Cotinus Coggygria Research Articles

ANTIMICROBIAL SCREENING OF COTINUS COGGYGGRIA SCOP LEAVES EXTRACT FOR ITS APPLICATION IN ENDODONTICS

For the new Millennium our knowledge of persistent bacteria, disinfecting agents and safety concerns has greatly increased and to achieve predictable, complete disinfection of the root canal system with minimal side-effects, there is no doubt that more innovative basic and biological approach is needed. In this sense, the search of alternative natural preparations for the disinfection of root canals remains relevant. The aim of our research was determination the antimicrobial activity of Cotinus coggygria leaves extract water solutions against Enterococcus faecalis. Microbiological study was conducted at the Laboratory of General Microbiology of Bacteriophage Analytical Diagnostic Center. The In vitro studies seems encouraging as 2% extract was found to be most effective against Streptococcus spp., while extract 10% solutions were observed to be most effective against Enterococcus faecalis. Pronounced antibacterial activity suggests successful application of Cotinus coggygria Scop extract solutions in Endodontic Practice. The in vivo study is in progress for recommending this novel herbal preparation as an alternative antimicrobial endodontic irrigating solution.

Eco-friendly dyeing of polyamide and polyamide-elastane knits with living bacterial cultures of two Streptomyces sp. strains.

Given the environmental burden of textile industry, especially of dyeing processes and the volume of synthetic dyes and surfactants, the intensive development of the greener approaches is under way. Herein, an environmentaly-friendly dyeing of polyamide (PA) and PA/Elastane (PA/EA) knits using live bacterial approach in water environment, completely eliminating usage of textile auxiliaries is described. A total of 12 pigment-producing Streptomyces strains were isolated and purified from soil and rizoshere or bark of smoke tree Cotinus coggygria samples. The antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic effects of crude bacterial extracts were tested. Antimicrobial effect was obtained by the majority of extracts but only two streptomycetes extracts, 11-5 and BPS51, showed moderate cytotoxicity against HaCaT human cell line. This was the reason to select 11-5 and BPS51 strains for the dyeing of the textile materials. Excellent properties of dyeing wool, silk and PA are achieved initially using live cultures, and the bioprocess is optimized on commercial PA and PA/EA knits used for stockings production. Satisfactory coloration of both knits is achieved with dynamic conditions (culture shaking at 180rpm over 5-14 days at 30 ºC) giving the best coloration results, except in the case of the PA sample dyed with a bacterial strain 11-5. The prolongation of dyeing time leads to higher color yields independently of fabric and bacteria strain. Although the color differences between the samples before and after washing are observed, washing fastness after three washing cycles can be considered as satisfactory.

EPR-based study to monitor Free Radicals in Treated Silk Fibroin with Anthocyanins

Bioactive materials of natural origin have great demand in industry and medicine due to their versatility and useful properties. The main purpose of this work is to prepare biocomposites for the dual purpose of modified silk fibroin (Bombyx mori L.), which protects against the destructive effects of bioactive, antioxidant and ultraviolet rays. For this purpose, an aqueous extract of autumn leaves of the anthocyanin-rich smoke tree plant (Cotinus coggygria L.) was applied. 2% thiourea solution was used to increase the durability of the modified SF to external influences and for use in textiles. The intensity of free radicals in silk fibroin-anthocyanin (SFA) and silk fibroin-anthocyanin-thiourea (SFAT) biocomposites modified by the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) method was studied. Maximum adsorption time was determined 20 minutes and the intensity of free radicals in SFA bio-composite was 80-85% and in SFAT biocomposite 50-55% in relation to silk fibroin untreated. For biomedical use of SFA, the radical scavenger activity kinetics were studied on a UV-2700 spectrophotometer and radical capture activity was calculated: RSA% (bioextract) = 73.52 ± 0.5, RSA% (SF) = 6.42 ± 0.4, RSA% (SFA) = 45.23 ± 0.8

First report of Erysiphe verniciferae causing powdery mildew on smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria) from Pakistan

Plants of Cotinus coggygria were observed with powdery mildew symptoms during field surveys in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan in 2020. Morpho-anatomical and molecular phylogenetic analyses were used to identify the powdery mildew species parasitizing these plants as Erysiphe verniciferae. Pathogenicity was confirmed on healthy leaves of C. coggygria in a greenhouse at 25°C with 75–80% humidity at 7–10 days after inoculation, when white powdery mildew colonies appeared. This is the first report of powdery mildew caused by E. verniciferae on C. coggygria in Pakistan.

