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Abstract The study has proved the stimulating effects of different strategies of treatments with elicitors on the production of glucosinolates (GSLs), flavonoids, polyphenols, saccharides, and photosynthetic pigments in watercress (Nasturtium officinale) microshoot cultures. The study also assessed antioxidant and anti-melanin activities. The following elicitors were tested: ethephon (ETH), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), sodium salicylate (NaSA), and yeast extract (YeE) and were added on day 10 of the growth period. Cultures not treated with the elicitor were used as control. The total GSL content estimations and UHPLC-DAD-MS/MS analyses showed that elicitation influenced the qualitative and quantitative profiles of GSLs. MeJA stimulated the production of gluconasturtiin (68.34 mg/100 g dried weight (DW)) and glucobrassicin (65.95 mg/100 g DW). The elicitation also increased flavonoid accumulation (max. 1131.33 mg/100 g DW, for 100 μM NaSA, collection after 24 h). The elicitors did not boost the total polyphenol content. NaSA at 100 μM increased the production of total chlorophyll a and b (5.7 times after 24 h of treatment), and 50 μM NaSA caused a 6.5 times higher production of carotenoids after 8 days of treatment. The antioxidant potential (assessed with the CUPRAC FRAP and DPPH assays) increased most after 24 h of treatment with 100 μM MeJA. The assessment of anti-melanin activities showed that the microshoot extracts were able to cause inhibition of tyrosinase (max. 27.84% for 1250 µg/mL). Key points • Elicitation stimulated of the metabolite production in N. officinale microshoots. • High production of pro-health glucosinolates and polyphenols was obtained. • N. officinale microshoots have got tyrosinase inhibition potential. • The antioxidant potential of N. officinale microshoots was evaluated. Graphical abstract

Nasturtium officinale W. T Aiton or “watercress” (Brassicaceae) is a nutritionally valuable plant that is the richest source of carotenoids, polyphenols, iron, calcium, iodine, folic acid, essential vitamins and minerals. It is traditionally used for their appetiser, anti-scorbutic, stimulant, diuretic and detoxifying properties. The present study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant potential, phytochemical contents (total phenolic, flavonoids and tannin contents) as well as a preliminary phytochemical screening of different extract of aerial parts of Nasturtium officinale collected from the Kumaun region. The different extracts showed significant antioxidant activity as well as total phenolic, flavonoids and tannin contents. The preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of several phytochemical constituents such as carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, glycosides, alkaloids and others. The hydroalcoholic extract possess significantly (P

In this study, it was aimed to determine the morphological and physiological effects of agricultural activities and lead pollution on Nasturtium officinale and Mentha aquatica macrophytes living in Umurbey Stream (Çanakkale), and also the competition between plants in this region was investigated. Macrophytes were collected between May-June 2016 from the lower part of Gökköy Passage, which is covered with orchards on both sides of Çanakkale province, Umurbey district, Umurbey Stream. The macrophytes were left in the nutrient solution for 3 days for the adaptation process. In the first stage, the effect of lead contamination on the morphology and physiology of macrophyte species was investigated in a single culture at 1, 5 and 10 ppm Pb concentrations. Then, the competitiveness of two macrophyte species at an intermediate dose of 5 ppm Pb in a mixed culture was examined. In addition to the amount of, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoid, free proline, protein, total phenolic compound amount, adsorbed lead amount and total potassium, phosphorus, iron and magnesium amounts were examined. P, Fe, Mg, K, Pb and protein content reached the highest level at the dose of 5 ppm Pb where N. officinale was affected the most morphologically. At the same time, N officinale minimized the photosynthetic pigment and free proline levels at this dose. The dose at which M. aquatica was most affected morphologically was 10 ppm Pb dose. P, Fe, Mg and K contents of M. aquatica at that dose reached the highest value. This study proved that M. aquatica was morphologically and physiologically more resistant in two control groups where there was no lead stress and aquatic plants were grown together. Morphologically and physiologically, it has been shown that N. officinale was more combative when lead was applied as stress. With this study, it was determined that watercress is a good lead accumulator by adsorbing more than twice the lead amount absorbed by water mint.

