Search

Daphne kosaninii (Thymelaeaceae) was described from the Slavyanka Mt and Pirin Mts in SW Bulgaria. It is reported as also occurring in Kosovo, Greece and North Macedonia. The species is characterized by glabrous leaves and reddish-pink pubescent flowers. Two morphotypes can be recognized, one with patent-spreading perianth lobes and the other with erect perianth lobes. Daphne kosaninii f. kosaninii is defined as the typical form with patent-spreading perianth lobes; it occurs in Bulgaria, Greece and North Macedonia. Daphne sojakii described from Mt Vermion in north central Greece is synonymous with it. Daphne kosaninii f. cleistogama is the variant with erect perianth lobes held closely together so that the flowers appear cleistogamous. Daphne domini described from the area of Mt Orelek in SW Bulgaria is a synonym. This is the most common form in the mountains of northern Greece. The two forms are geographically separate, they never occur together in the same locality. Daphne velenovskyi described from Pirin Mts (SW Bulgaria) is considered synonymous with D. cneorum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sclerophyllous syndrome is characterized by well‐defined traits (evergreen coriaceous leaves, inconspicuous flowers, and fleshy fruits). It has been hypothesized that lineages displaying the sclerophyllous syndrome show lower speciation rates than non‐sclerophyllous lineages after the establishment of the mediterranean climate. Daphne gnidium displays sclerophyllous traits and some differentiation into three subspecies (gnidium, mauritanica, maritima), but the spatio‐temporal origin of this taxonomic group is unknown due to the lack of a time‐calibrated phylogeny of the whole genus. Here, we inferred phylogenetic relationships and divergence times of Daphne (32 species, 238 samples) and other genera of Thymelaeaceae (16 genera, 38 species, 34 samples) using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), which revealed that the current circumscription of Daphne is profoundly polyphyletic because some species are nested within the genera Wikstroemia and Edgeworthia. In contrast, D. gnidium formed a well‐supported clade as recognized in taxonomic accounts (subgenus Spachia). We found morphological and phylogenetic support for Daphne mauritanica as a monophyletic lineage sister to D. gnidium. Divergence between D. gnidium and D. mauritanica appears to have predated the establishment of seasonally dry conditions, which supports a pre‐mediterranean temporal origin of the lineage. A phylogeographical analysis within D. gnidium based on 66 nrDNA (ITS) and 84 cpDNA (rps16, trnV) sequences agreed with the low differentiation of the species in the Pleistocene despite its large distribution range. Altogether, D. gnidium illustrates one more example of the sclerophyllous syndrome with no speciation after the onset of the mediterranean climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daphne mezereum L., an important medicinal plant in Scandinavian folk medicine, was used to treat ailments such as diarrhea, swelling and stomach pain. A range of natural compounds have been isolated, but little attention has been given to the polysaccharides in this plant. Previous work in our group have shown that a polysaccharide enriched fraction from the bark of D. mezereum exhibited pro-inflammatory effects. To pursue this further, the aim of the present work was to isolate and characterize these polysaccharides. From the ethanol-precipitate of a water extract, one neutral (DMP-NF) and one acidic (DMP-AF) fraction was isolated by anion-exchange chromatography. GC, GC-MS and 1D- and 2D-NMR were used to characterize the polysaccharide structures. DMP-NF appeared to be a mixture of arabinan, arabinogalactan and hemicelluloses such as xyloglucan, mannan and xylan. DMP-AF contained a pectic polysaccharide mainly consisting of an unusually long homogalacturonan backbone. Enzymatic treatment by pectinase of DMP-AF yielded DMP-ED, which contained a rhamnogalacturonan-I backbone with arabinan, galactan and arabinogalactan side chains. Both DMP-NF and DMP-ED induced IFN-γ and TNF-α secretion in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), DMP-ED being the most potent fraction. DMP-AF was less active, which might be due to a less sterically available rhamnogalacturonan-I domain., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Six undescribed guaianolide sesquiterpenes (1-6) were obtained from the aerial parts of Daphne penicillata. Their structures and absolute configuration were elucidated by HRESIMS, NMR analyses, ECD calculations and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Structurally, all compounds possess the typical 5,7-fused system of 8,12-guaianolides and this guaianolide-type was first reported to be isolated from Daphne penicillata. All compounds (1-6) were evaluated for anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity. Among them, compounds 1 and 5 showed moderate inhibitory effects on LPS-induced NO production in BV2 cells and 4 displayed potential inhibition against Hep3B cells with an IC 50 value of 7.33 μM., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)