Foliar applied potassium nanoparticles (K-NPs) and potassium sulfate on growth, physiological, and phytochemical parameters in Melissa officinalis L. under salt stress.

Salinity stress significantly constrains agricultural productivity and vegetation decline worldwide, particularly in Iran. Potassium, the second most prevalent nutrient in plants, is well known to be essential for cell metabolism. Here, the effects of potassium fertilizer in two biogenic nanoparticles (K-NPs) and conventional (potassium sulfate) forms (0.1 mg/ml) on Melissa officinalis L. under salinity (0, 50, 100, and 150 mM) were investigated. The results demonstrated that stress markers (electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde, and hydrogen peroxide) increased as salinity levels increased. Plant growth parameters (shoot and root length, fresh and dry weight of shoot and root) and physiological and photosynthetic parameters (stomatal conductance, relative water content, chlorophyll fluorescence, and photosynthetic pigments) were reduced in salinized plants. The highest reduction in fresh weight root, dry weight root, fresh weight shoot, dry weight shoot, root length, and shoot length was recorded under 150 mM NaCl by 30.2%, 51.6%, 30.5%, 24.7%, 26.4%, and 21%, respectively. In contrast, bulk potassium sulfate and K-NPs increased these parameters. Furthermore, K-NPs improved M. officinalis tolerance to NaCl toxicity by enhancing the content of osmolytes such as proline, soluble sugars, and antioxidant enzymes, improving antioxidant contents such as phenols, tannins, anthocyanins, and flavonoids; increasing total protein; and lowering stress markers in plant tissues. Given the results of the physiological, biochemical, and phytochemical parameters obtained from this study, it can be stated that K-NPs, in comparison to the conventional form of potassium fertilizer, exhibit a greater potential to mitigate damages caused by salinity stress in M. officinalis plants.

Nano-enabled agrochemicals: mitigating heavy metal toxicity and enhancing crop adaptability for sustainable crop production.

The primary factors that restrict agricultural productivity and jeopardize human and food safety are heavy metals (HMs), including arsenic, cadmium, lead, and aluminum, which adversely impact crop yields and quality. Plants, in their adaptability, proactively engage in a multitude of intricate processes to counteract the impacts of HM toxicity. These processes orchestrate profound transformations at biomolecular levels, showing the plant's ability to adapt and thrive in adversity. In the past few decades, HM stress tolerance in crops has been successfully addressed through a combination of traditional breeding techniques, cutting-edge genetic engineering methods, and the strategic implementation of marker-dependent breeding approaches. Given the remarkable progress achieved in this domain, it has become imperative to adopt integrated methods that mitigate potential risks and impacts arising from environmental contamination on yields, which is crucial as we endeavor to forge ahead with the establishment of enduring agricultural systems. In this manner, nanotechnology has emerged as a viable field in agricultural sciences. The potential applications are extensive, encompassing the regulation of environmental stressors like toxic metals, improving the efficiency of nutrient consumption and alleviating climate change effects. Integrating nanotechnology and nanomaterials in agrochemicals has successfully mitigated the drawbacks associated with traditional agrochemicals, including challenges like organic solvent pollution, susceptibility to photolysis, and restricted bioavailability. Numerous studies clearly show the immense potential of nanomaterials and nanofertilizers in tackling the acute crisis of HM toxicity in crop production. This review seeks to delve into using NPs as agrochemicals to effectively mitigate HM toxicity and enhance crop resilience, thereby fostering an environmentally friendly and economically viable approach toward sustainable agricultural advancement in the foreseeable future.

Effects of green synthesis of sulfur nanoparticles from Cinnamomum zeylanicum barks on physiological and biochemical factors of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa).

