A Comparative Study on the Active Constituents, Antioxidant Capacity and Anti-Cancer Activity of Cruciferous Vegetable Residues

This study is pointed out to estimate the effectiveness of two solvents in the extraction and evaluating the active ingredients and their antioxidant activity as well as anti-cancer efficiency. Therefore, residues from four different Brassica vegetables viz. broccoli, Brussels sprout, cauliflower, and red cherry radish were extracted using two procedures methods: methanolic and water crude extracts. Methanol extracts showed the highest content of total phenolic (TP), total flavonoids (TF), and total tannins (TT) for broccoli and Brussels sprouts residues. Methanolic extract of broccoli and Brussels sprouts residues showed the highest DPPH· scavenging activity (IC50 = 15.39 and 18.64 µg/ml). The methanol and water extracts of Brussels sprout residues showed the highest chelating activity (IC50 = 11.77 and 5.94 µg/ml) and exhibited the highest reducing power (EC50 =14.38 and 20.18 µg/ml) with broccoli respectively. The HPLC analysis of phenolic compounds confirmed that the methanol extract of all the residues examined possessed high amounts of catchine, rutin, cumaric, benzoic, and luteolin. The methanol extract at 100 µg/ml of Brussels sprouts residues displayed a rise cytotoxic effect on HePG2 (80.40%), MCF7 (75.49%) and HCT116 (22.74%) followed by broccoli and red cherry radish, respectively. This result confirmed that Brussels sprouts residue contain effective chemical compounds that can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. Therefore, these results proposed that those Brassica vegetable residues might be beneficial as a potent antioxidant and anticancer agents and strongly recommended as fixing in constituent's food applications and pharmaceutical industries.

Cytokinin-Regulated Physiological Parameters Affected by an Exogenous Dopamine Spray in Brussels Sprout (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera)

Root restriction on the first stage of seedling growth decreases post-transplant biomass accumulation. Several studies in different vegetables and ornamental plants have suggested that this restriction would be overcome by means of a single 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) spray. Based on this, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of both pre-transplant single BAP and dopamine (a cytokinin antagonist) sprays on the growth of Brussels sprout (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera) plants grown in 200 plug cells tray-1, during different times of the annual cropping period. The responses of dopamine-sprayed plants were not completely similar to those previously reported. The different physiological processes studied in dopamine-sprayed plants through some growth parameters showed that dopamine affected mainly the rate of leaf appearance, which in turn positively affected both individual and total leaf area expansion. Dopamine-sprayed plants showed a higher leaf source, which allowed them to accumulate a higher biomass on both a fresh and dry weight basis during the initial vegetative growth stages. The effects of both BAP and dopamine were partially related to the environmental conditions during the experiments.

Importance of Antixenosis and Antibiosis Resistance to the Cabbage Whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella) in Brussels Sprout Cultivars

The cabbage whitefly Aleyrodes proletella (L.) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is an important pest of a wide range of vegetable Brassicas. Since the control of this pest is still challenging, new approaches such as the use of resistant cultivars are required. For this, we screened 16 commercialised Brussels sprout cultivars for resistance against this species. Antibiosis was tested with no-choice experiments in a climate chamber, using reproduction, mortality, longevity, developmental time and weight as parameters. Antixenosis was screened in three choice experiments with circular design in a greenhouse to detect cultivar preferences. A field trial with both antibiosis and antixenosis tests was done to verify results under natural conditions. Finally, for several cultivars, also the leaf glucosinolate concentrations were analysed. Cabbage whiteflies showed on certain cultivars significantly increased mortality, prolonged developmental times and reduced weights. Besides, some cultivars were significantly less infested. However, the incidence of antibiosis and antixenosis as well as the glucosinolate patterns were partly inconsistent. Although a number of moderately resistant cultivars could be identified, the detected resistance is certainly not strong and consistent enough as an exclusive measure of a plant protection strategy but might become a component of a multi-layered strategy against cabbage whiteflies.

Çukurova Bölgesi Koşullarında Farklı Zamanlarda Ekimi Yapılan Brüksel Lahanalarında Bitki Gelişimi, Verim ve Baş Kalitesi

In this study, plant growth, yield and sprout quality were investigated by planting at three different periods in three different Brussels sprout varieties in Çukurova Region. In this research, the effects of four different sowing and planting times on plant height (cm), main shoot diameter (mm), leaf number (number/plant), yield (g/m2), sprout weight (g), sprout diameter (mm), sprout height (mm), vitamin C (mg/100 g), antioxidant capacity [μmol trolox equivalents (TE)/g] and total phenolic content [mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g] were investigated in Franklin Fı, Maximus Fı and Divino Fı Brussels sprout varieties. According to the research results; Maximus Fı variety was found to be longer, thicker and more leafy than the other varieties in terms of plant height, main shoot diameter and number of leaves. Based on yield, Maximus Fı variety was recorded to be more efficient (584.88 g/m2) than the other varieties (367.97 g/m2 and 259.82 g/m2 in Franklin Fı and Divino Fı, respectively). Maximus Fı was superior than the other Brussels sprout varieties, Franklin Fı and Divino Fı in terms of sprout weight, sprout diameter and sprout height. When the planting times were evaluated, it was recorded that the 1st period was more suitable in terms of both yield and sprout characteristics compared to the other periods. In the vitamin C content, antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content, Franklin Fı was showed higher rates than the other varieties and more nutrient content was detected in the late plantings.

Epigenetic Regulation of A Heat-Activated Retrotransposon in Cruciferous Vegetables

Transposable elements (TEs) are highly abundant in plant genomes. Environmental stress is one of the critical stimuli that activate TEs. We analyzed a heat-activated retrotransposon named ONSEN in cruciferous vegetables. The multiple copies of ONSEN-like elements (OLEs) were found in all the cruciferous vegetables that were analyzed. The copy number of OLE was abundant in Brassica oleracea, which includes cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprout, and kale. Phylogenic analysis demonstrated that some OLEs transposed after the allopolyploidization of parental Brassica species. Furthermore, we found that the increasing number of OLEs in B. oleracea appeared to be induced transpositional silencing by epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation. The results of this study would be relevant to the understanding of evolutionary adaptations to thermal environmental stress in different species.