Phytocoenology and Population Structure of Species of the Genus Malva L. in the Ganja-Gazakh Region (Azerbaijan)

The article presents the results of a study of the mallow genus — Malva L. characteristic of the meadow vegetation of the Ganja-Gazakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. From 11 species of the genus Malva L. distributed on the territory of Azerbaijan, 4 species (Malva sylvestris L., Malva nicaeensis All., Fl. Pedem, Malva pusilla Sm., Malva parviflora L.) are found in the Ganja-Gazakh region. The species M. parviflora was first identified by us in this territory. The species M. parviflora and M. sylvestris are not widely distributed in this territory. The structure of populations of M. pusilla and M. nicaeensis species was studied. 7 populations in which M. pusilla and M. nicaeensis species are distributed were phytocoenological evaluated. 3 cenopopulations in which the species M. nicaeensis is common were evaluated in different years. All groups of plant ontogenesis are found in the studied populations. It was found that in different years in the populations of these two species of the genus mallow, recovery is weak, and aging is intense. During the analysis of the population structure, reproduction indices — Ib and aging — Iq were determined, which are important population indicators. The integral characteristic of the demographic structure of M. pusilla and M. nicaeensis species is determined, the populations are estimated, the composition, age (height) and the degree of effectiveness of their ontogenesis are studied. The dynamics of changing ontogenesis in the cenopopulations of M. pusilla and M. nicaeensis species in various environmental conditions, depending on the positive or negative influence of its factors on the structure of ontogenesis, is revealed.

Malva parviflora Leaves Mucilage: An Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Biopolymer with Antioxidant Properties

Malva parviflora L. is an edible and medicinal herb containing mucilaginous cells in its leaves. Mucilage obtained from M. parviflora leaves (MLM) was extracted in distilled water (1:10 w/v) at 70 °C followed by precipitation with alcohol. Preliminary phytochemical tests were performed to assess the purity of the extracted mucilage. Results showed that the yield of mucilage was 7.50%, and it was free from starch, alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, steroids, lipids and heavy metals. MLM had 16.19% carbohydrates, 13.55% proteins and 4.76% amino acids, which indicate its high nutritional value. Physicochemical investigations showed that MLM is neutral and water-soluble, having 5.84% moisture content, 15.60% ash content, 12.33 swelling index, 2.57 g/g water-holding capacity and 2.03 g/g oil-binding capacity. The functional properties, including emulsion capacity, emulsion stability, foaming capacity and stability increased with increased concentrations. Micromeritic properties, such as bulk density, tapped density, Carr’s index, Hausner ratio, and angle of repose, were found to be 0.69 g/cm3, 0.84 g/cm3, 17.86%, 1.22 and 28.5, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that MLM is an amorphous powder possessing particles of varying size and shape; meanwhile, rheological studies revealed the pseudoplastic behavior of MLM. The thermal transition process of MLM revealed by a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermogram, occurring at a reasonable enthalpy change (∆H), reflects its good thermal stability. The presence of functional groups characteristic of polysaccharides was ascertained by the infrared (IR) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses. GC revealed the presence of five neutral monosaccharides; namely, galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, glucose and mannose, showing 51.09, 10.24, 8.90, 1.80 and 0.90 mg/g of MLM, respectively. Meanwhile, galacturonic acid is the only detected acidic monosaccharide, forming 15.06 mg/g of MLM. It showed noticeable antioxidant activity against the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical with an IC50 value of 154.27 µg/mL. It also prevented oxidative damage to DNA caused by the Fenton reagent, as visualized in gel documentation system. The sun protection factor was found to be 10.93 ± 0.15 at 400 µg/mL. Thus, MLM can be used in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry and as a therapeutic agent due to its unique properties.

De sotocultivos para el sistema MIAF al diálogo de saberes en una comunidad mazahua: una travesía transdisciplinaria

