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Gerschler S, Neumann N, Schultze N, Guenther S, Schulze C. Quality parameters for the medicinal plant Drosera rotundifolia L.: A new approach with established techniques. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2024; 357:e2300436. [PMID: 37922526 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202300436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Monographs of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) are the basis for quality control of medicinal plants and therefore important to ensure the consistency, quality, safety, and efficacy of phytopharmaceuticals. The traditional medicinal plant sundew (Drosera sp.) has disappeared from therapy due to nature conservation, but can now be cultivated sustainably on rewetted peatland. However, currently there is no valid Ph. Eur. monograph for the quality control of Droserae herba. In this study, sundew material from different species and sources was investigated with the aim of developing quality control methods based on the Ph. Eur. and defining a uniform quality standard for Droserae herba. It was possible to distinguish between sundew species of different quality, using macroscopic, microscopic, and chromatographic methods. Special emphasis was laid on the content of flavonoids and naphthoquinones as important quality parameters as their content differed between the sundew species. The differences in content and toxicity result in the recommendation that only round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia L.) should be used as a medicinal plant for the production of phytopharmaceuticals in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandy Gerschler
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Niclas Neumann
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Nadin Schultze
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | - Christian Schulze
- Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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Freund M, Graus D, Fleischmann A, Gilbert KJ, Lin Q, Renner T, Stigloher C, Albert VA, Hedrich R, Fukushima K. The digestive systems of carnivorous plants. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 190:44-59. [PMID: 35604105 PMCID: PMC9434158 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
To survive in the nutrient-poor habitats, carnivorous plants capture small organisms comprising complex substances not suitable for immediate reuse. The traps of carnivorous plants, which are analogous to the digestive systems of animals, are equipped with mechanisms for the breakdown and absorption of nutrients. Such capabilities have been acquired convergently over the past tens of millions of years in multiple angiosperm lineages by modifying plant-specific organs including leaves. The epidermis of carnivorous trap leaves bears groups of specialized cells called glands, which acquire substances from their prey via digestion and absorption. The digestive glands of carnivorous plants secrete mucilage, pitcher fluids, acids, and proteins, including digestive enzymes. The same (or morphologically distinct) glands then absorb the released compounds via various membrane transport proteins or endocytosis. Thus, these glands function in a manner similar to animal cells that are physiologically important in the digestive system, such as the parietal cells of the stomach and intestinal epithelial cells. Yet, carnivorous plants are equipped with strategies that deal with or incorporate plant-specific features, such as cell walls, epidermal cuticles, and phytohormones. In this review, we provide a systematic perspective on the digestive and absorptive capacity of convergently evolved carnivorous plants, with an emphasis on the forms and functions of glands.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andreas Fleischmann
- Botanische Staatssammlung München and GeoBio-Center LMU, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Kadeem J Gilbert
- Department of Plant Biology & W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan 49060, USA
| | - Qianshi Lin
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Tanya Renner
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Christian Stigloher
- Imaging Core Facility of the Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Victor A Albert
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, USA
| | - Rainer Hedrich
- Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology and Biophysics, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Attracted to feed, not to be fed upon – on the biology of Toxomerus basalis (Walker, 1836), the kleptoparasitic ‘sundew flower fly’ (Diptera: Syrphidae). JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467422000128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The complete life history of the kleptoparasitic ‘sundew flower fly’, Toxomerus basalis, is presented and illustrated. Adults of this species are photographed alive for the first time, including video recordings of larval and adult behaviour. Adult flies of both sexes visit Drosera (sundews) and show territorial behaviour around the plants, avoiding the dangerous sticky traps and demonstrating recognition of their larval host plant. Females lay eggs directly on non-sticky parts of the Drosera host plants, such as on the lower surface of the leaves and flower stalks, but apparently also on other plants growing in close proximity with the sundews.