In this study, the effect of green synthesized sulfur nanoparticle (SNP) at different concentration (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10 mg/ml) on some physiological, phytochemical and biochemical traits of lettuce plants was investigated. For the first time, SNP were green synthesized using Cinnamomum zeylanicum barks extract. Our results indicated that the treatment of lettuce plants with 1 mg/ml of SNP improved the growth and photosynthetic parameters of lettuce plants than related control. Some other physiological parameters such as proline, glycine betaine and soluble sugars levels along with some phytochemical parameters like anthocyanin, total phenol, flavonoids and tannin contents were enhanced after treatment of the plants with same concentration of SNP. On the other hand, specific activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase) and stress markers level, MDA and H2O2 were reduced in the same treated lettuce plants. However, a concentration of 10 mg/ml of SNP exhibited toxicity on lettuce plants with inducing oxidative stress markers (H2O2 and MDA) and consequently reducing plant growth and biomass. This oxidative stress tend to diminish some physiological, phytochemical and biochemical parameters in treated lettuce plants. Overall, it can be concluded that the green synthesis SNP at an optimal concentration of 1 mg/ml improved physiological parameters in the lettuce plants making them potent to tolerate stressful conditions. However, higher concentration of SNP (10 mg/ml) indicated toxic effects on all of the physiological parameters.

Piriformospora indica confers salinity tolerance on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) through amelioration of nutrient accumulation, K+/Na+ homeostasis and water status.

KEY MESSAGE: Piriformospora indica confers salt tolerance in tomato seedlings by increasing the uptake of nutrients such as N, P and Ca, improving K+/Na+ homoeostasis by regulating the expression of NHXs, SOS1 and CNGC15 genes, maintaining water status by regulating the expression of aquaporins. Piriformospora indica, an endophytic basidiomycete, has been shown to increase the growth and improve the plants tolerance to stressful conditions, especially salinity, by establishing the arbuscular mycorrhiza-like symbiotic relationship in various plant hosts. In the present research, the effect of NaCl treatment (150 mM) and P. indica inoculation on growth, accumulation of nutrients, the transcription level of genes involved in ionic homeostasis (NHXs, SOS1 and CNGC15) and regulating water status (PIP1;2, PIP2;4, TIP1;1 and TIP2;2) in roots and leaves of tomato seedlings were investigated. The P. indica improved the uptake of N, P, Ca and K, and reduced Na accumulation, and had no significant effect on Cl accumulation in roots and leaves. The endophytic fungus also increased in K+/Na+ ratio in roots and leaves of tomato by regulating the expression of NHX isoforms and upregulating SOS1 and CNGC15 expression. Salinity stress increased the transcription of PIP2;4 gene and reduced the transcription of PIP1;2, TIP1;1 and TIP2;2 genes compared to the control treatment. However, P. indica inoculation upregulated the expression of PIP1;2 and PIP2;4 genes versus non-inoculated plants but did not have a significant effect on TIP1;1 and TIP2;2 expression. These results conclude that the positive effects of P. indica on nutrients accumulation, ionic homeostasis and water status lead to the increased salinity tolerance and the improved plant growth under NaCl treatment.

Physiological and biochemical responses of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L) to ultraviolet-B radiation.

Ultraviolet radiation can cause many serious problems for all living organisms. With a growing population, the UV sensitivity of crop plants presents a particular problem. To evaluate the suitability of growing in areas under UV irradiance, the influence of different doses of UV-B (3.042, 6.084 and 9.126 kJm-2d-1) on the sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L) plants was studied. UV-B induced a significant decrease in growth displayed as reduced height and fresh and dry weight. This reduction is not dose dependent and was associated with diminishing photosynthetic O2 evolution, relative chlorophyll content, photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence. On the other hand, antioxidant enzyme activities, total protein content, compatible solutes, total free amino acids and total betalain content were increased under 9.126 kJm-2d-1 UV-B treatments, representing mechanisms by which the plants coped with the stress. The oxidative stress upon UV-B treatment was evident by increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content, however, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was not affected in UV-B exposed plants. Thus, the studied sugar beet variety BR1seems to be suitable particularly for areas with high doses of UV-B irradiation.

Ferulone A and ferulone B: two new coumarin esters from Ferula orientalis L. roots.

