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Miricioiu MG, Ionete RE, Simova S, Gerginova D, Botoran OR. Metabolite Profiling of Conifer Needles: Tracing Pollution and Climate Effects. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14986. [PMID: 37834434 PMCID: PMC10573700 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914986] [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: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In the face of escalating environmental challenges, understanding the intricate relationship between plant metabolites, pollution stress, and climatic conditions is of paramount importance. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of metabolic variations generated through 1H and 13C NMR measurements in evergreen needles collected from different regions with varying pollution levels. Multivariate analyses were employed to identify specific metabolites responsive to pollution stress and climatic factors. Air pollution indicators were assessed through ANOVA and Pearson correlation analyses. Our results revealed significant metabolic changes attributed to geographical origin, establishing these conifer species as potential indicators for both air pollution and climatic conditions. High levels of air pollution correlated with increased glucose and decreased levels of formic acid and choline. Principal component analysis (PCA) unveiled a clear species separation, largely influenced by succinic acid and threonine. Discriminant analysis (DA) confirmed these findings, highlighting the positive correlation of glucose with pollution grade. Beyond pollution assessment, these metabolic variations could have ecological implications, impacting interactions and ecological functions. Our study underscores the dynamic interplay between conifer metabolism, environmental stressors, and ecological systems. These findings not only advance environmental monitoring practices but also pave the way for holistic research encompassing ecological and physiological dimensions, shedding light on the multifaceted roles of metabolites in conifer responses to environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Gheorghe Miricioiu
- ICSI Analytics Group, National Research and Development Institute of Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies–ICSI Rm. Vâlcea, 4 Uzinei Street, 240050 Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania; (M.G.M.); (R.E.I.)
| | - Roxana Elena Ionete
- ICSI Analytics Group, National Research and Development Institute of Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies–ICSI Rm. Vâlcea, 4 Uzinei Street, 240050 Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania; (M.G.M.); (R.E.I.)
| | - Svetlana Simova
- Bulgarian NMR Centre, Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, “Acad G. Bonchev” Street, Bl. 9, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria; (S.S.); (D.G.)
| | - Dessislava Gerginova
- Bulgarian NMR Centre, Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, “Acad G. Bonchev” Street, Bl. 9, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria; (S.S.); (D.G.)
| | - Oana Romina Botoran
- ICSI Analytics Group, National Research and Development Institute of Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies–ICSI Rm. Vâlcea, 4 Uzinei Street, 240050 Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania; (M.G.M.); (R.E.I.)
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Al-Harrasi A, Khan AL, Rehman NU, Csuk R. Biosynthetic diversity in triterpene cyclization within the Boswellia genus. PHYTOCHEMISTRY 2021; 184:112660. [PMID: 33524859 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2021.112660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This review is not intended to describe the triterpenes isolated from the Boswellia genus, since this information has been covered elsewhere. Instead, the aim is to provide insights into the biosynthesis of triterpenes in Boswellia. This genus, which has 24 species, displays fascinating structural diversity and produces a number of medicinally important triterpenes, particularly boswellic acids. Over 300 volatile components have been reported in the essential oil of Boswellia, and more than 100 diterpenes and triterpenes have been isolated from this genus. Given that no triterpene biosynthetic enzymes have yet been isolated from any members of the Boswellia genus, this review will cover the likely biosynthetic pathways as inferred from structures in nature and the probable types of biosynthetic enzymes based on knowledge of triterpene biosynthesis in other plant species. It highlights the importance of frankincense and the factors and threats affecting its production. It covers triterpene biosynthesis in the genus Boswellia, including dammaranes, tirucallic acids, lupanes, oleananes, ursanes and boswellic acids. Strategies for elucidating triterpene biosynthetic pathways in Boswellia are considered. Furthermore, the possible mechanisms behind wound-induced resin synthesis by the tree and related gene expression profiling are covered. In addition, the influence of the environment and the genotype on the biosynthesis of resin and on variations in the compositions and types of resins will also be reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Al-Harrasi
- Natural & Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, P.O. Box 33, 616 Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa, Oman.
