• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.335-341
• /
• 2008

In this study, hexaconazole 5% SC, an ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitor, was tested on groundnut with its recommended ($500\;mL\;ha^{-1}$) and higher ($2,000\;mL\;ha^{-1}$) concentrations under greenhouse conditions in India. Its influence on biochemical constituents of groundnut plants was assessed apart from its disease management potential against late leaf spot caused by Phaeoisariopsis personata (Berk and Curt). Likewise, leaf samples were collected from hexaconazole 5% SC-sprayed plants at different time intervals. Thereafter, their analyses showed considerable differences in the plant constituents, such as chlorophyll, soluble protein, and total phenol contents and the activity of nitrate reductase enzyme. The induction activity of defense-related enzyme, peroxidase, was also analyzed. However, no difference was observed in the isozymic pattern. Moreover, the ground kernels collected from treated plants also showed no difference in the estimated carbohydrate and other constituents.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.355-360
• /
• 2006

Plants have been used in traditional medicinal system for centuries. Bangladeshi medicinal plants have received considerable attention from the researchers for evaluation of their bioactivity. As a part of our ongoing research of screening the Bangladeshi medicinal plants, the ethanolic extract of Dendrophthoe falcata have been chosen for the present study. The ethanolic extract of the leaves of the plant have been assessed for their antioxidant, antinociceptive, and general toxicity. The extract showed potent antioxidant activity ($IC_{50}5.1{\mu}g/ml$) using DPPH radical scavenging assay, which is comparable to the standard ascorbic acid ($IC_{50}4.6{\mu}g/ml$). The extract significantly and dose dependently inhibited the acetic acid induced writhing in mice (71.2%, P < 0.001 and 28.0%, P < 0.05 for 500 and 250 mg/kg body weight, respectively). A general toxicity was assessed by a simple and low cost assay using brine shrimp lethality as an indicator. The extract showed low level of toxicity ($LC_{50}100{\mu}g/ml$). Using different chromatographic techniques, quercitrin (quercetin 3-O-${\alpha}$-rhamnoside) was separated as the major component from the extract. The structure was elucidated by detailed 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectral analysis.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.272-278
• /
• 2008

The carbon-ion beam (CIB) generated by the heavy-ion medical accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) was targeted to 7-day-old rice. Physiological parameters such as growth, and gene expression profiles were examined immediately after CIB irradiation. Dose-dependent growth suppression was seen three days post-irradiation (PI), and all the irradiated plants died by 15 days PI. Microarray (Agilent rice 22K) analysis of the plants immediately after irradiation (iai) revealed effects on gene expression at 270 Gy; 353 genes were up-regulated and 87 down-regulated. Exactly the same set of genes was affected at 90 Gy. Among the highly induced genes were genes involved in information storage and processing, cellular processes and signaling, and metabolism. RT-PCR analysis confirmed the microarray data.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.336-340
• /
• 2007

Plants from the genus Centaurea (C.) (Family: Asteraceae alt. Compositae), widely distributed in Asia, Europe and North America, have traditionally been used in the treatment of various ailments. As a part of our on-going studies on the plants from the genus C. for their phytochemistry and biological activities, extracts of the seeds of Turkish endemic C. species, C. bornmuelleri and C. huber-morathii, were tested for their cytotoxicity towards the CaCo2 colon cancer cell line as well as for the toxicity towards the brine shrimps, using the MTT and the brine shrimp lethality assays, respectively. Among the extracts, the MeOH extract of these plants showed significant toxicity towards the brine shrimps ($LD_{50}=55.2{\times}10^{-2}\;and\;42.4{\times}10^{-2}mg/ml$, respectively). The MeOH extract of both C. species also inhibited the growth of CaCo2 colon cancer cells in the MTT assay ($IC_{50}$=29.9 and 33.0 g/ml, respectively). As the most prominent activities in both assays were observed with the MeOH extracts, it can be assumed that the compound(s) responsible for these activities are polar in nature.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.315-321
• /
• 2016

Background: Herbal medicine has becoming a potential source of treatment for different types of cancer including breast cancer. It has been shown that plants from the family Rhamnaceae possess anticancer activity. Objective: In this study, we determined the antiproliferative influence of Ziziphus spina christi- a species from this family- on the MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma) cell line. Materials and Methods: The cytotoxicity of the total extract, ethanol, ethanol-aqueous (1:1) as well as aqueous fractions of Ziziphus spina christi leaves was evaluated through MTT assay against MCF-7 cell line. Cell cycle inhibition and apoptosis induction were assessed by flowcytometry cycle RNase/PI analysis and Annexin V-FLUOS, respectively. Apoptosis was also analyzed by immunoblotting assay. Results: Our results indicated that the ethanolic fraction had the lowest $IC_{50}$ value (0.02 mg/ml), induced cell cycle arrest at the G1/S phase as well as apoptosis after a 48h of treatment. Conclusions: This is the first report on anticancer effect of Ziziphus spina christi ethanolic fraction on breast cancer cells, providing a scientific basis for its utility in traditional medicine. However, further in-depth studies are needed to confirm the precise mechanisms.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
• /
• v.1 no.4
• /
• pp.50-56
• /
• 2012

