Chicory Research Articles

A comparison of three different delivery methods for achieving CRISPR/Cas9 mediated genome editing in Cichorium intybus L.

Root chicory (Cichorium intybus L. var. sativum) is used to extract inulin, a fructose polymer used as a natural sweetener and prebiotic. However, bitter tasting sesquiterpene lactones, giving chicory its known flavour, need to be removed during inulin extraction. To avoid this extraction and associated costs, recently chicory variants with a lower sesquiterpene lactone content were created by inactivating the four copies of the germacrene A synthase gene (CiGAS-S1, -S2, -S3, -L) which encode the enzyme initiating bitter sesquiterpene lactone biosynthesis in chicory. In this study, different delivery methods for CRISPR/Cas9 reagents have been compared regarding their efficiency to induce mutations in the CiGAS genes, the frequency of off-target mutations as well as their environmental and economic impacts. CRISPR/Cas9 reagents were delivered by Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation or transient delivery by plasmid or preassembled ribonucleic complexes (RNPs) using the same sgRNA. All methods used lead to a high number of INDEL mutations within the CiGAS-S1 and CiGAS-S2 genes, which match the used sgRNA perfectly; additionally, the CiGAS-S3 and CiGAS-L genes, which have a single mismatch with the sgRNA, were mutated but with a lower mutation efficiency. While using both RNPs and plasmids delivery resulted in biallelic, heterozygous or homozygous mutations, plasmid delivery resulted in 30% of unwanted integration of plasmid fragments in the genome. Plants transformed via Agrobacteria often showed chimerism and a mixture of CiGAS genotypes. This genetic mosaic becomes more diverse when plants were grown over a prolonged period. While the genotype of the on-targets varied between the transient and stable delivery methods, no off-target activity in six identified potential off-targets with two to four mismatches was found. The environmental impacts (greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and primary energy demand) of the methods are highly dependent on their individual electricity demand. From an economic view - like for most research and development activities - employment and value-added multiplier effects are high; particularly when compared to industrial or manufacturing processes. Considering all aspects, we conclude that using RNPs is the most suitable method for genome editing in chicory since it led to a high efficiency of editing, no off-target mutations, non-transgenic plants with no risk of unwanted integration of plasmid DNA and without needed segregation of transgenes.

Lactucin Synthase Inactivation Boosts the Accumulation of Anti-inflammatory 8-Deoxylactucin and Its Derivatives in Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.).

For several sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) found in Asteraceae plants, very interesting biomedical activities have been demonstrated. Chicory roots accumulate the guaianolide STLs 8-deoxylactucin, lactucin, and lactucopicrin predominantly in oxalated forms in the latex. In this work, a supercritical fluid extract fraction of chicory STLs containing 8-deoxylactucin and 11β,13-dihydro-8-deoxylactucin was shown to have anti-inflammatory activity in an inflamed intestinal mucosa model. To increase the accumulation of these two compounds in chicory taproots, the lactucin synthase that takes 8-deoxylactucin as the substrate for the regiospecific hydroxylation to generate lactucin needs to be inactivated. Three candidate cytochrome P450 enzymes of the CYP71 clan were identified in chicory. Their targeted inactivation using the CRISPR/Cas9 approach identified CYP71DD33 to have lactucin synthase activity. The analysis of the terpene profile of the taproots of plants with edits in CYP71DD33 revealed a nearly complete elimination of the endogenous chicory STLs lactucin and lactucopicrin and their corresponding oxalates. Indeed, in the same lines, the interruption of biosynthesis resulted in a strong increase of 8-deoxylactucin and its derivatives. The enzyme activity of CYP71DD33 to convert 8-deoxylactucin to lactucin was additionally demonstrated in vitro using yeast microsome assays. The identified chicory lactucin synthase gene is predominantly expressed in the chicory latex, indicating that the late steps in the STL biosynthesis take place in the latex. This study contributes to further elucidation of the STL pathway in chicory and shows that root chicory can be positioned as a crop from which different health products can be extracted.

Keeping Healthy in Your Skin-Plants and Fungi Used by Indigenous Himalayan Communities to Treat Dermatological Ailments.

