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Genome-wide phylogeny of subterranean blind mole rats Spalacinae (Gray 1821)
No full textThe large- and small-bodied subterranean blind mole rats (BMRs) of the subfamily Spalacinae are known for their remarkable geographic chromosomal diversity and cryptic speciation, but the phylogenetic history of the group remains obscure. We used partial mtDNA and genome-wide SNP markers obtained by ddRAD-seq to reconstruct a robust phylogeny that extends over the entire BMR geographic range, including multiple populations for which the molecular data were obtained for the first time. A conservative species delimitation approach was applied hierarchically, starting at the level of subfamily and then at each Molecular Taxonomic Unit (MOTU) revealed henceforth. This confirmed the monophyly of the genus Spalax, the ‘species complexes’ Nanospalax ehrenbergi and N. leucodon, but not the N. xanthodon complex, which included two ancient Anatolian lineages, one of them (N. cilicicus Méhelÿ 1909) predating the divergence of the European N. leucodon. The inference of biogeographic history and dating based on the molecular clock pointed to Southern Anatolia and the Northern Levant as the most likely areas of the earliest divergence within the small-bodied BMR at the beginning of Pleistocene. The Spalax-Nannospalax split occurred in mid-late Pliocene. The two main emerging phylogeographic patterns in BMR were (1) high degree of relictualism of most lineages, which currently possess small fragmented ranges and high levels of genetic polymorphism and (2) more recent expansion of a fewer lineages that have large continuous ranges but show low levels of genetic variation.Mitsainas GP, Borowski Z, Georgiakakis P, Henttonen H, Lymberakis P, Schley L, Youlatos D, editors. Book of abstracts: IX European Congress of Mammalogy (ECM9); 2025 Mar 31 - Apr 4; Patras, Greece. European Mammal Foundation; 2025. p. 163
Effects of Chestnut Tannin Extract on Enteric Methane Emissions, Blood Metabolites and Lactation Performance in Mid-Lactation Cows
No full textSimple Summary
The growing demand for sustainable livestock production highlights the urgent need to reduce enteric methane (CH4) emissions, a major contributor to agricultural greenhouse gases. At the same time, dairy producers are challenged to maintain animal health while improving productivity. Among nutritional solutions, plant-derived compounds like tannins have gained interest for their potential to modulate rumen fermentation and protein metabolism. In our study, supplementing dairy cows with chestnut tannin extract led to reduced CH4 production and improvement in lactation response. These results suggest a promising step toward more climate-friendly and efficient dairy farming.
Abstract
Dietary tannin supplementation represents a potential strategy to modulate rumen fermentation and enhance lactation performance in dairy cows, though responses remain inconsistent. A 21-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of chestnut tannin (CNT) extract on the enteric methane emissions (EME), blood metabolites, and milk production traits in mid-lactation dairy cows. Thirty-six Holstein cows were allocated to three homogeneous treatment groups: control (CNT0, 0 g/d CNT), CNT40 (40 g/d CNT), and CNT80 (80 g/d CNT). Measurements of EME, dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield (MY), and blood and milk parameters were carried out pre- and post-21-day supplementation period. Compared with the no-additive group, the CNT extract reduced methane production, methane yield, and methane intensity in CNT40 and CNT80 (p < 0.001). CNT40 and CNT80 cows exhibited lower blood urea nitrogen (p = 0.019 and p = 0.002) and elevated serum insulin (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001) and growth hormone concentrations (p = 0.046 and p = 0.034), coinciding with reduced aspartate aminotransferase (p = 0.016 and p = 0.045), and lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.011 and p = 0.008) activities compared to control. However, CNT80 had higher circulating NEFA and BHBA than CNT0 (p = 0.003 and p = 0.004) and CNT40 (p = 0.035 and p = 0.019). The blood glucose, albumin, and total bilirubin concentrations were not affected. MY and fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM), MY/DMI, and FPCM/DMI were higher in both CNT40 (p = 0.004, p = 0.003, p = 0.014, p = 0.010) and CNT80 (p = 0.002, p = 0.003, p = 0.008, p = 0.013) cows compared with controls. Feeding CNT80 resulted in higher protein content (p = 0.015) but lower fat percentage in milk (p = 0.004) compared to CNT0. Milk urea nitrogen and somatic cell counts were significantly lower in both CNT40 (p < 0.001, p = 0.009) and CNT80 (p < 0.001 for both) compared to CNT0, while milk lactose did not differ between treatments. These findings demonstrate that chestnut tannin extract effectively mitigates EME while enhancing lactation performance in mid-lactation dairy cows
Transient expression of PRISEs and Trichoderma-mediated elicitation promote iridoid production in Nepeta sibirica L.
