Antifungal Activity and Phytochemical Screening of Vernonia amygdalina Extract against Botrytis cinerea Causing Gray Mold Disease on Tomato Fruits

Botrytis fruit rot management: What have we achieved so far?

Botrytis cinerea is a destructive necrotrophic phytopathogen causing overwhelming diseases in more than 1400 plant species, especially fruit crops, resulting in significant economic losses worldwide. The pathogen causes rotting of fruits at both pre-harvest and postharvest stages. Aside from causing gray mold of the mature fruits, the fungus infects leaves, flowers, and seeds, which makes it a notorious phytopathogen. Worldwide, in the majority of fruit crops, B. cinerea causes gray mold. In order to effectively control this pathogen, extensive research has been conducted due to its wide host range and the huge economic losses it causes. It is advantageous to explore detection and diagnosis techniques of B. cinerea to provide the fundamental basis for mitigation strategies. Botrytis cinerea has been identified and quantified in fruit/plant samples at pre- and post-infection levels using various detection techniques including DNA markers, volatile organic compounds, qPCR, chip-digital PCR, and PCR-based nucleic acid sensors. In addition, cultural, physical, chemical, biological, and botanical methods have all been used to combat Botrytis fruit rot. This review discusses research progress made on estimating economic losses, detection and diagnosis, as well as management strategies, including cultural, physical, chemical, and biological studies on B. cinerea along with knowledge gaps and potential areas for future research.

Discovery of Novel Acethydrazide-Containing Flavonol Derivatives as Potential Antifungal Agents

In this study, a series of novel hydrazide-containing flavonol derivatives was designed, synthesized, and evaluated for antifungal activity. In the in vitro antifungal assay, most of the target compounds exhibited potent antifungal activity against seven tested phytopathogenic fungi. In particular, compound C32 showed the best antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani (EC50 = 0.170 μg/mL), outperforming carbendazim (EC50 = 0.360 μg/mL) and boscalid (EC50 = 1.36 μg/mL). Compound C24 exhibited excellent antifungal activity against Valsa mali, Botrytis cinerea, and Alternaria alternata with EC50 values of 0.590, 0.870, and 1.71 μg/mL, respectively. The in vivo experiments revealed that compounds C32 and C24 were potential novel agricultural antifungals. 3D quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) models were used to analyze the structure-activity relationships of these compounds. The analysis results indicated that introducing appropriate electronegative groups at position 4 of a benzene ring could effectively improve the anti-R. solani activity. In the antifungal mechanism study, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed that C32 disrupted the normal growth of hyphae by affecting the structural integrity of the cell membrane and cellular respiration. Furthermore, compound C32 exhibited potent succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) inhibitory activity (IC50 = 8.42 μM), surpassing that of the SDH fungicide boscalid (IC50 = 15.6 μM). The molecular dynamics simulations and docking experiments suggested that compound C32 can occupy the active site and form strong interactions with the key residues of SDH. Our findings have great potential for aiding future research on plant disease control in agriculture.

Combining network pharmacology and experimental verification to study the anti-colon cancer effect and mechanism of sulforaphene

BACKGROUND

Sulforaphene is a derivative of glucosinolate and a potential bioactive substance used for treating colon cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the potential inhibitory effect and mechanisms of sulforaphene in human colon cancer Caco-2 cells. Network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental verification were performed to elucidate potential sulforaphene mechanisms in the treatment of this condition.

RESULT

Network pharmacology predicted 27 intersection target genes between sulforaphene and colon cancer cell inhibition. Key sulforaphene targets associated with colon cancer cell inhibition were identified as EGFR, MAPK14, MCL1, GSK3B, PARP1, PTPRC, NOS2, CTSS, TLR9, and CTSK. Gene ontology functional enrichment analysis revealed that the above genes were primarily related to the positive regulation of peptidase activity, cytokine production in the inflammatory response, and the cell receptor signaling pathway. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis indicated that sulforaphene mainly inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells by affecting apoptosis as well as the signaling pathways of PD-1, Toll-like receptor, T cell receptor, and P13k-Akt. Molecular docking results further confirmed that CTSS, GSK3B, and NOS2 were significantly up-regulated and had good binding affinity with sulforaphene. In vitro experiments also indicated that sulforaphene had a significant inhibitory effect on human colon cancer Caco-2 cells.

