Sadržaj toksičnih i esencijalnih metala u ljekovitom bilju koje raste u onečišćenim i neonečišćenim područjima u Makedoniji

The aim of this study was to determine and compare Ba, Cr, Cd, Fe, Sr, Pb, and Zn content in medicinal herbs Urtica dioica L., Taraxacum officinale, and Matricaria recutita growing in polluted and unpolluted areas of the Republic of Macedonia. The metal content was determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). In the unpolluted area of Mt. Plačkovica the metal content in Taraxacum officinale was in the descending order: Fe>Sr>Zn>Ba>Cr, while Pb and Cd were below the limit of detection. In the polluted area of Veles, the order was as follows: Fe>Zn>Sr>Pb>Ba>Cd>Cr. Our results suggest that quality assurance and monitoring of toxic metals is needed for plants intended for human use and consumption. Medicinal plants should be picked in areas free of any contamination sources.Cilj je ovoga istraživanja bio utvrditi i usporediti sadržaj Ba, Cr, Cd, Fe, Sr, Pb i Zn u ljekovitom bilju Urtica dioica L., Taraxacum offi cinale i Matricaria recutita koje raste u onečišćenome odnosno neonečišćenome području u Republici Makedoniji. Sadržaj metala utvrdili smo s pomoću atomske emisijske spektroskopije induktivno spregnutom plazmom (engl. inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, krat. ICP-AES). U neonečišćenome području planine Plačkovice, sadržaj metala u Taraxacum offi cinale kretao se kako slijedi: Fe>Sr>Zn>Ba>Cr, dok su Pb i Cd bili ispod granice detekcije. U onečišćenome području blizu talionice olova i cinka u Velesu redoslijed je bio ovakav: Fe>Zn>Sr>Pb>Ba>Cd>Cr. Naši rezultati upućuju na potrebu za osiguranjem kakvoće i praćenjem razina toksičnih metala u biljaka namijenjenih ljudskoj uporabi. Ljekovito bilje valja brati u područjima bez izvora onečišćenja

Vegetation clustering along irrigation and drainage canal banks in an extreme arid area in Upper Egyp

Vegetation analysis of the irrigation and drainage canals of the Aswan Province indicates the dominance of Pluchea dioscoridis, Phragmites australis, Cynodon dactylon, Imperata cylindrica, Alhagi graecorum, Sonchus oleraceus, Ceratophyllum demersum and Polypogon monspeliensis. The classification of stands according to the TWINSPAN technique resulted in seven vegetation clusters at level three. The seven clusters of level three are named after the dominant species as follows: (I) Sesbania sesban, (II) Chenopodium murale-Digitaria sanguinalis-Echinochloa colona, (III) Cyperus alopecuroides, (IV) Cynodon dactylon, (V) Phoenix dactylifera-Oxystelma alpini-Hyphaene thebiaca, (VI) Tamarix nilotica and (VII) Anagallis arvensis-Cuscuta pedicellata-Convolvulus arvensis-Chenopodium album. Among the estimated soil variables in the present study, sand, silt, Mg+2 and organic matter are important in characterising the vegetation clusters

Vegetation analysis of six riverian islands in hyper-arid environments at Qena Governorate (Upper Egypt)

The present study aims at analysing the vegetation of six riverian islands at Qena Governorate, Upper Egypt. 160 taxa of angiosperms and one pteridophyte species were recorded in six sedimentary islands located throughout the Nile stream at Qena Governorate, Upper Egypt. Of these, Hibiscus diversifolius (Malvaceae) recorded as a new record to the flora of Egypt. Therophytes represent 51.6% of the life form spectrum. Pantropical, Palaeotropical and Cosmopolitan elements (31.1%, 18.6% and 21.7%, respectively) were the dominant floristical categories among the total number of species. Vegetation analysis using TWINSPAN technique classified the 103 stands surveyed in the studied islands into ten vegetation clusters were obtained and categorised into 4 distinct groups according to soil moisture and chemical characteristics (TDS, EC, sodium and phosphate concentrations) appeared to be important attributes in characterising the vegetation clusters

Vegetation Analysis and Environmental Relationships of Riverain Plants in the Aswan Reservoir, Egypt

The present study analyses plant diversity and evaluates the relationship between edaphic variables and the distribution and grouping of plant species in the Aswan Reservoir area, South Egypt. The dominant families were Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Asteraceae, forming 38.82% of the total flora recorded. The main bulk of the flora recorded (50.59%) belonged to the cosmopolitan, neotropical, pantropical, and palaeotropical chorotypes. A TWINSPAN analysis produced 10 vegetation clusters. Inundation levels showed a high correlation with species richness. The seasonally inundated area in Bute El-Hasaya and Maezana Belal (cluster V) had the highest species richness (36.50), while the lowest species richness (4.50) was in the shoreline of Philae, Awad, and Heisa islands (cluster IX). The DCA ordination depicted the environmental gradient expressed by the cluster analysis, and the resulting vegetation groups represented a distinct microhabitat. The CCA ordination indicates that the separation of vegetation group (A) along the axis was affected by the concentration of K, Mg, and CO3, and the vegetation group (B) was significantly associated with the total dissolved salts and the concentration of Cl. Moreover, the vegetation group (C) correlated significantly with pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter content, and SO3, HCO3, PO4, Na, and Ca concentrations

Metabolomic Profiling and Antioxidant, Anticancer and Antimicrobial Activities of Hyphaene thebaica

This study investigated the metabolic content and biological activities of Hyphaene thebaica leaves, male parts and fruits methanolic extracts. The phytochemical constituents were determined, and multivariate data analysis discriminated the evaluated three parts into three groups according to the content of phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols, saponins, anthocyanins and tannins. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) profiling of polyphenols revealed the dominance of catechins, rutin and apigenin-7-glucosides in leaves, protocatechuin, p-hydroxybenzoic, syringic, vanillic, rosmarinic, p-coumaric acids and chrysin in male parts, and chlorogenic acid in fruits. Leaves and male parts showed stronger free radical scavenging activity than the fruits. Positive correlations between total antioxidant capacity and carbohydrates, phenolics and flavonols were observed. The three extracts exhibited potent anti-cancer activity against liver and lung carcinoma cell lines. All extracts exhibited antibacterial activity, while only fruits showed antifungal efficacy. In conclusion, H. thebaica leaves, male parts and fruits contain a variety of phytochemicals with antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial activities