Bioactivities and phenolic composition of Limonium boitardii Maire and L. cercinense Brullo & Erben (Plumbaginaceae): two Tunisian strict endemic plants.

Limonium genus is traditionally used in North Africa for disease treatment and in cosmetic. This study investigates for the first time the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and enzyme inhibitory activities of two Tunisian endemic plants, L. boitardii and L. cercinense. Analysis of phenolic compounds was carried out by using RP-HPLC. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity (antiradical, reducing and total antioxidant activities), tyrosinase and α-glucosidase, collagenase inhibition activities were determined. Inhibiting of NO release in LPS-stimulated macrophages was assessed. L. cercinense exhibited strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In the tyrosinase and α-glucosidase inhibitor activity tests, the two species were highly active, especially L. cercinense. High total phenolic and flavonoid contents were recorded in L. cercinense and myricitrin, myricetin, myricetin 3-O-ß-D-galatopyranoside, luteolin 7-O-glucoside and rutin were the main phenolics in both species. The results obtained render L. boitardii and L. cercinense as valuable new natural sources for cosmetic and pharmacological applications.

Evaluation of anthropic activities impact through the monitoring of aquatic fauna on Oued Lârbaa in Taza City of Morocco.

The accelerated development of industrial activities in Taza City implies the appearance of new sources of pollution that directly affect the quality of surface water. This is reflected in the structure and biodiversity of the city's Oueds, particularly Oued Lârbaa, which receives the majority of the pollution load produced. Therefore, the study of the benthic fauna can be an effective tool to characterize the state of the waters of Oued Lârbaa. The objective of our study is to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities on Oued Lârbaa, through the monitoring of physicochemical parameters (hydrogen potential (pH), salinity, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), and oxidation-reduction potential) and biological biodiversity represented by benthic macroinvertebrates at 10 stations, during two periods of the year: a wet period (December 2018) and a dry period (June 2019). The spatial variations of recorded physicochemical parameters, as well as the effect of anthropogenic activities, control the diversity of macroinvertebrates at Oued Lârbaa. In relation to these data, the first stations of our study (S1-S2-S3) are moderately polluted, characterized by an important biodiversity, which includes sensitive species (Crustacea, Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera), and other resistant species (Diptera). The stations S4-S5-S6-S7-S8-S9 and S10 are characterized by a low biodiversity represented mainly by macroinvertebrates that colonize waters of critical quality (Diptera). The statistical study by principal component analysis consisting of a projection of the biological (benthic macroinvertebrates) and physicochemical variables obtained from each of the two study periods on a two-dimensional factorial plane shows the existing correlations between these variables.

DNA Barcoding, GIS-Facilitated Seed Germination and Pilot Cultivation of Teucrium luteum subsp. gabesianum (Lamiaceae), a Tunisian Local Endemic with Potential Medicinal and Ornamental Value.

In the context of plant conservation and sustainable use of unique neglected and underutilized phytogenetic resources, this study focused on the Tunisian local endemic Teucrium luteum subsp. gabesianum (Lamiaceae). Using Geographical Information Systems and online databases, detailed taxon-specific ecological profiling was produced for the first time, which illustrated the temperature and climate conditions in its wild habitats and facilitated the investigation of how temperature affects its seed germination, thus making its cultivation in anthropogenic environments possible. Following the seed propagation first reported herein (77.5−81.25% at temperatures between 15 and 25 °C), species-specific in situ and ex situ conservation efforts or sustainable exploitation strategies can be enabled. This study also reported for the first time how chemical and integrated nutrient management (INM) fertilizers affect the growth and pilot cultivation of its seedlings (INM more advantageous). The firstly-reported herein DNA barcoding may enable its traceability, allowing future product design. The multidisciplinary approach followed has paved the way to bridge important research gaps hindering conservation efforts and/or the sustainable exploitation of this local Tunisian endemic plant to date. Based on the aforementioned results, the feasibility and readiness timescale for its sustainable exploitation was overviewed and re-evaluated herein, upgrading (>two-fold) its potential value for the medicinal-cosmetic, agro-alimentary, and ornamental-horticultural sectors.

Agro-Alimentary Potential of the Neglected and Underutilized Local Endemic Plants of Crete (Greece), Rif-Mediterranean Coast of Morocco and Tunisia: Perspectives and Challenges.

