The diversity in baobab was studied on 75 trees located at Adaklu District and Ho and Hohoe Municipalities of Ghana. Fourteen morphological traits were used in the characterisation based on Bioversity descriptors for baobab. Genstat edition 12 was used to analyse the diversity as well as germination and growth data. Group average hierarchical clustering with Jaccard similarity coefficient discriminated

Sexual reproduction, a critical life history process in plants, can be altered by heat stress derived from global warming. Sexual reproduction increases genetic diversity, and the ability of plants to respond to environmental changes and dispersal. The capacity for these responses is especially relevant as plants are exposed to rising environmental stress levels imposed by climate change. We investigated

Clerodendrum inerme is a perennial shrub belonging to the family Lamiaceae and is used in many of the herbal preparations of Siddha and Ayurveda in India. Ethnomedicinally, the leaves of this plant are used to cure various ailments. In spite of enormous ethnomedicinal implications, proper chemical profiling and characterization of isolated compounds of C. inerme still remains unaddressed. Present study

The aim of this study was to analyze nutritional characteristics of Moringa oleifera seed and evaluate phytochemical compounds, as well as antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities, of such seeds. Results demonstrated that seed protein possessed 23.77% of indispensable amino acids, but lysine was the first limiting amino acid. Seed oil contained 78.44% of unsaturated fatty acids, with oleic acid

Medicinal plants are known as sources of potential antibacterial compounds including alkaloids. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antibacterial activities of the extract, fractions, and some secondary metabolites isolated from the leaves of Crinum glaucum A. Chev. (Amaryllidaceae). The antibacterial activities were performed with the ethanol (EtOH) extract, as well as with ethyl acetate

Four distinct new Euryops taxa, E. dasyphyllus J.H.J. Vlok, E. bertilii J.H.J. Vlok, E. diosmiphyllus J.H.J. Vlok and E. subcarnosus DC. subsp. fallax J.H.J. Vlok, from the Klein Karoo (Western Cape Province, South Africa) are described. A conservation status is proposed for each of the taxa and amendments to current keys are provided to include these new taxa. A note is provided on the phytogeography

Seeds with combinational dormancy have both physical (PY) and physiological (PD) dormancy. Chemical scarification and cold-moist stratification alleviate PY and PD, respectively. Therefore, we tested the effectiveness of mechanical scarification and cold-moist stratification for the release of combinational dormancy in Rhus javanica seeds to minimize the possibility of any internal damage and determine

The aim of this work was to study the essential oil effect of Ruta graveolens used in traditional medicine and cultivated in the Tebessa (Northeast Algeria) and to evaluate its potential larvicidal activity against fourth instar larvae of Culiseta longiareolata (Aitken, 1954). A total of 25 fourth instar larvae of Culiseta longiareolata were exposed to a variety of concentrations (0.5–25 ppm) in laboratory

The use of medicinal plants by nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical industries is gaining more attention around the globe. Dioscorea bulbifera L. (Family: Dioscoreaceae) commonly known as ‘air potato’ is an important edible medicinal plant use to treat a wide range of diseases. Its traditional usage is well-recognized in the Chinese medicinal systems as well as in West Africa. Previous studies

Astaxanthin is a highly valuable derivative of β-carotene, as well as an important raw material for pharmacy and healthy industries. Dunaliella salina is a halotolerant green alga that contains manifold nutriments and possesses a remarkable ability to adapt environment. The alga is also able to effectively accumulate β-carotene up to 10% of its dry weight. However, D. salina is lack of the enzymes

The leaf of Physalis angulata L. is widely used in Ghana by rural and urban dwellers for the treatment of wounds. This study sought to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities of methanol leaf extract of Physalis angulata L. (PAL). Preliminary phytochemical screening was used to determine the phytochemical constituents in this plant material. Anti-inflammatory activity of extract

Mosquitoes act as vectors to induce various dreadful diseases which continue to cause fatal effect on human beings. Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) is one among the vectors which causes yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya, and Culex quinquefasciatus (C. quinquefasciatus) is another which can cause lymphatic filariasis, a widely distributed tropical disease across the world. In line with the larvicidal