Relationships between the Visual Quality and Color Patterns: Study in Peri-Urban Forests Dominated by Cotinus coggygria var. cinerea Engl. in Autumn in Beijing, China

The spatial pattern of color patches plays a crucial role in affecting the visual quality of peri-urban forests dominated by Cotinus coggygria var. cinerea Engl. in autumn. The impact mechanism has been studied to facilitate algorithm-based automatic visual quality estimation. The color patterns of 120 photographs were calculated after color quantization and automatic color substitution. The scenic beauty of the forest was estimated by 698 respondents. Multiple correlations between visual quality and color pattern metrics were explored with stepwise regression. Principal component analysis (PCA) was also employed to investigate the impact mechanism of color patterns on visual quality. Number of patches (NP), largest patch index (LPI), mean patch area (AREA_MN), patch size standard deviation (AREA_SD), and Shannon’s evenness index (SHEI) were the main factors affecting the visual quality of the Cotinus coggygria forest. AREA_MN correlated positively with visual quality, while NP, LPI, AREA_SD, and SHEI correlated negatively. Moreover, AREA_SD had the most significant impact on the visual quality of the landscape, while SHEI, LPI, and AREA_MN had the second-highest impact. The evenness and the size of color patches significantly affected the visual quality of the forest landscapes. Balancing the diversity and evenness of color patches plays a decisive role in creating a forest landscape with high visual quality.

Nano Catalysis of Biofuels and Biochemicals from Cotinus coggygria Scop. Wood for Bio-Oil Raw Material

Cotinus coggygria Scop. as a precious landscape shrub and a good afforestation species that is used in the pharmaceutical industry. In this paper, TG-FTIR, TG-DTG, and Py-GC/MS were used to study the biomaterials of Cotinus coggygria used as biofuels and biochemicals under the catalysis of nano-Mo/Fe2O3. The wood powder was extracted using a methanol/benzene solution, and the extract was analyzed by FTIR and GC-MS. The results showed that the pyrolysis products of Cotinus coggygria wood were rich in phenols, alcohols, and biofuels. The metal nano-Mo powder played a catalytic role in the interpretation of the gas in the species, where it accelerates gas products. Metal nano-Fe2O3 has a certain flame-retardant effect on the burning process of Cotinus coggygria wood, and the residual amount of pyrolysis is greater. The contents of the extract Formamide, 1-Hexanol, Levodopa, and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)- are not only widely used industrially but also play an important role in medicine. Cotinus coggygria is therefore an excellent biomaterial for biofuels and biochemicals.

Two Novel Lasiodiplodia Species from Blighted Stems of Acer truncatum and Cotinus coggygria in China.

Simple SummaryLasiodiplodia species are plurivorous plant pathogens found worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, that result in fruit and root rot, die-back of branches and stem canker, etc. During the exploration of the fungal diversity of blighted stem samples collected in northern China, two new Lasiodiplodia species, L. acerina G.H. Qiao & W.T. Qin and L. cotini G.H. Qiao & W.T. Qin, were discovered based on integrated studies of phenotypic features, culture characteristics and molecular analyses. They were described and illustrated in detail. This work provided a better understanding of the biodiversity, phylogeny and established concepts of the genus Lasiodiplodia.The Lasiodiplodia are major pathogens or endophytes living on a wide range of plant hosts in tropical and subtropical regions, which can cause stem canker, shoot blight, and rotting of fruits and roots. During an exploration of the stem diseases on Acer truncatum and Cotinus coggygria in northern China, two novel species of Lasiodiplodia, L. acerina G.H. Qiao & W.T. Qin and L. cotini G.H. Qiao & W.T. Qin, were discovered based on integrated studies of the morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1-α), beta-tubulin (TUB2) and RNA polymerase II subunit b genes (RPB2). Lasiodiplodia acerina is a sister taxon of L. henannica and distinguishable by smaller paraphysis and larger conidiomata. Lasiodiplodia cotini is closely related to L. citricola but differs in the sequence data and the size of paraphyses. Distinctions between the two novel species and their close relatives were compared and discussed in details. This study updates the knowledge of species diversity of the genus Lasiodiplodia. Furthermore, this is the first report of Lasiodiplodia associated with blighted stems of A. truncatum and C. coggygria in China.

