South African Journal of Botany最新文献

{"title":"In vitro cytotoxic, genotoxic, and multi-parameter hepatotoxic evaluation of selected South African medicinal plant extracts","authors":"Sowesa Kevine Kanama ,&nbsp;Ilze Vermaak ,&nbsp;Maryna van de Venter ,&nbsp;Trevor C. Koekemoer ,&nbsp;Alvaro Viljoen","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.042","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.042","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many consumers assume the safety of medicinal plants, and consequently use these remedies for treating various conditions, without knowledge of their potential toxicity. Research assessing the safety of South African medicinal plants is scarce. This study was therefore aimed at evaluating the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and <em>in vitro</em> multi-parameter hepatotoxicity of twenty South African indigenous medicinal plant extracts, which were selected based on their significance, popularity and commercial use. Sixty extracts (water, methanol and hexane) of 50, 100 and 200 μg/mL were prepared from the twenty selected species using the plant parts used traditionally. These were screened for cytotoxicity towards Vero and C3A cells. The extracts were tested for potential genotoxicity using the micronucleus assay in Vero cells. The hepatotoxicity of these extracts was assessed using a multi-parameter assay using C3A cells. Mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial mass, oxidative stress, lysosomal content and lipid accumulation were used as indicators to assess potential hepatotoxicity. In the micronucleus assay, most of the hexane and methanol extracts were found to be toxic towards Vero cells, while the majority of the water extracts were non-toxic, as confirmed by Hoechst 33342-PI dual staining. The methanol extracts of <em>Athrixia phylicoides</em> and <em>Pelargonium sidoides</em> were toxic to Vero cells at all three concentrations tested. Although some hexane and methanol extracts induced a degree of cytotoxicity at the highest concentrations, only the methanol extracts of <em>A. phylicoides</em> and <em>P. sidoides</em> exhibited possible genotoxic potential at all three concentrations. In the multi-parameter hepatotoxicity assay, the aqueous extracts of <em>Lippia javanica, Mentha longifolia, Merwilla plumbea, Mesembryanthemum tortuosum, P. sidoides,</em> and <em>Xysmalobium undulatum</em> were found to cause oxidative stress. The majority of extracts induced mitotoxicity, which is linked to lipid toxicity; this was particularly prominent in the case of all three <em>P. sidoides</em> extracts. The organic extracts of <em>Crinum macowanii</em> and <em>Melianthus major</em>, as well as the water extract of <em>X. undulatum</em>, caused lysosomal dysfunction. Almost all of the water, methanol and hexane extracts exhibited a degree of cytotoxicity towards C3A cells. Mitotoxicity and lipid accumulation were amongst the hepatotoxic mechanisms displayed by aqueous extracts. Some caution is recommended when using some of these plant species, as a degree of toxicity was observed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"180 ","pages":"Pages 625-635"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143738935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nanotechnology in agriculture: Exploring the influence of calcium carbonate nanoparticles on tomato leaf and fruit metabolomic profiles","authors":"Thobo Motlhalamme ,&nbsp;Amani Gabriel Kaningini ,&nbsp;Force Tefo Thema ,&nbsp;Keletso Cecilia Mohale ,&nbsp;Malik Maaza","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.028","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.028","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant growth and development require various macronutrients such as calcium for the synthesis of secondary metabolites. One of the main factors hindering tomato development and fruiting is calcium deficiency. However, calcium can be made more available and more mobile in the plant and all of its activities through the use of calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CaCO₃ NPs) as a source of calcium for plant nutrition. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of CaCO₃ NPs on the metabolomic profile of two tomato cultivars grown under greenhouse conditions. A completely randomized design was used for plant growth. An LC-QTOF-MS/MS was used to analyze tomato fruits and leaves. The evaluation of the metabolomic profile was done using molecular networking in the GNPS analysis environment. The results obtained were compared against different databases and the DEREPLICATOR software was used for metabolites annotation. The PCA and heatmaps were generated using Metaboanalyst software. The results revealed each cultivar's metabolomic profile to be unique and highly influenced by application of CaCO₃ NPs, as shown by the distinct groups obtained via heatmap, PCA, and PLS-DA multivariate analyses. Additionally, the application of CaCO₃ NPs increased the presence of terpenoids and flavonoids in both fruits and leaves compared with the untreated