Amaranthaceae

There are approximately 28 species of Aerva genus, but only a few species are medicinal of which A. persica, A. lanata and A. javanica are of great value. A number of flavonol glycosides (e.g., aervanone, kaempferol-3-galactoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside) have been reported from Aerva persica as major phytoconstituents and the minor constituents are β-cyanins (glycine betaine and trigonelline), sterols and carbohydrates. This plant is used as medicinal herb in several traditional systems of medicine all over the world, like diuretic, demulcent, purgative, emetic and tinder. Aerva plants are used to cure ulcer, lithiasis, dropsical affections, eye affection, toothache, headache, in disorders of abdomen and inflammation of internal organs. Roots and flowers are reported to possess hypoglycemic, antioxidant, anthelmintic, analgesic, antimalarial, antivenin activities and medicinal properties against rheumatism and kidney troubles.

Multiple disturbances to ecosystems can influence community structure by modifying resistance to and recovery from invasion by non-native species. Predicting how invasibility responds to multiple anthropogenic impacts is particularly challenging due to the variety of potential stressors and complex responses. Using manipulative field experiments, we examined the relative impact of perturbations that primarily change abiotic or biotic factors to promote invasion in coastal salt marsh plant communities. Specifically we test the hypotheses that nitrogen enrichment and human trampling facilitate invasion of upland weeds into salt marsh, and that the ability of salt marsh communities to resist and/or recover from invasion is modified by hydrological conditions. Nitrogen enrichment affected invasion of non-native upland plants at only one of six sites, and increased aboveground native marsh biomass at only two sites. Percent cover of native marsh plants declined with trampling at all sites, but recovered earlier at tidally flushed sites than at tidally restricted sites. Synergistic interactions between trampling and restricting tidal flow resulted in significantly higher cover of non-native upland plants in trampled plots at tidally restricted sites. Percent cover of non-native plants recovered to pre-trampling levels in fully tidal sites, but remained higher in tidally restricted sites after 22 months. Thus, perturbations that reduce biotic resistance interact with perturbations that alter abiotic conditions to promote invasion. This suggests that to effectively conserve or restore native biodiversity in altered systems, one must consider impacts of multiple human disturbances, and the interactions between them.

Priming of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) seeds induces increased solubilization of the basic B-subunit of 11-Sglobulin (a major seed storage protein in sugarbeet).Using a sensitive single-seed ELISA, the soluble andtotal B-subunit contents of individual untreated andprimed sugarbeet seeds were measured. With theuntreated seeds, there was a 160-fold range of thesoluble B-subunit content among individual seeds. Theindividual primed seeds also exhibited large variations intheir soluble B-subunit content, yet only over a five-foldrange. Furthermore, the frequency distributions ofsoluble B-subunit content were markedly different for theprimed and untreated seed populations; the primed seedpopulation exhibited a substantially higher median thanthat for the untreated seed population. In markedcontrast, and as expected from results with pooled seedsamples, the distributions of total B-subunit content weresuperimposed when comparing untreated and primed seed populations

This paper is the second in a series treating the Amaranthaceae s.l. in South America. We present here a taxonomic revision of tribes Salicornieae and Suaedeae (subfamily Salicornioideae) based on the study of herbarium material, type specimens, digital images, original publications, and field observations. The South American Amaranthaceae s.l. flora includes Allenrolfea Kuntze, Heterostachys Ung.-Sternb., Mangleticornia P. W. Ball, G. Kadereit & Cornejo, and Salicornia L. from Salicornieae, and Suaeda Forssk. ex J. F. Gmel. from Suaedeae. Lectotypes for seven names are here designated. The distribution of all species is updated based on the revision and proper identification of many herbarium specimens and field observations. A new synonym for Salicornia neei Lag. is here proposed.