Dermatological ailments are a major health problem, especially when related to human immune deficiency syndrome and acquired immune deficiency. The goal of this study was to identify the medicinal plants used by the indigenous peoples of the Northwestern Himalayas to treat dermatological diseases. Several field trips were conducted in the spring and summer seasons of 2020-2021 to collect the plants of dermatological value and information about their use through open-ended semi-structured interviews (n = 53) and group discussions (n = 33). The current investigation found 64 ethnomedicinal plants belonging to 34 families commonly used to treat a variety of dermatological ailments. The main growth form was herbs (80%), followed by trees (8%) and ferns (6%). It was found that leaves (51%) were the most commonly used plant part, followed by roots and the whole plant. Wound healing was the most dominant application, with 18 plant species used, followed by skin burns cured by 11 plant species and skin boils by eight plant species. Out of the total (18%) of medicinal plants with cosmetic uses, i.e., roots of Jurinea dolomiaea, Rheum webbianum, and Rheum spiciforme were crushed into powder and mixed with turmeric, and the paste is applied topically for glowing skin. Among the various preparation methods, paste (38%) was the most common way of preparation, followed by poultice (29%) and infusion (9%). Between ethnic groups, the maximum homogeneity was between Gujjar and Bakarwal ethnic groups (23 species, 36%), followed by Gujjars and Kashmiri (14 species, 22%). Bakarwals and Gujjar people live in the same geographical location, and they graze their animals in pastures, practice extensive transhumance pastoralism, and pass through different ecological landscapes, thus having sufficient experiences with certain plants and retaining more knowledge. The species identified with the highest utilization based on the number of citations and use value included Ficus carica, Cichorium intybus, Euphorbia wallichii, Pinus wallichiana, Plantago major, Jurinea dolomiaea, and Artemisia absinthium. The findings of this study demonstrate that people who reside in the Northwestern Himalayas region still rely on medicinal plants.

Pest thrips do not set field margins aside: preferred wildflowers sustain pest Frankliniella spp. (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and their migration in commercial strawberry

Wildflowers in uncultivated field margin are important resources supporting both pest and non-pest thrips populations in agroecosystems. Environmental factors related to wildflowers have never been used as predictors to model pest thrips density in adjacent crops. Wild and cultivated flowers were sampled in strawberry field agroecosystem in Orléans Island, near Quebec City, Canada. Pest flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa and F. tritici had a wide wildflower host range, with preferences toward Leucanthemum vulgare, Trifolium pratense, Sonchus asper, and Cichorium intybus. Regression modeling revealed significant positive relationships between pest thrips density on specific wildflowers (Vicia cracca, Sinapis arvensis, S. asper, C. intybus, L. vulgare) and their density in strawberry flowers. Furthermore, thrips density within the crop decreased with distance from uncultivated field margin. Regarding crop management, knowing the associations between thrips pests and preferred wild flora as well as their spatial distribution in strawberry fields is an undeniable advantage.

Qualitative and quantitative determination of proteins in extracts of some medicinal plants

Introduction. Global consumption of plant protein is increasing and high-fiber plants have health benefits through valuable phytochemicals. Plant proteins serve as an alternative to animal proteins to meet consumer demand on the one hand and reduce the risk of disease on the other. Material and Methods. We performed qualitative and quantitative determination of proteins in extracts by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and total content of proteins by Bradford assay. Results. Applied methods for the qualitative and quantitative determination of proteins in dry extracts of medicinal plants: Agrimonia eupatoria L., Cichorium intybus L., Galium verum L., and Solidago virgaurea L. confirm that proteins were detected in all dry extracts and were determined the total content of them. Conclusion. For all extracts obtained from aerial parts of: Agrimonia eupatoria, Cichorium intybus, Galium verum and Solidago virgaurea we find a low protein concentration, which implies minimizing allergic reactions and intolerance to the extracts studied.

