Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Br (Convolvulaceae) relieved nociception and inflammation in mice - A topical herbal medicine against effects due to cnidarian venom-skin contact.[Pubmed: 28196712]

Ipomoea pes-caprae is known as bayhops, beach morning glory or goat's foot, and in Brazil as salsa-de-praia. Its leaves are used in worldwide folk medicine for the relief of jellyfish-stings symptoms. The literature only reports the neutralizing effects of nonpolar plant derived over jellyfish venoms, without validating the popular use or exploring the mechanism of action.

In vivo antitumor potential of Ipomoea pes-caprae on melanoma cancer.[Pubmed: 25829785]

The incidence of skin cancers is rising gradually. The treatment of melanoma is also necessary to prevent the spread of cancer to other body organs. Scientific literatures have not documented any evidence of the antitumor potential of Ipomoea pes-caprae on melanoma.

Fungal Planet description sheets: 281-319.[Pubmed: 25737601]

Novel species of fungi described in the present study include the following from South Africa: Alanphillipsia aloeicola from Aloe sp., Arxiella dolichandrae from Dolichandra unguiscati, Ganoderma austroafricanum from Jacaranda mimosifolia, Phacidiella podocarpi and Phaeosphaeria podocarpi from Podocarpus latifolius, Phyllosticta mimusopisicola from Mimusops zeyheri and Sphaerulina pelargonii from Pelargonium sp. Furthermore, Barssia maroccana is described from Cedrus atlantica (Morocco), Codinaea pini from Pinus patula (Uganda), Crucellisporiopsis marquesiae from Marquesia acuminata (Zambia), Dinemasporium ipomoeae from Ipomoea pes-caprae (Vietnam), Diaporthe phragmitis from Phragmites australis (China), Marasmius vladimirii from leaf litter (India), Melanconium hedericola from Hedera helix (Spain), Pluteus albotomentosus and Pluteus extremiorientalis from a mixed forest (Russia), Rachicladosporium eucalypti from Eucalyptus globulus (Ethiopia), Sistotrema epiphyllum from dead leaves of Fagus sylvatica in a forest (The Netherlands), Stagonospora chrysopyla from Scirpus microcarpus (USA) and Trichomerium dioscoreae from Dioscorea sp. (Japan). Novel species from Australia include: Corynespora endiandrae from Endiandra introrsa, Gonatophragmium triuniae from Triunia youngiana, Penicillium coccotrypicola from Archontophoenix cunninghamiana and Phytophthora moyootj from soil. Novelties from Iran include Neocamarosporium chichastianum from soil and Seimatosporium pistaciae from Pistacia vera. Xenosonderhenia eucalypti and Zasmidium eucalyptigenum are newly described from Eucalyptus urophylla in Indonesia. Diaporthe acaciarum and Roussoella acacia are newly described from Acacia tortilis in Tanzania. New species from Italy include Comoclathris spartii from Spartium junceum and Phoma tamaricicola from Tamarix gallica. Novel genera include (Ascomycetes): Acremoniopsis from forest soil and Collarina from water sediments (Spain), Phellinocrescentia from a Phellinus sp. (French Guiana), Neobambusicola from Strelitzia nicolai (South Africa), Neocladophialophora from Quercus robur (Germany), Neophysalospora from Corymbia henryi (Mozambique) and Xenophaeosphaeria from Grewia sp. (Tanzania). Morphological and culture characteristics along with ITS DNA barcodes are provided for all taxa.

Bioaccumulation of metals and metalloids in medicinal plant Ipomoea pes-caprae from areas impacted by tsunami.[Pubmed: 25363516]

Tsunami events may have an enormous impact on the functioning of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems by altering various relationships with biotic components. Concentrations of acid-leachable fractions of heavy metals and metalloids in soils and plant samples from areas affected by the December 2004 tsunami in Thailand were determined. Ipomoea pes-caprae, a common plant species growing along the seashore of this region, and frequently used in folk medicine, was selected to assess the presence of selected elements. Elevated amounts of Cd, Pb, Zn, and As in soil samples, and Pb, Zn, As, Se, Cr, and Ni in plant samples were determined from the tsunami-impacted regions for comparison with reference locations. The flowers of Ipomoea pes-caprae contained the highest amounts of these metals, followed by its leaves, and stems. In addition, its bioaccumulation factor (BAF) supports this capability of high metal uptake by Ipomoea pes-caprae from the areas affected by the tsunami in comparison with a reference site. This uptake was followed by the translocation of these elements to the various plant components. The presence of these toxic metals in Ipomoea pes-caprae growing in contaminated soils should be a concern of those who use this plant for medicinal purposes. Further studies on the content of heavy metals and metalloids in this plant in relation to human health concerns are recommended.

