ABSTRACT
@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Introduction:</strong> Nosocomial contaminants such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens are increasingly developing resistance to many antibiotics. One of the promising alternatives that may complement, if not substitute, the use of antibiotics is quorum quenching, the process of interfering with chemical signals that mediate communication between microorganisms. Eleusine indica, a ubiquitous grass used traditionally to treat infections, has been shown to contain metabolites, such as fatty acid derivatives and p-coumaric acid, capable of quorum quenching. To date, there has been no study on the quorum quenching activity of E. indica.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objectives:</strong> This study aimed to determine the in vitro activity of crude ethanolic extract of E. indica leaves against selected quorum-sensing regulated virulence factors of P. aeruginosa and S. marcescens.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methodology:</strong> E. indica leaves were collected, washed, air-dried, and homogenized. Following ethanolic extraction and rotary evaporation, the extract was screened for antimicrobial activity through disk diffusion test and broth microdilution assay. The quorum quenching activity of the extract against P. aeruginosa was measured through swarming motility assay, while the activity against S. marcescens was measured through swarming motility and pigment inhibition assays. The quorum quenching assays were conducted in triplicates, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to identify differences among the treatment groups.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Results:</strong> Disk diffusion test revealed that no zones of inhibition formed against both P. aeruginosa and S. marcescens for varying concentrations of up to 200 mg/mL of the crude extract. Likewise, the MIC of the extract against both P. aeruginosa and S. marcescens was determined to be >200 mg/mL. However, it was shown that the extract, at 50 mg/mL, has statistically significant activity (p<0.05) against the swarming motility of P. aeruginosa, and it is 71.6% as effective in reducing the swarming area of the bacteria compared to cinnamaldehyde. This was not observed when the extract was tested against the swarming motility of and pigment production by S. marcescens.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion:</strong> In this study, the quorum quenching activity of the crude ethanolic extract of E. indica leaves was found to be effective against P. aeruginosa but not against S. marcescens. The compounds that will be identified by further studies may conceivably be used as an adjunct therapy in P. aeruginosa infections and as coating agents in medical devices.</p>
Subject(s)
Eleusine , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Quorum Sensing , Serratia marcescens , ProdigiosinABSTRACT
Background Genetic diversity of finger millet (Eleusine coracana), a nutritious neglected staple cereal in Africa and South Asia is largely uncharacterized. This study analysed 82 published SSR markers for finger millet across 10 diverse accessions to compile an informative set for genetic characterisation. Extensive optimization compared single samples with bulked leaf or bulked DNA samples for capturing within accession genetic diversity. The markers were evaluated to determine (1) how efficiently they amplified target loci during high-throughput genotyping with a generic PCR protocol, (2) ease of scoring PCR products and (3) polymorphism and ability to discern genetic diversity within the tested finger millet germplasm. Results Across 88 samples, the 52 markers that worked well amplified 274 alleles, ranging from 2 to 14 per locus with a mean of 4.89. Major allele frequency ranged from 0.18 to 0.93 with a mean of 0.57. Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) ranged from 0.13 to 0.88 with a mean of 0.5 and availability varied between 64 and 100% with a mean of 92.8%. Heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 1.0, with a mean of 0.26. Discussion Five individual samples from an accession captured the largest number of alleles per locus compared to the four different bulked sampling strategies but this difference was not significant. The identified set comprised 20 markers: UGEP24, UGEP53, UGEP84, UGEP27, UGEP98, UGEP95, UGEP64, UGEP33, UGEP67, UGEP106, UGEP110, UGEP57, UGEP96, UGEP66, UGEP46, UGEP79, UGEP20, UGEP12, UGEP73 and UGEP5 and was since used to assess East African finger millet genetic diversity in two separate studies.
