Root Wood Research Articles

Toxicity Test, Antioxidant Activity, and Determination of Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) of N-Hexane and Ethyl Acetate Fraction from Uncaria Nervosa Elmer (Bajakah) Root Wood

Uncaria nervosa Elmer (local name: Bajakah) is one of the medicinal plants used as a cancer drug by the people of Muara Badak, East Kalimantan. The purpose of this study was to determine the total flavonoid content (TFC), toxicity, and antioxidant activity of the n-hexane (NH) and ethyl acetate (EA) fractions of Uncaria nervosa root wood. Determination of total flavonoids was carried out using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer with quercetin as a standard, toxicity test was carried out using the brine shrimp lethality test (BSLT) method, and antioxidant test using the DPPH radical reduction method. Based on the results of this study, the total flavonoid content (TFC) of NH and EA fractions were 192 and 425 mg QE/g extract, respectively. Based on the results of the toxicity test on Artemia salina L. shrimp, the LC50 values were 11.91 ppm for NH and 33.19 ppm for EA. These LC50 values indicate that NH is very toxic and EA is toxic against Artemia salina L. While the antioxidant test results showed that EA was very significant as an antioxidant and NH was moderate with IC50 values of 17.54 ppm and 75.93, respectively.

Antiviral Rotenoids and Isoflavones Isolated from Millettia oblata ssp. teitensis.

Three new (1-3) and six known rotenoids (5-10), along with three known isoflavones (11-13), were isolated from the leaves of Millettia oblata ssp. teitensis. A new glycosylated isoflavone (4), four known isoflavones (14-18), and one known chalcone (19) were isolated from the root wood extract of the same plant. The structures were elucidated by NMR and mass spectrometric analyses. The absolute configuration of the chiral compounds was established by a comparison of experimental ECD and VCD data with those calculated for the possible stereoisomers. This is the first report on the use of VCD to assign the absolute configuration of rotenoids. The crude leaves and root wood extracts displayed anti-RSV (human respiratory syncytial virus) activity with IC50 values of 0.7 and 3.4 μg/mL, respectively. Compounds 6, 8, 10, 11, and 14 showed anti-RSV activity with IC50 values of 0.4-10 μM, while compound 3 exhibited anti-HRV-2 (human rhinovirus 2) activity with an IC50 of 4.2 μM. Most of the compounds showed low cytotoxicity for laryngeal carcinoma (HEp-2) cells; however compounds 3, 11, and 14 exhibited low cytotoxicity also in primary lung fibroblasts. This is the first report on rotenoids showing antiviral activity against RSV and HRV viruses.

Tree mycorrhizal type mediates the responses of foliar stoichiometry and tree growth to functionally dissimilar neighbours in a subtropical forest experiment

Abstract Plant nutrient stoichiometry is of critical importance to productivity and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The impacts of tree species diversity on productivity have been well studied at the stand level. However, it is unclear how neighbourhood interactions impact the foliar nutrient stoichiometry of trees at the neighbourhood scale and how plant mycorrhizal associations can mediate such effects. We randomly selected eight tree species from a large‐scale biodiversity experiment with mixtures up to 32 tree species in subtropical China to assess the effects of species richness, phylogenetic and trait dissimilarities and competition on the foliar nutrient stoichiometry of focal trees associated with either arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) or ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi. We further investigated whether neighbourhood diversity can alter focal tree growth by regulating C:N:P stoichiometry. Neighbourhood species richness had no significant impact on the foliar C:N, N:P or C:P for both AM and EM trees. Increased neighbourhood phylogenetic dissimilarity significantly decreased the foliar N:P and C:P of AM trees but did not affect those of EM tree species. Foliar C:N, N:P and C:P of AM trees decreased with increasing neighbour trait (specific leaf area, root diameter, wood density dissimilarity, total trait) dissimilarities, while those of EM trees increased or remained unchanged. The increase of the neighbourhood competition index resulted in an increase in the foliar C:N of AM tree species but not EM tree species. The structural equation model analysis revealed that the increase of neighbourhood phylogenetic dissimilarity and functional trait dissimilarity indirectly enhanced tree growth of AM trees by decreasing foliar C:N. Conversely, the increase of neighbourhood‐specific root length and wood density dissimilarity indirectly reduced the growth of EM trees by increasing foliar N:P. Synthesis. Our results indicate that neighbourhood trait dissimilarity regulated tree foliar stoichiometry and growth performance, but the effects depended on the mycorrhizal type of trees. Our findings highlight the importance of tree mycorrhizal associations for better understanding the relationship between plant diversity and ecosystem functions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Antidiabetic and antibacterial activities of artocarpin: a flavonoid compound isolated from the root wood of the Pudau plant (Artocarpus kemando Miq.)

