In vitro and in silico evaluation of bioactivities and chemical composition of the aerial parts of Anchusa officinalis L. methanol extract.

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities of Anchusa officinalis L. in vitro and in silico. The dried aerial parts of A. officinalis L. were extracted with methanol. Total phenolic and flavonoid content was analyzed. Antioxidant and antimicrobial effects were tested against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed the presence of 10 phytochemical compounds, and cyclobutane (26.07%) was identified as the major photochemical compound. The methanol extract exhibited the maximum amount of total phenolic content (118.24 ± 4.42 mg QE/g dry weight of the dry extract) (R2 = 0.994) and the total flavonoid content was 94 ± 2.34 mg QE/g dry weight of the dry extract (R2 = 0.999). The IC50 value for 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid was 107.12 ± 3.42 µg/mL, and it was high for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (123.94 ± 2.31 µg/mL). The IC50 value was 72.49 ± 3.14 against HepG2 cell lines, and a decreased value was obtained (102.54 ± 4.17 g/mL) against MCF-7 cell lines. The methanol extract increased the expression of caspase mRNA and Bax mRNA levels when compared to the control experiment (p < .05). The conclusions, A. officinalis L. aerial parts extract exhibited antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activities.

Computational Analysis of Albaflavenone Interaction with SlMAPK1 for Drought Resistance in Tomato.

As global agricultural challenges intensify, particularly drought stress, the exploration of innovative strategies for crop resilience has become crucial. This study focuses on the role of the microbial endophyte metabolite Albaflavenone in enhancing drought resistance in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) through the activation of the SlMAPK1 protein in the MAPK pathway. To computationally analyze the interaction between Albaflavenone and SlMAPK1 and to elucidate the potential enhancement of drought tolerance in tomato plants through this interaction. We utilized molecular docking, homology modeling, and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the binding affinities and interaction dynamics between SlMAPK1 and Albaflavenone. Functional network analysis was employed to examine protein-protein interactions within the MAPK pathway, while the MM-GBSA method was used to calculate binding free energies. Our computational analyses revealed that Albaflavenone exhibited a high binding affinity to SlMAPK1 with a binding energy of - 8.9 kcal/mol. Molecular dynamics simulations showed this interaction significantly stabilized SlMAPK1, suggesting enhanced activity. Specifically, the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of the Albaflavenone-SlMAPK1 complex stabilized at around 3.1 Å, while the root mean square fluctuations (RMSF) indicated consistent amino acid conformations. Additionally, the radius of gyration (Rg) analysis demonstrated minimal variance, suggesting a compact and stable protein-ligand complex. The significant binding affinity between Albaflavenone and SlMAPK1 highlights the potential of leveraging plant-microbe interactions in developing sustainable agricultural practices. These findings also demonstrate the effectiveness of computational methods in dissecting complex biological interactions, contributing to a deeper understanding of plant resilience strategies against environmental stresses.

Molecular characterization of plant growth-promoting Trichoderma from Saudi Arabia.

Fungi in the genus Trichoderma are widespread in the environment, mainly in soils. They are used in agriculture because of their mycoparasitic potential; Trichoderma have the ability to increase plant health and provide protection against phytopathogens, making them desirable plant symbionts. We isolated, identified, and characterized Trichoderma from different regions of Saudi Arabia and evaluated the ability of Trichoderma to promote plant growth. Morphological and molecular characterization, along with phylogenetic studies, were utilized to differentiate between Trichoderma species isolated from soil samples in the Abha and Riyadh regions, Saudi Arabia. Then, plant growth-promoting traits of the isolated Trichoderma species were assessed. Eight Trichoderma isolates were characterized via morphological and molecular analysis; six (Trichoderma koningiopsis, Trichoderma lixii, Trichoderma koningii, Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma brevicompactum, and Trichoderma velutinum) were from Abha and two (T. lixii and T. harzianum) were from Riyadh. The isolated Trichoderma strains belonged to three different clades (Clade 1: Harzianum, Clade 2: Brevicompactum, and Clade 3: Viride). The Trichoderma isolates varied in plant growth-promoting traits. Seeds treated with most isolates exhibited a high percentage of germination, except seeds treated with the T3-T. koningii isolate. 100% germination was reported for seeds treated with the T4-T. harzianum and T6-T. brevicompactum isolates, while seeds treated with the T1-T. koniniopsis and T5-T. lixii isolates showed 91.1% and 90.9% germination, respectively. Seeds treated with the T8-T. velutinum, T2-T. lixii, and T7-T. harzianum isolates had germination rates of 84.1%, 82.2%, and 72.7%, respectively. The Trichoderma isolate T5-T. lixii stimulated tomato plant growth the most, followed by T7-T. harzianum, T8-T. velutinum, T4-T. harzianum, T1-T. koniniopsis, T2-T. lixii, and T6-T. brevicompactum; the least effective was T3-T. koningii. A maximum fresh weight of 669.33 mg was observed for the T5-T. lixii-treated plants. The Abha region had a higher diversity of Trichoderma species than the Riyadh region, and most isolated Trichoderma spp. promoted tomato growth.

Endophytic fungus Serendipita indica accelerates ascorbate-glutathione cycle of white clover in response to water stress.

