Antifungal activity of copper oxide nanoparticles derived from Zizyphus spina leaf extract against Fusarium root rot disease in tomato plants.

Incorporating green chemistry concepts into nanotechnology is an important focus area in nanoscience. The demand for green metal oxide nanoparticle production has grown in recent years. The beneficial effects of using nanoparticles in agriculture have already been established. Here, we highlight some potential antifungal properties of Zizyphus spina leaf extract-derived copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-Zs-NPs), produced with a spherical shape and defined a 13-30 nm particle size. Three different dosages of CuO-Zs-NPs were utilized and showed promising antifungal efficacy in vitro and in vivo against the selected fungal strain of F. solani causes tomato root rot disease, which was molecularly identified with accession number (OP824846). In vivo  results indicated that, for all CuO-Zs-NPs concentrations, a significant reduction in Fusarium root rot disease occurred between 72.0 to 88.6% compared to 80.5% disease severity in the infected control. Although treatments with either the chemical fungicide (Kocide 2000) showed a better disease reduction and incidence with (18.33% and 6.67%) values, respectively, than CuO-Zs-NPs at conc. 50 mg/l, however CuO-Zs-NPs at 250 mg/l conc. showed the highest disease reduction (9.17 ± 2.89%) and lowest disease incidence (4.17 ± 3.80%). On the other hand, CuO-Zs-NPs at varied values elevated the beneficial effects of tomato seedling vigor at the initial stages and plant growth development compared to either treatment with the commercial fungicide or Trichoderma Biocide. Additionally, CuO-Zs-NPs treatments introduced beneficial results for tomato seedling development, with a significant increase in chlorophyll pigments and enzymatic activity for CuO-Zs-NPs treatments. Additionally, treatment with low concentrations of CuO-Zs-NPs led to a rise in the number of mature pollen grains compared to the immature ones.  however the data showed that CuO-Zs-NPs have a unique antifungal mechanism against F. solani, they  subsequently imply that CuO-Zs-NPs might be a useful environmentally friendly controlling agent for the Fusarium root rot disease that affects tomato plants.

Lepidium sativum Sprouts Grown under Elevated CO2 Hyperaccumulate Glucosinolates and Antioxidants and Exhibit Enhanced Biological and Reduced Antinutritional Properties.

The nutritional and health-promoting properties of plants are largely determined by their tissue chemistry. Tuning growth conditions could affect the accumulation of phytochemicals and, therefore, enhance the biological activities. Herein, the impact of elevated CO2 (eCO2; 620 µmol CO2 mol-1 air) on growth and chemical composition of sprouts of three Lepidium sativum cultivars (Haraz, Khider and Rajab) was investigated. Changes in the sprout actions against some human chronic diseases were evaluated. eCO2 induced biomass accumulation (1.46-, 1.47- and 2-fold in Haraz, Khider and Rajab, respectively) and pigment accumulation and reduced the level of antinutrients in L. sativum cultivars. Compared to the control, eCO2 induced total glucosinolate accumulation (0.40-, 0.90- and 1.29-fold in Khider, Haraz and Rajab, respectively), possibly through increased amino acid production, and their hydrolysis by myrosinase. In line with increased polyphenol production, improved phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity was observed. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolemic, antibacterial and anticancer activities of the produced sprouts were significantly improved by sprouting and eCO2 exposure. PCA indicated that the cultivars showed interspecific responses. Thus, the present study confirms the synergistic effect of sprouting with eCO2 exposure as a promising approach to produce more bioactive L. sativum sprouts.

Provenance effect on bioactive phytochemicals and nutritional and health benefits of the desert date Balanites aegyptiaca.

Balanites aegyptiaca L. is a multipurpose tree distributed in Africa and Middle East. Several parts of B. aegyptiaca have been suggested to have medicinal uses. So far the effect of ecological origin on the nutritional values and biological activities of B. aegyptiaca genotypes is rarely investigated. Further, metabolic profiling and assessment of the functional food value of B. aegyptiaca leaves are far from complete. In this study, biological activities and profiling of primary and secondary metabolites were investigated in the leaves of five B. aegyptiaca provenances collected from Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Interestingly, all provenances showed notable antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiprotozoal, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed significant variability in the concentrations of individual sugars, organic acids, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, phenolics, and minerals among the provenances and these variations were provenance dependent. Medina provenance showed the heights diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging and antifungal activities and was the most powerful against embryonic kidney adenocarcinoma and urinary bladder carcinoma cells. The highest inhibition against Escherichia coli and colon carcinoma cells was observed by Sudan and Cairo provenances. El-Kharga and Yemen provenances showed the greatest activity against Trypanosoma cruzi and hepatocellular and urinary bladder carcinoma. Therefore, leaves of B. aegyptiaca possess good nutritive and biological capacities and might have potential applications in the food and medical industries. However, the strength of such activities is significantly affected by the provenance. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: According to the national Research Council (NRC) of United States, Balanites aegyptiaca L. is recognized among the 24 priority lost crops of Africa. B. aegyptiaca leaves contain considerable amounts of primary metabolites (e.g., sugars, EAAs, USFAs) and secondary (e.g., phenolic acids and flavonoids) metabolites, vitamins, and macro and microelements. The obvious existence of these nutritionally and medicinally related compounds supports the functional food value of B. aegyptiaca leaves. Moreover, the present results revealed that B. aegyptiaca is not only a foliage dietary plant, but also could be considered as a valuable source for neutraceuticals, which support its pharmacological value. So far, this is the first report to explore, in detail, the functional food value of B. aegyptiaca leaves by presenting a clear image about its metabolic profiling and biological activities, and how the provenance factor could affect these values.

