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Valorization of Brassicaceae phytochemical diversity
No full textBrassicaceae include many important edible and economic plants which are commonly known as the “mustard“ plant family due to the sharp flavour of their typical sulphur metabolites, the glucosinolates (GLSs). Investigation of GLSs has shown that structural types are genera/species/cultivars specific distributed and the chemical profiles are often characterized by one or two major components [1]. In some cases, compositional analysis of GLSs could be used to define the taxonomic position of less known brassica plants. As an example, the study of the GLSs profile of a poorly studied cultivar of B. oleracea, traditionally cultivated in a restricted area in South Italy and locally known as “mugnolo”, allowed to obtain relevant information which permitted to classify it as B. oleracea var. italica [2]. The present communication will describe the phytochemical diversity of some Brassicaceae and highlight its implications on bioactivity. In fact, biological diversity of plants also relies on chemical diversity mainly based on their secondary metabolites which, in addition to ecological properties, may display important pharmacological activities. Based on our chemical and biological characterization of brassica food plants, discussion will include examples of rare and less studied species/cultivars of Brassicaceae which, due to the presence of certain phytochemicals, have an added value in the promotion of a good health
Plant biodiversity: phytochemicals and health
No full textAbstract Biodiversity may be defined as the variability
occuring among living organisms and affecting
all species of animals and plants, their genetics and
their environment. Biological diversity of plants also
relies on the chemical diversity deriving from their
specialized metabolites which possess a wide range of
different chemical structures as a result of plant
evolution. They are responsible for the plant ecological
properties and are required for the plant-environment
interactions. In addition, many of them display
important pharmacological properties. In the recent
years, the growing interest in using plant metabolites
to treat diseases in humans and animals and the high
request of health products originating from natural
sources rather than synthetic has revived the research
on plant biodiversity to identify new bioactive
molecules. Based on our studies on the chemical and
biological characterization of rare or less studied plant
species, the present paper aims to describe a selection
of botanical species with phytopharmaceutical importance
in order to highlight the chemical polymorphism
deriving from their biodiversity along with its implications
on bioactivity
Differential response of phytoparasitic nematode species to essential oils
No full textEssential oils (EOs) has been widely reported for their biocidal activity on root-knot
nematodes and on the pine wilt nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, but only few have been
investigated on other nematode species. An in vitro study was conducted for a comparative
evaluation of effects of EOs from Artemisia herba-alba, Citrus sinensis, and Rosmarinus officinalis, as
well as of their main components (thujone, limonene, 1,8-cineole, -pinene and camphor) on three
phytonematode species with a different feeding and reproduction habitus, i.e. M. incognita, P. vulnus
and X. index. Infective juveniles of M. incognita, mixed stages of P. vulnus and adult females of
X. index were exposed for 24, 48 or 96 hours to 4, 10, 20 and 30 g mL-1 solutions of EOs or their
components and then checked for their mortality. Juveniles of M. incognita and females of X. index
resulted highly sensitive to the EOs of A. herba-alba and R. officinalis, but scarcely or poorly affected
by the EO of C. sinensis. In contrast, specimens of P. vulnus resulted less sensitive than M. incognita
and X. index to EOs of A. herba-alba and R. officinalis, but showed a higher sensitivity to C. sinensis
EO. In the assays on major EO components, activity of limonene was almost nil on all three nematode
species, as well as a limited mortality occurred also in -pinene solutions. Activity of thujone and
1,8-cineole was much higher on M. incognita than on P. vulnus and X. index, whereas all the three
nematode species were limitedly affected by camphor. The high nematicidal activity of tested EOs
and their large availability make them a potential source of new nematicides. As the activity of EOs’
components was never as high as that of the whole EOs, a synergistic action of the EO
multicomponent mixture may be hypothesized
Glucosinolate profile of Eruca sativa, Diplotaxis tenuifolia and Diplotaxis erucoides grown in soil and soilless systems
No full textA B S T R A C T
Soilless cultivation systems (SCS) are increasingly used to produce high quality baby-leaf arugula, appreciated by
consumers for its pungent taste, due to the content of glucosinolates (GLS). Given all of the health benefits
attributed to GLSs, there is great interest in understanding whether and how soilless growing systems may affect
the GLS profile of arugula. For this purpose, a study was conducted to compare the GLS profile of Diplotaxis
erucoides, D. tenuifolia, and Eruca sativa grown side-by-side under protected environment in a conventional soilsystem
(CSS) and in a SCS. Genotype and growing-system resulted in a significant effect on GLS content, while
the resulting qualitative GLS profile was species-specific. Despite the growing-system, six different GLSs were
identified from plants of D. tenuifolia and E. sativa, while only sinigrin was detected in plants of D. erucoides. Total
GLS content was on average 9.85, 8.23, and 7.96 mg g−1 of dry weight in D. erucoides, D. tenuifolia, and E. sativa,
grown in CSS, respectively. The same three species grown in SCS synthesized 36%, 51%, and 41% more GLSs
than plants grown in CSS, respectively. Soilless cultivation may be adopted to increase the GLS content and
enhance the nutritional quality of brassicas leafy vegetables.