The study of the influence of plant additives on increasing the food and biological value of soft waffles

Currently there is an acute shortage of fibres and proteins in the human diet, resulting in various diseases. The modern market needs a product capable of diversifying the range in the sector of functional, dietary flour confectionery. To this end, the article shows one of the ways to improve the macronutrient composition of waffles, especially with regard to the protein-carbohydrate component of the product. Laboratory analysis showed that the introduction of pea protein, chicory root syrup and apple fiber into the composition of flour and confectionery increased protein content by 3.3% in wafers made of rice flour only and by 5.6% in waffles made of a mixture of whole grains and rice flour. The amount of sucrose decreased in «Rice» waffles by 2.6% and by 2.3% in «Wheat-rice» waffles, and the amount of fiber on average is 3-4 times more, compared to the control sample. In comparison with the control sample, increased the average number of essential amino acids such as: lysine – in 1.5 times; phenylalanine – in 1.25 times; leucine and isoleucine – in 0.8 times; methionine – in 1.5 times, threonine – in 3 times. Thus, the study resulted in the development of dietary plant based soft waffles with improved macronutrient composition, able to expand the range of functional products and can be recommended for dietary nutrition.

An Updated Review on Medicinal Plants with Hepato-protective Activity

Many precious medicines from traditional medicinal plants can be produced using a phototherapeutic approach to modern drug research. Finding pure phytochemicals that can be used as medicines requires time and money. The treatment of liver problems involves the use of numerous herbs and polyherbal mixtures. However, the treatments are ineffective in the majority of severe instances. Even though many of these plants and mixtures were subjected to experimental evaluations, the research was frequently insufficient and uncompleted. It was found that the therapeutic effects were evaluated in animals with subclinical liver damage brought on by a few substances. Antioxidants included in common foods can offer this kind of defence against liver damage brought on by hazardous substances’ oxidative processes. Therefore, hepato-protective natural products such as Phyllanthus amarus, Silybum marianum, Solanum nigrum, Tephrosia purpurea, Eclipta alba, Cichorium intybus, Phyllanthus Niruri, Centella asiatica, Capparis spinosa, Terminalia arjuna, Cassia occidentalis, Fumaria parviflora, Embelia ribes, Boerhaavia diffusa, Tamarix gallica, Achillea millefolium, Terminalia chebula, Ocimum sanctum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Foeniculum vulgare, Garcinia mangostana, Acacia Catechu, Pergularia daemia, Annona squamosa, Flacourtia indica. The goal of the current review is to gather information on promising phytochemicals from medicinal plants that have been evaluated in hepatotoxicity models utilising cutting-edge scientific methods.

Phenolic Compound Production Increased In Vitro Regenerated Cichorium intybus L.

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a low-height perennial or biennial herb from the family of Asteraceae. Investigation of different in vitro regeneration strategies of Cichorium intybus and increasing the number of secondary metabolites in vitro regenerated plant samples were the aims of the research. Callus and plant regenerations were achieved in basal plant growth media supplemented with plant growth regulators (PGRs). Whole plant regeneration was carried out by direct organogenesis from leaf explant in Murashige and Skoog (MS) and B5 media supplemented with naphthalene acetic (NAA) acid and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). The highest callus quantity was produced in MS medium supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and benzyl amino purine (BAP). The combination and concentrations of PGRs used in MS and B5 media not only provided root and shoot formation with callus, but also caused a change in the amounts of phenolic components. In addition, some PGRs used caused an increase in the number of phenolic compounds in callus and shoots developed from the leaf explant. When plants that grow in vitro and in vivo are compared with each other, it has been determined that plants grown in vivo contain higher amounts of some phenolic compounds. In vivo and in vitro samples were extracted in ethanol/water (80:20 v/v). The analysis of phenolic compounds (caftaric, chicoric, and chlorogenic acids and esculin) were performed in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and inulin was in UV spectrophotometry. The caftaric and chlorogenic acids and inulin concentrations were higher in vivo samples than that in vitro. Contrarily, esculin, and chicoric acid concentrations were higher in the in vitro regenerated samples. The higher concentration of valuable compounds in the in vitro regenerated samples, especially in callus tissue, gives hope for large-scale production of secondary metabolites under laboratory conditions.

CiXTH29 and CiLEA4 Role in Water Stress Tolerance in Cichorium intybus Varieties.