Abstract In this study, artocarpin compound was successfully isolated from the root wood of the Pudau plant (Artocarpus kemando Miq.) and subsequently tested as antidiabetic and antibacterial agent against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi. The procedure applied for isolation involved maceration using methanol followed by partition and purification using column chromatography. The purity of the compound was determined using thin layer chromatography and melting point measurement. The compound was subsequently characterized via UV–vis and IR spectroscopy. The compound isolated was obtained as a yellow amorphous solid and has melting point of 168.7–173.6 °C. The antidiabetic tests were performed against α-amylase enzyme, using the compound with the concentrations of 250, 500, 750, and 1000 ppm. The highest inhibition percentage of 43.33 ± 0.02 % was achieved with the use of 750 ppm of the compound and the IC50 value is 32 661.08 ppm. Antibacterial tests were performed with concentration variations of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 mg/disc. S. aureus and S. typhi bacteria showed high inhibition at a concentration of 0.5 mg/disc with inhibition zone diameters of 8 and 7 mm, respectively (moderate category).

Chemical composition, in vitro antioxidant assessment and toxicity test of the essential oils of Bridelia ferruginea Benth

Bridelia ferruginea Benth is a plant usually found in Savannah regions, used in ethno-medicine for treatment of dysentery, elephantiasis, intestinal and bladder disorder. Chemical compounds present in the leaf, twig, stem bark, stem wood and root wood of Bridelia ferruginea essential oils, their antioxidant and toxicity assays are been reported. The essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation and analysed by means of gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant assay was conducted using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) while the brine shrimp lethality test was carried out using Artemia salina eggs. Leaf, twig, stem bark, stem wood and root wood essential oils gave yields of 0.44%, 0.42%, 0.51%, 0.20% and 0.26% respectively. A total of eighty-two (82) compounds were identified in the five essential oils. Ethyl salicylate was the dominant constituent of the leaf essential oil (41.15%) while methyl salicylate was most abundant in the twig (33.33%) and stem bark (24.67%) essential oils. Stem wood oil contained ethyl salicylate (12.60%) while the root wood oil was composed mostly of 1-octadecene (18.53%). The antioxidant assay showed that stem bark had the most activity (53.12 μg/mL) while the least activity was recorded for twig oil (1037.14 μg/mL). The brine shrimp lethality test revealed that lethal concentration at 50% level (LC50) for leaf essential oil was non-toxic (74361.99 μg/mL). Bridelia ferruginea is rich in antioxidants; significant amounts of monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenes in the essential oils support the use of the plants in ethno-medicine.

Fossil Wood Analyses: Several Examples from Five Case Studies in the Area of Central and NW Bohemia, Czech Republic.

In the area of the Central and NW Bohemia, Czech Republic, the fossil wood is quite abundant, found in different states of preservation and present from Paleozoic (Pennsylvanian), through Mesozoic (Upper Cretaceous), to Cenozoic (upper Eocene to lower Miocene). So, this small area is ideal to demonstrate various aspects of the fossil wood analyses, including anatomy (unifacial vs. bifacial cambium, formation of tyloses and its significance, early vs. late wood, unambiguity of scientific terminology, stem vs. root wood), taphonomy (completeness of fossil record, influence of environment on mode of preservation, influence of preservation on wood anatomy and preservation potential, discrepancy between the record of wood and other organs), systematics (stem vs. crown group, wide concept of fossil wood genera, "mosaic" species, wood of extinct plants), and palaeoclimatic reconstruction (definition of "wood type," subjective vs. objective methods). The majority of the studied woods were thin-sectioned following the standard techniques and observed with a compound light microscope.

