A perspective on the modulation of plant and animal two pore channels (TPCs) by the flavonoid naringenin.

The inhibitory effect of the flavonoid naringenin on plant and human Two-Pore Channels (TPCs) was assessed by means of electrophysiological measurements. By acting on human TPC2, naringenin, was able to dampen intracellular calcium responses to VEGF in cultured human endothelial cells and to impair angiogenic activity in VEGF-containing matrigel plugs implanted in mice. Molecular docking predicts selective binding sites for naringenin in the TPC structure, thus suggesting a specific interaction between the flavonoid and the channel.

The problem of misidentification between edible and poisonous wild plants: Reports from the Mediterranean area.

Today, in many European countries, people are looking for wild edible plants to experience new tastes and flavors, by following the new trend of being green and environmentally friendly. Young borage and spinach leaves can be easily confused by inexpert pickers with those of other plants, including poisonous ones, such as Mandragora autumnalis Bertol. (mandrake) or Digitalis purpurea L. (foxglove), common in southern and northern Italy respectively. In the last twenty years, several cases of intoxication by accidental ingestion of mandrake and foxglove have been reported. The purpose of this work was to perform a pharmacognostic characterization of young leaves from borage, mandrake, foxglove and spinach, by micro-morphological, molecular and phytochemical techniques. The results showed that each of the three techniques investigated could be sufficient alone to provide useful information for the identification of poisonous species helping the medical staff to manage quickly the poisoned patients. However, the multi-disciplinary approach proposed could be very useful to asses the presence of poisonous plants in complex matrices, to build a database containing morphological, molecular and phytochemical data for the identification of poisonous species or in forensic toxicology, given their increasingly frequent use due to their low cost and relatively common availability.

Zornia latifolia: a smart drug being adulterated by Stylosanthes guianensis.

Dried herbal preparations, based on "Zornia latifolia," are commonly sold on web, mainly for their supposed hallucinogenic properties. In this work, we demonstrate that these commercial products contain a different Fabacea, i.e., Stylosanthes guianensis, a cheaper plant, widely cultivated in tropical regions as a fodder legume. We were provided with plant samples of true Zornia latifolia from Brazil, and carried out a thorough comparison of the two species. The assignment of commercial samples was performed by means of micro-morphological analysis, DNA barcoding, and partial phytochemical investigation. We observed that Z. latifolia contains large amounts of flavonoid di-glycosides derived from luteolin, apigenin, and genistein, while in S. guianensis lesser amounts of flavonoids, mainly derived from quercetin, were found. It is likely that the spasmolytic and anxiolytic properties of Z. latifolia, as reported in traditional medicine, derive from its contents in apigenin and/or genistein.

Smart drugs: green shuttle or real drug?

We have combined morphological, molecular, and chemical techniques in order to identify the plant and chemical composition of some last-generation smart drugs, present on the market under the following names: Jungle Mistic Incense, B-52, Blendz, and Kratom 10x. Micromorphological analyses of botanical fragments allowed identification of epidermal cells, stomata, trichomes, starch, crystals, and pollen. DNA barcoding was carried out by the plastidial gene rbcL and the spacer trnH-psbA as universal markers. The combination of morphological and molecular data revealed a mixture of plants from different families, including aromatic species, viz., Lamiaceae and Turneraceae. GC-MS and LC-MS analyses on ethanol or methanol extracts showed the presence of synthetic cannabinoids, including JWH-250 in Jungle, JWH-122 in B-52, and JWH-073 and JWH-018 in Blendz. In Kratom 10x, only the indole alkaloid mitragynine was detected. All the identified synthetic cannabinoids, apart from mitragynine, are under the restriction of law in Italy (TU 309/90). Synthetic cannabinoid crystals were also identified by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, which also detected other foreign organic chemicals, probably preservatives or antimycotics. In Kratom only leaf fragments from Mitragyna speciosa, containing the alkaloid mitragynine, were found. In the remaining products, aromatic plant species have mainly the role of hiding synthetic cannabinoids, thus acting as a "green shuttle" rather than as real drugs. Such a multidisciplinary approach is proposed as a method for the identification of herbal blends of uncertain composition, which are widely marketed in "headshops" and on the Internet, and represent a serious hazard to public health.

Traditional uses of plants in the Eastern Riviera (Liguria, Italy).