Drought causes massive crop quality and yield losses. Limiting the adverse effects of water deficits on crop yield is an urgent goal for a more sustainable agriculture. With this aim, six chicory varieties were subjected to drought conditions during seed germination and at the six week-old plant growth stage, in order to identify some morphological and/or molecular markers of drought resistance. Selvatica, Zuccherina di Trieste and Galatina varieties, with a high vegetative development, showed a major germination index, greater seedling development (6 days of growth) and a greater dehydration resistance (6 weeks of growth plus 10 days without water) than the other ones (Brindisina, Esportazione and Rossa Italiana). Due to the reported involvement, in the abiotic stress response, of xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolases (XTHs) and late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) multigene families, XTH29 and LEA4 expression profiles were investigated under stress conditions for all analyzed chicory varieties. We showed evidence that chicory varieties with high CiXTH29 and CiLEA4 basal expression and vegetative development levels better tolerate drought stress conditions than varieties that show overexpression of the two genes only in response to drought. Other specific morphological traits characterized almost all chicory varieties during dehydration, i.e., the appearance of lysigen cavities and a general increase of the amount of xyloglucans in the cell walls of bundle xylem vessels. Our results highlighted that high CiXTH29 and CiLEA4 basal expression, associated with a high level of vegetative growth, is a potential marker for drought stress tolerance.

Cichorium intybus L. is a potential Cd-accumulator for phytoremediation of agricultural soil with strong tolerance and detoxification to Cd

Identifying suitable plants for phytoremediation of Cd (cadmium) contaminated agricultural soil is critical. In this study, whether chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) qualified as an ideal accumulator for phytoremediation was investigated. The hydroponic and pot experiments showed that Cd concentration in chicory leaves exceeded 100 mg kg−1 (BCF >1, TF >1) with 40 mg kg−1 Cd in pot; No significant effects on chicory growth, leaf protein and physiological and biochemical aspects when treated with ≤ 20 μM or 40 mg kg−1 Cd, because chicory could relieve Cd toxicity by increasing activities of photoprotection mechanisms, the reactive oxygen species scavenging system and concentrations of functional groups in plant tissues. In field experiment, 16.2 and 26.6 t ha−1 of chicory leaves was harvested in winter and summer, respectively. The highest Cd concentration in leaves was close to 25.0 mg kg−1 (BCF >1, TF >1) from the acid soil with 0.980 mg kg−1 Cd. Over 320 g ha−1 Cd was extracted from soil by harvesting chicory leaves both in winter and summer, with 9.24% and 12.9% of theoretical phytoremediation efficiency. Therefore, chicory can be as an ideal Cd-accumulator for phytoremediation of slight-to-moderate Cd-contaminated agricultural soil in any season.

Health Benefits of Key Constituents in Cichorium intybus L.

The genus Cichorium (Asteraceae) that originates from the Mediterranean area consists of six species (Cichorium intybus, Cichorium frisee, Cichorium endivia, Cichorium grouse, Cichorium chico and Cichorium pumilum). Cichorium intybus L., commonly known as chicory, has a rich history of being known as a medicinal plant and coffee substitute. A variety of key constituents in chicory play important roles as antioxidant agents. The herb is also used as a forage plant for animals. This review highlights the bioactive composition of C. intybus L. and summarizes the antioxidant activity associated with the presence of inulin, caffeic acid derivatives, ferrulic acid, caftaric acid, chicoric acid, chlorogenic and isochlorogenic acids, dicaffeoyl tartaric acid, sugars, proteins, hydroxycoumarins, flavonoids and sesquiterpene lactones. It also covers the plant's occurrence, agriculture improvement, natural biosynthesis, geographical distribution and waste valorization.

Insights into the convergent evolution of fructan biosynthesis in angiosperms from the highly characteristic chicory genome.

Fructans in angiosperms play essential roles in physiological functions and environmental adaptations. As a major source of industrial fructans (especially inulin-type), chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a model species for studying fructan biosynthesis. However, the genes underlying this process and their evolutionary history in angiosperms remain elusive. We combined multiple sequencing technologies to assemble and annotate the chicory genome and scan its (epi)genomic features, such as genomic components, DNA methylation, and three-dimensional (3D) structure. We also performed a comparative genomics analysis to uncover the associations between key traits and gene families. We achieved a nearly complete chicory genome assembly and found that continuous bursts of a few highly active retrotransposon families largely shaped the (epi)genomic characteristics. The highly methylated genome with its unique 3D structure potentially influences critical biological processes. Our comprehensive comparative genomics analysis deciphered the genetic basis for the rich sesquiterpene content in chicory and indicated that the fructan-accumulating trait resulted from convergent evolution in angiosperms due to shifts in critical sites of fructan-active enzymes. The highly characterized chicory genome provides insight into Asteraceae evolution and fructan biosynthesis in angiosperms.

