Jelena Bogosavljevic, A. Djordjevic, U. Šilc, Z. Dajić-Stevanović, S. Aćić, Svjetlana Radmanović
{"title":"Characterization of soils on consolidated limestone and its relations to grassland vegetation","authors":"Jelena Bogosavljevic, A. Djordjevic, U. Šilc, Z. Dajić-Stevanović, S. Aćić, Svjetlana Radmanović","doi":"10.2298/abs230106006b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2298/abs230106006b","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the relations between soil features and plant responses is important for agricultural production and nature conservation. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of the influence of soils? physical and chemical features on the composition of plant species and richness in grasslands studied on the limestone massif in eastern Serbia (Mt. Rtanj). The data set included 22 phytosociological relev?s, the same number of corresponding mixed soil samples (0-10 cm depth) and 8 soil profiles. Two vegetation types were distinguished by numerical classification as Saturejion montanae and Festucion valesiacae. The results of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) indicated that the most important soil parameters affecting species composition in dry grasslands were humus, the content of calcium, soil exchange capacity and base saturation, in addition to total acidity, pH and soil depth. The communities of both vegetation types are developed on Leptosols and Phaeozems. Under similar physical and chemical conditions of the soil, the grassland vegetation exhibits differences in floristic composition.","PeriodicalId":8145,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Biological Sciences","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68390135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Melisa Numanovic, K. Stojanović, B. Novakovic, Milica Živković, N. Živić, B. Miljanović
{"title":"Structure and function of benthic invertebrate assemblages of the Djerekarska River (southwestern Serbia, Pester plateau)","authors":"Melisa Numanovic, K. Stojanović, B. Novakovic, Milica Živković, N. Živić, B. Miljanović","doi":"10.2298/abs230306017n","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2298/abs230306017n","url":null,"abstract":"This study is focused on benthic invertebrate communities in the Djerekarska River in Serbia, sampled from June to December 2016. We examined how different microhabitats with various substrates influenced the structure and function of the community. Taxonomic analysis revealed 55 species from 43 genera and 35 families, with the most diverse groups being Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera, and Plecoptera. ANOVA showed that different substrate types impacted the functional feeding groups within the assemblages. Cluster formation was primarily influenced by the substrate structure; this was followed by shredders, gatherers and collectors, passive filters, active filter feeders, the river depth, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and the flow velocity; for grazers and scrapers, discharge and saturation did not significantly affect cluster formation. Using twostep cluster analysis, we identified three clusters based on the substrate structure. The first group consisted of organisms that prefer a stone substrate; the second group consisted of organisms that prefer a mixed stone/gravel/sand substrate; the third group consisted of organisms that prefer gravel and sand substrates. Each cluster had a dominant functional feeding group, such as shredders and predators in the first cluster, gatherers and collectors in the second cluster, and predators, grazers, and scrapers in the third cluster.","PeriodicalId":8145,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Biological Sciences","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68390432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jeeyoung Kim, W. Bang, Jung Woo, Younghwa Kim, Hee Shin, Junoh Kim, Kim Gi, Y. Joo, C. Lee
{"title":"The protective effect of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seed extract containing polysaccharides on human keratinocytes and fibroblasts","authors":"Jeeyoung Kim, W. Bang, Jung Woo, Younghwa Kim, Hee Shin, Junoh Kim, Kim Gi, Y. Joo, C. Lee","doi":"10.2298/abs230403022k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2298/abs230403022k","url":null,"abstract":"To protect the body against environmental threats, cosmetics can play important antiinflammatory and anti-aging roles. Many researchers have developed cosmetic ingredients using natural plant extracts or the active compounds of such extracts. In this study, we assessed the ability of extracts from the seeds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to affect skin cells. In a keratinocyte-derived cell line (HaCaT cells), alfalfa polysaccharide extract (APE) treatment triggered cornified envelope formation and increased the gene expression levels of filaggrin and involucrin, suggesting that APE increased epidermal cell differentiation. In addition, APE dramatically increased