South African Journal of Botany最新文献

{"title":"A comprehensive review of traditional medicinal plants and their role in ovarian cancer treatment","authors":"Banuppriya Palani ,&nbsp;Renu Vajjiravelu ,&nbsp;Rajeshkumar Shanmugam ,&nbsp;Santhoshkumar Jayakodi","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.019","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.019","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Herbal therapy is a significant and realistic alternative to current medications for treating ovarian cancer. Medicinal plants contain active phytochemicals with promising pharmacological properties that contribute to anticancer activities. Research has shown that botanical extracts and phytonutrients play a crucial role in combating ovarian cancer by promoting apoptosis-inducing enzymatic processes and causing DNA destruction. These secondary metabolites lead to considerable tumor shrinkage in cancerous cellular strains and mouse models. Product research is a valuable strategy for identifying and developing new biologically reactive substances with novel mechanisms of action. The present study aimed to compile a list of plants with anti-ovarian cancer properties for therapeutic applications and provide evidence supporting their effectiveness in tumor treatment. The selected plant species were chosen based on their characteristics and anticancer potential. The findings suggest that medicinal herbs hold promise in treating ovarian carcinoma and warrant further investigation. Future research should focus on optimizing plant extract formulations and conducting in vivo studies and clinical trials to establish their efficacy and safety, potentially transforming ovarian cancer treatment</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"181 ","pages":"Pages 426-445"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143879418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The botanist from Belvidere: the living legacy of Augusta Vera Duthie (1881-1963)","authors":"Wiida Fourie-Basson ,&nbsp;Paul Hills ,&nbsp;Léanne L. Dreyer","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Here we review the life, career, botanical contribution and legacy of the founder of the Botany department at Stellenbosch University, Augusta Vera Duthie. We briefly introduce her, outline her background and personal life, as best as could be reconstructed from the few available publications and documents on her life. We then shift our focus to her long, often uphill, yet most impressive establishment and development of the Botany department at Victoria College (which later became Stellenbosch University). All attempts were made to highlight innovative initiatives she embarked upon to secure funding to grow the department, to the extent that she eventually managed to found the Stellenbosch University Herbarium and its associated library, the Stellenbosch University Botanical Gardens, and ultimately a fully functional Botany department, complete with lecturing facilities and laboratories. Reconstructing this chapter of her life relied heavily on a treasure trove of documents and letters held in the Stellenbosch University Library's Special Collections. The paper next briefly reviews her botanical contribution, focussing particularly on her work on the lowland flora of Stellenbosch. Again, documents, letters and photographs held in the Special Collection and Stellenbosch University Archives help illuminate her contributions as a botanist. We conclude by reviewing the different components of her rich legacy, and how most of these initiatives are being maintained to this day. Here we place a fairly strong emphasis on the Duthie reserve, and the ongoing conservation efforts to conserve this precious fragment of veld, the last remaining home to the critically endangered <em>Haemanthus pumilio</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"181 ","pages":"Pages 339-355"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Network pharmacology and protective effect of HPLC-PDA validated flavonoid rich Carica papaya for the treatment of thrombocytopenia","authors":"Varisha Anjum ,&nbsp;Rafquat Rana ,&nbsp;J.V.U.S. Chakradhar ,&nbsp;Ashwini S. Kedar ,&nbsp;Keerti Mishra ,&nbsp;Shourya Tripathi ,&nbsp;Irina Potoroko ,&nbsp;Manish K. Chourasia","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.020","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.020","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The dengue virus transmitted through mosquito bites causes a series of ailments ranging from mild-cold like symptoms to severe haemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome, which can be fatal. One of the major clinical indicators of severe dengue infection is thrombocytopenia, a significant drop in platelet count Traditionally, <em>Carica papaya</em> leaf juice (CPLJ) has been regarded as a promising platelet enhancing remedy in dengue fever. The present