Nanoparticles synergy: Enhancing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cadmium tolerance with iron oxide and selenium.

Nanotechnology is capturing great interest worldwide due to their stirring applications in various fields and also individual application of iron oxide nanoparticle (FeO - NPs) and selenium nanoparticles (Se - NPs) have been studied in many literatures. However, the combined application of FeO and Se - NPs is a novel approach and studied in only few studies. For this purpose, a pot experiment was conducted to examine various growth and biochemical parameters in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under the toxic concentration of cadmium (Cd) i.e., 50 mg kg-1 which were primed with combined application of two levels of FeO and Se - NPs i.e., 15 and 30 mg L-1 respectively. The results showed that the Cd toxicity in the soil showed a significantly (P < 0.05) declined in the growth, gas exchange attributes, sugars, AsA-GSH cycle, cellular fractionation, proline metabolism in T. aestivum. However, Cd toxicity significantly (P < 0.05) increased oxidative stress biomarkers, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants including their gene expression in T. aestivum. Although, the application of FeO and Se - NPs showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase in the plant growth and biomass, gas exchange characteristics, enzymatic and non-enzymatic compounds and their gene expression and also decreased the oxidative stress, and Cd uptake. In addition, individual or combined application of FeO and Se - NPs enhanced the cellular fractionation and decreases the proline metabolism and AsA - GSH cycle in T. aestivum. These results open new insights for sustainable agriculture practices and hold immense promise in addressing the pressing challenges of heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils.

Potentiating Biosynthesis of Alkaloids and Polyphenolic Substances in Catharanthus roseus Plant Using ĸ-Carrageenan.

Catharanthus roseus is a medicinal plant that produces indole alkaloids, which are utilized in anticancer therapy. Vinblastine and vincristine, two commercially important antineoplastic alkaloids, are mostly found in the leaves of Catharanthus roseus. ĸ-carrageenan has been proven as plant growth promoting substance for a number of medicinal and agricultural plants. Considering the importance of ĸ-carrageenan as a promoter of plant growth and phytochemical constituents, especially alkaloids production in Catharanthus roseus, an experiment was carried out to explore the effect of ĸ-carrageenan on the plant growth, phytochemicals content, pigments content, and production of antitumor alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus after planting. Foliar application of ĸ-carrageenan (at 0, 400, 600 and 800 ppm) significantly improved the performance of Catharanthus roseus. Phytochemical analysis involved determining the amount of total phenolics (TP), flavonoids (F), free amino acids (FAA), alkaloids (TAC) and pigments contents by spectrophotometer, minerals by ICP, amino acids, phenolic compounds and alkaloids (Vincamine, Catharanthine, Vincracine (Vincristine), and vinblastine) analysis uses HPLC. The results indicated that all examined ĸ-carrageenan treatments led to a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in growth parameters compared to the untreated plants. Phytochemical examination indicates that the spray of ĸ-carrageenan at 800 mg L-1 increased the yield of alkaloids (Vincamine, Catharanthine and Vincracine (Vincristine)) by 41.85 µg/g DW, total phenolic compounds by 3948.6 µg gallic/g FW, the content of flavonoids 951.3 µg quercetin /g FW and carotenoids content 32.97 mg/g FW as compared to the control. An amount of 400 ppm ĸ-carrageenan treatment gave the best contents of FAA, Chl a, Chl b and anthocyanin. The element content of K, Ca, Cu, Zn and Se increased by treatments. Amino acids constituents and phenolics compounds contents were altered by ĸ-carrageenan.

Potential bioactivity of Phoenix dactylifera fruits, leaves, and seeds against prostate and pancreatic cancer cells.

