Hosam O. Elansary

In vitro antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of six international basil cultivars

The total phenolic, flavonoid and tannin contents in leaves extracts of Ocimum basilicum (OB) (Lamiaceae) international cultivars, as well as their overall antioxidant activities using DPPH and linoleic acid assays, were investigated. Furthermore, the antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities against line HeLa, MCF-7, Jurkat, HT-29, T24, MIAPaCa-2 cancer cells and one normal human cell line HEK-293 were examined. DPPH and linoleic acid assays ranged from 75.8% to 93.3% and from 74.5% to 97.1%; respectively. O. b. ‘purple ruffle’, O. b. ‘dark opale’, O. b. ‘genovese’, O. b. ‘anise’, O. b. ‘bush green’ and O. b. L. (OBL) varied in their antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities, influenced cell cycle progression and stimulated apoptosis in most cancer cells. OBL exhibited the highest antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. OB extracts not only improve taste but also have certain anticancer activity against diverse cancer cells due to the presence of compounds such as rosmarinic acid, chicoric acid and caftaric acid. Thus, OB represents a potent source of anticancer materials.

Chemotyping of diverse Eucalyptus species grown in Egypt and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of its respective essential oils

The chemical composition of the essential oil from the leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus camaldulensis var. obtusa and Eucalyptus gomphocephala grown in northern Egypt was analysed by using GC-FID and GC–MS techniques. The antibacterial (agar disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods) and antioxidant activities (2,2′-diphenypicrylhydrazyl) were examined. The main oils constituents were 1,8-cineole (21.75%), β-pinene (20.51%) and methyleugenol (6.10%) in E. camaldulensis; spathulenol (37.46%), p-cymene (17.20%) and crypton (8.88%) in E. gomphocephala; spathulenol (18.37%), p-cymene (19.38%) and crypton (16.91%) in E. camaldulensis var. obtusa. The essential oils from the leaves of Eucalyptus spp. exhibited considerable antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The values of total antioxidant activity were 70 ± 3.13%, 50 ± 3.34% and 84 ± 4.64% for E. camaldulensis, E. camaldulensis var. obtusa and E. gomphocephala, respectively. The highest antioxidant activity value of 84 ± 4.64% could be attributed to the high amount of spathulenol (37.46%).

Egyptian herbal tea infusions' antioxidants and their antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities against cancer cells

The antioxidant, antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities against different human cancer cells were investigated in local and recently introduced plants of Mentha sp., Rosmarinus officinalis L. (ROL) and Origanum majorana L. (OML). ROL exhibited the highest antioxidant activities (IC50 8.4 ± 0.2 μg/mL) followed by OML and mint species such as Mentha suaveolens ‘apple mint’ and Mentha longifolia L. exhibiting moderate antioxidant activities. HPLC analysis of leaf extract revealed that rosmarinic acid is the main component followed by caffeic acid. Herbal leaf extracts varied in their proliferation inhibition and cytotoxicity against HeLa, MCF-7 and Jurkat cancer cells in a dose-dependent matter. The highest antiproliferative inhibition and cytotoxic activity were detected in ROL and OML followed by mint. Local herbs might have a potential role as anticancer natural medicines in addition to their high antioxidant activities due to the presence of different phenolics in their aqueous tea extracts.

Transcription profiles of mitochondrial genes correlate with mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in a natural population of Silene vulgaris

BackgroundAlthough rapid changes in copy number and gene order are common within plant mitochondrial genomes, associated patterns of gene transcription are underinvestigated. Previous studies have shown that the gynodioecious plant species Silene vulgaris exhibits high mitochondrial diversity and occasional paternal inheritance of mitochondrial markers. Here we address whether variation in DNA molecular markers is correlated with variation in transcription of mitochondrial genes in S. vulgaris collected from natural populations.ResultsWe analyzed RFLP variation in two mitochondrial genes, cox1 and atp1, in offspring of ten plants from a natural population of S. vulgaris in Central Europe. We also investigated transcription profiles of the atp1 and cox1 genes. Most DNA haplotypes and transcription profiles were maternally inherited; for these, transcription profiles were associated with specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. One individual exhibited a pattern consistent with paternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA; this individual exhibited a transcription profile suggestive of paternal but inconsistent with maternal inheritance. We found no associations between gender and transcript profiles.ConclusionsSpecific transcription profiles of mitochondrial genes were associated with specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in a natural population of a gynodioecious species S. vulgaris.Our findings suggest the potential for a causal association between rearrangements in the plant mt genome and transcription product variation.

