Invasion at the Edge: The Case of Rosa rugosa (Rosaceae) in Italy

The Japanese Rose (Rosa rugosa) is a perennial shrub belonging to the family Rosaceae. It was introduced in Europe from East Asia as an ornamental plant in the XIX century and is now considered an invasive species, especially in northern Europe, colonising the Atlantic and Baltic coastal dune habitats and threatening local biodiversity. However, little is known about its presence and invasion patterns in the Mediterranean area. In Italy, R. rugosa has been classified as naturalised and just a few observations have been recorded in dune habitats in the North Adriatic coast. Here, we review the published data on R. rugosa in Europe and present preliminary data on the invasive pattern of R. rugosa on the Italian North Adriatic coast. We surveyed the coastline in two locations (i.e., Brussa and Bibione, Italy) where we characterised the dimension and structure (i.e., number of ramets and stem height) of the R. rugosa populations and listed the associated floristic composition. No occurrence of R. rugosa was recorded in Bibione, probably due to the success of the restoration project carried out on that site. In contrast, several stands of R. rugosa were found in Brussa, where many other alien species were also found (accounting for 15.28% of the sampled species). Given the strong invasiveness of R. rugosa, it is important to keep data on its distribution up-to-date and investigate its ecology and physiology to promote appropriate management strategies to control its spread and anticipate its future potential distribution.

Transcriptomics of different tissues of blueberry and diversity analysis of rhizosphere fungi under cadmium stress

Blueberry (Vaccinium ssp.) is a perennial shrub belonging to the family Ericaceae, which is highly tolerant of acid soils and heavy metal pollution. In the present study, blueberry was subjected to cadmium (Cd) stress in simulated pot culture. The transcriptomics and rhizosphere fungal diversity of blueberry were analyzed, and the iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) content of blueberry tissues, soil and DGT was determined. A correlation analysis was also performed. A total of 84 374 annotated genes were identified in the root, stem, leaf and fruit tissue of blueberry, of which 3370 were DEGs, and in stem tissue, of which 2521 were DEGs. The annotation data showed that these DEGs were mainly concentrated in a series of metabolic pathways related to signal transduction, defense and the plant–pathogen response. Blueberry transferred excess Cd from the root to the stem for storage, and the highest levels of Cd were found in stem tissue, consistent with the results of transcriptome analysis, while the lowest Cd concentration occurred in the fruit, Cd also inhibited the absorption of other metal elements by blueberry. A series of genes related to Cd regulation were screened by analyzing the correlation between heavy metal content and transcriptome results. The roots of blueberry rely on mycorrhiza to absorb nutrients from the soil. The presence of Cd has a significant effect on the microbial community composition of the blueberry rhizosphere. The fungal family Coniochaetaceae, which is extremely extremelytolerant, has gradually become the dominant population. The results of this study increase our understanding of the plant regulation mechanism for heavy metals, and suggest potential methods of soil remediation using blueberry.

Comparison between growth performance in two silvopastoral systems comprising trees, short-lived perennial shrub, a forage, and livestock)

We aim to determine the growth performance of two 20-year-old silvopastoral systems comprising two timber trees, a palm tree), a short-lived perennial shrub, a forage and livestock; and to investigate fibre features and certain physical and mechanical properties of two timber trees (Myracrodruon urundeuva and Peltophorum dubium) in two plantation systems. The first system is called MP with two timber trees and the second one is called MPS with two timbers and a palm tree. The studied systems showed that it was possible to successfully combine fast-growing species, animals, forage and woody tree species, with a production cycle of more than 50 years of different goods and services (e.g., ornamentals, palm hearts, landscaping, fruits, seeds, bee pasture, meat, and wood). The height, diameter and volume for M. urundeuva trees in the MP system were greater than in the MPS system, whereas no difference between the systems was observed for P. dubium. By comparison, the growth and volume in P. dubium were greater than in M. urundeuva. For wood properties, it was shown that both systems can be used successfully, but the MPS system performed better than the MP system, in the aim of wood production of high mechanical strength and calorific value. In addition, the MPS intercropping system can yield more goods and services than the MP system, both systems bring returns with short-term (bean seed, forage, pasture), medium-term (forage, palm products, pasture, wood), and long-term (wood) financial returns.

