Sphaeroane and Neodolabellane Diterpenes from the Red Alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius

Investigation of minor metabolites in the extracts of the red alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius collected from the rocky coasts of Corfu Island in the Ionian Sea yielded two new diterpene alcohols, sphaerollanes I, and II (1, 2) featuring neodolabellane skeletons, and the new sphaeroane diterpene alcohol 16-hydroxy-9S*-acetoxy-8-epi-isosphaerodiene-2 (3), along with two previously reported metabolites 4, 5. The structures of the new natural products, as well as their relative stereochemistry, were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectral analysis, including 2D-NMR experiments

IN VIVO SCREENING OF ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY OF ACACIA MELLIFERA (BENTH) (LEGUMINOSAE) ON PLASMODIUM BERGHEI IN MICE

The activities of total extracts and lupane triterpenes, isolated from the stem bark of Acacia mellifera, were evaluated against Plasmodium berghei strain ANKA in a female Swiss mouse model. Five isolated compounds and the crude extracts were evaluated for antimalarial activity and Quinine hydrochloride was used as a positive control. Only betulin and the methanolic extract produced considerable antimalarial activity in mice infected with P. berghei parasites. This study demonstrated the presence of bioactive agents in Acacia mellifera

Neorogioltriol: A brominated diterpene with analgesic activity from Laurencia glandulifera

International audienceThe new tricyclic brominated diterpenoid, neorogioltriol (1), was isolated from the organic extract of the red alga Laurencia glandulifera, collected at Kefalonia Island in Western Greece. Assignment of the (1)H and (13)C NMR resonances were carried out by extensive analysis of its NMR spectra. The new metabolite was evaluated for its analgesic activity using the writhing test in mice and the formalin test in rats. A dose-dependant antiinociceptive response was observed in the writhing test at 0.5 and 1 mg/kg with an IC(50) of 12.5 mu g/kg. Compound 1 also inhibited the second phase of the formalin test. (c) 2008 Phytochemical Society of Europe Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

In Vivo and in Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Neorogioltriol, a New Diterpene Extracted from the Red Algae Laurencia glandulifera

Neorogioltriol is a tricyclic brominated diterpenoid isolated from the organic extract of the red algae Laurencia glandulifera. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory effects of neorogioltriol were evaluated both in vivo using carrageenan-induced paw edema and in vitro on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated Raw264.7 macrophages. The in vivo study demonstrated that the administration of 1 mg/kg of neorogioltriol resulted in the significant reduction of carregeenan-induced rat edema. In vitro, our results show that neorogioltriol treatment decreased the luciferase activity in LPS-stimulated Raw264.7 cells, stably transfected with the NF-κB-dependent luciferase reporter. This effect on NF-κB activation is not mediated through MAPK pathways. The inhibition of NF-κB activity correlates with decreased levels of LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) present in neorogioltriol treated supernatant cell culture. Further analyses indicated that this product also significantly inhibited the release of nitric oxide and the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-stimulated Raw264.7 cells. These latter effects could only be observed for neorogioltriol concentrations below 62.5 μM. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing a molecule derived from Laurencia glandulifera with anti-inflammatory activity both in vivo and in vitro. The effect demonstrated in vitro may be explained by the inhibition of the LPS-induced NF-κB activation and TNFα production. NO release and COX-2 expression may reinforce this effect

Designing Innovative Crops According to the Needs of Climate Change and Green Deal

Climate change and environmental degradation pose an actual threat to Europe and the rest of the world. Innovative or retrovative crops could be components of alternative redesigned agro-ecosystems, meeting the EU Green Deal targets for reduced use of chemical inputs by 2030. The present study aimed to evaluate: a) the adaptation of production to the stormy effects of climate change, b) the detection of the receptivity of the producers to the application of the design of innovative and retro-innovative crops in the field, and c) the in-depth detection of inhibiting factors (natural resources, economic, social and anthropogenic factors) for producers. A quantitative research was performed using structured interviews (face to face - a set of questions) and open-ended questions. The selected sample was composed of 41 farmers and the study area was the Mani Peninsula, Southern Greece. The statistical processing of the answers showed a significant correlation of change receptivity with age, educational level and the main profession. Younger people, those with higher education and non-mainstream farmers are more receptive to change and switch to innovative crops. The environment, climatic and economic, requires adaptation and change in order to maintain sustainability. Producers are receptive to reforms and shifts to innovative and retro-innovative crops. However, there is a lack of coherent policies in the direction of building infrastructure, solving structural problems, training and transferring know-how, and finally, providing incentives and opportunities by creating and utilizing the appropriate tools

