Biodiversity inventories in high gear: DNA barcoding facilitates a rapid biotic survey of a temperate nature reserve.

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive biotic surveys, or 'all taxon biodiversity inventories' (ATBI), have traditionally been limited in scale or scope due to the complications surrounding specimen sorting and species identification. To circumvent these issues, several ATBI projects have successfully integrated DNA barcoding into their identification procedures and witnessed acceleration in their surveys and subsequent increase in project scope and scale. The Biodiversity Institute of Ontario partnered with the rare Charitable Research Reserve and delegates of the 6th International Barcode of Life Conference to complete its own rapid, barcode-assisted ATBI of an established land trust in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. NEW INFORMATION: The existing species inventory for the rare Charitable Research Reserve was rapidly expanded by integrating a DNA barcoding workflow with two surveying strategies - a comprehensive sampling scheme over four months, followed by a one-day bioblitz involving international taxonomic experts. The two surveys resulted in 25,287 and 3,502 specimens barcoded, respectively, as well as 127 human observations. This barcoded material, all vouchered at the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario collection, covers 14 phyla, 29 classes, 117 orders, and 531 families of animals, plants, fungi, and lichens. Overall, the ATBI documented 1,102 new species records for the nature reserve, expanding the existing long-term inventory by 49%. In addition, 2,793 distinct Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) were assigned to genus or higher level taxonomy, and represent additional species that will be added once their taxonomy is resolved. For the 3,502 specimens, the collection, sequence analysis, taxonomic assignment, data release and manuscript submission by 100+ co-authors all occurred in less than one week. This demonstrates the speed at which barcode-assisted inventories can be completed and the utility that barcoding provides in minimizing and guiding valuable taxonomic specialist time. The final product is more than a comprehensive biotic inventory - it is also a rich dataset of fine-scale occurrence and sequence data, all archived and cross-linked in the major biodiversity data repositories. This model of rapid generation and dissemination of essential biodiversity data could be followed to conduct regional assessments of biodiversity status and change, and potentially be employed for evaluating progress towards the Aichi Targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.

Xymarginatin: a new acetogenin inhibitor of mitochondrial electron transport from Xylopia emarginata Mart., Annonaceae / Xymarginatin: uma nova acetogenina inibidora do transporte mitocondrial eletrônico de Xylopia emarginata Mart., Annonaceae

A new Annonaceous acetogenin, xymarginatin (1), was isolated from the twigs of Xyliopia emarginata Mart. (Annonaceae) by bioactivity-directed fractionation using lethality to brine shrimp. The compound 1 represents a linear C-35 Annonaceous acetogenin, lacking either tetrahydrofuran (THF) or epoxide rings, bearing a keto group at C-10, and possessing two cis-double bonds separated by two methylenes units. The structure of 1 was elucidated by ¹H and 13C-NMR, COSY, HMBC, HMQC and HRMS. The ability to inhibit the mitochondrial respiratory chain of Xymarginatin (1) was tested in a rat liver mitochondrial oxygen uptake assay, with IC50 value of 1720 nM; Rotenone as a positive control gave IC50 34.8 nM. The toxicity of compound 1 against Artemia salina Leach gave LC50 of 127 μg/mL.

Uma nova acetogenina de Anonaceae, xymarginatin (1), foi isolada dos caules de Xyliopia emarginata Mart. (Annonaceae) por fracionamento biodirecionado usando o teste de letalidade em Artemia salina. A substância 1 representa uma acetogenina linear C-35, sema neis tetrahidrofureano ou epóxidos, mas com um grupo cetônico em C-10 e com uma dupla ligação cis separada por duas unidades metilênicas. A estrutura de 1 foi elucidada por ¹H e 13C-RNM, COSY, HMBC, HMQC e HRMS. A habilidade de inibir a cadeia respiratória mitocondrial de 1 foi testada em ensaios de produção de oxigênio mitocondrial em fígado de ratos, com IC50 de 1720 nM; rotenona, controle positivo, apresentou IC50 de 34,8 nM. A toxicidade da substância 1 contra Artemia salina Leach foi de LC50 127 μg/mL.