Cytotoxicity of Essential Oil Cordia verbenaceae against Leishmania brasiliensis and Trypanosoma cruzi

The species Cordia verbenacea DC (Boraginaceae), known as the whaling herb and camaradinha, is a perennial shrub species native to the Atlantic Forest. Its leaves are used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiulcerogenic and curative agent, in the form of teas or infusions for internal or topical use. The present study aimed to verify the cytotoxicity of the essential oil and the leishmanicidal and trypanocidal potential of C. verbenacea. The essential oil was characterized by GC-MS. The in vitro biological activity was determined by anti-Leishmania and anti-Trypanosoma assays. The cytotoxixity was determined using mammalian fibroblasts. The C. verbenacea species presented α-pinene (45.71%), β-caryophyllene (18.77%), tricyclo[2,2,1-(2.6)]heptane (12.56%) as their main compounds. The essential oil exhibited strong cytotoxicity at concentrations below 250 μg/mL (LC50 138.1 μg/mL) in mammalian fibroblasts. The potent anti-trypanosome and anti-promastigote activities occurred from the concentration of 62.5 μg/mL and was considered clinically relevant. The results also demonstrate that at low concentrations (<62.5 μg/mL), the essential oil of C. verbenacea managed to be lethal for these activities. This can be considered an indication of the power used in daily human consumption. Therefore, it can be concluded that the essential oil of C. verbenacea contains a compound with remarkable antiparasitic activities and requires further research.

Plant of the Millennium, Caper (Capparis spinosa L.), chemical composition and medicinal uses

Background Caper (Capparis spinosa L.) is a common member of the genus Capparis, which is a perennial shrub and thorny, and a common aromatic plant in many parts of the world, especially the Mediterranean regions. Main body The aim of this mini-review was to outline the most significant health benefits of caper in both traditional and modern pharmaceutical medicine. Scientific databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Research Gate, and Google Scholar with emphasis on Science Direct and Scopus have been used. A review of literature was carried out using the keywords caper, Capparis spinosa, health benefits, pharmaceutical benefits, natural products, and caper bush. During the writing of the review, the time period in which the papers were published had not been selected since the focus was on significant researched selected for the areas covered in this mini-review. The main components of its aerial parts are cappariloside A, stachydrin, hypoxanthine, uracil, capparine A, capparine B, flazin, guanosine, 1H-indole-3-carboxaldehyde, 4-hydroxy-1H-indole-3-carboxaldehyde, kaempferol, thevetiaflavone, tetrahydroquinoline, rutin, kaempferol-3-glucoside, kaempferol-3-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-rhamnorutinoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, ginkgetin, isoginkgetin, sakuranetin and glucocapparin in aerial parts. The main components of root are capparispine, cadabicine 26-O-β-D-glucoside, capparispine 26-O-β-D-glucoside, and stachydrine, seeds contain glucocapparin. Traditional application of caper is for treatment of headache, fever, convulsions, diabetes, toothache, menstruation, skin disease, kidney disease, liver disease, rheumatism, ulcers, hemorrhoids and sciatica. Fruit and leaves have anti-diabetic effects, fruits have anti-obesity, cholesterol-lowering and anti-hypertensive effects, roots, fruits, stem barks and shoots have antimicrobial effects, leaves, roots and fruits contain anti-inflammatory activity, and aerial parts have antihepatotoxic effects. Conclusion On the basis of phytochemical advantages and pharmacological benefits, caper shows its importance as one of the most notable medicinal plant for prevention and treatment of various diseases, however, more researches are need on the usage of caper, especially in modern pharmaceutical science.