Cultures of Nasturtium officinale were cultivated in vitro under illumination with different wavelengths of light-emitting diode (LED) light (white LED light—WLED, blue light—B, red light—R, 70% red and 30% blue light—RB, 50% green, 35% red and 15% blue light—RBG, 50% yellow, 35% red and 15% blue light—RBY, 50% far red, 35% red and 15% blue light—RBfR, 50% UV, 35% red and 15% blue light—RBUV, darkness—D), and under white fluorescent light (WF)—control conditions. The study investigated the influence of the applied lighting conditions on biomass growth and the production of glucosinolates, phenolic compounds, as well as photosynthetic pigments, and soluble sugars. The study showed a significant beneficial effect of the RBG light on biomass growth (Gi = 11.81 after 20 days) and the production of glucosinolates. The total glucosinolate content under these conditions increased 5.8 and 1.4 times in comparison with the WF light and D condition, respectively, reaching 237.92 mg 100 g−1 DW. The production of phenolic compounds, sugars, and photosynthetic pigments was comparable to the production under the control conditions. The antioxidant potential of extracts from the cultivated biomass was assessed by the CUPRAC, DPPH, and FRAP assays. Extracts obtained from the biomass of cultures grown under the RBG light had an antioxidant potential similar to that of the control cultures. This is the first report providing evidence of the stimulating effect of light quality on the biomass yield and production of glucosinolates by N. officinale microshoot cultures in vitro. The studies of different LED light quality on Nasturtium officinale microshoot cultures were proven that combination of 50% green, 35% red and 15% blue lights stimulated the production of glucosinolates, phenolic compounds, photosynthetic pigments, and influenced on the antioxidant potential of biomass extracts.

Heavy metals are elements that mainly have a 5-22 gr.cm-3 specific gravity. Some of these metals are essential micronutrients for plant growth (Such as Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni) and Cobalt (Co)). Some other heavy metals, have a high toxicity properties such as Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd) and Mercury (Hg). In order to investigate the potential of watercress (Nasturtium officinale) in the uptake of elements from nutrient solutions with different salinities, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications in the greenhouse. In this experiment, different levels of arsenic were zero, 5, 10, 20, 40, 40, 80 and 160 mg.L-1, which were obtained from sodium arsenate source and added to Epstein’s nutrient solution to obtain the mentioned concentrations. The salt concentration of the nutrient solution was 0, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mM which was prepared from sodium chloride source and added to Epstein solution. After making nutrient solutions with different salinity and concentrations, watercress was cultivated. The ANOVA results showed that the interaction of salinity and arsenic levels on the calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc and copper concentrations in watercress was significant at the level of one percent probability. The highest concentrations of these elements were obtained in the levels without salinity and arsenic and the lowest values were obtained in the 80 mM salinity levels and 160 mg.l-1 arsenic.

Yogurt and Kefir are foods that have potential as probiotics. The presence of live LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria) indicates that this product has the potential as a probiotic food. The purpose of this review is to evaluate food products that have the potential as probiotics such as yogurt and kefir based on the SNI 2981: 2009 standard for yogurt and the CODEX STAN 243-2003 standard for kefir in terms of nutrition. The search method in this article review uses online literature through the Google Scholar site. The results of this review article are probiotic yogurt containing cow's milk and sheep's milk in the same proportion (1: 1); cow's milk yogurt with the addition of seaweed extract (Sargassum polycystum) with a concentration of 0,22 and 0,44%; cow's milk yogurt added with watercress extract (Nasturtium officinale, R. Br); and goat's milk kefir stored at temperatures (-1 to -5 oC, 1 to 5 oC, and 6 to 10 oC) and storage time (10, 20, and 30 days) is a food that has the potential to be a probiotic that has met SNI 2981: 2009 standards and the CODEX STAN 243-2003 standards in terms of nutrition.

Background and purpose: Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic disease of the lungs caused by inflammation, species of reactive oxygen, and immune defects. Antioxidant properties of Nasturtium officinale has been reported in some studies. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of ethanolic extract of Nasturtium officinale (EENO) on bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis in rats. Experimental approach: Forty adult male Wistar rats (180-220 g) were randomly divided into 5 experimental groups. Normal control, BLM control received a single dose of BLM (6 IU/kg) intratracheally only on the first day, EENO + BLM group received EENO (500 mg/kg) one week before intratracheal BLM instillation and two weeks afterward, BLM + EENO group and BML + vitamin E group received EENO (500 mg/kg) and vitamin E (500 mg/kg) half-hour after BLM installation, respectively. The animals were sacrificed on day 22. Change in body weight, lung index, serum level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) metabolite, lung tissue hydroxyproline content and lung pathology were assessed. Findings/Results: Pre- or post-treatment with EENO attenuated pulmonary fibrosis as evidenced by normalized lung index, improved histological changes and inhibited collagen deposition (hydroxyproline) in the animal lung. EENO also decreased MDA and NO metabolite release in comparison to the BLM control. vitamin E (500 mg/ kg) also significantly inhibited the BLM-induced lung toxicity. Conclusions and implications: EENO can prevent BLM-induced lung fibrosis in rats via antioxidant activities. However, more studies are needed to elicit the exact mechanism of this effect.