Cichorium intybus L. “hairy” roots as a rich source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds

The present study aimed to determine the bioactive profile of various extracts of Cichorium intybus L. “hairy” roots. In particular, the total content of flavonoids as well as the reducing power, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous and ethanolic (70%) extracts were evaluated. The total content of flavonoids the ethanolic extract of the dry “hairy” root reached up to 121.3 mg (RE)/g, which was twofold greater than in the aqueous one. A total of 33 diverse polyphenols were identified by the LC-HRMS method. The experimental results showed a high amount of gallic (6.103 ± 0.008 mg/g) and caffeic (7.001 ± 0.068 mg/g) acids. In the “hairy” roots, the presence of rutin, apigenin, kaempferol, quercetin, and its derivatives was found in concentrations of 0.201±0.003 – 6.710±0.052 mg/g. The broad spectrum of pharmacological activities (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, etc.) of the key flavonoids identified in the chicory “hairy” root extract was predicted by the General Unrestricted Structure-Activity Relationships algorithm based on in the substances detected in the extract. The evaluation of the antioxidant activity showed that the EC50 values of the ethanol and the aqueous extracts were 0.174 and 0.346 mg, respectively. Thus, the higher ability of the ethanol extract to scavenge the DPPH radical was observed. The calculated Michaelis and inhibition constants indicated that the ethanolic extract of C. intybus “hairy” roots is an efficient inhibitor of soybean 15-Lipoxygenase activity (IC50 = 84.13 ± 7.22 μM) in a mixed mechanism. Therefore, the obtained extracts could be the basis of herbal pharmaceuticals for the therapy of human diseases accompanied by oxidative stress and inflammation, including the pandemic coronavirus disease COVID-19.

Rhizopus oryzae Inulinase Production and Characterization with Application in Chicory Root Saccharification

The objective of this study was to create a fermentation process for the production of inulinase, an important enzyme with numerous applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries, using low-cost agricultural waste as substrates for Rhizopus oryzae NRRL 3563. High titer inulinase production in chicory roots by Rhizopus oryzae in a submerged culture was accomplished using a statistical experimental design. A two-level Plackett–Burman design followed by a three-level Box–Behnken design producing a high inulinase titer of 1085.11 U/mL, 2.83-fold the maximum level, was obtained in the screening experiment. The optimal levels were as follows: chicory root, 10 g/L; NaNO3, 5 g/L; and KCl, 0.2 g/L. The produced inulinase enzyme was purified using 70% ammonium sulfate precipitation and ultra-filtration causing 3.63-fold purification with 60% activity recovery. The enzyme had a molecular weight of approximately 130 KDa. The purified enzyme showed optimum activity at 50 °C and pH 6.0. The pH stability range was three to six and the temperature stability was up 70 °C. The purified inulinase could hydrolyze inulin and sucrose, but not cellobiose or soluble starch. Km and Vmax for inulin were determined to be 0.8 mg/mL and 50,000 U/mg, respectively. The two-level Plackett–Burman design was applied followed by a Box–Behnken model for optimization of fermentation conditions. Accordingly, the optimal combination of fermentation was a reaction time of seven hours, a temperature of 60 °C, and an enzyme concentration of 40,000 U/mL, which resulted in a 58.07% saccharification yield. The characteristics of the enzyme and its kinetic parameters suggested that it was highly effective in the fermentation of inulin and inulin-containing substrates. Additionally, it raises the potential of using inulinase enzymes in pharmaceutical and food industries.