Ethnobotanical and Ethnopharmacological Study in the Bulgarian Rhodopes Mountains—Part _I

Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and their uses has been well documented in Bulgaria in the past. However, we know little about the contemporary traditional application of medicinal plants. Rhodopes Mountain is an ethnobotanically poorly studied region. This region is suitable for conducting field research in ethnobotany for several reasons: (i) our preliminary observation in a number of settlements revealed that the local population, in particular, relies solely on previously collected medicinal plants in winter months even in modern times; (ii) due to the relative isolation of the area, considerable authenticity of traditional methods of medicinal plant use is retained there. The aim of this study is ethnopharmacological and ethnobotanical research among the population of the Rhodopes to evaluate the contemporary use of medicinal plants. The field ethnobotanical data were collected through the in-depth method in combination with a semi-structured face-to-face interviews, adapted with modifications to the objectives of this study. The quantitative ethnobotanical index Use Value (UV) was calculated. Here we suggested a new approach in ethnobotanical research. We used nomograms to present a large volume of medicinal plants’ application data, classified by the degree of their UV. This allows for a much broader view of collected and processed data. Data analyses from our filed research showed that the 92 informants mentioned utilization of a total of 114 plant species belonging to 52 families and 110 genera. The most common plants were from the families Asteraceae (16.7%), Lamiaceae (12.3%), Rosaceae (9.6%) and Amrillydaceae (3.5%), followed by Crassulaceae, Plantaginacea, Oleaceae and Solanaceae. The data presented in six nomograms revealed the most popular plants, the way of application and the corresponding medical indications in the Central and East Rhodopes, and the differences between the two sub-regions. Sempervivum tectorum, Tussilago farfara and Plantago major are the most often reported plants in the Central Rhodopes while these are Cotinus coggygria, Prunus spinosa and Teucrium polium in the East Rhodopes. The results of the study show that in the Rhodopes, the contemporary application of traditional medicinal plants is pretty much vivid. The locals in the Rhodopes still use the traditional knowledge and rely on plants to treat various health problems. They use common plants in a sustainable manner and are open to the cultivation of Sideritis scardica—a species which became rare after overexploitation.

Modelling alteration of leaf coloration peak date in Cotinus coggygria in a high-elevation karst region

• The leaf coloration peak date is correlated with temperature and precipitation. • Generalized additive method can predict the leaf coloration peak date well. • Spring phenology may play an important role in predicting autumn phenology. • The leaf coloration peak date can be delayed due to future warming. The importance of deciduous plants’ autumn phenological phase is reflected not only in the material cycle but also in the fall foliage ecotourism industry. However, the lack of observation data has made it difficult to model the phase of deciduous plants in the high-elevation karst region. Based on the data between 2001 and 2020, methods including multiple linear regression, multivariate binomial regression, robust regression, ridge regression, elastic net, and generalized additive were utilized to find out the correlation of the temperature and the precipitation with Cotinus coggygria ’s leaf coloration peak date variation in the related regions of China. The mean absolute error, root mean squared error, coefficient of determination, and ratio of performance to interquartile distance were applied to evaluate the prediction accuracy. Generalized additive model's better performance suggested its capacity as a useful tool in prediction. The results showed that the increase of prophase temperature and the decrease of prophase precipitation could delay the leaf coloration peak date, while the date could be earlier on the contrary. Besides, the number of days with the daily maximum temperature continuously being above 20°C before November 10th exerted the highest contribution in the prediction of the date. Moreover, we showed that a higher average diurnal temperature range in mid-May could defer the date as an objective contributor in prediction. This indirectly reveals the importance of spring phenological phase in predicting the autumn phenological phase. Finally, the model forecasted a trend of the leaf coloration peak date delay from 2021 to 2100 under different emissions scenarios, showing the effects of warming on the plant's growth season and even the development of ecotourism.

Essential oil content and chemical profile of Cotinus coggygria Scop. from Eastern Anatolia Türkiye

The essential oil of the herb of the medicinal plant known as “smoke tree” (Cotinus coggygria Scop.) from Eastern, Anatolia (Turkey) was analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Twenty ingredients were identified for flowers representing 100% of the total oil while eleven ingredients were characterized in leaf essential oil comprising 99.96% of the oil extracted. As thymol (31.33%) and carvone (20.57%) were comprising main ingredients of the flower oil, the major ingredients of the leaf were determined as limonene and cis-ocimene by 48.53% and 23.57%, respectively. Identification of thymol form leaf sample as the predominant ingredient was first reported.