Tree height-diameter, aboveground and belowground biomass allometries for two West African mangrove species

Accurate estimation of biomass and carbon stocks in mangrove forests is a prerequisite for a better understanding of their role in climate regulation. Allometric equations remain appropriate tools in this context but are lacking for many mangrove species and sites across Africa. In this study, we destructively sampled 68 individual trees of the two dominant West African mangrove species (Rhizophora racemosa and Avicennia germinans) to (i) determine species-specific height-diameter allometry; (ii) evaluate biomass allocation to stem, branches, leaves and roots components; (iii) establish species-specific aboveground-, belowground- and total biomass allometric equations; and (iv) examine the accuracy of our best biomass model against existing equations for mangroves. Diameter at breast height (Dbh), total height (H), wood density and crown diameter were used as predictors in the models.Results showed that Dbh explained 53% and 62% of height variation for R. racemosa and A. germinans, respectively. Stems stored the highest biomass fractions (84.30% for R. racemosa and 52.80% for A. germinans), followed by branches, while the belowground compartment contributed to 19%–22% of the total biomass. Among the candidate biomass models, the models incorporating Dbh and height as a compound variable (Dbh2H) were the most suitable for estimating aboveground and total biomass, with 87–92% of explained variance. For the root components, wood density and crown diameter were additionally found to improve model performance for R. racemosa and A. germinans, respectively. Our study revealed that biomass in West African mangrove forests was more accurately predicted using the established equations than with the existing models.

Root and branch hydraulic functioning and trait coordination across organs in drought-deciduous and evergreen tree species of a subtropical highland forest.

Vessel traits are key in understanding trees' hydraulic efficiency, and related characteristics like growth performance and drought tolerance. While most plant hydraulic studies have focused on aboveground organs, our understanding of root hydraulic functioning and trait coordination across organs remains limited. Furthermore, studies from seasonally dry (sub-)tropical ecosystems and mountain forests are virtually lacking and uncertainties remain regarding potentially different hydraulic strategies of plants differing in leaf habit. Here, we compared wood anatomical traits and specific hydraulic conductivities between coarse roots and small branches of five drought-deciduous and eight evergreen angiosperm tree species in a seasonally dry subtropical Afromontane forest in Ethiopia. We hypothesized that largest vessels and highest hydraulic conductivities are found in roots, with greater vessel tapering between roots and equally-sized branches in evergreen angiosperms due to their drought-tolerating strategy. We further hypothesized that the hydraulic efficiencies of root and branches cannot be predicted from wood density, but that wood densities across organs are generally related. Root-to-branch ratios of conduit diameters varied between 0.8 and 2.8, indicating considerable differences in tapering from coarse roots to small branches. While deciduous trees showed larger branch xylem vessels compared to evergreen angiosperms, root-to-branch ratios were highly variable within both leaf habit types, and evergreen species did not show a more pronounced degree of tapering. Empirically determined hydraulic conductivity and corresponding root-to-branch ratios were similar between both leaf habit types. Wood density of angiosperm roots was negatively related to hydraulic efficiency and vessel dimensions; weaker relationships were found in branches. Wood density of small branches was neither related to stem nor coarse root wood densities. We conclude that in seasonally dry subtropical forests, similar-sized coarse roots hold larger xylem vessels than small branches, but the degree of tapering from roots to branches is highly variable. Our results indicate that leaf habit does not necessarily influence the relationship between coarse root and branch hydraulic traits. However, larger conduits in branches and a low carbon investment in less dense wood may be a prerequisite for high growth rates of drought-deciduous trees during their shortened growing season. The correlation of stem and root wood densities with root hydraulic traits but not branch wood points toward large trade-offs in branch xylem towards mechanical properties.

