Cryotherapy of shoot tips can effectively eliminate the sweet potatoes pathogens, such as viruses and phytoplasm and is impossible without the development of effective cryopreservation techniques. At the same time, cryopreservation allows a long-term germplasm storage. The meristems of Admiral variety up to 1-2 mm were isolated from in vitro growth plants. In one group the specimens were dehydrated 120 min with sterile air flow and immersed into liquid nitrogen at a needle tip. The meristems of other groups were dehydrated with plant vitrification solutions. The samples were immersed into liquid nitrogen in 1.8 ml cryovials or metal containers. It was shown that the survival rates of meristems were 55% after 88% PVS 3 treatment and 83 and 85% after PVS 2 and PVS N exposure. The highest percentage of preserved specimens was found after dehydration with air-flow and modified PVS 1 (89–95%). After cryopreservation in 1.8 ml cryovials the highest post-thaw preservation was noted after pretreatment with modified PVS 1 (60–75%), the lowest one was observed with 88% PVS 3 (35–40%). Meristems treated with PVS 2 and PVS N provided the 45–55% survival rates. After cryopreservation in metal containers the highest post-thaw preservation was detected for dehydration with modified PVS 1 (81–84%), the lowest one was found with 88% PVS 3 (40–51%). Meristems treated with PVS 2 and PVS N revealed of 68–78% post-thaw survival respectively. The meristems cryopreservation method based on dehydrated with the sterile air flow is of a special interest, since no cryoprotectant use is needed.

The genus Juniperus (Cupressaceae) includes many native plants of the Mediterranean regions. Juniperus oxycedrus L. is a shrub or small tree native across the Mediterranean region from Morocco and Portugal east to western Caucasus, growing on a variety of rocky sites from sea level up to 1600 m altitude [1]. According to the Flora Europea, J. oxycedrus L. includes three subspecies: subsp. oxycedrus, subsp. macrocarpa (Sibth. & Sm.) Ball. and subsp. badia (H. Gay) Debeaux. The search of new molecules for cancer therapy represents an area of great interest in which plants have an important and growing role. This study assessed and compared the chemical profile and the antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities of non polar extracts of Juniperus oxycedrus subsp. macrocarpa (Sibth. & Sm.) Ball. and J. oxycedrus subsp. oxycedrus from Italy. The aerial parts of both Juniperus subspecies were subjected to exhaustive macerations with n-hexane and dichloromethane. Obtained extracts were investigated for their chemical profile by gas chromatography (CG) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and their potential antioxidant properties using four bioassays, namely 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Activity Power (FRAP), and b-carotene bleaching assays [2]. The cytotoxic activity of extracts was evaluated using the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay against several cancer human cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, A549 and COR-L23 cells) [3]. Monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes mainly characterized n-hexane extracts while diterpenes and fatty acids are the most abundant identified compounds in dichloromethane extracts. The n-hexane and dichloromethane extracts of J. oxycedrus subsp. oxycedrus showed the most promising cytotoxic activity against COR-L23 cell line with IC₅₀ values of 26.90 and 39.26 microg/ml, respectively. On the other hand, extracts of J. oxycedrus subsp. macrocarpa revealed a great radicals scavenging activity. Overall, results suggest both Juniperus subspecies as good source of potential antioxidants and anti-proliferative compounds.

[1] Orhan N., Orhan I.E., Ergun F. (2011). Insights into cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of five Juniperus species. Food Chem. Toxicol. 49, 2307. [2] Tenuta, M.C., Brigitte Deguin, B., Loizzo, M.R., Dugay, A., Acquaviva, R., Malfa, G.A., Bonesi, M., Bouzidi, C., Tundis, R. (2020). Contribution of flavonoids and iridoids to the hypoglycaemic, antioxidant, and nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activities of Arbutus unedo L. Antioxidants 9, 184. [3] Loizzo M.R., Tundis R., Statti G.A., Menichini F., Houghton P.J. (2005). In vitro antiproliferative effects on human tumor cell lines of extracts and jacaranone from Senecio leucanthemifolius Poiret. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 57, 897.

