WHEAT STRAW CONVERSION BY ENZYMATIC SYSTEM OF GANODERMA LUCIDUM

The purpose of this study was to resolve the question of whether various nitrogen sources and concentrations affect characteristics of selected G. lucidum ligninolytic enzymes participating in wheat straw fermentation. This is the first study reporting the presence of versatile peroxidase activity in crude extract of G. lucidum culture, as well as isoforms profile of Mn-oxidizing peroxidases. NH4NO3 was the optimum nitrogen source for laccase and Mn-dependent peroxidase activity, while peptone was the optimum one for versatile peroxidase activity. Four bands with laccase activity were obtained by native PAGE and IEF separations from medium enriched with inorganic nitrogen source, and only two bands from medium containing organic source. Medium composition was not shown to affect isoenzyme patterns of Mn-oxidizing peroxidases. Four isoforms of Mn-dependent peroxidase and three of versatile peroxidase were obtained on native PAGE. By IEF separation, five isoforms of Mn-dependent peroxidase and only two of versatile peroxidase were observed. The results demonstrated that G. lucidum has potential for mineralization and transformation of various agricultural residues and should take more significant participation in large-scale biotechnological processes

Morphology, distribution, and histochemistry of trichomes of Thymus lykae Degen & Jav. (Lamiaceae)

Micromorphology, distribution, and histochemistry of the trichomes of Thymus lykae were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)and confocal laser scanning electron microscopy (CLSM). The leaves, stem, and calyx bear numerous glandular and non-glandular trichomes. Two types of glandular trichomes are identified - peltate and capitate. Results of histochemical tests showed positive reactions to polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids. Yellow autofluorescence of secreted material was noticed in peltate and capitate trichomes. Strong reddish-yellow autofluorescence of the lipophilic and hydrophilic secreted material was observed with CLSM.Mikromorfologija, distribucija i histohemijska analiza trihoma kod vrste Thymus lykae urađena je korišćenjem skening elektronskog mikroskopa i konfokalnog laserskog skening mikroskopa. Nežlezdane, negranate i dva tipa žlezdanih trihoma - peltatne i kapitatne opisane suuovom radu. Brojne nežlezdane i žlezdane trihome nalazile suse kako na listovima (i na licu i na naličju)tako i na stablu i na čašici. Rezultati histohemijskih istraživanja pokazala supozitivne reakcije na polisaharide, lipide i proteine. Sekretorni produkti unutar peltatnih trihoma imali sujako žutu autofluorescenciju, dok je u kapitatnim trihomama zapažena slabija autofluorescencija. Korišćenjem CLSM uočena je jarko crveno-žuta autofluorescencija lipofilnih i hidrofilnih sekretornih materija u žlezdanim trihomama.Projekat ministarstva br. 14304

Morphology, distribution, and histochemistry of trichomes of Thymus lykae Degen & Jav. (Lamiaceae)

Micromorphology, distribution, and histochemistry of the trichomes of Thymus lykae were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)and confocal laser scanning electron microscopy (CLSM). The leaves, stem, and calyx bear numerous glandular and non-glandular trichomes. Two types of glandular trichomes are identified - peltate and capitate. Results of histochemical tests showed positive reactions to polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids. Yellow autofluorescence of secreted material was noticed in peltate and capitate trichomes. Strong reddish-yellow autofluorescence of the lipophilic and hydrophilic secreted material was observed with CLSM.Mikromorfologija, distribucija i histohemijska analiza trihoma kod vrste Thymus lykae urađena je korišćenjem skening elektronskog mikroskopa i konfokalnog laserskog skening mikroskopa. Nežlezdane, negranate i dva tipa žlezdanih trihoma - peltatne i kapitatne opisane suuovom radu. Brojne nežlezdane i žlezdane trihome nalazile suse kako na listovima (i na licu i na naličju)tako i na stablu i na čašici. Rezultati histohemijskih istraživanja pokazala supozitivne reakcije na polisaharide, lipide i proteine. Sekretorni produkti unutar peltatnih trihoma imali sujako žutu autofluorescenciju, dok je u kapitatnim trihomama zapažena slabija autofluorescencija. Korišćenjem CLSM uočena je jarko crveno-žuta autofluorescencija lipofilnih i hidrofilnih sekretornih materija u žlezdanim trihomama.Projekat ministarstva br. 14304

Micromorphology and ultrastructure of trichomes of Libyan Salvia fruticosa Mill.

