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Background: Several species of the genus Ziziphus are used worldwide for their medicinal and therapeutic properties. The present study aimed to investigate the phenotypic variation of five species of the Ziziphus genus, including Z. jujuba Mill. (25 accessions), Z. mauritiana Lam. (25 accessions), Z. spina-christi L. (25 accessions), Z. nummularia L. (10 accessions), and Z. xylopyrus Willd. (10 accessions) from Markazi, Sistan-va-Baluchestan, and Khuzestan provinces, Iran. Results: The investigated accessions have significant differences in terms of all the measured as revealed using analysis of variance (ANOVA, P < 0.01). The range of fruit weight was 0.43–1.29 g in Z. jujuba, 17.85–29.87 g in Z. mauritiana, 0.94–3.44 g in Z. spina-christi, 0.93–2.02 g in Z. nummularia, and 0.91–3.02 g in Z. xylopyrus. All the measured traits showed significant and positive correlations with each other. Multiple regression analysis (MRA) results showed that fruit length, stone width, stone weight, stone length, and fruit width have significant effects on fruit weight, and thus their fluctuations have a significant effect on increasing or decreasing fruit weight. The accessions were grouped into two main clusters using hierarchical cluster analysis. The first cluster (I) included all the accessions of Z. mauritiana, while the second cluster (II) contained the accessions of the rest species forming two sub-clusters. Conclusion: Based on the commercial characters, accessions no. 12, 13, 17, 23, and 24 in Z. jujuba, accessions no. 3, 9, 17, 18, 20, 22, and 23 in Z. mauritiana, accessions no. 5, 6, 8, 13, 19, 22, and 24 in Z. spina-christi, accessions no. 3, 7, and 9 in Z. nummularia, and accessions no. 2, 4, 7, and 10 in Z. oxyphylla showed the highest fruit weight and thus can be suggested as superior for cultivation or use in breeding programs due to having larger fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Studying of native plants in the crime scene can solve many in the criminal files. • 5 endemic plants with high crime rate in areas of Iran were introduced. • The modified DNA extraction method to obtain pure DNA was chosen. • nrDNA ITS and trnH-psbA data were match with Information Compatibility Test result. • The phylogenic trees show some forensic gaps in regions with high crime rates. According to criminal botany, the offender unknowingly carries plant samples from the crime scene. Therefore, studying the genetic data of plants native to the crime scene can solve many ambiguities in the criminal files. In this regard, the aim of this study was to investigate the genome of 5 endemic plants in some areas of Iran with high crime rate. Quercus brantii , Curpressus arizonica , Crataegus pentagyna , Ziziphus Spina-chtista, and Buxus hyrcana were assessed using 1 genetic fragment on plastid regions (trnH-psbA) as well as 1 gene on nuclear chromosome called ITS. The alignment of DNA sequences of trnH-psbA and ITS genes was done using BioEdit, Clustal X, and Muscle v4.0 software programs. The phylogenetic analysis was performed on aligned data using Maximum Parsimony (MP) and the Bayesian methods. The Splits Tree v.4.14.4 software program was used for phylogenetic network analysis. Finally, the data combinability test was conducted using the Incongruence Length Difference (ILD) test by PAUP* software program. All data from nrDNA ITS and trnH-psbA sequences were consistent with Information Compatibility Test (ICT) results. Moreover, the nrDNA ITS indicated more resolved relationship than trnH-psbA. The results from MP and Bayesian analyses did not differ significantly between singular and combined forms, except for a slight variance in confidence interval of branches. As the phylogenetic trees provide more thorough and deeper conception of species relations, it is hoped that they would be useful to illuminate some forensic gaps in regions with high crime rates enriched by these plants, not only in Iran, but also in all areas over the world with this vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Functional constipation (FC) is a common major problem in children. This study compared Jujube paste and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as laxative drugs in children with FC. Ziziphus Jujuba Mill (Jujube) was selected according to traditional Iranian medicine because it is native to Iran and a large extent of Asia, is safe and easy to access, with acceptable taste to children. Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was performed on 128 children aged 2 to 12 with FC according to Rome IV criteria. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of Jujube paste and PEG and underwent four weeks of treatment. The efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the Jujube oral product were compared with PEG. Results: Following four weeks of therapy, all clinical symptoms of constipation according to Rome IV criteria were improved significantly in both groups (P< 0.05). In all the seven criteria of Rome IV, Jujube paste was as effective as PEG and even stronger in reducing stool stiffness (P< 0.0001). No hazardous side effect was reported in the two groups. Moreover, the medication acceptance rate was higher in the group receiving Jujube paste than in the group receiving PEG. Conclusions: Jujube paste is as effective as PEG in pediatric FC. This product has high nutritional value and antioxidant properties, so it can be a safe substitute for PEG in pediatric FC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ziziphus jujuba (jujube) one of the well-known species of the ziziphus is medicinally important tree species that is also used as food source for its fruits. Conservation and breeding studies are in hand for this horticultural plant and for this reason a thorough population genetic study was performed. We carried out both molecular (Interretrotransposon amplified polymorphism: IRAP) and morphological (fruit