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A world review of reported myiases caused by flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae), including the first case of human myiasis from Palpada scutellaris (Fabricius, 1805). Parasitol Res 2020; 119:815-840. [PMID: 32006229 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06616-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Rat-tailed larvae of the syrphid species Palpada scutellaris (Fabricius, 1805) are documented causing an enteric human myiasis in Costa Rica. This is the first time that the genus Palpada is recorded as a human myiasis agent. We report a 68-year-old woman with intestinal pain and bloody diarrhea with several live Palpada larvae present in the stool. Using molecular techniques (DNA barcodes) and both electronic and optical microscopy to study the external morphology, the preimaginal stages of the fly were unambiguously identified. An identification key to all syrphid genera actually known as agents of human and animal myiases is provided for larvae, puparia, and adults. Moreover, a critical world review of more than 100 references of Syrphidae as myiasis agents is also given, with emphasis on the species with rat-tailed larvae.
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Lam WN, Lim RJY, Wong SH, Tan HTW. Predatory dipteran larva contributes to nutrient sequestration in a carnivorous pitcher plant. Biol Lett 2018. [PMID: 29514991 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The fluids of Nepenthes pitcher plants are habitats to many specialized animals known as inquilines, which facilitate the conversion of prey protein into pitcher-absorbable nitrogen forms such as ammonium. Xenoplatyura beaveri (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) is a predatory dipteran inquiline that inhabits the pitchers of Nepenthes ampullaria Larvae of X. beaveri construct sticky webs over the fluid surface of N. ampullaria to ensnare emerging adult dipteran inquilines. However, the interaction between X. beaveri and its host has never been examined before, and it is not known if X. beaveri can contribute to nutrient sequestration in N. ampullaria. Xenoplatyura beaveri individuals were reared in artificial pitchers in the laboratory on a diet of emergent Tripteroides tenax mosquitoes, and the ammonium concentration of the pitcher fluids was measured over time. Fluid ammonium concentration in tubes containing X. beaveri was significantly greater than those of the controls. Furthermore, fluid ammonium concentrations increased greatly after X. beaveri larvae metamorphosed, although the cause of this increase could not be identified. Our results show that a terrestrial, inquiline predator can contribute significantly to nutrient sequestration in the phytotelma it inhabits, and suggest that this interaction has a net mutualistic outcome for both species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weng Ngai Lam
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
| | - Robyn Jing Ying Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
| | - Shi Hong Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
| | - Hugh Tiang Wah Tan
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
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Marín-Armijos D, Quezada-Ríos N, Soto-Armijos C, Mengual X. Checklist of the flower flies of Ecuador (Diptera, Syrphidae). Zookeys 2017; 691:163-199. [PMID: 29200924 PMCID: PMC5672696 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.691.13328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Syrphidae is one of the most speciose families of true flies, with more than 6,100 described species and worldwide distribution. They are important for humans acting as crucial pollinators, biological control agents, decomposers, and bioindicators. One third of its diversity is found in the Neotropical Region, but the taxonomic knowledge for this region is incomplete. Thus, taxonomic revisions and species checklists of Syrphidae in the Neotropics are the highest priority for biodiversity studies. Therefore, we present the first checklist of Syrphidae for Ecuador based on literature records, and provide as well the original reference for the first time species citations for the country. A total of 201 species were recorded for Ecuador, with more than 600 records from 24 provinces and 237 localities. Tungurahua, Pastaza, and Galápagos were the best sampled provinces. Although the reported Ecuadorian syrphid fauna only comprises 11.2 % of the described Neotropical species, Ecuador has the third highest flower fly diversity density after Costa Rica and Suriname. These data indicate the high species diversity for this country in such small geographic area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Marín-Armijos
- Museo de Colecciones Biológicas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, C.P. 11 01 608, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Noelia Quezada-Ríos
- Museo de Colecciones Biológicas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, C.P. 11 01 608, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Carolina Soto-Armijos
- Museo de Colecciones Biológicas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano Alto s/n, C.P. 11 01 608, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Ximo Mengual
- Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz-Institut für Biodiversität der Tiere, Adenauerallee 160, D-53113 Bonn, Germany
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