The betalains of yellow, orange and red inflorescences of common cockscomb (Celosia argentea var. cristata) were compared and proved to be qualitatively identical to those of feathered amaranth (Celosia argentea var. plumosa). In addition to the known compounds amaranthin and betalamic acid, the structures of three yellow pigments were elucidated to be immonium conjugates of betalamic acid with dopamine, 3-methoxytyramine and (S)-tryptophan by various spectroscopic techniques and comparison to synthesized reference compounds; the latter two are new to plants. Among the betacyanins occurring in yellow inflorescences in trace amounts, the presence of 2-descarboxy-betanidin, a dopamine-derived betacyanin, has been ascertained. The detection of high dopamine concentration may be of toxicological relevance in use of yellow inflorescences as a vegetable and in traditional Chinese medicine, common uses for the red inflorescences of common cockscomb.The betaxanthins of two Celosia argentea varieties were identified as betalamic acid conjugates of dopamine (1), 3-methoxytyramine (2) and (S)-tryptophan.

Microbial function, composition, and distribution play a fundamental role in ecosystem ecology. The interaction between desert plants and their associated microbes is expected to greatly affect their response to changes in this harsh environment. Using comparative analyses, we studied the impact of three desert shrubs, Atriplex halimus (A), Artemisia herba-alba (AHA), and Hammada scoparia (HS), on soil- and leaf-associated microbial communities. DNA extracted from the leaf surface and soil samples collected beneath the shrubs were used to study associated microbial diversity using a sequencing survey of variable regions of bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS1). We found that the composition of bacterial and fungal orders is plant-type-specific, indicating that each plant type provides a suitable and unique microenvironment. The different adaptive ecophysiological properties of the three plant species and the differential effect on their associated microbial composition point to the role of adaptation in the shaping of microbial diversity. Overall, our findings suggest a link between plant ecophysiological adaptation as a "temporary host" and the biotic-community parameters in extreme xeric environments.

Calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone was induced in rats using 0.75% of ethylene glycol in drinking water for 28 days. Ethylene glycol treated rats showed significant increase in the activities of oxalate synthesizing enzymes such as glycolic acid oxidase (GAO) in liver and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in liver and kidney. CaOx crystal deposition, as indicated by increased excretion of stone-forming constituents in urine, such as calcium, oxalate, uric acid, phosphorus and protein and decreased concentration of inhibitors, such as citrate and magnesium was observed in ethylene glycol induced urolithic rats. Histopathological studies also confirmed the deposition of CaOx crystals. Administration of Aerva lanata aqueous suspension (2g/kg body wt/dose/day for 28 days) to CaOx urolithic rats had reduced the oxalate synthesizing enzymes, diminished the markers of crystal deposition in the kidney. The results of the present study confirmed that A. lanata can be used as an curative agent for urolit...

The basic B-subunit of the seed storage protein 11-Sglobulin (an 11-S-legumin type protein) is the majorpolypeptide in soluble protein extracts from primedsugarbeet
{Beta vulgaris L.) seeds. In contrast, only asmall amount of this protein is present in corresponding extracts from untreated dry mature seeds. Here, and asfor all 11-S globulins described so far, the B-chain is linked to other polypeptide(s), corresponding mostpresumably to an acidic A-chain, through the formationof disulphide bridge(s). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analyses of total and soluble protein extracts fromuntreated and primed seeds strongly indicate that thispriming-induced solubilization of the
B-chain resulted from an endoproteolytic attack on the A-chain. Microscopical immunolocalization showed a uniformdistribution of the 11-S globulin B-chain over the protein bodies of the embryonic cells from the untreated seeds.For the primed seeds, however, the B-subunit of 11-Sglobulin diffused out of the protein bodies and invadedthe cytosolic compartment. This phenomenon occurred independently of the manner of priming, being observedwith hydroprimed and osmoprimed seeds, as well as withsugarbeet seeds that had been primed by a prehydrationtreatment. Quantitative analyses of the amounts ofsoluble 11-S globulin
B-chain have enabled the primingof sugarbeet seeds to be optimized.