CO2 treatment improves the hypocholesterolemic and antioxidant properties of fenugreek seeds.

A high level of serum cholesterol is a major cause of atherosclerosis. Fenugreek is a well-known hypocholesterolaemic agent with amazing phytochemical composition. Due to its impact on plant metabolism, CO2 enrichment was tested as a strategy to support functional values in fenugreek seeds. Phytochemical composition and biological activities of three fenugreek cultivars (G2, G6 and G30) grown under ambient (aCO2, 400 µmol mol-1) and elevated CO2 (eCO2, 620 µmol mol-1) were assessed. Applying eCO2 improved physical parameters of fenugreek seeds, and enhanced their biological activities. A significant increase in hypocholesterolaemic potential, as indicated by inhibition of cholesterol micellar solubility and pancreatic lipase activity, was recorded. In addition, antioxidant, anti-lipid peroxidation and antibacterial activities were improved. These enhanced biological activities were accompanied by improved seed chemical composition at the primary and secondary metabolic levels. Therefore, eCO2 treatment represents an efficient strategy to increase the hypocholesterolaemic, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of fenugreek seeds.

Elevated CO2 induces a global metabolic change in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) and improves their biological activity.

Many studies have discussed the influence of elevated carbon dioxide (eCO2) on modeling and crop plants. However, much less effort has been dedicated to herbal plants. In this study, a robust monitoring for the levels of 94 primary and secondary metabolites and minerals in two medicinal herbs, basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and peppermint (Mentha piperita L.), grwon under both ambient (aCO2, 360 ppm) and eCO2 (620 ppm) was performed. We also assessed how the changes in herbal tissue chemistry affected their biological activity. Elevated CO2 significantly increased herbal biomass, improved the rates of photosynthesis and dark respiration, and altered the tissue chemistry. Principal Component Analysis of the full data set revealed that eCO2 induced a global change in the metabolomes of the two plants. Moreover, Hierarchical Clustering Analyses showed quantitative differences in the metabolic profiles of the two plants and in their responsiveness to eCO2. Out of 94 metabolites, 38 and 31 significantly increased in basil and peppermint, respectively, as affected by eCO2. Regardless of the plant species, the levels of non-structural carbohydrates, fumarate, glutamine, glutathione, ascorbate, phylloquinone (vitamin K1), anthocyanins and a majority of flavonoids and minerals were significantly improved by eCO2. However, some metabolites tended to show species specificity. Interestingly, eCO2 caused enhancement in antioxidant, antiprotozoal, anti-bacterial and anticancer (against urinary bladder carcinoma; T24P) activities in both plants, which was consequent with improvement in the levels of antioxidant metabolites such as glutathione, ascorbate and flavonoids. Therefore, this study suggests that the metabolic changes triggered by eCO2 in the target herbal plants improved their biological activities.

Growth, hydrolases and ultrastructure of Fusarium oxysporum as affected by phenolic rich extracts from several xerophytic plants.

Fusarium oxysporum, the causal agent of rot and wilt diseases, is one of the most detrimental phytopathogens for the productivity of many economic crops. The present study was conducted to evaluate the potentiality of some xerophytic plants as eco-friendly approach for management of F. oxysporum. Phenolic rich extracts from five plants namely: Horwoodia dicksoniae, Citrullus colocynthis, Gypsophila capillaris, Pulicaria incisa and Rhanterium epapposum were examined in vitro. The different extracts showed high variability in their phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as total antioxidant capacity. A strong positive correlation existed between the antifungal activity of the tested extracts and their contents of both total phenolics and flavonoids (r values are 0.91 and 0.82, respectively). Extract of P. incisa was the most effective in reducing the mycelial growth (IC50=0.92mg/ml) and inhibiting the activities of CMCase, pectinase, amylase and protease by 36, 42, 58 and 55%, respectively. The high performance liquid chromatography analysis of P. incisa extract revealed the presence of eight phenolic acids along with five polyphenolic compounds. The flavonol, quercetin and its glycosides rutin and quercetrin were the most abundant followed by the phenolic acids, t-cinnamic, caffeic, ferulic and vanillic. P. incisa extract not only affects the growth and hydrolases of F. oxysporum but also induces ultrastructure changes in the mycelium, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the mechanisms underlying the antifungal activity of P. incisa.