CONCLUSION

This paper revealed the pharmacodynamic mechanism of sulforaphene in the treatment of colon cancer for the first time. It provides scientific insight into the development of sulforaphene as a medicinal resource. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Application of ultra-low-volume spray for the control of vegetable disease in greenhouse: Investigation of formulation performance and potential dermal exposure

BACKGROUND

The use of pesticides in greenhouse vegetable cultivation is necessary and significant. However, traditional pesticide application methods such as the use of backpack sprayers with water-diluted pesticides have certain drawbacks, e.g., uneven distribution, high labor intensity, and safety risks.

RESULTS

In this work, fluazinam ultra-low-volume liquids (Flu-ULVs) were prepared using oily solvents as carriers. The effects of different oils on the physical properties of the preparations were investigated. The Flu-ULV can be sprayed directly using a hand-held ultra-low-volume (ULV) sprayer without dilution with water. Compared with commercial water-based suspension concentrates of fluazinam, the Flu-ULV samples showed better wetting of tomato leaves, better atomization, and more uniform droplet distribution. At a dosage of 300 mL/ha, the coverage rate of tomato leaves ranged from 32.47% to 79.3%, with a droplet deposition density of 556 to 2017 droplets/cm2. Application of Flu-ULVs provided 70.86% control efficacy against gray mold in tomatoes, which was higher than those achieved with reference products. Dermal exposure to Flu-ULVs was also evaluated in greenhouse experiments. The coverage rates for all parts of the operator's body ranged from 0.02% to 0.07%, with deposition volumes of 2.23 to 12.26 μg/cm2.

CONCLUSION

Ground ULV spraying of fluazinam was proved to be an effective and safe management option for the control of tomato gray mold in greenhouses. This study laid a foundation for the use of ultra-low volume spray to control vegetable diseases in greenhouse, especially those induced by high humidity environment. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Antifungal Activity-Guided Analysis of Actinostemma lobatum Extracts through Serial Sub-fractions

Plants are treasure trove of novel compounds that have potential for antifungal chemicals and drugs. In our previous study, we had screened plant extracts obtained from more than eight hundred plant materials collected in Korea, and found that butanol fraction of the Actinostemma lobatum were most potent in suppressing growth of diverse fungal pathogens of plants. Here in this study, we describe further analysis of the butanol fraction, and summarize the results of subsequent antifungal activity test for the sub-fractions against a selected set of plant pathogenic fungi. This line of analyses allowed us to identify the sub-fractions that could account for a significant proportion of observed antifungal activity of initial butanol fraction from A. lobatum. Further analysis of these sub-fractions and determination of structure would provide the shortlist for novel compounds that can be a lead to new agrochemicals.

The ethyl acetate extract of Vernonia amygdalina leaf ameliorates gemcitabine effect against migration and invasion of PANC-1 cells via down-regulation the VEGF, COX2, and RAS/MEK pathways

