F. Cruz-Sosa

Mesquite gum: fractionation and characterization of the gum exuded from Prosopis laevigata obtained from plant tissue culture and from wild trees

Abstract The effect of abiotic and biotic stresses in the in vitro gum production from Prosopis laevigata has been studied. The presence of autoclaved microbial biomass (MB) in combination with an incubation temperature of 35 °C induced the greatest gum production. In vitro and in situ gum samples from mesquite were fractionated by hydrophobic affinity chromatography. The results indicated that both gums consist of five principal fractions. The protein content of the fractions varied greatly (0.04–50.05%). For both gums, the protein content in the fractions (F) increased in the following order F2a

In vitro evaluation of germination and growth of five plant species on medium supplemented with hydrocarbons associated with contaminated soils

The effect of a hydrocarbon mixture (HCM) of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and Maya crude oil on germination, growth and survival of four grasses (Bouteloua curtipendula, Cenchrus ciliaris, Echinochloa crusgalli and Rhynchelytrum repens) was studied and compared to a control (Festuca arundinacea) under in vitro conditions. The species were cultured on MS medium with different HCM initial concentrations. Germination was not affected for any assayed concentration; however, the length of the stems and roots decreased when HCM increased and the survival of the four species also diminished. Except for F. arundinacea, a direct link between hydrocarbon concentration and plant survival was observed. In vitro studies are clean and easy to handle techniques allowing isolation of the plant activity from that derived from associations with microorganisms in non-sterile cultures. To our knowledge, this is the first work towards phytoremediation assisted by in vitro plant cultivation.

Prosopis laevigata a potential chromium (VI) and cadmium (II) hyperaccumulator desert plant.

The bioaccumulation of Cr(VI) and Cd(II) in Prosopis laevigata and the effect of these heavy metals on plant growth were assessed. P. laevigata seeds were cultured during 50 days on modified Murashige-Skoog medium supplemented with four different concentrations of Cr(VI) (0-3.4mM) and Cd(II) (0-2.2mM), respectively. Heavy metals did not stop germination, but smaller plants with fewer leaves and secondary roots were produced. Seedlings showed an accumulation of 8176 and 21,437 mg Cd kg(-1) and of 5461 and 8090 mg Cr kg(-1) dry weight, in shoot and root, when cultured with 0.65 mM Cd(II) and 3.4mM Cr(VI), respectively. These results indicated that significant translocation from the roots unto aerial parts took place. A bioaccumulation factor greater than 100 for Cd and 24 for Cr was exhibited by the seedlings. P. laevigata can be considered as a potential hyperaccumulator of Cd(II) and Cr(VI) species and considered as a promising candidate for phytoremediation purposes.

Production of Dihydroxylated Betalains and Dopamine in Cell Suspension Cultures of Celosia argentea var. plumosa

Betalains are plant pigments of hydrophilic nature with demonstrated chemopreventive potential in cancer cell lines and animal models. Among the betalains, those containing an aromatic moiety with two free hydroxyl groups possess the strongest antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities. The betaxanthins dopaxanthin and miraxanthin V and the betacyanins betanidin and decarboxy-betanidin are the only natural betalains with catecholic substructures. These four pigments have been produced in cell cultures established from hypocotyls of the plant Celosia argentea. Two stable and differentially colored cell lines, yellow and red, were maintained on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with the plant growth regulators 6-benzylaminopurine (6.66 μM) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (6.79 μM). Derived suspension cultures showed increased production of dihydroxylated betalains in the cells and secreted to the medium with a maximum reached after 8 days of culture. In addition, precursor molecules betalamic acid and dopamine, with content up to 42.08 mg/g dry weight, were also obtained. The joint presence of the bioactive betalains together with the production of dopamine and betalamic acid show the ability of cell cultures of C. argentea to become a stable source of valuable phytochemicals.

Sphaeralcic acid and tomentin, anti-inflammatory compounds produced in cell suspension cultures of Sphaeralcea angustifolia.

Sphaeralcea angustifolia, an endangered plant species in Mexico, is employed to treat inflammatory processes and as a wound healing remedy. Scopoletin (1) was reported as one of the main bioactive compounds in this plant. Here, we isolated and identified compounds with anti-inflammatory properties from the suspension-cultured cells of S. angustifolia. The CH2Cl2 : CH3OH extract of the cells exhibited anti-inflammatory properties in acute inflammation models. Two compounds were isolated, 5-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxycoumarin, named tomentin (2), and 2-(1,8-dihydroxy-4-isopropyl-6-methyl-7-methoxy)-naphthoic acid, denominated as sphaeralcic acid (3). Their structures were determined by spectroscopic and spectrometric analyses. The anti-inflammatory effects of both compounds were also evaluated. At a dose of 45 mg/kg, compound 2 inhibited the formation of λ-carrageenan footpad edema at 58 %, and compound 3 at 66 %. Local application of compound 2 (225 mM per ear) or 3 (174 mM per ear) inhibited the phorbol ester-induced auricular edema formation by 57 % or 86 %, respectively. The effect of compound 3 was dose-dependent and the ED50 was 93 mM.