Basil cultivar identification using chemotyping still favored over genotyping using core barcodes and possible resources of antioxidants

Ocimum sp. taxonomy and nomenclature are in a state of confusion; thus species and cultivar identification are hampered by the large number of species belonging to this genus. In this study, we examined DNA barcoding and leaf essential oil (EO) composition methods for cultivar identification of local and recently introduced Ocimum sp. Both barcodes of rbcLa and matK were sequenced for each species in parallel with leaf EO composition analyses using gas chromatography and GC–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) of five Ocimum basilicum cultivars. Antioxidant activities for the EO were determined using 2,2′-diphenypicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and β-carotene-linoleic acid assays. The main EO constituents were methyl cinnamate (43.8%) in O. basilicum L., chavicol methyl ether (39.1% and 32.3%) in O. basilicum purple ruffle and anise; respectively, and linalool (30.9% and 30.6%) in O. basilicum Genovese and bush green, respectively. All cultivars were classified into chemotypes easily using their EOs when compared with barcoding using core barcodes, which exhibited no variation among all species in both markers except for Ocimum americanum, varying in a single base pair in matK. We concluded that chemotyping performed better than barcoding in species and cultivar identification, and the search for a better barcodes should continue.

Essential Oils of Mint between Benefits and Hazards

Abstract The history of local Egyptian mint dates back to at least 1,000 BC, when the ancient Egyptians used it as part of their herbal medicine as found in Ebers papyrus. Our study focused on essential oil composition of local and recently introduced Mentha sp. and either suitability or toxicity for humans as traditional medicines. Leaf oils composition of four different Mentha sp.; spicata L. “mint”, longifolia L. “wild mint”, suaveolens “apple mint” and piperita “chocolate” of Egypt were analyzed using GC and GC-MS. The antibacterial (agar disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentrations methods) and antioxidant activities (2,2- diphenypicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and β-carotene-linoleic acid assays) were examined. Main oils constituent were 1-carvone (53.90 %), pulegone (56.43 %), piperitenone oxide (35.14 %) and L-menthol (30.84 %) in Mentha sp.; spicata L., longifolia L., suaveolens “Apple Mint” and piperita “Chocolate”; respectively. The essential oil from M. longifolia demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against all tested plant and human bacterial pathogens, followed by apple mint. The highest total antioxidant activity was found in M. Spicata (79-85 %); supporting ancient Egyptians believes and traditional folk. M. longifolia and M. piperita leaves essential oils enclosed toxic compounds and possible to use of Mentha oils as alternative of antibiotics.

Diversity of Plants, Traditional Knowledge, and Practices in Local Cosmetics: A Case Study from Alexandria, Egypt

Diversity of Plants, Traditional Knowledge, and Practices in Local Cosmetics: A Case Study from Alexandria, Egypt. In this study, we explored the diversity of traditional knowledge and plants that have cosmetic values in Alexandria, Egypt. Ethnobotanical data were collected from 396 local Alexandria women using semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using informant consensus factor (FIC) and fidelity level (FL) metrics. In total, 27 plant species, belonging to 27 genera and 17 families, were identified as local cosmetic resources. Overall, 63% of these plants (17 species) are used in the form of oils, while the most frequently used organ is plant leaves (41% of all species). Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Cinnamomum verum L. have the largest number of cosmetic uses (8 uses for each). The highest FIC value was 0.98 for the hair treatment category followed by eyes (0.96), female hormones (0.96), skin (0.93), and face treatment (0.93). Plants with the highest citations in this study for hair treatment were Olea europea L. (54% of all citations) and Lawsonia inermis L. (48% of citations). The most important species according to their fidelity level were Lawsonia inermis L. (FL = 87%) and Eruca sativa L. (FL = 84%) in hair treatments, Linum usitatissimum L. (FL = 83%) as a source of female hormones, Avena sativa L. (FL = 63%) for beautification of women’s faces, and Jasminum grandiflorum L. (FL = 46%) for skin treatments. Demographic factors such as education and age play a significant role in the use of herbal remedies. The study reveals the importance of plants in the local cosmetic industry. The high fidelity score and informant consensus factor suggests that traditional knowledge could potentially guide the search for modern cosmetic products.