Individuals diagnosed with cancer often turn to the use of herbal remedies with the intention of treating and ameliorating the condition, impeding the progression of metastasis, enhancing immune function, mitigating stress, and inducing relaxation. Recently, medicinal plants were combined with conventional chemotherapy to decrease the side effects and increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy. This study showed the effectiveness of gemcitabine (Gem) was significantly increased after being used together with ethyl acetate extract obtained from Vernonia amygdalina (Eav) leaves. The combination doses of Eav and Gem were determined based on cytotoxic activity using the MTT assay method. The anticancer effect of this combination was identified by several parameters including the apoptosis effect, anti-migration, and anti-invasion activities of PANC-1 cells. Furthermore, this effect was explained via protein expression evaluation using immunohistochemical and flow cytometry. The Eav has a better Inhibitory Concentration 50 (IC50) than Gem of 21.19 ± 0.64 µg/mL and 164.78 ± 1.40 µg/mL. The combination of Eav and Gem at IC50 (1:1) has the strongest activity than Eav and Gem alone at 500.00 µg/mL. The anti-cancer effect of this combination showed significantly increased levels of apoptosis, particularly in the early phase of 17.46 ± 0.35 % (p < 0.0001) than Eav and Gem alone of 7.76 ± 0.25 % and 7.06 ± 0.20 %. A similar impact was evaluated in the migration and invasion of PANC-1 cells after the combination treatment. The % relative migration and cell invasion were significantly decreased compared to the control group and Eav or Gem alone by 21.49 ± 0.96 % and 125.25 ± 5.25 cells, respectively (p < 0.0001). This study found that signature molecules of VEGF, COX2, RAS, and MEK were down-regulated after treatment. Our study suggested that the Eav ameliorates the Gem effect against PANC-1 cells through apoptosis, migration, and invasion influence via RAS/MEK pathways.

Effect of Ethanolic Extract of Vernonia amygdalina on the Proliferation, Viability and Function of Mouse Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Cardiomyocytes

Vernonia amygdalina (V. amygdalina) leaves are commonly used in traditional medicine around the world for the treatment of a plethora disorders, including heart disease. The aim of this study was to examine and evaluate the cardiac effect of V. amygdalina leaf extracts using mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (miPSCs) and their cardiomyocytes' (CMs) derivatives. We used a well-established stem cell culture to assess the effect of V. amygdalina extract on miPSC proliferation, EB formation and the beating activity of miPS cell-derived CMs. To study the cytotoxic effect of our extract, undifferentiating miPSCs were exposed to different concentrations of V. amygdalina. Cell colony formation and EB morphology were assessed using microscopy, whereas the cell viability was accessed with an impedance-based method and immunocytochemistry following treatment with different concentrations of V. amygdalina. Ethanolic extract of V. amygdalina induced toxicity in miPSCs, as revealed by a decrease in cell proliferation and colony formation, and an increase in cell death at a concentration of ≥20 mg/mL. At a concentration of 10 mg/mL, the rate of beating EBs was observed with no significant difference regarding the yield of cardiac cells. In addition, V. amygdalina did not affect the sarcomeric organization, but induced positive or negative effects on miPS cell-derived CMs' differentiation in a concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the ethanolic extract of V. amygdalina affected cell proliferation, colony forming and cardiac beating capacities in a concentration-dependent manner.

Specialized Metabolites from the Allelopathic Plant Retama raetam as Potential Biopesticides

To cope with the rising food demand, modern agriculture practices are based on the indiscriminate use of agrochemicals. Although this strategy leads to a temporary solution, it also severely damages the environment, representing a risk to human health. A sustainable alternative to agrochemicals is the use of plant metabolites and plant-based pesticides, known to have minimal environmental impact compared to synthetic pesticides. Retama raetam is a shrub growing in Algeria’s desert areas, where it is commonly used in traditional medicine because of its antiseptic and antipyretic properties. Furthermore, its allelopathic features can be exploited to effectively control phytopathogens in the agricultural field. In this study, six compounds belonging to isoflavones and flavones subgroups have been isolated from the R. raetam dichloromethane extract and identified using spectroscopic and optical methods as alpinumisoflavone, hydroxyalpinumisoflavone, laburnetin, licoflavone C, retamasin B, and ephedroidin. Their antifungal activity was evaluated against the fungal phytopathogen Stemphylium vesicarium using a growth inhibition bioassay on PDA plates. Interestingly, the flavonoid laburnetin, the most active metabolite, displayed an inhibitory activity comparable to that exerted by the synthetic fungicide pentachloronitrobenzene, in a ten-fold lower concentration. The allelopathic activity of R. raetam metabolites against parasitic weeds was also investigated using two independent parasitic weed bioassays to discover potential activities on either suicidal stimulation or radicle growth inhibition of broomrapes. In this latter bioassay, ephedroidin strongly inhibited the growth of Orobanche cumana radicles and, therefore, can be proposed as a natural herbicide.

