The composition of Australian Plantago seeds highlights their potential as nutritionally-rich functional food ingredients

Plantago consumption significantly reduces total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Plantago is rich in soluble fiber, known for its beneficial health effects. Given this, we hypothesized that Plantago consumption might positively influence blood lipid in adults. Researchers have conducted numerous randomized controlled trials (RCTs), revealing the impacts of Plantago consumption on various blood lipid parameters. However, findings regarding specific blood lipid parameters have shown variability. This study aimed to comprehensively assess the effect of Plantago consumption on blood lipid parameters. Eligible studies evaluating the effects of Plantago consumption on blood lipid were searched in 5 electronic databases published up to August 2023. Analysis used a random effects model to determine weighted mean difference and 95% confidence intervals. In total, 29 RCTs including 2769 participants were included. Compared with the control group, Plantago consumption significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC) by 0.28 mmol/L and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by 0.35 mmol/L, correlating to an estimated 7% decrease in cardiovascular event risk. Conversely, no substantial effects were observed on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglycerides. Subgroup analyses of 29 RCTs revealed that TC concentrations were significantly lowered in studies that included male participants, those who were healthy, or had lipid disorders. Additionally, TC and LDL-C were significantly lower in participants consuming Plantago husk or psyllium, and soluble fiber intake was specifically effective in lowering TC, LDL-C, and triglycerides. In conclusion, Plantago consumption can significantly lower TC and LDL-C concentrations. The findings will provide crucial insights into the potential of Plantago in dietary strategies for blood lipid management.

Seed mucilage as a defense against granivory is influenced by substrate characters

Many seeds are consumed by granivores despite numerous adaptations to prevent detection or exploitation. The environment can influence the efficacy of these defensive traits. Understanding the mechanisms by which environmental factors modify defensive efficacy is important for understanding spatial patterns of granivory and seed recruitment. Seed mucilage is a sticky coating that binds imbibed seeds to substrates; this attachment has been demonstrated to lessen exploitation by granivores. Seed mucilage as a defense has been recognized for decades, though rarely studied. Here, we investigated whether the environment alters this seed defense by addressing two questions: (1) Does substrate particle size affect attachment strength? (2) Does a change in particle size lead to changes in granivore-related mortality? In the field experiment, ants removed more seeds from finer substrates than their coarser counterparts. Across that same grit range, seeds took less force to dislodge when mucilage-bound to fine sandpaper; however, an investigation across a wider range of grits demonstrated nonlinearities occurred for many species, probably due to structural and chemical mucilage properties. Small differences in substrate grit lead to differential mortality in mucilaginous seeds due to alterations in attachment strength, suggesting that the defensive efficacy of this trait differs across the landscape. This work paves the way for a more integrative look at mucilaginous seeds. Seed mucilage is a widespread trait that is easily studied and has important demographic implications. It represents an ideal system to examine dispersal, germination, and granivory to gain a more holistic view of seed ecology.

Novel constituents of Salvia hispanica L. (chia) nutlet mucilage and the improved in vitro fermentation of nutlets when ground

Upon wetting, chia (Salvia hispanica L.) nutlets produce a gel-like capsule of polysaccharides called mucilage that comprises a significant part of their dietary fibre content. Seed/nutlet mucilage is often used as a texture modifying hydrocolloid and bulking dietary fibre due to its water-binding ability, though the utility of mucilage from different sources is highly structure-function dependent. The composition and structure of chia nutlet mucilage is poorly defined, and a better understanding will aid in exploiting its dietary fibre functionality, particularly if, and how, it is utilised by gut microbiota. In this study, microscopy, chromatography, mass spectrometry and glycome profiling techniques showed that chia nutlet mucilage is highly complex, layered, and contains several polymer types. The mucilage comprises a novel xyloamylose containing both β-linked-xylose and α-linked-glucose, a near-linear xylan that may be sparsely substituted, a modified cellulose domain, and abundant alcohol-soluble oligosaccharides. To assess the dietary fibre functionality of chia nutlet mucilage, an in vitro cumulative gas production technique was used to determine the fermentability of different chia nutlet preparations. The complex nature of chia nutlet mucilage led to poor fermentation where the oligosaccharides appeared to be the only fermentable substrate present in the mucilage. Of note, ground chia nutlets were better fermented than intact whole nutlets, as judged by short chain fatty acid production. Therefore, it is suggested that the benefits of eating chia as a "superfood", could be notably enhanced if the nutlets are ground rather than being consumed whole, improving the bioaccessibility of key nutrients including dietary fibre.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of Plantago ovata