plants. Metabolites such as 13-hydroxyabscisic acid, Dantaxusin A, and Sinuatol were identified in the leaves of the Moneymaker cultivar, with 3′-O-linolenoylglyceryl 6-O-galactopyranosyl-galactopyranoside, Olean-12-en-28-oic acid and scutianthraquinone B present in the fruits. In the case of the Heinz-1370 cultivar, 3-O-(α-L-oleandrosyl) oleandolide, 6,6′-di-O-caffeoylcatalpol and astilbin were identified in the leaves, with quercetin 3-O-xylosyl-rutinoside and 3-O-feruloyl-1,4-di-O-dihydrocaffeoylquinic acid identified in the fruits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"180 ","pages":"Pages 615-624"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143738990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transcriptional profiling and proteomic validation revealed higher boron tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to salt pre-treatment","authors":"Ceyhun Kayıhan ,&nbsp;Efe Dallı ,&nbsp;Şeküre Çulha Erdal ,&nbsp;İdil Yet ,&nbsp;Nuran Çiçek ,&nbsp;Yasemin Ekmekçi","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Boron (B), which has a very narrow range of deficiency and toxicity, is an essential and unique micronutrient for plants. The negative effects of B toxicity in plants have been recently alleviated by various treatments such as salt, melatonin, nitrit oxide etc. This study aimed to evaluate the alleviating effect of salt pre-treatment (SP) on boron stress by investigating B accumulation, photosynthetic activity, oxidative damage, and antioxidant defense system and the changes in transcriptomic responses and proteomic validation in <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em>. Twelve-day-old <em>A. thaliana</em> plants grown under control conditions were transferred to plates including 40 mM NaCl for 3 days and, then, the seedlings with/without SP were transferred to plates containing 3 mM H₃BO₃ (3B) and 5 mM H₃BO₃ (5B) for 7 days. B toxicity led to a decrease in leaf area, biomass, the photosynthetic performance and the content of photosynthetic pigments and an increase in the accumulation of B, the contents of anthocyanin, while SP treatments mitigated the adverse effects of B toxicity on these parameters in <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em>. According to RNA-seq analysis, the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was higher in 5B than in 3B treatment in leaf tissues. Also, SP treatments induced more genes than 3B and 5B treatments and it was higher in SP-5B than in SP-3B treatment. These genes related to mainly the metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, ribosome, plant-pathogen interaction, plant hormone signal transduction, carbon metabolism, biosynthesis of amino acids, photosynthesis, and ribosome biogenesis. Especially, the genes of ribosome biogenesis were induced under all conditions and in fact, it was determined that they were induced more following SP treatments compared to 3B and 5B. In conclusion, SP treatments can reduce the detrimental effect of B toxicity on <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em> by inducing more internal B defense and detoxification mechanism, and the genes of some metabolic pathways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"180 ","pages":"Pages 588-605"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735062","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":"Lipid-lowering effect of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) powder on Drosophila melanogaster larvae fed a high-sucrose diet","authors":"Dan He ,&nbsp;Shanshan Li ,&nbsp;Weihui Xu ,&nbsp;Lijie Liu ,&nbsp;Zhenyu Fan ,&nbsp;Jinxu Liu ,&nbsp;Yunlong Hu ,&nbsp;Zhigang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.050","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.050","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The food industry has shown a significant interest in exploring plant-based components with lipid-lowering properties. Industrial hemp (<em>Cannabis sativa</em> L., IH), which is renowned for its rich bioactive constituents, has emerged as a potential botanical source. However, there are limited reports on the lipid-lowering effects of IH and its underlying mechanisms. Therefore, this study employed network pharmacology and a high sucrose (HS)-fed <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> larvae model to investigate the lipid-lowering effects of IH. Network pharmacology analysis confirmed that flavonoids, sterols, flavonoid glycosides, and phenolic compounds present in IH possess lipid-lowering effects, suggesting that IH may exhibit potential lipid-lowering activity. Subsequently, <em>in vivo</em> validation demonstrated that IH significantly reduced triglyceride levels in a concentration-dependent manner in the HS group. Notably, a 1 % concentration of IH markedly decreased lipid accumulation and was selected for further investigation of its mechanism in HS-fed larvae. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed that the lipid-lowering effect of IH is associated with the regulation of lipid metabolism and related signaling pathways, including the MAPK signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, cAMP signaling pathway, and cGMP-PKG signaling pathway. These results are consistent with the findings from the network pharmacological analysis and confirm the role of IH in modulating lipid metabolism. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that IH has significant lipid-lowering characteristics and holds great potential for future functional food applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"180 ","pages":"Pages 579-587"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735061","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":"Molecular docking and bio-control efficacy of Mesosphaerum suaveolens (L.) Kuntze against mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus Say","authors":"Bidinti Brahma ,&nbsp;Asha Boro ,&nbsp;Nerswn Basumatary ,&nbsp;Jatin Sarmah ,&nbsp;Yutika Narzary","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.027","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant-based insecticides are gaining attention as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic pesticides due to their natural compounds like essential oils and extracts, which pose minimal risks to non-target organisms and the environment. <em>Mesosphaerum suaveolens</em> (L.) Kuntze<strong>,</strong> traditionally used as an insect repellent by Bodo tribe of Assam, was evaluated for its insecticidal efficacy against <em>Culex quinquefasciatus</em>, a prevalent mosquito in the region. The methanolic extract of the leaves of <em>M. suaveolens</em> showed significant insecticidal activity with LC₅₀ value at 81.28 μg/mL &amp; LC₉₀ at 186.21 μg/mL. The GC–MS analysis revealed presence of 13 compounds out of which 11 are newly reported in <em>M. suaveolens</em>. For <em>in-silico</em> investigation, the phytochemicals identified from GC–MS analysis were investigated for their binding affinity to selected target proteins of <em>Cx. quinquefasciatus</em> namely: maltase 1 (Cqm1) and Odorant binding protein (OBP). Molecular docking studies predicted five potent inhibitors of the targeted proteins, and highlighted 7-Hydroxy-7, 8, 9, 10-Tetramethyl-7, 8-Dihydrocyclohepta [D, E] Naphthalene as the most promising compound. The MD simulation of two complexes “7-Hydroxy-7, 8, 9, 10-Tetramethyl-7,8-Dihydrocyclohepta [D, E] Naphthalene &amp; maltase 1 (Cqm1)” and “7-Hydroxy-7, 8, 9, 10-Tetramethyl-7,8-Dihydrocyclohepta [D, E] Naphthalene &amp; Odorant binding protein (OBP)”, showed that the compound 7-Hydroxy-7, 8, 9, 10-Tetramethyl-7,8-Dihydrocyclohepta [D, E] Naphthalene has a stronger inhibitory potential against maltase 1 (Cqm1) as compared to Odorant binding protein (OBP). This study underscores the potential of <em>M. suaveolens</em> as an effective, sustainable alternative to synthetic insecticides for controlling <em>Cx. quinquefasciatus</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"180 ","pages":"Pages 541-552"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143724914","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":"An appraisal of the South African antibacterial plants and their computational bioprospection for putative leads against Staphylococcus aureus penicillin-binding protein 2a and beta-lactamase","authors":"Gideon Ampoma Gyebi,&nbsp;Saheed Sabiu","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.040","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.040","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 2a and beta-lactamase play important roles in the resistance of <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> to beta-lactam antibiotics, making them vital targets for the discovery of new chemical entities. The vast South African medicinal plants (SAMP) with reported antibacterial properties have not been sufficiently explored to date. This study explored SAMP with reported antibacterial activities for putative leads against <em>S. aureus</em> PBP2a and beta-lactamase using computational studies. A total of 187 SAMPs with antibacterial activity were identified, spanning 67 families, with Fabaceae (18), Asteraceae (19), and Lamiaceae (11) being the most prominently represented. A library of 4230 secondary metabolites (SM), predominantly identified from leaves of the plants, was constructed and docked against active site of <em>S. aureus</em> PBP2a. The top-ranked SM were further docked to the allosteric site of <em>S. aureus</em> PBP2a, beta-lactamase and their ensembles obtained from conformational clustering and investigated for druggable pharmacokinetic and synthetic features. Thermodynamic stability analysis of the resulting complexes of the leads over a 120-ns MD simulation period revealed astragalin 6′’-gallate (-62.11 ± 4.94 and -39.70 ± 4.91 kcal/mol) and 20(29)-Lupene-3β-Isoferulate (-55.66 ± 8.91 and -42.88 ± 5.93 kcal/mol) as the most potent against <em>S. aureus</em> PBP2a and beta-lactamase compared to reference standards, ceftaroline (-46.06 ± 5.65 kcal/mol) and clavulanate (-21.40 ± 4.77 kcal/mol), respectively, with an allosteric modulatory effect on Tyr446, the active site gatekeeper residue in <em>S. aureus</em> PBP2a. Astragalin 