Pilot Cultivation of the Local Endemic Cretan Marjoram Origanum microphyllum (Benth.) Vogel (Lamiaceae): Effect of Fertilizers on Growth and Herbal Quality Features

Wild phytogenetic resources are threatened by overexploitation. This pressure on species and natural ecosystems can be alleviated in part by recruiting and domesticating wild-growing species under pilot cultivation with tailor-made fertilization schemes. This study focused on the pilot cultivation of Origanum microphyllum—a critically endangered local endemic plant of Crete, Greece—investigating the effect of conventional and integrated nutrient management (ΙΝΜ) fertilizers by foliar or root application and biostimulant. Above-ground biomass together with leaf chlorophyll fluorescence and color (SPAD meter, DA meter, Chroma Meter) were determined. Leaf chlorophyll, antioxidant compound (carotenoids, phenols, flavonoids), and nutrient contents were also assessed. The results showed that fertilization did not significantly affect plant growth and leaf nutrient content. Root fertilization was associated with greener leaves compared to foliar. The same trend was generally evident for antioxidant compound content. The small size of leaves may have impeded the efficiency of the foliar application. In conclusion, root application of conventional or INM fertilizers seems more suitable to promote visual quality and herbal antioxidant profile of O. microphyllum, than the foliar one.

High intensity and red enriched LED lights increased growth of lettuce and endive

Changes in plant responses have been associated with different fractions of the visible spectrum and light intensity. Advances in light emitting diodes (LED) have enabled the study of the effect of narrow wavelengths on plant growth and antioxidant compound synthesis. LED technology also facilitates the incorporation of light sources in a controlled setting where light spectra and intensity can be regulated. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of two commercial light spectra (S1: standard white light with 32.8% blue, 42.5% green, 21.7% red and 2.4% far red;S2: AP67 spectrum, designed for horticultural growth, with 16.9% blue, 20.5% green, 49.7% red and 12.3% far red) at two light intensities [LI: low intensity (78 µmol·m-2s-1 of photons for S1 and 62 µmol·m-2s-1 for S2, and HI: high intensity (102 and 100 µmol·m-2s-1 for S1 and S2, respectively)] on growth and antioxidant compound contents in two leafy vegetables: endive (Cichorium endivia L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Fresh weight (FW), dry weight (DW), and DW% of plants were taken as growth indicators. Leaf number, SPAD index, leaf area (LA) and specific leaf area (SLA) were also evaluated. Antioxidant synthesis was measured as total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activity (AA). The results showed that S2 and HI increased the FW, DW, and LA in both species. On the other hand, antioxidant compound contents were significantly increased by HI but did not vary with the spectrum.

The Novel Antioxidant Compound JSH-23 Prevents Osteolysis by Scavenging ROS During Both Osteoclastogenesis and Osteoblastogenesis

Inflammatory osteolysis is a pathological skeletal disease associated with not only the production of inflammatory cytokines but also local oxidative status. Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) promote bone resorption by osteoclasts and induce the apoptosis of osteoblasts. In consideration of the lack of effective preventive or treatments options against osteolysis, the exploitation of novel pharmacological compounds/agents is critically required. In our study, we found that a novel antioxidant compound, JSH-23, plays a role in restoring bone homeostasis by scavenging intracellular ROS during both osteoclastogenesis and osteoblastogenesis. Mechanically, JSH-23 suppressed RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis, bone resorption and the expression of specific genes (including NFATc1, c-Fos, TRAP, CTSK and DC-STAMP) via inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Meanwhile, JSH-23 suppressed RANKL-induced ROS generation via the TRAF6/Rac1/NOX1 pathway and the enhanced expression of Nrf2/HO-1. In addition, JSH-23 attenuated H2O2-induced apoptosis and mineralization reduction in osteoblasts by reducing ROS production and enhancing Nrf2/HO-1 expression. Our in vivo results further revealed that JSH-23 exerts its protective effects on bone mass through its antioxidant activity. In conclusion, our results show that the application of JSH-23 might be a novel and plausible strategy for the treatment of osteolysis-related disease.

Anti-human Glioma Cancer Potentials of Neobavaisoflavone as Natural Antioxidant Compound and Its Inhibition Profiles for Acetylcholinesterase and Butyrylcholinesterase Enzymes with Molecular Modeling and Spin Density Distributions Studies

Introduction: In this study, the anti-human glioma cancer potentials of Neobavaisoflavone as natural antioxidant compound and its inhibition profiles for Acetylcholinesterase and Butyrylcholinesterase enzymes with molecular modeling and spin density distributions studies were investigated. Material and Methods: To investigate the antioxidant properties of Neobavaisoflavone, the DPPH test was performed in the presence of butylated hydroxytoluene as control. The cell viability of Neobavaisoflavone was low against common human glioma cancer cell lines, i.e. LN-229, U-87, and A-172 cell lines without any cytotoxicity effect on the normal cell line. Results: Neobavaisoflavone inhibited half of the DPPH in the concentration of 125 µg/mL. The best anti-human glioma cancer effects of Neobavaisoflavone against the above cell lines was in the case of LN-229 cell line. Also, important anti-human glioma cancer capacities of Neobavaisoflavone against popular human glioma cancer cell lines are linked in this study. IC50 values Neobavaisoflavone, 63.87 nM for AChE and 112.98 nM for BChE were calculated with % Activity-[Inhibitory] graphs. Values inhibitor dissociation constant of the enzyme, Ki, were found as 2.08±0.31 nM for AChE and 135.03±26.38 nM for BChE.Conclusion: According to the above results, Neobavaisoflavone may be administrated for the therapy of diverse kinds of human glioma cancers in humans. Also, molecular modeling calculations were made to compare the biochemical activities of the neobavaisoflavone molecule against enzymes. In these calculations, the enzymes used are acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, respectively. After molecular docking calculations, ADME/T analysis was performed to examine the properties of neobavaisoflavone molecule to be used as a drug in the future. Then, various parameters for the anti-oxidant activity of the neobavaisoflavone molecule were calculated.

Characterization of Antioxidant Compound from Syzygium polyanthum Leaves Fraction Using UHPLC-HRMS

The leaves of Syzygium polyanthum is widely used in Indonesia as a spice. It has been reported to have significant antioxidant activity. However, the reports on compounds responsible for the activity are very scarce. The purpose of this research was to characterize the chemical profile of S. polyanthumfractions which showed the highest antioxidant activity. The dried leaves of S. polyanthum were fractionated using the different combination of non-polar to polar solvent, those are n-hexane, acetone, water. Fourteen fractions were collected and analyzed for their DPPH antioxidant activity. The chemical profile of selected fractions was characterized using UHPLC-HRMS to identify compounds that might associate with the antioxidant activity of S. polyanthum. The results showed that at the dose of 500 μg/ml, four fractions showed the highest antioxidant activity with the following order: F9 (acetone:water=80:20), F10 (acetone:water=60:40), F1 (hexane 100%) andF3 (hexane:aceton=80:20). UHPLC-HRMSanalysis successfully identified several compounds in F9 and F10. Gallic acid, pyrogallol, and myricetin were identified in F9. Aconitic acid was identified in F10. All of the identified compounds were previously reported to have antioxidant activity