characteristics) studies in 71 jujube trees collected randomly from 8 geographical regions in Iran. IRAP markers could differentiate the studied populations, as AMOVA revealed significant genetic difference among the studied populations. Networking and STRUCTURE analyses indicated that the jujube populations can be placed in two main genetic groups. Nm analysis revealed limited gene flow among populations. Jujube populations also differed significantly in their fruit characteristics and PCA analysis showed that these populations are diverged in these characters too. Data obtained can be used in future conservation and breeding studies of this important horticultural plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ziziphus numrnularia is a multipurpose and tropical tree with medicinal, nutritional, industrial, and economic values. This tree, which belongs to the Rhamnaceae family, is originated from the South of Asia and North of Africa. This research was carried out to investigate the phytochemical and morphological diversity of 20 wild populations collected from different Southern regions of Iran. Statistical significant difference ranges between population were found in respect to saponin ofcheleaf(2.2-5.4 mg/g) and fruit (1.2-3.2 mg/g), phenol of the leaf (0.7-2.9 mg/g) and fruit (0.03-0.4 mg/g), tannin of the leaf (0.8-3.5 mg/g) and fruit (1.5-1.7 mg/g), and flavonoid of the leaf (3.3-4.3 mg/g) and fruit (1.5-2.4 mg/g). A factor analysis based on principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first three components (PC1-PC3) explain 79.04% of total variations. The first component (PCI) is explained by the most important traits of the PCA coefficient such as the leaf saponin, width of the end leaf, fruit saponin, length of the end leaf, leaf length and width, and leaf phenol with 42% of the total variation. Hierarchical cluster analysis divided the populations into four main groups with high diversity. In general, the Izeh Tarakab population had the highest content of leaf and fruit saponin. The content of leaf and fruit saponin as the major secondary metabolite could be a good determinant for detecting diversity in the wild population of Z. numrnularia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplasma symptoms, including proliferation, witches' broom, leaf rolling and yellowing, were observed in jujube (Ziziphus jujube) nurseries in the East of Iran. Total nucleic acid was extracted from symptomatic and symptomless plants, and was tested for phytoplasma presence using nested PCR. Amplicons of about 1.8 kb (primer pair P1/P7) and 1.25 kb (R16F2n/R16R2) were obtained from all symptomatic plants but not from symptomless plants. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of R16F2n/R2 amplicons using KpnI, HaeIII, RsaI, AluI, HpaII, HhaI, TaqI, MseI, BfaI and ThaI restriction enzymes showed two RFLP patterns referable to 16SrI and 16SrVI phytoplasma groups. The consensus sequences of Z. jujube yellowing and witches' broom of six samples correspond to 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris' and 'Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii'-related strains. Two R16F2n/R16R2 16S rDNA sequences representative of each RFLP profile, one each from witches' broom (accession number MK379605) and yellowing (MK379604) host symptoms, were submitted to the GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the phytoplasma strains associated with jujube yellowing clustered within the 16SrI phytoplasma clade, and those associated with witches' broom clustered within the 16SrVI clade. Restriction analysis confirmed that virtual RFLP patterns of the jujube yellowing and witches' broom phytoplasma strains were identical to the reference pattern of 16SrI-B and 16SrVI-A. This is the first report of these phytoplasma strains associations with witches' broom and yellowing in jujube plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All components of Ziziphus jujube (ZJ) were used in medicine and food in ancient Iran and China. Cisplatin is one of the most important drugs in the treatment of solid tumors. Taking this drug can result in nephrotoxicity through several mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of ZJ on the nephrotoxicity induced by cisplatin in rats. Thirty-five experimental rats were randomly divided into the following five groups (n = 7 per group) for an 8-day study: 1- Group C1 was the control group and received distilled water (1 ml/day); 2- Group C2 received a single dose of intraperitoneal cisplatin (5 mg/kg); 3- Group ZJ received 1500 mg/kg/day Ziziphus Jujube extract orally; 4- Group ZJ1 was given 1500 mg/kg/day of Ziziphus Jujube extract orally with taking a single dose of cisplatin (5 mg/kg) on the first day only; 5- Group ZJ2 received 3000 mg/kg/day of Ziziphus jujube extract orally with taking a single dose of cisplatin (5 mg/kg) on the first day only. Eventually, histopathological parameters, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), malondialdehyde (MDA), alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) were assessed. The findings showed that cisplatin administration resulted in severe degeneration in all parts of the nephron tubules. Also, the present study showed that MDA levels were significantly lower in both ZJ1 and ZJ2 groups compared with those in group C2 (p < 0.01). Moreover, the cisplatin-induced elevation of serum BUN levels significantly decreased in both ZJ1 and ZJ2 groups in comparison with that in group C2 (p < 0.01). In addition, serum levels of both ALT and AST were significantly higher in group C2 in comparison with those in group C1 (p < 0.05). Extensive tubular necrosis was seen in group C2. In brief, results of this research indicated that ZJ could prevent cisplatin-induced kidney injury in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity in many parts of the world has become a very serious problem. Increasing soil salinity is one of the major abiotic factors limiting crop