Rubiaceae

A protocol for in vitro mass multiplication of plants through seedling (shoot) cultures was established for Ophiorrhiza mungo. Maximum number of adventitious shoots per shoot culture (10.4 +/- 1.72) was initiated on MS solid medium supplemented with BAP (2.22 microM) after 3 weeks. Shoots were further multiplied (12.8 +/- 2.8) through subculture of intact shoots and reculture of nodal segments of aseptic shoots (6.5 +/- 0.94) in MS solid medium containing BAP (0.89 microM). Shoot elongation (1.27 +/- 0.12 cm) was achieved in the medium containing GA3 (1.44 microM) in two weeks. Rooting was favoured in basal agar medium supplemented with IBA (12.3 microM) plus NAA (1.07 microM). The plants were successfully established (100%) in the pots containing sand and top soil (1:1) mixture in a period of two weeks.

This study describes some characteristics of the Rubiaceae family pertaining to the occurrence and distribution of secondary metabolites in the main genera of this family. It reports the review of phytochemical studies addressing all species of Rubiaceae, published between 1990 and 2014. Iridoids, anthraquinones, triterpenes, indole alkaloids as well as other varying alkaloid subclasses, have shown to be the most common. These compounds have been mostly isolated from the genera Uncaria, Psychotria, Hedyotis, Ophiorrhiza and Morinda. The occurrence and distribution of iridoids, alkaloids and anthraquinones point out their chemotaxonomic correlation among tribes and subfamilies. From an evolutionary point of view, Rubioideae is the most ancient subfamily, followed by Ixoroideae and finally Cinchonoideae. The chemical biosynthetic pathway, which is not so specific in Rubioideae, can explain this and large amounts of both iridoids and indole alkaloids are produced. In Ixoroideae, the most active biosysthetic pathway is the one that produces iridoids; while in Cinchonoideae, it produces indole alkaloids together with other alkaloids. The chemical biosynthetic pathway now supports this botanical conclusion.

Background: The Philippine archipelago is globally one of the most important model island systems for studying evolutionary processes. However, most plant species on this archipelago have not yet been studied in sufficient detail. The main aim of this study is to unravel the evolutionary history and biogeographic relationships of the Philippine members of the pantropical genus Ixora.
Results: The complex plastid and nuclear divergence patterns in Philippine Ixora, documented using tree and network approaches, reveal a highly dynamic evolution in Ixora, involving several phases of radiation and recolonization. Philippine Ixora comprises at least five lineages, of which one is most closely related to species from Wallacea, and the remaining four to species from Asia.
Conclusions: Our study highlights the importance of Philippine species for understanding phytogeographic patterns in the Indomalayan-Australasian eco-region. The overall genetic differentiation, as well as the incongruence between genealogies based on the biparentally inherited nucleome and the maternally inherited plastome in Ixora, reflect the complex tectonic history of the Philippine archipelago. The Ixora lineage related to Wallacean species supports the delimitation of different ecozones along Huxley’s line, because it is absent from Palawan. The remaining four lineages are all allied with Asian taxa, reflecting several waves of colonization. Close relationships between some widespread Philippine species and locally adapted narrow endemics suggest that the widespread, genetically diverse species act as pools for the formation of new species in a process of ongoing speciation. Our results suggest that the species concepts of some of the more widespread taxa need to be revised.

A catalogue of vascular plants from the Serranía de Perijá, a mountain system of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia, near to the Venezuelan border (9°10’-10°56’N, 72°30’- 73°24’W; 100 to 3630 m) is presented. A total of 1994 species are listed as follows: 168 (8.4%) species of pteridophytes and relatives, 3 (0.2%) gymnosperms, and 1823 (91.4%) species of angiosperms (302 monocotyledons and 1521 dicotyledons). A total of 189 families were recorded; the most specious families were Asteraceae (154 species), Rubiaceae (99), Orchidaceae (72), Poaceae (68), Euphorbiaceae (62) and Solanaceae (58). Most families are represented by few species: 34 (18%) families had a single species, 66(34.9%) between two and four species, 41(21.7%) between fi ve and ten, and 48(25.4%) had more than ten species. A total of 924 genera were found. The genera Solanum (37), Peperomia (30), Psychotria (23), Piper (22) and Asplenium (21) had a high number of species; 554 (60%) genera were represented by a single species, 277(30%) by two to four, 82(6%) by fi ve to ten, and 11 (1.1%) genera by more than ten species. The genus Dipterocypsela (Asteraceae) is endemic to this region. The highest number of species is found in the subandean region (942 species); the tropical region is represented by 831, the Andean region by 311, and Páramos by 388 species. Species richness also varied along the latitudinal gradient; the highest number of species (1061) was found in the northern areas; 853 and 654 species were recorded from the south and central areas of the Serranía. Herbs were the predominant growth form with 659 (33%) species; 496 (24.9%) were trees, 387 (19.4%) shrubs, 247 (12.4%) climbing (vines or lianas) and 136 (6.8%) species were epiphytes.