Subject(s)
Genetic Variation , Microsatellite Repeats , Eleusine/genetics , Genotyping Techniques , Phylogeny , DNA/isolation & purification , Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
Currently, the use of herbicides is essential in a practical and common in agricultural areas, but efficiency of these herbicides can be compromised when applied on plants that thrive in water deficit conditions, due to low uptake and translocation of the product. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of control ACCase inhibiting herbicides applied post-emergence in plants of Eleusine indica under different soil water contents. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse and the experimental design was completely randomized design with four replications, consisting of a 9x4 factorial, with the combination of three soil water potentials (-0.03, -0.07 and -1.5 MPa) three herbicides (fluazifop-p -butyl, haloxyfop-methyl and sethoxydim + oil) and four doses (0, 25, 50, and 100 % of the recommended dose). Herbicide application was made in plants in vegetative stage 2-3 tillers. The soil water potential was initiated in the development stage of two leaves, and the water was supplemented until the soil reaches the potential of - 0.01 MPa, when it came to minimum pre-determined for each water management. The physiological parameters evaluated were: photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration leaf temperature and plant dry mass. The visual assessments of phytotoxicity were performed at 7 and 14 days after application. The herbicides behaved in different ways according to the used water management. In severe water stress conditions (soil moisture at 8%) only fluazifop-p-butyl herbicide achieved satisfactory control (>90%) in E. indica plants.
O objetivo deste estudo foi relacionar a eficiência de controle de herbicidas inibidores da ACCase aplicados em pós-emergência em plantas de Eleusine indica submetidas a diferentes teores de água no solo. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação e o delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, com 4 repetições, constituído de um fatorial 9X4, sendo a combinação de três manejos hídricos (-0,03; -0,07 e -1,5 MPa) com três herbicidas (fluazifop-p-butil, haloxyfop-methyl e sethoxydim + óleo mineral Assist) e quatro doses destes (100, 50, 25 e 0% da dose recomendada). A aplicação dos herbicidas foi efetuada nas plantas em estádio vegetativo de 2-3 perfilhos. Os manejos hídricos foram iniciados no estádio de desenvolvimento de duas folhas, repondo-se a água até o solo atingir o potencial de -0,01 MPa, quando este chegasse à tensão pré-determinada para cada manejo hídrico. Os parâmetros fisiológicos avaliados foram: taxa fotossintética, condutância estomática, transpiração, temperatura da folha e matéria seca das plantas. As avaliações visuais de fitotoxicidade foram realizadas aos 7 e 14 dias após a aplicação. Os herbicidas comportaram-se de maneiras distintas de acordo com o manejo hídrico utilizado. Em condições de estresse hídrico severo apenas o herbicida fluazifop-p-butyl atingiu controle satisfatório (>90%) em plantas de E. indica submetidas à estresse hídrico severo (8% de umidade no solo).
Subject(s)
Soil , Dehydration , Eleusine , Plant Weeds , Poaceae , Herbicides , WaterABSTRACT
Plant foods are important due to their antioxidant activity (AOA) attributed to the phenolics which are known to protect organisms against harmful effects of oxygen radicals. However, information on antioxidant activity of Indian plant foods is scanty. Therefore, the present study evaluated the AOA of cereals, millets, pulses and legumes, commonly consumed in India and assessed the relationship with their total phenolic content (TPC). AOA was assessed by DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) radical scavenging assay, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and reducing power. DPPH scavenging activity ranged from 0.24 and 1.73 mg/g, whereas FRAP ranged from 16.21 to 471.71 micromoles/g. Finger millet (Eleusine cora cana) and Rajmah (Phaseolus vulgaris) had the highest FRAP 471.71, 372.76 and DPPH scavenging activity 1.73, 1.07. Similar trends were observed with reducing power. Among cereals and legumes, Finger millet (Ragi) and black gram dhal (Phaseolus mungo Roxb) had the highest TPC, the values being 373 and 418 mg/100 g respectively, while rice (Oryza sativa) and green gram dhal (Phaseolus aureus Roxb) showed the least (47.6 and 62.4 mg/100 g). In the present study, FRAP (r = 0.91) and reducing power (r = 0.90) showed significant correlation with TPC in cereals and millets, but not in pulses and legumes. The results suggest that TPC contributes significantly to the AOA of Indian cereals and millets.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants , Edible Grain/chemistry , Eleusine/chemistry , Fabaceae/chemistry , Food , Hydroxybenzoates/analysis , India , Oryza/chemistry , Panicum/chemistry , Phaseolus/chemistryABSTRACT
As coleobrocas usam a madeira para realizar o seu ciclo de vida, fazendo galerias e causando danos na estrutura da planta e em certas situações, permitindo a entrada de patógenos. Este trabalho foi realizado de janeiro a maio de 2005 objetivando identificar e obter informações sobre as espécies de coleobrocas associadas a restos de cultura em área de cultivo de manga, no município de José de Freitas-Piauí. Foram coletados em cada área das variedades Tommy Atkins, Keitt, Kent e Palmer, dez ramos caídos, com aproximadamente 50 cm de comprimento e 2,5 cm de diâmetro, que foram levados ao laboratório de Fitossanidade do Centro de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade Federal do Piauí. As coleobrocas adultas foram retiradas da madeira, montadas em alfinetes entomológicos e enviadas ao Instituto Biológico em São Paulo-SP para identificação das espécies. Foram coletadas as coleobrocas Hypothenemus sp.(Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Xyleborus sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) e Orthostoma chryseis (Bates, 1970) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae).