| | - Abdul Latif Khan
- Natural & Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, P.O. Box 33, 616 Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Najeeb Ur Rehman
- Natural & Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, P.O. Box 33, 616 Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - René Csuk
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 2, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
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Phytotoxic Effect of Macerates and Mulches from Cupressus leylandii Leaves on Clover and Cress: Role of Chemical Composition. FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11111177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The use of plant secondary metabolites is an attractive strategy to control weeds. In this work, cypress (Cupressus leylandii) leaves were collected and tested as aqueous macerates or mulches for their ability to control seed germination and seedling growth of Trifolium repens and Lepidium sativum. Leaves were collected on trees facing the north (S) or facing the sun (L). The rate of seed germination measured on sand was drastically slowed down by the cypress leaves after 8 d of maceration, reaching inhibition of >85% compared to the control at 7 d post-imbibition (dpi). Analysis of macerates by UHPLC-MS revealed the presence of organic acids, phenols, and sugars in amounts increasing with maceration time and the phytotoxic effect. A 5 cm layer of cypress leaf mulch also significantly reduced (p < 0.001) the rate of seedling appearance of Lepidium sativum measured on potting soil compared to the control. Mulches prepared using L leaves were more efficient than those prepared with S leaves (p = 0.0029). Analysis of ethanolic extracts of leaves by mass spectrometry (MS) coupled to liquid (UHPLC) or gas chromatography (GC) showed the presence of a variety of monoterpenes, monoterpenoids, and diterpenoids with a labdane backbone. They were all more concentrated in mulches prepared with L leaves than those prepared with S leaves, in particular diterpenoids, which were about 10-fold more concentrated. However, the identification of phytotoxic components needs further research. It is concluded that due to their phytotoxic properties, Cupressus leylandii leaves could be used as mulch or macerate for target treatment of weedy areas.
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Seethapathy GS, Ravikumar K, Paulsen BS, de Boer HJ, Wangensteen H. Ethnobotany of dioecious species: Traditional knowledge on dioecious plants in India. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2018; 221:56-64. [PMID: 29635015 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE More than 15,000 angiosperm species are dioecious, i.e., having distinct male and female individual plants. The allocation of resources between male and female plants is different, and also variation in secondary metabolites and sex-biased herbivory is reported among dioecious plants. However, little is known about the ethnobotany of dioecious species and whether preferences exist for a specific gender, e.g., in food, medicine or timber. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this study was: 1) to study whether Indian folk healers have preference for plant genders, and to document their knowledge and use of dioecious species; 2) to understand the concept of plant gender in Indian systems of medicine and folk medicine, and whether Ayurvedic literature includes any references to gender preference. MATERIALS AND METHODS Lists of dioecious plants used in Indian systems of medicine and folk medicine were compiled. Ethnobotanical data was collected on perceptions and awareness of dioecious plants, and preferences of use for specific genders of dioecious species using semi-structured interviews with folk healers in Tamil Nadu, India. In addition, twenty Ayurvedic doctors were interviewed to gain insight into the concept of plant gender in Ayurveda. RESULTS Indian systems of medicine contain 5-7% dioecious species, and this estimate is congruent with the number of dioecious species in flowering plants in general. Informants recognized the phenomenon of dioecy in 31 out of 40 species, and reported gender preferences for 13 species with respect to uses as timber, food and medicine. Among informants different plant traits such as plant size, fruit size, and visibility of fruits determines the perception of a plant being a male or female. Ayurvedic classical literature provides no straightforward evidence on gender preferences in preparation of medicines or treatment of illness, however it contains details about reproductive morphology and sexual differentiation of plants. CONCLUSIONS A knowledge gap exists in ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological literature on traditional knowledge of dioecious plants. From this explorative study it is evident that people have traditional knowledge on plant gender and preferential usages towards one gender. Based on this, we propose that researchers conducting ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological studies should consider documenting traditional knowledge on sexual systems of plants, and test the existence of gender specific usages in their conceptual framework and hypothesis testing. Incorporating such concepts could provide new dimensions of scientific knowledge with potential implications to conservation biology, chemical ecology, ethnoecology and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gopalakrishnan Saroja Seethapathy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1068, 0316 Oslo, Norway; Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172, 0318 Oslo, Norway; The Institute of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), 74/2 Jarakabande Kaval, Post Attur via Yelahanka, Bangalore 560064, India.