[Article in Russian]. Amaranth is a promising crop for Russia. Priorities in the development and regeneration of shoots from explants. These methods can be used for microclonal propagation of valuable amaranth lines and for the genetic transformation of this plant. This article presents the results of the introduction into the culture in vitro and microclonal propagation of red amaranth Amaranthus cruentus from epicotyl explants. Sterilization of seeds of amaranth was carried out with 70% ethyl alcohol and 20% bleach. The shoots regeneration was occurred from epicotyl segments on Murashige-Skoog medium containing 13 µM of 6-benzylaminopurine and 1 µM 1-naphthaleneacetic acid. Regenerated shoots are rooted in the MS medium with the addition of 2 µM indoleacetic acid. For citation: Taipova R.M., Kuluev B.R. Introduction to in vitro culture and regeneration of shoots from epicotyl explants of Amaranthus cruentus // Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Bulletin of Biotechnology and Physical and Chemical Biology. 2018. V. 14. N. 1. P. 64-66.

Aerva javanica and Paeonia emodi plants extracts were studied for antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (NCTC 10418), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 700603), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus epidermidis (NCTC 11047) and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) (NCTC 13143) and antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger and Fusarium solani. Extracts were obtained by using methanol, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and aqueous fraction. The extracts of Paeonia emodi and Aerva javanica showed significant antibacterial activity but only Salmonella typhi was resistant to Aerva javanica. Moreover, the antifungal activity of Aerva javanica was very poor but the fractions of Paeonia emodi showed sufficient inhibition against fungal strains.

Ptilotus polystachyus (green mulla mulla; ptilotus) is a short-lived perennial herb that occurs widely in Australia in arid and semi-arid regions with nutrient poor soils. As this species shows potential for domestication, its response to addition of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) was compared to a variety of the domesticated exotic perennial pasture herb Cichorium intybus (chicory), 'Puna'. Pots were filled with 3 kg of an extremely nutrient-deficient sterilized field soil that contained 3 mg kg(-1) mineral N and 2 mg kg(-1) bicarbonate-extractable P. The growth and P and N accumulation of ptilotus and chicory in response to seven rates of readily available phosphorus (0-300 mg P pot(-1)) and nitrogen (N) (0-270 mg N pot(-1)) was examined. Ptilotus grew extremely well under low P conditions: shoot dry weights were 23, 6 and 1.7 times greater than for chicory at the three lowest levels of P addition, 0, 15 and 30 mg P pot(-1), respectively. Ptilotus could not downregulate P...

Sarcocornia comprises about 28 species of perennial succulent halophytes distributed worldwide, mainly in saline environments of warm-temperate and subtropical regions. The genus is characterized by strongly reduced leaves and flowers, which cause taxonomic difficulties; however, species in the genus show high diversity in growth form, with a mat-forming habit found in coastal salt marshes of all continents. Sarcocornia forms a monophyletic lineage with Salicornia whose species are all annual, yet the relationship between the two genera is poorly understood. This study is aimed at clarifying the phylogenetic relationship between Sarcocornia and Salicornia, interpreting biogeographical and ecological patterns in Sarcocornia, and gaining insights into putative parallel evolution of habit as an adaptation to environmental factors. A comprehensively sampled and dated phylogeny of Sarcocornia is presented based on nuclear ribosomal DNA (external transcribed spacer) and chloroplast DNA (a...

Emesis encompasses the forceful expulsion of the contents of stomach via the mouth or sometimes the nose. The adverse effects of currently available anti-emetic agents potentiate the natural product researchers to explore the natural anti-emetics with fewer side effects. The presented communication constitutes a review on anti-emetic effect of two hundred and forty five plants belonging to seventy-eight families found in different parts of the world. It also outlined the anti-emetic effect of plant extracts and isolated secondary metabolites studied through a variety of animal models of emesis. The reported anti-emetic plants in different countries and cultures and the scientific studies on extracts may help in the identification of promising single chemical compound(s) that may be used as a potential leads for developing safe anti-emetic agents in future. Moreover the reported secondary metabolites having the same effect may open the door for the search of same secondary metabolite...