Introducción: el objetivo del artículo es enfatizar la importancia de tender puentes transdisciplinarios para contribuir en el avance del conocimiento y fomentar la autocrítica en los trabajos de investigación. Por tal motivo, se evalúo desde el enfoque cuantitativo seis especies vegetales anuales como sotocultivos, que pueden acompañar al maíz y frijol de guía en el sistema Milpa Intercalada con Árboles Frutales (MIAF) adaptado en un sistema milpa mazahua en la región noroeste del Estado de México y por otra, desde el enfoque cualitativo, se propone el marco teórico de la Investigación Acción Participativa (IAP) para analizar las limitaciones y alcances de la implementación del experimento con la finalidad de enriquecer iniciativas futuras y conformar equipos transdisciplinarios. Método: en la evaluación de seis sotocultivos, en una primera etapa se consideró el efecto del Arreglo Topológico (AT) en el rendimiento y algunos de sus componentes para determinar que Sotocultivos (ST) anuales pueden intercalarse con el maíz y frijol de guía asociados y su impacto en la Eficiencia Relativa de la Tierra (ERT). Los sotocultivos fueron: haba (Vicia faba L.), tomate de cáscara (Physalis philadelphica Lam.), verdolaga (Portulaca oleracea L.), malva (Malva parviflora L), papa juilona (Solanum demissum Lindl.) y nabo (Brassica napus L.). Se estableció el diseño experimental de parcelas dividas y los rendimientos relativos se evaluaron de acuerdo a los ST que propiciaron cosecha en los sistemas de asociación maíz-frijol de guía con tomate de cáscara, maíz-frijol de guía con nabo y maíz-frijol de guía con haba. En la segunda parte, se analiza la experiencia de la implementación del experimento desde el marco teórico de la Investigación Acción Participativa(IAP) partiendo de los conceptos Diálogo de Saberes (DDS) y Saberes Contemporáneos (SC). Resultados: La ERT total de tomate de cáscara con maíz-frijol de guía fue de 1.1 en el arreglo 1x1 y de 0.9 en el arreglo 2x2. En el nabo con maíz-frijol de guía asociados, la ERT total fue 1.4 en el arreglo 1x1 y de 1.4 para el arreglo 2x2. En el haba con maíz-frijol de guía asociados, la ERT total fue 1.2 en el arreglo 1x1 y 0.9 en el arreglo 2x2. Se identificaron las limitaciones del impacto de la investigación al omitir considerar cuestiones cualitativas como el estudio etnográfico de la región de estudio, los saberes contemporáneos de la familia campesina que permitió el experimento y de las familias circundantes para tener un panorama amplio de la región, el diálogo de saberes, el uso de metodologías participativas para determinar los sotocultivos pertinentes al contexto sociocultural y ambiental e involucrar de manera más activa y en una relación horizontal a la familia campesina como colaboradores de la investigación.

Effect of boiling on nutritional, antioxidant and physicochemical properties of edible plants (Malva parviflora and Myrtillocactus geometrizans)

The aim of the present research was to determine the effect of boiling on nutritional composition, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, physicochemical and morphological characteristics of two edible plants Malva parviflora (mallow leaf) and Myrtillocactus geometrizans (garambullo flower). The plants had an important nutritional composition as carbohydrates (48-70 %), dietary fiber (36-42 %) and protein (13 %), as well as total phenolic compounds (468-750 mg GAE/100 g db) with a high antioxidant capacity. However, boiling originated the decrease of soluble compounds, carbohydrates, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and physicochemical properties. Plants changed to dark colors and physicochemical properties were affected, except to water retention capacity, oil retention capacity and viscosity, which had the same values in mallow leaves (raw and boiled), but increased water retention capacity in garambullo flowers, it may be by changes in the morphology observed. Therefore, is to suggest the raw consumption or with minimal cooking of these plants to avoid changes caused by thermal treatment.

Phenolic Content and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Malva sylvestris L., Malva oxyloba Boiss., Malva parviflora L., and Malva aegyptia L. Leaves Extract

Background. The plants brought by Arabs were of real therapeutic values. Ibn Al-Baitar, an Islamic scholar (pharmacist, botanist, and physician), in his encyclopedia wrote the detailed characterization of more than one thousand herbs describing their medicinal value, methods of preparation, and their route of administration. Objectives. The current investigation points towards the quantitative characterization of the phenolic contents among the four edible Malva plants species (Malva sylvestris L., Malva oxyloba Boiss., Malva parviflora L., and Malva aegyptia L.) and also towards assessing their antibacterial activity against one Gram-positive isolate (Staphylococcus aureus) and four Gram-negative strains Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella sonnei, and Proteus vulgaris. It also aimed to evaluate the free radical scavenging activity of hexane, methanolic, aqueous, and acetone extracts of four Malva species. Methods. By utilizing the Folin–Ciocalteu procedure and gallic acid as a reference molecule, the phenolic contents were estimated. In addition, the broth microdilution method was used to evaluate four plants’ 16 extracts, and the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method was utilized to assess the abovementioned extracts against oxidative stress. Results. The results showed that the methanolic extract of M. oxyloba has the highest contents of phenols (191.54 ± 2.84 mg of GAE/g) and has the best antioxidant capacity with an IC50 value of 1.94 ± 1.84 µg/ml, which is very close to Trolox. Regarding the ferrous ion chelating activity of the extract, the methanolic extract of M. sylvestris exhibits appreciable activity with IC50 values of 52.7 ± 1.8 µg/ml. In addition, the plant extract and acetone extract of M. sylvestris showed a strong antibacterial activity with an MIC value of 0.0078 mg/ml. Conclusion. The methanolic extract of M. oxyloba has a pharmacological potential as a valuable natural product that can be utilized as a main ingredient in the design and development of new therapeutic formulations. It exerts multiple inhibitory properties against oxidative stress and bacterial growth. As such, it is emerging as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases and many types of human infectious diseases.