Esterase Polymorphism and the Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Structure in Cactus Populations Descended from Cereus peruvianus Plants Regenerated In Vitro

Micropropagation of Opuntia and Other Cacti Species Through Axillary Shoot Proliferation: A Comprehensive Review

Cacti are one of the most significant and diversified groups of angiosperms, distributed and cultivated globally, mostly in semi-arid, arid, and the Mediterranean climate regions. Conventionally, they are propagated by seeds or through vegetative propagation via rooted offshoots or grafting. However, these multiplication procedures remain insufficient for mass propagation. In vitro culture techniques are utilized to mass propagate endangered and commercial cacti species. These include somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration through indirect or direct organogenesis. The latter is a promising tool for commercial clonal propagation of high-value species and has been successfully implemented for several species, such as Mammillaria, Hylocereus, Cereus, Echinocereus, and Ariocarpus. However, its success depends on explant type, basal nutrient formulation of culture medium, and types and concentrations of plant growth regulators. This study aimed to assess the potential of in vitro propagation methods applied to cacti species and discuss the different factors affecting the success of these methods. This study has also highlighted the insufficient work on Opuntia species for mass propagation through axillary buds' proliferation. The development of an efficient micropropagation protocol is thus needed to meet the supply of increasing demand of Opuntia species for human consumption as fruit, animal feed, and ecological restoration in semi-arid and arid zones.

Cereus hildmannianus (K.) Schum. (Cactaceae): Ethnomedical uses, phytochemistry and biological activities

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Cereus hildmannianus (K.) Schum. (syn. C. peruvianus) is a native medicinal plant in the Neotropical region. C. hildmannianus cladodes extracts are used in folk medicine for weight loss, reducing cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, as diuretic and cardiotonic, and to treat various diseases, including pulmonary disorders, rheumatism, and in topical treatment for wounds and lithiasis. Fruits and flowers of C. hildmmanianus have high nutritional value.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

In this review, previous reports on C. hildmannianus (syn. C. peruvianus) concerning its botanical description, geographical distribution, ethnomedicinal use, phytochemistry, in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties, food benefits and plant biotechnology were summarized.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Scientific search engines, including ScienceDirect, Capes Journals Portal, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scielo, and Scifinder, were consulted to gather data on C. hildmannianus. The present review is an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of phytochemical compounds, ethnomedicinal uses, phytopharmacological activities, and food value of cladodes, flowers, fruits, seeds, and tissue culture from C. hildmannianus.

RESULTS

In traditional medicine, C.hildmannianus is used to treat various diseases, including pulmonary disorders, rheumatism, and in topical treatment for wounds and lithiasis. The extracts from the cladodes of C. hildmannianus exhibited numerous in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities such as gastroprotective, antioxidant, antifungal, ovicidal, hemagglutinating and slimming, and anticancer activity. These extracts' substances belong to different classes of chemical compounds such as fatty acids, polysaccharides, terpenes, alkaloids, phenolic acids, and flavonoids CONCLUSIONS: Ethnomedicinal surveys have indicated the use of C. hildmannianus, an important medicinal plant in South America, for the treatment of various diseases. The ethnobotanical, phytochemical, pharmacological, and ethnomedicinal properties from various morphological parts of the plant of C. hildmannianus were highlighted in this review, which provides information for future studies, commercial exploration and reveals that this plant has a huge potential for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.

Genetic and chemical diversity in seeds of cactus mandacaru (Cereus sp.) from two edaphoclimatic regions contrasting

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the chemical, physiological and genetic differences in seeds of cactus of the Cereus genus (mandacaru) cultivated in the Northeast (Picos, State of Piauí) and Southern (Maringá, State of Paraná) regions of Brazil. Over a period of eight days, temperatures of 25°C and 30°C were equally efficient for the germination of all the seeds. Oleic acid (C18:1) was the most common fatty acid found in the seeds collected in the Southern (41%) and Northeast (45.5%) regions. The analysis of lipases indicated that seeds from Maringá have high mean observed and expected heterozygosities and that seeds from Picos have a higher number of alleles per loci. Therefore, the seeds of mandacaru from the semiarid region of Northeast as well as the seeds from the South (the two contrasting regions of Brazil) are promising with regards to the preservation of the biodiversity in the genome of mandacaru. The low genetic identity between mandacaru seeds from Maringá and Picos at Lipase-5 locus analysis (I = 0.77) suggests that the mandacaru plants from Maringá and Picos may correspond to two species: C. peruvianus and C. jamacaru, respectively.