No full textThe genus Nepeta is the sole representative in the plant kingdom that produces nepetalactones, a group of iridoids with a unique stereochemistry, which play key roles in plant defense and ecological interactions. This study investigates N. sibirica L., a species rich in cis,trans-nepetalactone and 1,5,9-epi-deoxyloganic acid, aiming to enhance production of these bioactive iridoids by two alternative strategies: transient expression of key iridoid biosynthesis-related genes and fungal elicitation. In vitro treatments with Trichoderma harzianum and T. viride promoted iridoid production in N. sibirica leaves. It appears that regulatory proteins COI1, MYC2, and YABBY5 provoke coordinated upregulation of the early iridoid pathway genes (NsGPPS, NsGES, NsG8H, Ns8HGO), and of NsMLPL, thus stimulating metabolic flux through the iridoid pathway and providing substrates for the downstream steps mediated by NsISY, NsNEPS1, and NsNEPS2. The N. sibirica PRISE orthologue (NsPRISE) is closely related phylogenetically to the Family 1 isoforms known as P5βRs. However, its ISY-like activity was confirmed through in vitro assays with recombinant proteins expressed heterologously in E. coli. Transient overexpression experiments, which comparatively analysed in planta function of homologous NsPRISE and previously characterized ISY and PRISE orthologues from other Nepeta species, suggested possible in vivo residual ISY-like activity of NsPRISE and its involvement in iridoid production. The current study recognized N. sibirica as a plant susceptible to agroinfiltration, with iridoid metabolism that can be induced by pathogen attack, making it an ideal candidate for developing scalable systems for bioactive compounds production
A machine learning model predicting the abundance of helminths of Apodemus mice in Vojvodina, Serbia
No full textResearch on the helminth fauna of small rodents was conducted in the period from 2019 to 2023 in
the territory of Vojvodina Province, Serbia, in eight different localities. The rodent sample consisted of
striped field mice (A. agrarius) (83), yellow-necked mice (A. flavicollis) (116) and wood mice
(A. sylvaticus) (43). The mice were hosts to three helminth groups: nematodes, tapeworms, and
digeneans. The aim of the study was to predict the abundance of helminths of selected species of the
genera Aonchtotheca, Heligmosmoides, Syphacia and Trichuris, as well as species with zoonotic
potential, i.e. Rodentolepis fraterna and Capillaria hepatica, based on various abiotic (Corine Land Use
types, environmental variables, altitude, locality, region) and biotic (host species, sex, body mass, body
length, spleen mass) factors. A random forest machine learning predictive model for factor importance
evaluation was used to select and evaluate important features in predicting parasite abundance. Pvalues were estimated by using Monte Carlo analysis. The results showed that the prediction of the
abundance of C. hepatica is influenced by the body condition index and spleen size of the host, and R.
fraterna by the same two factors plus the mean monthly air temperature. The factors singled out as
significant for species of the genus Heligmosomoides were numerous, including Corine Land Use types,
all bioclimatic variables, and all biotic factors. Factors that significantly influenced the prediction of
Syphacia and Trichuris species abundance were related to temperature, body condition index, and
spleen mass of the host. As for Aonchotheca species, none of the factors were identified as significant.
The obtained data are important from the aspect of using machine learning on these types of data and
obtaining a better insight into parasite-host population dynamics, which is of particular importance
when it comes to species that have zoonotic potential.Pokorny B, Flajšman K, Jacob J, editors. Book of abstracts: 14th European Vertebrate Management Conference; 2025 May 12-16; Ankaran, Slovenia. Ljubljana: Faculty of Environmental Protection, Slovenian Forestry Institute, University; 2025. p. 107
Use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to assess xenobiotics in a river catchment using macroinvertebrates as bioindicators
No full textThe Danube flows through various European regions, exposing its aquatic ecosystem to multiple stressors, including dams, canalization, and agricultural activities. Fertilizers, manures, pesticides, animal husbandry activities, irrigation practices, deforestation, and urbanisation (e.g., industrial effluents and domestic waste) are the primary drivers of environmental change in the Danube catchment area. This study demonstrates the advantages of applying cutting-edge Machine Learning (ML) models to the Joint Danube Survey 3 (JDS 3) for detecting xenobiotics using reliable biomarkers. Macroinvertebrate communities, recognised as key indicators by the Water Framework Directive, serve as sensitive proxies for chemical pollution through their varied responses to stressors. We employed ML models (4-Layer Perceptron, Long Short-Term Memory, and Transformer Neural Networks) to precisely assess river ecological condition based on biological and chemical parameters.