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the present study was to explore the traditional plant knowledge of a zone of the Ligurian coast, known as Riviera spezzina (RS), Eastern Liguria, Italy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethnobotanical information was obtained through open informal interviews. The informants were residents, belonging to families living in the study area since generations, and involved, at least partially, in agriculture. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: A total of 120 botanical taxa were recorded. Ethnobotanical data included medicinal (40.4%), alimentary (46.5%), veterinary (4.6%), domestic and cosmetic (4.3%), magic and ritual (1.8%) and other uses (2.4%). Medicinal plants are used to treat a wide range of diseases, mainly disorders of digestive system, skin, and genital-urinary and respiratory traits. The key role played by undomesticated edible herbs, locally known as "erbette", in traditional cooking recipes of RS was shown. These botanicals are rich in bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, vitamins, complex sugars, essential fatty acids and fibers, and therefore might offer a valid protection against pathological conditions. Plant uses by RS people were compared with previous ethnobotanical literature, concerning the neighbouring areas of Liguria. Our results highlight the role of the traditional use of plants in the maintenance of health and the prevention of chronic and age-related diseases.

Arbuscular mycorrhizae increase the arsenic translocation factor in the As hyperaccumulating fern Pteris vittata L.

Phytoremediation techniques are receiving more attention as decontaminating strategies. Phytoextraction makes use of plants to transfer contaminants from soil to the aboveground biomass. This research is devoted to study the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) on growth and As hyperaccumulation in the Chinese brake fern Pteris vittata. We grew for 45 days P. vittata sporophytes, infected or not infected with the AM fungi Glomus mosseae or Gigaspora margarita, in a hydroponic system on quartz sand. As-treated plants were weekly fed with 25 ppm As. The As treatment produced a dramatic increase of As concentration in pinnae and a much lower increase in roots of both mycorrhizal and control plants. Mycorrhization increased pinnae dry weight (DW) (G. margarita = G. mosseae) and leaf area (G. margarita > G. mosseae), strongly reduced root As concentration (G. mosseae > G. margarita), and increased the As translocation factor (G. mosseae > G. margarita). The concentration of phosphorus in pinnae and roots was enhanced by both fungi (G. margarita > G. mosseae). The quantitatively different effects of the two AM fungi on plant growth as well as on As and P distribution in the fern suggest that the As hyperaccumulation in P. vittata can be optimized by a careful choice of the symbiont.

[Effect of cryopreservation on pollen viability]. / Effetto della crioconservazione sulla vitalità pollinica.

The viability of pollen at room temperature lowers and disappears in few days; on the contrary the cryopreservation lengthens the pollen viability. Pollen of Pinus brutia, P. canariensis, P. halepensis, P. pinaster has been stored at -20 degrees C for one year with the aim of checking the variation of viability. The viability has been tested by fluorescein diacetate; the germination by in vitro culture for 96 hours has been observed and daily percentage of germinated pollen grains and maximum lengths of pollen tubes have been checked. The tests have been carried out at the drawing of pollen and then 6 months and 12 months after. The pollen viability lowers during this period but it does not disappear. The germination power decreases in Pinus canariensis and P. pinaster, while in Pinus brutia and P. halepensis it is increased by low temperature. Therefore the cryopreservation has to be considered an important method for the maintenance of the germplasm of those plants, like the pines, which are important from the naturalistic point of view.

[Observations on the germinability in vitro of pollen from Camellia japonica L. (Theaceae)]. / Osservazioni sulla germinabilità in vitro del polline di Camellia japonica L. (Theaceae).

Pollen grains from samples of Camellia japonica living in soil (A) and in greenhouse (B) were collected daily from just-opened anthers. The pollen was sown in various liquid media and incubated at 28 C. Higher germinative ability of A in comparison with B was observed and related to the relative humidity which is higher in soil than in greenhouse. This phenomenon recurs even if the composition of the culture medium is changed. However the composition of the medium greatly influences the percentage of germination of both A and B notwithstanding the environmental conditions. The pollen collected from anthers dehiscing in the first day of the anthesis has a high germinative ability which suddenly decreases in the ripe pollen of the following days.

Sensory neuropeptides (substance P) and 4-11 SP enhance human neutrophils chemiluminescence; the role of L-arginine.

Investigations on the effect of a naturally occurring neuropeptide, substance P (SP) and one of its synthetic analogues, 4-11 SP, on luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) are presented. Both peptides elicited a strong burst of CL with different time course and dose-response curves. SP- and tuftsin-induced CL were similar, both peptides sharing a Lys-Pro-Arg terminal; 4-11 SP, which lacks the terminal arginine, peaked earlier than the natural peptide. Surprisingly when PMN were pre-incubated with L-arginine (L-Arg) this enhancing effect was abolished or diminished. L-Arg and an L-Arg synthetic derivative (PCF-39) were also evaluated; PCF-39 strongly increased the PMN CL, while L-arginine showed a significant CL enhancement only in 43% of the donors tested. Peptide- and arginine-induced CL were Ca++/MG++ dependent.