Ferula orientalis (Apiaceae) is a well-known perennial herb growing wild in Iran used in traditional medicine. To perform phytochemical studies, dried ground roots of F. orientalis were sequentially Soxhlet-extracted using n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol. A combination of vacuum liquid chromatography and preparative thin-layer chromatographic analyses were performed to isolate coumarin esters. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic means, and in vitro free-radical-scavenging property was determined by the DPPH assay. Two new coumarin esters, 7-O-(4,8,12,16-tetrahydroxy-4,8,12,16-tetramethyl-heptadecanoyl)-coumarinand 7-O-(4-hydroxy-4,8,12-trimethyl-trideca-7,11-dienoyl)-coumarin, named ferulone A and ferulone B, respectively, were isolated from the n-hexane extract of the roots of F. orientalis. Both compounds showed a low level of free-radical-scavenging property with the RC50 values of 0.252 and 0.556 mg/mL for compounds 1 and 2, respectively, as opposed to that of the positive control (quercetin) 0.004 mg/mL. This is the first report on the purification of coumarin esters from the genus Ferula.

The investigation on phytochemicals from Ferulago angulata (Schlecht) Boiss, indigenous to central parts of Iran.

Ferulago angulata (Schlecht) Boiss (Apiaceae) is a perennial herb distributed in the central parts of Iran. In this work, the essential oil of Ferulago angulata aerial parts collected from the central parts of Iran was obtained by using hydrodistillation analysed by GC and GC-MS. Air-dried and powdered plant roots were extracted with n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol, respectively, using a Soxhlet apparatus. The n-hexane extract was subjected to preparative thin-layer chromatography using chloroform-acetone (95:5) as solvent system to yield two linear furanocoumarins, prantschimgin and oxypeucedanin. The structure of theisolated compounds was elucidated by using spectroscopic data such as (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, UV and IR. The results of GC-MS analyses showed that γ-terpinolene (11.97%), α-pinene (10.00%), sabinene (6.89%), linalool (5.56%) and cis-ocimene (4.41%) were the main components among 51 constituents characterised in the oil. The oil exhibits considerable phytotoxic activity.

A new ester coumarin from Ferula Persica wild, indigenous to Iran.

Ferula persica wild (Apiaceae) is a perennial herb indigenous to Iran. It has been used in folk medicine for treatment of diabetes, lowering of blood pressure and for antispasmodic, carminative, laxative and expectorant effects in central Iran. Dried ground roots of F. persica (150 g) were extracted sequentially with n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol (MeOH), 500 ml each, using a Soxhlet apparatus. The n-hexane extract of the roots (3 g) was subjected to vacuum liquid chromatography on silica gel, eluting with solvent mixtures of increasing polarity: 100% n-hexane-ethyl acetate (EtOAc), to yield a number of fractions, Fraction 4 (80% EtOAc in n-hexane) was further analysed by preparative TLC (mobile phase was 12% acetone in chloroform) to yield a coumarin ester (10.1 mg, Rf = 0.31, blue florescent). The structure of the isolated compound was elucidated by spectroscopic means. The compound is 7-O-(4,8,12 -trihydroxy-4,8,12-trimethyl-tridecanoyl)-coumarin, named, ferulone C as a new natural product.

Pyranocoumarins from Zosima absinthifolia (Vent) Link roots.

Zosima absinthifolia (Vent) Link (Apiaceae) is a perennial herb indigenous to Iran. It has been used as a medicinal plant from ancient time in Iran, Turkey and Pakistan. In the present work, air-dried and powdered plant roots were extracted with n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol, respectively, using Soxhlet apparatus. The dichloromethane extract was subjected to vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) and preparative thin layer chromatography (P-TLC) to yield two pyranocoumarins, aegelinol and agasyllin. The antimicrobial assay was performed using agar dilution method. The results showed that purified compounds have modest to weak antibacterial and antifungal activity.

Chemical and allelopathic analyses of essential oils of Prangos pabularia Lindl. from Iran.

Prangos pabularia Lindl. (Apiaceae) is a widespread perennial herb distributed from Russia to Iran, Turkey, India, Central Asia and Caucasian. It has been used in folk medicine from ancient times as a diuretic agent and a treatment for leukoplakia, digestive disorders, healing scars and stopping bleeding. In the present study, the composition of the essential oils isolated from leaves, fruits and umbels of this plant was analyzed using GC-MS. The results showed that the leaves' oil was dominated by sesquiterpene derivatives with spathulenol (16.09%) and α-bisabolol (14.30%) as major components. The fruits and umbels oil were characterized by monoterpenes comprised of α-pinene (33.87, 21.46%) as the main compound. The essential oil of the plant leaves exhibited high allelopathic activity.

Antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effect of aviprin and aviprin-3″-O-D-glucopyranoside on LNCaP and HeLa cell lines.

Many researchers have shown that plant-derived polyphenolic compounds are helpful nutraceuticals in restraining various disorders such as neoplastic diseases. In this study two linear furanocoumarins, aviprin and aviprin-3″-O-D-glucopyranoside (A3G), were isolated from methanol extract of Prangos uloptera roots. The evaluation of free radical scavenging capacity of the compounds showed that aviprin is a more effective antioxidant than A3G with RC50 of 0.54 mg mL⁻¹. The biological and antiproliferative activities of the furanocoumarins were examined using human cervical carcinoma HeLa cell line and LNCaP prostatic cell line. Cell membrane integrity and cell viability were evaluated by measuring trypan blue exclusion assay and reduction of the tetrazolium blue compound, respectively. Treating the LNCaP cell line with various concentrations of the furanocoumarins showed that IC50 of aviprin and A3G were 0.4 and 6.6 mg mL⁻¹, whereas their CC50 values were 0.7 and 11 mg mL⁻¹, respectively. These results indicated that 42.7% of LNCaP cells were not dead by necrosis. Treating the HeLa cells by the furanocoumarins showed the greater sensitivity of the HeLa cell line than the LNCaP cell line. A morphological analysis and the study of DNA fragmentation provided further some evidence for the inhibition of the LNCaP cell line via apoptosis induction.

Isoarnottinin 4'-glucoside, a glycosylated coumarin from Prangos uloptera, with biological activity.

Coumarins are a well-known group of natural products distributed in the plant kingdom especially in the family Apiaceae with various biological activities. Isoarnottinin 4'-glucoside is a simple glycosylated coumarin found previously in a few genera of Apiaceae, and its biological activities have not been previously described in details. In the present paper, the compound was isolated from Prangos uloptera (Apiaceae) leaves using HPLC techniques. Antimicrobial, phytotoxic and cytotoxic activities of the compound were evaluated by disk diffusion, lettuce assay and MTT method. Our results indicated that the compound has high antibacterial effect against Erwinia carotovora, a common plant pathogen with MIC value of 100 microg/mL. The compound also exhibited significant phytotoxic activity against lettuce and modest cytotoxic activity against HeLa cell line with IC50 of 0 .84 mg/mL. It could be concluded that isoamottinin 4'-glucoside may play phytoalexin or allelopathic role for plant and may be a candidate for an antibacterial agent or a bioherbicide.

Volatile constituent distribution of Prangos coryombosa Boiss at two stages of growth.

The volatile constituents obtained by hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of Prangos coryombosa at the vegetative and flowering stages were analysed by GC and GC-MS. Twenty-one and 28 compounds were identified from the oils obtained from the plant's aerial parts at the vegetative and flowering stages, respectively. The oil from the vegetative stage was dominated by ß-elemene (22%) and spathulenol (12.5%), whereas the oil from the flowering period was characterised by ß-elemene (40.7%) and kessane (10.7%). The main compounds of the oil at the flowering stage were isolated by TLC and their structures were elucidated by (1)H and (13)C NMR. The results have ecological and taxonomical significance.

Chemical variation of the essential oil of Prangos uloptera DC. at different stages of growth.

In the current investigation, the influence of the plant growth stages (prior to emergence of flower heads or vegetative, anthesis and fruiting) on the essential oil content and composition in the aerial parts of Prangos uloptera DC. was studied. Quantitative and qualitative differences were found among oil of aerial parts at three phenological stages. The principle compounds of the oil before emergence of flower heads were saferole (21.6%) and α-pinene (20%), while the oil at anthesis was composed of α-bisabolol (30.5%), saferole (19.11%) and (+)-spathulenol (12.9%). The oil at fruiting stage displayed γ-terpinene (35.5%) and trans-anethole (23.5%) as major constituents. These findings may confer valuable information regarding chemical composition of P. uloptera DC., which could be beneficial in the fields of herbal medicine.

Bioactivity of malva sylvestris L., a medicinal plant from iran.