Micromorphological and ultrastructural analyses of the leaf trichomes of Salvia fruticosa Mill. were performed by light and electron microscopy. The leaves bear numerous non-glandular unbranched trichomes, and peltate, capitate and digitiform glandular trichomes. Very elongated flagelliform non-glandular trichomes densely covered the leaf surfaces, with especially abundance on the leaf margins. Peltate trichomes consist of a basal epidermal cell, a very short stalk cell and a large round head of eight secretory cells arranged in a circle. Capitate trichomes can be divided into two main types, short-stalked and long-stalked, and further into five subtypes according to the number of stalk cells, morphology and number of glandular head cells. Digitiform trichomes consist of one basal cell, one or two stalk cells and one apical secretory cell, which are of similar diameter and approximately equal length.Projekat ministarstva br. 173029 i br. 17301

Chemical Profiling and Assessment of Antineurodegenerative and Antioxidant Properties of Veronica teucrium L. and Veronica jacquinii Baumg.

Neuroprotective potential of V. teucrium and V. jacquinii methanol extracts was analyzed. Chemical analysis of investigated extracts showed the presence of phenolic acid derivatives, flavonoids and one secoiridoid. The detected flavonoids derived from flavones (luteolin and isoscutellarein in V. jacquinii; apigenin, isoscutellarein and luteolin in V. teucrium) and flavonol (quercetin in V. jacquinii). Acteoside was the dominant compound in V. jacquinii, while plantamajoside and isoscutellarein 7-O-(6‴-O-acetyl)-ß-allosyl (1‴?2‴)-ß-glucoside were the major phenolics in V. teucrium. Additionally, the antineurodegenerative activity was tested at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 µg/ml using acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and tyrosinase (TYR) assays. The inhibition of both enzymes was achieved with the investigated extracts, ranging from 22.78 to 35.40% for AChE and from 9.57 to 16.38% for TYR. There was no statistical difference between the activities of the analyzed extracts. Our data indicate that V. teucrium and V. jacquinii may have beneficial effects against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.The authors are grateful to Fundac ~ao para a Ci^encia e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2011). J. C. M. Barreira and M. I. Dias thank FCT, POPH-QREN, and FSE for their grants (SFRH/BPD/72802/2010 and SFRH/BD/84485/2012, respectively). The GIP-USAL is financially supported by the Spanish Government through the project AGL2015-64522-C2-2-R. The authors are also grateful to the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development for financial support (Grant Numbers 173032, 173029, and 46013).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Micromorphology and ultrastructure of trichomes of Libyan Salvia fruticosa Mill.

Micromorphological and ultrastructural analyses of the leaf trichomes of Salvia fruticosa Mill. were performed by light and electron microscopy. The leaves bear numerous non-glandular unbranched trichomes, and peltate, capitate and digitiform glandular trichomes. Very elongated flagelliform non-glandular trichomes densely covered the leaf surfaces, with especially abundance on the leaf margins. Peltate trichomes consist of a basal epidermal cell, a very short stalk cell and a large round head of eight secretory cells arranged in a circle. Capitate trichomes can be divided into two main types, short-stalked and long-stalked, and further into five subtypes according to the number of stalk cells, morphology and number of glandular head cells. Digitiform trichomes consist of one basal cell, one or two stalk cells and one apical secretory cell, which are of similar diameter and approximately equal length.Projekat ministarstva br. 173029 i br. 17301