Chemometric Discrimination of Cichorium glandulosum Boiss. et Huet and Cichorium intybus L. via Their Metabolic Profiling, Antioxidative, and Hypoglycemic Activities

Cichorium glandulosum Boiss. et Huet (CG) and Cichorium intybus L. (CI) are widely used as the main raw material of functional food with hepatoprotective and hypoglycemic effects. Due to the lack of comparison on the chemical ingredients and efficacy, they were often used imprecisely and interchangeably. It is necessary to distinguish between them. With the plant metabolomics based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS) and multivariate chemometric techniques, the chemical ingredients were characterized and 59 compounds between CG and CI were classified. As for antioxidative and hypoglycemic activities in vitro, CI extraction exhibited better antioxidant activity than CG, while CG extraction showed stronger hypoglycemic activity. Furthermore, a bivariate correlation between the chemical composition and efficacy of the extract was also analyzed, and three differentially strong correlation components between CI and CG were prepared, and the antioxidative and hypoglycemic efficacies were compared in vivo and different active phenotypes were obtained. Finally, we revealed chemical and biological differences between CG and CI, providing a basis for achieving better quality control and developing more effective functional foods.

Agrochemical methods for increasing the yield of root chicory

Relevance. The effectiveness of fertilizers depends on the need of plants for nutrients and on the ability of the soil to meet this need. According to the Research Institute of Raw Materials of the Alcohol Industry, the responsiveness of chicory to individual substances changes dramatically during the growing season. In the first period of its development, chicory responds sharply positively only to phosphorus. In the future, the phosphorus efficiency remains stable for two months and by the end of the growing season, attenuation begins. The potash efficiency, on the contrary, is low in the first months, and by the end of the growing season, in contrast to the action of phosphorus, it gives a sharp rise. The efficiency of nitrogen during the growing season occupies an average position between the efficiency of phosphorus and potassium.Methodology. The aim of the research was to identify the most effective doses of macro- and microelements and methods of their application (basic and top dressing) to ensure maximum yields of root chicory root crops. The experiments were carried out in the Nonchernozem zone of the Russian Federation in the Rostov district of the Yaroslavl region on the experimental field of the Rostov experimental station for chicory¬ – a branch of the FSBSI FSVC.Results. As a result of the conducted studies, it was found that an increase in the dose of nitrogen nutrition against the background of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer increased the yield of root chicory root crops, fractional application of mineral fertilizers is more effective compared to the main application, the introduction of boron and cobalt increased the content of inulin and sugars in root crops. The inulin content increased as the dose of nitrogen fertilizers increased.

Managing interspecies competition to improve spring pasture maturity, nutritive value, and biomass

AbstractIn much of the United States, wet springs often cause poor field conditions leading to harvest and/or grazing delays and subsequent reductions in forage nutritive value. The objective of this study was to compare monocultures and combinations of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) to determine the effects of interspecies competition on plant maturity, nutritive value, and forage mass over two consecutive springs. It was hypothesized that shade and competition from chicory would delay orchardgrass maturity resulting in greater nutritive value and an extended harvest or grazing window for high‐nutritive value forage. Mixtures containing chicory delayed orchardgrass maturity by at least 9 days in the first spring as compared to orchardgrass monocultures and orchardgrass‐white clover mixtures. Even with decreased chicory mass in the second year (due to drought and winterkill), both 1:1:1 and 4:1:1 (ratio of seeds per hectare) orchardgrass–white clover–chicory mixtures provided greater forage mass and nutritive value (crude protein and net energy) yield over 2 years compared to an orchardgrass monoculture; however, only the 1:1:1 orchardgrass–white clover–chicory mixture provided greater benefits to forage mass and nutritive value yield when compared to orchardgrass–white clover mixtures that are commonly found on farms. This study showed that chicory inclusion provides benefits to orchardgrass and orchardgrass–white clover pastures when planted in appropriate seed proportions; however, increasing chicory longevity will require further investigation to provide continued benefits in perennial cool‐season grass and legume pasture systems.