the mRNA and protein levels of claudin1, suggesting that it enhances tight junction formation. Finally, APE exerted antiinflammatory effects in keratinocytes by decreasing the LPS-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines. In primary normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF), APE increased procollagen synthesis and decreased elastase activity and metalloproteinase-1 (MMP) secretion. APE also showed superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity in a cell-free system, resulting in antioxidant effects. Finally, we found that the polysaccharides from alfalfa seeds used in our experiments consist mainly of galactose and mannose. Based on our findings, we conclude that APE may have potent skinprotective and skin-improving effects and could be developed as an important ingredient in cosmetics and medicines.","PeriodicalId":8145,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Biological Sciences","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68391063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phosphate solubilization and the enhancement of chickpea growth by new rhizospheric microorganisms Bacillus tequilensis and Trichoderma orientale","authors":"Ahmed Bekkar, Souad Zaim","doi":"10.2298/abs230823034b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2298/abs230823034b","url":null,"abstract":"Two Trichoderma strains and three Bacillus strains isolated from the rhizosphere of healthy chickpeas in Algeria were assessed for their phosphate solubilizing capacity in vitro as well as their growth effects on seedlings of the chickpea in pot experiments. The microorganisms tested had higher phosphate-solubilizing activities, with the solubilization index ranging from 2.41 to 7.40. The concentration of solubilized phosphate varied from 30.17 to 157.44 ?g/mL. The maximum phosphatesolubilizing activity was observed in the two culture filtrates of Bacillus tequilensis Bt1 (157.44 ?g/mL) and Trichoderma orientale T1 (143.33 ?g/mL), accompanied by a decrease in pH of the growth medium from 4.51 to 5.75. The application of the strains (B. tequilensis Bt1 and T. orientale T1) separately and in combination had a beneficial effect on germination by promoting the development of the seeds and effectively enhancing plant growth. Chickpea seedlings showed better vegetative growth when treated with a mixture of B. tequilensis Bt1 and T. orientale T1 together than an individual treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the phosphate-solubilizing potential of the combined microorganisms B. tequilensis and T. orientale and their capacity to promote plant growth in chickpeas.","PeriodicalId":8145,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Biological Sciences","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135913173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
O. Marković, M. Djurovic, Zdravko Ikica, Aleksandra Huter
{"title":"Some biological aspects of Mediterranean mud shrimp, Upogebia pusilla (Petagna, 1792) in the Boka Kotorska Bay, Southeastern Adriatic Sea","authors":"O. Marković, M. Djurovic, Zdravko Ikica, Aleksandra Huter","doi":"10.2298/abs230213010m","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2298/abs230213010m","url":null,"abstract":"Biological aspects (length frequency distribution, length-weight ratio, sex ratio, allometric growth, Fulton's condition factor) of Upogebia pusilla were studied in Tivat Saline (Tivatska solila), Boka Kotorska Bay in 2019. A total of 1,415 individuals were collected. The total length of all studied individuals ranged from 27 to 55 mm (8 and 20 mm CL), while the total weights ranged from 0.29 to 2.56 g (the total length of males ranged from 27 to 51 mm, non-ovoid and ovoid females ranged from 27 to 51 mm and 30 to 55 mm, respectively; the weights ranged from 0.29 to 2.52 g, 0.34 to 2.52 g and 0.47 to 2.56 g for males, non-ovoid and ovoid females, respectively). The overall female:male ratio was 1.2:1. Egg-shaped females were recorded from April (74.3%) to June (23.8%), with a peak in May (91.4% of all females). Males dominated in July (66.4%). The relationship between CL and W was negatively allometric in both males and females and in all sampled individuals. Fulton?s condition factor was higher only in females during the breeding season, while there were no significant differences between males and females during the rest of the year. Since this species is mainly used as live bait for commercial and sports fishermen, the results of this study would be useful for the sustainable management of this species.","PeriodicalId":8145,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Biological Sciences","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68390324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
I. Damjanovic, A. Aliper, P. Maximov, A. Zaichikova, Z. Gacic, E. Maximova