Genetic Transformation and Hairy Root Induction Enhance the Antioxidant Potential of Lactuca serriola L.

Lactuca serriola L. is a herbaceous species, used for human nutrition and medicinal purposes. The high antioxidant capacity of L. serriola indicates the possibility of enhancing its edible and health potential by increasing the flavonoid and phenolic contents. The present study aimed at enhancing the production of phenolics and flavonoids by hairy root cultures in Lactuca serriola transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain AR15834 harbouring the rolB gene. The genetic transformation of rolB in transformed roots was validated, and rolB expression level was evaluated using real-time qPCR analysis. Expression levels of flavonoid biosynthesis genes (CHI, PAL, FLS, and CHS) were assessed in the hairy and nontransformed roots. Results showed higher expression levels in the transgenic roots than in the nontransformed ones (p < 0.01). Transgenic hairy roots exhibited a 54.8–96.7% increase in the total phenolic content, 38.1–76.2% increase in the total flavonoid content, and 56.7–96.7% increase in the total reducing power when compared with the nontransgenic roots (p < 0.01). DPPH results also revealed that the transgenic hairy roots exhibited a 31.6–50% increase in antioxidant potential, when compared to normal roots. This study addressed the enhancement of secondary metabolite biosynthesis by hairy root induction in L. serriola.

In vitro antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of Eucalyptus spp. leaf extracts related to phenolic composition

Abstract The crude methanolic extracts from leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis L., E. camaldulensis var obtusa and E. gomphocephala grown in Egypt were investigated to explore their chemical composition as well as their antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities. Major phenolics found were ellagic acid, quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-O-b-D-glucuronide, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid. The antioxidant activities were examined by the 2,2′-diphenypicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and β-Carotene-linoleic acid assays. E. camaldulensis extracts showed the highest phenolic content, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities compared to other cultivars. MIC values reported for antibacterial activity of E. camaldulensis ranged from 0.08 μg/mL (Bacillus cereus) to 0.22 μg/mL (Staphylococcus aureus), while MBC values ranged from 0.16 μg/mL (Dickeya solani and B. cereus) to 0.40 μg/mL (S. aureus). The inhibitory activities against growth of bacteria and fungi used is an indication that E. camaldulensis a might be useful resource for the development and formulation of antibacterial and antifungal drugs.

Integrating biogeography, threat and evolutionary data to explore extinction crisis in the taxonomic group of cycads

Abstract Will the ongoing extinction crisis cause a severe loss of evolutionary information accumulated over millions of years on the tree of life? This question has been largely explored, particularly for vertebrates and angiosperms. However, no equivalent effort has been devoted to gymnosperms. Here, we address this question focusing on cycads, the gymnosperm group exhibiting the highest proportion of threatened species in the plant kingdom. We assembled the first complete phylogeny of cycads and assessed how species loss under three scenarios would impact the cycad tree of life. These scenarios are as follows: (1) All top 50% of evolutionarily distinct (ED) species are lost; (2) all threatened species are lost; and (3) only all threatened species in each IUCN category are lost. Finally, we analyzed the biogeographical pattern of cycad diversity hotspots and tested for gaps in the current global conservation network. First, we showed that threatened species are not significantly clustered on the cycad tree of life. Second, we showed that the loss of all vulnerable or endangered species does not depart significantly from random loss. In contrast, the loss of all top 50% ED, all threatened or all critically endangered species, would result in a greater loss of PD (Phylogenetic Diversity) than expected. To inform conservation decisions, we defined five hotpots of diversity, and depending on the diversity metric used, these hotspots are located in Southern Africa, Australia, Indo‐Pacific, and Mexico and all are found within protected areas. We conclude that the phylogenetic diversity accumulated over millions of years in the cycad tree of life would not survive the current extinction crisis. As such, prioritizing efforts based on ED and concentrating efforts on critically endangered species particularly in southern Africa, Australia, Indo‐Pacific, and Mexico are required to safeguarding the evolutionary diversity in the cycad tree of life.