Abstract:  Rubiaceae  is  exhibiting  a  wide  range  of  habit,  including  trees,  shrubs,  herbs  and
even  the  climbers,  widely  distributed  but  mainly  in  tropics  having  10,700  species  under  637
genera  making  it  the  forth  most  specious  family  of  flowering  plants  also  with  the
representative  of  236  species  under 77  genera in  India. Venation  pattern  of the  leaves have
been  studied  for  55  species  under  32  genera  of  Indian  distribution  which  are  of  different
habits. The foliar venation is brochidodromous in most cases except Rubia and a few species of
Galium  (apparantly)  it  is  campylodromous.  Venation  is  upto  5
0
-  6
0
orders  and  with  regular
areole formation. The areoles are with free vein endings. The venation  is either naked or with
sclerenchymatous sheath cells. The very tips of the free vein endings are often associated with
brachytracheoids.  The  marginal  venation  is  either  complete,  looped  or  incomplete  with  free
vein endings. Although the members are of different habits, basically they have the same type
of foliar architectural pattern. The classification of the family Rubiaceae into different tribes is
often done based on floral biology which is not having any demarcation in respect to the major
foliar  architectural pattern. However,  in  the  minor  venation pattern  and  about  the  free  vein
endings there are the differences and that can only be taken into consideration for identity.
Keywords: Leaf venation- Rubiaceae

Plants endemic to areas covered by ice sheets during the last glaciation represent paradigmatic examples of rapid speciation in changing environments, yet very few systems outside the harsh arctic zone have been comprehensively investigated so far. The Galium pusillum aggregate (Rubiaceae) is a challenging species complex that exhibits a marked differentiation in boreal parts of Northern Europe. As a first step towards understanding its evolutionary history in deglaciated regions, this study assesses cytological variation and ecological preferences of the northern endemics and compares the results with corresponding data for species occurring in neighbouring unglaciated parts of Central and Western Europe. DNA flow cytometry was used together with confirmatory chromosome counts to determine ploidy levels and relative genome sizes in 1158 individuals from 181 populations. A formalized analysis of habitat preferences was applied to explore niche differentiation among species and ploid...

Pantropical intercontinental disjunction is a common biogeographical pattern in flowering plants exhibiting a discontinuous distribution primarily in tropical Asia, Africa and the Americas. Only a few plant groups with this pattern have been investigated at the generic level with molecular phylogenetic and biogeographical methods. Paederia (Rubiaceae) is a pantropical genus of 31 species of woody lianas, with the greatest species diversity in continental Asia and Madagascar and only two species from tropical America. The aim of this study was to reconstruct the biogeographical history of Paederia based on phylogenetic analyses to explore how the genus attained its pantropical distribution. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference were used for phylogenetic analyses using sequences of five plastid markers (the rbcL gene, rps16 intron, trnT-F region, atpB-rbcL spacer and psbA-trnH spacer). Biogeographical inferences were based on a Bayesian uncorrelated lognormal relaxed molecular clo...

Assam is the gateway to Northeast India and is well-known for its rich biodiversity and wildlife resources. The land of Assam is very fertile and is blessed with different plant species with high medicinal properties. The tribal and ethnic people living here have a vast knowledge of different medicinal plants and have been using these plants as herbal medicines for different diseases and ailments for ages. Rubiaceae, one of the medicinally and economically important plant families are widely distributed over different locations of Assam. Most of them have great medicinal value because of the different phytochemicals present in it. The present review deliberates some commonly found medicinal plant species of the Rubiaceae family, including Adina cordifolia,

Resumen Galianthe (Rubiaceae: Spermacoceae) es un género con los subgéneros Galianthe y Ebelia, éste último comprende 11 especies neotropicales, con centro de diversidad se encuentra en Brasil. El análisis panbiogeográfíco enfatiza la importancia de la dimensión espacial de la biodiversidad para generar una comprensión más adecuada de los patrones y procesos evolutivos y enfoca los eventos vicariantes como la mayor fuerza de la fragmentación de biotas. Son escasos los estudios biogeográficos de Galianthe, por lo que el objetivo del presente trabajo es establecer los patrones de distribución de Ebelia mediante un análisis de trazos. Las especies poseen distribución mesoamericana, andina y chaqueña, cuatro de estas últimas son exclusivas de Brasil. Siete especies conforman un único trazo generalizado denominado " Paraná " , que conecta las provincias biogeográficas Cerrado y Chaco del dominio Chaqueño y Atlántica, Bosque Paraná y Bosque de Araucaria, pertenecientes al dominio Paraná, ambos dominios se hallan íntegramente dentro de la subregión Chaqueña, región Neotropical. Debido a que el origen de la tribu Spermacoceae se ha establecido durante el Eoceno, la aridificación de Sudamérica generada por los eventos vicariantes como la orogenia andina e introgresiones marinas, posiblemente han favorecido la radiación adaptativa del subgénero Ebelia dentro de la subregión Chaqueña.

Seventy-six plant extracts from the Panamanian flora have been screened for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) bioautography. The most promising extracts with AChE inhibitory and free radical scavenging activities at 100 microg were those of Tabernaemontana panamensis (Markgr., Boiteau & L. Allorge) Leeuwenb., Pentagonia macrophylla Benth., and Warszewiczia coccinea (Vahl) Klotzsch. Bioguided fractionation of W. coccinea stem extract afforded two triterpenes, 3beta,6beta,19alpha-trihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (1) and 3beta,6beta-dihydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic acid (sumaresinolic acid) (2), with AChE inhibitory activity. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods. This is the first report of these bioactive triterpenes in W. coccinea.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the new coronavirus SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) has quickly turned into a pandemic, infecting more than 10 million people and causing more than 500,000 deaths worldwide. The absence of an effective treatment against this disease has led several researchers to investigate the possibility of redirecting drugs already known to be effective against other diseases in the treatment of COVID-19, among them the antimalarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. This review aims at showing how chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine came to be considered as possible drugs in the treatment of COVID-19 and how the recent in vivo experiments described so far shed light on the adequacy of this use.