The Effect of Dietary Dry Distilled Rose Petals or Dihydroquercetin Supplementation on the Oxidative Stability and Quality of Lamb Muscles and Fat

The study's objective was to determine the changes in oxidative stability of m. Longissimus dorsi, m. Semimembranosus and perirenal adipose tissue from lambs fed a diet supplemented by 7.5 mg dihydroquercetin/kg life wight/d or 545 mg dry distilled rose petals (DDRP)/kg life wight/d.The experiments were performed with 30 male lambs aged 65 days. They were divided into three groups of 10 animals fed 50 days ad libitum: the control group (with ground alfalfa + granulated compound feed) and two experimental ones (with the same diet + phytonutrients). Samples stored 7 days at 0-4°C were examined. After 7 d of storage in both muscles, the addition of 545 mg DDRP/kg life wight/d contributed to the reduction of α-aminoacidic nitrogen with approximately 0.5 mg Leu/g and the FFA with 0.5-2%. The addition of 7.5 mg dihydroquercetin contributed to the reduction of TBARS with 0.14-0.21 mg MDA/kg, the total color difference, and a slight increase in the share of the MUFA more pronounced in m. Longissimus dorsi. The reduction of aerobic plate count and total yeasts and molds count were determined too. Further studies with higher doses of phytonutrient’s supplementation are needed to determine if it will provoke a more pronounced oxidative stability.

Regulation of rose petal dehydration tolerance and senescence by RhNAP transcription factor via the modulation of cytokinin catabolism

Petals and leaves share common evolutionary origins but have different phenotypic characteristics, such as the absence of stomata in the petals of most angiosperm species. Plant NAC transcription factor, NAP, is involved in ABA responses and regulates senescence-associated genes, and especially those that affect stomatal movement. However, the regulatory mechanisms and significance of NAP action in senescing astomatous petals is unclear. A major limiting factor is failure of flower opening and accelerated senescence. Our goal is to understand the finely regulatory mechanism of dehydration tolerance and aging in rose flowers. We functionally characterized RhNAP, an AtNAP-like transcription factor gene that is induced by dehydration and aging in astomatous rose petals. Cytokinins (CKs) are known to delay petal senescence and we found that a cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase gene 6 (RhCKX6) shares similar expression patterns with RhNAP. Silencing of RhNAP or RhCKX6 expression in rose petals by virus induced gene silencing markedly reduced petal dehydration tolerance and delayed petal senescence. Endogenous CK levels in RhNAP- or RhCKX6-silenced petals were significantly higher than those of the control. Moreover, RhCKX6 expression was reduced in RhNAP-silenced petals. This suggests that the expression of RhCKX6 is regulated by RhNAP. Yeast one-hybrid experiments and electrophoresis mobility shift assays showed that RhNAP binds to the RhCKX6 promoter in heterologous in vivo system and in vitro, respectively. Furthermore, the expression of putative signal transduction and downstream genes of ABA-signaling pathways were also reduced due to the repression of PP2C homolog genes by RhNAP in rose petals. Taken together, our study indicates that the RhNAP/RhCKX6 interaction represents a regulatory step enhancing dehydration tolerance in young rose petals and accelerating senescence in mature petals in a stomata-independent manner.

The effects of saffron petals and damask rose petals on biochemical and inflammatory measurements

Objectives Diabetes is a chronic disease caused by high blood sugar greatly affected by diet. The chemical medicines applied to treat diabetes usually have side effects. This study aimed to investigate the effect of saffron petals, damask rose petals, and saffron-damask rose petal herbal teas on weight loss, fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, and the inflammatory factors of diabetic rats. Methods In this study, 40 male Sprague Dawley rats with an average age of four weeks received a high-calorie, high-fat, high-sugar diet for nine weeks. The rats were then randomly assigned to five groups, including normal, control, saffron petal, damask rose petal, and saffron plus damask rose petal groups. For nine weeks, 3 mL of the herbal tea was administered to the intervention groups daily through oral gavage. The levels of FBS, lipid profile, Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C), and glucose tolerance test (GTT) were measured following the intervention. Results Saffron petals reduced weight gain, Triglyceride (TG), and HbA1c and increased hs-CRP and IGF-1 (all p < 0.05). The damask rose petal reduced weight gain, FBS, hs-CRP, and HbA1c and increased the IGF-1 (all p < 0.05). Saffron plus damask-rose petals reduced the weight gain, TG, hs-CRP and HbA1c, and increase IGF-1 factor (all p < 0.05) compared to the control group. No significant effect was found on visceral fat, LDL-C, and HDL-C. Compared with the normal group, saffron petals and damask rose petals increased the FBS, HDL, and LDL levels. Damask rose and the combination of saffron petals and damask rose decreased IGF-1 compared with the normal group (all p < 0.05). Conclusions Saffron and damask rose petals could have beneficial effects on improving the status of biochemical markers. The simultaneous use of saffron and damask rose may counteract the adverse effects of saffron on inflammatory indices.