The coleoborers use the wood to complete part of their cycle of life. In search for food they can makegalleries and cause damages in the structure of the plant, allowing the entrance of pathogenic individualsthat will harm the development of the crop. This research was carried out from January to May 2005aiming to get information on the species of coleoborers associated to crop wastes in the area of mangocrop, in José de Freitas county - Piauí. The insects had been collected in areas of Tommy Atkins, Keitt,Kent and Palmer varieties, in 10 fallen branches, with approximately 50 cm long and 2.5 cm of diameter,that were taken to the plant health laboratory of Centro de Ciências Agrárias in Universidade Federal doPiauí. The coleoborers were removed from the wood, assembled in entomologic pins and sent to theInstituto Biológico in São Paulo-SP for species identification. The coleoborers Hypothenemus sp.(Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Xyleborus sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) andOrthostoma chryseis (Bates, 1970) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) were found.
Subject(s)
Coleoptera , Eleusine , MangiferaABSTRACT
Eleusine indica and Portulaca oleracea are two common weeds in peanut crops in southern Córdoba. Two chemicals are frequently used to control them, quizalofop for grasses and lactofen for dicots. The objective is to study the effects of quizalofop and lactofen on cuticle ultrastructure in E. indica and P. oleracea, respectively. In the lab, quizalofop was applied on E. indica and lactofen on P. oleracea. Three plant categories were analyzed in each species: 3, 1-2, and no tiller in E. indica, and 8, 6, and 2 nomophylls in P. oleracea. Leaf samples from both species were collected at 7 and 16 days post-application and were treated for scanning electron microscopy. E. indica cuticle treated with lethal dose shows areas where epicuticular waxes disappear, specially in the youngest individua1s. These areas are located predominantly on periclinal walls of typical epidermic cells and subsidiary cells. On the other hand, P. oleracea shows cuticle discontinuities that may be caused by lactofen entry. They are smaller and less frequent in plants having 8 or more nomophylls. The remaining waxes act as a herbicide accumulation compartment and, therefore, would partially prevent the active ingredient entry to epidermic cells.
Subject(s)
Eleusine , Eleusine/ultrastructure , Herbicides/pharmacology , Plant Leaves , Plant Leaves/ultrastructure , Portulaca , Portulaca/ultrastructure , Quinoxalines/pharmacology , ArgentinaABSTRACT
Influence of finger millet and kodo millet on rat dermal wound healing was assessed by making a 4 cm2 (2 x 2 cm) excision wound on the shaven back of rats under ether anesthesia. Finger millet or kodo millet flour (300 mg) as aqueous paste was applied topically once daily for 16 days. The granulation tissue formed on day 4, 8 and 12 was used to estimate some biochemical parameters like protein, DNA, collagen and lipid peroxides. There was significant increase in protein and collagen contents and decrease in lipid peroxides. Biophysical parameters like rate of contraction and number of days for epithelialization were also studied. Rate of contraction was 88-90% in kodo millet and finger millet treated rats in comparison to 75% in untreated rats. The number of days for complete closure of wounds was lower for finger millet (13 days) and kodo millet (14 days) treated rats in comparison to untreated (16 days) rats. The results implicate a possible therapeutical role for finger millet and kodo millet in accelerating the process of wound healing.