Phytochemical Profile and Pharmacological Activity of Vernonia amygdalina Delile Stem Bark Extracts Using Different Solvent Extraction

BACKGROUND: Vernonia amygdalina is a native plant from Africa which is widely distributed to Asia, especially in Indonesia. Parts of V. amygdalina such as roots, leaves, and bark are used by the community as traditional medicines such as antidiabetic, antibacterial, and anticancer. AIM: This study aims to show the effect of solvents in the V. amygdalina stem bark extraction process on phytochemical’s content and their correlation with pharmacological activities. METHODS: V. amygdalina extract from stem bark in this study was obtained using the maceration method with different solvents. The extracts were investigated for total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoids content (TFC) using calorimetry assay. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to grouping the extracts based on Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) data. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was done using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethyl benzhothiazoline sulphonic acid) (ABTS) assay. While, the cytotoxic activity of the extracts was carried out using MTT assay on PANC-1 cell line. The correlation phytochemical content and pharmacology activities of extracts were analyzed using person correlation method. RESULTS: There were significantly different TPC and total flavonoid content of extracts (p < 0.05). The ethyl acetate extract was identified to have the highest TPC, TFC, DPPH, ABTS, and cytotoxic values of 3.61 ± 0.03 mg GAE/g dry powder, 25.12 ± 0.09 mg QE/g dry powder, 27.12 ± 0.65 μg/mL, 67.02 ± 0.23 μg/mL, and 33.83 ± 0.82 μg/mL, respectively (p < 0.05). This is supported by PCA analysis which shows that there are differences in extracts based on FTIR data and there is a strong correlation between TPC and TFC values with antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. CONCLUSIONS: This study report that each extract of V. amygdalina stem bark gives a distinct phytochemical profile (TPC, TFC, and FTIR spectrum) that contributes to the antioxidant activity and cytotoxic activity.

Buckeye Rot of Tomato in India: Present Status, Challenges, and Future Research Perspectives

Tomato in India is commonly exposed to various diseases of fungal, bacterial, and viral origin, resulting in substantial yield losses (≥50%). Buckeye rot (caused by Phytophthora nicotianae var. parasitica) is among the major constraints in the successful cultivation of tomato crops in various parts of the world, including the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh state, India. The fruit rot becomes more devastating under high humidity and wet soils. Symptoms generally appear on green fruit as alternate dark- and light-brown concentric rings. The genome size of P. nicotianae var. parasitica is 82 Mb with >23,000 predicted genes. High humidity (>60%) and optimal temperatures (20 to 25°C), along with rainfall (≥10 mm), help to disperse the pathogen because the inoculum reaches the fruit through splashing rain. Sporangia germinate indirectly by producing zoospores at 20 to 25°C or directly via germ tubes at >25°C. In the absence of suitable resistant varieties, no single management practice is sufficient to keep the disease below the economic threshold level; therefore, integration of cultural and chemical methods is preferable. This article aims to focus on the etiology and management challenges of buckeye rot. We recommend innovative disease management strategies such as identification and deployment of resistant cultivars as well as spraying of synthetic chemical fungicides, biocontrol agents, and use of abiotic chemicals that induce resistance for developing sustainable crop production practices.

Medicinal Plants for Anti-neurodegenerative diseases in West Africa

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Neurodegenerative diseases are neuronal diseases that affect the brain components by degenerating the structure and function of the central or peripheral nervous system progressively. It is a leading cause of death and affects huge amount of people worldwide. Plant-based medicines have been utilised in the therapies for many illnesses that have defied western treatments, including neurodegenerative diseases.

AIM OF THIS REVIEW

This review presents an overview of the major neurodegenerative diseases and reported prominent medicinal plants used in managing those diseases in West Africa.

