Quali-Quantitative Study on Phenol Compounds as Early Predictive Markers of Graft Incompatibility: A Case Study on Chestnut (Castanea spp.)

In recent years, research has focused on phenolic compounds and their putative role as markers of graft incompatibility. Thus far, no studies have been conducted on the role of phenolic compounds in chestnut (Castanea spp.). The present study investigated the content of phenolic compounds in different combinations of Castanea spp. cultivars and rootstocks. Analyses were performed on the inner and outer tissues of chestnut grafts at two phenological sampling stages. The separation, identification and quantification of the phenolic markers via HPLC were preceded by an ultrasonic green extraction. Two chromatographic methods were tested for a total of 15 phenol compounds. Flavonol compounds were not detected, while cinnamic acids were found in low concentrations. The amount of gallic acid turned out to be higher at the graft union of the incompatible combination (20.11 ± 1.47 mg/100 gFW vs. 8.94 ± 1.08 mg/100 gFW). The same pattern was observed for catechin (15.79 ± 1.83 mg/100 gFW vs. 9.63 ± 1.98 mg/100 gFW). Differences in tannin concentrations seemed to be species-specific, and were apparently not related to graft incompatibility. The present work underlines the potential application of certain phenol compounds for the early prediction of graft incompatibility in Castanea spp.

Distributions, Compositions, and Ecological Risk Assessment of Typical Pollutants in Surface Sediment of Xihe River, China

Distributions and compositions of six phthalic acid esters (PAEs), eight phenol compounds and seven heavy metals in riverbed sediments of the Xihe River in Shenyang, China. The ecological risks of these typical pollutants were investigated and evaluated based on the risk quotient (RQ) and potential ecological risk index (PERI) methods. The concentrations of total ∑6PAEs, ∑8phenols and ∑7heavy metals in sediments varied from 92.83 to 293.66 μg/g dw, 8.87 to 83.73 μg/g dw and 0.46 to 419μg/g dw. The main pollutants in Xihe River sediments are DEHP, DIBP, phenol, P-methylphenol and Cd. More than half target PAEs and phenol compounds in sediment of the Xihe River exhibited medium or high ecological risk. Cd poses a very high ecological risk to the Xihe River Basin. It is imperative to take some effective measures to reduce the pollution of those contaminants.

Electro-Spinning and Electro-Spraying as Innovative Approaches in Developing of a Suitable Food Vehicle for Polyphenols-Based Functional Ingredients

With recent advances in medical and nutrition sciences, functional foods and nutraceuticals fortified with natural polyphenols have received a lot of attention from both health professionals and the common population in the last few years since their chemical structure allows them to exert various health effects (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune, antitumor and prebiotic properties). Nonetheless, there are several hurdles to applications of polyphenols in the food system. The most critical hurdle includes polyphenols’ tendency to lose their anti-oxidative properties or bioactive functionalities during food processing, as well as inclusion of poly-phenol compounds may impart an astringent or bitter taste, or introduce a degree of brown coloring causing serious sensorial impacts on food products. On this basis, interest has increased in understanding the development of new and efficient food vehicles as delivery systems for polyphenols-based functional ingredients. In this context, one approach that could augment the growth of polyphenols-based functional foods is electro-hydrodynamic processing, as the most versatile method to produce nanoscale fibers or particulates suitable for application in food technology by encapsulation to form nanoscale delivery systems.

Study of cherry agrobiological and biochemical values depending on the breeding method

