Morphological studies and meiotic chromosome analysis of Epimedium elatum (Morr & Decne) - Rare endemic medicinal plant of Northwestern Himalayas in India.

Epimedium elatum (Berberidaceace) is a rare endemic medicinal herb of Northwestern Himalayas in India. Recent ethnopharmacological reports have demonstrated its traditional medicinal use against various bone related diseases in the Kashmir Himalayas. It owes its pharmaceutical importance due to high concentration of flavonoid glycosides like Epimedin A, B, C and Icariin which are known mainly for aphrodisiac, antiosteoporosis, anticancer, antioxidant, antiaging, antifatigue and antiviral activities. It is a neglected medicinal plant in Northwestern Himalayan region and may fall in the list of endangered species due to continuous anthropogenic pressures in its native habitats. In this study, we investigated distributional and altitudinal range of this prized species from twenty diverse eco-geographical zones of Kashmir Himalayas for the first time. We also report here its diversity in morphological attributes both in wild and captive cultivation. The species has a very small population size in most of the surveyed habitats with no natural protection. Under cultivation it showed increased plant height (63.09±4.9cm), more number of leaves (95.53±11cm) and flowers (160.76±20cm), indicating importance of high altitude medicinal garden for its immediate ex situ conservation. Further, the acetocarmine staining and squashing of young anthers confirmed it as a diploid species (2n=12) like other Epimedium species. Chromosome number and meiotic abnormalities are also reported for the first time in the species. Finally, constant anthropogenic pressures in Northwestern Himalayas demand immediate in situ and ex situ conservation programmes for E.elatum

Eating from raw wild plants in Himalaya: Traditional knowledge documentary on Sheena tribe in Kashmir

Present investigation describes the ethnobotanical information of 42 raw edible plants used by the Sheena tribe residing in Kashmir. Most of these species are consumed as wild fruits (22 spp.), some are eaten as greens salads or used in the preparation of local chutney (15 spp.), and tubers are eaten raw or occasionally boiled (5 spp.). These raw foods are considered as rich source of minerals and vitamins and are sold by locals to supplement their income. Besides food value, more than half of the investigated species (60 %) have multiple uses in the form of medicine, drugs or as NTFPs. Ethnobotanical information on four species Oxalis acetosella, Crataegus rhipidophylla, Rubus caesius, and Rubus saxatilis are recorded for the first time from India. In addition, existing ethnobotanical information on these documented plants have been reviewed along with their availability and population status on global level have been provided

Eating from raw wild plants in Himalaya: Traditional knowledge documentary on <em>Sheena </em> tribe in Kashmir

269-275Present investigation describes the ethnobotanical information of 42 raw edible plants used by the Sheena tribe residing in Kashmir. Most of these species are consumed as wild fruits (22 spp.), some are eaten as greens salads or used in the preparation of local chutney (15 spp.), and tubers are eaten raw or occasionally boiled (5 spp.). These raw foods are considered as rich source of minerals and vitamins and are sold by locals to supplement their income. Besides food value, more than half of the investigated species (60 %) have multiple uses in the form of medicine, drugs or as NTFPs. Ethnobotanical information on four species Oxalis acetosella, Crataegus rhipidophylla, Rubus caesius, and Rubus saxatilis are recorded for the first time from India. In addition, existing ethnobotanical information on these documented plants have been reviewed along with their availability and population status on global level have been provided

Development of chloroplast microsatellite markers for phylogenetic analysis in Brassicaceae

By employing in silico tools, we devised new chloroplast microsatellite primers for inferring phylogenetic relationships within Brassicaceae. Microsatellite repeats were scanned in 12 chloroplast genomes of Brassicaceae, regions flanking these repeats were aligned and 19 universal primers were designed. Fifteen of these primer pairs are predicted to yield polymorphic amplicons, that are more or less evenly distributed throughout the chloroplast genomes. Finally, using PCR, we have validated three primer pairs on a limited ‘test set’ of plants, different from those used in computational analysis

Mannitol Stress Directs Flavonoid Metabolism toward Synthesis of Flavones via Differential Regulation of Two Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenases in Coleus forskohlii

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYP450s) are known to play important roles in biosynthesis of all secondary metabolites, including flavonoids. Despite this, few CYP450s have been functionally characterized in model plants and roles of fewer CYP450s are known in non-model, medicinal, and aromatic plants. Our study in Coleus forskohlii indicates that flavone synthase (CYP93B) and flavonoid 3′ monooxygenase (CYP706C) are key enzymes positioned at a metabolic junction, to execute the biosynthesis of different sub-classes of flavonoids (flavones, flavonol, anthocynanin, isoflavones etc.) from a common precursor. Such branch points are favored targets for artificially modulating the metabolic flux toward specific metabolites, through genetic manipulation or use of elicitors that differentially impact the expression of branch point genes. Genkwanin, the only flavone reported from C. forskohlii, is known to possess anti-inflammatory activity. It is biosynthesized from the general flavonoid precursor: naringenin. Two differentially expressed cytochrome P450 genes (CfCYP93B, CfCYP706C), exhibiting maximum expression in leaf tissues, were isolated from C. forskohlii. Mannitol treatment resulted in increased expression of CfCYP93B and decrease in expression of CfCYP706C. Metabolite quantification data showed that genkwanin content increased and anthocyanin levels decreased in response to mannitol treatment. Alignment, phylogenetic analysis, modeling, and molecular docking analysis of protein sequences suggested that CfCYP93B may be involved in conversion of naringenin to flavones (possibly genkwanin via apigenin), while CfCYP706C may act on common precursors of flavonoid metabolism and channel the substrate toward production of flavonols or anthocynanins. Decrease in expression of CfCYP706C and increase in accumulation of genkwanin suggested that mannitol treatment may possibly lead to accumulation of genkwanin via suppression of a competitive branch of flavonoids in C. forskohlii

Differential response of terpenes and anthraquinones derivatives in <i>Rumex dentatus</i> and <i>Lavandula officinalis</i> to harsh winters across north-western Himalaya

<div><p>Herbs adapted to diverse climates exhibit distinct variability to fluctuating temperatures and demonstrate various metabolic and physiological adaptations to harsh environments. In this research, <i>Rumex dentatus</i> L. and <i>Lavandula officinalis</i> L. were collected before snowfall in September–November to evaluate variability in major phytoconstituents to diverse seasonal regime. LC-MS was used for simultaneous determination of eight anthraquinone derivatives in <i>R. dentatus</i>, i.e. emodin, physcion, chrysophanol, physcion glucoside, endocrocin, emodin glucoside, chrysophanol glucoside and chromone derivatives and monoterpenes in <i>L. officinalis</i> i.e. (<i>Z</i>)-β<i>-ocimene,</i> (<i>E</i>)-β-ocimene, terpene alcohol, terpin-4-ol, acetate ester-linalyl acetate and bicyclic sesquiterpene (<i>E</i>)-caryophyllene. The correlation analysis confirmed significant variation in anthraquinone glucoside and terpene content within <i>Rumex</i> and Lavender, respectively, and altitude was established as the determinant factor in secondary metabolism of both herbs. The study concludes the propagation of herbs in bioclimatic belts which favour accumulation of major constituents and validate their greater pharmacological activity.</p></div