Chemical Composition Of Plant Material Research Articles

Effects of Gamma Radiation on Microbial Load and Chemical Constituents from Stem Barks of Luehea ochrophylla

Gamma radiation is an effective method for microbial decontamination of plant materials. However, this treatment can induce changes in the chemical structure of plant constituents. Stem barks of Luehea ochrophylla were exposed to different doses of gamma radiation to evaluate decontamination efficiency and changes in chemical composition of plant material including phenolic fraction. The major microbial contaminants of non-irradiated samples were isolated and identified as the fungal species Eurotium chevalieri L. Mangin and Lecythophora decumbens. The dose of 5.0 kGy was effective to achieve total decontamination of the stem barks of L. ochrophylla. The formation of free radicals was verified in the plant material using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and was supposed to be related to the trans-aconitic acid, a plant constituent. It was the only secondary metabolite to have its concentration significantly altered with radiation in phenolic fraction, as observed by liquid chromatography with diode array detector coupled to mass spectroscopy (LC-DAD-MS). The trans-aconitic acid was isolated and exposed to gamma radiation in aqueous medium. Its concentration decreased after exposition to a dose of 3.0 kGy, corroborating the supposition of its degradation. Citric acid was the main radiolytic product formed by irradiation of trans-aconitic acid in the presence of water.

STUDY OF THE CONTENT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MACRO- AND MICROELEMENTS IN PLANT RAW MATERIALS SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS GEORGI AND SCUTELLARIA GALERICULATA L., GROWING ON THE TERRITORY OF THE ASTRAKHAN REGION

Background. The expansion of the use of herbal medicine as a component of the complex treatment of diseases has led to the development of scientific and practical interest in the study of the chemical composition of plant materials. The high content of a wide range of biogenic elements in unofficial natural raw materials makes it possible to expand the raw material base of cultivated plant raw materials for medical purposes.
 Purpose. It consists in determining the content of biogenic elements of different morphological parts (grass and roots with rhizomes) in the plant material of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Scutellaria galericulata L.
 Materials and methods. The basis for the study was the method of atomic emission spectrophotometry, which makes it possible to study a wide range of chemical elements in plant materials. Grass and rhizomes with roots Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Scutellaria galericulata L., cultivated in the Astrakhan region, were selected as the subject of the study. Statistical processing of the study results was performed using the STATISTICA software package.
 Results. As a result of an experimental study, it was found that the greatest amount of biogenic elements is contained in the roots and rhizomes of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Scutellaria galericulata L. The content of biogenic elements in plant materials significantly exceeds their daily requirement for humans.
 Conclusion. The study revealed the prospects for further study and introduction into medical practice of raw materials Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Scutellaria galericulata L., since this raw material has a high content of macro- and microelements.

Chemical changes during composting of plant residues reduce their mineralisation in soil and cancel the priming effect

Applying composts is useful for increasing soil carbon (C) stocks and improving agricultural productivity. In order to understand the effects of composts on soil organic matter (SOM) formation and mineralisation, 13C-labelled plant residues, previously composted or not, were incubated in an arable soil. The amount of 13C was quantified in the CO2 evolved, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and in the microbial biomass (MB). Composting decreased (from 29 to 9%) the proportion of the plant residue labile pool and increased the residence time of both labile and more stable pools from 21 to 34 days and 1.5–5.5 years, respectively. At the beginning of the incubation, the amounts of 13C in the DOC and MB were significantly higher when adding fresh residues than composted ones to the soil. A priming effect on SOM mineralisation (+21% over 3 years) was only observed for non-composted residues. These differences were attributed to changes in the chemical composition of plant materials during composting (less sugars and lipids, more lignins). In terms of C budget, the total loss of CO2 (including the composting process and the SOM priming by fresh residues) was comparable for both treatments after 600 days of incubation.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF PLANT RAW MATERIAL IRIS SIBIRICA L.