study was aimed to systematically evaluate the untargeted metabolomic analysis of bioactive butanol fraction (BBF) of fresh CPLJ. For polyphenol quantification, HPLC analysis was used, followed by cytotoxicity studies in HepG2 and HEK 293 cell lines. Network pharmacological analysis was used to investigate the multi-mechanism of polyphenols in promoting platelet recovery in dengue. Six metabolites were identified and quantified by HPLC in both BBF and Bioactive ethanol fraction (BEF). The BBF and BEF showed relatively high cytotoxicity in HepG2 demonstrating inhibition whereas in HEK 293 cells, they promoted proliferation,exhibiting the highest IC₅₀ values. Further through network pharmacology, the six quantified phytocompounds demonstrated multiple physiological roles in dengue associated thrombocytopenia with an emphasis on their drug-like properties, and interactions with targetssuch as TLR4, RELA, MAPK1 etc. Thus, it was concluded that through interaction with TLR4, phytocompounds such as quercetin, trans ferulic acid, and kaempferol may serve as promising agents by reducing thrombocytopenia in dengue-infected individuals. These compounds can be used as drugs to treat dengue-associated thrombocytopenia after verifying their efficacy and drug potency through <em>in-vitro</em> assays. BBF and BEF can be used as phytopharmaceuticals for the enhancement of platelets, either as standalone treatments or adjuvants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"181 ","pages":"Pages 356-366"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The sex of the mother plant affects the sex variation in the offspring in Dioscorea rotundata (Poir.)","authors":"Narcisse Denadi ,&nbsp;Gabin Agban ,&nbsp;Aline Vanhove ,&nbsp;Elie Assaba ,&nbsp;Petre I. Dobrev ,&nbsp;Václav Motyka ,&nbsp;Jeanne Zoundjihékpon ,&nbsp;Christophe Gandonou ,&nbsp;Muriel Quinet","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.033","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.033","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In cultivated yams <em>Dioscorea rotundata</em>, spontaneous sex variation occurs in the offspring despite vegetative propagation. In this study, sex variation was investigated as a function of the region (head, middle, or base) of the seed-tuber and the sex of the mother plant. Tuber-seeds were sown from the head, middle, and base regions of tubers of 6 cultivars, and germination, flowering and sex of the offspring were studied. To determine a possible relationship between the hormone content of the mother tuber and sex variation, the phytohormone profile of the head, middle, and base regions was compared in tubers from male, female, and monoecious plants. Our results showed that the region of the seed-tuber affected germination, as the germination rate of seed-tubers from the head region was 20–50 % higher than that of the middle and base regions, and they germinated 10 days earlier. The region of the seed-tuber also affected the flowering rate, which was 10–20 % higher for seed-tubers from the head region than from the base region, but it did not affect the sex of the offspring. Sex variations in the offspring were more related to the sex of the parents. Male and female cultivars had stable offspring, while monoecious cultivars had high sex variation (80 %) in their offspring. The hormonal profile of the tubers suggested a relationship between hormones and sex identity. Jasmonates and salicylic acid were more concentrated in the tubers of male and monoecious plants, while abscisic acid types, cytokinins and benzoic acid were more concentrated in the tubers of female plants. Further work is needed to clarify the role of these hormones in the control of sex expression in cultivated yam <em>D. rotundata</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"181 ","pages":"Pages 415-425"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mitigating the adverse effects of salt stress in pepper plants using two native strains: Cellulosimicrobium 60I1 and Pseudomonas 42P4","authors":"Miguel Andrés Lobato-Ureche ,&nbsp;María Micaela Pérez-Rodriguez ,&nbsp;Romina Monasterio ,&nbsp;Ana Carmen Cohen","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.031","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.031","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil salinity is one of the main abiotic factors causing plant stress and is a major cause of land degradation worldwide, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. High salinity in the root zone has a negative effect on most plant functions, limits biomass accumulation and significantly reduces crop productivity. The use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to enhance crop growth under saline conditions is an alternative to reduce chemical fertilization and the negative symptoms caused by salinity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the inoculation effect of <em>Cellulosimicrobium</em> 60I1 and <em>Pseudomonas</em> 42P4 on pepper plants grown under salinity stress. Pepper seedlings cv. Calafyuco INTA inoculated with both strains were grown under greenhouse conditions. Twenty-five days after inoculation, they were transplanted into plastic pots and treated with 100 mL of 150 mM NaCl or 100 mL of 200 mM Na₂SO₄ solutions, to induce the salt stress. A completely randomized design of nine treatments was established (three levels of the salt stress factor: without salt, NaCl and Na₂SO₄ per three levels of the bacteria factor: without PGPR, 60I1, 42P4). Seventy-five days after the sowing, morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes, including a profile of phenolic compounds, were evaluated. The results demonstrated that salt treatments, decreased the height (26–32 %), stem diameter (20–36 %), leaves per plant (22 %-non significant), root length (26–45 %), SPAD index (36–27 %), root and shoot dry weight (51–51 %), and survival percentage (20–100 %) of pepper plants grown in the greenhouse (with NaCl and Na₂SO_4, respectively). However, the inoculation with 42P4 increased root (76–58 %) and shoot dry weight (108–98 %); whereas 60I1 increased (60–35 %) and (95–92 %) with NaCl or Na₂SO_4, respectively, compared to the control without PGPR in plants grown under salinity stress conditions. Inoculated plants increased tolerance to salt conditions by reducing lipid peroxidation and increasing chlorophyll quantum efficiency, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and nitrogen levels. In addition, salt stress modified the phenolic compound profile and the inoculation maintained the levels of some compounds with antioxidant activity at levels similar to that of the unstressed control. This work highlights the importance of PGPR as an alternative to increase salt stress tolerance in crops in the context of climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"181 ","pages":"Pages 367-379"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"South African contributions to the understanding of plant invasion ecology and management","authors":"Brian W. van Wilgen,&nbsp;David M. Richardson","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.029","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.029","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;This paper provides a brief selective history of research into the ecology and management of alien plant invasions in South Africa. Over 2000 alien plant species have been introduced to the country, and over 750 species are known to have become naturalized or invasive. A striking feature of this naturalized flora is the unusually high dominance of trees and shrubs, making South Africa the world capital of tree invasions. Research into the ecology and management of these invasions began over 100 years ago. In the first half of the 20th century the focus was almost exclusively on biological control and invasive species in the fynbos biome. A broadening research agenda in the second half of the 20th century was facilitated by several initiatives, including the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment’s (SCOPE) global project on “The Ecology of Biological Invasions” (which had its origins in South Africa), the CSIR’s National Programs for Ecosystem Research, and the Working for Water program. In 2004, the world’s first (and until recently only) research institute devoted solely to all facets of biological invasions was established in South Africa. This institute (the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology) made a substantial contribution to improving the understanding of alien plant invasions, and to building capacity to manage them. The true extent of invasions has proven difficult to estimate, but indications are that 10 % of the surface area of the country has been invaded, and that this is increasing. The most invaded biome is the Indian Ocean coastal belt (11 % invaded) followed by the fynbos biome (5 % invaded). Ecological impacts on biodiversity, water resources, livestock production and the severity of wildfires have been reported. Taken together, these impacts are estimated to be costing the country around USD 875 million (approximately ZAR 17 billion) per year, but data on costs are scant. Extensive control programs aimed at eliminating invasive trees and shrubs from the water catchment areas of the fynbos were initiated in the early 1970s. These efforts were expanded in the 1990s by the Working for Water program which operated at a national level with the dual goals of controlling invasive alien plants and creating employment. There have been few robust attempts to monitor the effectiveness of these interventions. Some studies have found that the extent of invasion has been reduced in selected areas while in others control has been ineffective. When assessed at a national scale, it appears that invasions have continued to grow