Effect of Land-Use Intensification on Soil Properties and Plant Species Diversity in the Mediterranean Agroecosystem

In recent decades, agriculture in Greece has undergone significant changes due to the intensification of land use. This intensification, contrary to the sustainable land management, has an impact on the healthiness of the environmental agroecosystem. This study aimed to investigate if these cultivation systems influence some of the main edaphic properties and plant species diversity and which are the main anthropogenic interventions which may have a decisive role in the changes of soil physicochemical properties and the reduction of plant species. To assess the environmental implications among different types of land-use, the most sensitive and reliable edaphic indicators were measured and plant species diversity was recorded. Three land-use types such as maize crops, alfalafa and abandoned land were selected and ten fields with an area of approximately 1 ha in each land use type were taken. The results indicate that among the edaphic parameters pH, sand, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM), NO3- as well as Ca+2 and Cu+2 soil concentration presented statistically significant differences among thirty cultivated fields. Among three different land uses, the edaphic variables EC, SOM, BD, Cal & Na concentrations presented significant differences. A higher soil organic matter content was observed in abandoned land while bulk density and electric conductivity value as well as Na+ concentrations were lower compared to other land uses. In total 122 taxa belonging to 30 families were recorded, while the families with the greatest species diversity were Poaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae in all land uses. Therophytes was the dominant life-form, followed by the Hemicryptophytes and Geophytes. The findings of the present study imply that different agronomic practices influence soil quality parameters, which are likely to affect species diversity and the environmental implications among different land uses

Taste and smell : a unifying chemosensory theory

Since antiquity, the sense of smell (olfaction) is considered as a distance sense, just like sight and hear-ing. Conversely, the sense of taste (gustation) is thought to operate by direct contact, similarly to touch.With the progress of natural sciences, information at molecular, anatomical, and neurobiological levelshas also contributed to the taste-smell dichotomy, but much evidence inconsistent with a sharp differenti-ation of these two senses has emerged, especially when considering species other than humans. In spite ofthis, conflicting information has been interpreted so that it could conform to the traditional differentia-tion. As a result, a confirmation bias is currently affecting scientific research on chemosensory systemsand is also hindering the development of a satisfactory narrative of the evolution of chemical communi-cation across taxa. From this perspective, the chemosensory dichotomy loses its validity and usefulness. Wethus propose the unification of all chemosensory modalities into a single sense, moving toward a synthetic,complex, and interconnected perspective on the gradual processes by which a vast variety of chemicals havebecome signals that are crucially important to communication among and within cells, organs, and or-ganisms in a wide variety of environmental conditions

Taste and Smell: A Unifying Chemosensory Theory

Since antiquity, the sense of smell (olfaction) is considered as a distance sense, just like sight and hearing. Conversely, the sense of taste (gustation) is thought to operate by direct contact, similarly to touch. With the progress of natural sciences, information at molecular, anatomical, and neurobiological levels has also contributed to the taste-smell dichotomy, but much evidence inconsistent with a sharp differentiation of these two senses has emerged, especially when considering species other than humans. In spite of this, conflicting information has been interpreted so that it could conform to the traditional differentiation. As a result, a confirmation bias is currently affecting scientific research on chemosensory systems and is also hindering the development of a satisfactory narrative of the evolution of chemical communication across taxa. From this perspective, the chemosensory dichotomy loses its validity and usefulness. We thus propose the unification of all chemosensory modalities into a single sense, moving toward a synthetic, complex, and interconnected perspective on the gradual processes by which a vast variety of chemicals have become signals that are crucially important to communication among and within cells, organs, and organisms in a wide variety of environmental condition