Tithonia diversifolia, a well-known member of the sunflower family and is used as traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases including diabetes. This study, therefore, evaluated the anti-diabetic effect of T. diversifolia aqueous fraction (TdF) in alloxan-induced diabetic mice through an investigation of glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) expression. Alloxan-induced diabetic mice were treated

Background Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many degenerative diseases. Antioxidant compounds can potentially be derived from plant sources. Consequently, investigations are been focused on plants as potential sources of treatments for oxidants-induced diseases. Some class of compounds that have been reported in many medicinal plants includes phenolics, alkaloids

The species in Ledebouria sect. Resnova are revised, with an identification key, full nomenclature, descriptions, ecological notes, and illustrations. Sect. Resnova is defined by its deeply campanulate flowers with tepals shortly connate basally and erect throughout or spreading distally; biseriate stamens with white, filiform filaments; sessile or subsessile ovary; and diagnostic seeds, obliquely

Species of the family Meliaceae in traditional medicine are well documented. This study evaluated the antimicrobial efficacy and toxicity of aqueous, methanolic and dichloromethane leaf and bark extracts of South African Meliaceae against selected pathogens. The species sampled represent four of the seven indigenous genera and seven of the 14 indigenous species. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated

From camptothecin to vinblastine, plant alkaloids continue to capture the imagination of scientists as a valuable source of anticancer drugs. Given that they are also amongst the most common secondary metabolites encountered in plants, the number of alkaloid entities subjected to cytotoxicity evaluations now runs into several thousands. Interest in the plant family Amaryllidaceae has been persistent

Plant-based medicines and herbal remedies are considered to be healthy, pure and safe as it is obtained from natural resources. The increased interest and use of plant-based traditional medicines and herbal remedies, however, requires that the knowledge of users regarding these medicines’ health, safety and quality are addressed. The majority of medicinal plant material are harvested from wild stocks

Plant pathogenic fungi and bacteria cause large losses in the yield and quality of important crops. During the screening of bioactive plants against plant pathogens, we found that methanol extract of the aerial part of Rumex chinensis exhibited potent efficacy against various plant diseases. The methanol extract was effectively active against phytopathogenic fungi Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei and

Endophytes are microbial symbionts of plants which dwell within the internal tissues of healthy plants without the manifestation of any infection symptoms on their hosts. In addition to being vital to the growth and development of their host, endophytes also assist their medicinal plant host species in accumulating some highly coveted plant secondary metabolites under various abiotic stress conditions

Phytochemical analysis of a crude ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract derived from endophytic fungus Fusarium verticillioides strain WF18 afforded one new polyketide metabolite, fusaisocoumarin A (1), along with two known compounds, emodin (2) and sesquiterpenoid phytohormone (+)-abscisic acid (ABA) (3). Chemical structures of isolated compounds were elucidated based on HRESIMS together with 1D- and 2D-NMR

Treatment of skin wounds is an important domain in biomedical research since many pathogenic bacteria can invade the damaged tissues causing serious infections. Effective treatments are required under such conditions to inhibit microbial growth. Plants are traditionally used for the treatment of skin infections due to their antimicrobial potential. The antibacterial activity of different solvent extracts

The chemical investigation of the nonpolar constituents of a methanol extract of the bulbs of Boophone haemanthoides yielded ten known compounds as minor constituents. The compounds were identified as stigmast-4-ene-3,6-dione (1); cholest-4-en-3-one (2); (22E)-stigmast-4,22-dien-3-one (3); stigmast-4-en-3-one (4); 6β-hydroxystigmast-4-en-3-one (5); 6β-hydroxycholest-4-en-3-one (6); cycloartenol (7);

Coelogyne ovalis Lindl. is one of the important medicinal orchid, has been used in traditional medicines for the treatment of various human aliments. The therapetical uses of this orchid may be attributed to the presence of various secondary metabolites ultimately produced via the phenylpropanoid pathway. Amongst the various genes involved in phenylpropanoid pathway, chalcone synthase (CHS) deserves