Allometric Models to Estimate the Biomass of Tree Seedlings from Dry Evergreen Forest in Thailand

Seedlings are an important stage for plant populations, as the abundance and rigor of seedlings can indicate a changing forest structure in the future. Studying the different traits of the seedling can represent how the plant grows. Biomass is one of the traits that can represent the plant’s performance and many other growth processes of the seedling. Several allometric equations have been developed to estimate tree biomass. However, allometric equations for the biomass of seedlings remains poorly studied, especially those from the tropics. The objective of this research is to create and develop a model that can be used to predict the biomass of seedlings, including total biomass, aboveground biomass, and belowground biomass, from root collar diameter, shoot height, main stem length, and wood density from 205 two-year-old seedlings from twenty tree species found in dry evergreen forest in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Uthai Thani, Thailand. The results showed that the root collar diameter, shoot height, and wood density could be used to create a model to best predict the seedling biomass. This model should be tested with other seedlings in the wild and other datasets to evaluate the performance of the model. To our knowledge, this study is among the first to provide the first allometry for seedlings in tropical dry evergreen forest. The results from this study will allow ecologists to monitor and examine the growth of the seedlings at all stages of life in dynamic tropical environments in the future.

Comparative Study of the Antibacterial and Cytotoxic Activity of Leaves, Trunk and Roots of Schumanniophyton Magnificum

Aims: Schumanniophyton magnificum is a plant reputed traditionally to treat numerous urogenital infections linked to several germs, notably: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Neisseria gonhorhea, Treponema palidum, Candida albican. This study aims to evaluate and compare the in vitro antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of the leaves, trunk and roots of S. magnificum in order to determine the parts displaying the best activity.
 Study Design: This is an experimental study.
 Location and Duration of the Study: The work was conducted at the Pharmacochemistry and Natural Substances Laboratories of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala for the extraction and at the Medical Analysis Laboratory of the Douala General Hospital for antibacterial test as well as Biomedical Chemistry Research Center of Rhodes University in South Africa for cytotoxic essay. All the experiments were carried out from the 15th November 2020 to the 31th May 2021.
 Methodology: The in vitro Antibacterial activity essay was conducted on two strains, one Gram+ bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus and one Gram- bacteria: Escherichia coli, while cytotoxicity was evaluated on HeLa cell line.
 Results: The root wood extract and the root bark extract presented a good antibacterial activity (MIC = 195.31 µg/mL) and average activity (MIC = 390.63 µg/mL) respectively with E. coli. The different extracts were found to be bactericidal against the tested micro-organisms. At the concentration of 20 µg/mL, all extracts tested did not significantly reduce HeLa cells, with an inhibition rate ranging from 13.5 to 37.6%, suggesting a low cytotoxicity of S. magnificum extracts towards these human cells line.
 Conclusion: This is the first comparative report on the antibacterial and cytotoxic study conducted on the different parts of S. magnificum. It appears from this study that these results could justify the use of the stem bark of S. magnificum in the traditional pharmacopeia for the treatment of urogenital infections. However, the roots wood having presented the best antibacterial activity (MIC = 195.31 µg/mL), it would be beneficial to suggest this plant part to the local populations for the treatment of bacterial diseases specific to E. coli and S. aureus, after the preclinical and clinical tests are carried out.

Comparison of production of bioactive components in Zanthoxylum nitidum taproots from different regions in southern China.

Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC is a traditional Chinese herb from southern China and its 3-4-year old roots are used in medicine. However, there is a scarcity of studies on the differences in the content of different regions of the roots, as well as comprehensive evaluations of Z. nitidum from the main areas of production in China. This study used ultra performance liquid chromatography, triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry, HPLC, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to detect and identify the bioactive components from different parts and eight regions of 4-year-old roots of Z. nitidum. Our results revealed that the types and quantities of compounds extracted were similar in root bark and root wood, although the amount of alkaloids in the former was substantially higher. The contents of four alkaloids in samples from Guangdong were higher than those in Guangxi Province. Meanwhile, hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis showed that the samples from different regions were effectively identified and evaluated based on alkaloids and other bioactive substances. Our findings have significant implications for Z. nitidum harvesting and usage, as well as for origin identification, quality evaluation, and sensible use of Z. nitidum resources.