Expansion of tree and shrub plant species into undisturbed steppe phytocenoses

The article is devoted to the study of tree and shrub plant species that spontaneously invasively colonize anthropogenically undisturbed steppe ecosystems. The species composition, number and biometric characteristics of tree and shrub plant species are determined. It was established that there are 22 species, among which 8 show the greatest invasive activity, in 6 studied natural beams. These are: Cotinus coggygria Scop., Crataegus fallacina L., Prunus divaricata Ledeb., Prunus stepposa Kotov, Pyrus communis L., Rhamnus cathartica L., Robinia pseudoacacia L., Ros corymbifera Borkh. According to the Serensen index of species composition of tree and shrub plants, comparing the slopes of beams of different exposures, it was found that steppe tracts have different similarities between the slopes, but the highest figure was observed for Balka Demurynа (80%).

Chemical Composition and Content of Biologically Active Substances Found in Cotinus coggygria, Dactylorhiza maculata, Platanthera chlorantha Growing in Various Territories.

Medicinal plants (Cotinus coggygria, Dactylorhiza maculata, Platanthera chlorantha) growing in various territories (Kaliningrad, Moscow, and Minsk regions) were the objects of research. This paper presents a study of the chemical composition of these plants. To analyze the qualitative and quantitative composition of biologically active substances, the method of high-performance liquid chromatography was used. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to study the content of trace elements. The content of organic acids and vitamins was determined by capillary electrophoresis using the Kapel-105/105M capillary electrophoresis system with high negative polarity. Extracts of medicinal plants were obtained on a Soxhlet apparatus using 70% ethanol as an extractant. It was found that among the biologically active substances in the plants under discussion, hyperoside, rutin (C. coggygria), Ferulic acid and Gallic acid (D. maculata), triene hydrocarbon (3,7-Dimethyl-1,3,6-octatriene), unsaturated alcohol (3,7-Dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-ol), and benzyl acetate (P. chlorantha) prevailed. Samples of these medicinal plants contained trace elements (phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, and sulfur) and many aliphatic organic acids (succinic acid, benzoic acid, fumaric acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, and tartaric acid). The largest amount of biologically active substances and secondary metabolites of the studied plants from the Eastern Baltic is associated with climatic and ecological differences from other regions. The composition of these plants determines the potential of their use in feed additives for livestock and poultry as part of measures to improve the quality of livestock products. The use of medicinal plants for the production of feed additives is relevant in terms of improving regional economies, as well as improving the quality of life and nation’s health by providing ecologically clean livestock products.

Removal of Safranine T by a highly efficient adsorbent (Cotinus Coggygria leaves): Isotherms, kinetics, thermodynamics, and surface properties

Leaf-based adsorbents have attracted many researchers due to their low cost, high efficiency, and high adsorption capacity. In the present study, the performance of Cotinus Coggygria leaves on the adsorptive removal of Safranine T dye from an aqueous solution was investigated. Before the adsorption studies, the inverse gas chromatography (IGC) method was performed to observe the surface properties of Cotinus Coggygria, for the first time. With the data obtained from IGC analysis, the acidity/basicity degree of the adsorbent surface and the required conditions for the highest adsorption capacity were determined. The surface of the leaves was found to have a basic characteristic. The adsorption studies were carried out under different parameters including contact time, temperature, pH, initial dye concentration, and adsorbent dosage. The maximum percentage of Safranine T was obtained as 93.62% at pH = 7 and 55 °C. The different isotherms were applied namely Langmuir, Freundlich, D-R, Harkins-Jura, and Temkin isotherm models. From the correlation coefficients, it was obtained that the adsorption took place in agreement with the Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption capacity showed the maximum at 2000 mg/g in pH = 7 at 55 °C. As a result of the kinetic studies, it was seen that adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. When thermodynamic parameters were obtained, it was seen that the adsorption occurred exothermically and spontaneously. This study suggests that Cotinus Coggygria leaves are highly efficient biobased materials as an adsorbent.

