Carignan Grape Cultivar Salt Tolerance during the Germination Phase across the Mediterranean Basin

Carignan is a black grape cultivar widely planted throughout the western Mediterranean Basin. The grape faces significant viticultural hazards such as soil salinization, which affects about 6% of the world’s total land area. The search for salt tolerance genotypes to be introduced in crossbreeding programs and obtaining new cultivars is a key factor. The seed germination and salt tolerance of Carignan were studied from different coastal vineyards across the Mediterranean Basin, and as well as whether the distance from the sea affected germination and salt tolerance. Carignan seeds, independently of the temperature and distance from the sea, germinated more than 50% under 125 mM NaCl concentrations. Seed recovery was elevated, including the capacity of gemination after high salt exposure (500 mM NaCl). The results on germination behavior related to the distance from the sea showed that all tested vineyards, except for the one farthest from the sea, had similar germination responses. The optimum germination condition to select salt-tolerant accessions is alternating temperatures 25/10 °C and 125 mM NaCl. Thanks to the ability of the Carignan to germinate in a saline substrate and their capacity for recovery, it could be useful to crossbreeding programs, for integrating as rootstock selection or for the improvement of cultivars through sexual reproduction

Chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of extracts obtained from the roots bark of Arbutus andrachne L. a Lebanese tree.

Context and purpose of the study: The leaves, fruits, barks and roots of Arbutus andrachne L (A. andrachne), have been adopted to have high therapeutic value resulting from the presence of antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic and tannins. In the present work, three extracts obtained from A. andrachne roots bark were evaluated for their antioxidant and antibacterial activities .The total phenolic content, flavonoid, condensed tannins and anthocyanins were determined in order to correlate them with the antioxidant activity of extracts.Main findings: The highest amounts of phenolic and tannins were found in the ethyl-acetate, while the anthocyanins ones were highly observed in the methanol-water extract. The lowest IC50 values for DPPH (0.6 µg/mL), and metal chelating assay (13.45µg/mL) were recorded in the ethyl-acetate extract and the methanolic one respetively. Gram positive bacteria (S. aureus and E. faecalis) were more susceptible to the antimicrobial potential of the methanol extract, while E.coli and P. aeruginosa as Gram negative bacteria turned out to be more resistant to the same extract. The ethyl-acetate extract was more effective on E. faecalis than on S. aureus; while E. coli and P. aeruginosa were the most resistant to this extract.Brief summary and potential implications: An appropriate dose of antioxidants derived from A. andrachne bark of the roots extracts in the human diet can help to avoid the risk of contracting diseases where ROS are involved in the pathogenesis. In fact, phenolic compounds in these extracts are among the natural antioxidants being studied by the scientific community due to their biological properties, e.g., antioxidant and antimicrobial activities

Chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of extracts obtained from the roots bark of Arbutus andrachne L. a Lebanese tree.

Context and purpose of the study: The leaves, fruits, barks and roots of Arbutus andrachne L (A. andrachne), have been adopted to have high therapeutic value resulting from the presence of antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic and tannins. In the present work, three extracts obtained from A. andrachne roots bark were evaluated for their antioxidant and antibacterial activities .The total phenolic content, flavonoid, condensed tannins and anthocyanins were determined in order to correlate them with the antioxidant activity of extracts.Main findings: The highest amounts of phenolic and tannins were found in the ethyl-acetate, while the anthocyanins ones were highly observed in the methanol-water extract. The lowest IC50 values for DPPH (0.6 µg/mL), and metal chelating assay (13.45µg/mL) were recorded in the ethyl-acetate extract and the methanolic one respetively. Gram positive bacteria (S. aureus and E. faecalis) were more susceptible to the antimicrobial potential of the methanol extract, while E.coli and P. aeruginosa as Gram negative bacteria turned out to be more resistant to the same extract. The ethyl-acetate extract was more effective on E. faecalis than on S. aureus; while E. coli and P. aeruginosa were the most resistant to this extract.Brief summary and potential implications: An appropriate dose of antioxidants derived from A. andrachne bark of the roots extracts in the human diet can help to avoid the risk of contracting diseases where ROS are involved in the pathogenesis. In fact, phenolic compounds in these extracts are among the natural antioxidants being studied by the scientific community due to their biological properties, e.g., antioxidant and antimicrobial activities

Protective effect of the octadecaneuropeptide on hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress and cell death in cultured rat astrocytes

International audienceOxidative stress, resulting from accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), plays a critical role on astrocyte death associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Astroglial cells produce endozepines, a family of biologically active peptides that have been implicated in cell protection. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the potential protective effect of one of the endozepines, the octadecaneuropeptide ODN, on hydrogen peroxide (H(2) O(2) )-induced oxidative stress and cell death in rat astrocytes. Incubation of cultured astrocytes with graded concentrations of H(2) O(2) for 1 h provoked a dose-dependent reduction of the number of living cells as evaluated by lactate dehydrogenase assay. The cytotoxic effect of H(2) O(2) was associated with morphological modifications that were characteristic of apoptotic cell death. H(2) O(2) -treated cells exhibited high level of ROS associated with a reduction of both superoxide dismutases (SOD) and catalase activities. Pre-treatment of astrocytes with low concentrations of ODN dose-dependently prevented cell death induced by H(2) O(2) . This effect was accompanied by a marked attenuation of ROS accumulation, reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspase 3 activity. ODN stimulated SOD and catalase activities in a concentration-dependent manner, and blocked H(2) O(2) -evoked inhibition of SOD and catalase activities. Blockers of SOD and catalase suppressed the effect of ODN on cell survival. Taken together, these data demonstrate for the first time that ODN is a potent protective agent that prevents oxidative stress-induced apoptotic cell death

Anti- and Pro-Oxidant Activity of Polyphenols Extracts of Syrah and Chardonnay Grapevine Pomaces on Melanoma Cancer Cells

The phenolic composition of Syrah and Chardonnay grape pomaces was studied to assess their antioxidant and prooxidant properties. Polyphenols were extracted by a "green" hydroalcoholic solvent (ethanol/water 1:1 v/v), and a detailed chemical and electrochemical characterization of the phenolic compounds was performed. The antioxidant and prooxidant capacity of the pomace was first studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and other reference analytical assays, then with biological tests on B16F10 metastatic melanoma cancer cells. Electrochemical data showed that, when a +0.5 V potential was applied, a low to moderate antioxidant capacity was observed. MTT test showed an increasing viability of melanoma cells, after treatments at low concentration (up to 100 μg/mL) and for a short time (6 h), but when cells were treated with higher doses of extract (≥250 μg/mL for 12/24 h), their viability decreased from 25 to 50% vs. control, depending on treatment time, dose, and extract origin. A stronger prooxidant activity resulted when 250 μg/mL of extract was combined with non-toxic doses of H2O2; this activity was correlated with the presence of copper in the extracts. This study shows the potential of winemaking by-products and suggests the opportunity to exploit them for the production of cosmeceuticals, or for combined therapies with approved anticancer drugs