METHODS

Scientific articles regarding medicinal plants and their usefulness in managing neurodegenerative diseases in West Africa were pooled from different scientific databases. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to filter articles based on their relevance. Pharmacological activity, plant parts used, experimental models, and some isolated chemical compounds of those plants were summarised.

RESULTS

In the West Africa region, Fabaceae (19%) and Solanaceae (13%) have the highest representation of plant families used to treat neurological diseases, while Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae have also been utilised. Flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, coumarins present in those plants and their derivatives are reported to possess neuro-protective effects. Biochemical enzymes correlating to antioxidants, anti-inflammatory effects are the potential targets against neurodegenerative diseases.

CONCLUSION

Medicinal plants for anti-neurodegenerative diseases in West Africa have been documented with their neuropharmacological activities. Plant families such as Fabaceae, Solanaceae, Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, and Euphorbiaceae could be a major natural source for discovery of anti-neurodegenerative drugs, thus the metabolites from them should be given priority for neurological research. This review will provide clues for further investigations on the screening and development of anti-neurodegenerative natural products from West African medicinal plants.

A review on anti-peptic ulcer activities of medicinal plants used in the formulation of Enterica, Dyspepsia and NPK 500 capsules

Peptic ulcer disease affects many people globally. With the increasing resistance to some orthodox antibiotics such as Clarithromycin and Metronidazole, it is important that new acceptable, safer and effective therapies are developed to manage this disease. Various herbal medicines have been used traditionally for the remedy of peptic ulcer disease (PUD), however scientific information with regards to their anti-peptic ulcer both in-vivo and in-vitro as well as clinical studies supporting their use is still inadequate. The Centre for Plant Medicine Research, (CPMR) Mampong-Akuapem, Ghana manufactures three herbal Products namely Enterica, Dyspepsia and NPK 500 capsules which are currently used for the remedy of PUD as a triple therapy at its out-patient clinic with promising effects. The aim of this review is to gather information from literature on the anti-ulcer properties, pharmacological, phytochemical constituents and related activities of herbal plants used at the CPMR for formulation of the triple herbal therapy. This review may, provide some scientific bases for the use of Enterica, Dyspepsia and NPK 500 capsules in the management of Peptic ulcer at the CPMR out-patient clinic.

METHODS

Organization for the review involved the on and/or offline search for information from available literature using electronic data and scientific research information resources such as PubMed, Science Direct and Google scholar.

RESULTS

In this review, fifteen ethno-medicinal plants used for the formulation of Enterica, Dyspepsia and NPK capsules have been discussed, presenting the description of the plants, composition and pharmacological activity.

INTERPRETATION

Tables with the summary of reviewed medicinal plants with their anti-ulcer models and inference on possible mechanisms of action were drawn up. The mechanism(s) of action of individual plants and products (Enterica, Dyspepsia and NPK 500 capsules) must be further investigated and established experimentally in-vitro in addition to in-vivo pharmacological and clinical activity studies to confirm their use in the remedy of PUD.

Phytochemical Profile and Antimicrobial Activities of Edible Mushroom Termitomyces striatus

The mushroom Termitomyces striatus is an edible mushroom that grows wildly and belongs to the family Lyophyllaceae. Studies in the last few decades have demonstrated that mushrooms and their active components have beneficial effects on a variety of biological systems. Some mushrooms do exhibit antibacterial properties. Qualitative phytochemical profile was done on the mushroom Termitomyces striatus to establish the presence of compounds responsible for important biological activities. This study also investigated the effect of Termitomyces striatus extracts on certain bacterial strains that included Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa representing the Gram-negative bacteria and Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus representing Gram-positive bacteria. The fungi were represented by Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The mushroom was collected in western Kenya, air-dried, and crushed into powder, followed by extraction using water, methanol, and dichloromethane (DCM) solvents. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated using the disc-diffusion method. Qualitative phytochemical screening of the aqueous extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, sterols, saponins, phenols, carbohydrates, and proteins. The three extracts exhibited antibacterial against tested bacterial strains. The DCM extract revealed higher effects among the bacterial strains tested. The three extracts showed antifungal effects against C. albicans. However, both methanol and aqueous extracts did not inhibit growth of S. cerevisiae. In conclusion, T. striatus extracts are a promising source of novel antimicrobial and antifungal agents.