The neglected and underutilized plants (NUPs) could become alternative food sources in the agro-alimentary sector, enriching human and animal diets, offering the opportunity for sustainable exploitation, resilience to climate change, and production with resistance to pests and diseases. In the Mediterranean countries, these valuable resources are threatened by climate change, overexploitation, and/or monoculture. In this framework, we evaluated 399 local endemic NUPs of Crete (Greece), the Mediterranean coast, Rif of Morocco, and Tunisia, regarding their agro-alimentary potential, and assessed their feasibility and readiness timescale for sustainable exploitation with own previously published methodology. The methodological scheme was developed by experts in co-creative workshops, using point-scoring of seven attributes to evaluate the potential of the targeted NUPs in the agro-alimentary. Our results showed a diversity of promising local endemic NUPs of different families in the studied regions (Lamiaceae members are prominent), and we outlined the cases of 13 taxa with the highest optimum scores of agro-alimentary potential (>70%). Despite the diversity or the promising potential and current ex-situ conservation efforts to bridge gaps, our study indicated that only a few cases of Cretan local endemic NUPs can be sustainably exploited in the short-term. However, it is argued that many more local endemic NUPs can easily follow sustainable exploitation schemes if specific research gaps are bridged. Since NUPs can help to increased diversification of food production systems by adding new nutritional/beneficial species to human and animal diets, basic and applied research, as well as market and stakeholder attraction, is suggested as prerequisite to unlock the full potential of the focal endemic NUPs in the agro-alimentary sector.

GIS-Facilitated Seed Germination and Multifaceted Evaluation of the Endangered Abies marocana Trab. (Pinaceae) Enabling Conservation and Sustainable Exploitation.

In the frame of the sustainable use of neglected and underutilized phytogenetic resources, and along with numerous studies in Abies spp. due to the innate conservation value of fir forests, this research focused on the Moroccan endemic fir, Abies marocana. The aim was triple-fold: to assess its potential and dynamics in economic sectors for sustainable exploitation; to determine the ecological conditions in which the species naturally thrives; and to find the appropriate requirements for its successful seed germination. We sourced multifaceted evaluations for three economic sectors performed in three levels, using 48 attributes and eight criteria from previous studies of our own, and the relevant species-specific assessments are overviewed herein in detail. The species' ecological profile was constructed using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and open access data (Worldclim). Seed germination trials were performed to examine the effect of cold stratification (non-stratified, one- and two-months stratified seeds), the influence of four temperatures (10 °C, 15 °C, 20 °C, and 25 °C), and interactions thereof in relation to germination percentage (GP) and mean germination time (MGT). The experiments showed that the interaction of cold stratification and germination temperature has a strong effect on the GP and MGT of A. marocana seeds. A detailed GIS-derived ecological profile of the focal species was created in terms of precipitation and temperature natural regimes, enabling the interpretation of the seed germination results. The multifaceted evaluations reveal an interesting potential of the Moroccan fir in different economic sectors, which is mainly compromised due to extant research gaps, unfavorable conditions, and low stakeholder attraction. The findings of this study fill in extant research gaps, contribute to in situ and ex situ conservation strategies, and can facilitate the sustainable exploitation of this emblematic local endemic plant of northern Morocco.

Medicinal-Cosmetic Potential of the Local Endemic Plants of Crete (Greece), Northern Morocco and Tunisia: Priorities for Conservation and Sustainable Exploitation of Neglected and Underutilized Phytogenetic Resources.

Medicinal-aromatic plants (MAPs) are important sources for the development of new valuable products of interest to human and animal health, and are also used as ornamentals for the horticulture industry. However, the increased global demand and the uncontrolled exploitation of these plants constitute a threat to their sustainability. To date, few scientific investigations have focused on MAPs valorization and their domestication. The purpose of this study was to evaluate for the first time the medicinal-cosmetic potential of 399 local endemic Mediterranean plants confined to Crete (223 taxa), the Mediterranean coast-Rif of Morocco (94), and Tunisia (82). The new methodological scheme was developed by experts through three multidisciplinary co-creative workshops and was adjusted by end-users to point-scoring of nine attributes evaluating the potential of the targeted neglected and underutilized plants (NUPs) in the medicinal-cosmetic sector. The results were demonstrated as percentage of the maximum possible score. These assessments were further linked and discussed with respect to feasibility and readiness timescale evaluations for sustainable exploitation of the focal NUPs. A great diversity of local endemic NUPs (30 taxa, 11 families) were associated with interesting medicinal-cosmetic properties (>35% up to 94.44%). Among them, 8 taxa showed the highest medicinal-cosmetic potential (>55% of maximum possible score), half of which are threatened with extinction. Although ex-situ conservation efforts and applied research work are needed to safeguard and unlock the full potential of the local endemic NUPs evaluated herein, the proposed multifaceted evaluation scheme revealed that some local endemic NUPs of the studied regions can be sustainably exploited in short- or medium-term, following successful examples of Cretan NUPs e.g., Origanum dictramnus. The sustainable exploitation of high scored taxa of the studied regions can be fastened through targeted species-specific research bridging extant research gaps and facilitating conservation and stakeholder attraction.