{"title":"Direction selectivity of the retinotectal system of fish: Findings based on microelectrode extracellular recordings of the tectum opticum","authors":"I. Damjanovic, A. Aliper, P. Maximov, A. Zaichikova, Z. Gacic, E. Maximova","doi":"10.2298/abs221216003d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2298/abs221216003d","url":null,"abstract":"Vision in fish plays an important role in different forms of visually guided behavior. The visual system of fish is available for research by different methods; it is a convenient experimental model for studying and understanding the mechanisms of vision in general. Responses of retinal direction-selective (DS) ganglion cells (GCs) are recorded extracellularly from their axon terminals in the superficial layers of the tectum opticum (TO). They can be divided into three distinct groups according to the preferred directions of stimulus movement: caudorostral, dorsoventral and ventrodorsal. Each of these groups comprises both ON and OFF units in equal proportions. Relatively small receptive fields (3-8?) and fine spatial resolution characterize retinal DS units as local motion detectors. Conversely, the responses of direction-selective tectal neurons (DS TNs) are recorded at two different tectal levels, deeper than the zone of retinal DS afferents. They are characterized by large receptive fields (up to 60?) and are indifferent to any sign of contrast, i.e., they can be considered as ON-OFF-type units. Four types of ON-OFF DS TNs preferring different directions of motion have been recorded. The preferred directions of three types of DS TNs match the preferred directions of three types of DS GCs. Matching the three preferred directions of ON and OFF DS GCs and ON-OFF DS TNs has allowed us to hypothesize that the GCs with caudorostral, ventrodorsal and dorsoventral preferences are input neurons for the corresponding types of DS TNs. On the other hand, the rostrocaudal preference in the fourth type of DS TNs, recorded exclusively in the deep tectal zone, is an emergent property of the TO. In this review, our findings are compared with the results of other authors examining direction selectivity in the fish retinotectal system.","PeriodicalId":8145,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Biological Sciences","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68390574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phytochemical composition of Verbascum stachydifolium Boiss & Heldr. var. stachydifolium growing in Türkiye and in vitro analysis of wound healing activity","authors":"B. İğci, Z. Aytaç","doi":"10.2298/abs221222001k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2298/abs221222001k","url":null,"abstract":"This study aimed to investigate the phenolic content, antioxidant activity, cytotoxicity and the in vitro wound healing activity of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Verbascum stachydifolium Boiss & Heldr. var. stachydifolium. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity were measured using spectrophotometry-based methods. Quantitative analysis of the selected phenolics was performed by HPLC. The cytotoxic effects of the extracts on L929 mouse fibroblast cells were evaluated by the MTT assay. The migration of treated fibroblast cells was assessed by the cell scratch assay. The expressions of type I collagen, FGF7, TGF-?1 and VEGF were evaluated by qRT-PCR and ELISA. The HPLC-based analysis revealed the presence of different phenolic compounds at varying amounts and high antioxidant activities were detected. The cytotoxicity assay results indicated that the methanolic and aqueous extracts did not exhibit any cytotoxic effect on fibroblast cells when used up to 500 ?g/mL concentration. Fibroblast migration was stimulated to the highest degree by the aqueous extract obtained by maceration as observed in the scratch assay at 60.4% closure. The molecular mechanism of the wound healing activity involves the upregulation of the analyzed genes.","PeriodicalId":8145,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Biological Sciences","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68390585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of green synthesized calcium oxide nanoparticles from extracts of Citrullus colocynthis on body weight, plasma atherogenic index, and histology of liver and stomach of high-fat-diet-fed rats","authors":"Mubsher Mazher, M. Ishtiaq, Mussaddaq Mazhar","doi":"10.2298/abs230531024m","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2298/abs230531024m","url":null,"abstract":"Citrullus colocynthis has been used to treat obesity and hyperlipidemia. Nanoparticles, due to their nano size, phytochemical adsorption, improved systemic absorption and high bioavailability, can potentially improve the bioactivity of C. colocynthis. The present research focused on studying the effects of green synthesized calcium oxide nanoparticles (CaONPs) from C. colocynthis fruit extracts (CCFE) on the body weight, the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), and the histopathology of male albino rats. Ethyl??-d-glucopyranoside was the major constituent of CCFE, along with phenols and fatty acids. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of CCFE were 203.52 and 173.56 mg/g, respectively. Male albino rats (n=36) were divided into six groups (six rats per each group). Rats in different groups received a normal diet, a high?fat diet (HFD), HFD with lovastatin (10 mg/kg), HFD with CCFE (20 mg/kg), HFD with CaONPs (2 mg/kg), and HFD with a synergistic solution of CCFE (10 mg/kg) and CaONPs (1 mg/kg), respectively. When CaONPs were administered in combination with CCFE, significant weight-lowering activity (36.36%), improved cardiovascular health as per AIP (0.12?0.01b), and fewer disturbances in liver function parameters were observed. Histological analysis at the end of the experiment showed that CaONPs were not toxic to the gastric mucosa and were slightly toxic to hepatocytes. It can be concluded that CaONPs synthesized from CCFE can be a potent weight-lowering and antilipidemic agent with fewer side effects.","PeriodicalId":8145,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Biological Sciences","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68390661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Apifloristic diversity in the eastern Mediterranean region: Implications for biodiversity conservation and use","authors":"A. Topal, A. Uzun, Osman Polat","doi":"10.2298/abs230331018t","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2298/abs230331018t","url":null,"abstract":"The ecological role of honeybees in the world and their value for sustainable agriculture and food industry are more important than ever. For this reason, we study the apiflora in the eastern Mediterranean region of T?rkiye in the context of planning bee forests aimed at biodiversity conservation. The results show that honeybee forests are quite rich in both endemism and apifloristic diversity. A total of 511 plant taxa belonging to 264 genera and 59 families were identified, of which 335 (65%) taxa were evaluated as nectar (N) and/or pollen (P) bearing honey plants (45 N, 54 P, and 236 N&P). In terms of apiflora, the richest families are Fabaceae (n=76, 3 N, 73 N&P), Lamiaceae (n=57, 19 N, 38 N&P) and Asteraceae (n=44, 1 N, 10 P, 33 N&P). Nectariferous plants were more common at higher elevations, while polleniferous plants were more common at lower elevations. According to the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, the highest diversity values were found in honeybee forests at higher elevations and the lowest diversity values at lower elevations. Sorensen analysis also showed that floristic similarities among honeybee forests ranged from 1% to 42%. Cluster analysis supported these differences by dividing the forests into two separate groups.","PeriodicalId":8145,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Biological Sciences","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68391050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Veličkov, V. Petrovic, B. Djordjevic, Asen Velickov, A. Petrović, Milica Lazarevic, Julija Cvetkovic
{"title":"Distribution of interstitial cells of Cajal and nerve fibers in rat stomach in streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetes mellitus","authors":"A. Veličkov, V. Petrovic, B. Djordjevic, Asen Velickov, A. Petrović, Milica Lazarevic, Julija Cvetkovic","doi":"10.2298/abs230220012v","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2298/abs230220012v","url":null,"abstract":"Diabetic peristalsis disorders are common complications in diabetes mellitus type 2. Disturbance of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) caused by metabolic changes in diabetes could explain the symptoms of diabetic gastroenteropathy. Although heterogenous interstitial cell types represent only 5% of the cell population of the muscle layer in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), they are important for conducting electrical signals and regulating muscle excitability. The aim of this study was to investigate the alterations of the myenteric and intramuscular ICCs in the gaster of rats with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2), as well as determine their distribution in relation to smooth muscle cells and enteric nerve structures. Male Wistar rats were used and DT2 was induced by streptozotocin-nicotinamide (STZ-NA) application. The stomach specimens were exposed to type III transmembrane tyrosine kinase (c-KIT), neurofilament (NF-M) protein and desmin antibodies to investigate the ICC, enteric neurons and smooth muscle cells. Morphological changes of the cells were quantified by the numerical areal density of intramuscular ICC, the ICC score of myenteric ICC and the volume density of nerve fibers. In conclusion, a statistically significant decrease in the number of intramuscular ICC and myenteric ICC without nerve fiber loss were observed in all stomach regions in rats with STZ-NA-induced DMT2.","PeriodicalId":8145,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Biological Sciences","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"68390373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}