Anthelminthic, Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Activities and FTIR Analyses of Vernonia camporum Stem-Bark

Vernonia camporum is used ethnomedicinally to treat diseases such as malaria, fever, hypertension, mouth sores, pains, inflammation, and skin rashes in Africa. This study aims at investigating the biological activities (anthelminthic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial) and separating some of the biologically active components in the methanol crude extract of the stem-bark of Vernonia camporum. Phytochemical screening, anthelminthic (Lumbricus terrestris (earthworm)), anti-inflammatory (egg albumin denaturation), antioxidant (DPPH and H2O2 scavenging and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)), and antimicrobial (agar and broth dilution method) assays were performed on the extracts. Column chromatography and FTIR spectroscopic analysis were employed to separate and analyze the least polar constituents of the methanol extract. The preliminary phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, phenols, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, phytosterols, proteins and amino acids, phlobatannins, glycosides, cardiac glycosides, coumarins, and anthocyanins. The extracts (methanol and hexane) showed a higher concentration-dependent anthelminthic activity. The extracts exhibited high concentration-dependent anti-inflammatory activities with IC50 values of 35.83 ± 3.984 and 53.91 ± 5.8413 µg/mL, respectively. The IC50 values for methanol and hexane extracts in the DPPH assay were 17.70 ± 3.430 and 29.54 ± 1.5437 µg/mL, and those of the H2O2 assay were 243.20 ± 0.1528 and 352.20 ± 12.64 µg/mL, respectively. TAC results for methanol and hexane extracts were recorded as 31.592 ± 1.682 and 30.232 ± 0.445 gAAE/100 g, respectively. The extracts were observed to exhibit antimicrobial activity against test organisms with MICs ranging from 0.1953 to 25.00 mg/mL. Chromatographic separations gave four fractions. FTIR analysis indicated the presence of various functional groups in purified fractions of the methanol extract that confirms the presence of the phytochemicals identified in the screening test. The results indicate that both extracts of V. camporum possess anthelminthic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities supporting the traditional usage of this plant.

Sensitivity of Botrytis cinerea Isolates Complex to Plant Extracts

New agricultural strategies aim to reduce the use of pesticides due to their damage to the environment and humans, and the caused resistance to pathogens. Therefore, alternative sources of antifungal compounds from plants are under investigation lately. Extracts from plants have a wide composition of chemical compounds which may complicate the development of pathogen resistance. Botrytis cinerea, causing grey mould, is an important horticultural and ornamental pathogen, responsible for the relevant yield and quality losses. B. cinerea isolated from a different plant host may differ in the sensitivity to antifungal substances from plants. Assessing the importance of research covering a wide range of pathogens for the rapid development of biopesticides, this study aims to determine the sensitivity of the B. cinerea isolate complex (10 strains) to plant extracts, describe morphological changes caused by the extract treatment, and detect differences between the sensitivity of different plant host isolates. The results showed the highest sensitivity of the B. cinerea isolates complex to cinnamon extract, and the lowest to laurel extract. In contrast, laurel extract caused the most changes of morphological attributes in the isolates. Five B. cinerea isolates from plant hosts of raspberry, cabbage, apple, bell pepper, and rose were grouped statistically according to their sensitivity to laurel extract. Meanwhile, the bell pepper isolate separated from the isolate complex based on its sensitivity to clove extract, and the strawberry and apple isolates based on their sensitivity to cinnamon extract.

