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Mutinda ES, Zhang DJ, Muema FW, Mkala EM, Waswa EN, Odago WO, Onyango Ochieng C, Gichua MK, Muchuku JK, Kamande E, Hu GW. The genus Balanophora J. R. Forst. & G. Forst. - Its use in traditional medicine, phytochemistry, and pharmacology: A review. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 319:117276. [PMID: 37866464 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Natural products, particularly medicinal plants, have been utilized in traditional medicine for millennia to treat various diseases. The genus Balanophora (Balanophoraceae) consists of 23 accepted species. These species are the most controversial flowering plants, with highly reduced morphologies and are found parasitizing on the roots of their host. They have been used in traditional medicine as a remedy for stomach pain, detumescence, uterine prolapse, wounds, syphilis, gonorrhea, treating injuries from falls, and other conditions. However, there is no review of this genus on its traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology. AIM The present narrative review discusses the scientific data supporting the traditional uses of Balanophora species. The available information on its botanical properties, traditional uses, chemical contents, pharmacological activities, and toxicity was summarized to help comprehend current research and offer a foundation for future research. MATERIALS AND METHODS The materials used in combining data on the genus Balanophora comprises online sources such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) for Chinese-related materials. World Flora online was used in validating the scientific names of this genus while ChemBio Draw Ultra Version 22.2 software was employed in drawing the phytochemical compounds. RESULTS Nine Balanophora species including B. harlandii, B. japonica, B. polyandra, B. fungosa, B. fungosa subsp. indica, B. laxiflora, B. abbreviata, B. tobiracola, and B. involucrata have been documented as vital sources of traditional medicines in different parts of Asia. A total of 159 secondary metabolites have been isolated and identified from the ten species of this genus comprising tannins, flavonoids, sterols, lignans, chalcones, terpenes, and phenylpropanoids. Among these compounds, tannins, lignans, terpenoids, chalcones and phenolic acids contribute to the pharmacological activities of the species in this genus with several biological activities both in vitro and in vivo such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic activity, cytotoxicity, anti-microbial, melanin synthesis etc. CONCLUSION: This review summarizes the available literature on the traditional uses, pharmacological properties, and phytoconstituents of Balanophora species indicating that they contain fascinating chemical compounds with diverse biological activities. The traditional uses of the species in this genus have been confirmed by scientific data such as antimicrobial, hemostatic effect, gastroprotective activity and others. However, many species in this genus are yet unknown in terms of their botanical uses, chemical composition and biological activities. Thus, more research into the scientific connections between traditional medicinal uses and pharmacological activities, mode of action of the isolated bioactive constituents, and toxicity of other Balanophora species is needed to determine their efficacy and therapeutic potential for safe clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Syowai Mutinda
- CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Dong-Juan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Felix Wambua Muema
- CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Elijah Mbandi Mkala
- CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Emmanuel Nyongesa Waswa
- CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Wyclif Ochieng Odago
- CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Clintone Onyango Ochieng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Moses Kirega Gichua
- Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, 62000-00200, Kenya
| | - John Kamau Muchuku
- Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, 62000-00200, Kenya
| | - Elizabeth Kamande
- Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, 62000-00200, Kenya
| | - Guang-Wan Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan, 430200, China.
