Gold nanoparticles formulated with Nigella aqueous extract having potent antioxidant ‎and ‎anti-human ovarian cancer activities in vitro condition

IntroductionRecently, various nanoparticles containing medicinal plants have been specifically designed to deliver anticancer drugs and nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA to cancer cells and as a result, they open up new avenues in cancer treatment strategies. In this study, gold nanoparticles were synthesized in aqueous medium using Nigella damascena extract as ‎stabilizing and reducing agents. ‎Material and methodsThe synthesized nanoparticles (AuNPs) were characterized using different techniques including UV-Vis. and ‎FT-IR spectroscopy, and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM images exhibited a uniform spherical ‎morphology in size of 21.64 nm for the biosynthesized nanoparticles. In the cellular and molecular part of the ‎recent study, the treated cells with AuNPs were assessed by MTT assay for 48h about the cytotoxicity and anti-‎human ovarian cancer ‎ properties on normal (HUVEC) and ovarian cancer cell lines i.e. PA-1, Caov-3, SW 626, ‎and SK-OV-3. ‎ResultsThe viability of malignant ovarian‎ cell line reduced dose-dependently in the presence of AuNPs. The IC50 of ‎AuNPs were 232‎, ‎204‎, ‎193‎, and ‎288 µg/mL against PA-1, Caov-3, SW 626, and SK-OV-3 cell lines, ‎respectively. In the antioxidant test, the IC50 of AuNPs and BHT against DPPH free radicals were 151 and 142 ‎‎µg/mL, respectively. ‎ConclusionsAfter clinical study, gold nanoparticles containing Nigella damascena leaf aqueous extract may be used to ‎formulate a new chemotherapeutic drug or supplement to treat the several types of human ovarian cancer.‎

Micro- and Macroscale Patterns of Petal Morphogenesis in Nigella damascena (Ranunculaceae) Revealed by Geometric Morphometrics and Cellular Analyses

Petals, the inner organs in a differentiated perianth, generally play an important role in pollinator attraction. As such they exhibit an extraordinary diversity of shapes, sizes, and colors. Being involved in pollinator attraction and reward, they are privileged targets of evolution. The corolla of the Ranunculaceae species Nigella damascena consists of elaborate nectariferous petals, made of a stalk, upper, and lower lips forming a nectar pouch, shiny pseudonectaries, and pilose ears. While the main events of petal development are properly described, a few is known about the pattern of organ size and shape covariation and the cellular dynamics during development. In this study, we investigated the relationships between morphogenesis and growth of N. damascena petals using geometric morphometrics coupled with the study of cell characteristics. First, we found that petal shape and size dynamics are allometric during development and that their covariation suggests that petal shape change dynamics are exponentially slower than growth. We then found that cell proliferation is the major driver of shape patterning during development, while petal size dynamics are mostly driven by cell expansion. Our analyses provide a quantitative basis to characterize the relationships between shape, size, and cell characteristics during the development of an elaborate floral structure. Such studies lay the ground for future evo-devo investigations of the large morphological diversity observed in nectariferous structures, in Ranunculaceae and beyond.

The effect of chemical mutagens on the characteristics of plants Nigella damascena L. variety Bereginya in M1 generation

We studied the effect of chemical mutagens EMS, NMU and a new mutagen DG-2 on the traits of Nigella damascena L. variety Bereginya in the generation M1. It was found that the treatment of love-in-a-mist seeds with these substances changed such characteristics as plant survival, plant height, and the number of seeds per plant. The greatest influence on these indicators was exerted by nitrosomethylurea. In our study, all chemical mutagens led to a decrease in plant survival and mainly caused plant oppression. In all treatments, a decrease in the total plant height was revealed in comparison with the control. In some cases the number of seeds per plant has decreased. The tested mutagens caused the appearance of morphoses in plants with a frequency of 3.87% to 0.48%, characterized by a change in color and shape of the leaves and the plant dwarfism. The appearance of plants with altered characteristics in the M1 generation assumes hereditary mutations of a different nature in the subsequent generations.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Putative Target Genes of APETALA3-3 During Early Floral Development in Nigella damascena L.

Even though petals are homoplastic structures, their identity consistently involves genes of the APETALA3 (AP3) lineage. However, the extent to which the networks downstream of AP3 are conserved in species with petals of different evolutionary origins is unknown. In Ranunculaceae, the specificity of the AP3-III lineage offers a great opportunity to identify the petal gene regulatory network in a comparative framework. Using a transcriptomic approach, we investigated putative target genes of the AP3-III ortholog NdAP3-3 in Nigella damascena at early developmental stages when petal identity is determined, and we compared our data with that from selected eudicot species. We generated a de novo reference transcriptome to carry out a differential gene expression analysis between the wild-type and mutant NdAP3-3 genotypes differing by the presence vs. absence of petals at early stages of floral development. Among the 1,620 genes that were significantly differentially expressed between the two genotypes, functional annotation suggested a large involvement of nuclear activities, including regulation of transcription, and enrichment in processes linked to cell proliferation. Comparing with Arabidopsis data, we found that highly conserved genes between the two species are enriched in homologs of direct targets of the AtAP3 protein. Integrating AP3-3 binding site data from another Ranunculaceae species, Aquilegia coerulea, allowed us to identify a set of 18 putative target genes that were conserved between the three species. Our results suggest that, despite the independent evolutionary origin of petals in core eudicots and Ranunculaceae, a small conserved set of genes determines petal identity and early development in these taxa.