Elucidating the Anatomical Features, Adaptive and Ecological Significance of Kopsia fruticosa Roxb. (Apocynaceae)

Anatomical characteristics play a pivotal role in understanding the evolutionary relationship among various plant taxa and identifying species of pharmacological importance. Though the anatomical features of the family Apocynaceae have been widely recognized, there is limited research on the stem wood anatomy of Kopsia fruticosa, whereas nothing was previously known about its root wood anatomy. The present work describes and analyses its anatomy and correlates the anatomical features with the habitat and ecology of this plant. The oval shape of the young stem and the presence of unicellular trichomes, stone cells in the pith region, laticiferous canals, calcium oxalate crystals, and vascular bundles of two different sizes, viz., smaller in the broad, flattened region and more prominent on the two narrow sides, are remarkable features of the plant, which collectively may often be helpful in distinguishing K. fruticosa from other species of this genus. Apart from the previously known qualitative characteristics of the family Apocynaceae, the coalescence of pit aperture and storied pattern of vessels of K. fruticosa are newly observed features of the subfamily Rauvofiòideae. On the other hand, in the root wood, vessels are wider (33–64 μm), less frequent (about 53% more in the stem), and shorter, and the rays are larger (21–46 cells in height) and more frequent than those of stem wood; these are the valuable findings which strongly support the non-climbing nature of the studied plant. The vulnerability and mesomorphy indices for stem wood are 0.914 and 349, respectively, indicating plants’ adaptation toward a mesic habitat. The correlation of the anatomical traits of plants with the habitat and ecology represents their survivability in different situations. Consequently, anatomical features such as intraxylary phloem, vessel grouping, the storied pattern of vessels, the simple perforation plate, and intervascular vestured pits suggest that plants can tolerate drought. We firmly believe that the present study’s outcome can fulfil the research gaps of this hardy plant.

Comparative Assessment of the Antiplasmodial Activity and Acute Toxicity of Schumanniophyton magnificum Good & Halle (Rubiaceae) Leaves, Trunk and Roots Methanolic Extracts

Background: Despite the various medicinal applications of Schumanniophyton magnificum, no comparative data are available to determine the part with best antiplasmodial activity and to guarantee its safety. This work deals with the evaluation of the antiplasmodial activity of methanolic extracts of S. magnificum organs as well as the study of acute toxicity of the most active part.
 Materials and methods: The methanolic extracts of the leaves, stem bark, trunk wood, root wood and root bark, were obtained by maceration with 96% methanol. Phytochemical screening, based on precipitation and coloring reactions, to highlight the chemical groups present in the plant. The antiplasmodial test was ran against chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strains while the study of the in vivo acute toxicity was conducted according to guideline 423 of the OECD protocol at a fixed dose on Wistar rats.
 Results: Phytochemical screening of the methanol extracts of these plants organs revealed the presence of alkaloids, triterpenoids, saponins, anthraquinones, polyphenols, coumarins anthocyanins and flavonoids. The antiplasmodial activity showed that only the leaves exhibited a moderate antiplasmodial effect with IC50 of 30.77 µg/ml. An oral administration of the methanolic extract of the leaves did not induce an abnormal variation of the physiological parameters in female Wistar laboratory rats, at non-toxic doses of 50, 300 and 2000 mg/kg body weight for 14 days.
 Conclusion: The leaves of S. magnificum exhibited the best antimalarial activity and were non toxic, thus justifying the use of the plant in the treatment of malaria in traditional pharmacopoeia.
 Keywords: Phytochemical screening, Antiplasmodial activity, Acute toxicity, Schumanniophyton magnificum, Medicinal plant.

Upside down and the game of C allocation.

Non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) represent the primary carbon (C) reserves and play a crucial role for plant functioning and resilience. Indeed, these compounds are involved in the regulation between C supply and demand, and in the maintenance of hydraulic efficiency. NSCs are stored in parenchyma of woody organs, which is recognized as a proxy for reserve storage capacity of tree. Notwithstanding the importance of NSCs for tree physiology, their long-term regulation and trade-offs against growth were not deeply investigated. This work evaluated the long-term dynamics of mature tree reserves in stem and root, proxied by parenchyma features, and focusing on the trade off and interplay between the resources allocation in radial growth and reserves in stem and coarse root. In a Mediterranean beech forest, NSCs content, stem and root wood anatomy analysis, and eddy covariance data, were combined. The parenchyma fraction (RAP) of beech root and stem was different, due to differences in axial parenchyma (AP) and narrow ray parenchyma (nRP) fractions. However, these parenchyma components and radial growth showed synchronous inter-annual dynamics between the two organs. In beech stem, positive correlations were found among soluble sugars content and nRP, and among starch content and the AP. Positive correlations were found among Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) and AP of both organs. In contrast, NEE was negatively correlated to radial growth of root and stem. Our results suggest a different contribution of stem and roots to reserves storage, and a putative partitioning in the functional roles of parenchyma components. Moreover, a long-term trade-off of C allocation between growth and reserve pool was evidenced. Indeed, in case of C source reduction, trees preferentially allocate C towards reserves pool. Conversely, in high productive years, growth represents the major C sink.