production in these regions. Therefore, growing salinity tolerant plants is a suitable way to optimize the use of saline soils. Ziziphus spina-christi (L) Willd is a fruit tree that grows wild in arid and semi-arid areas of south and southwest of Iran. The present study intends to illustrate the effect of salinity on the response of two genotypes of Ziziphus spina-christi to salt stress. The experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design as a factorial. Factor one was salinity (1.8, 5.8, 10.2, or 16.2 dS m−1 NaCl) and the second factor was two genotypes and four replicates for each experimental unit. After 10 months, the results showed a significant decrease in all studied vegetative characteristics (stem height, total leaves area, shoot and root dry weight, chlorophyll index and number of leaves per plants) with increasing the salt concentrations. However, this decrease was not of the same extent for both genotypes. Low levels of salinity (5.8 dS m−1) did not cause a substantial inhibition of growth but increasing concentrations of salt induced a progressive decline in vegetative characteristics. Potassium (K), phosphorus (p), and the K/Na ratio of leaves in both genotypes significantly decreased with increasing the salt concentrations. Leaves of genotype 2 displayed higher the K/Na ratio and K content than genotype 1 in saline and non-saline conditions. In both genotypes, proline increased with salt concentration. The proline also was significantly higher in the leaves of genotype 2 than genotype 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The type species of the genus Tenuipalpoides, T. zizyphus Reck & Bagdasarian, 1948, is redescribed based on the female. This is the first full morphological description of all mobile life stages for a species in Tenuipalpoides. The specimens were collected from Astragalus huthianus (Fabaceae) from Iran, which also is a new host record for this mite species. Based upon reported hosts, it appears this species is only found on plants in Fabaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Two thirds of all accidents and injuries leading to death all around the world occur in developing countries like Iran. One of these accidents is burn that can have unpleasant effects on the individual's body and soul. Skin wound healing is a process that happens as a result of coordination between tissues, cells, and different factors. The remaining inflammation and insufficient amount of vessel construction are among the most important causes of delayed wound healing. In recent years, jujube fruit (Zizyphus vulgaris L.) has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects as a traditional therapeutic agent. Therefore, the present study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of jujube fruit extract on second-degree burn wound among Balb/c mice. Materials and Methods: The present empirical-interventional study included 48 Balb/c mice weighing approximately 30 ± 3 gr. After burn wounds of 1.5 cm2 were created and second-degree burns was affirmed by a pathologist, the mice were divided into four control groups; one treated with Vaseline, one treated with silver sulfadiazine ointment, one treated with jujube fruit extract 1%, and a control group. Results: In treatment groups, 1 gr ointment containing hydroalcoholic extract of jujube fruit was utilized twice a day until complete recovery. Afterwards, the four groups were compared with regard to the wound area and histopathology. The collected data were analyzed through one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests by using SPSS software. Conclusion: There was a significant difference between the intervention group and the Vaseline and control groups with regard to the percentage of wound recovery (P<0.05). The results of the study indicated that the jujube fruit extract could accelerate burn wound healing among Balb/c mice. It is recommended that further research is conducted on the effects of different doses of this medicine on laboratory animals and then on humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: In the current study, we aimed to assess the effect of dried Ziziphus jujube on blood glucose, lipid profiles, anthropometric indices, and inflammatory factors in type 2 diabetic(T2D) patients., Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 48 patients, aged 30-65 years, were randomly assigned to two intervention(n = 24) and control(n = 24) groups. The subjects in the intervention group received 30 g Ziziphus jujube daily for 12 weeks. At baseline and the end of the 12th week, 10 ml of blood was taken from each patient after a 12- to 14-h overnight fasting. Plasma levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglycerides(TGs), total cholesterol(TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP), and interleukin-6(IL-6) were measured. Anthropometric indices were determined., Results: Plasma FPG, TG, TC, and LDL-C decreased significantly up to -11.36%, -13.59%, -7.46%, -7.65% in the Ziziphus jujube group at the end of week 12 compared to baseline, respectively (P < 0.05), and this reduction was significant in comparison with the control group (P < 0.05). The plasma hs-CRP reduced significantly up to -24.46% in the Ziziphus jujube group at the end of week 12 compared to baseline (P < 0.05), however, this reduction was not significant in comparison with the control group (P < 0.05). Also, there were no significant differences between the two groups in mean changes of body mass index, plasma HDL-C, and IL-6., Conclusions: The current study showed that daily consumption of Ziziphus jujube may have beneficial effects on the lipid profiles and blood glucose levels in T2D., Clinical Trial Registration Number: T his clinical trial was registered at the Iranian registry of clinical trials (IRCT registration number: IRCT20181210041913N1)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declared there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)