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Sanchez-Puerta MV, Ceriotti LF, Gatica-Soria LM, Roulet ME, Garcia LE, Sato HA. Invited Review Beyond parasitic convergence: unravelling the evolution of the organellar genomes in holoparasites. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:909-928. [PMID: 37503831 PMCID: PMC10808021 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The molecular evolution of organellar genomes in angiosperms has been studied extensively, with some lineages, such as parasitic ones, displaying unique characteristics. Parasitism has emerged 12 times independently in angiosperm evolution. Holoparasitism is the most severe form of parasitism, and is found in ~10 % of parasitic angiosperms. Although a few holoparasitic species have been examined at the molecular level, most reports involve plastomes instead of mitogenomes. Parasitic plants establish vascular connections with their hosts through haustoria to obtain water and nutrients, which facilitates the exchange of genetic information, making them more susceptible to horizontal gene transfer (HGT). HGT is more prevalent in the mitochondria than in the chloroplast or nuclear compartments. SCOPE This review summarizes current knowledge on the plastid and mitochondrial genomes of holoparasitic angiosperms, compares the genomic features across the different lineages, and discusses their convergent evolutionary trajectories and distinctive features. We focused on Balanophoraceae (Santalales), which exhibits extraordinary traits in both their organelles. CONCLUSIONS Apart from morphological similarities, plastid genomes of holoparasitic plants also display other convergent features, such as rampant gene loss, biased nucleotide composition and accelerated evolutionary rates. In addition, the plastomes of Balanophoraceae have extremely low GC and gene content, and two unexpected changes in the genetic code. Limited data on the mitochondrial genomes of holoparasitic plants preclude thorough comparisons. Nonetheless, no obvious genomic features distinguish them from the mitochondria of free-living angiosperms, except for a higher incidence of HGT. HGT appears to be predominant in holoparasitic angiosperms with a long-lasting endophytic stage. Among the Balanophoraceae, mitochondrial genomes exhibit disparate evolutionary paths with notable levels of heteroplasmy in Rhopalocnemis and unprecedented levels of HGT in Lophophytum. Despite their differences, these Balanophoraceae share a multichromosomal mitogenome, a feature also found in a few free-living angiosperms.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Virginia Sanchez-Puerta
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, M5528AHB, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Luis F Ceriotti
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, M5528AHB, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Leonardo M Gatica-Soria
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, M5528AHB, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - M Emilia Roulet
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, M5528AHB, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Laura E Garcia
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, M5528AHB, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Hector A Sato
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Cátedra de Botánica General–Herbario JUA, Alberdi 47, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, 4600 Jujuy, Argentina
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Kim W, Lautenschläger T, Bolin JF, Rees M, Nzuzi A, Zhou R, Wanke S, Jost M. Extreme plastomes in holoparasitic Balanophoraceae are not the norm. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:330. [PMID: 37322447 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09422-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Balanophoraceae plastomes are known for their highly condensed and re-arranged nature alongside the most extreme nucleotide compositional bias known to date, culminating in two independent reconfigurations of their genetic code. Currently, a large portion of the Balanophoraceae diversity remains unexplored, hindering, among others, evolutionary pattern recognition. Here, we explored newly sequenced plastomes of Sarcophyte sanguinea and Thonningia sanguinea. The reconstructed plastomes were analyzed using various methods of comparative genomics based on a representative taxon sampling. RESULTS Sarcophyte, recovered sister to the other sampled Balanophoraceae s. str., has plastomes up to 50% larger than those currently published. Its gene set contains five genes lost in any other species, including matK. Five cis-spliced introns are maintained. In contrast, the Thonningia plastome is similarly reduced to published Balanophoraceae and retains only a single cis-spliced intron. Its protein-coding genes show a more biased codon usage compared to Sarcophyte, with an accumulation of in-frame TAG stop codons. Structural plastome comparison revealed multiple, previously unknown, structural rearrangements within Balanophoraceae. CONCLUSIONS For the "minimal plastomes" of Thonningia, we propose a genetic code change identical to sister genus Balanophora. Sarcophyte however differs drastically from our current understanding on Balanophoraceae plastomes. With a less-extreme nucleotide composition, there is no evidence for an altered genetic code. Using comparative genomics, we identified a hotspot for plastome reconfiguration in Balanophoraceae. Based on previously published and newly identified structural reconfigurations, we propose an updated model of evolutionary plastome trajectories for Balanophoraceae, illustrating a much greater plastome diversity than previously known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woorin Kim