Machine learning analysis revealed significant correlations between specific pesticides (2,4-Dinitrophenol, Chloroxuron, Bromacil, Fluoranthene, and Bentazone) and the composition of the macroinvertebrate community in the Danube River basin. Among the tested models, Artificial Neural Networks emerged as the most effective approach. The Long Short-Term Memory models best captured relationships between 2,4-Dinitrophenol and Bentazone and the macroinvertebrate communities. The 4-Layer Perceptron model showed superior performance for 2,4-Dinitrophenol and Fluoranthene predictions, whereas Transformer Neural Networks outperformed others in modeling Bromacil and Fluoranthene dynamics. These results demonstrate that Artificial Neural Network architectures can reliably link chemical stressors to biological indicators with transferability potential to other lotic systems through tailored biological parameter inputs
Effects of glyphosate-based herbicide on oxidative stress and neurotoxicity parameters in newt (Triturus ivanbureschi) larvae under temperature changes predicted by future climate scenarios
No full textThe alarming decline of amphibian populations can largely be attributed to extent use of pesticide and global
warming process. Special concerns were raised over the glyphosate-based formulations, one of the most
commonly applied herbicides worldwide, due to their potentially detrimental effects on different animal groups.
However, researches on the effects of glyphosate in newt species are still scarce. The present study assessed the
effects of environmentally realistic concentrations of commercial herbicide product (22,5 µg/L glyphosate) on
antioxidative defense system, oxidative damage to lipids and proteins and the activity of acetylcholinesterase
(AChE) in larvae of the Balkan crested newt (T. ivanbureschi) under optimal (19 ◦C) and increased (23 ◦C)
temperatures after 14 days of treatment. The results showed that even though larvae exposed to glyphosate at 19
◦C did not exhibit any differences in the antioxidative defense system, they suffered from increase in protein
carbonylation compared to ones from control group. On the other hand, increased temperature in combination
with glyphosate led to the significant induction of CAT, GST, and GR activities and an increase in GSH con
centration. This response of the antioxidative defence system seems to be sufficient to prevent oxidative damage
to lipids and proteins. Glyphosate at elevated temperature also inhibited AChE activity suggesting significant
neurotoxic effect. Different response of crested newts emphasize the need to assess the potentially harmful effects
of glyphosate in various ecological contexts, particularly in light of the predicted increase in average tempera
tures by several degrees in the coming decade
Novel Natural Candidates for Replacing Synthetic Additives in Nutraceutical and Pharmaceutical Areas: Two Senna Species (S. alata (L.) Roxb. and S. occidentalis (L.) Link)
No full textSenna alata (L.) Roxb. and Senna occidentalis (L.) Link (family Fabaceae) are commonly used in different systems of traditional medicine to treat ailments. The present study was designed to determine the phytoconstituents, antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, and antimicrobial activities of the methanolic extract from the leaves of these two Senna species. A total of 75 phenolic compounds belonging to dihydroxybenzoic acids, dihydroxycinnamic acids, flavonoid C-glycosides, flavonoid O-glycosides, flavonoid aglycones, anthraquinone glycosides, and anthraquinone aglycones were identified. Flavonoid C-glycosides were only found in S. occidentalis while sennosides A, B, and C were only detected in S. alata. In line with its higher total phenolic and flavonoids contents, S. alata exerted significantly (p < 0.05) higher antiradical (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazy (DPPH) = 58.36 mg trolox equivalent (TE)/g; 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) = 118.86 mg TE/g), ions reducing (cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) = 93.85 mg TE/g; ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) = 50.42 mg TE/g), and total antioxidant (1.39 mmol TE/g) activities than S. occidentalis. S. alata revealed significantly (p < 0.05) higher inhibitory effect against butyrylcholinesterase (1.67 mg galantamine equivalent (GALAE)/g), tyrosinase (45.07 mg KAE/g) 45.07 mg kojic acid equivalent (KAE)/g), α-glucosidase (0.73 mmol acarbose equivalent (ACAE)/g), and α-amylase (2.95 mmol ACAE/g) enzymes. Both species showed high antibacterial and antifungal activities with remarkable antifungal activity exerted by S. alata against Trichoderma viride (minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) 1 mg/mL), similar to that of Ketoconazole. The study utilized molecular docking, molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) free energy calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations to evaluate the binding interactions between anthraquinone glycosides and various bacterial enzymes, including targets from Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The findings suggest that compounds like sennoside A, sennoside B, and chrysophanol exhibit strong binding affinities, stable interactions, and potential as antimicrobial inhibitors, especially against vital bacterial proteins such as MurE and 30S ribosome S3. In conclusion, our findings underscore the biopharmaceutical potential of these two Senna species, suggesting their significance as sources of bioactive agents for health-related applications
Platinum(II /IV) complexes with N-substituted carboxylate ethylenediamine/propylenediamine ligands: preparation, characterization and in vitro activity
No full textThe synthesis and characterization of novel platinum(II) and platinum(IV) complexes derived from unsym-
metrical ethylene or propylenediamine derivatives are presented. IR spectroscopy and ESI mass spec-
trometry techniques were employed to characterize the complexes, revealing distinctive absorption
bands and isotope patterns. Furthermore, the complexes were characterized by 1 H and 13 C NMR spec-
troscopy. Single-crystal X-ray structural analysis elucidated the coordination geometry and intermolecular
interactions of complexes 3, 4 and 6. Cytotoxicity evaluation of the complexes on various cell lines high-
lighted complex 3 as the most active, realizing its tumoricidal activity through induction of apoptosis and
increased total caspase activity in MCF-7 cells. Since its application is followed by cytoprotective auto-
phagy, the effectiveness can be additionally empowered by concomitant inhibition of this process.