Spatial and temporal thresholds in installation art: Jan van der Merwe’s Eclipse

The notion of thresholds and their potential to suggest liminality is usually associated with spatialities. However, I contend this notion can be extended to layered temporal thresholds and temporal liminalities. I present this argument, using postclassical narratological concepts as theoretical framework, with reference to the South African artist Jan van der Merwe’s installation artwork Eclipse (2002). In this work, various spatial thresholds can be distinguished that relate to issues of conflict, mourning, exclusion, surveillance and the suggestion of death. This is achieved by means of a no man’s land experienced when entering the artwork, where the viewer-participant finds him or herself compelled to follow a footpath surrounded by barbed wire on which clothes made of rusted metal are suspended. This journey culminates in a wall that presents three screens showing rose petals being dropped, as if into a grave. Various possible places suggest themselves: refugee camps, concentration camps, war zones and a cemetery. I argue that these spatialities are made possible by temporal thresholds that accompany them. Apart from the patina of the rusted material that suggest the passing of time, the moving flower petals in the screens repeat constantly to create not only liminal temporalities in terms of the artwork at large, but also an iterative sense of the ongoing culmination of these temporalities in death. Opsomming Die idee van drempels en hul potensiaal om die liminale te suggereer word tipies met ruimtelikhede geassosieer. Desnieteenstaande voer ek aan dat hierdie gedagte verbreed kan word na gelaagde tydmatige drempels en tydmatige liminaliteite. Ek bied hierdie argument vanuit die kader van postklassieke narratologie as teoretiese raamwerk en met verwysing na die Suid-Afrikaanse kunstenaar Jan van der Merwe se installasiekunswerk Eclipse (2002). In hierdie werk kan ʼn aantal tydmatige drumpels onderskei word wat telkens kwessies van konflik, bewening, uitsluiting, dophou en die suggestie van dood aan die hand doen. Dit word bewerkstelling deur die ervaring van ʼn niemandsland wanneer die kunswerk betree word, omdat die aanskouer-deelnemer noodgedwonge ʼn voetpaadjie moet volg wat deur doringdraad omhul is en waarop klere wat uit geroeste metaal gesuspendeer is. Hierdie reis kulmineer in ʼn muur waarop drie skerms gemonteer het wat roosblare toon, asof in ʼn graf. Daar word gesinspeel op verskeie moontlike plekke: vlugtelingkampe, konsentrasiekampe, oorloggebiede en ʼn begraafplaas. Ek voer aan dat hierdie ruimtelikhede moontlik gemaak word deur tydmatige drumpels wat hand aan hand met die ruimtes gesuggereer word. Benewens die patina van die geroeste materiaal wat verband hou met die verloop van tyd, stel die herhalende beweging van die blomblare in die skerms ook liminale tydsfere aan die orde binne die kunswerk as geheel, en dryf ook – op iteratiewe wyse – hierdie tydsfere op die spits om ʼn suggestie van die dood aan die hand te doen.

Regulation of Botrytis cinerea Infection and Gene Expression in Cut Roses by Using Nano Silver and Salicylic Acid

Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) is one of the necrotrophic pathogens resulting in the heaviest commercial losses in cut rose flowers, and the severity of gray mold disease partly depends on the presence of ethylene during the storage and transport. The effectiveness of nano silver (NS) and salicylic acid (SA) was assessed as a novel control agent in protecting the cut rose flowers against B. cinerea infection and ethylene damages. The efficacy of NS and SA was compared with an inoculated control (CON). A non-treated control (NT) was also used to evaluate the natural infection process. The results indicated that pretreatment with 20 mg L−1 NS significantly reduced B. cinerea growth in rose petals during vase periods. NS effectively suppressed the mRNA levels of ethylene biosynthesis genes (RhACS2, RhACS4, and RhACO1) and the reduction in expression levels of ethylene receptor genes (RhETR1, RhETR2, and RhETR5) and the downstream regulator RhCTR2 in rose petals after B. cinerea inoculation. NS application also decreased the expression of the B. cinerea snod-prot-like 1 (Bcspl1) gene which acts as the virulence factor in cut roses. In NS flowers, the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) value was higher and the leaf temperature was lower on day 1, suggesting that these factors can be used for detecting B. cinerea infection and water stress in cut rose flowers. Furthermore, NS improved water relations and extended the vase life of cut rose flowers by 3.3 d, compared with that of NT flowers. In contrast, SA had no inhibitive effects on both B. cinerea growth and ethylene response in cut roses. The findings from the present study highlight NS as a promising new candidate for preventing B. cinerea infection and ethylene damages and for improving the postharvest quality of cut roses exported overseas.

Evaluation of Essential Oils and Extracts of Rose Geranium and Rose Petals as Natural Preservatives in Terms of Toxicity, Antimicrobial, and Antiviral Activity

Essential oils (EOs) and extracts of rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) and petals of rose (Rosa damascena) have been fully characterized in terms of composition, safety, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties. They were analyzed against Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, and Adenovirus 35. Their toxicity and life span were also determined. EO of P. graveolens (5%) did not retain any antibacterial activity (whereas at 100% it was greatly effective against E. coli), had antifungal activity against A. niger, and significant antiviral activity. Rose geranium extract (dilutions 25−90%) (v/v) had antifungal and antibacterial activity, especially against E. coli, and dose-dependent antiviral activity. Rose petals EO (5%) retains low inhibitory activity against S. aureus and S. Typhimurium growth (about 20−30%), antifungal activity, and antiviral activity for medium to low virus concentrations. Rose petals extract had significant antibacterial activity at dilutions of 25−90%, especially against E. coli and S. Typhimurium, antifungal, and the most potent antiviral activity. None of the EOs and extracts were toxic in dilutions of up to 5% and 90%, respectively. Finally, all materials had a life span of more than eight weeks. These results support the aspect that rose petals and rose geranium EOs, and extracts, have beneficial antimicrobial and antiviral properties and they can be used as natural preservatives.