Effects of growth control on yield and fruit quality of the apple cultivar ‘Rubin’

The effect of tree growth-control technologies on apple tree vegetative development, productivity and fruit quality was investigated with apple cultivar ‘Rubin’ on dwarf rootstock P 60 at the Institute of Horticulture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry in 2015–2018. Eight treatments were established combining tree trunk incision by chainsaw before flowering, application of prohexadione-calcium in different dose and time, summer pruning in August and root pruning before flowering. Root pruning from both sides of the tree significantly reduced tree trunk diameter, shoot length and pruning weights but at the same time reduced fruit weight. It increased tree productivity and enhanced fruit colouring. Two applications of prohexadione-calcium significantly reduced mean shoot length and increased average fruit weight. Summer pruning had a positive impact on fruit colouring. Trunk incisions enhanced leaf P, K and Fe content. Pro-Ca increased leaf Ca content. Trees root pruned from both sides had one of the lowest contents of all tested minerals. All tree growth-control technologies had a positive impact on tree productivity , fruit quality and bearing stability comparing with control treatment

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Usage of Apitherapy for Disease Prevention and Treatment among Undergraduate Pharmacy Students in Lithuania

Traditional medicine therapies are historically used worldwide for disease prevention and treatment purposes. Apitherapy is part of the traditional medicine based on bee product use. Complementary medicine practices which incorporate use of some traditional herbal, mineral, or animal kind substances very often are discussed with pharmacy professionals because these products are often sold in pharmacies as dietary supplements. This study is aimed at determining the attitude, knowledge, and practices of apitherapy among undergraduated pharmacy students (Master of Pharmacy) who already have a pharmacy technician diploma and from 1 to 20 years of practice working in a community pharmacy as pharmacy assistants. A method of questionnaire was chosen. The questions about attitudes, experience, knowledge, and practices for disease prevention and treatment of different bee products, their safety, and informational sources were included. Respondents shared opinion that use of bee product is part of the traditional medicine. Most of them had experience on honey product use for treatment and disease prevention for themselves and their family members (62%) although the need of more evidence based information was expressed. The most known bee products were honey, propolis, and royal jelly. They are widely used for enhancing the immune system and prevention of respiratory tract infection

Triterpene Content in Flesh and Peel of Apples Grown on Different Rootstocks

Advancements in rootstock breeding and selection have revolutionized the manner in which apples are grown throughout the world. Fruit tree breeding has typically focused on key horticultural characteristics. Even though agents with health benefits have been investigated more frequently during the recent years, information about the effect of different cultivation factors, such as the rootstock, on triterpene concentration is still lacking. The present study aimed to evaluate triterpene profiles and the quantitative composition of different parts of apple fruit that was grown on 17 various origin and vigor rootstocks. HPLC analyses of triterpenes in apple samples were performed. The highest total content of triterpenes (7.72 ± 0.39 mg/g) was found in peel samples of apples grown on the dwarf rootstock 62-396-B10®. Depending on the rootstock, apple peel samples accumulated 3.52 to 4.74 times more triterpene compounds than apple flesh samples. Ursolic acid was the predominant triterpene compound in apple peel and flesh samples. The highest content of ursolic acid (5.84 ± 0.29 mg/g) was found in peel samples of apples grown on the dwarf rootstock 62-396-B10®. Meanwhile, the lowest amount of ursolic acid (3.25 ± 0.16 mg/g) was found in apple peel samples grown on the dwarf rootstock Cepiland-Pajam®2. A proper match of a cultivar and a rootstock can program a fruit tree to grow larger amounts of higher quality, antioxidant-rich, and high-nutrition-value fruit.publishedVersio

Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity in Apples of the ‘Galaval’ Cultivar Grown on 17 Different Rootstocks

Apple cultivars are one of the main factors setting the composition of bioactive compounds in apples and the quality of the fruit. However, research has been providing increasing amounts of data on the influence of rootstocks on the variations in the composition of bioactive compounds in apples. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of rootstocks on the changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity in vitro in apple flesh and peel. HPLC analyses of phenolic compounds in apple samples were performed. The rootstock–scion combination had a significant effect on the composition and antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds in apple samples. Depending on the rootstock, the total content of phenolic compounds in apple flesh of the ‘Galaval’ cultivar could vary by 2.9 times, and in the peel by up to 90%. The genotype of the rootstock resulted in the highest variation in total flavan-3-ol content in apple flesh—by as much as 4.3 times—while the total content of flavonols varied by 2.1 times. In apple peel, on the contrary, the greatest variation was recorded for the total flavonol content (by 4.4 times), and the total flavan-3-ol content varied the least (by 1.8 times). A proper match of a cultivar and a rootstock can program a fruit tree to grow larger amounts of higher-quality, antioxidant-rich, and high-nutrition-value fruit.Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity in Apples of the ‘Galaval’ Cultivar Grown on 17 Different RootstockspublishedVersio