Long-distance dispersal by sea-drifted seeds has maintained the global distribution of Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis (Convolvulaceae).[Pubmed: 24755614]

Ipomoea pes-caprae (Convolvulaceae), a pantropical plant with sea-drifted seeds, is found globally in the littoral areas of tropical and subtropical regions. Unusual long-distance seed dispersal has been believed to be responsible for its extraordinarily wide distribution; however, the actual level of inter-population migration has never been studied. To clarify the level of migration among populations of I. pes-caprae across its range, we investigated nucleotide sequence variations by using seven low-copy nuclear markers and 272 samples collected from 34 populations that cover the range of the species. We applied coalescent-based approaches using Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods to assess migration rates, direction of migration, and genetic diversity among five regional populations. Our results showed a high number of migrants among the regional populations of I. pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis, which suggests that migration among distant populations was maintained by long-distance seed dispersal across its global range. These results also provide strong evidence for recent trans-oceanic seed dispersal by ocean currents in all three oceanic regions. We also found migration crossing the American continents. Although this is an apparent land barrier for sea-dispersal, migration between populations of the East Pacific and West Atlantic regions was high, perhaps because of trans-isthmus migration via pollen dispersal. Therefore, the migration and gene flow among populations across the vast range of I. pes-caprae is maintained not only by seed dispersal by sea-drifted seeds, but also by pollen flow over the American continents. On the other hand, populations of subsp. pes-caprae that are restricted to only the northern part of the Indian Ocean region were highly differentiated from subsp. brasiliensis. Cryptic barriers that prevented migration by sea dispersal between the ranges of the two subspecies and/or historical differentiation that caused local adaptation to different environmental factors in each region could explain the genetic differentiation between the subspecies.

Moniliella byzovii sp. nov., a chlamydospore-forming black yeast isolated from flowers.[Pubmed: 23355700]

Yeasts of the genus Moniliella were isolated from 651 flower samples collected in Vietnam, using an enrichment medium containing 50 % glucose. Species of the genus Moniliella were found in 5 % of the samples and 54 strains were isolated. The strains were identified based on D1/D2 LSU rRNA gene sequences as M. megachiliensis (15 strains), M. dehoogii (14 strains), and M. mellis (2 strains). The remaining 23 strains could not be reliably placed under any known species. Among them, 12 strains isolated from flowers of Ipomoea pes-caprae and Calotropis gigantea were peculiar for the intensive formation of chlamydospores. These strains could be subdivided into pigmented and non-pigmented groups. Both groups were identical in PCR fingerprints generated with primer (GAC)5 and in D1/D2 and ITS sequences. The yeast was closely related to M. fonsecae but differed from the latter by 52 nt (or 10.3 % of divergence) in the D1/D2 sequence and 71 nt (or 16.9 % of divergence) in the ITS sequence. The name Moniliella byzovii sp. nov. is proposed for this novel species. The type strain is TBY 2041.7(T) = CBS 12757(T) = NRRL Y-63661(T). The MycoBank number is MB 803186.

Structural elucidation of the exopolysaccharide produced by fungus Fusarium oxysporum Y24-2.[Pubmed: 23159374]

The extracellular polysaccharide FO1 was isolated from the fermentation broth of an endophytic fungus (Fusarium oxysporum) of Ipomoea pes-caprae. Its structural characteristics were studied by chemical and methylation analyses, and 1D and 2D (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. Results indicated that this exopolysaccharide consists of a disaccharide repeating unit with the following structure (n≈111): [→2)-β-D-Galf(1→6)-α-D-Glcp(1→](n).

Biogenetic-type synthesis of 2-hydroxy-4,4,7-trimethyl-1(4H)-naphthalenone, a modified apocarotenoid from Ipomoea pes-caprae.[Pubmed: 22908557]

A biogenetic-type synthesis of 2-hydroxy-4,4,7-trimethyl-1(4H)-naphthalenone (1), a modified apocarotenoid isolated from Ipomoeapes-caprae (Linn.) R. Br. showing anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis in vitro, is described. A biogenetic proposal for the natural occurrence of 1 is also presented.