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the ecosystems is considered of growing concern since these compounds may affect different organisms, causing changes on their metabolism and possibly contributing to food chain contamination. These are undesirable consequences from the increase consumption of pharmaceuticals.
Our study aims to understand how lettuce cope with two pharmaceuticals, acetaminophen (ACT) and metformin (MTF), evaluating the oxidative stress and the effect on metabolism.
Lettuce was produced in a hydroponic culture contaminated with ACT and MTF separately. After 1, 8 and 15 days plants were harvested and analysed.
Under ACT, roots presented more significant differences in H₂O₂ and MDA contents than leaves, mainly on day 8 an increase on concentrations was observed for both compounds. However, the enzymes SOD, CAT and GPOD revealed higher activities ratio in leaves than in roots. The glutathione cycle enzymes showed significant increases on roots of day 8, while in leaves a decrease was observed on day 1.
Similar patterns on H₂O₂ and MDA were obtained under MTF contamination. However, the main differences were found on day 15. Antioxidative enzymes revealed different trends among tissues. SOD and CAT activity increased in leaves, along time of exposure. GPOD activity in roots showed more significant increases on the last day of exposure and in leaves significant differences were registered on days 1 and 8.
PAL and anthocyanins content showed a good correlation pattern, both increasing with ACT and MTF concentrations. Thus, both pharmaceuticals may affect anthocyanins production and, consequently, secondary metabolism regulation.
Although ACT and MTF interferes differently on the stress response mechanism, both compounds affect plants metabolism inducing oxidative stress. MTF seems to influence more the ascorbate pools and APX activity than ACT, while ACT shows more differences on GSH pools and GR activity.

Diabetes mellitus -Type 2 (DM 2) has currently become one of the most challenging non-infectious diseases to treat. Enzymes such as alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase involved in carbohydrate metabolism are useful targets to treat the disease. Plants produce an immense variety of flavonoids with diverse biological activities. They are involved in interactions with other plants, animals and microbes. They can act as anti-microbial toxins or as anti- or pro-oxidants.

We aimed to find out if flavonoids from leaf extracts of Argyreia nervosa (Burm.f) Bojer (Family: Convolvulaceae) could exhibit alpha-amylase inhibitory activity in vitro and in silico. The leaf flavonoids were extracted in chloroform by routine protocols and their profiling was carried out using LC-MS technique. The chloroform extract was also tested for its inhibitory activity against porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase enzyme in vitro, where it showed excellent inhibition.

The molecular docking study was done only for flavonoids from LC-MS compound list using AutoDock 4.2.6. The compounds were docked against porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase (PDB ID: 1OSE). This structure already contained a bound molecule of ‘Acarbose’ (a prescribed drug, an amylase inhibitor and positive control in our in vitro experiments). Out of these, top 4 flavonoids, Vitexin (Apigenin 8-C Glucoside, a flavone), Rutin (a flavonol), Myricetin (a flavonol) and Isoquercetin (a flavonol), showed the highest binding energies of -12.4 kcal/mol, -15.04 kcal/mol, -10.71 kcal/mol and -11.89 kcal/mol respectively. ‘Acarbose’ had binding energy of -11.48 kcal/mol. Thus all the 4 secondary metabolites showed comparable or higher binding energies than Acarbose. The ligands interacting with the amino acid residues ASP 197, GLU 233, TRP 97 of Amylase protein seemed to show an excellent inhibitory effect among the 15 secondary metabolites studied. This is also proven by our experimental data which will be discussed in detail.

Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) is a fruit packed with vitamins and nutrients beneficial to human health with numerous therapeutic uses: antiparasitic, antioxidant, helps lower the bad cholesterol, adjuvant in weight loss, improves cancer prevention, etc. Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, contains important amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that can considerable prevent cataracts and macular degeneration. Worldwide, five pumpkin species are grown for their edible fruit and seeds. This paper describes the qualitative screening of phytocompounds and the quantitative determination of main bioactive compounds found in two pumpkin species: Valenciano and Waltham Butternut. The qualitative screening of phytochemicals is based on the visual change in color of the aqueous extracts upon adding known reactants. This allows a preliminary evaluation regarding the presence of different bioactive compounds such as saponins, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, etc. In order to determine the specific amount of different phytocompounds (e.g.: total content of polyphenols, total content of flavonoids, etc.) UV - Vis spectra are recorded, in triplicate, at well - established wavelenghts, thus obtaining an average absorbance. For example, a method widely applied for the determination of total polyphenolic content is the Folin - Ciocalteu (FC) reaction, which is basically an antioxidant analyse that relies on electron transfer, therefore measuring the reductive ability of a specific antioxidant. Briefly, FC reaction involved mixing 1 mL diluted aqueous extract with 5 mL FC reagent and adding, after 8 minutes, 4 mL Na₂CO₃. After 60 minutes incubation at room temperature, we recordec the absorptions at 765 nm, which corresponds to gallic acid curve calibration standard. Also, the antioxidant activity using the DPPH method was recorded for both aqueous extracts.