Formulation of Gels and Emulgels with Malus domestica Borkh: Apple Extracts and Their Biopharmaceutical Evaluation In Vitro

Phenolic compounds that estimate apple extracts with multifaceted biological effects are potentially valuable for protection against skin disorders. The purpose of our research was to formulate gels and emulgels containing a complex of phenolic compounds of apple extracts and to perform a biopharmaceutical evaluation of semi-solid pharmaceutical forms, determining their antioxidant activity in vitro. HPLC analyses of phenolic compounds were performed. The total amount of phenolic compounds found in the sample of apples from the ‘Paprastasis antaninis’ cultivar was 1455.5 ± 72.8 µg/g. The release of phenolics from gels and emulgels was assessed by Franz-type diffusion cells. The in vitro release test revealed that phenolic compounds were released from the gel (G1–G6) formulations (70.6–73.8%) compared to the amounts (77.2–83.9%) released from the emulgel (E1–E6) formulations. The largest amount (83.9%) of phenolic compounds was released from the E5 formulation, while the smallest amounts (70.6%) were released from the formulations G3 and G5. The antioxidant activity evaluated by the DPPH and FRAP methods observed in all gel (G1–G6) and emulgel (E1–E6) formulations after 6 h were the strongest, compared to the activities observed in the formulations after 2 or 4 h. Gels and emulgels, which are rich in apple extracts, have strong antioxidant properties and may be promising choices for the development of new, innovative pharmaceutical forms or cosmetics

Phytogenotypic Anthocyanin Profiles and Antioxidant Activity Variation in Fruit Samples of the American Cranberry (<i>Vaccinium macrocarpon</i> Aiton)

In this study, we conducted an analysis of the qualitative and quantitative composition of anthocyanins and anthocyanidins in different cultivars and genetic clones of American cranberries grown in Lithuanian climatic conditions. Four anthocyanin compounds predominated in fruit samples of American cranberry cultivars: cyanidin-3-galactoside, cyanidin-3-arabinoside, peonidin-3-galactoside, and peonidin-3-arabinoside. They accounted for 91.66 ± 2.79% of the total amount of the identified anthocyanins. The total anthocyanin content detected via the pH differential method was found to be by about 1.6 times lower than that detected via the UPLC method. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis showed that the ‘Woolman’ cultivar distinguished from other cranberry cultivars in that its samples contained two times the average total amount of anthocyanins (8.13 ± 0.09 mg/g). The group of American cranberry cultivars ‘Howes’, ‘Le Munyon’, and ‘BL-8’ was found to have higher than average levels of anthocyanidin galactosides (means 3.536 ± 0.05 mg/g), anthocyanidins (means 0.319 ± 0.01 mg/g), and total anthocyanins (means 6.549 ± 0.09 mg/g). The evaluation of the antioxidant effect of cranberry fruit sample extracts showed that the greatest radical scavenging activity of the cranberry fruit extracts was determined in the fruit samples of ‘Woolman’ (849.75 ± 10.88 µmol TE/g) and the greatest reducing activity was determined in ‘Le Munyon’ (528.05 ± 12.16 µmol TE/g). The study showed a correlation between the total anthocyanin content and the antiradical and reductive activity of the extracts in vitro (respectively, R = 0.635 and R = 0.507, p < 0.05)

Research of the amounts of flavonoids accumulated in the buds of single-styled hawthorn

Objective. To determine the amounts of flavonoids accumulated in the buds of single-styled hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.); and to establish the possibility of usage of hawthorn buds in pharmacy practice. Material and methods. Different examples of hawthorn buds collected in 2001, 2002 and 2003 from some Lithuanian regions: Akmenė (V1, V2, V3), Kėdainiai (Š1, Š2, Š3), Klaipėda (M1), Lazdijai (D1, D2, D3) and Vilnius (VL1, VL2) from branches of lower storey. Examples were extracted with ethanol and flavonoids were measured by spectroscopic method and by high performance liquid chromatography. Results. From 0.72 to 1.89% of flavonoids are found in the hawthorn buds. The dominating flavonoid is vitexin-2-O-rhamnosid (6.72–10.91 milligrams in one gram of dried crude drug). Other flavonoids are: vitexin: 0.88–6.53 milligrams/gram, hyperosid: 0.85–2.70 milligrams/gram, rutin: 0.72–2.10 milligrams/gram and quercitrin: 0.82–1.01 milligrams/gram. Conclusion. The marks of phytochemical compounds of Lithuanian single-styled hawthorn buds corroborated the theory of possibility to use hawthorn buds as pharmaceutical crude drug and form sufficient ground for planning phytochemical and pharmacological researches of new hawthorn crude drug