- Institut für Botanik, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Thea Lautenschläger
- Institut für Botanik, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Botanischer Garten Hamburg, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jay F Bolin
- Department of Biology, Catawba College, Salisbury, USA
| | - Mathew Rees
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Albertina Nzuzi
- Instituto Nacional da Biodiversidade e Conservação, Luanda, Angola
| | - Renchao Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Stefan Wanke
- Institut für Botanik, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Departamento de Botánica, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Matthias Jost
- Institut für Botanik, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
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Ceriotti LF, Roulet ME, Sanchez-Puerta MV. Plastomes in the holoparasitic family Balanophoraceae: Extremely high AT content, severe gene content reduction, and two independent genetic code changes. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2021; 162:107208. [PMID: 34029719 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The transition to a heterotrophic lifestyle in angiosperms is characterized by convergent evolutionary changes. Plastid genome remodeling includes dramatic functional and physical reductions with the highest degrees observed in fully heterotrophic plants. Genes related to photosynthesis are generally absent or pseudogenized, while a few genes related to other metabolic processes that take place within the plastid are almost invariably maintained. The family Balanophoraceae consists of root holoparasites that present reduced plastid genomes with an extraordinarily elevated AT content and the single genetic code change ever documented in land plant plastomes (the stop codon TAG now codes for tryptophan). Here, we studied the plastomes of Lophophytum leandri and Ombrophytum subterraneum (Balanophoraceae) that showed the remarkable absence of the gene trnE, a highly biased nucleotide composition, and an independent genetic code change (the standard stop codon TGA codes for tryptophan). This is the second genetic code change identified in land plant plastomes. Analysis of the transcriptome of Lophophytum indicated that the entire C5 pathway typical of plants is conserved despite the lack of trnE in its plastome. A hypothetical model of plastome evolution in the Balanophoraceae is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Federico Ceriotti
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, M5528AHB Chacras de Coria, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, M5502JMA Mendoza, Argentina
| | - M Emilia Roulet
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, M5528AHB Chacras de Coria, Argentina
| | - M Virginia Sanchez-Puerta
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, M5528AHB Chacras de Coria, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, M5502JMA Mendoza, Argentina.
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Hobbhahn N, Steenhuisen SL, Olsen T, Midgley JJ, Johnson SD. Pollination and breeding system of the enigmatic South African parasitic plant Mystropetalon thomii (Mystropetalaceae): rodents welcome, but not needed. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2017; 19:775-786. [PMID: 28504871 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Unrelated plants adapted to particular pollinator types tend to exhibit convergent evolution in floral traits. However, inferences about likely pollinators from 'pollination syndromes' can be problematic due to trait overlap among some syndromes and unusual floral architecture in some lineages. An example is the rare South African parasitic plant Mystropetalon thomii (Mystropetalaceae), which has highly unusual brush-like inflorescences that exhibit features of both bird and rodent pollination syndromes. We used camera traps to record flower visitors, quantified floral spectral reflectance and nectar and scent production, experimentally determined self-compatibility and breeding system, and studied pollen dispersal using fluorescent dyes. The dark-red inflorescences are usually monoecious, with female flowers maturing before male flowers, but some inflorescences are purely female (gynoecious). Inflorescences were visited intensively by several rodent species that carried large pollen loads, while visits by birds were extremely rare. Rodents prefer male- over female-phase inflorescences, likely because of the male flowers' higher nectar and scent production. The floral scent contains several compounds known to attract rodents. Despite the obvious pollen transfer by rodents, we found that flowers on both monoecious and gynoecious inflorescences readily set seed in the absence of rodents and even when all flower visitors are excluded. Our findings suggest that seed production occurs at least partially through apomixis and that M. thomii is not ecologically dependent on its rodent pollinators. Our study adds another species and family to the growing list of rodent-pollinated plants, thus contributing to our understanding of the floral traits associated with pollination by non-flying mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Hobbhahn
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - S-L Steenhuisen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - T Olsen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Freshwater Research Centre, Imhoff Farm, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - J J Midgley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - S D Johnson
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
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