Flavonoids of the Heartwood of Cotinus coggygria Scop. Showing Protective Effect on Human Lymphocyte DNA

In continuation of our study on Cotinus coggygria from Serbia, 10 known flavonoids (1-10) were isolated from the methylene chloride/methanol extract of the heartwood. They were tested for in vitro protective effect against chromosome aberrations in peripheral human lymphocytes, using the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay. All tested compounds (in minimal doses of 1 μg/mL) exerted a beneficial effect by decreasing DNA damage of human lymphocytes in the range of 24.2% to 54.5%, better than the radio protectant control, amifostine. Functional groups, such as 3′,4′-dihydroxyphenyl (catechol), 5-OH, 3-OH, and 4-keto in flavonoids (3-keto in aurones), which play a key role in antioxidant activity, are proposed to be responsible for the DNA protective activity of the tested compounds.

Fisetin ameliorates cognitive impairment by activating mitophagy and suppressing neuroinflammation in rats with sepsis-associated encephalopathy.

BackgroundFisetin, the effective ingredient of the traditional Chinese medicine named Cotinus coggygria, is recommended to be active therapeutic in many disorders. However, its role in sepsis‐associated encephalopathy (SAE) remains unclarified.MethodsCecal ligation and puncture (CLP) operation was performed to establish a rat model of SAE. Rats were grouped according to the surgery operation and fisetin administration. Cognitive impairment was assessed by Morris water maze test. Disruption of blood‐brain barrier (BBB) integrity was detected by Evan's blue staining. The mitophagy, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and pro‐inflammatory cytokines levels were measured through western blot and double immunofluorescence labeling. A transmission electron microscope was applied for the observation of mitochondrial autophagosomes.ResultsRats in the CLP group presented increased expression of IL‐1R1, pNF‐κB, TNF‐α, and iNOS in microglial cells, indicating severe inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS). Nevertheless, there was no increase in BBB permeability. Meanwhile, NLRP3 inflammasome was activated in cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs), presented with an elevation of caspase‐1 expression and IL‐1β secretion into CNS. In addition, we found fisetin significantly improved cognitive dysfunction in rats with SAE. Neuroprotective effects of fisetin might be associated with inhibition of neuroinflammation, represented with decreased expression of IL‐1R1, pNF‐κB, TNF‐α, and iNOS in microglia. Furthermore, fisetin induced mitophagy, scavenged ROS, blocked NLRP3 inflammasome activation of CMECs, as evidenced by decreased expression of caspase‐1 and reduced release of IL‐1β into CNS.ConclusionCollectively, fisetin‐blocked NLRP3 inflammasome activation via promoting mitophagy in CMECs may suppress the secretion of IL‐1β into CNS, reduce neuroinflammation, and contribute to the amelioration of cognitive impairment.

Biocomputational Analysis of Selected Compounds against Spike Protein: A Bioinformatics Approach

The main objective of the current study is to check the effectiveness of selected phytocompounds from the Chinese origin plant Cotinus coggygria in inhibiting the spike protein of Corona virus by assaying in the pharmacological tools and molecular docking analysis. Cotinus coggygria is a shrub which belongs to the family Anacardiaceae. The various phytochemicals of this compound shows the antiviral properties and some of the effective ones 3D structure was retrieved from PubChem and chemspider databases. The retrieved sequence was subjected to various bioinformatics tools such as SwissADME, PyRx, and Autodock for the molecular docking to check the effectiveness of selected phytocompounds in degrading the Spike protein of Corona virus. The results from the ADME and Autodock has proved the selected phytochemicals to have an antiviral property which is beneficial and effective against the Spike protein of Corona virus. Although Cotinus coggygria is known to show a medicinal property and is also being used as traditional medicine in various country, it has now been the spotlight for many researchers. The phytocompounds considered for this study has shown a better results in degrading the spike protein.