* Nasturtium officinale R.Br. — Habit: Herb. Habitat: LMWF, LMDF. Distribution: IV. Voucher: Ca. 2 km South of Timau, Alt. 2 250 m, 15–17 Feb. 1986, Beentje 2759 (EA). References: Fries & Fries (1927a), Agnew (2013)., Published as part of Zhou, Ya-Dong, Mwachala, Geoffrey, Hu, Guang-Wan & Wang, Qing-Feng, 2022, Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Mount Kenya, East Africa, pp. 1-108 in Phytotaxa 546 (1) on page 65, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.546.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6550464, {"references":["Fries, R. E. & Fries, T. C. E. (1927 a) Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Flora des Kenia, Mt. Aberdare und Mt. Elgon. IX. Notizblatt des Koniglichen Botanischen Gartens und Museums zu Berlin 10 (90): 1130 - 1135. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 3994575","Agnew, A. D. Q. (2013) Upland Kenya wild flowers and ferns, 3 rd edn. Nature Kenya Publications, Nairobi, 733 pp."]}

The ability of a consortium of three emergent aquatic plants; Veronica anagallis-aquatica, Mentha longifolia, and Cyperus iria and one free-floating Nasturtium officinale was evaluated in outdoor v...

Inhabitants of the hilly regions largely depend on wild herbs for medicine and food supplements. The indigenous knowledge and traditional use of these wild herbs are vanishing fast. Thunag Tehsil is the rich repository of wild medicinal herbs. One among them is Nasturtium officinale (watercress), of the family Brassicaceae, it has been long used as a home remedy or a medicinal plant, edible herb by the local people. The aim of this study was to investigate the traditional use, nutritional, medicinal use of N. officinale in the Tehsil Thunag of District Mandi Himachal Pradesh Western Himalayas. Local inhabitant of valley used to collect this green leafy vegetable from nearby river streams, they used to consume it as (sagg) green leafy vegetable or as a medicine. It is a good source of food, medicine and income for local people in the study area, as this area is surrounded by large number of perennial rivers and streams where this plant is found in abundant. But the young generation is least interested about these traditional herbs and their uses.Its traditional knowledge is declining sharply. So to document this knowledge, the present study was carried in this region.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of spraying an algal biostimulant at different concentrations (0, 600-, 900-, 1200-, and 1500-fold dilutions) on the growth and cadmium (Cd) accum...

Downy mildew on garden cress caused byPerofascia lepidiihas become prevalent in organic seed producing areas of Germany resulting in limited seed production and high yield losses. Downy mildew occurrence in young plants in fields that have never been cultivated with garden cress raised questions about infested seeds and soils as sources of the primary inoculum and the role of other members of the plant family Brassicaceae as hosts ofP. lepidii. To address these questions 31 seed lots from nine garden cress fields were examined for contamination usingP. lepidiispecies-specific PCR assays. DNA ofP. lepidiiwas detected in 17 seed lots out of 31. In bioassays no disease was observed on plants grown from infested seed lots but in a few plants grown from seeds. The significance of soilborne inoculum was investigated by assessing disease incidence in plants grown in soil samples. Garden cress with downy mildew symptoms were recorded when plants were grown in pathogen infested soil samples. The results show thatP. lepidiiis able to survive in the soil and can be a primary inoculum source for downy mildew disease. Oospores formed in infected plants underpin the role of these survival structures that get incorporated into soil after harvesting. In a host specificity-test none of the tested speciesBrassica juncea;Brassica napus;Brassica rapasubsp.pekinensis;Brassica rapa silvestris;Raphanus sativusvar.oleiformis;Raphanus sativusvar.sativus;Sinapis alba;Sinapis nigra;Arabidopsis thaliana;Capsella bursa-pastoris;Cardamine pratense;Cardaria draba;Nasturtium officinalewere infected byP. lepidii.