The objectives of this research were to quantify resistance levels of transgenic rice expressing the bar gene to glutamine synthetase (GS)-inhibiting, and methionine sulfoximine and photosynthesis-inhibiting herbicide, paraquat, and compare the ammonium accumulation, chilling injury, and yield between transgenic and non-transgenic rice. The transgenic rice lines were 45-96-fold more resistant to glufosinate-ammonium than non-transgenic rice. The transgenic rice lines were also 18-fold more resistant to methionine sulfoximine, but was not resistant to paraquat, which has different target site. Glufosinate-ammonium increased the ammonium accumulation in leaves of non-transgenic rice plants, but had minimal or no effect on leaves of transgenic lines. The transgenic lines except for 258, 411, 607 and 608 were more susceptible during chilling and recovery than non-transgenic rice plants. The yield of transgenic lines 142, 144, 258 and 608 was similar or higher than that of non-transgenic rice in pot conditions.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.61-68
• /
• 2013

Objectives : A precise and simple system of nomenclature was required to avoid error, ambiguity or confusion. Although medicinal plants must be produced or distributed based on a pharmacopoeia described origin including scientific name, the Korean Pharmacopoeia tenth edition (KP 10) had many names against the nomenclature. Therefore, this study aimed at searching correct scientific names for 241 plants in KP 10. Methods : Authoritative databases - The Plant List, International Plant Name Index, YList, Tropicos, eFloras, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, The Global Compositae Checklist, The International Legume Database and Information Service, et al. - and previously performed researches, floras were cross-checked. Results : The arrangement of this list was designed for four cases, errors including illegitimate, nomenclatural synonyms, recommended names and decision reserved names. Consideration about the scientific names produced nine correct names for ten misspellings and illegitimate, and thirty-six correct names for forty-one nomenclatural synonyms. These results should be reflected in the next of KP 10. Separately, ten recommended names were also suggested for taxonomic synonyms which had been used indiscriminately due to diverse taxonomic opinions. In addition to those, decision reserved names were suggested for thirteen species which had been corridor of uncertainty. Then again, there was need to study about authorship, because KP 10 did not keep recommendations for author citations. Conclusions : Correction of scientific names for some medicinal plants which violated the International Code of Nomenclature would be useful to improve the accuracy of a Pharmacopoeia as the criterional materials.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.102-105
• /
• 2005

Severe wilt disease epidemic was found on winter daphnes (Daphne odora Thunb.) cultivated in farmers, nurseries in Suncheon, Jeonnam in 2003. Typical symptoms appeared on the leaves of winter daphne as yellowish wilts and turned brown from the lower leaves on the same plant. Severely infected leaves were defoliated, resulting in blight of stems and eventual death of the entire plant. Black decayed vascular tissues were distinctly observed in a wilted plant. Fusarium sp. was isolated from the diseased plants repeatedly and its pathogenicity was confirmed by artificial inoculation on healthy plants. The fungus was identified as Fusarium oxysporum on the basis of the morphological and cultural characteristics on potato dextrose agar and carnation leaf agar. The optimum temperature for fungal growth was around $25{\circ}C$ and the fungal growth was inhibited by metconazole, triflumizole and trifloxystrobin on potato dextrose agar. This is the first report on the wilt disease of winter daphnes caused by F.oxysporum in Korea.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 1995.06a
• /
• pp.40-56
• /
• 1995

During the past two decades, China has seen her great progress in plant biotechnology. Since the Chinese market of herb medicine is huge, while the plant resources are shrinking, particular emphasis has been placed in plant tissue and cell cultures of medicinal plants, this includes fast propagation, protoplast isolation and regeneration, cell suspension cultures and large scale fermentation. To optimize culture conditions for producing secondary compounds in vitro, various media, additives and elicitors have been tested. Successful examples of large scale culture for the secondary metabolite biosynthesis are quite limited : Lithospermum ery throrhizon and Arnebia euchroma for shikonin derivatives, Panax ginseng, P. notoginseng, P. quinquefolium for saponins, and a few other medicinal plants. Recent development of genetic transformation systems of plant cells offered a new approach to in vitro production of secondary compounds. Hairy root induction and cultures, by using Ri-plasmid, have been reported from a number of medicinal plant species, such as Artemisia annua that produces little artemisinin in normal cultured cells, and from Glycyrrhiza uralensis. In the coming five years, Chinese scientists will continue their work on large scale cell cultures of a few of selected plant species, including Taxus spp. and A. annua, for the production of secondary metabolites with medicinal interests, one or two groups of scientists will be engaged in molecular cloning of the key enzymes in plant secondary metabolism.

• CELLMED
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.31.1-31.8
• /
• 2013

This study has been geared to document primary information on common complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) used to treat and/or manage common dermatological disorders in Mauritius, a tropical multicultural island in the Indian Ocean. Data from 355 key informants was collected via a semi-structured questionnaire. Pearson correlation and Chi-squared test were performed to delineate any association. Quantitative indexes including the Importance Value (IV) and fidelity value were calculated. Results tend to indicate that cultural reasons were behind the use of CAM among Mauritians and traditional knowledge was mainly acquired either from parents/relatives or from self-experience. Among the medicinal plants mentioned, Aziadiracta indica (IV = 0.78) and Paederia tomentosa (IV = 0.70) were found to be most used plants. Calendula officinalis (IV = 0.15), Centella asiatica (IV = 0.22) and Agauria salicifolia (IV = 0.11) were also recorded to be used for common dermatological disorders though greatly under-utilised. Animal products were mentioned by 38.0% respondents and cow ghee was found to be commonly used in the management of measles (IV = 0.88). Spiritual healing was found to be used mainly for measles and warts. Given the plethora of novel information documented from the present survey, it can be suggested that the Mauritian population still relies to a great extent on CAM which needs to be preserved and used sustainably. Nonetheless, further investigation is required to probe the possible active constituents that could be the basis of an evidence based investigation to discover new drugs.