Furthermore, the PtIV compound 3 induces oxidative stress in hemoglobin, and is reducible by gluta-
thione, suggesting its potential as a carrier for the active Pt II precursor 2a to cancer cells without increas-
ing cytotoxicity. Cyclic voltammetry corroborates the ability of complex 3 to undergo reduction under
physiological conditions
Plasma-Activated Water Improve Wound Healing in Diabetic Rats by Influencing the Inflammatory and Remodelling Phase
No full textDiabetic foot ulcers have an enormous impact on patients’ quality of life and represent a major economic burden. The cause is delayed and incomplete wound healing due to hyperglycemia, reduced blood flow, infections, oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Plasma-activated water (PAW) is emerging as a new therapeutic approach in wound treatment, as it has many of the advantages of cold atmospheric plasma but is easier to apply, thus allowing for widespread use. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of PAW to improve wound healing in diabetic rats, with a focus on uncovering the underlying mechanisms. Two full-thickness wounds in control and diabetic animals were treated with PAW, and healing was monitored for 15 days at five time points. PAW improved wound healing in diabetic rats and mainly affected the inflammatory phase of wound healing. Application of PAW decreased the number of inflammatory cells, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and N-acetyl-b-D-glycosaminidase (NAG) activity, as well as the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory genes in diabetic rats. Ten days after injury, PAW treatment increased collagen deposition in the diabetic animals by almost 10% without affecting collagen mRNA expression, and this is in correlation with a decrease in the Mmp-9/Timp-1 ratio. In conclusion, PAW treatment affects wound healing by reducing the inflammatory response and influencing extracellular matrix turnover, suggesting that it has great potential to accelerate the healing of diabetic wounds
Exploring SAR insights into royleanones for P-gp modulation
No full textMultidrug resistance (MDR) poses a challenge in contemporary pharmacotherapy, significantly reducing the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. Among the array of mechanisms underpinning MDR, the upregulation of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), also known as MDR1 and encoded by the ABCB1 gene, emerges as an impediment in cancer treatment success. Plants from the Plectranthus genus (Lamiaceae) are recognised in traditional medicine for their diverse therapeutic applications. 7α-acetoxy-6β-hydroxyroyleanone (Roy), the principal diterpene derived from Plectranthus grandidentatus Gürke, has exhibited anti-cancer properties against various cancer cell lines. Previously synthesized ester derivatives of Roy have shown enhanced binding affinity with P-gp. This study utilises previously obtained in vitro data on P-gp activity of Roy derivatives to construct a ligand-based pharmacophore model elucidating critical features essential for P-gp modulation. Leveraging this data, we predict the potential of five novel ester derivatives of Roy to modulate P-gp in vitro against resistant NCI-H460 cells. A set of 16 previously synthesized royleanone derivatives underwent in silico structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies. A binary classification model, differentiating inactive and active compounds, generated 11,016 Molecular Interaction Field (MIF) descriptors from structures optimized at the DFT theory level. Following variable reduction and selection, a subset of 12 descriptors was identified, yielding a model with two latent variables (LV), utilizing only 34.14 % of the encoded information for calibration (LV1: 26.82 %; LV2: 7.32 %). Ultimately, prediction of the activity of new derivatives suggested all have a high likelihood of activity, which will be validated through future in vitro biological assays