Plant Milking Technology-An Innovative and Sustainable Process to Produce Highly Active Extracts from Plant Roots.

We have used an original technology (Plant Milking Technology) based on aeroponic cultivation of plants associated with the gentle recovery of active ingredients from roots. Extraction of bioactive molecules was achieved by soaking the roots, still attached to the living plants, into a nontoxic solvent for a 2 h period. This nondestructive recovery process allows using the same root biomass for successive harvesting dates, in a recyclable way. We have applied this technology to Morus alba L. (mulberry tree), an emblematic tree of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Trees were aeroponically grown in large-scale devices (100 m2) and were submitted to nitrogen deprivation to increase the content in active molecules (prenylated flavonoids). The Plant Milking technology applied to Morus alba L. allowed to produce an extract enriched in prenylated compounds (18-fold increase when compared to commercial root extract). Prenylated flavonoids (moracenin A and B, kuwanon C, wittiorumin F, morusin) presented a high affinity for the aged-associated collagenase enzyme, which was confirmed by activity inhibition. In accordance, M. alba extract presents efficient properties to regulate the skin matrisome, which is critical during skin aging. The benefits have been especially confirmed in vivo on wrinkle reduction, in a clinical study that involved aged women. Plant Milking technology is an optimal solution to produce active ingredients from plant roots, including trees, that meet both customer expectations around sustainability, as well as the need for an efficient production system for biotechnologists.

Beet western yellows virus infects the carnivorous plant Nepenthes mirabilis.

Although poleroviruses are known to infect a broad range of higher plants, carnivorous plants have not yet been reported as hosts. Here, we describe the first polerovirus naturally infecting the pitcher plant Nepenthes mirabilis. The virus was identified through bioinformatic analysis of NGS transcriptome data. The complete viral genome sequence was assembled from overlapping PCR fragments and shown to share 91.1 % nucleotide sequence identity with the US isolate of beet western yellows virus (BWYV). Further analysis of other N. mirabilis plants revealed the presence of additional BWYV isolates differing by several insertion/deletion mutations in ORF5.

A pilot study of antioxidant potential of endophytic fungi from some Sudanese medicinal plants.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity of ethyl acetate extracts of 21 endophytic fungi isolated from five Sudanese medicinal plants: Calotropis procera, Catharanthus roseus, Euphorbia prostrate, Vernonia amygdalina and Trigonella foenum-graecum. METHODS: Crude extracts of endophytic fungi and their host plants were tested by classical Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method to determine the total phenolic content, also total antioxidant capacity was estimated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging in vitro method. RESULTS: Among the endophytes, endophytic fungus Aspergillus sp. from Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds demonstrated the highest both total phenolic content in term of gallic acid equivalent [(89.9 ± 7.1) mg GAE/g] and antioxidant activity for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay [IC50: (18.0 ± 0.1) µg/mL]. A high positive linear correlation (R(2) = 0.999 1) was found between total antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of endophytic fungi isolated from Vernonia amygdalina. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that some endophytic fungi from the five Sudanese medicinal plants could be a potential source of novel natural antioxidant compounds.