scholarly journals Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activity of Seven Native Species Growing in the Forests of Southern Chilean Patagonia

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (21) ◽  
pp. 6722
Author(s):  
Merly de Armas-Ricard ◽  
Francisco Quinán-Cárdenas ◽  
Harold Sanhueza ◽  
Rodrigo Pérez-Vidal ◽  
Cristina Mayorga-Lobos ◽  
...  

The genus Nothofagus is one of the most abundant in the subantarctic Patagonian forests. Five species inhabit these ecosystems, three evergreen (Nothofagus betuloides, Nothofagus dombeyi, and Nothofagus nitida) and two deciduous (Nothofagus pumilio and Nothofagus antarctica). This is the first report on the levels of secondary metabolites and the antioxidant capacity of Patagonian tree species growing in natural environments. The aim of this work was to carry out a phytochemical screening, to determine the antioxidant capacity, the sun protection factor, and the α-glucosidase and tyrosinase inhibitory activity of foliar extracts of the five previous species. Besides, Aristotelia chilensis and Berberis microphylla, two species of Patagonian shrubs growing in the same forests, were used as reference. N. dombeyi was the Nothofagus with the best antioxidant capacity. B. microphylla differed from all studied species. Moreover, the Nothofagus was split into two groups. N. betuloides and N. dombeyi are the most similar species to A. chilensis. The α-glucosidase was completely inhibited by all studied extracts. Furthermore, N. antarctica, N.pumilio, and N. nitida inhibited about 70% of the tyrosinase activity. All the results found in this study for the species of the genus Nothofagus support further research on their potential beneficial properties for human health.

New Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Huertas Herrera ◽  
Álvaro Promis ◽  
Mónica Toro-Manríquez ◽  
María Vanessa Lencinas ◽  
Guillermo Martínez Pastur ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 371-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Cecilia Mestre ◽  
Sonia Fontenla ◽  
Carlos A. Rosa

Environmental factors influencing the occurrence and community structure of soil yeasts in forests are not well studied. There are few studies dedicated to Southern Hemisphere soil yeasts populations and even fewer focused on temperate forests influenced by volcanic activity. The present work aimed to study the ecology of soil yeast communities from pristine forests influenced by different environmental factors (precipitation, physicochemical properties of soil, tree species, soil region, and season). The survey was performed in 4 northern Patagonian forests: 2 dominated by Nothofagus pumilio and 2 by Nothofagus antarctica. Yeast communities were described with ecological indices and species accumulation curves, and their association with environmental characteristics was assessed using multivariate analysis. Each forest site showed a particular arrangement of species as a result of environmental characteristics, such as dominant plant species, nutrient availability, and climatic characteristics. Cryptococcus podzolicus was most frequently isolated in nutrient-rich soils, Trichosporon porosum dominated cold mountain forests with low nutrient and water availability in soil, and capsulated yeasts such as Cryptococcus phenolicus dominated forest sites with low precipitation. The present work suggests that environmental factors affecting yeast communities may not be the current soil characteristics but the result of complex interactions of factors including natural disturbances like volcanic activity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Legge ◽  
John C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
Chris R. Dickman ◽  
Brett P. Murphy ◽  
Leigh-Ann Woolley ◽  
...  

Research and management attention on the impacts of the introduced domestic cat (Felis catus) on Australian fauna have focussed mainly on the feral population. Here, we summarise the evidence for impacts of predation by pet cats on Australian wildlife. We collate examples of local wildlife population decline and extirpation as a result, at least in part, of predation by pet cats. We assemble information across 66 studies of predation by pet cats worldwide (including 24 Australian studies) to estimate the predation toll of pet cats in Australia, plus the predation pressure per unit area in residential areas. We compared these estimates to those published for feral cats in Australia. The per capita kill rate of pet cats is 25% that of feral cats. However, pet cats live at much higher densities, so the predation rate of pets per square kilometre in residential areas is 28–52 times larger than predation rates by feral cats in natural environments, and 1.3–2.3 times greater than predation rates per km2 by feral cats living in urban areas. Pet cats kill introduced species more often than do feral cats living in natural environments, but, nonetheless, the toll of native animals killed per square kilometre by pet cats in residential areas is still much higher than the toll per square kilometre by feral cats. There is no evidence that pet cats exert significant control of introduced species. The high predation toll of pet cats in residential areas, the documented examples of declines and extirpations in populations of native species caused by pet cats, and potential pathways for other, indirect effects (e.g. from disease, landscapes of fear, ecological footprints), and the context of extraordinary impacts from feral cats on Australian fauna, together support a default position that pet cat impacts are serious and should be reduced. From a technical perspective, the pet cat impacts can be reduced more effectively and humanely than those of feral cats, while also enhancing pet cat welfare. We review the management options for reducing predation by pet cats, and discuss the opportunities and challenges for improved pet cat management and welfare.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 10084
Author(s):  
Zarreen Syed ◽  
Mohd Shahnawaz Khan