Phytochemical Screening and Comparative Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity of Different Parts of Anonidium mannii (Oliv) Engl. et Diels.

Aims: This study aimed at identifying the phytochemical constituents, to evaluate and compare the in vitro antioxidant potential of the methanolic extracts of the leaves, trunk (wood and bark) and roots (wood and bark) of Anonidium mannii (Oliv) Engl. and Diels which is used in Cameroon for the treatment of rheumatism. 
 Place and Duration of Study: The work was conducted at the Pharmacochemistry and Natural Substances Laboratories of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala. All the experiments were carried out from the 15th October 2019 to the 31th July 2020.
 Methodology: Phytochemical screening was based on conventional techniques focusing on color reactions and precipitation. The evaluation of the antioxidant power was carried out by the method of scavenging the free radical DPPH of the extracts and by reading the absorbance for each concentration at 517 nm.
 Results: The phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed the presence of alkaloïds, flavonoïds, anthraquinones, coumarins, terpenes, steroïds, saponins, phenols and anthocyanins. All extracts tested showed antioxidant activity, particularly root wood with an IC50 = 1.85 µg/ml identical to the standard (BHT: Butylhydroxytoluène).
 Conclusion: Due to evidence that reactive oxygen species play a causal role in auto-immune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, these results justify the use of the leaves or the stem bark of A. mannii in the traditional pharmacopeia for the treatment of rheumatism. However, the wood of the roots having presented the best activity (IC50 = 1.85 µg/ml). It would be beneficial to suggest this plant part to the local populations for the management of that pathology. This study is the first comparative biological study conducted on the different parts of A. mannii.

New isoflavan from Erythrina livingstoniana

Chemical investigation of the root wood of Erythrina livingstoniana led to the isolation of one previously undescribed isoflavan (3S,3″R)-7-hydroxy-2′-methoxy-[3″-hydroxy-2″,2″-dimethylpyrano (3′,4′)] isoflavan 1, together with eleven known compounds 2-12. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic and spectrometric analyses (1 D and 2 D-NMR and APCI-HRMS), with absolute configurations established by comparison of experimental and DFT calculated ECD data. The assignment of the absolute configurations of C-3 and C-3″ of compounds 2 and 3, respectively, were reported for the first time. Compounds 1 − 4 were evaluated for their antibacterial activities in vitro against E. coli ATCC 25922 and S. aureus ATCC 25923. Compound 1 exhibited moderate antibacterial activity with MIC value of 0.063 mg/mL against the clinically relevant risk-group 2 (RG-2) bacterium S. aureus.

Use of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Structural Characterization of Bioactive Compounds in the Olive Root Bark and Wood of Chemlali Cultivar.

This report aims to provide complete knowledge on the polyphenol composition and biological activities of the olive tree. The extraction of the root bark and wood of Olea europaea. L (Chemlali cultivar) was realized by solid–liquid ethanolic extraction, whose analysis was conducted via high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with photodiode array detection and mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-DAD and MS/MS). Moreover, radical scavenging and antibacterial activities were determined. The results present a total of 14 phenolic compounds belonging mainly to secoiridoid and flavonoid subclasses. Oleuropein was found to be the most abundant compound at an amount of up to 7000 mg/kg followed by ligstroside and oleuropein derivatives. In addition, we found oleocanthal at a great amount (2115 mg/kg). Higher individual polyphenolic concentrations were recorded in root wood extracts compared to bark ones, except for the flavonoid group. Likewise, the total phenolic compound contents increased in the olive root wood. This trend was reflected in biological activities. In fact, root wood extracts exert more important antioxidant and antibacterial activities than bark extracts due to their high bioactive compounds.

