Calcium availability regulates antioxidant system, physio-biochemical activities and alleviates salinity stress mediated oxidative damage in soybean seedlings

Salinity is considered as one of the devastating abiotic stress factors and global climate change has further worsened the situation. Present experiments were aimed to evaluate the role of calcium (Ca) availability on growth and salinity tolerance mechanisms in soybean. Seedlings were grown with (2 mM Ca) and without Ca supplementation and modulation in key physiological and biochemical parameters were studied. Salinity (100 mM NaCl) stress resulted in growth reduction in terms of height and biomass accumulation, which was more pronounced in Ca-deficient plants. Relative to control (Ca deficient) and NaCl stressed plants, Ca supplemented seedlings exhibited higher relative water content, pigment synthesis and the photosynthetic efficiency. Ca availability affected the synthesis of proline, glycine betaine and soluble sugars under normal and saline growth conditions. Optimal Ca supplementation up-regulated the activities of antioxidant enzymes assayed and the contents of non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbate, glutathione, and tocopherol) thereby reflecting in amelioration of NaCl induced oxidative damage. Moreover, increased accumulation of phenols due to Ca supplementation and the amelioration of NaCl mediated decline if nitrate reductase activity was observed. More importantly, Ca availability reduced the accumulation of Na under control and NaCl stressed conditions restricting the damging effects on metabolism. Availability of optimal Ca potentially regulates the salinity tolerance mechanisms in soybean by maintaining osmoregulation and antioxidant metabolism

Revealing the Underlying Mechanism of <i>Acacia Nilotica</i> against Asthma from a Systematic Perspective: A Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Study

Acacia Nilotica (AN) has long been used as a folk cure for asthma, but little is known about how AN could possibly modulate this disease. Thus, an in-silico molecular mechanism for AN’s anti-asthmatic action was elucidated utilizing network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques. DPED, PubChem, Binding DB, DisGeNET, DAVID, and STRING were a few databases used to collect network data. MOE 2015.10 software was used for molecular docking. Out of 51 searched compounds of AN, eighteen compounds interacted with human target genes, a total of 189 compounds-related genes, and 2096 asthma-related genes were found in public databases, with 80 overlapping genes between them. AKT1, EGFR, VEGFA, and HSP90AB were the hub genes, whereas quercetin and apigenin were the most active components. p13AKT and MAPK signaling pathways were found to be the primary target of AN. Outcomes of network pharmacology and molecular docking predicted that AN might exert its anti-asthmatic effect probably by altering the p13AKT and MAPK signaling pathway

BAP (6-Benzylaminopurine) Seed-Priming Enhanced Growth, Antioxidant Accumulation and Anthocyanin Metabolism in Olive Sprouts

Given the importance of olive sprouts, it is crucial to explore their potential as an innovative source of bioactive and nutritive compounds through research. Here, we aimed at investigating the potential role of benzylaminopurine (BAP) in improving the tissue chemical composition and bioactivity of olive sprouts. To this end, seeds of two olive varieties (Olea europaea L. vr. Kroniaki and Coratina) were primed with BAP at 25 µM. A substantial enhancement was observed in biomass accumulation by 35% and 30% in Kroniaki and Coratina varieties, respectively. Likewise, the photosynthetic pigments (total chlorophyll, α- and β-carotene, lutein and β-cryptoxanthin) in both varieties were increased, mainly in Coratina. At primary metabolic level, BAP priming improved sprout lipid composition, particularly in Coratina variety. At antioxidant level, BAP priming improved lipid antioxidants (α-, β- and γ-tocopherols) and water-soluble antioxidants (phenols, flavonoids, ascorbate, glutathione and anthocyanins) in both olive varieties. At the anthocyanins level, their precursors (phenylalanine, cinnamic acid, coumaric acid and naringenin) and key biosynthetic enzyme activity (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), coenzyme A ligase (4CL) and cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H)) were improved in olive varieties, but to a greater extent in Coratina variety. Overall, the sprouts of BAP-primed olive seeds could potentially enhance their nutritional value, suggesting that the sprouts of BAP-primed olive seeds can be used as a food ingredient and additives

Positive Interaction of Selenium Nanoparticles and Olive Solid Waste on Vanadium-Stressed Soybean Plant

The purpose of the current study was to determine the possible improvement in soybean plants’ tolerance against vanadium-induced stress in response to the application of olive solid waste (OSW) and selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs), by assessing metabolites and plant defense systems. Drawing upon this aim, a pot experiment was performed where the soybean plants were grown with a fertilization treatment (including, control, OSW, Se-NPs, and Se-NPs + OSW) under vanadium stress (including non-stress and 350 mg sodium orthovanadate per kg of soil). Enhancement of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation in vanadium-stressed plants confirmed the oxidative damage in unfertilized plants. Results indicated the positive effects of the combined treatment (Se-NPs + OSW) in improving the plant stress tolerance by causing a balance in the produced ROS and detoxified ROS in the plant. It was mainly stimulated through the improvement of the photosynthetic parameters, anthocyanin metabolism pathway, phenylpropanoid pathway, non-enzymatic antioxidant metabolites (tocopherols, malondialdehyde, polyphenols, and flavonoids), antioxidant enzymes, and biochemical components involved in the ASC/GSH cycle (ascorbate, ascorbate peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, glutathione, glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase), and antioxidant direct scavenging enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase), which finally resulted in higher plant biomass. In conclusion, the simultaneous application of OSW and Se-NPs treatments provided a reliable protection for soybean plants in vanadium-contaminated soils through the activation of antioxidant and non-antioxidant defense mechanisms