Identification of Potential Anti‐COVID‐19 Drug Leads from Medicinal Plants through Virtual High‐Throughput Screening

AbstractNatural compounds are widely used as attractive and valuable starting points for drug lead discovery. The present study aims to identify phytochemical compounds found in medicinal plants as potential COVID‐19 inhibitors, using ensemble docking simulations. To this end, a phytochemical library from the PHCD database – a database of natural chemical compositions of Persian medicinal herbs (https://persianherb.com) – have been virtually screened against four key protein targets in the SARS‐CoV‐2 life cycle – the Mpro and PLpro proteases and the Spike and human ACE2 proteins. Several potential antiviral lead candidates have been identified based on the “Computational Multitarget Screening” approach, in which favourite candidates interact simultaneously with all four targets. Four of the bioactive phytochemicals identified – Chelidimerine, Gallagyldilacton, Hinokiflavone, and Physalin Z – show the highest binding affinities to all the targets and are suggested to be the best choices for drug design research. Also, several important medicinal plants, including Chelidonium majus L., Punica granatum, Rhus coriaria, Capparis spinose, Cichorium intybus, and Cynara scolymus, with the most phytochemicals interacting with all the host and viral proteins, have been identified that can be considered as the most important herbal resources for drug development with the medicinal plant formulations against COVID‐19.

Synthesis of green and non-toxic biodiesel from non-edible seed oil of Cichorium intybus using recyclable nanoparticles of MgO

Our current investigation aimed to explore Cichorium intybus as a novel and nonedible seed oil (34% w/w) producing plant species for green and sustainable production of biodiesel to contribute an alternative substitute to depleting fossil fuel reservoirs. Transesterification of Cichorium intybus seed oil was catalyzed by green nanoparticles of MgO synthesized with Parthenium hysterophorus leaf extract. The highest yield of 95% of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) was achieved with optimal reaction conditions of methanol to oil molar ratio 9:1, catalyst loading of 0.83 (wt%), time 180 (min) and temperature 85 °C at constant stirring. Physiochemical characterization of the catalyst was carried out which revealed pure and nano nature of synthesized nano-catalyst. MgO nanoparticles exhibited maximum reusability up to the 6th reaction. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR 1H and 13C) validated methyl ester formation in the sample of biodiesel. Findings of Gas Chromatography/Mass spectroscopy signified four distinct peaks of methyl esters with 9-Octadecenoic acid methyl ester found as representative fatty acid methyl ester. Fuel properties of methyl ester were found equivalent to ASTM D-6571 and EN 14214 standards. This investigation has disclosed that green nanoparticles of MgO are highly efficient in biodiesel production from Cichorium intybus seed oil during transesterification reaction.

Rumen fermentation and forage degradability in dairy cows offered perennial ryegrass, perennial ryegrass and white clover, or a multispecies forage

An experiment was conducted to compare the rumen fermentation and degradability of three forage treatments. A perennial ryegrass (PRG; Lolium perenne), perennial ryegrass and white clover (Trifolium pratense) (PRGWC) and multispecies forage (MULTI), containing two grass species; perennial ryegrass and timothy (Phleum pratense); two clover species; white clover and red clover (Trifolium repens); and two herb species; chicory (Cichorium intybus) and plantain (Plantago lanceolata), were compared. Six rumen fistulated lactating dairy cows were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square experiment consisting of 3 periods lasting 21-days. Cows were allowed ad libitum access to fresh forage and offered 2.71 kg DM concentrate each day. During days 1 – 14 of each period, cows were acclimatized to dietary treatments before entering a 7 – day sampling period. Indwelling rumen pH probes were inserted into the rumen of each cow on day 15 and 16. Rumen fluid samples were taken on day 18 every 2 h for rumen volatile fatty acid and ammonia nitrogen (NH3N) analysis. Forage dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) degradability was assessed via in sacco incubation beginning on day 19 of each period. Treatment had no effect on dry matter intake (DMI) or milk yield. There was no difference in mean rumen pH between treatments. The rumen pH of cows offered MULTI was below pH 6.0 for a higher percentage of time than the other treatments, however the concentration of acetic acid in the rumen of cows was similar between treatments. Effective degradability (ED) of DM was higher (P = 0.003) for MULTI (0.77) compared to PRG (0.68) and PRGWC (0.66). The soluble CP fraction of MULTI and PRGWC was significantly lower than that of PRG (P = 0.007), though PRGWC had the highest rumen ammonia concentration of all treatments (P = 0.002). MULTI had the highest ED and rate of DM degradation in the rumen, and lowest soluble CP of all treatments. Multispecies forages can support milk production in lactating dairy cows; however, care must be taken to ensure adequate dietary NDF due to the low fiber concentration and highly degradable nature of the forage.