Protective Effect of Humic acid and Chitosan on Radish (Raphanus sativus, L. var. sativus) Plants Subjected to Cadmium Stress

BackgroundHumic acid or chitosan has been shown to increase plant growth, yield and improving physiological processes in plant, but its roles on alleviating the harmful effect of cadmium on plant growth and some physiological processes in plants is very rare. Pot experiments were conducted to study the role of 100 and 200 mg/kg dry soil from either humic acid or chitosan on counteracted the harmful effects of cadmium levels (100 and 150 mg/kg dry soil) on radish plant growth and some physiological charactersResultsCadmium at 100 and 150 mg kg-1 soil decreased significantly length, fresh and dry weights of shoot and root systems as well as leaf number per plant in both seasons. Chlorophyll, total sugars, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, relative water content, water deficit percentage and soluble proteins as well as total amino acids contents were also decreased. Meanwhile, cadmium concentration in plants was increased. On the other hand, application of chitosan or humic acid as soil addition at the concentration of 100 or 200 mg kg-1 increased all the above mentioned parameters and decreased cadmium concentrations in plant tissues. Chitosan at 200 mg kg-1 was the most effective than humic acid at both concentrations in counteracting the harmful effect of cadmium stress on radish plant growth.ConclusionIn conclusion, both natural chelators, in particular, chitosan at 200 mg/kg dry soil can increase the capacity of radish plant to survive under cadmium stress due to chelating the Cd in the soil, and then reduced Cd bio-availability

Evaluation of humic substances fertigation through surface and subsurface drip irrigation systems on potato grown under Egyptian sandy soil conditions

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of humic substances application in sandy soil under surface and subsurface drip irrigation systems on potato tubers yield quantity, quality, nutrients concentration in tubers and soil fertility after harvesting. For this purpose, field experiment was carried out at the experimental farm of the Agricultural Research Station, National Research Center, El-Nubaria district, Egypt during the winter season of 2007/2008. The used experimental design was split plot design with three replicates, main treatments were presented irrigation systems, i.e. surface and subsurface drip irrigation, while subtreatments were presented rates of humic substances additives which were 0, 60 and 120kgha-1. Results showed that increasing humic substances application rates up to 120kgha-1 enhanced tubers yield quantity, starch content and total soluble solids. The increase of humic substances application rates was associated with the decrease of nutrients leaching, which was reflected on increasing macro- and micronutrients concentration in potato tubers, as well as increasing concentration of these nutrients in soil after tubers harvesting. Subsurface drip irrigation system was found to be more efficient than surface drip irrigation system on improving tubers yield quantity, quality parameters and nutrients concentration content, in addition to soil fertility after harvesting.Humic substance Fertigation Surface drip irrigation Subsurface drip irrigation Potato Sandy soil

<em>Adenium obesum</em> flowers extract mitigates testicular injury and oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Background and Objective: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a major healthcare problem worldwide and considerable evidence proved its negative impact on the male reproductive system. Adenium obesum is an interesting medicinal plant with a wide range of bioactivities. The current study examined the protective effects of A. obesum flower extract (AOE) on testicular injury in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type I diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Diabetes was induced by a single injection of 50 mg kg(-1) STZ. Diabetic rats received 250 and 500 mg kg(-1) AOE for 21 days and samples were collected for analysis. Results: As compared to the diabetic control rats, treatment with AOE increased serum testosterone, Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) levels, decreased testicular thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content, effectively enhanced reduced glutathione (GSH) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Additionally, AGE effectively inhibited diabetes-induced testicular tissue injuryand prevented inflammatoryand apoptotic responses manifested by decreased TNF-alpha, IL-6 and Bax and increased Bcl-2. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that AGE mitigates testicular injury, oxidative stress, inflammatory response and apoptotic cell death in STZ-induced diabetic rats

Farnesol attenuates oxidative stress and liver injury and modulates fatty acid synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase in high cholesterol-fed rats.

Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, steatohepatitis, and progression of liver disorders. This study investigated the protective effect of farnesol (FAR), a sesquiterpene alcohol, against liver injury in high cholesterol diet (HCD)-fed rats, and its modulatory effect on fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). HCD was supplemented for 10 weeks, and the rats were concurrently treated with FAR. Rats that received HCD exhibited significant elevation of serum cholesterol, triacylglycerols, LDL and vLDL cholesterol, CRP, and pro-inflammatory cytokines and increased values of the cardiovascular risk indices. Serum transaminases, ALP, LDH and CK-MB, and hepatic lipid peroxidation (LPO), cholesterol, and triacylglycerols were increased in HCD-fed rats. Treatment with FAR greatly ameliorated dyslipidemia and liver function, reduced inflammatory mediators, LPO, and hepatic lipid infiltration and enhanced anti-oxidant defenses. FAR suppressed hepatic FAS, ACC, and SREPB-1c mRNA abundance and FAS activity in HDC-fed rats. In addition, molecular docking simulations pinpointed the binding modes of FAR to the active pocket residues of FAS and ACC. In conclusion, FAR possesses a strong anti-hyperlipidemic/anti-hypercholesterolemic activity mediated through its ability to modulate hepatic FAS, ACC, and SREPB-1c. FAR prevented oxidative stress, inflammation, and liver injury induced by HCD. Thus, FAR may represent a promising lipid-lowering agent that can protect against dyslipidemia and its linked metabolic deregulations