Agricultural productivity is severely affected by major biotic and abiotic factors including drought, salinity, extreme temperatures and phytopathogens fungi. Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) is considered one of the most important crops in the world. High salt stress has more pronounced effects on durum wheat growth and development, compared to other cereals. Several approaches have been proposed to reduce salinity effects on durum wheat, which includes the use of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPB).

Actinobacteria represent a large group of microbial resources for wide practical use and high commercial value. In addition to their potential applications in stressed environments, actinomycetes can grow under diverse stress conditions such as high temperature and salinity.

The main objective of this work is to evaluate the effect of the thermophilic actinobacteria inoculation on the morpho-biochemical behavior of durum wheat plant subjected to salt stress and to investigate their antifungal potential against Aspergillus niger.

The effect of thermophilic actinobacteria WGS9, WSC2, WCD, OTH 1.2.2, OTH 1.3.1 and OTH 2.2.2.3 inoculations in saline condition on Triticum durum behavior was studied. The salt stress was generated by the application of different NaCl doses (0.3 M, 0.6 M, 0.9 M, 1.1 M, 1.4 M, 1.7 M).

The result of the two lots of the plants (inoculated and uninoculated) show an increase in the morpho-biochemical parameters of Durum wheat inoculated with actinobacteria strains (the length of the roots and stems, total chlorophyll content, total amino acids content, proline content) and this despite the salt concentration. The PGPB strains WGS9 and OTH 2.2.2.3 showed good in vitro antifungal (inhibition > 55%) control.

The inoculation by actinobacteria derived from Algerian ecosystem allowed us to observe the beneficial effect of these strains on alleviating salinity damages and their role in fighting the effects of biotic stressors (phytopathogenic fungi).

Karrkins (KARs) are relatively simple molecules originating from the burning of plant material, which have the ability to enhance the germination of many species from the fire-prone environment, but also species, which life cycle is not connected with fire, one example being Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana L.). KARs do not only improve germination but also alter several physiological processes and morphological features of plants. One of the changes of morphology observed on Arabidopsis seedlings is the shortening of hypocotyl when grown under continuous red light. So far, six biologically active compounds belonging to the KARs group were identified. Most of the plants show the strongest response to the first identified KAR, KAR₁, but Arabidopsis exhibits the strongest reaction to KAR₂. In our experiment, we focused on seedlings’ hypocotyl length of Rapeseed (Brassica napus napus L.), an economically important plant from the same family as Arabidopsis, Brassicaceae. Our results show that the hypocotyl of eight days old seedling of Rapeseed grown under continuous red light was significantly shortened by both KARs examined by us, KAR₁ as well as by KAR₂. When grown in continuous white light, seedlings had generally more than twofold shorter hypocotyls, but KAR₁ could further shorten it. In the darkness, hypocotyl length was altered by neither KAR₁ nor KAR₂. Therefore, we can conclude that similarly to Arabidopsis, Rapeseed’s seedlings possess the light-dependent response of development to KARs, what proves, that these compounds have to date not fully understood roles in the plants’ life moreover to germination induction of fire following species and it is very unlikely that combustion of plant material is the only source of KARs occurring in nature.