Microencapsulation of chlorthalidone by spray-drying of double emulsion and melt granulation coating

ABSTRACT Chlorthalidone (CH) is indicated in the management of hypertension either alone or in combination with other antihypertensive drugs, but it displays poor solubility and stability limiting its use in the development of new pharmaceutical alternatives. Spray-drying of double emulsions (SDE) and melt granulation coating (MGC) technologies were used for enhancing the stability of CH by using Eudragit® L30D-55 (EUD), Opadry® II (OPA), or Kollicoat® IR (KIR) as wall materials. SDE and MGC microcapsules containing CH were evaluated for particle size, morphology, release profiles, accelerated storage, and thermo-oxidative stability. Both types of microcapsules showed higher solubility (>80% in 20 min), lower degradation (<2%) under accelerated storage condition, and lower thermo-oxidative degradation than pure CH. However, SDE microcapsules showed smaller particle sizes (<16 µm) than MGC microcapsules (>700 µm), which widens the opportunity of incorporating microcapsules to dosage forms requiring different particle sizes for achieving their functionality.

Anatomical and histochemical characterization of in vitro haustorium from roots of Castilleja tenuiflora

In vitro induction of haustoria from Castilleja tenuiflora Benth. was achieved by applying 25 μM catechin, 25 μM vanillin, or 25 μM H2O2. Of the treatments tested, 25 μM vanillin was the strongest inducer of haustoria in C. tenuiflora roots in vitro (up to 3 haustoria per root). Haustorium development occurred laterally and was observable 14 d after inducer application. It was characterized by elongation of the epidermal cells and division of the inner cortical cells which also possessed abundant nuclei. Histochemical analysis using 3,3-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and diphenylboric acid 2-aminoethyl ester (DBPA) indicated that the formation of haustoria was associated with the accumulation of H2O2 and flavonoids.

Phytoremediation and Removal Mechanisms in Bouteloua Curtipendula Growing in Sterile Hydrocarbon Spiked Cultures

Tolerance index and phytoremediation factors of side oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) with recalcitrant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) phenanthrene (PHE), pyrene (PYR), and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and the resulting impact on phenotypic response, were evaluated in sterile conditions with whole plant growing in test-tube cultures with MS medium with PAH and compared with Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), control for this study. PAH mixture of PHE, PYR and BaP (1:1:1 w/w/w) blended with Maya crude oil (1:1 w/w), final concentration of 1 500 mg kg−1 was used. After 40 days, BaP removal, in the presence of Maya crude was superior compared with PHE and PYR removal. Although the presence of PAH negatively affects the phenotypic response of the plants; sterile conditions experiments were helpful to evaluate phytoremediation factors to elucidate some important questions regarding phytoremediation mechanisms; in this study, B. curtipendula was able to phytostabilizate BaP associated to a significant hydrocarbon removal (57.4%) with high root accumulation but attenuated transport to stems, here reported as translocation factor. To our knowledge, this is the first time that quantifiable phytoremediation factors were used to evaluate the tolerance and removal capacity of a native semi-arid climate plant which is probably able to phytoremediate hydrocarbon contaminated soils.

Evaluación del aprendizaje en las representaciones moleculares “enlace-línea” de los compuestos orgánicos. Un estudio de caso

Assessment of learning in molecular representations bond-line formulas of organic compounds. A case study Mathematics, Physics and Computation are disciplines that require a written language appropriate for communication of knowledge. In organic chemistry such language is essential to understand and handle knowledge, mainly structure and transformations of organic compounds. In the present study, was designed and applied a reactive to four groups of students in the course of organic chemistry III in order to assess the knowledge and use of bond – line formulas of organic compounds should be taught in the initial organic chemistry courses to identify and correct any deficiencies that contribute to raising achievement in learning organic chemistry. A significant correlation was found between average of correct answers and final course grades, in particular to higher scores. These data show that in the reactive applied there were more correct answers in the number of carbons and heteroatoms that in the number of hydrogen atoms and order of the atoms

Procedure for Estimating the Tolerance and Accumulation of Heavy Metals Using Plant Cell Cultures

The tolerance index (TI) and the bioaccumulation factor (BF) for the estimation of accumulation and tolerance of different heavy metals in cell suspension cultures are reviewed. Procedures for measuring these parameters are described for the purposes of phytoremediation research.