Rhizoextraction Potential of Convolvulus tricolor Hairy Roots for Cr6+, Ni2+, and Pb2+ Removal from Aqueous Solutions.

This study evaluated the potential of dwarf morning-glory Convolvulus tricolor (Convolvulaceae) plants and their hairy roots induced by Agrobacterium rhizogenes for rhizoextraction of heavy metals ions from the liquid medium under aseptic growth conditions. Both the young C. tricolor plants and the generated hairy root culture efficiently removed Cr6+, Ni2+, and Pb2+ ions from the liquid cultivation medium. As determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy, the hairy roots demonstrated a high level of heavy metal ions accumulation (µg/g dry weight): 3942 ± 210 of chromium, 1529 ± 312 of nickel, and 2613 ± 373 of lead. These data show that the hairy roots of morning glory might be of interest for some phytoremediation strategies due to their high bioaccumulation abilities. The comparison of bioaccumulation potential of established hairy roots and young C. tricolor plants give grounds to suppose that roots of C. tricolor play an active role in the absorption of Cr6+, Ni2+, and Pb2+ from liquid media, whereas the aboveground part rather serves as a storage for the accumulated metal ions.

The infarct-limiting effect of cerebral ischaemic postconditioning in rats depends on the middle cerebral artery branching pattern.

Cerebral ischaemic postconditioning (PostCon) is a recently discovered endogenous neuroprotective phenomenon that occurs after several brief bouts of reperfusion/ischaemia instituted immediately after prolonged cerebral ischaemia. Data on the extent of PostCon-mediated infarct size limitation in models of focal cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion are controversial. In this study, we investigated the infarct-limiting effect of PostCon in the rat model of focal cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion. The relationship between anatomic pattern of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and infarct size was also studied. The protocol of PostCon consisting of five episodes each of 10-s ischaemia and 10-s reperfusion was protective in terms of infarct size limitation only in animals with the typical bifurcating MCA branching pattern. The anatomic pattern of the MCA should be considered as one of the important factors influencing the outcome of neuroprotection studies.