Plants are constantly faced with both abiotic and biotic stresses, which seriously reduce their productivity. Current research work was carried out to evaluate the potential of endophytic bacteria Bacillus subtilis (strain 10-4) alone and in composition with salicylic acid (SA) to meliorate drought and Fusarium root rot in Triticum aestivum L. (wheat). Our findings demonstrated B. subtilis 10-4 alone and especially in composition with SA significantly improve wheat plant growth and ameliorated the damaging influence of drought, Fusarium oxysporum-caused root rot (FRR), and combined drought+FRR in plants. An important contribution to observed growth-stimulating and protective effects of B. subtilis 10-4 and SA on wheat plants most likely makes revealed ability of B. subtilis 10-4 to produce a range of bioactive compounds such as auxins, siderophores, lipopeptides surfactin as well as effectively colonize internal wheat plant tissues. Also, it was found that pre-sowing treatment of seeds with B. subtilis 10-4 both alone and especially in the mix with SA decreased stress-induсed (drought, FRR, drought+FRR) lipid peroxidation and amino acid proline accumulation in plants, thereby indicating on protecting the plant cells against reactive oxygen species and damages of plant membranes. Current research provides novel insights into the potential and mechanism of B. subtilis 10-4 and SA in the mitigation of combined drought+FRR stresses in wheat plants.

This research was funded by a grant of President RF (№ МК643.2019.11).

Despite technological advances, wastewater treatment systems are still inefficient in the complete removal of antibiotic residues, making the presence of these chemicals in the environment a problem for the aquatic community in addition to contributing to the selection and spread of microbial resistance. As a sustainable alternative, phytoremediation uses the ability of aquatic plants to purify water, which, among other factors, depends on the intrinsic characteristics of each species. Thus, we investigated the capacity for erythromycin removal between different free-floating (Salvinia molesta and Lemna minor) and submerged macrophyte species (Myriophyllum aquaticum and Rotala rotundufolia). Plants were submitted for 7 days to the antibiotic (0 and 1.7 µg. L^-1) in growth media. Parallel experiments were conducted at the same conditions in flasks without plants to evaluate erythromycin degradation. The antibiotic concentrations in growth solution were evaluated at the beginning (T0) and final time of exposure (T7) while they were evaluated in whole plants at T7. Degradation of erythromycin occurred, however, its concentration in the growth media of flasks with plants were significantly lower. The antibiotic was also detected in plants, indicating their capacity for erythromycin removal. Removal capacity was greater in submerged (31 to 44%) than in floating species (9 to 12%). Similarly, the concentration of erythromycin in the plants were greater in submerged plants. The antibiotic was not detected either in plants or growth solution of the control treatment. Thus, although the four species of macrophytes studied are capable of removing erythromycin from the solution, the submerged species have greater potential for remediation and should, when possible, be prioritized in phytoremediation projects.

Chrysanthemum (Dendranthemum grandiflorum kitam.) is a leading flower with applied value worldwide. The flower color of ancestral species is limited to yellow, pink, and white, and is derived from carotenoids, anthocyanins, and the absence of both pigments, respectively. A wide range of flower colors, including purplish-red, orange, red, and dark red, has been developed by increasing the range of pigment content or the combination of both pigments. Recently, green-flowered cultivars containing chlorophylls in their ray petals have been produced, and have gained popularity. In addition, blue/violet flowers have been developed using a transgenic approach. Flower color is an important trait that influences the commercial value of chrysanthemum cultivars. Developing new chrysanthemum cultivars with novel characteristics such as new flower colors in a time- and cost-efficient manner is the ultimate goal for breeders. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate flower pigmentation may provide important implications for the rationale manipulation of flower color. To generate diverse array of flower colour mutants in chrysanthemum cv. “Candid” through mutagenesis, in vitro grown micro shoots were exposed to 10, 20, 30 and 40 Gy gamma irradiation at 100 Gy per minute and were evaluated for different parameters. The rhizogenesis parameters decreased with the increase in irradiation dose from 0 Gy to 40 Gy, while as, 10 Gy dose proved to record minimum decline as compared to the control. Survival, leaf size and number of leaves plant^-1 after 8^th week interval also decreased with the increasing trend of gamma irradiation dose but recorded minimum decline in plants developed from shoots irradiated with 10 Gy gamma irradiation dose with respect to the control. Apparently minimum delay in number of days to floral bud appearance took under 10 Gy as compared to control. Highest number of flower colour mutants were recorded under 10 Gy (light pink, orange pink,white and yellow). Amountable mutation frequency on the basis of flower colour was desirable in plants irradiated with least dose of 10 Gy