Geranium intoxication induces detoxification enzymes in the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman.

Popillia japonica is a generalist herbivore that feeds on >300 host plant species in at least 72 plant families. It is unknown why P. japonica, despite possessing active detoxification enzymes in its gut, is paralyzed when feeding on the petals of one of its preferred host plant, Pelargonium×hortorum, or on artificial diet containing quisqualic acid (QA), the active compound in zonal geranium. We hypothesized that Pelargonium×hortorum or QA do not induce activity of the cytochrome P450, glutathione S transferase (GST), and carboxylesterase (CoE) detoxification enzymes in P. japonica. In this study, P. japonica were fed petals of zonal geranium or agar plugs containing QA, or rose petals, another preferred but non-toxic host. Midgut enzyme activities of P450, GST, and CoE were then assayed after 6, 12, or 24h of feeding. In most cases, P450, GST, and CoE activities were significantly induced in P. japonica midguts by geranium petals and QA, though the induction was slower than with rose petals. Induced enzyme activity reached a peak at 24h after consumption, which coincides with the period of highest recovery from geranium and QA paralysis. This study shows that toxic geranium and QA induce detoxification enzyme activity, but the induced enzymes do not effectively protect P. japonica from paralysis by QA. Further investigation is required through in vitro studies to know if the enzymes induced by geranium are capable of metabolizing QA. This study highlights a rare physiological mismatch between the detoxification tool kit of a generalist and its preferred host.

Report: Cytotoxic activities of Rosa brunonii, Calligonum polygonoides, Pegnum harmala and Sueda fruticosa extract using brine shrimp.

The present study was carried out to record and evaluate the effect of Rosa brunonii, Calligonum polygonoides, Sueda fruticosa and Pegnum harmala L., extracts on brine shrimp collected during March-June 2013 from different regions of District Bannu. These four plants were medicinal xerophytes and widely distributed throughout Pakistan. Rosa brunonii is commonly used as a hedge plant for gardening. Calligonum polygonoides and Sueda fruticosa are locally used as a fuel, while Pegnum harmala (L.) is the most important multipurpose medicinal xeric plant, which is used for various purposes. All these selected medicinal xerophytes have inhibitory effect on bacterial growth. In this study the effect of different concentration (10-70 µ/ml) were tested on brine shrimp. The results showed that maximum cytotoxic activities were observed in Rosa brunonii (100.0±0.4), Calligonum polygonoides (100.0±0.2) and Pegnum harmala (L.) (90.0±5.2) while Sueda fruticosa (50.0±7.1) has less cytotoxic property. These activities are may be due to the presence of bioactive constituents.

In vivo anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity of the crude extract and fractions from Rosa canina L. fruits.

The aqueous and ethanol extracts of Rosa canina L. (Rosaceae) fruits and the fractions prepared from the latter were investigated for their anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities in several in vivo experimental models. The ethanolic extract was shown to possess significant inhibitory activity against inflammatory models (i.e., carrageenan-induced and PGE(1)-induced hind paw edema models, as well as on acetic acid-induced increase in a capillary permeability model) and on a pain model based on the inhibition of p-benzoquinone-induced writhing in mice. Hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, n-butanol and the remaining water fractions were obtained through bioassay-guided fractionation. Ethylacetate and n-butanol fractions displayed potent anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities at a dose of 919 mg/kg without inducing acute toxicity. Further attempts to isolate and define the active constituent(s) were inconclusive, possibly due to the synergistic interaction of components in the extract.