Comparative studies of the macro- and microstructures of stump-root wood and stemwood

Abstract It is found that the existing problem of wood resources can be partially solved by attracting additional reserves, in particular, stump-root wood (SRW). In order to apply SRW in woodworking and to fill the scientific base with indicators of the macro- and microstructures of the stump-root systems of individual species, studies were carried out on the main characteristics that are decisive for using composite materials in the industrial production. Based on the study results, it was found that there are differences in the internal structure between SRW and stemwood (SW). It was found that in all species, the width of annual rings in the SRW was greater than that in the SW, in particular, in pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) – by 84.62%; in spruce (Picea abies Karst.) – by 73.68%; in fir (Abies alba) – by 93.75%; in aspen (Populus tremula L.) – by 35.71% and in birch (Betula pendula Roth.) – by 105.00%. It has been found that the content of late wood in the SRW of coniferous tree species is less than that in the SW, on average by 20–25%, and the number of annual rings per 1 cm in the SRW is 40–52% less than in the SW. Differences in the microscopic structure between SRW and SW are revealed, which consist in the difference in the size of tracheids in softwoods and of vessels and fibres of libriform in hardwoods. It was found that the transverse dimensions of early tracheids in the SRW were larger than in the SW, in particular, in the radial direction by 19–33% and in the tangential direction by no more than 15%, and the interval of dimensions in the radial direction was 1.5–2.5. It was found that the early tracheids of root wood had thinner walls (by 19–28%) and a larger internal cavity (by 15–25%) compared to similar elements of SW. It was revealed that the diameters of vessels and fibres of libriform in SRW are greater than in SW, in particular, in aspen (Populus tremula L.) – by 20.41% for vessels and by 12.95% for libriform fibres and in birch (Betula pendula Roth.) – by 20.69% for vessels and by 18.41% for libriform fibres. The practical significance of the studies lies in the fact that the obtained characteristics of the structural components of the SRW can be used to predict the strength indicators of composite materials.

Paradiospyroxylon kvacekii gen. et sp. nov. from the Paleogene of the Czech Republic: a case study of individual variability and its significance for fossil wood systematics

ABSTRACT The wood anatomy of Paradiospyroxylon kvacekii gen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on material originating from the Ústí Formation’s volcanic deposits of České středohoří Mts. (Paleogene, Czech Republic). The sample, identified earlier as Manilkaroxylon sp., was critically examined and is interpreted as root wood and proposed as the paratype of Paradiospyroxylon kvacekii. This paper discusses how wood anatomical variation needs to be considered when making systematic and palaeoecological interpretations.

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIMICROBIAL SENSITIVITY TEST OF THE AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF THE ROOT WOOD AND ROOT BARK OF Zanthozylum zanthozyloides (LAM.) ON CLINICAL ISOLATES

Zanthozylum zanthozyloides a common component of the rain forest vegetation is used as a chewing stick. It is known for its antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antisickling, antibacterial, antiviral, antihepatoxicity, antiallegic, antitumor and antihypertensive properties. Phytochemicals present include Saponins, Tannins, Phenols, Cardiac glycoside, Flavonoids, Anthracene and Alkaloids. The aqueous extracts of the root bark and root wood are bactericidal and fungicidal against selected clinical microorganisms such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans and Rhizopus oryzae. Of all the tested microorganisms Proteus mirabilis was the most sensitive to the root wood extract of Z. zanthozyloides at the concentration of 100mg/ml (18.00 mm), while the least sensitive microorganism was K. pneumoniae at concentration of 12.5mg/ml (1.67 mm). S. epidermidis showed the highest sensitivity of 19.67 mm (100mg/ml) to the extract of the root bark of Z. zanthozyloides while E. coli showed the least sensitivity of 1.67 mm at the concentration of 25mg/ml. Majority of the antimicrobial drugs used in this study were less effective against the tested bacteria and fungi isolates compared to the plant extracts, indicating its relevance in the treatment of infectious diseases. Though the root bark possesses more bioactive materials, the result of this study provides a basis for the development of new pharmaceutical drugs from both root wood, root bark or whole root of Z. zanthozyloides