Antiviral activities of olive oil apigenin and taxifolin against SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP): In silico, pharmacokinetic, ADMET, and in-vitro approaches

AbstractA novel coronavirus strain called SARS-CoV-2 first appeared in China in December 2019. Natural products are significant sources of prospective and new antiviral medications, and new antiviral drug research has advanced significantly in recent years. The current study allows us to select specific components of olive oil that are thought to be anti-SARS-CoV-2 and assess their impact on SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. The 26 compounds of olive oil were obtained from the PubChem database and docked against the RdRP of SARS-CoV-2 (pdb id: 6XQB) by autodock vina 1 1 2 linux x86 software. Cytotoxicity and antiviral activity were measured by the MTT assay protocol (the crystal violet method). The findings revealed that the range of the olive oil compound’s molecular docking binding affinity score against the RdRP SARS-CoV-2 target was 5.9–18.2 kcal/mol. The best compound is apigenin since it has a low energy value of −18.2 kcal/mol, followed by taxifolin, which has an energy value of −14.2 kcal/mol. On the other hand, the molecule with the lowest energy is believed to be the good one. Additionally, Lipinski’s criteria and AD-MET analysis supported the created apigenin and taxifolin’s status as a secure pharmaceutical substance. Also, apigenin and taxifolin showed moderate antiviral effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, with SI values of 9.7 and 8.79, respectively, compared with olive oil’s crude SI value of 9.57. According to our results, we think that olive oil is an essential source of cutting-edge SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drugs, especially apigenin and taxifolin compounds

Exogenous Myo-Inositol Alleviates Salt Stress by Enhancing Antioxidants and Membrane Stability via the Upregulation of Stress Responsive Genes in <i>Chenopodium quinoa</i> L.

Myo-inositol has gained a central position in plants due to its vital role in physiology and biochemistry. This experimental work assessed the effects of salinity stress and foliar application of myo-inositol (MYO) on growth, chlorophyll content, photosynthesis, antioxidant system, osmolyte accumulation, and gene expression in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa L. var. Giza1). Our results show that salinity stress significantly decreased growth parameters such as plant height, fresh and dry weights of shoot and root, leaf area, number of leaves, chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, and Fv/Fm, with a more pronounced effect at higher NaCl concentrations. However, the exogenous application of MYO increased the growth and photosynthesis traits and alleviated the stress to a considerable extent. Salinity also significantly reduced the water potential and water use efficiency in plants under saline regime; however, exogenous application of myo-inositol coped with this issue. MYO significantly reduced the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide, superoxide, reduced lipid peroxidation, and electrolyte leakage concomitant with an increase in the membrane stability index. Exogenous application of MYO up-regulated the antioxidant enzymes’ activities and the contents of ascorbate and glutathione, contributing to membrane stability and reduced oxidative damage. The damaging effects of salinity stress on quinoa were further mitigated by increased accumulation of osmolytes such as proline, glycine betaine, free amino acids, and soluble sugars in MYO-treated seedlings. The expression pattern of OSM34, NHX1, SOS1A, SOS1B, BADH, TIP2, NSY, and SDR genes increased significantly due to the application of MYO under both stressed and non-stressed conditions. Our results support the conclusion that exogenous MYO alleviates salt stress by involving antioxidants, enhancing plant growth attributes and membrane stability, and reducing oxidative damage to plants

Antiulcer Potential of <i>Olea europea</i> L. cv. Arbequina Leaf Extract Supported by Metabolic Profiling and Molecular Docking

Gastric ulceration is among the most serious humanpublic health problems. Olea europea L.cv. Arbequina is one of the numerous olive varieties which have scarcely been studied. The reported antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of the olive plant make it a potential prophylactic natural product against gastric ulcers. Consequently, the main goal of this study is to investigate the gastroprotective effect of Olea europea L.cv. Arbequina leaf extract. LC-HRMS-based metabolic profiling of the alcoholic extract of Olea europea L.cv. Arbequina led to the dereplication of 18 putative compounds (1–18). In vivo indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in a rat model was established and the Olea europea extract was tested at a dose of 300 mg kg−1 compared to cimetidine (100 mg kg−1). The assessment of gastric mucosal lesions and histopathology of gastric tissue was done. It has been proved that Olea europea significantly decreased the ulcer index and protected the mucosa from lesions. The antioxidant potential of the extract was evaluated using three in vitro assays, H2O2 scavenging, xanthine oxidase inhibitory, and superoxide radical scavenging activities and showed promising activities. Moreover, an in silico based study was performed on the putatively dereplicated compounds, which highlighted that 3-hydroxy tyrosol (4) and oleacein (18) can target the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme (5-LOX) as a protective mechanism against the pathogenesis of ulceration. Upon experimental validation, both compounds 3-hydroxy tyrosol (HT) and oleacein (OC) (4 and 18, respectively) exhibited a significant in vitro 5-LOX inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 8.6 and 5.8 µg/mL, respectively. The present study suggested a possible implication of O. europea leaves as a potential candidate having gastroprotective, antioxidant, and 5-LOX inhibitory activity for the management of gastric ulcers