Plantago ovata is cultivated for production of its seed husk (psyllium). When wet, the husk transforms into a mucilage with properties suitable for pharmaceutical industries, utilised in supplements for controlling blood cholesterol levels, and food industries for making gluten-free products. There has been limited success in improving husk quantity and quality through breeding approaches, partly due to the lack of a reference genome. Here we constructed the first chromosome-scale reference assembly of P. ovata using a combination of 5.98 million PacBio and 636.5 million Hi-C reads. We also used corrected PacBio reads to estimate genome size and transcripts to generate gene models. The final assembly covers ~ 500 Mb with 99.3% gene set completeness. A total of 97% of the sequences are anchored to four chromosomes with an N50 of ~ 128.87 Mb. The P. ovata genome contains 61.90% repeats, where 40.04% are long terminal repeats. We identified 41,820 protein-coding genes, 411 non-coding RNAs, 108 ribosomal RNAs, and 1295 transfer RNAs. This genome will provide a resource for plant breeding programs to, for example, reduce agronomic constraints such as seed shattering, increase psyllium yield and quality, and overcome crop disease susceptibility.

Experimental and clinical trial investigations of phyto-extracts, phyto-chemicals and phyto-formulations against oral lichen planus: A systematic review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Bio-assay guided phytoextracts and derived phytoconstituents reported having multipotent biological activities and nearly 60-80% of the global population still using natural regimens as an alternative therapeutic source. This study focused on the ethnopharmacological and experimental evidence of natural remedies that are effective in treating oral lichen planus (OLP), a chronic T-cell mediated autoimmune disease that is associated with oral cancer transmission.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

A number of studies have shown that antioxidants and antiinflammatory phytoextracts and phyto-constituents are effective against OLP. In this systematic review, we summarize the details of experimentally assessed ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Indian Ayurveda or Ayurvedic Medicine, and Japanese Kampo Medicine (JKM) regimens (crude extracts, individual phytochemicals, and phyto-formulations) that reduce oral lesion, severity index and pain associated with OLP based on studies conducted in vivo, in vitro, and in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Experimental, clinical and RCT investigation reports were gathered and presented according to PRISMA-2020 format. Briefly, the information was obtained from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley journal library, Scopus, Google Scholar with ClinicalTrials.gov (a clinical trial registry database operated by the National Library of Medicine in the United States). Further, individual phytochemical structures were verified from PubChem and ChemSpider databases and visualized by ChemDraw 18.0 software.

RESULTS

We summarized 11 crude phytoextracts, 7 individual phytochemicals, 9 crude formulations, 8 specific TCM and JKM herbal cocktails, and 6 RCTs/patents corroborated by multiple in vitro, in vivo and enzyme assay methods. Briefly, plants and their family name, used plant parts, reported phytochemicals and their chemical structure, treatment doses, and duration of each experiment were presented more concisely and scientifically.

CONCLUSION

Documentation of evidence-based natural ethnomedicines or remedies could be useful for promoting them as potential, cost-effective and less toxic alternatives or as complementary to commonly prescribed steroids towards the control of OLP.

Anchorage by seed mucilage prevents seed dislodgement in high surface flow: a mechanistic investigation

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Seed mucilage is a common and highly diverse trait shared among thousands of angiosperm species. While it has long been recognized that mucilage allows seeds to anchor to substrates (antitelechory), resisting abiotic and biotic dislodgement, we still lack a mechanistic understanding of this process.

METHODS

We propose a mechanistic model of how mucilage affects substrate anchorage and fluid resistance, ultimately contributing to dislodgement resistance. To test this model, we subjected mucilaginous seeds of 52 species, varying in eight measured seed traits, to 7 d of continuous water flow at a range of dislodgement potentials.