Evaluation of Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Moringa oleifera Lam. and Cyanthillium cinereum (Less) H. Rob. Lozenges in Volunteer Smokers

Smokers have high plaque accumulation that initiates gingival inflammation and progresses to periodontitis. Thus, oral hygiene to control microbial plaque formation is an effective method of preventing gingivitis. Medicinal plants such as Moringa oleifera Lam. (MO) and Cyanthillium cinereum (Less.) H. Rob. (CC) have an anti-inflammatory effect that might improve oral health in smokers. This study evaluated the effect of MO leaf and CC extracts using MO lozenges and a combination of MO + CC lozenges on oral inflammation and gingivitis in volunteer smokers. Lozenges consisting of MO and CC extracts were developed and studied in vivo. The results showed that lozenges significantly reduced oral inflammation and gingivitis in volunteers. The gingival index (GI) of group III (MO + CC lozenges) significantly decreased, while the percentage decrease of oral inflammation in group II (MO lozenges) was significantly higher than the other groups. The percentage decrease of GI values in group II (MO lozenges) and group III (MO + CC lozenges) were significantly higher than the placebo group I. Our findings indicated that MO and MO + CC lozenges reduced oral inflammation and gingivitis and showed potential to improve oral health in smokers.

Postharvest disease management of Alternaria spots on tomato fruit by Annona muricata fruit extracts

The aim of this study was to assess Annona muricata L. fruit extracts as an alternative to synthetic fungicide against Alternaria alternata (Fries) Keissler, the causative agent of black spots of tomato fruit. Antifungal activities of A. muricata pulp and seed extracts were tested both in vitro and in vivo. The seed extracts were more potent at inhibiting A. alternata than the pulp extracts. The in vitro assay showed maximum inhibition of radial mycelial growth of A. alternata (90%) by methanol seed extracts, at the highest concentration of 6%. Similarly, the in vivo assay showed marked reduction in lesion diameter (2.1 mm) and consequent disease inhibition (84%) on the tomato fruit treated with methanol seed extracts. Scanning electron microscopy showed that A. muricata extracts significantly damaged the morphology of hyphae and conidial structures. The FT-IR spectrum obtained from methanol extracts showed bands representing important bioactive compounds that possess antifungal activity. Based on our findings, Annona muricata fruit extracts can be further explored as a potential, excellent alternative approach to control the postharvest Alternaria spots of tomato fruit.

A Biocontrol Strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa CQ-40 Promote Growth and Control Botrytis cinerea in Tomato

Botrytis cinerea infection can be very devastating for tomato production, as it can result in a large-scale reduction in tomato fruit production and fruit quality after harvest. Thus, it negatively affects tomato yield and quality. In this study, a biocontrol bacteria CQ-4 was isolated and screened from the rhizosphere soil of tomato plants. Morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence analysis revealed that it belongs to the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which has a strong antagonistic effect against Botrytis cinerea. In addition, the bacterium's antibacterial spectrum is relatively extensive, and antagonistic tests have shown that it also has varying degrees of inhibition on other 12 plant diseases. The growth promotion test showed that the strain has a clear promotion effect on tomato seed germination and seedling growth. The growth-promoting effect on plant height, stem thickness, dry and fresh weight and main root length of tomato seedlings was significantly improved after the seeds were soaked in a bacterial solution of 2.5 × 108 cfu mL-1 concentration. This did not only maintain the nutritional quality of tomato fruits, but also prevents them from rotting. In vitro and pot experiments showed that the strain CQ-4 can effectively control tomato gray mold, and the control effects on tomato leaves and fruits reached 74.4% and 66.0%, respectively. Strain CQ-4 induce plants to up-regulate the activities of four disease-resistant defense enzymes. The peak enzymatic activities of Phenylalanine Ammonia Lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD), and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) were increased by 35.6%, 37.6%, 46.1%, and 38.4%, respectively, as compared with the control group. This study found that the strain can solubilize phosphorus, fix nitrogen, and produce cellulase, protease, ferrophilin, and other antibacterial metabolites, but it does not produce chitinase, glucanase, and HCN (hydrocyanic acid). This research screened out an excellent Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain that can stably and effectively control tomato gray mold, and it provided theoretical basis for further development and the application of biological agents.