despite control efforts. Populations have declined at a national level for some species under biological control, illustrating the important role that this practice has played. South African scientists have made substantial contributions to the field of invasion science, punching above their weight compared to better-funded developed nations. Challenges to the management of alien plant","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"181 ","pages":"Pages 391-404"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolite profiling of Cucurbita pepo L. in relation to its potential to combat experimental trichinosis","authors":"Nashwa R. Mohamed ,&nbsp;Seham S. El-Hawary ,&nbsp;Fatema R. Saber ,&nbsp;Ibrahim E. Sallam ,&nbsp;Shaimaa H. El-Sayed","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to evaluate <em>Cucurbita pepo</em> L<em>.</em> (<em>C. pepo</em>) seed extract against <em>Trichinella spiralis</em> (<em>T. spiralis</em>) through <em>in vivo</em> study for both intestinal and muscular phases. Additionally, an extensive metabolic profiling, for all parts of the fruit of <em>Cucurbita pepo</em> L. (seed, peel and flesh), was adopted using UPLC/ESI-qTOF-MS to reveal the phytoconstituents responsible for the biological activities.</div><div>Regarding the anthelmintic evaluation of the extracts of <em>C. pepo,</em> the count of <em>T. spiralis</em> adult worm was significantly reduced in the group of mice treated early with <em>C. pepo</em> seed extract (CPSE) and albendazole (ABZ) as compared to the control infected non-treated group. Similarly, the total larval count was significantly reduced in groups treated with CPSE and ABZ with more reduction in the groups that received the treatment in the early phase of infection. Upon staining intestinal sections of the infected mice with haematoxylin and eosin, the analysis revealed the improvement of the inflammatory manifestation induced by the parasite upon treatment with CPSE in both the intestinal and muscular phases. UPLC/ESI-qTOF-MS technique enabled the identification and comprehensive profiling of 79 secondary metabolites, which belonged to various classes of compounds including flavonoids, phenolics, cucurbitacins and fatty acids, in addition to other minor classes.</div><div>The current study suggests <em>C. pepo</em> seed extract as a promising candidate for management of the gastrointestinal parasites being enriched with bioactive phytoconstituents.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"181 ","pages":"Pages 380-390"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plant-based multi-target directed antitubercular ligand identification from Ipomea sepiaria with application of bioinformatics methodology","authors":"Fathima Asra ,&nbsp;Fohad Mabood Husain ,&nbsp;Vadivel Kannan ,&nbsp;Srilekha Chintala ,&nbsp;Naresh Dumala","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health threat, with approximately 10.8 million cases reported worldwide in 2023. Complexities exist in the treatment strategies for TB because of the emergence of drug resistance, necessitating research to identify novel agents from natural sources to combat this ailment. <em>Ipomea sepiaria</em>, a perennial herb belonging to the tropical and subtropical regions rich with phytoconstituents, has been used traditionally to treat several diseases. However, the antitubercular potential of this herb has remained elusive. Hence, plant-based multi-target directed antitubercular ligand identification from <em>I. sepiaria</em> was carried out by extracting phytocompounds from the leaves using petroleum ether (PE), ethyl acetate (EA), ethanol, and water as solvents. The anti-mycobacterial potential of the extracts was screened using the <em>Mycobacterium tuberculosis, H37Rv</em> strain by luciferase reporter phage assay. GC–MS analysis followed by <em>in silico</em> molecular docking studies were carried out for the PE, EA, and ethanol extracts. PE and EA extracts showed equipotent (94.35 % inhibition) and mild (45.52 % inhibition) antitubercular activity. There were 16, 14, and 15 compounds identified in the PE, EA, and ethanolic extracts, respectively by GC–MS spectral analysis. Results indicated that the phytoconstituents isolated from the <em>I. sepiaria</em> leaves possess antitubercular activity with no/least toxicity. Overall, three compounds from the PE extract (PE11, PE12, PE14) and two from the EA extract (EA8, EA14) are being proposed as best lead-like phytocompounds based on drug-likeness, synthetic accessibility, and in silico/<em>in vitro</em> correlation. Further optimization studies are needed to develop these phytocompounds as novel antitubercular drugs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"181 ","pages":"Pages 405-414"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role and mechanism of herbal bioactives in treatment of Parkinson disease: A promising therapeutic approach","authors":"Manpreet