Palatability of nine fodders species used by guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus).[Pubmed: 28884404]

Nine fodders commonly offered to the guinea pigs by the breeders in Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of Congo) were compared for chemical composition and for both daily dry matter intake and palatability indices by using 13 three-month-old guinea pigs. Four different plant families were provided to each guinea pig, and each animal was exposed to all the experimental diets studied for 8 consecutive days. The fodder species were three grasses: Trypsacum laxum, Panicum maximum, and Pennisetum purpureum; three trees or bushes Moringa oleifera, Leucaena leucocephala, and Bauhinia variegata; and three flowering plants Bidens oligoflora, Bidens pilosa, and Commelina diffusa. Dry matter content varied from 14 to 44/100 g FM, and CP from 13 to 28/100 g DM. B. variegata and P. purpureum showed the lowest CP value and L. leucocephala the highest. The grasses and the Commelina had higher levels of hemicelluloses than the tree fodders, especially P. maximum (45/100 g DM). High levels of K were found in the grasses and Bidens, and high Ca in the tree fodders and Bidens. The guinea pigs preferred, in a descending order, P. purpureum (0.79), B. pilosa (0.78), C. diffusa (0.78), T. laxum (0.77), P. maximum (0.76), B. oligoflora (0.75), M. oleifera (0.45), L. leucocephala (0.37), and B. variegata (0.33). The DMI and the palatability index were strongly correlated to the ash (r = 0.82; p ˂ 0.05) and the potassium (r = 0.88; p ˂ 0.05) contents in fodders.

Riparian plants on mine runoff in Zimapan, Hidalgo, Mexico: Useful for phytoremediation?[Pubmed: 26939994]

Dispersion and runoff of mine tailings have serious implications for human and ecosystem health in the surroundings of mines. Water, soils and plants were sampled in transects perpendicular to the Santiago stream in Zimapan, Hidalgo, which receives runoff sediments from two acidic and one alkaline mine tailing. Concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTE) were measured in water, soils (rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere) and plants. Using diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) extractable concentrations of Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd and Pb in rhizosphere soil, the bioconcentration and translocation factors were calculated. Ruderal annuals formed the principal element of the herbaceous vegetation. Accumulation was the most frequent strategy to deal with high concentrations of Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb. The order of concentration in plant tissue was Zn>Pb>Cu>Ni>Cd. Most plants contained concentrations of PTE considered as phytotoxic and behaved as metal tolerant species. Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum accumulated particularly high concentrations of Cu. Parietaria pensylvanica and Commelina diffusa, common tropical weeds, behaved as Zn hyperaccumulators and should be studied further.

Interspecific differences in growth response and tolerance to the antibiotic sulfadiazine in ten clonal wetland plants in South China.[Pubmed: 26580742]

Pollution caused by residual antibiotics is a worldwide environmental issue. Antibiotic residues often occur in aquatic ecosystems, posing threats to the health of aquatic organisms. The effects of antibiotic residues on the growth of crop plants and on human health are reasonably well known. However, less is known about antibiotic effects on wetland plants. Therefore, we studied the response and tolerance of ten clonal wetland plants grown in soil spiked with sulfadiazine at 10 mg kg(-1) (an environmentally relevant concentration) and 100 mg kg(-1). At 10 mg kg(-1), ramet number was the least affected trait, while root number was the most affected among plant species. Plant shoot and total biomass were reduced in all species except in Cyperus malaccensis var. brevifolius and Panicum repens. Chlorophyll content was reduced in Alocasia macrorrhiza, Saururus chinensis, and Commelina diffusa. In general, Panicum paludosum and C. malaccensis var. brevifolius showed the least reduction of growth parameters, whereas growth of both A. macrorrhiza and S. chinensis was severely reduced. At 100 mg kg(-1), negative responses occurred in all species. Comprehensive tolerance analysis revealed that P. paludosum and C. malaccensis var. brevifolius were the species most resistant to sulfadiazine. These species are potential candidates for sulfadiazine polluted wetland restoration. A. macrorrhiza and S. chinensis were the most susceptible species and they should be protected from sulfadiazine pollution. Relative plant shoot biomass and height were the most useful indicators for evaluating plant tolerance to sulfadiazine. Plant tolerance to sulfadiazine was associated with the differences of plants in height and shoot biomass.

In vitro evaluation of effects of two Ghanaian plants relevant to wound healing.[Pubmed: 16909445]

Commelina diffusa and Spathodea campanulata are used as wound-healing agents in Ashanti traditional medicine in Ghana. The methanol extracts of Commelina diffusa herb and Spathodea campanulata bark showed some level of antimicrobial activity with C. diffusa exhibiting selective antifungal activity against Trichophyton species. The extracts reduced the peroxidation of bovine brain extract with an IC(50) value of 1.39 mg/mL and 0.24 mg/mL, respectively. In addition the extracts also exhibited significant antioxidant activity by protecting MRC-5 cells from hydrogen peroxide induced oxidant injury at concentrations between 1 microg/mL and 10 microg/mL. The extracts showed no inhibition of NF-kappaB at 100 microg/mL. The antioxidant activities and antimicrobial activities suggest that the use of the plants in wound healing may be based on antioxidant and antiseptic effects of its constituents.

In vitro tests and ethnopharmacological investigations: wound healing as an example.[Pubmed: 16040217]

In vitro tests are now widely employed in ethnopharmacological research because of ethical reasons and their usefulness in bioactive-guided fractionation and determination of active compounds. For many disease conditions, a variety of in vitro tests can now be employed as the biochemical mechanisms underlying disease and healing processes are understood. Approaches to the in vitro investigations of wound healing processes are exemplified by studies on extracts of Buddleja species and three Ghanaian species Spathodea campanulata, Commelina diffusa and Secamone afzelii. Most studies have been carried out on Buddleja officinalis or Buddleja globosa. The extracts have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties due to flavonoids, triterpenoids, diterpenoids and caffeic acid derivatives. There appears to a slight effect on proliferation of fibroblasts at lower concentrations, but this was not significant, and higher concentrations appeared to be cytotoxic. Novel findings are the ability of Buddleja globosa leaf extracts to induce differentiation in keratinocytes and to alter the profile of proteins produced by cultured fibroblasts. Extracts also had some effect on lattice contraction. The three Ghanaian species examined show a mixture of antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The evolution over recent years of tests for wound healing, from in vivo tests to cell-based systems and chemical reactions and on to investigations into effects on secondary messengers and protein expression, is described.

Tubules containing virions are present in plant tissues infected with Commelina yellow mottle badnavirus.[Pubmed: 9568989]

Tubular structures containing bacilliform virions were observed in cell-free extracts of Commelina diffusa infected with Commelina yellow mottle badnavirus (CoYMV). The exterior of the tubule reacted with antibodies to CoYMV movement protein, but not with antibodies to virus coat protein. Similar tubular structures containing bacilliform particles were also observed in ultrathin sections of CoYMV-infected C. diffusa. These tubular structures traversed the cell wall at points where this was thickened or protruded. No similar structures were observed in healthy C. diffusa. These observations support the hypothesis that the virion-containing tubular structures observed in cell-free extracts are the same as those observed in situ, that these structures are composed, at least in part, of virus movement protein, and that they play a role in the cell-to-cell trafficking of virions of CoYMV.