The use of functional foods' phytochemicals in the chemoprevention of different cancer diseases has become one of the hot scientific areas in the clinical nutrition field. For instance, the Khalas palm cultivar (KPC; Phoenix dactylifera) is one of the natural sustainable resources that have high bioactivity and functionality. This study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative activity and mode of action of KPC's different parts on prostate (Pc3) and pancreatic (panc1) cancer cells at a molecular level. In the methods, KPC's leaves, seeds, and fruits' chemical composition and phytochemical analysis were analyzed. Also, the cytotoxic effects of each extract were assessed against pc3 and panc1 cell lines. Besides, induction of apoptosis, cell cycle analysis, and gene expression of both Cap3 and Cap9 were studied. The obtained results indicated that KPC leaves extract exhibited the highest significant (P < 0.01) anti-proliferation activity against the utilized cancer cell lines compared to fruits and seeds extracts. Also, there were significant (P < 0.05) differences in the phenolic contents, flavonoid of compounds, and antioxidant power of the leaves when compared to the seeds and fruits. Additionally, the highest cytotoxic effect (lowest IC50) was recorded with leave extract than seeds and fruits. Meanwhile, the seeds extract induced (P < 0.05) the apoptosis and arrested cells in the G2/M phase as well as up-regulated the gene expression of the apoptotic-related genes (Casp3 and Casp9) compared to the control group. In conclusion, this study showed that the presence of bioactive components in the KPC different parts extracts have the significant ability to induce the apoptotic pathway that could down-regulate the proliferation of prostate (pc3) and pancreatic (panc1) cancer cells. The pathway mechanism of action was induced by the phytol molecule presented in its leaves extract.

Exogenous Paclobutrazol Reinforces the Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of Lavender (Lavandula officinalis L.) Oil through Modulating Its Composition of Oxygenated Terpenes.

Plant growth regulators can affect the primary and secondary metabolites of various plant species. However, the effect of paclobutrazol (PBZ) on the composition of lavender oil, especially related to the terpenoid pathway, is still unclear in literatures. In this study, the effect of PBZ as a foliar spray (0.200, 400 and 600 ppm) on the vegetative growth, phytochemical content, and both antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of lavender oil were investigated. The results indicated that all examined PBZ treatments led to a significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in growth parameters compared to the untreated plants. Meanwhile, the yield of essential oil was significantly decreased by the treatment of PBZ at 200 ppm compared to the control. In contrast, applied-PBZ significantly enhanced the chlorophyll content and displayed a marked change in the composition of the essential oil. This change included an obvious and significant increase in 3-carene, eucalyptol, γ-terpinene, α-pinocarvone, caryophyllene, ß-vetivenene, ß-santalol, ledol, geranyl isovalerate, farnesol, caryophyllene oxide, and phytol percentage. Generally, the highest significant values were achieved by the treatment of 400 ppm compared to the other treatments. Furthermore, this treatment showed the highest free radical scavenging activity against DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) by 13% over the control. Additionally, to determine the antimicrobial activities of the extracted oil, each treatment was examined against two strains of Gram positive bacteria (S. aureus and B. cereus), two strains of Gram negative bacteria (S. enteritidis and E. coli), and two fungal species (C. albicans and A. niger) represent the yeast modal and filamentous fungus, respectively. The findings demonstrated that all examined species were more sensitive to the oil that was extracted from lavender plants, treated with 400 ppm PBZ, compared to the other concentrations.

Developmental Stages-Specific Response of Anise Plants to Laser-Induced Growth, Nutrients Accumulation, and Essential Oil Metabolism.

Compared to seeds and mature tissues, sprouts are well known for their higher nutritive and biological values. Fruits of Pimpinella anisum (anise) are extensively consumed as food additives; however, the sprouting-induced changes in their nutritious metabolites are hardly studied. Herein, we investigated the bioactive metabolites, phytochemicals, and antioxidant properties of fruits, sprouts (9-day-old), and mature tissue (5-week-old) of anise under laser irradiation treatment (He-Ne laser, 632 nm). Laser treatment increased biomass accumulation of both anise sprouts and mature plants. Bioactive primary (e.g., proteins and sugars) and secondary metabolites (e.g., phenolic compounds), as well as mineral levels, were significantly enhanced by sprouting and/or laser light treatment. Meanwhile, laser light has improved the levels of essential oils and their related precursors (e.g., phenylalanine), as well as enzyme activities [e.g., O-methyltransferase and 3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (DAHPS)] in mature tissues. Moreover, laser light induced higher levels of antioxidant and anti-lipidemic activities in sprouts as compared to fruits and mature tissues. Particularly at the sprouting stage, anise was more responsive to laser light treatment than mature plants.