Microplastics affect soil-plant system: Implications for rhizosphere biology and fitness of sage (Salvia officinalis L.).

A mesocosm experiment was set-up to investigate the effects of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) fragments deriving from plastic film on soil ecology, rhizosphere and plant (Salvia officinalis L.) fitness. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 16S metagenomic analysis was adopted to evaluate taxonomic and functional shifts of both soil and rhizosphere under the influence of microplastics (MPs). Photosynthetic parameters and enzymes involved in oxidative stress were assessed to unveil the plant physiological state. MP fragments were analysed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and metagenomics to investigate the plastisphere. Microbial biomarkers of MPs pollution were identified in soil and rhizosphere, reinforcing the concept of molecular biomonitoring. Overall, Bacillus, Nocardioides and Streptomyces genera are bacterial biomarkers of MPs pollution in soil whereas Aspergillus, Fusarium and Trichoderma genera, and Nectriaceae family are fungal biomarkers of MPs polluted soil. The data show that the presence of MPs promotes the abundance of taxa involved in the soil N cycle, but simultaneously reduces the endophytic interaction capability and enhances pathogen related functions at the rhizosphere level. A significant decrease in chlorophyll levels and increase of oxidative stress enzymes was observed in plants grown in MPs-polluted soil. The SEM observations of MPs fragments revealed a complex colonisation, where bacteria (Bacillus in MPSo and Microvirga in MPRz) and fungi (Aspergillus in MPSo and Trichoderma in MPRz) represent the main colonisers. The results demonstrate that the presence of MPs causes changes in the soil and rhizosphere microbial community and functions leading to negative effects on plant fitness.

Chitosan Membranes Containing Plant Extracts: Preparation, Characterization and Antimicrobial Properties.

The main strategy of this study was to combine the traditional perspective of using medicinal extracts with polymeric scaffolds manufactured by an engineering approach to fabricate a potential dressing product with antimicrobial properties. Thus, chitosan-based membranes containing S. officinalis and H. perforatum extracts were developed and their suitability as novel dressing materials was investigated. The morphology of the chitosan-based films was assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the chemical structure characterization was performed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The addition of the plant extracts increased the sorption capacity of the studied fluids, mainly at the membrane with S. officinalis extract. The membranes with 4% chitosan embedded with both plant extracts maintained their integrity after being immersed for 14 days in incubation media, especially in PBS. The antibacterial activities were determined by the modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method for Gram-positive (S. aureus ATCC 25923, MRSA ATCC 43300) and Gram-negative (E. coli ATCC 25922, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853) microorganisms. The antibacterial property was enhanced by incorporating the plant extracts into chitosan films. The outcome of the study reveals that the obtained chitosan-based membranes are promising candidates to be used as a wound dressing due to their good physico-chemical and antimicrobial properties.

The Different Phytochemical Profiles of Salvia officinalis Dietary Supplements Labelled for Menopause Symptoms.

Phytochemical screening of four commercial products containing Salvia officinalis was carried out. Total phenolic content was estimated spectrophotometrically through the use of the Folin-Ciocalteau method, flavonoid content was measured through the use of aluminum chloride and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine colorimetric assays, and isoflavones and α/ß-thujones were analyzed through the use of high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) and the gas chromatographic method. The analyses revealed the absence of thujones and isoflavones (i.e., genistin, genistein, and daidzein) in all four different extracts. The content of polyphenolic compounds varied among the samples, with the extract T being richer in both polyphenols and flavonoids than the other products by 1.8-3.2 and 1.4-4.0 times, respectively (p-value < 0.05). These results highlight the importance of quality control in salvia-based products since a thujone-free extract rich in polyphenols and flavonoids could be a good candidate for further preclinical and clinical studies to identify an effective herbal approach suitable for the long-term therapy of menopausal symptoms.

Application of zeolite improves water and nitrogen use efficiency while increasing essential oil yield and quality of Salvia officinalis under water-deficit stress.

