Pueraria montana lobata, P. montana montana, and P. phaseoloides, and identified two accessions previously used for differential analysis of puerarin biosynthesis as P. lobata and P. phaseoloides. Additionally, we have generated root transcriptomes for the puerarin-producing P. m. lobata and the non-puerarin producing P. phaseoloides. Within the transcriptomes, microsatellites were identified to aid in species identification as well as population diversity.
CONCLUSIONS: The barcode sequences generated will aid in fast and efficient identification of the three kudzu species. Additionally, the microsatellites identified from the transcriptomes will aid in genetic analysis. The root transcriptomes also provide a molecular toolkit for comparative gene expression analysis towards elucidation of the biosynthesis of kudzu phytochemicals.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common pathology among aging men. Despite the broad pharmacological interventions, the available remedies to treat BPH are yet not devoid of side effects. Herbal compounds are suggested to be an alternative option for the BPH treatment. In our study, we evaluated the effect of kudzu isoflavones and astaxanthin on the BPH animal model. The animals were randomly divided into five groups: control; testosterone-induced BPH group; and three BPH-induced groups, which received intragastrically for 28 days finasteride (5 mg/kg) as a positive control, isoflavones (200 mg/kg), and astaxanthin (25 mg/kg). BPH was induced by castration of animals and subsequent subcutaneous injections of prolonged testosterone (25 mg/kg). Prostate index and histology, biochemical parameters, and antioxidant activity were evaluated. A significant decrease in prostate weight, immunohistochemical markers, and normalization of prostate Ca/Mg ratio was found in all treatment groups. Astaxanthin treatment also resulted in decreased epithelial proliferation and normalized superoxide dismutase activity. In conclusion, both isoflavones and astaxanthin inhibited BPH development at a level comparable to finasteride in terms of prostate weight, prostatic epithelium proliferation, and prostate tissue cumulative histology score. These results suggest that isoflavones and especially astaxanthin could serve as a potential alternative therapy to treat BHP.