KEY RESULTS

Supporting our model, mucilage mass increased the force necessary to dislodge both dry and wet seeds; our measurement of the dislodgement force of dry mucilage explained time to dislodgement well. The effect size was remarkably large; increasing the standardized mucilage mass by 1 s.d. resulted in a 280-fold increase in the time to dislodgement. Fluid resistance was largely dependent on the speed of water flow and the seed's modified drag coefficient, but not seed traits. Neither mucilage expansion speed nor mucilage decay rate explained dislodgement potential well.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the degree of anchorage to a substrate, measured with a simple dislodgement force assay, is highly predictive of mucilaginous seed retention in highly erosive environments. In contrast, we found that other seed and mucilage traits are of lesser importance to anchorage.

Seed Mucilage Promotes Dispersal of Plantago asiatica Seeds by Facilitating Attachment to Shoes

Understanding the mechanisms underlying seed dispersal is a fundamental issue in plant ecology and vegetation management. Several species demonstrate myxospermy, a phenomenon where the seeds form mucilage after absorbing water. Mucilage is thought to act as a glue, enabling seeds to attach to the external surfaces of dispersing agents. However, there have been no quantitative investigations of the efficacy of this function of seed mucilage. We performed a trampling and walking experiment to investigate the seed dispersal of a perennial herb, Asian plantain (Plantago asiatica L.), which forms polysaccharide mucilage upon hydration. Our experiment showed that: (1) after trampling, more seeds of P. asiatica attached to shoes in wet conditions (after rainfall), in which seed mucilage was created, than in dry conditions (no rainfall); and (2) after walking for 1000 m, more seeds remained attached to shoes in wet conditions than in dry conditions. Our results indicate that mucilage promotes the adherence of seeds to the surface of vectors. We therefore provide the first empirical evidence that seed mucilage facilitates epizoochory and human-mediated dispersal.

Beneficial Effects of Psyllium on the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiometabolic Diseases

Cardiometabolic diseases are reaching epidemic proportions worldwide. Nevertheless, current therapeutic strategies are insufficient; thus, studying novel complementary and alternative medicines remains of the upmost importance. Psyllium has been used for...

Dietary Eucommia ulmoides Extract Alleviates the Effect of Cold Stress on Chick Growth Performance, Antioxidant and Immune Ability

Simple Summary

The cold stress that chicks suffer from has caused huge losses to the chicken industry. It is very important to find an effective way to alleviate cold stress in chicks. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that dietary Eucommia ulmoides extract alleviates the effect of cold stress on chick growth performance, antioxidants, and immune ability. Interestingly, Eucommia ulmoides extract supplementation improved the growth performance, antioxidant status, and immune response and reduced the organ damage of chicks caused by cold stress, which shows that Eucommia ulmoides extract has potent protective effects against cold stress. These findings will be very beneficial to break down the bottleneck issue of chick production caused by cold stress.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the protective value of Eucommia ulmoides extract (EUE) on chicks under cold stress. A total of 21 compounds were identified in EUE using mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Ninety chicks were divided into a control group (CS) fed a basal diet and an experimental group supplemented with EUE, exposed to 10 ± 1 °C for 8 h per day. Results showed, compared with the CS group, the body weights (BW) (p < 0.01) and average daily gains ADG (p < 0.05) of the EUE group were increased throughout the study period. Chicks fed EUE had higher AFI (0–7 d, p < 0.001) and lower feed-to-gain ratios (F/G) (0–15 d, p < 0.001). EUE increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) (15 d, p < 0.05) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (7 d, p < 0.05), whereas it decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) (15 d, p < 0.01). The contents of IgA (7 d, p < 0.05), IgG (7 d; 15 d, p < 0.01), and IgM (15 d, p < 0. 001) were higher in the EUE group. Dietary EUE could also reduce chick organ damage. Overall, EUE as a natural feed additive can improve the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and immune level, and reduce the organ damage of cold-stressed chicks.

The Renaissance of Plant Mucilage in Health Promotion and Industrial Applications: A Review

Plant mucilage is a renewable and cost-effective source of plant-based compounds that are biologically active, biodegradable, biocompatible, nontoxic, and environmentally friendly. Until recently, plant mucilage has been of interest mostly for technological purposes. This review examined both its traditional uses and potential modern applications in a new generation of health-promoting foods, as well as in cosmetics and biomaterials. We explored the nutritional, phytochemical, and pharmacological richness of plant mucilage, with a particular focus on its biological activity. We also highlighted areas where more research is needed in order to understand the full commercial potential of plant mucilage.