Soil moisture and nitrogen (N) are two of the most important factors affecting the production of medicinal plants. So, the management strategy of these factors is critical and to be identified. In order to study the application of zeolite (Z) (0 and 10 ton ha-1) in S. officinalis culture medium under different irrigation regimes (30 % depletion of available soil water (ASW)) and 60 % depletion of ASW) and N (0, 75 and 150 kg N ha-1) a split-factorial experiment was carried out with three replicates in 2018. The highest fresh and dry weight were achieved at irrigation after 30 % depletion of ASW while using 150 kg N ha-1 and 10 ton Z ha-1. Maximum water use efficiency (WUE) (22.10 g.L-1) was obtained after 60 % depletion of ASW and 150 kg N ha-1 and 10 ton Z ha-1. Besides, the maximum nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) was obtained after 60 % depletion of ASW and 75 kg N ha-1 and 10 ton Z ha-1 (14.25 kg.kg-1N). Maximum essential oil (EO) content (1.06%) and cis-Thujone were obtained from plants subjected to 60 % depletion of ASW and, application of 75 kg N ha-1 and 10 ton Z ha-1. Applying Z with N, in different irrigation regimes did improve soil conditions for achieving higher, WUE and NUE, increased the EO content and yield while decreasing the negative effects from water-deficit stress and has provided a direction towards a stable system.

Silicon and nitric oxide synergistically modulate the production of essential oil and rosmarinic acid in Salvia officinalis under Cu stress.

The individual impact of silicon (Si) and nitric oxide (NO) on secondary metabolism in several plant species has been reported, but their combined effect has never been evaluated yet. Therefore, in this study, single and combined impacts of NO and Si on the biosynthesis of rosmarinic acid (RA) and essential oil (EO) content in leaves of Salvia officinalis were investigated under both non-stress and Cu stress conditions. The results indicated that high Cu concentration decreased biomass and the content of polyphenols, but elevated electrolyte leakage, while lower Cu concentrations, especially 200 µM Cu, increased the content of polyphenols, EO, and antioxidant capacity in leaves of S. officinalis. The foliar application of sodium silicate (1 mM Si) and sodium nitroprusside (200 µM SNP as a NO donor) alone and particularly in combination improved shoot dry biomass, restored chlorophyll and carotenoids, increased EO content, the amounts of flavonoids, and phenolic compounds especially RA, and enhanced antioxidant capacity in the leaves of S. officinalis under both non-stress and Cu stress conditions. Copper treatment increased NO content, upregulated expression of PAL, TAT, and RAS genes, and enhanced phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity in the leaves, which were responsible for improving the production of phenolic compounds, particularly rosmarinic acid. Foliar spraying with Si and SNP intensified these attributes. All responses were more pronounced when NO and Si were simultaneously applied under Cu stress. These findings suggest that NO and Si synergistically modulate secondary metabolism through upregulation of related gene expression and enzyme activities under both non-stress and Cu stress conditions.

Phytochemical Analysis and Biological Activity of Three Stachys Species (Lamiaceae) from Romania.

Three species of Stachys genus (S. byzantina, S. officinalis, S. sylvatica) were investigated in the present study in terms of aromatic profile and total polyphenol content, as well as antibacterial activity and antioxidant capacity. Gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detection (GC/FID) was used for exploration of the herbal alcoholic extracts. Using statistical analysis, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and total phenolic chemical fingerprints were compared in order to describe differences and identify putative signature traits of the three Stachys species. The results showed that the analyzed Stachys extracts have a total polyphenol content being between 197 ± 0.27 mg GAE/g for S. sylvatica and 232 ± 43 mg GAE/g for S. officinalis. The antioxidant activity was between 444 ± 58 mM Trolox/g (S. sylvatica) and 602 ± 75 mM Trolox/g (S. officinalis). The volatile compounds identified were mostly sesquiterpenes, followed by monoterpenes and secondary compounds. The most abundant in all three species was germacrene D (21.9% 28-25.2%). The multivariate analysis demonstrated the potential of using plant tissue VOC profiles to discriminate between different Stachy species, with a total of 31 VOCs being identified from all three species. Although there were strong similarities among the three species' VOC profiles, distinctions can be made using chemometric analysis. The microbiological results showed an antimicrobial capacity of all three extracts, especially on Gram-positive bacteria. In addition to increasing consumers' understanding regarding the health benefits of these Stachy species, this investigation contributes to defining and preserving a precious genetic and cultural-historical biodiversity.