1. Introduction
Brassicaceae are among the oldest cultivated crops (Schmidt and
Bancroft, 2011) with a production across Europe estimated at approximately
70 million tons/annum, and are considered a rich source of
health-promoting phytochemicals (Avato and Argentieri, 2015). They
are commonly referred to as the “mustard” (from the Latin mustum
ardens) plant family, due to the sharp, potent flavour attributable to
their main sulphur metabolites, the glucosinolates (GLSs) (Björkman
et al., 2011; Petropoulos et al., 2017). When plant tissues are crushed or
powdered, they are hydrolysed releasing the typical hot, pungent
mustard components that are associated with the botanical family.
While Brassicaceae contain several phytonutrients, GLSs are their most
commonly studied constituents (Argentieri et al., 2012; Argentieri
et al., 2011; Björkman et al., 2011; D’Antuono et al., 2008). Although
anti-nutritional effects, resulting in goitre and liver damage in animals
have been reported for GLSs (Cartea and Velasco, 2008; Tripathi and
Mishra, 2007), several epidemiological studies have shown that in
humans, high consumption of Brassica vegetables is inversely linked to
cancer risk (Fimognari and Hrelia, 2007; Petropoulos et al., 2017).
Moreover, it has been shown that GLSs and their breakdown product
Allium cepa L. var. Tropea: a source of nutraceuticals with anti-obesity potential
No full textObesity represents the most prevalent nutritional disease and a major public health
problem that, according to WHO, has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Obesity is
a factor of risk for several chronic diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and
cancer. There are several strategies to prevent or treat it, one of them is the inhibition of
gastrointestinal lipases. In the recent years, the side effects of some synthetic lipase
inhibitors indicated the need for alternative drugs with this activity, including natural
products. Plants provide a major dietary source for nutraceuticals with anti-obesity
potential and, in some cases, their plausible mechanism of action has been highilighted.
Following previous studies on plant investigation as a source of inhibitors of pancreatic
lipase, we present here the phytochemical and biological profile of a dry skin
hydroalcoholic extract of Allium cepa L. var. Tropea.
Flavonoid glycosides were the main specialized metabolites present in the extract, with
quercetin-4’-O-glucoside (43±0.002 μg/mg) and quercetin (84±0.004 μg/mg) as the two
main components and cyanidin-4-glucoside (1±0.001 μg/mg) as a minor component.
The ability to inhibit pancreatic lipase was evaluated in vitro by monitoring the hydrolysis
of p-nitrophenyl caprilate, which releases the yellow chromogen p-nitrophenol. The
sample was tested at different concentrations and showed a very good inhibitory activity
with IC50 value of 0.77 ± 0.03 mg/ml.
It has been shown that obesity can impair intestinal barrier function inducing alteration in
permeability and eventually causing inflammation. The effect of the extract on model
Planar Lipid Membranes (PLMs) made up of dioleoyl-phosphatidylserine: dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine:
palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (27:27:18,w:w:w), a
surrogate of intestinal membranes, has also been investigated. The extract of A. cepa L.
var. Tropea was effective in forming channel-like pathways in the lipid bilayer.
Electrophysiological data demonstrated that the extract interacts and forms stable pores
in PLMs when added on the cis side of the medium facing the membranes. The effect of
different concentrations (0.01 and 0.02mg/mL) in the ranges of applied voltages from 20
to 120mV and from -40 to -120mV was studied. The conductance values seem to be
dependent on applied voltages decreasing as the voltage increases thus suggesting that
lower applied voltages promote the ionic flux.
Overall, results from this study suggest that it is worth to further investigate the
pharmacological potential of this extract from A. cepa L. var. Tropea and its main
nutraceutical constituents as safer therapeutic agents in anti-obesity therapy
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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