The Chemo-Sensitizing Effect of Doxorubicin of Apple Extract-Enriched Triterpenic Complex on Human Colon Adenocarcinoma and Human Glioblastoma Cell Lines

Cancer cells&rsquo; resistance to anticancer drugs represents a major clinical problem and the most important failure of treatment. Combination chemotherapy is more effective than monotherapy due to additive or synergistic effects. The aim of our research was to assess the effects of the combinations of apple extract&rsquo;s triterpenic compounds, individual triterpenic acids, and doxorubicin (DOX) on human colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) and human glioblastoma (U-87) cell lines in 2D and 3D cultures. The effect of the combination of apple extracts, the triterpenic standards, and DOX against HT-29 and U-87 cell viability was tested by the MTT and spheroid growth assays. Cell line HT-29 was more sensitive to DOX when incubated with all tested apple extracts than DOX alone. Cell line HT-29 was the most strongly sensitive to DOX when it was treated with 5 &micro;M oleanolic acid (change of EC50 = &minus;64.6% &plusmn; 4.4%) and with 5 &micro;M ursolic acid (change of EC50 = &minus;61.9% &plusmn; 8.8%) in 2D culture. Meanwhile, cell line U-87 was the most strongly sensitive to DOX when treated with 2 &micro;M betulinic acid (change of EC50 = &minus;45.1% &plusmn; 4.5%) in 2D culture. The combination of apple extract (E3) and DOX reduced the viability of HT-29 spheroids the most (spheroid viability reduced from &minus;19.9% to &minus;10.9%, compared to spheroids treated with DOX alone). Our study in 2D and 3D cultures showed that combining apple extract&rsquo;s triterpenic complexes or individual triterpenic acids with DOX may sensitize chemotherapeutic drugs and increase the cytotoxicity effects in HT-29 and U-87 cell lines

Triterpene Content in Flesh and Peel of Apples Grown on Different Rootstocks

Advancements in rootstock breeding and selection have revolutionized the manner in which apples are grown throughout the world. Fruit tree breeding has typically focused on key horticultural characteristics. Even though agents with health benefits have been investigated more frequently during the recent years, information about the effect of different cultivation factors, such as the rootstock, on triterpene concentration is still lacking. The present study aimed to evaluate triterpene profiles and the quantitative composition of different parts of apple fruit that was grown on 17 various origin and vigor rootstocks. HPLC analyses of triterpenes in apple samples were performed. The highest total content of triterpenes (7.72 ± 0.39 mg/g) was found in peel samples of apples grown on the dwarf rootstock 62-396-B10®. Depending on the rootstock, apple peel samples accumulated 3.52 to 4.74 times more triterpene compounds than apple flesh samples. Ursolic acid was the predominant triterpene compound in apple peel and flesh samples. The highest content of ursolic acid (5.84 ± 0.29 mg/g) was found in peel samples of apples grown on the dwarf rootstock 62-396-B10®. Meanwhile, the lowest amount of ursolic acid (3.25 ± 0.16 mg/g) was found in apple peel samples grown on the dwarf rootstock Cepiland-Pajam®2. A proper match of a cultivar and a rootstock can program a fruit tree to grow larger amounts of higher quality, antioxidant-rich, and high-nutrition-value fruit

The Qualitative and Quantitative Compositions of Phenolic Compounds in Fruits of Lithuanian Heirloom Apple Cultivars

As the interest in heirloom cultivars of apple trees, their fruit, and processed products is growing worldwide, studies of the qualitative and quantitative composition of biological compounds are important for the evaluation of the quality and nutritional properties of the apples. Studies on the variations in the chemical composition of phenolic compounds characterized by a versatile biological effect are important when researching the genetic heritage of the heirloom cultivars in order to increase the cultivation of such cultivars in orchards. A variation in the qualitative and quantitative composition of phenolic compounds was found in apple samples of cultivars included in the Lithuanian collection of genetic resources. By the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method flavan-3-ols (procyanidin B1, procyanidin B2, procyanidin C2, (+)-catechin and (−)-epicatechin), flavonols (rutin, hyperoside, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, reynoutrin and avicularin), chlorogenic acids and phloridzin were identified and quantified in fruit samples of heirloom apple cultivars grown in Lithuania. The highest sum of the identified phenolic compounds (3.82 ± 0.53 mg/g) was found in apple fruit samples of the ‘Koštelė’ cultivarpublishedVersio