The horrifying impact of emergence of cancer as an endemic disease worldwide associated with accelerated mortality rate caused significant boost in anticancer drug discovery. The most successful broad spectrum anti-neoplastic monoterpene indole alkaloid camptothecin (CPT) is the product of such natural product based therapeutic approach. This promising anticancer compound, currently approved against

In this study, the toxicity and antinociceptive effects of the ethanolic extract of Croton blanchetianus leaves were investigated in mice. Phytochemical analysis was performed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high–performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed the presence of alkaloids, reducing sugars, cinnamic derivatives, flavonoids, saponins, condensed tannins, terpenes, and steroids.

Plants belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae have been the focus of abundant studies thanks to their structurally diverse alkaloids with excellent biological and pharmacological profiles. Nevertheless, the anti-diabetic properties of these plant species have been considered to a lesser extent, in particular those of the subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Hence, in this work, the potential hypoglycaemic effects

The potential of methanolic leaves extract of H. elasticus in the mitigation of ulcer and inflammation was evaluated in this work. Ethanol and pylorus ligation induced rats were used for the screening of ulcer, whereas the anti-inflammatory activity against acute and chronic phases of inflammation was screened using carrageenan-induced paw edema and cotton pellet induced granuloma in rats. The H. elasticus

Fourteen (1–14) known Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, of various structural types, have been isolated from fresh bulbs of Hippeastrum X hybridum cv. Ferrari. The chemical structures were identified by various spectroscopic (1D and 2D NMR) and mass spectrometric (GC–MS, LC-MS) methods, and by comparison with literature data. Isolated alkaloids which, up to this date have not been studied for their inhibition

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases (NDD) and mainly affects the ageing population. A significant feature of PD pathogenesis is the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta part of the midbrain in affected persons. This neuronal loss occurs partly due to the increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mitochondrial

The present investigation was conducted to find out the influence of different polyamines (PAs) viz. spermine (spm), spermidine (spd) and putrescine (put) and plant growth regulators (PGRs) on multiplication, rooting, callusing and regeneration in Aristolochia indica L. in vitro. Firstly, the A. indica plants were collected, surface sterilized and cultured in Schenk and Hildebrandt (SH) media fortified

Biscogniauxia belongs to the family Graphostromataceae, and species have been found mainly as pathogens in dicotyledonous plants worldwide. Two endophytic strains, Biscogniauxia dendrobii sp. nov. and B. petrensis were isolated from Dendrobium aphyllum and D. harveyanum sampled from southwestern China and northern Thailand respectively. The conidiophores and conidia were used for morphological characteristic

Mosquito-borne diseases contribute significantly to disease burden, death, poverty, and social debility all over the world. Among these diseases, dengue, malaria and filariasis are most important diseases spread by mosquitoes. In the present work, the methanolic extract of the unripe fruit peel of Persea americana was tested for the larvicidal activity against the third instar larvae of the three mosquito

Vector-borne diseases impose enormous menace worldwide including India. The principal strategies for combating diseases are vector control including the use of ovicide and larvicide against mosquitoes. The present study assessed the role of larvicidal and ovicidal properties of dried leaf extract of Piper longum and also determined their toxicity against three important 3rd instar mosquito larvae,

The new genus Burrowsia (Caliciaceae) is proposed to accommodate the new species B. cataractae, which is known from only a single locality in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Burrowsia is characterized by its pigmented, submuriform ascospores and ascus with an apical tube structure, and also by its DNA sequence data that place it outside related buellioid genera. We also describe the new species Scoliciosporum

The knowledge of cardinal temperatures is critical for understanding environmental tolerance limits for germinating plant species. However, this information is not readily available for Tylosema fassoglense [Family: Fabaceae]; despite its potential as a future crop to improve nutrition and enhance sustainable agriculture in Kenya. The objective of this study was to characterise seed germination responses

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a salt-sensitive herb with sweet leaves without side effects for diabetic patients. The present research was conducted to investigate the effect of endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica and two bacterial isolates, namely of Streptomyces sp. (kj152148) and (kj152149) with Stevia host plants. These microbial isolates were utilized as growth-promoting agents for