Efficacy of Different Concentrations of NAA on Selected Ornamental Woody Shrubs Cuttings

Ornamental woody shrubs are used in landscape design worldwide. Their propagation can be made generatively and vegetatively. Vegetative propagation methods are mostly used by nurseries, as such methods are quick and the newly propagated plants inherit the genetics of the mother plant. However, rooting in some woody plants is slow and, unfortunately, sometimes produces only a small number of rooted cuttings. In this study, shoot cuttings from six selected ornamental woody shrubs were subjected to different concentrations of rooting stimulators (0.5 (NAA5) and 0.8 (NAA8) % concentrations of 1-Naphthylacetic acid; cuttings without treatment were considered as control) and propagated in two different periods (spring and summer). Our results show that significant changes were obtained in the plants under the different treatments. Most of the plants showed a positive response to both treatments, expect for Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, which, compared to control, registered decreases in all the tested parameters under NAA5 treatment. Ilex aquifolium was the species that showed increments in all the parameters when NAA treatments were applied. In conclusion, our research suggests that NAA increases rooting in ornamental woody shrubs, although in some cases rooting could be a species-dependent process.

Profiling cosmeceutical effects of various herbal extracts through elastase, collagenase, tyrosinase inhibitory and antioxidant assays

• Cotinus coggygria is one of the plant species in terms of cosmeceutical effect. • Active plant species usually have records against skin disorders. • Use of active extracts with different antioxidant mechanisms will be more effective. Plants have been a very rich resource for the development of potentially new drug candidates and also the development of cosmetic products for skincare. The skin produces free radicals or reactive oxygen species through repeated exposure to the sun and these molecules cause oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions in the dermal and epidermal layers of the skin. Matrix metalloproteinases are triggered by aging and in inflamed skin, such as photo-aged skin, skin damage, and wrinkles occurred by collapsing dermal proteins such as collagen and elastin. In the development of plant-based skin whitening products, the first target is to investigate the inhibitors of the tyrosinase enzyme, which provides melanin production. The ethanol extracts of 92 herbal extracts and propolis were tested for their elastase, collagenase, and tyrosinase inhibitory effects using ELISA microtiter assays. Their antioxidant effect was determined using DPPH, DMPD, and NO radical scavenging activity, metal-chelation capacity, FRAP, PRAP, and CUPRAC assays. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extracts were also determined spectrophotometrically. Our results from the screening studies showed that the ethanol extracts prepared from the aerial parts of Lamium purpureum subsp. purpureum, the pericarpium of Garcinia mangostana and Pistacia vera , the flowers of Punica granatum, and the seeds of Vitis vinifera were effective against at least two of these enzymes and therefore, the plant species were selected for further studies.

Inhibitory Effect of Fisetin on α-Glucosidase Activity: Kinetic and Molecular Docking Studies.

The inhibition of α-glucosidase is a clinical strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and many natural plant ingredients have been reported to be effective in alleviating hyperglycemia by inhibiting α-glucosidase. In this study, the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of fisetin extracted from Cotinus coggygria Scop. was evaluated in vitro. The results showed that fisetin exhibited strong inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 4.099 × 10−4 mM. Enzyme kinetic analysis revealed that fisetin is a non-competitive inhibitor of α-glucosidase, with an inhibition constant value of 0.01065 ± 0.003255 mM. Moreover, fluorescence spectrometric measurements indicated the presence of only one binding site between fisetin and α-glucosidase, with a binding constant (lgKa) of 5.896 L·mol−1. Further molecular docking studies were performed to evaluate the interaction of fisetin with several residues close to the inactive site of α-glucosidase. These studies showed that the structure of the complex was maintained by Pi-Sigma and Pi-Pi stacked interactions. These findings illustrate that fisetin extracted from Cotinus coggygria Scop. is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of T2DM.

Responses of Visual Forms to Neighboring Competition: A Structural Equation Model for Cotinus coggygria var. cinerea Engl.

Background: The visual forms of individual trees in peri-urban forests are driven by a complex array of simultaneous cause-and-effect relationships. Materials and Methods: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), as a specialized analytical technique, was used to model and understand the complex interactions. It was applied to find out responses of visual forms to neighboring competition in a peri-urban forest dominated by Cotinus coggygria var. cinerea Engl. in Beijing, China. Research Highlights: Light interception and space extrusion have substantial effects on visual forms, expressed as crown forms and foliage forms. The structural model in SEM tested hypothetical correlations among latent variables, namely neighboring competition, crown forms, and foliage forms. Results: The fitted model suggested a direct negative effect of neighboring competition on crown forms and an insignificant negative direct effect on foliage forms. Moreover, an indirect positive effect on foliage forms mediated by crown forms was revealed. Conclusions: The fitted SEM and associated findings should facilitate peri-urban forest landscape management by providing insight into causal mechanisms of visual forms of individual trees and thereby assisting in the visual quality promotion.