Species of the genus Iris in the scientific literature, recognized as rich sources of secondary metabolites. However, in chemical terms, Iris sibirica L. is poorly understood. The purpose of this study is a comparative analysis of the chemical composition of plant material of Iris sibirica L. to optimize the timing of collection in the conditions of Altai region.The object used samples of leaves and rhizomes and roots of I. sibirica varieties Cambridge and Sterkh variety, harvested in the vicinity of the city of Novoaltaisk.As a result of these tests the ash content from I. sibirica spring collection 1,3 times more than in autumn. The method of emission spectrometry revealed the presence of 26 elements. Of them macro – 4, microelements and ultramicroelements 8 – 14. Regardless of the variety of plant organs as observed the accumulation of Al. In a raw spring collection piling up Ba and Zn, and in the fall of Sr and Mn. In the studied samples I. sibirica cultivars Siberian crane Cambridge and the concentration of Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr and As exceeded the permissible level for dietary Supplements and tea on plant-basedWith the aim of obtaining flavonoids plant I. sibirica better harvest in the spring, and for optimal coumarins is the autumn collection. Tannins more is accumulated in the rhizomes with roots, and triterpenoid glycosides in the grass. The yield of essential oil from I. sibirica depends on weather conditions of vegetation period, time of procurement of raw materials and on plants and can be increased by 2–3 times.The study of element distribution and synthesized biologically active substances in the process of development of I. sibirica cultivars Siberian crane and Cambridge during the vegetation period has allowed to identify the vegetative phase with maximum accumulation, and organs of plants, accumulation of these biologically active substances.

Chemical Composition of Straw as an Alternative Material to Wood Raw Material in Fibre Isolation

Wood is still the most widely used raw material for pulp and paper production in the world. However, due to the necessity to supply the paper industry with raw materials used in the extraction of cellulose fibres and the overexploitation of forests, new sources of primary pulp fibres had to be identified. The aim of this research is to highlight the important features of cereal crop residues and their utilization in the paper industry. As the chemical composition of plant materials is one of the most important indicators of how such materials can be used in paper production, the analysis of the chemical composition of straw with the highest grain production was performed. The straw, as a harvesting residue, is a fibre resource available from the annually renewable crops, produced abundantly in numerous regions all over the world. For the purpose of the research, wheat, triticale and barley straw were selected for the analysis. The analysis of carbohydrate, lignin and extraneous material (organic extractives and inorganic minerals) was performed in order to obtain the straw chemical composition. Based on the results of the chemical composition of all analysed straw, it was confirmed that straw, as an agricultural by-product, is rich in cellulosic fibres and, therefore, a valuable raw material for the paper industry. Out of all analysed straw, based on the results of their chemical composition, triticale straw is considered potentially the best source of alternative cellulose fibres.

Secondary Metabolite Content in Roots and Callus of Paeonia Anomala L.

Taking into account the fact that in the process of introduction in vitro culture the change of secondary metabolite content may take place we compared the chemical composition of plant material of wild-growing plants of Paeonia anomala introduced and produced using the methods of clonal micropropagation, callus tissue.The content of phenolic compounds, that is catechins and gallatos was compared. Paeoniflorin content was estimated by direct spectrophotometry of methanol extracts (λ = 231,7 nm, e 1% 1 sm = 265.4). Integral characteristic of the obtained extracts was received by comparison of absorption spectra using spectrophotometer SP - 121 within wave diapason 300 - 460 nm.Light absorption curves of methanol extracts had two distinct peaks at λ = 232 nm and λ = 275 nm typical of paeoniflorin. Paeoniflorin content was 80 % higher in young peony roots than in control plant. This glycoside content in callus culture was 44 % higher than in wild-growing plant roots and 26 % lower than in plantlet roots.The use of ethanol as extragent showed a higher content of extracted substances in callus tissue. The comparison of the obtained spectra in the region corresponding to phenolic compound absorption shows the highest phenolic compound content in callus tissue and young plant roots. Judging by light absorption maximum it may be phenolic acids. The lowest phenolic compound content was determined in adult wild-growing plant roots, where a high phlobaphene content was visually observed.The conducted research confirms the fact that callus culture of Paeonia anomala L. is a perspective producer of monoterpene glycosides and phenolic compounds. Extracts from plantlets and callus culture exceed in biological active substance content rootstock extracts of open air plants.