6′'-gallate and 20(29)-lupene-3β-isoferulate, identified in <em>Myrothamnus flabellifolia</em> and <em>Euclea natalensis,</em> respectively, are likely contributors to the reported antibacterial activity of these plants. The potential dual-target inhibitory properties and the ability to modulate the active site conformation of <em>S. aureus</em> PBP2a position these metabolites as promising candidates for further investigation in combating <em>S. aureus</em> infections. Efforts are underway in this direction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"180 ","pages":"Pages 553-578"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From fruit to functional food: Eriobotrya japonica’s potential in managing obesity and Alzheimer's disease","authors":"Adha Fauzi Hendrawan ,&nbsp;Rio Jati Kusuma ,&nbsp;Derren David Christian Homenta Rampengan ,&nbsp;Juan Alessandro Jeremis Maruli Nura Lele ,&nbsp;Kevin Christian Tjandra ,&nbsp;Fatimawali Fatimawali ,&nbsp;Nurpudji Astuti Taslim ,&nbsp;Raymond Rubianto Tjandrawinata ,&nbsp;Trina Ekawati Tallei ,&nbsp;Rony Abdi Syahputra ,&nbsp;Antonello Santini ,&nbsp;Fahrul Nurkolis","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.043","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.043","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Eriobotrya japonica</em> (Thunb.) Lindl. (<em>Eriobotrya japonica</em> L.) commonly known as loquat, is a medicinal fruit with rich bioactive compounds that exhibit pharmacological potential. This study explores the anti-obesity and anti-Alzheimer's properties of <em>E. japonica</em> fruit extract through metabolomic profiling, molecular docking, and <em>in vitro</em> assays. Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) identified eight key bioactive compounds. Among them, hyperoside (C6) and afzelin (C8) demonstrated the strongest affinities in molecular docking studies, targeting key enzymes such as HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) (-9.1 kcal/mol) and Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) (-10.7 kcal/mol). <em>In vitro</em> enzymatic assays confirmed significant inhibitory activities. Afzelin (C8) and Hyperoside (C6) exhibited potent anti-Alzheimer's activity with an EC₅₀ of 26.11 mg/mL, while afzelin had an EC₅₀ of 21.61 mg/mL, comparable to physostigmine (EC₅₀ = 21.48 mg/mL). For anti-obesity effects, hyperoside (C6) showed an EC₅₀ of 25.46 mg/mL, while afzelin (C8) exhibited a more potent effect (EC₅₀ = 21.66 mg/mL), outperforming the commercial inhibitor orlistat (EC₅₀ = 23.14 mg/mL). These findings highlight the potential of <em>E. japonica</em> as a natural source for developing functional food and therapeutic agents targeting obesity and Alzheimer's disease. Further <em>in vivo</em> and clinical investigations are recommended to validate these promising results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"180 ","pages":"Pages 531-540"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143724913","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":"Immunomodulatory effects of Abelmoschus esculentus L. flower polysaccharide on spleen lymphocytes via TLR4-MAPK-NF-κB signaling pathways","authors":"Weijie Zhang ,&nbsp;Guanghua Mao ,&nbsp;Weiwei Feng ,&nbsp;Yao Chen ,&nbsp;Min Zhang ,&nbsp;Guangying Cheng ,&nbsp;Ting Zhao ,&nbsp;Liuqing Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.031","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.031","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Abelmoschus esculentus</em> L., (okra) which is originated in Africa and planted extensively cultivated plant in tropical and subtropical regions. Okra fruits are ideal vegetable and functional food. However, its flowers wither automatically before the fruit is harvested and most of them are discarded as waste, which causes serious waste of resources. The current investigation elucidated the immunomodulatory effects of a new polysaccharide from okra flowers (AEFP22) on spleen lymphocytes as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms. CCK-8 and flow cytometry analyses demonstrated that AEFP22 increased the viability of spleen lymphocytes and affected their cell cycle progression, thereby facilitating the mitosis of T and B lymphocytes. AEFP22 treatment also enhanced the relative CD4⁺/CD8⁺ lymphocyte ratio and increased CD19⁺ lymphocyte proportion. Additionally, the production of cytokines, immunoglobulins, and nitric oxide and the inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA level also increased notably following AEFP22 treatment. Furthermore, the relative expression levels of MyD88, TRAF6, and TLR4 mRNAs and proteins were considerably elevated by AEFP22. AEFP22 also activated the phosphorylation of downstream MAPK molecules and facilitated NF-κB nuclear translocation. Thus, AEFP22 can induce stimulation of spleen lymphocyte proliferation and differentiation and activate immunoreaction through the TLR4-MAPK-NF-κB signaling pathways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"180 ","pages":"Pages 520-530"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714737","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":"Analysis