Carbon isotope composition and leaf anatomy as a tool to characterize the photosynthetic mechanism of Artemisia annua L.

Leaves of Artemisia annua L. are a plentiful source of artemisinin, a drug with proven effectiveness against malaria. The aim of this study was to classify the photosynthetic mechanism of A. annua through studies of the carbon isotope composition (δ 13C) and the leaf anatomy. A. annua presented a δ 13C value of - 31.76 ± 0.07, which characterizes the plants as a typical species of the C3 photosynthethic mechanism, considering that the average δ 13C values for C3 and C4 species are -28 and -14, respectively. The leaf anatomy studies were consistent with the δ 13C results, where, in spite of the existence of parenchymatic cells forming a sheath surrounding the vascular tissue, the cells do not contain chloroplasts or starch. This characteristic is clearly different from that of the Kranz anatomy found in C4 species.

Aplicação exógena de artemisinina e indução floral em Artemisia annua L.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different artemisinin concentrations in the flowering induction of A. annua. Two genotypes of A. annua (CPQBA 239x1V and 3MxPOP) were atomized with four different artemisinin concentrations (0, 500, 5000, and 10000 mg L-1). The application of artemisinin didn't induce the flowering of both genotypes tested, in none of the used concentrations.

Avaliação fitoquímica e microbiológica da espécie Artemisia annua L., submetida a tratamentos de armazenamento e condições de ambiente

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Avaliação da atividade antiparasitária de Artemisia annua sobre Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus e Haemonchus contortus, in vivo, por meio do fornecimento do material vegetal seco na alimentação animal

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FCAV

Caracterização do mecanismo fotossintético e aspectos relacionados à floração de Artemisia annua L

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação fitoquímica e microbiológica da espécia Artemisia annua L. submetida a tratamentos de armazenamento e condições de ambiente

The species Artemisia annua L. (Asteraceae) is native to China and has artemisinin as its main active component, substance that is considered a potent antimalarial drug. With the increased interest in natural active principles, studies related to post-harvest and storage of vegetable material become important for better conservation of its phytotherapic properties. Therefore, the present study had as objectivedefine the best storage conditions to preserve and keep the quality of phytotherapic drugs. Leaves of A. annua dried were stored for six months in polyethylene bags wrapped in Kraft paper and packed in four treatments: at ambient condition, refrigerated at 4 ± 2 oC, using normal packing, and using vacuum packing. Samples were taken for microbiological, moisture content, and level of artemisinin analyses before the experiment begun and at 30, 90, 120 and 180 days. The results of microbiological tests showed no significant contamination, as well as the moisture content of the stored (biological) material, which remain between 5% and 10%, keeping within acceptable parameters. The ambient without vacuum treatment (SVA) was the treatment that better maintained the sample stability during 180 days, however, the refrigerated without vacuum (SVR) showed greater efficiency to conserve the content of artemisinin.

Persistence of Artemisia steppe in the Tangra Yumco Basin, west-central Tibet, China: despite or in consequence of Holocene lake-level changes?

The closed Tangra Yumco Basin underwent the strongest Quaternary lake-level changes so far recorded on the Tibetan Plateau. It was hitherto unknown what effect this had on local Holocene vegetation development. A 3.6-m sediment core from a recessional lake terrace at 4,700 m a.s.l., 160 m above the present lake level of Tangra Yumco, was studied to reconstruct Holocene flooding phases (sedimentology and ostracod analyses), vegetation dynamics and human influence (palynology, charcoal and coprophilous fungi analyses). Peat at the base of the profile proves lake level was below 4,700 m a.s.l. during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. A deep-lake phase started after 11 cal ka BP, but the ostracod record indicates the level was not higher than similar to 4,720 m a.s.l. (180 m above present) and decreased gradually after the early Holocene maximum. Additional sediment ages from the basin suggest recession of Tangra Yumco from the coring site after 2.6 cal ka BP, with a shallow local lake persisting at the site until similar to 1 cal ka BP. The final peat formation indicates drier conditions thereafter. Persistence of Artemisia steppe during the Holocene lake high-stand resembles palynological records from west Tibet that indicate early Holocene aridity, in spite of high lake levels that may have resulted from meltwater input. Yet pollen assemblages indicate humidity closer to that of present potential forest areas near Lhasa, with 500-600 mm annual precipitation. Thus, the early mid-Holocene humidity was sufficient to sustain at least juniper forest, but Artemisia dominance persisted as a consequence of a combination of environmental disturbances such as (1) strong early Holocene climate fluctuations, (2) inundation of habitats suitable for forest, (3) extensive water surfaces that served as barriers to terrestrial diaspore transport from refuge areas, (4) strong erosion that denuded the non-flooded upper slopes and (5) increasing human influence since the late glacial.