| | - Kaliamoorthy Ravikumar
- The Institute of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), 74/2 Jarakabande Kaval, Post Attur via Yelahanka, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Berit Smestad Paulsen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1068, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Hugo J de Boer
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172, 0318 Oslo, Norway
| | - Helle Wangensteen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1068, 0316 Oslo, Norway
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Al-Harrasi A, Rehman NU, Khan AL, Al-Broumi M, Al-Amri I, Hussain J, Hussain H, Csuk R. Chemical, molecular and structural studies of Boswellia species: β-Boswellic Aldehyde and 3-epi-11β-Dihydroxy BA as precursors in biosynthesis of boswellic acids. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198666. [PMID: 29912889 PMCID: PMC6005567 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The distribution and biosynthesis of boswellic acids (BAs) is scarce in current literature. Present study aims to elucidate the BAs biosynthetic and its diversity in the resins of Boswellia sacra and Boswellia papyrifera. Results revealed the isolation of new (3β, 11β-dihydroxy BA) and recently known (as new source, β-boswellic aldehyde) precursors from B. sacra resin along with α-amyrin. Following this, a detailed nomenclature of BAs was elucidated. The quantification and distribution of amyrins (3-epi-α-amyrin, β-amyrin and α-amyrin) and BAs in different Boswellia resins showed highest amyrin and BAs in B. sacra as compared with B. serrata and B. papyrifera. Distribution of BAs significantly varied in the resin of B. sacra collected from dry mountains than coastal trees. In B. sacra, high content of α-amyrin was found in the roots but it lacked β-amyrin and BAs. The leaf part showed traces of β-ABA and AKBA but was deficient in amyrins. This was further confirmed by lack of transcript accumulation of amyrin-related biosynthesis gene in leaf part. In contrast, the stem showed presence of all six BAs which are attributed to existence of resin-secretory canals. In conclusion, the boswellic acids are genus-specific chemical constituents for Boswellia species albeit the variation of the amounts among different Boswellia species and grades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Al-Harrasi
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa, Oman
- * E-mail:
| | - Najeeb Ur Rehman
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Abdul Latif Khan
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Muhammed Al-Broumi
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Issa Al-Amri
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Javid Hussain
- Department of Biological Sciences & Chemistry, University of Nizwa, Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Hidayat Hussain
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - René Csuk
- Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Organic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
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Taiti C, Costa C, Figorilli S, Billi M, Caparrotta S, Comparini D, Mancuso S. Volatome analysis approach for the taxonomic classification of tree exudate collection using Proton Transfer Reaction Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry. FLAVOUR FRAG J 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ffj.3439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Cosimo Taiti
- Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences; University of Florence; Viale delle Idee 30, Sesto F.no 50019 Florence Italy
| | - Corrado Costa
- Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (CREA); Unità di ricerca per l'ingegneria agraria (CREA-ING); via della Pascolare 16, Monterotondo Scalo 00015 Roma Italy
| | - Simone Figorilli
- Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (CREA); Unità di ricerca per l'ingegneria agraria (CREA-ING); via della Pascolare 16, Monterotondo Scalo 00015 Roma Italy
| | - Marco Billi
- Shangri-la Association; Via XXV Aprile 132, Sesto F.no 50019 Florence Italy
| | - Stefania Caparrotta
- Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences; University of Florence; Viale delle Idee 30, Sesto F.no 50019 Florence Italy
| | - Diego Comparini
- Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences; University of Florence; Viale delle Idee 30, Sesto F.no 50019 Florence Italy
| | - Stefano Mancuso
- Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences; University of Florence; Viale delle Idee 30, Sesto F.no 50019 Florence Italy
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Phytophthora austrocedri Elicitates Changes in Diterpene Profile of Austrocedrus chilensis. Molecules 2015; 20:15084-97. [PMID: 26295220 PMCID: PMC6332227 DOI: 10.3390/molecules200815084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Revised: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 08/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The populations of the Andean Cupressaceae Austrocedrus chilensis have been severely affected by a disease caused by the phytopathogenic fungus Phytophthora austrocedri. A study was undertaken to disclose changes in the resin composition of P. austrocedri-infected individuals, including naturally infected and artificially inoculated trees, compared with healthy A. chilensis trees. GC-MS and 1H-NMR studies showed a clear differentiation among healthy and infected resins, with the diterpene isopimara-8(9),15-dien-19-ol as a relevant constituent in resins from infected trees. The effect of resin fractions from P. austrocedri infected trees on the pathogen was assessed by measuring the mycelial growth in agar plates. The most active fractions from resin obtained from infected trees inhibited fungal growth by nearly 50% at 1 mg/dish (35.37 µg/cm2). The main constituent in the active fractions were 18-hydroxymanool and the aldehyde torulosal. Both compounds are oxidation products of manool and can be a chemical response of the tree to the pathogen or be formed from the pathogen as a biotransformation product of manool by microbial oxidation. While the diterpene profiles from A. chilensis tree resins can easily differentiate healthy and P. austrocedri infected individuals, the possible conversion of manool to the antifungal derivatives 4 and 6 by the microorganism remains to be established.
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