In silico targeting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and main protease by biochemical compounds.

Since there is no general agreement on drug treatment of SARS-CoV-2, the search for a new drug capable of treating COVID-19 is of utmost priority. This study aims to dereplicate the chemical compounds of the methanol extract of Salvia officinalis and Artemisia dracunculus, and assay the inhibitory effect of these compounds as well as the previously dereplicated components of Zingiber officinale against SARS-CoV-2 in an in-silico study. A molecular networking (MN) technique was applied to find the chemical constituents of the extracts. Docking analysis was also used to find the binding affinity of dereplicated components from S. officinalis, A. dracunculus, and Z. officinale to COV-2-SP and Mpro. 57 compounds were dereplicated from the MeOH extracts of S. officinalis and A. dracunculus which include the class of polyphenols, flavonoids, coumarins, phenylpropanoids, anthocyanins, and dihydrochalcones. Molecular docking analysis indicated a high affinity of about 27 compounds from three mentioned plants against studied targets. kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside, neodiosmin, and querciturone with docking score values of -10.575, -10.208, and - 9.904 Kcal/mol and ki values of 0.016606, 0.030921, and 0.051749, respectively were found to have the highest affinities against COV-2-SP. 2-phenylethyl beta-primeveroside, curcumin PE, and kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside also indicated the highest affinity against Mpro with docking scores of -10.34, -10.126 and - 9.705 and ki values of 0.024726, 0.035529, and 0.072494, respectively. MN can be successfully used for the dereplication of metabolites from plant extracts. In addition, the in-silico binding energies introduced several inhibitors from Z. officinale, S. officinalis, and A. dracunculus for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 disease. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11756-021-00881-z.

Chemical Constituents and Biologic Activities of Sage Species: A Comparison between Salvia officinalis L., S. glutinosa L. and S. transsylvanica (Schur ex Griseb. & Schenk) Schur.

Even though Salvia genus is one of the most known and studied taxa of Lamiaceae family, the knowledge regarding the chemical composition and health-related benefits of some locally used Salvia species (mostly endemic) is still scarce. In this regard, the present work aims to evaluate the chemical profile and potential bioactivities of 70% (v/v) ethanolic extracts obtained from the less-studied S. transsylvanica and S. glutinosa in comparison with S. officinalis. HPLC-PDA analysis revealed the presence of rutin and catechin as the main compounds in the extracts of the three studied species (using the employed HPLC method), whereas the presence of naringenin was highlighted only in S. glutinosa extract. Chlorogenic acid, rutin and quercetin were identified and quantified for the first time in S. transsylvanica extracts. The in vitro antioxidant capacity of each extract was tested through complementary methods (phosphomolybdenum assay, DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC and FRAP assays), and correlated with the presence of phenolics (especially flavonoids) in high amounts. The neuroprotective and antidiabetic abilities of S. officinalis (the most active as AChE, BChE and α-glucosidase inhibitor), S. glutinosa (the most active as α-amylase inhibitor) and S. transsylvanica were also studied. For each extract it was determined the antimicrobial, antifungal and cytotoxic effects using in vitro assays. The obtained results confirm the potential of S. transsylvanica and S. glutinosa as promising sources of bioactive compounds and as a starting point for further analyses.

Antioxidant activity and sensory evaluation of a rosmarinic acid-enriched extract of Salvia officinalis.

An extract of Salvia officinalis (garden sage) was prepared using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2 ) extraction, followed by hot water extraction. The resulting extract was enriched in polyphenols, including rosmarinic acid (RA), which has shown promising health benefits in animals. The extract contained RA at a concentration of 28.4 mg/g, representing a significant enrichment from the RA content in sage leaves. This extract was incorporated into oil-in-water emulsions as a source of lipid antioxidants and compared to emulsions containing pure rosmarinic acid. Both treatments were effective in suppressing lipid oxidation. The extract was evaluated by a trained sensory panel in a tea formulation. While the panel could discriminate among extract-treated and control samples, panelists demonstrated high acceptability of the sage extract in a tea.