Identification of Nuclear Factor‐κB Inhibitors and β2 Adrenergic Receptor Agonists in Chinese Medicinal Preparation Fuzilizhong Pills Using UPLC with Quadrupole Time‐of‐flight MS

Fuzilizhong Pills (FZLZ), a modified form of a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Lizhong Wan in Treatise on Febrile Diseases and consisting of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. (Ren Shen), Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. (Fu Zi, Zhi), Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat. or Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Gan Cao), Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. (Bai Zhu) and Zingiber offcinale Rosc. (Gan Jiang), show strong clinical therapeutic effects for dyspnea and pulmonary oedema. However, the bioactive compounds are still unclear. In this study, FZLZ was analysed using a rapid detection method to identify its anti-inflammatory and spasmolytic constituents. To develop a simple screening method to detect the anti-inflammatory and spasmolytic constituents of FZLZ. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with dual-bioactive (NF-κB and β2 -adrenergic receptor) luciferase reporter assay systems was employed. Two β2 -adrenergic receptor agonists (salsolinol and higeramine) and three terpenoidal analogues of NF-κB inhibitors such as ginsenosides derivatives, triperpenoids derivatives and diester-diterpenoid aconitum alkaloid derivatives were characterised. Mesaconitine, flaconitine, ginsenosides Rb2, Rf, Rg2, F1 and Ro were considered to be new NF-κB inhibitors. Furthermore, IL-8 detection by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay confirmed the anti-inflammatory effects of the potential NF-κB inhibitors. Compared with conventional fingerprints, activity-integrated fingerprints that contain both chemical and bioactive details offer a more comprehensive understanding of the chemical composition of plant materials. This strategy clearly demonstrated that dual bioactivity-integrated fingerprinting is a powerful tool for the improved screening and identification of potential dual-target lead compounds in complex herbal medicines.

Soil P availability as affected by the chemical composition of plant materials: implications for P-limiting agriculture in tropical Africa

Plant materials that can replace costly inorganic fertilizers as phosphorus (P) sources are needed in smallholder farming systems in tropical Africa, where P is often yield-limiting. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the biochemical composition (quality) of plant materials, described in terms of total P, total nitrogen (N), lignin (LIG), and soluble phenolics (Pp), and soil P availability ( P av) under laboratory incubation conditions. The materials were ground and added to the soil at a rate equivalent to 10 Mg ha −1 (DM) and the samples (including a control soil) were kept at 50% field moisture capacity and 25 °C. The anion exchange resin method was used to extract solution P periodically. Because P added was not balanced among the treatments, P av was expressed as percentage of total P of plant material (i.e. P av =100×[(P av amended soil −P av control soil )/ total P added ] . Some treatments showed net P release and others showed net P uptake. The pattern of P av was viewed in three phases: (i) an initial rapid P release from the sparingly soluble inorganic P fraction of the plant materials, (ii) a subsequent phase when P in solution comes from both soluble P and mineralization of plant materials, and (iii) a last phase when P in solution is influenced by its equilibrium with P sorption processes. Total P was the best predictor of P av with r 2 ( P≤0.05) ranging from 0.50 to 0.77. Predictive functions were developed to determine the critical quality levels for net P release and net P uptake. The critical quality levels ranged from 2.0 to 2.7 g kg −1 for total P; 156:1 to 252:1 for C/P ratio; and 7:1 to 14:1 for N/P ratio. Among the materials tested, Tithonia diversifolia and Croton megalocarpus which contained total P >3.0 g kg −1 of total dry weight were identified as having the potential to release adequate P to replenish solution P for crop uptake.

The effect of plant species, weather variables and chemical composition of plant material on decomposition in a tropical grassland

The decomposition of litter and roots ofChenopodium album, Desmostachya bipinnata and mixed grass samples for a period of 402 days and ofDichanthium annulatum andSesbania bispinosa for a period of 278 days was studied in a tropical grassland. Litter bags positioned at midcanopy height, soil surface and at five cm depth below the soil surface and root bags placed at 5, 15, 25 and 35 cm depths belowground were used. For the total study period, the cumulative weight loss in litter bags was: Chenopodium=76–100%; Desmostachya=33–98%; Dichanthium=26–96%; mixed grass=43–99% and Sesbania=25–99%. The weight loss in root bags was: Chenopodium=93–100%; Desmostachya=47–56%; Dichanthium=71–87%; mixed grass=61–82%; Sesbania=87–100%. The nature of plant species affected decomposition rates. The position of litter/root bags also affected the decomposition rates. The mean relative decomposition rates of litter as well as of root material were found to be highest in rainy season and lowest in winter months. Rainfall, particularly the frequency of rainfall, was an important factor affecting decomposition rates. The litter species characterized by highest concentration of nitrogen, ash, acid detergent cell wall component and lowest concentration of carbon, cellulose and lignin, decomposed rapidly. In the case of roots, the material having high nitrogen, carbon, cellulose and ash content and low C/N ratio and lignin content decomposed rapidly.