OBJECTIVES: Malva sylvestris L. (Malvaceae), an annual plant, has been already commonly used as a medicinal plant in Iran. In the present work, we evaluate some bioactivities of the plant extracts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The aired-dried plant flowers and leaves were extracted by soxhlet apparatus with n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol. The antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and phytotoxic of the plant extracts were evaluated using disk diffusion method, MTT, and Lettuce assays, respectively. RESULTS: Both flowers and leaves of M. sylvestris methanol extracts exhibited strong antibacterial effects against Erwinia carotovora, a plant pathogen, with MIC value of 128 and 256 µg/ml, respectively. The flowers extract also showed high antibacterial effects against some human pathogen bacteria strains such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Entrococcus faecalis, with MIC value of 192, 200 and 256 µg/ml, respectively. The plant methanol extracts had relatively high cytotoxic activity against MacCoy cell line. CONCLUSION: We concluded that Malva sylvestris can be candidated as an antiseptic, a chemopreventive or a chemotherapeutic agent.

Bioactivity of aviprin and aviprin-3''-O-glucoside, two linear furanocoumarins from Apiaceae.

Furanocoumarins are well-known natural products that occur in the most evolved genera of Apiaceae family. This compounds were found to have cytotoxic, phytotoxic, photosensitizing, insecticidal, antibacterial and high anti-fungal effects. Aviprin is considered as a linear furanocoumarin substituted at C8 with an oxygenated prenyl residue. In this study we found that aviprin is a bioactive compound that exhibits high antibacterial, antifungal and phytotoxic activity. The compound stunted the germination of lettuce seeds with IC50 value of 0.270 mg/mL. The compound also inhibited the mycelia growth of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Aviprin indicated antibacterial activity against tested gram negative and positive bacteria with inhibition zone of 19-23.5 mm. Our results shown that aviprin can play an allelopatic role for plant.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil of Prangos ferulaceae (L.) Lindl from Iran.

The hydrodistilled essential oils of fruits and umbels of Prangos ferulaceae (L.) Lindl growing in Iran were analysed by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. Six compounds, comprising 93.7 and 94.7% of the total fruits and umbels oils, were identified, respectively. alpha-Pinene and cis-ocimene are the major components of the oils. The essential oils show high antibacterial effect against Bacillus cereus.

Chemical composition, allelopatic and antimicrobial potentials of the essential oil of Zosima absinthifolia (Vent.) Link fruits from Iran.

The chemical composition of essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the dried fruits of Zosima absinthifolia was analysed by GC-MS. Twenty-four compounds were characterised in the oil. The major components of the oil were octyl acetate (87.48%), octyl octanoate (5.03%) and 1-octanol (2.37%). The oil showed modest to weak allelopatic effects and high antibacterial effects against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus and further modest to strong effects on different bacteria and fungi.

Phytochemical analysis and allelopathic activity of essential oils of Ecballium elaterium A. Richard growing in Iran.

The hydrodistillated essential oils from leaves and fruits of Ecballium elaterium were analysed by GC-MS. Octyl octanoate (30.0%), 3-(6,6- dimethyl-5-oxohept-2-enyl)-cyclohexanone (20.4%) and hexahydro farnesyl acetone (19.1%) were the main components among 21 constituents characterised in the leaf oil. Twenty-one compounds were also identified in the oil of the fruits, with E-anethol (31.6%) and 3-(6,6-dimethyl-5-oxohept-2-enyl)-cyclohexanone (8.8%) as the main constituents. Furthermore, allelopatic activity of the oils was evaluated using lettuce assay method. The leaf oil exhibited strong allelopathy effects against lettuce.

Biological activity of Prangos uloptera DC. roots, a medicinal plant from Iran.

Prangos uloptera DC. (Apiaceae) is indigenous to Iran. It has been used from ancient times for treatment of leukoplakia, digestive disorders and healing scars. In this article, we focus on the various biological screening techniques currently being used to evaluate the biological effects of the plant root extracts. Our results show that dichloromethane (DCM) extract exhibited high-cytotoxic effects on hela cell line, and high antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. All of the plant root extracts, n-hexane, DCM and methanol extracts, exhibited modest antioxidant and high-phytotoxic properties. It is assumed that the high biological potential of P. uloptera is related to the presence of coumarins in the plant roots.