of the chemical properties and larvicidal activity of essential oils from Ruta graveolens and Ruta montana against Culiseta longiareolata: Toxicity, enzymatic and biochemical alterations","authors":"Rania Bendjazia ,&nbsp;Djemaa Dris ,&nbsp;Hanane Seghier ,&nbsp;Rym Essid ,&nbsp;Selim Jallouli ,&nbsp;Olfa Tabbene ,&nbsp;Hayette Bouabida","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.029","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.029","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The mosquito <em>Culiseta longiareolata</em> (Diptera, Culicidae) is recognized as a vector for numerous detrimental diseases, necessitating efforts to maintain its population below threshold levels. In light of this, essential oils (EOs) are increasingly recognized as promising alternatives for improving pest management strategies. Therefore, this study intends to evaluate the larvicidal activity of <em>Ruta montana</em> and <em>Ruta graveolens</em> essential oils against <em>Culiseta longiareolata</em> (Aitken, 1954) (Culicidae). The GC-MS analysis detected 8 compounds in <em>Ruta graveolens</em>, primarily 2-Undecanone (47.72%) and 1-Nonene (22.56%). Conversely, <em>Ruta montana</em> revealed 6 compounds, with 2-Undecanone (64.35%) and 1-Octadecanol (15.90%) as its major constituents. The toxicity results revealed strong larvicidal activity against <em>C. longiareolata</em> larvae (L4), with LC₅₀ values of 30.24ppm for <em>R. montana</em> and 27.21ppm for <em>R. graveolens</em>. Furthermore, these essential oils significantly affect the biochemical composition of the larvae, leading to marked reductions in carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Notably, they also exhibit a detoxifying effect, as evidenced by substantial increases in biomarkers including glutathione S-transferase and catalase. These essential oils have the potential to serve as novel mosquito control agents derived from plant sources, offering an alternative to chemical larvicides.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"180 ","pages":"Pages 512-519"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714736","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":"Unlocking hidden biomarkers: Exploring miswak (Salvadora persica L.) potential in tongue squamous cell carcinoma through UPLC-MS/MS and multivariate analysis","authors":"Alaa A. El-Banna ,&nbsp;Reham S. Ibrahim ,&nbsp;Dina S. Ghallab","doi":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.041","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.041","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Salvadora persica</em> L. (Miswak) popularly utilized in oral hygiene serves as an appreciated prime store of chemically distinct bioactive compounds with potentiating biological attributes. The current work is devoted to thoroughly compare the chemical profiles of <em>S. persica</em> different organs (leaves, roots and twigs) and their potential entanglements on oral cancer control through Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass/mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and chemometrics. A set of 64 compounds belonging to distinct chemical classes mainly phenolics, benzyl and urea derivatives, butanediamides, terpenoids, and fatty acids were chemically annotated unravelling dynamic patterns among miswak parts. Coincidentally, Orthogonal Projection to Latent Structures-Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) successfully optimized the intricate discrepancies among the comparable organs underscoring benzylcarbamide, kaempferol-O-hexoside, catechin, benzylnitrile, and N-(1-hydroxybenzyl) urea as focal markers of leave samples whilst theogallin, isoterpinolene, N, N’-di(hydroxybenzyl)urea, iriflopheneone, viridiflorol, reticuline and persicaline obviously distinguished root samples. Successively, benzylisothiocyanate, N,N’-dibenzylthiourea, carnosic acid, N,N’-dihydroxybenzyl-butanediamide and oleic acid were the differential markers for twigs. Experimentally speaking, the tested miswak organs effectively attenuated the proliferation of tongue carcinoma in a dose and time-dependent manner with the most noteworthy findings in the case of root samples with IC₅₀ equal 90.12 ± 2.4 μg/mL. Orthogonal Projection to Latent Structures (OPLS)-derived coefficients plots illuminated that benzylcarbamide, benzyl nitrile, syringic acid, catechin, N-(1-hydroxybenzyl)-urea, salvadorin and dehydroursolic acid lactone strikingly accumulated in roots might be the efficacy compounds beyond the oral cytotoxic activity. The data gathered undoubtfully provide a basic step for rational inclusion of <em>S. persica</em> as a valuable starting material for new drug discovery to rectify oral cancer. However, future research should be geared to strengthen the relevance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21919,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Botany","volume":"180 ","pages":"Pages 497-511"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714735","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}