Kaur,&nbsp;Mukta Gupta","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.022","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.022","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parkinson's disease is a complex chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and possesses characteristic motor symptoms including bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor, postural instability, and dystonia, resulting in nerve cell damage that further leads to reduction in the dopamine level. However, the symptomatology of Parkinson disease is diverse, including clinically significant non-motor characteristic symptoms such as anxiety, depression, pain, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, gastrointestinal disturbance, difficulty in walking and fatigue. Although there are various conventional treatment approaches used for Parkinson disease such as monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors, catecholamine-<em>O-</em>methyl transferase inhibitors, dopamine agonist, and anticholinergics but are associated with various side effects. In Asian countries, herbal products are being used as an alternative approach for treating neurogenerative diseases. Herbal medicines are used worldwide as these have fewer side effects than that of allopathic drugs. In this review, we will summarize recent studies demonstrating use of herbs in treating parkinsonism. A search for possibly relevant literature was done using four electronic databases: Google, Pub Med, Web of Science, and Scopus. Several key phrases were used to conduct the search, including “Parkinson Disease”, “Herbal Drugs”, “Etiology of PD”, “Conventional treatment for PD”, “motor/non-motor symptoms”, Clinical trials”, “Symptomatology”, Natural products” etc. More research was conducted by examining the abstracts, reference lists, and consulting previously published review articles. A large number of herbal medicines and their formulations are currently in use for treatment of Parkinson disease. Some of these include <em>Bacopa monnieri</em> (L.) Wettst., <em>Mucuna pruriens</em> (L.) DC., <em>Withania somnifera</em> (L.) Dunal, <em>Curcuma longa</em> L., <em>Gingko biloba</em> L., and <em>Camellia sinensis</em> (L.) Kuntze<em>, Alpinia oxyphyll</em> Miq, <em>Hypericum perforatum</em> L., <em>Panax ginseng</em> C.A. Mey. and <em>Crocus sativus</em> L. Although, many preclinical trials have been already reported that signifies the importance of herbal products in Parkinson disease, however, further investigation is demanded to prove their usefulness in clinics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"181 ","pages":"Pages 315-338"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“Nitric oxide boosts antioxidant defense in olive trees against unexpected temperature drops”","authors":"Sima Molazeinali ,&nbsp;Vahid Niknam ,&nbsp;Issa Karamatlou ,&nbsp;Mehdi Hosseini-Mazinani","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.032","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.04.032","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nitric oxide (NO), a critical signaling molecule, holds significant potential for enhancing plant responses, especially under environmental stresses associated with modern climate changes. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, has shown promising effects in this regard. To investigate the role of NO in increasing freezing stress tolerance in olive trees, plants were treated with varying concentrations of SNP (0 μM as control, 100 μM, and 200 μM) and then subjected to freezing temperatures of -1, -3, and -6 °C. 100 μM SNP concentration yielded the most notable benefits, with efficacy dependent on stress severity. Treatment with 100 μM SNP enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as CAT, SOD, POX, and APX and significantly increased non-enzymatic antioxidant levels, including total phenols, flavonoids, flavonols, and anthocyanins. These enhancements reached up to 48.48 % at -1 °C, 21.8 % at -3 °C, 51.78 % at -6 °C, and 42.6 % under control conditions. SNP-treated olive plants also exhibited improved levels of photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll precursors, indicating a positive influence of NO on photosynthetic processes. Furthermore, 100 μM SNP administration promoted osmotic regulation, evidenced by a 96.28 % increase in proline content and changes in total soluble sugars. These adaptive responses contributed to reduced H₂O₂ content, MDA levels, electrolyte leakage, and increased leaf longevity, highlighting SNP's role in enhancing membrane stability and overall plant vitality. The findings underscore NO's multifaceted role in modulating key physiological and metabolic processes that support olive tree resilience under low-temperature stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"181 ","pages":"Pages 302-314"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}