Antidiabetic and antiradical activities of plants from Venezuelan Amazon / Atividades antidiabética e anti-radicalar de plantas da Amazônia venezuelana

Os extratos aquoso e etanólico derivados de doze espécies coletadas na Amazônia venezuelana foram testados quanto à atividade antioxidante utilizando um radical DPPH e o efeito inibitório sobre a hidrólise de glicose-6-fosfato nos microssomas intactos e perturbados. Sem exceção, todos os extratos inibiram, em maior ou menor grau, a atividade enzimática microssomal de G-6-Pase, resultando em maior inibição nos microssomas intactos do que nos perturbados. Efeitos marcantes foram observados para os extratos aquoso e etanólico de: Tontelea ovalifolia, Gustavia pulchra, Phthirusa verruculosa, Phthirusa castillana, Psittacanthus acimarius, Tetrapterys styloptyera e Vismia japurensis. Os extratos etanólicos foram seqüestradores do radical DPPH mais eficazes do que os correspondentes extratos aquosos em todos os casos. O extrato etanólico de Endlicheria anomala e o extrato aquoso de Phthirusa verruculosa exibiram as melhores CI50 com 100 e 250.0 ppm, respectivamente. Os valores de Kobs calculados para os extratos alcoólicos foram mais baixos do que os dos extratos aquosos das mesmas espécies, exceto Psittacanthus acimarius. Estes resultados poderiam estar relacionados a diferentes concentrações, ou mais provavelmente a diferentes composições de princípios ativos em ambos extratos.

The aqueous and ethanol extracts derived from twelve plant species collected in the Venezuelan Amazon have been tested for antioxidant activity using a DPPH radical and inhibitory effect on the hydrolysis of glucose-6-phosphate in intact and disrupted microsomes. Without exception, all the extracts inhibited, to a greater or lesser degree, microsomal G-6-Pase enzymatic activity, resulting in greater inhibition on intact microsomes than on disrupted ones. Marked effects were observed for aqueous and ethanol extracts of: Tontelea ovalifolia, Gustavia pulchra, Phthirusa verruculosa, Phthirusa castillana, Psittacanthus acimarius, Tetrapterys styloptyera and Vismia japurensis. Ethanol extracts were more effective DPPH radical scavengers than the corresponding aqueous extracts in all the cases. The ethanol extract of Endlicheria anomala and the aqueous extract of Phthirusa verruculosa, showed the best IC50 with 100 and 250.0 ppm, respectively. The Kobs calculated for the alcoholic extracts were lower than those of the aqueous extracts for the same species, except Psittacanthus acimarius. These results could be related to different concentrations, or more likely different compositions of active principles in both extracts.

Antioxidant and free-radical scavenging activity of constituents of the leaves of Tachigalia paniculata.

Two new myricetin glycosides, myricetin 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) and myricetin 7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), together with the known compounds quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), quercetin 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (4), quercetin 3-O-beta-D-galactopyranoside (5), methyl gallate (6), isovanillin (7), 4-hydroxymethylbenzoate (8), 3,4-dihydroxymethylbenzoate (9), and caffeoyl aldehyde (10) were isolated from the leaves of Tachigalia paniculata. The structures of these compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods. Their antioxidant activity was determined by measuring free-radical scavenging effects using three different assays, namely, the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assay, the coupled oxidation of beta-carotene and linoleic acid (autoxidation assay), and the inhibition of xanthine oxidase activity. Compounds 1, 2, and 6 showed activity in the TEAC test, compounds 5-7 and 10 were moderately active in the autoxidation assay, while compounds 1 and 2 were the most potent of the isolates in the xanthine oxidase test.

Actividad antiviral de flavonoides de hirtella castillanum ante los virus herpes simple tipo 2 y encefalitis equina Venezolana / Activity hirtella castillanum in herpes simplex virus type 2 and venezuelan equine encephalitis

Mediante fraccionamientos por solubilidad y métodos cromatográficos del extracto metanólico de las hojas de Hirtella castillanum se aislaron cuatro flavonoides: Quercetina (1), Quercetina-3-ramnósido (2), Miricetina (3) y mirecitina-3- ramnósido (4). De los mismos, solo Quercetina mostró una apreciable actividad antiviral ante el virus herpes simple tipo 2 (VHS-2) y el virus de la encefalitis equina Venezolana (EEV) en ensayos in vitro.