Abstract
Lycium barbarum L. fruits, referred to as functional food, have long been used in traditional and folk herbal medicine due to their therapeutic properties. The fruit microstructure was analysed using light, scanning and transmission electron microscopes. The distribution of bioactive compounds in drupe tissues was assessed with histochemical and fluorescence assays. The analysis of the microstructure has shown that the fruit is covered by a skin with an amorphous cuticle and a layer of amorphous epicuticular waxes on the surface. The skin is composed of a single-layered epidermis with thickened walls and one layer of hypodermis with slightly thickened periclinal walls. The pericarp cells contain different types of chromoplasts, which most often contained exhibited reticulotubules/fibrils of carotenoid pigments and phytoferritine deposits. The results of the histochemical assays demonstrated that the secondary metabolites with high phytotherapeutic importance were located in all layers of the pericarp and seeds and, specifically, in the drupe exocarp and endocarp. The phytochemicals were represented by polysaccharides (LBP), lipid compounds (carotenoids, essential oils, sesquiterpenes, steroids), polyphenols (tannins and flavonoids), and alkaloids. This study, which is the first report of the microstructure and localisation of bioactive compounds in wolfberries, is a valuable complement of phytochemical analyses and can be helpful for enhancement of the therapeutic effect of the fruit as well as preliminary assessment of the medicinal potential in the search for new pharmaceuticals. Detailed anatomical studies are crucial for exploration of determinants of fruit quality and useful for identification of diagnostic taxonomic traits.
Highlights
The increase in public awareness and the frequent ineffectiveness of conventional medicine have contributed to rapid development of phytotherapy
The hypodermis cells visualised by LM and TEM contained large vacuoles, and cell nuclei and oval chromoplasts in various stages of development were visible in the cytoplasm
Based on the microscopic observations, the author of this paper has shown that the Lycium barbarum fruit is a two-seeded drupe with lignified cell walls of the seed-surrounding
Summary
The increase in public awareness and the frequent ineffectiveness of conventional medicine have contributed to rapid development of phytotherapy. (L. halimicifolium Mill.) is a small or large shrub from the family Solanaceae, subfamily Solanoideae, tribe Lycieae growing naturally in northwest and central China. This species is widespread in the Mediterranean area as well as South-West and Central. In Poland, L. barbarum is a domesticated and often wild-living shrub with a low decorative value (Seneta and Dolatowski 2004) Since it grows successfully on dry, infertile soils and is very resistant to frost and air pollution, it is often used for strengthening steep and dry slopes, in schemes of wasteland management, and for uncut hedges (Szweykowska and Szweykowski 2003). Fruits are produced exclusively by female specimens, whereas hermaphroditic plants function essentially as male plants (Miller and Venable 2002, 2003)
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