Triterpenic and phenolic acids production changed in Salvia officinalis via in vitro and in vivo polyploidization: A consequence of altered genes expression

The Slow Growth of Adventitious Roots in Tetraploid Hybrid Poplar (Populus simonii × P. nigra var. italica) May Be Caused by Endogenous Hormone-Mediated Meristem Shortening

Polyploidization produces abundant phenotypic variation. Little is currently known about adventitious root (AR) development variation due to polyploidization. In this study, we analyzed the morphological, cytological, and physiological variations in AR development between tetraploid and diploid Populus plants during in vitro rooting culture. Compared to the diploids, the AR formation times and rooting rates of the tetraploids' stem explants had non-significant changes. However, the tetraploid ARs exhibited significantly slower elongation growth than the diploid ARs. Cytological observation showed that the tetraploid ARs were characterized by shorter root meristems and reduced meristem cell numbers, suggesting the reasons for the slow AR elongation. Analysis of hormones and related metabolites during AR development demonstrated that the total auxin, cytokinin, and jasmonic acid contents were significantly lower in the tetraploid ARs than in those of the diploids, and that the ratio of total auxins to total CKs at 0 h of AR development was also lower in the tetraploids than in the diploids, whereas the total salicylic acid content of the tetraploids was consistently higher than that of the diploids. qPCR analysis showed that the expression levels of several hormone signaling and cell division-related genes in the tetraploid ARs significantly differed from those in the diploids. In conclusion, the slow elongation of the tetraploid ARs may be caused by the endogenous hormone-mediated meristem shortening. Our findings enhance the understanding of polyploidization-induced variation in AR development of forest trees.

Chromosome Doubling Enhances Biomass and Carotenoid Content in Lycium chinense

Lycium chinense, a type of medicinal and edible plant, is rich in bioactive compounds beneficial to human health. In order to meet the market requirements for the yield and quality of L. chinense, polyploid induction is usually an effective way to increase plant biomass and improve the content of bioactive components. This study established the most effective tetraploid induction protocol by assessing various preculture durations, colchicine concentrations, and exposure times. The peak tetraploid induction efficacy, 18.2%, was achieved with a 12-day preculture and 24-h exposure to 50 mg L-1 colchicine. Compared to diploids, tetraploids exhibited potentially advantageous characteristics such as larger leaves, more robust stems, and faster growth rates. Physiologically, tetraploids demonstrated increased stomatal size and chloroplast count in stomata but reduced stomatal density. Nutrient analysis revealed a substantial increase in polysaccharides, calcium, iron, and zinc in tetraploid leaves. In addition, seventeen carotenoids were identified in the leaves of L. chinense. Compared to the diploid, lutein, β-carotene, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, and (E/Z)-phytoene exhibited higher levels in tetraploid strains T39 and T1, with T39 demonstrating a greater accumulation than T1. The findings suggest that the generated tetraploids harbor potential for further exploitation and lay the foundation for the selection and breeding of novel genetic resources of Lycium.

Comparative assessment of the biological activity of the green synthesized silver nanoparticles and aqueous leaf extract of Perilla frutescens (L.)

Green synthesized nanoparticles (GSNPs) display fascinating properties compared to physical and chemical synthesized ones. GSNPs are currently used in numerous applications such as food packaging, surface coating agents, environmental remediation, antimicrobial, and medicine. In the present study, the aqueous leaf extract of Perilla frutescens L. having suitable capping, reducing, and stabilizing compounds was used for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Pf-AgNPs). The bioreductant capacity of aqueous leaf extract of P. frutescens for Pf-AgNPs was determined by different confirmatory techniques including UV-Visible spectroscopy, XRD, FESEM, EDX, zeta potential, DLS, SERS, and FTIR analysis. The results exhibited that Pf-AgNPs had optimal size (< 61 nm), shape (spherical), and stability (- 18.1 mV). The antioxidant activity of Pf-AgNPs with both DPPH and FRAP assays was significantly higher compared to P. frutescens extract. Furthermore, Pf-AgNPs had high antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 0.78 mg/mL), and Candida albicans (MIC = 8 mg/mL) while the plant extract showed low antimicrobial activity against both bacterial strains and the fungus tested. Pf-AgNPs and P. frutescens extract also exhibited moderate toxicity on MCF-7 cancer cells with IC₅₀ values of 346.2 and 467.4 µg/mL, respectively. The results provide insights into using the biosynthesized Pf-AgNPs as an eco-friendly material for a wide range of biomedical applications.

Comparative Antioxidant, Anti-Acetylcholinesterase and Anti-α-Glucosidase Activities of Mediterranean Salvia Species

Salvia species have a cosmopolitan distribution and comprise several well-known plants valuable for pharmaceutical and food industries due to their recognized medicinal, food flavouring, and preservative properties. The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the biological activities of seven wild-growing Salvia species from the Mediterranean area (S. fruticosa, S. glutinosa, S. nemorosa, S. officinalis, S. pratensis, S. sclarea, S. verticillata). All studied ethanolic leaf extracts exhibited significant DPPH and NO radical scavenging ability, lipid peroxidation inhibition, and reducing power, as well as moderate iron-chelating properties. Together with S. officinalis and S. fruticosa, S. verticillata showed anti-acetylcholinesterase activity, while S. glutinosa was also found to possess the ability to inhibit α-glucosidase. Total flavonoid (0.37-0.90%), phenolic acid (3.55-12.44%), tannin (1.22-2.60%), and anthocyanin contents (0.03-0.08%) were determined in Salvia leaves. Rosmarinic acid was the predominant hydroxycinnamic acid in all studied sage plants, ranging from 9400 to 38,800 μg/g. The correlation study showed a strong relationship between biological activities and contents of total phenolic acids, total tannins, and rosmarinic acid, indicating their significant contribution to the efficiency of tested Salvia species. Our results highlighted Mediterranean sage plants as rich sources of potent antioxidant, neuroprotective, and hypoglycemic agents which are worthy of further research.