Die Artemisia-Arten der Alpen

von Prof. Dr. Karl Fritsch

Die Verbreitung von Eryngium campestre L., Artemisia campestris L. und Tithymalus Gerardianus Kl. u. Gcke. an der unteren Lippe

Von Dr. Julius Müller

Blattformen : 1. Alchemilla vulgaris - 2. Trollius europaeus - 3. Aconitum napellus - 4. Saxifraga - 5. Saxifraga caespitosa - 6. Hydrophyllum virginicum - 7. Alchemilla alpina - 8. Artemisia absinthium

AR

Antimicrobial effect of Artemisia species on Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Antibiotic resistance has emerged as a severe problem in hospital-acquired infectious disease. The Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is found to cause secondary infection in immune-compromised patients. Unfortunately, it is resistant to virtually all β-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporin and others. Researchers are seeking for new compounds to treat several antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Artemisia plant extracts are commonly used for their therapeutic properties by natives throughout dry regions of North and South America. Here, they are administered as an alternative medicine for stomach problems and other complex health issues. In this study, the antimicrobial effects of plant extracts from several Artemisia species as well as compounds dehydroleucodine and dehydroparishin-B (sesquiterpenes derived specifically from A. douglasiana) were used as treatments against the pathogenicity effects of P. aeruginosa. Results showed that both compounds effectively inhibit the secretion of LasB elastase, biofilm formation and type III secretion, but fail to control LasA protease. This is a significant observation because these virulent factors are crucial in establishing P.aeruginosa infection. The results from this study signify a plausible role for future alternative therapy in the biomedical field, which recommends DhL and DhP can be studied as key compounds against bacterial infections of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Fenologia kwitnienia i produkcja pyłku w zróżnicowanych warunkach mikroklimatycznych dużego miasta oraz ich wpływ na przebieg sezonu pyłkowego brzozy (Betula spp.) i bylicy (Artemisia spp.) w Poznaniu

Wydział Biologii: Instytut Biologii Środowiska, Pracownia Aeropalinologii

Metabolomics coupled with proteomics advancing drug discovery toward more agile development of targeted combination therapies

To enhance the therapeutic efficacy and reduce the adverse effects of traditional Chinese medicine, practitioners often prescribe combinations of plant species and/or minerals, called formulae. Unfortunately, the working mechanisms of most of these compounds are difficult to determine and thus remain unknown. In an attempt to address the benefits of formulae based on current biomedical approaches, we analyzed the components of Yinchenhao Tang, a classical formula that has been shown to be clinically effective for treating hepatic injury syndrome. The three principal components of Yinchenhao Tang are Artemisia annua L., Gardenia jasminoids Ellis, and Rheum Palmatum L., whose major active ingredients are 6,7-dimethylesculetin (D), geniposide (G), and rhein (R), respectively. To determine the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of this formula, we conducted a systematic analysis of the therapeutic effects of the DGR compound using immunohistochemistry, biochemistry, metabolomics, and proteomics. Here, we report that the DGR combination exerts a more robust therapeutic effect than any one or two of the three individual compounds by hitting multiple targets in a rat model of hepatic injury. Thus, DGR synergistically causes intensified dynamic changes in metabolic biomarkers, regulates molecular networks through target proteins, has a synergistic/additive effect, and activates both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways.

Paleobotánica del epipaleolítico y mesolítico vascos

Homenaje a Ignacio Barandiarán Maestu / coord. por Javier Fernández Eraso, Juan Santos Yanguas