Euphorbia characias: Phytochemistry and Biological Activities

The aim of this review is to summarize all the compounds identified and characterized from Euphorbia characias, along with the biological activities reported for this plant. Euphorbia is one of the greatest genera in the spurge family of Euphorbiaceae and includes different kinds of plants characterized by the presence of milky latex. Among them, the species Euphorbia characias L. is an evergreen perennial shrub widely distributed in Mediterranean countries. E. characias latex and extracts from different parts of the plant have been extensively studied, leading to the identification of several chemical components such as terpenoids, sterol hydrocarbons, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, cerebrosides and phenolic and carboxylic acids. The biological properties range between antioxidant activities, antimicrobial, antiviral and pesticidal activities, wound-healing properties, anti-aging and hypoglycemic properties and inhibitory activities toward target enzymes related to different diseases, such as cholinesterases and xanthine oxidase. The information available in this review allows us to consider the plant E. characias as a potential source of compounds for biomedical research.

Chemical constituents and their alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of Solanum procumbens

Solanum procumbens called ``Cà gai leo'' in Vietnam, belonged to the family of Solanaceae, which is a prickly diffuse, bright green perennial shrub, woody at the base. This plant has been sought for plenty of Vietnamese folk remedies for diseases such as rheumatism, back pain, detoxification, cough, pain relief, hemostasis, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Chemical reports revealed the presence of lots of secondary metabolites such as steroids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds that have good biological activities such as antibacterial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial... By column chromatography method together with thin layer normal-phase chromatography on the ethyl acetate extract of its entire plant, we isolated four compounds including dioscin (1), b -sitosterol (2), daucosterol (3) and 6'-O-acetyl-b -daucosterol (4). The result of theira-glucosidase inhibitory activity showed that compounds 2 and 4 had strong inhibition with IC50 values of 35.2 and 209.5 mM, comparing to the positive control, acarbose with an IC50 value of 214.5 mM. The results of this study have contributed to the scientific data of chemical compositions of Vietnamese medicinal plants, among them S. procumbens would potentially be developed as a plant-based drug to decrease the blood glucose level.

Rubus niveus (Mysore raspberry).

R. niveus is a highly invasive perennial shrub native to India, China and Southeast Asia. It was introduced around the world through the horticultural trade for its production of sweet tasting fruit and as an ornamental due to the striking red-purple colour of its stems. Nevertheless, cultivated crops were abandoned due to the formation of dense, spiny thickets and many R. niveus plants escaped from cultivation aided by the distribution of seed by birds. Outside of cultivation, R. niveus can outcompete native vegetation, decrease biodiversity and threaten rare endemic species. The success of many Rubus species is linked to the rapid growth of the roots and their ability to reproduce vegetatively. R. niveus has been described as the most invasive weed species on the Galápagos archipelago and declared a noxious weed in the state of Hawaii, USA (Starr et al., 2003).

Cytisus scoparius (scotch broom).

C. scoparius is a perennial shrub that has been widely commercialized as an ornamental in temperate and subtropical regions of the world. It is a prolific seeder that escaped from cultivation and has become an invasive species and a serious weed in temperate areas of the United States, Canada, Hawaii, Chile and Argentina, the eastern halves of both islands of New Zealand, Australia (including Tasmania), India, Iran, Japan and South Africa (Holm et al., 1979; Parsons and Cuthbertson, 1992; Hosking et al., 1998; Peterson and Prasad, 1998; Isaacson, 2000). C. scoparius is an aggressive fast-growing invader with the capability to grow forming dense impenetrable monospecific stands that degrade native grasslands, forests, rangelands, and agricultural lands; prevent the regeneration of natural forests and prairies; and create fire hazards (Syrett et al., 1999; USDA-NRCS, 2016). Because of its association with nitrogen fixing bacteria, it is very competitive in areas with poor soils and can alter the nutrient cycling of invaded areas (Peterson and Prasad, 1998).