Pastoralism is among the major land use practices in the Himalaya and the main source of livelihood for local communities.  In naturally occurring herbivore populations, the co-occurrence of native species has evolved through evolutionary processes over millions of years which has enabled coexistence.  In the modern scenario, however, the intrusion of livestock into the wild habitats impose additional pressure on the limited resources, given that there has been insufficient time for resource partitioning to evolve.  Realizing the need to develop a better understanding of wild herbivores and livestock interactions, the present review was compiled.  The review demonstrates that a group of similar species using similar habitats and feeding on similar foods leads to more competition.  Also, goat/sheep impose a potential threat to the resource of wild herbivores and such resource exploitation by livestock is not compatible with their conservation.  Further, wild herbivores shift their habitat to avoid the risk of being exposed to competition or predation.  Livestock grazing and associated activities affect the wild herbivores’ habitat use and foraging behaviour, and these are changes that may also affect their survival in the future.  There is a prime need to find out the threshold of livestock population which can sustain itself without compromising livestock production and wildlife.  High conflict areas need to be identified and compensatory mechanisms should evolve. It is also necessary for ecology to be integrated with an understanding of the social dynamics that influence the status of the resources.


Author(s):  
Izabela Nawrot-Hadzik ◽  
Sylwester Ślusarczyk ◽  
Sebastian Granica ◽  
Jakub Hadzik ◽  
Adam Matkowski

One of the richest natural sources of resveratrol - the rhizome of Reynoutria japonica in East Asia is a well-known traditional herb (Hu zhang) used in various inflammatory diseases, infections, skin diseases, scald, hyperlipidemia. Although, it has been recently included in the European Pharmacopoeia, still in Europe is an untapped resource. Some of the therapeutic effects are likely to be influenced by its antioxidant properties and this in turn is frequently associated with a high stilbene content. However, some literatures suggested that other compounds than stilbenes may add to the total antioxidant capacity. Hence, the aim of this research was to examine rhizomes of R. japonica and less studied, morphologically similar species, R. sachalinensis and R. x bohemica for their phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity and to clarify the relationship between the antioxidant activity and compounds by statistical methods. HPLC/UV/ESI-MS studies of three Reynoutria species revealed 171 compounds comprising stilbenes, carbohydrates, procyanidins, flavan-3-ols, anthraquinones, phenylpropanoids, lignin oligomers, hydroxycinnamic acids, naphthalenes and their derivatives. Our studies confirmed the presence of procyanidins with high degree of polymerization, up to decamers in the rhizomes of R. japonica and brings new data on the presence of these compounds in other Reynoutria species. A procyanidin trimer digallate was described for the first time in the studied plants. Moreover, we suggested a presence of new for these species, dianthrone glycosides and previously unrecorded phenylpropanoid disaccharide esters and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, mainly in R. sachalinensis. Furthemore, compounds tentatively annotated as lignin oligomers were observed for the first time in studied species. The rhizomes of all Reynoutria species exhibited strong antioxidant activity. Statistical analysis demonstrated that proanthocyanidins should be considered as important contributors to the total antioxidant capacity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 348-363
Author(s):  
Philip A. Idowu ◽  
Loveth C. Ekemezie ◽  
Charles O. Olaiya