Ascorbate-glutathione cycle is an important pathway for plants to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) under environmental stress conditions. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the endophytic fungus Serendipita indica on biomass, chlorophyll concent, ROS levels, antioxidant enzyme activities, and ascorbate-glutathione cycle in white clover under ample water and water stress conditions. The results showed that 46 days of soil water stress distinctly promoted root colonization by S. indica. Under water stress, S. indica inoculation significantly promoted shoot and root biomass, total chlorophyll content, and activities of superoxide dismutases (SOD; e.g., Fe-SOD and Cu/Zn-SOD) and peroxidase in roots, coupled with a decrease in malondialdehyde content in roots. In the ascorbate-glutathione cycle of roots, S. indica also significantly increased the activity of ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities in water-stressed white clover, along with the increase in reduced ascorbic acid and reduced/oxidized glutathione contents, thus accelerating the ascorbate-glutathione cycle in inoculated plants to scavenge more ROS (e.g., hydrogen peroxide). As a result, S. indica enhanced the tolerance of white clover in response to water stress by enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and accelerating the ascorbate-glutathione cycle.

Symbiotic Fungi Alter the Acquisition of Phosphorus in Camellia oleifera through Regulating Root Architecture, Plant Phosphate Transporter Gene Expressions and Soil Phosphatase Activities.

Plant roots can be colonized by many symbiotic fungi, whereas it is unclear whether and how symbiotic fungi including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and endophytic fungi promote phosphorus (P) uptake in Camellia oleifera plants. The objective of the present study was to analyze the effect of inoculation with a culturable endophytic fungus (Piriformospora indica), three arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Funneliformis mosseae, Diversispora versiformis, and Rhizophagus intraradices), and mixture of F. mosseae, D. versiformis and R. intraradices on plant growth, root architecture, soil Olsen-P, soil phosphatase activities, leaf and root P concentrations, and phosphate transporter gene expressions, in order to explore the potential and mechanism of these symbiotic fungi on P acquisition. All the symbiotic fungi colonized roots of C. oleifera after 16 weeks, with P. indica showing the best effect on fungal colonization. All the symbiotic fungi significantly increased acid, neutral, and total phosphatase activities in the soil, accompanied with an elevation of soil Olsen-P, of which P. indica presented the best effect. All symbiotic fungal treatments, except D. versiformis, significantly promoted plant growth, coupled with an increase in root total length, area, and volume. Symbiotic fungi almost up-regulated root CoPHO1-3 expressions as well as leaf CoPHO1-1, CoPHO1-3, and CoPHT1;4 expressions. Correlation analysis showed that P concentrations in leaves and roots were significantly positively correlated with root morphological variables (length, volume, and surface area) and soil acid, neutral and total phosphatase activities. It is concluded that symbiotic fungi, especially P. indica, played an important role in P uptake of C. oleifera plants through regulating root architecture, part plant phosphate transporter gene expressions and soil phosphatase activities.

Seed Priming with Brassinosteroids Alleviates Chromium Stress in Rice Cultivars via Improving ROS Metabolism and Antioxidant Defense Response at Biochemical and Molecular Levels.

This research was performed to explore the vital role of seed priming with a 0.01 µM concentration of brassinosteroids (EBL) to alleviate the adverse effects of Cr (100 µM) in two different rice cultivars. Seed priming with EBL significantly enhanced the germination attributes (germination percentage, germination energy, germination index, and vigor index, etc.), photosynthetic rate as well as plant growth (shoot and root length including the fresh and dry weight) under Cr toxicity as compared to the plants primed with water. Cr toxicity induced antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, CAT, and APX) and ROS level (MDA and H2O2 contents) in both rice cultivars; however, a larger increment was observed in YLY-689 (tolerant) than CY-927 (sensitive) cultivar. EBL application stimulatingly increased antioxidant enzyme activities to scavenge ROS production under Cr stress. The gene expression of SOD and POD in EBL-primed rice plants followed a similar increasing trend as observed in the case of enzymatic activities of SOD and POD compared to water-primed rice plants. Simultaneously, Cr uptake was observed to be significantly higher in the water-primed control compared to plants primed with EBL. Moreover, Cr uptake was significant in YLY-689 compared to CY-927. In ultra-structure studies, it was observed that EBL priming relieved the rice plants from sub-cellular damage. Conclusively, our research indicated that seed priming with EBL could be adopted as a promising strategy to enhance rice growth by copping the venomous effect of Cr.

Herbal Teas and Drinks: Folk Medicine of the Manoor Valley, Lesser Himalaya, Pakistan.

In spite of the remarkable achievements in the healthcare sector over recent decades, inequities in accessibility and affordability of these facilities coexist throughout Pakistan. Thus, we aimed to explore and document the cultural knowledge of herbal teas used medicinally by the local community members of Manoor Valley, Pakistan. Field investigations were undertaken during the summer season of 2015-2017, and cultural practices of medicinal plant usage for treating various ailments were gathered through interviews of the local inhabitants. Ethnomedicinal insights of the medicinal plants used in herbal teas were gained with different indexes. Our results revealed 27 plant species, comprising of herbs (70%), shrubs (26%), and trees (4%), which were used for treating 21 diseases. Plants belonged to 18 families: Asteraceae and Lamiaceae were the leading families used for treating diseases. Diarrhea and gas troubles were the most frequent diseases. Based on indexes values, Cannabis sativa was the dominant species used. The results revealed that 57% of medicinal uses are new to literature. This ethnomedicinal study is providing the first insights into the traditional medication system of Lesser Himalaya, Pakistan, through ethnomedicinal teas.