Antifungal activity of Conocephalum conicum(L) Dumort. (Marchantiophyta) against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici

Tomato, a high valuevegetable crop, suffers huge production losses in tropics due to a wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici . Present study was undertaken to find an effective biocontrol method to check fusarium wilt in order to curb the losses suffered by the crop growers. Organic extracts(acetone, methanol/ethanol) of thalloid bryophytes ( Conocephalumconicum (L.) Dumort. and Marchantiapapillata Raddi subsp. grossibarba (Steph.) Bischl. ) were tested against F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici using disc diffusion and micro broth dilution assay.Methanol extract of C.conicum (L.) Dumort. (CCDM) showed significantly high antifungal activity (85.5% mycelial inhibition; 31.25µg/mL MIC and 125µg/mL MFC).Potential of methanol extract was und, Riccardin C constituting 50% of the total number of compoundstested in a glasshouse experiment on tomato, which illustrated the efficacy of the plant extract to control the fusarial wilt. Morphological and ultrastructural alterationsin CCDM treated fusarium myceliawere observed in scanning electron microscopy. GC-MS analysis of CCDM extract showed the presence of51 constituents, and the dominant compounds werebis (bibenzyl), acyclic alkanes, fatty acids, sesquiterpenpoids and steroids. The study suggested that C. conicum being an efficient source of Riccardin C like antifungal compounds provides a potent and eco-friendly alternative to conventional fungicides in vegetables.

Antibacterial properties of thalloid liverworts Marchantia polymorpha L., Conocephalum conicum (L.) Dum. and Pellia endiviifolia (Dicks.) Dumort

Antimicrobial activity of methanol extracts of three thalloid liverworts, Marchantia polymorpha, Conocephalum conicum and Pellia endiviifolia and bis-bibenzyl marchantin A, the most dominant compound of M. polymorpha methanol extract, have been investigated in this research. 1H NMR spectroscopy revealed that the liverwort?s extract contains terpenes, oils, sugars and bis-bibenzyls in M. polymorpha and P. endiviifolia, while these specific macrocyclic compounds are absent from the C. conicum extract. The antimicrobial potential was tested on eight bacterial strains. The antimicrobial effect of extracts and marchantin A was observed against Gram-positive, while it showed no effect against Gram-negative bacteria in both methods used - well diffusion and broth microdilution.

Biological Responses to Cadmium Stress in Liverwort Conocephalum conicum (Marchantiales)

Oxidative damage (production and localization of reactive oxygen species) and related response mechanisms (activity of antioxidant enzymes), and induction of Heat Shock Protein 70 expression, have been studied in the toxi-tolerant liverwort Conocephalum conicum (Marchantiales) in response to cadmium stress using two concentrations (36 and 360 µM CdCl2). Cadmium dose-dependent production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and related activity of antioxidant enzymes was observed. The expression level of heat shock protein (Hsp)70, instead, was higher at 36 µM CdCl2 in comparison with the value obtained after exposure to 360 µM CdCl2, suggesting a possible inhibition of the expression of this stress gene at higher cadmium exposure doses. Biological responses were related to cadmium bioaccumulation. Since C. conicum was able to respond to cadmium stress by modifying biological parameters, we discuss the data considering the possibility of using these biological changes as biomarkers of cadmium pollution.

Caution: Chemical Instability of Natural Biomolecules During Routine Analysis

Natural products (NPs) constitute a significant source of active biomolecules widely used in medicine, pharmacology and cosmetics. However, NPs structural characterization has the drawback of their chemical instability during the extraction steps and their likely transformation during the analytical protocol. In particular, tamariscol and conocephalenol are two compounds largely used in the cosmetic industry for their odorant properties. Thus, in the present study, we focused on the evolution of these two metabolites (extracted from Frullania tamarisci and Conocephalum conicum, respectively), as followed by NMR. Interestingly, we found that, once dissolved in deuterated chloroform, these two tertiary alcohols are both subjected to transformation processes, leading to degradation compounds with altered structures. Accordingly, these detected degradation compounds have been fully characterized by NMR and the experimental findings were supported by computational chemistry data.

Volatile Components of the Stressed Liverwort Conocephalum Conicum

The Type-II Japanese Conocephalum conicum, which is known to have (+)-bornyl acetate as a marker compound, was put in the stressed condition to start biosynthesis of a phenyl propanoid, trans-methyl cinnamate. Analysis of the HS-SPME GC/MS of stressed C. conicum showed trans-methyl cinnamate as a major component. This phenomenon results in some confusion from the chemotype perspective since trans-methyl cinnamate is only present in type-III Japanese C. conicum.

Variability of ventral scales in polish populations of Conocephalum conicum (L.) Dum. (Hepaticae, Marchantiales)

Samples taken from 6 natural populations of the liverwort species <i>Conocephalum conicum</i> were cultivated in a glasshouse and the variability of 9 ventral scale characters was studied in them. Genetic differences were discovered between population samples but all the attempts to correlate them with the geographic distribution and/or habitat ecology have failed so far.

Phytosociological Analysis Of Communities With Adiantum Capillusveneris In The Foothills Of The Julian Alps (Western Slovenia)

We conducted a phytosociological study of the communities hosting the rare and endangered fern Adiantum capillus-veneris in the foothills of the Julian Alps, in Karst and in Istria. Based on a comparison with similar communities elsewhere in the southern Alps (northern Italy) we classified most of the recorded stands into the syntaxa Eucladio-Adiantetum eucladietosum and -cratoneuretosum commutati. Releves from the southern Julian Alps, located in comparatively slightly colder and moister local climate and the dolomite bedrock are classified into the new subassociation -hymenostylietosum recurvirostri subass. nova. Stands with the abundant occurrence of the liverwort Conocephalum conicum, are classified in to the new subassociation -conocephaletosum conici subass. nova. Stands in conglomerate rock shelters along the Soča at Solkan are classified into the new association Phyteumato columnae-Adiantetum ass. nova, a community of transitional character between the classes Adiantetea capilli-veneris and Asplenietea trichomanis.