In 2018–2020, in the Federal Research Centre of Horticulture in the Leninsky district of the Moscow region, a research study into the growth, production and biochemical processes of ungrafted and grafted cherry trees was performed. The planting plan was 5×2.5 m, the age of the trees — 17-19 years. Three varieties of cherries (Rusinka, Volochaevka, Apukhtinskaya), grafted on clonal rootstock (AVCH-2, Moskoviya Izmailovskiy) and own-root, propagation-grown by herbaceous cuttings, were selected as the study objects. Biochemical studies involved determining the total antioxidant status of the alcoholic extract, the chlorophylls (a and b) and carotenoids content, the total of phenolic compounds, rutin and quercetin in the leaves. The study aimed to assess the agrobiological and biochemical parameters of grafted and own-root cherry varieties and to identify the optimal growing technique for promising ones. It was found that the variety, rootstock and breeding method influenced the growth and development of cherry trees. The linear and radial growth improved for the trees grafted on the AVC-2 and Moskoviya rootstocks and the height and crown volume thinned for the own-root trees and in those grafted on the Izmailovskiy rootstock. Depending on the variety, stock and growing technique of seedlings, the productivity of trees ranged from 3.5 (Rusinka, own-root) to 11.6 kg/tree (Apukhtinskaya, own-root). The advantage of own-root trees compared to grafted ones was revealed for Apukhtinskaya and Volochaevka varieties. The Rusinka variety showed the highest productivity when grafted on the Izmailovsky rootstock (5.5 kg/tree). To increase the yield per garden when cultivating the Apukhtinskaya and Volochaevka varieties, it is beneficial to use own-root seedlings grafted on the Moskoviya and Izmailovskiy rootstocks. For the Rusinka variety, the optimal result can be achieved when growing seedlings grafted on the Izmailovsky rootstock. The biochemical studies allowed the influence of rootstock on the photosynthetic, antioxidant systems and the synthesis of phenol compounds in the cherry leaves to be determined. It was shown that the antioxidant activity and the accumulation of phenol compounds in the leaves were the highest for the own-root plants of the most winter-hardy Rusinka variety and the Rusinka/Izmailovskiy graftedrootstock combination. The chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were the highest in the leaves of the Apukhtinskaya variety own-root trees, Apukhtinskaya/Izmailovskiy and Rusinka/Izmailovskiy grafted-rootstock combinations with increased productivity. Notably, the biochemical values decreased for all varieties grafted on the AVC-2 rootstock.

Gendola Leaf Ethyl Acetate Fraction (Basella rubra Linn) Reduces Spermatozoa Motility and Viability in Vitro

A B S T R A C TBackground. The use of plants as anti-fertility in men has been done to reduce sideeffects. The Gendola plant is one of the Basellaceae family plants, which is a naturalmedicinal plant in Indonesia. Gendola leaves contain phenol compounds, flavonoids,tannins, steroids and triterpenoids which can have cytotoxic activity. This studyaims to determine the in vitro anti sperm activity of the ethyl acetate fraction ofGendola leaves on male spermatozoa. Methods. This study is an experimentallaboratory in vitro study using male sperm preparations. The sample used was 20men for each group, both the group was given the gondola leaf fraction and thecontrol group. The treatment group was given ethyl acetate fraction of Gendola leaves(Basella rubra Linn.) With a concentration of 0.05% for 5, 10 and 15 minutes, theviability and motility of sperm were calculated. Data analysis was performed usingthe Mann Whitney test (p <0.05) using SPSS release for Windows software. Results.The results showed that the ethyl acetate fraction affected the motility and viabilityof spermatozoa. When compared with the control group, the motility treatment groupobtained was classified as non-progressive. In the treatment group, the viability ofspermatozoa was significantly different at minute 5, minute 10 and minuted 15 (p<0.05). Conclusion. Ethyl acetate fraction has potential as an anti sperm inreducing sperm motility and viability.

Gendola Leaf Ethyl Acetate Fraction (Basella rubra Linn) Reduces Spermatozoa Motility and Viability in Vitro

A B S T R A C TBackground. The use of plants as anti-fertility in men has been done to reduce sideeffects. The Gendola plant is one of the Basellaceae family plants, which is a naturalmedicinal plant in Indonesia. Gendola leaves contain phenol compounds, flavonoids,tannins, steroids and triterpenoids which can have cytotoxic activity. This studyaims to determine the in vitro anti sperm activity of the ethyl acetate fraction ofGendola leaves on male spermatozoa. Methods. This study is an experimentallaboratory in vitro study using male sperm preparations. The sample used was 20men for each group, both the group was given the gondola leaf fraction and thecontrol group. The treatment group was given ethyl acetate fraction of Gendola leaves(Basella rubra Linn.) With a concentration of 0.05% for 5, 10 and 15 minutes, theviability and motility of sperm were calculated. Data analysis was performed usingthe Mann Whitney test (p <0.05) using SPSS release for Windows software. Results.The results showed that the ethyl acetate fraction affected the motility and viabilityof spermatozoa. When compared with the control group, the motility treatment groupobtained was classified as non-progressive. In the treatment group, the viability ofspermatozoa was significantly different at minute 5, minute 10 and minuted 15 (p<0.05). Conclusion. Ethyl acetate fraction has potential as an anti sperm inreducing sperm motility and viability.