Effects of salt stress on micropropagation of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Six cultivars of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Bartina, Spunta, Cardinal, Desirée, Timate and Fabula were assayed in vitro for salinity (NaCl) tolerance. A modified single-node cuttiang bioassay was used in which cultivars were exposed to a range of NaCl levels (0, 40, 80 and 120 Mm), in a Murashige and Skoog medium, for 1 month. Evaluations were performed twice for each cultivar at each salt level. Six vegetative growth parameters (shoot and root length, fresh and dry weights) were measured at the time of harvest and corrected for differences in cultivar vigor. Fresh weight of shoot and length of shoot decreased by given range levels of NaCl. The effect of all treatments was very drastic on length and weight of root. The cultivar Bartina exhibited greater tolerance to the highest salt doses. Plants of this cultivar had greater shoot length than other cultivars at all salt concentrations tested. The results indicated that cultivar "Bartina" is more salt tolerant than other cultivars studied.Key words: Potato, Solanum tuberosum L, salinity, in vitro, micropropagation

A templated electrosynthesis of macroporous NiAl layered double hydroxides thin films

Colloidal crystals of polystyrene (PS) beads self-assembled on Pt electrode were used as a sacrificial template to electrosynthesise thin films of macroporous Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH). Such nanostructured materials display a high internal surface area and porosity leading to enhanced electrochemical performance

Glyphosate and glufosinate detection at electrogenerated NiAl-LDH thin films

An amperometric sensor based on Ni1-xAlx(OH)2NO3x×nH2O layered double hydroxide (LDH) has been developed for the electrochem. anal. in one step of two herbicides: glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, Glyp) and glufosinate ((DL-homoalanine-4-yl)-methylphosphinic acid, Gluf). NiAl-LDH was prepd. by copptn. or by electrodeposition at the Pt electrode surface. Inorg. films were fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and SEM. Adsorption isotherms of Glyp onto this inorg. lamellar material have been established. Electrocatalytic oxidn. of Glyp and Gluf is possible at the Ni3+ centers of the structure. The electrochem. responses of the NiAl-LDH modified electrode were obtained by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry at 0.49 V/SCE as a function of herbicide concn. in 0.1 M NaOH soln. The electrocatalytic response showed a linear dependence on the Glyp concn. ranging between 0.01 and 0.9 mM with a detection limit of 1 mM and sensitivity 287 mA/M cm2. The sensitivity found for Gluf was lower (178 mA/M cm2)

HPLC-DAD-MS Characterization, Antioxidant Activity, α-amylase Inhibition, Molecular Docking, and ADMET of Flavonoids from Fenugreek Seeds

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) has a great beneficial health effect; it has been used in traditional medicine by many cultures. Likewise, the α-amylase inhibitors are potential compounds in the development of drugs for the treatment of diabetes. The beneficial health effects of fenugreek lead us to explore the chemical composition of the seeds and their antioxidant and α-amylase inhibition activities. The flavonoid extraction from fenugreek seeds was achieved with methanol through a Soxhlet apparatus. Then, the flavonoid glycosides were characterized using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS analysis. The antioxidant capacity of fenugreek seed was measured using DPPH, FRAP, ABTS, and CUPRAC assays. Finally, the α-amylase inhibition activity was carried out using in vitro and in silico methods. The methanolic extract was found to contain high amounts of total phenolics (154.68 ± 1.50 μg GAE/mg E), flavonoids (37.69 ± 0.73 μg QE/mg E). The highest radical-scavenging ability was recorded for the methanolic extract against DPPH (IC50 = 556.6 ± 9.87 μg/mL), ABTS (IC50 = 593.62 ± 9.35 μg/mL). The ME had the best reducing power according to the CUPRAC (A 0.5 = 451.90 ± 9.07 μg/mL). The results indicate that the methanolic extracts of fenugreek seed best α-amylase inhibition activities IC50 = 653.52 ± 3.24 μg/mL. Twenty-seven flavonoids were detected, and all studied flavonoids selected have good affinity and stabilize very well in the pocket of α-amylase. The interactions between the studied flavonoids with α-amylase were investigated. The flavonoids from fenugreek seed present a good inhibitory effect against α-amylase, which is beneficial for the prevention of diabetes and its complications