This study investigated the ameliorating effect of exogenous proline on some physiological responses of salt acclimated and non-acclimated Aloe vera plants against subsequent salt stress (EC 21 dS/m). Compared to control, salinity decreased leaf growth and relative water content (RWC), leaf contents of chlorophyll a, carotenoids, K/Na ratio, photosystem performance index (PIabs), while promoted leaf

Phenolic compounds are active compounds in Dendrobium formosum Roxb. ex Lindl. that have antidiabetic and anti-obesity activities. To obtain a high extraction yield of phenolic compounds from D. formosum, optimization of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was developed in this study using response surface methodology. The optimal conditions for phenolic compound yield were using absolute ethanol as

Crinum asiaticum L. (Amaryllidaceae), also known as poison bulb or spider lily, is a perennial bulbous herb bearing feathery green leaves, employed to induce emesis during poisoning. In Ayurveda, it is called ‘naagadami’, in Malaysia, the natives refer to it as ‘bakong’, ‘morabau’ is its name in Papua New Guinea, and it is known as ‘lys’ or ‘lis sauvage’ in Mauritius. In ethnomedicine, it is employed

Erica is the largest genus of the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) of South Africa, and multiple species often coexist. Species that co-flower and share a pollinator may suffer from reproductive interference through heterospecific pollen deposition, especially when such species are closely related. However, little is known about the mechanisms that enable coexistence of co-flowering Erica species that share

The performance of spring maize is severely hampered by high temperature at reproductive phase, causing marked reduction in grain yield. Early sowing of spring maize can be a good adaptive approach however, due to low temperature causes adverse effect on germinating seeds and young seedlings, thus being detrimental to early planting. Exogenous application of natural and synthetic growth promoting substances

Tuberculosis (TB) is a threat to a large population across the globe. Rapanea melanophloeos (L.) Mez, commonly known as the Cape beech, is a plant that is traditionally used in the treatment of tuberculosis and TB-related symptoms. The aim of this study, was to evaluate the pharmacological effects of a leaf ethanolic extract (1:10, w:v) of R. melanophloeos, as well as different polarity partitions

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is an important crop in arid and semi-arid areas of India and Africa. It is well known for its tolerance to abiotic stresses, but it lags behind other cereals in terms of research and development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a versatile group of small regulatory RNAs of 20–22 bases that play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses

In the present study, essential oils extracted from the leafy stems of Ocimum basilicum (Family Lamiaceae) and Pulicaria undulata (Family Asteraceae) were investigated for their chemical profiles and biological activity including antioxidant, antiproliferative and enzyme inhibition activities. The chemical composition of essential oil was determined using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. The antioxidant

Medicinal and aromatic plants are garnering an increasing interest in industry, academia and health sciences. In passing from plant production to the bioactive product used by Human, many research studies are involved. The current research aimed to determine the chemical composition and to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of the essential oil extracted from the black psyllium (Plantago afra L.).

Annual growth rings are absent in many long-lived grassland geoxyles. Thus, estimates of age for individuals are largely based on non-benchmarked assessments by experienced botanists. We wished to obtain a more precise estimate of age from the xylopodia of four geoxylic taxa (i.e. Berkheya insignis, Callilepis laureola, Protea simplex and Tephrosia kraussiana) growing in a Pondoland grassland, using

Melocactus sergipensis, Melocactus violaceus, and Melocactus zehntneri are under threat of extinction. Their wild populations are exploited by predatory extraction, because the potential as ornamental plants. Thus, alternatives for sustainable production and conservation are needed. The present study investigated the influence of artificial (growth room) and natural light (greenhouse) on the in vitro

Carotenoids are diverse groups of colorful pigments, which are synthesized in plants, algae, bacteria, and some yeast. They play a pivotal role in photosynthesis, photoprotection, and the production of phytohormones (abscisic acid and strigolactone) in plant cells. Most of the carotenogenic genes have been identified in plants; however, the regulatory mechanisms underlying carotenoid biosynthesis and