Screening ‘new’ medicinal plants of traditional importance for bioactive components is a sure way of discovering novel therapeutic agents to treat diseases. This study, therefore investigated the presence of phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial components of the extracts of Lannea egregia. Phytochemical screening was done by standard methods. Antibacterial activity of the extracts of Lannea egregia was determined by agar well diffusion method while the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by agar dilution method. The antioxidant capacity of the crude extracts was determined through the evaluation of total flavonoid content, total phenolic content, ferric reducing power, total antioxidant capacity and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl. The phytochemical screening of the different parts of this plant revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, emodins, phlobatannins, anthocyanins, coumarins and phenolics. Phlobatannins was observed to be absent in the stem bark. The crude extracts obtained from the leaves, stem bark and roots of this plant exhibited good antibacterial activity against typed strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. The diameter of the zone of inhibition ranged from 9.0 to 26.0 mm at 100 mg/mL for all the plant parts. The ethyl acetate leaf extract of this plant possessed the highest antibacterial activity with MIC and MBC values of the range of (3.125 to ˃50 mg/mL) and (12.5 to ˃50 mg/mL) respectively. The zone inhibition of the chromatographic fractions of both plants ranged 15-23 mm. Antioxidant study of the extracts of the leaf of L. egregia revealed that the ethyl acetate and methanol extracts have good antioxidant potentials comparable to that of ascorbic acid control. This study has revealed that the extracts from different parts of L. egregia possess good antibacterial and antioxidant activities which could be a function of the various phytochemicals detected in the plant. Keywords: Lannea egregia, Phytochemical, Antibacterial, Antioxidant, Column chromatography.


2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 841-851
Author(s):  
Marcelo Caetano de Oliveira ◽  
Paula Nogueira Curi ◽  
Rafael Pio ◽  
Daniela da Hora Farias ◽  
Marcio Roberto Rigote ◽  
...  

PurposeThe native species from western Mato Grosso do Sul provide fruits with unique sensory characteristics and high nutrient concentrations. Tropical fruit consumption is increasing due to the growing recognition of the nutritional value. These fruits play important roles through the marketing of their products and nutritionally through their consumption. All fruits are edible and are used in the food industry and well sensory accepted. The purpose of this paper is to verify the physicochemical characteristics, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in fruits collected in the Cerrado and Pantanal biomes from western Mato Grosso do Sul.Design/methodology/approachThe fruits of baru, bocaiuva, jatobá, jenipapo and pequi were collected. To characterize them, longitudinal diameter, transverse diameter, total soluble solids, acidity, pH, ascorbic acid, total phenolics, antioxidant capacity, total sugar, glucose and macro and micronutrient contents analysis were performed in triplicate.FindingsJatobá presented the highest values of vitamin C. For phenolics, baru and jatobá stood out; bocaiuva presented the highest results for sugars, while jatobá was superior for glucose. The fruits with the highest antioxidant capacity, DPPH, were pequi and baru, while via ABTS the jatobá was the highest. Baru presented higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc and iron. The bocaiuva presented the highest results for potassium and sulfur, the jatobá calcium and manganese. Jenipapo stood out with its boron content. Magnesium presented superior results in the baru, jenipapo and bocaiuva. The results reinforce the diversity of physicochemical characteristics.Originality/valueThe increase of the flow of available information, together with the growth of multicultural influences, the search for wholesome diet and the diversity of flavors and colors make these fruits important regional development tools. Their characteristics encompass national and international exploration potential that arouse consumer interest and contribute to the pursuit of innovations. In addition, the native species mentioned above provide fruits with unique sensory characteristics. Their consumption is increasing in the markets due to the growing recognition of their nutritional value. Therefore, these fruits play important roles, economically, through the marketing of their products and nutritionally through their consumption.


Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Manya Singh ◽  
Wallace M. Meyer

Changes in plant assemblages can influence biotic and abiotic soil conditions. These changes can cause plant–soil feedbacks that can inhibit or facilitate plant germination and growth. Here, we contribute to a growing literature examining plant–soil feedbacks in the endangered sage scrub ecosystem by examining the germination and growth of Artemisia californica, the dominant native shrub species in the ecosystem, in soil conditioned by two widespread plant invaders (Brassica nigra, Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens), and the germination and growth of these invasive species in conspecific and heterospecific soils. Our findings suggest that: (i) A. californica soils can limit establishment of some species (B. nigra) but not others (B. madritensis), (ii) A. californica soil conditions reduce growth of all plant species, and (iii) non-natives are negatively impacted by soil microbes, but in some contexts can do better in heterospecific soil. As our findings were often incongruent with other studies that examined interactions among similar species at other sites, we suggest that we are at our infancy of understanding these complex interactions, and that developing a predictive framework for understanding plant soil feedbacks in the sage scrub ecosystem involves understanding how various plant species respond in different soil contexts within the ecosystem.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 170-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aslam Mirza Muhammad ◽  
Nisar Faria ◽  
Aziz Choudhary Muhammad ◽  
Qayyum Somia ◽  
Naseem Saeeda ◽  
...  

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