Investigation on the effects of different concentrations of some fertilizers on yield, quality and essential and fixed oil composition of Nigella damascena

In this study, the effect of application of fertilizers with different ingredients in different doses in cultivation of Nigella damascena plant on morphological, yield and quality was investigated. According to the obtained results; plant height was 25.07-37.54 cm, and the number of branches per plant was on average 2.33-5.60, besides, it has been observed that root lengths vary between 4.33-8.62 cm. On the other hand, while the average amount of capsules per plant was between 3.53-7.10, the capsule width and length varied by 12.92-15.06 (mm) and 13.85-16.29 (mm), respectively. When evaluated in terms of seed yield, approximately 45.68-113.57 kg da-1 yield has been obtained also, seed weights in the capsule are 0.104-0.158 g, thousand grain weights 2.31-2.84 g and seed weights per plant ranged from 32 to 0.87 g/plant. While the fixed oil rate were seen between 34-36.48% in the application groups, the fixed oil yield was calculated as 15.53- 41.43 kg da-1 . As a result of GC-MS analysis, it was observed that the main compound of essential oils was between 19.47-61.13% β-elemene (sesquiterpen), followed by 6.91-34.53% damascenine (alkaloid). In addition, 17 fatty acids were observed in GC-FID analysis and it showed that fertilizer applications cause a variable effect on saturated and unsaturated fatty acid compositions.

Effective callus induction and plant regeneration in callus and protoplast cultures of Nigella damascena L.

In this study we report the development of effective in vitro systems for a medicinal plant Nigella damascena L. comprising: (1) callus induction, (2) somatic embryogenesis in callus cultures with subsequent plant regeneration, and (3) isolation and regeneration of callus-derived protoplasts. Callus development was achieved on 83–100% of hypocotyl and cotyledon explants, whereby Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 3 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine and 0.5 mg L−1α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA; BN medium) was more advantageous than MS with kinetin and NAA (KN medium). Histological observations of calli revealed the presence of embryogenic zones from which somatic embryos developed on the hormone-free medium. Plant regeneration was observed on 76–95% of calli. A high capacity to form somatic embryos and regeneration was maintained in long-lasting cultures, i.e. even in 2 year old callus.The obtained callus was also a good source tissue for protoplast isolation. By applying a mixture of cellulase and pectolyase, the acceptable yield of viable protoplasts was achieved, especially from hypocotyl-derived callus maintained on BN medium. Protoplasts embedded in an alginate matrix and cultured in modified Kao and Michayluk media re-constructed their cell wall and re-entered mitotic divisions. About 30% of small cell aggregates formed microcalli, which, after the release from alginate, proliferated continuously on KN and BN media, irrespective of the tissue variant used as the protoplast source. Somatic embryo formation and plant regeneration were successful on hormone-free media. An effective plant regeneration system of N. damascena protoplast cultures has been developed and is being reported for the first time.

Comparative performance assessment seedling method for the introduction of Nigella damascena L. in the Middle Urals

Introduction allows not only to expand the range of medicinal plants, but also to reduce the severity of the problem of their import substitution. In 2019, a study was conducted at the “Uralets” agricultural farm, on the collection spot of the Ural state agrarian University, to assess the effectiveness of the seedling method for the introduction of Nigella damascena. The purpose of the research: to study the formation of productivity of Nigella damascena in the Middle Urals. The research objectives were to study the most important aspects of the growth and development of Nigella damascena: phenological phases and their onset dates; dynamics of height and average daily growth, productivity. Method of research. During the experiment all observations and records were made according to generally accepted methods. The scheme of the experiment includes 3 options that differ in the timing of sowing seeds of Nigella damascena for seedlings: I – seeding on March 20th (control); II – seeding on March 30th; III – seeding on April 10th. Results. During the first two to three weeks, after planting seedlings in the open ground, the growth of plants was minimal, its value varied in variants from 0.14 (III variant) to 0.31 (I variant) mm per day. The earliest transition of plants to the generative stage of development was noted in I variant, where the budding phase occurred 9 days earlier than in 2 and 22 days earlier than in III variant. The period of mass flowering lasted until mid-August, single flowering – until the end of September. The largest seeds (weight of 100 seeds – 0.31–0.36 g) were obtained in I var. – 66.48 g/m2, significantly lower than in III variant – 11.16 g/m2. The maximum seed productivity is formed in I variant – 100.57 g/m2, the minimum in III variant – 38.93 g/m2. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the effectiveness of the seedling method of cultivation of Nigella damascena – a valuable medicinal plant in the Middle Urals has been studied. The optimal variant allowing to obtain high seed productivity is established.