Biological activities of Cretan Salvia pomifera extracts

The polyphenolic content and biological activities of dichloromethane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and ethanol extracts of Cretan Salvia pomifera L. (Lamiaceae) were analysed. The ethyl acetate extract showed the highest content of total phenolics and total flavonoids. The ethanol extract exhibited the highest activity in the DPPH and FRAP assays, while the dichloromethane extract had the highest activity in the ABTS test. The ethyl acetate extract showed the highest activity in the β-carotene--linoleic acid system. The antioxidant activity of extracts was positively correlated with the total content of phenolics. Extracts demonstrated weak antibacterial activity. The ethyl acetate extract had the highest acethylcholinesterase inhibition at 50 μg/mL, while the ethanol and dichloromethane extracts showed the highest activity of tyrosinase inhibition at 25 μg/mL. In view of the significance of antioxidants in prevention and treatment of neurological diseases, the noticeable antioxidant and anti-neurodegenerative effects of the ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts recorded in this study make further research on S. pomifera seem promisin

Enzyme inhibitors as controllers of neurodegenerative diseases: An update of in vitro effects of medicinal plants

Considering the increase of the elderly population in recent years, the growing prevalence of age-related neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), has become one of the leading healthcare problems. Currently, available therapies for AD and PD are still limited, while medicinal plants used in traditional medicine for millennia can inhibit enzymes involved in the neurodegeneration processes in AD (acetylcholinesterase, AChE, and butyrylcholinesterase, BChE) and PD (tyrosinase, TYR), hence their inhibiting effects are continuously being investigated especially in the past decade. This study was aimed to review data on medicinal plants as potential cholinesterases and TYR inhibitors reported from January 2018 until May 2021. The literature search was performed using several online bibliographical databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed, and ResearchGate) and two websites. Data analysis showed that the highest number of representatives belongs to Lamiaceae family (up to 20%), followed by Asteraceae. Almost half of the tested samples were prepared from whole plant/aerial plant parts followed by leaves. The most frequently tested preparations were methanolic extracts (about 25% of the samples examined). Additionally, synergistic interactions between different herbs and/or isolated compounds were considered as a promising strategy for further research. The presented data showed that medicinal plants preparations represent an unlimited source for research of new and more effective AD and PD treatments. This review will provide a useful starting point for further research on this topic

Ligninolytic enzyme production in Pleurotus eryngii depending on the medium composition and cultivation conditions

Pleurotus eryngii produced laccase (Lac) both under conditions of submerged fermentation (SF) and solid-state fermentation (SSF) using all of the investigated carbon and nitrogen sources, while significant peroxidases production occurred only under SSF conditions. The highest levels of Lac activity were found under SF conditions of dry ground mandarine peels (999.5 U/l). After purification of extracellular crude enzyme mixture of P. eryngii which was grown under SF conditions with dry ground mandarine peels it was revealed two peaks of Lac activity and one peak of activity against phenol red in absence of external Mn2+ which was very low (1.4 U/l). Results obtained by purification also showed that the levels of phenol red oxidation in absence of external Mn2+ were higher than phenol red oxidation levels in presence of external Mn2+. In the medium with the best carbon source for Lac production (dry ground mandarine peels), (NH4)2SO4, with a nitrogen concentration of 20 mM, was the most optimum nitrogen source among 8 investigated sources

Optimization of Submerged Cultivation Conditions for Extra- and Intracellular Polysaccharide Production by Medicinal Ling Zhi or Reishi Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (W. Curt.: Fr.) P. Karst. (Aphyllophoromycetideae)

This study showed that cultivation conditions (medium composition, initial medium pH, aeration rate, inoculum density) affect biomass and polysaccharide production in Ganoderma lucidum strain HAI 447. The synthetic medium (pH 5.5) with maltose at the concentration of 65.0 g L-1, peptone of 0.2%, as well as in the presence of K, Na, and Mg at concentrations of 6.0, 3.0, and 2.0 mM, respectively, presented the best conditions for biomass (29.2 g L-1) and extra- and intracellular polysaccharide (2.9 mg mL(-1) and 73.3 mg g(-1), respectively) production in the analyzed strain. Constant aeration was optimal for biomass and extracellular polysaccharide production, whereas cultivation under stationary conditions was the best for intracellular polysaccharide production. A peak in biomass and polysaccharide production was observed at an inoculum density of 20.0 mL.Ministry of Science of Serbia [143041