La contaminación por metales pesados ha aumentado con los años debido a sus diferentes aplicaciones. Se han evaluado distintas especies vegetales para bioacumular metales pesados, el berro es una especie con capacidad de fitorremediación. Sin embargo, falta información sobre la sinergia que ocurre cuando dos metales en el medio están presentes y condicionan su acumulación en las plantas. El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar el efecto sinérgico en la acumulación simultánea de Pb y Cr (VI) en berro. Se utilizó un sistema cerrado y un humedal artificial para evaluar el comportamiento de los metales en presencia de berro, cuantificando al final de cada experimento la concentración acumulada en tallos, hoja y raíz. La mayor concentración de ambos metales fue en raíz (Pb > Cr). Al incrementarse la presencia de Cr (VI) en solución, la planta absorbe más metal, y en combinación con Pb el índice de tolerancia se aumenta y el factor de translocación disminuye. Dentro del humedal construido el porcentaje de remoción de Pb y Cr total fue del >99.9% (100 mg L-1) y 95% (28.5 mg L-1), respectivamente. Los resultados obtenidos indican que existen interacciones ambientales, físicas y químicas que determinan la capacidad de bioacumulación en el berro, de los metales evaluados.ABSTRACTHeavy metal pollution has increased over the years due to its different applications. Different plant species have been evaluated to bioaccumulate heavy metals; watercress is a species with phytoremediation capacity. However, there is little information on the synergy that occurs when two metals in the medium are present and condition their accumulation in plants. The objective of this research was to evaluate the synergistic effect on the simultaneous accumulation of Pb and Cr (VI) in watercress. We used a batch system and an artificial wetland to evaluate the behavior of metals in the presence of watercress, quantifying at the end of each experiment the cumulative concentration in stems, leaf, and root. The highest concentration of both metals occurred in the root section (Pb> Cr). As the presence of Cr (VI) in solution increases, the plant absorbs more metal, and combination with Pb the tolerance index is increased and the translocation factor decreases. Within the constructed wetland the percentage of total Pb and Cr removal was >99.9 % (100 mg L-1) and 95% (28.5 mg L-1) respectively. The results show the presence of effects of environmental, physical and chemical interactions that determine the capacity of bioaccumulation of the metals evaluated in watercress.

To study how melatonin (MT) treatment of plants used for stubble affects the heavy metal accumulation of the subsequent crop, the effects of MT-treated Nasturtium officinale on the growth and cadmi...

Background Blood cleansing, purification, detoxification or strengthening is an ancient folkloric East African practice without any validated scientific underpinnings. This study was undertaken to retrieve ethnobotanical information and reported bioactivities of plants claimed to be blood purifiers, cleansers, detoxifiers and tonics in Eastern Africa and correlate their claimed use with scientific studies to find out whether there is any justification for their use in this ancient practice. Method An elaborate review was performed in electronic databases (PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer Link, Wiley Online Library, Taylor & Francis Online, SciFinder, Google Scholar, Web of Science) and the Google search engine to retrieve information on ethnomedicinal plants used in East Africa in blood purification, detoxification, cleansing or strengthening and their investigated bioactivities related to their use in this traditional practice. Results The search retrieved 74 plant species from 45 families distributed among 66 genera with some documented bioactivities, though, with little correlation with their traditional utilization in blood purification, cleansing, detoxification and strengthening. Some justification of the link between blood purification, cleansing, detoxification and strengthening and the use of the plants as antiplatelet aggregation, vasorelaxant, bronchodilatory, antihyperlipidaemic, cardioprotective, antiatherosclerotic and immunomodulatory agents were evident, but majorly antimicrobial activity has been investigated in most species. Thus, only 15 (20.2%) of the plant species (Allium sativum, Moringa oleifera, Olea capensis, Clausena anisata, Centella asiatica, Nasturtium officinale, Solanum nigrum, Withania somnifera, Rubus apetalus, Delonix elata, Persia americana, Aloe vera, Azadirachta indica, Echinacea angustifolia and Dioscorea bulbifera) could be directly correlated with studies pertaining to blood health. Conclusion Medicinal plants used in blood purification, cleansing, detoxification and strengthening in East Africa play a holistic role in rejuvenation of overall human health. Few studies have examined their bioactivities pertaining to blood health. Thus, bioactivities and pharmacological activities (such as blood thinning, hypolipemic, cardioprotective, immunomodulatory, tonic and renoprotective properties) and phytochemicals of the claimed plants warrant further research as these could lead to discovery of chemical scaffolds of lead compounds that can be used in modern blood purification.

Patojen bakterilerin neden olduğu hastalıkların tedavisinde kullanılan antibiyotiklerin gerek yan etkileri, gerekse yanlış kullanımına bağlı olarak gelişen antibiyotik direnci nedeniyle bilim insanları alternatif antimikrobiyal bileşik arayışına yönelmiştir. Doğal olması ve yüzyıllardır tamamlayıcı tıp alanında tanıdık bir kaynak olması sebebiyle bitkiler ve bitkilerdeki antimikrobiyal bileşenler yaygın bir şekilde araştırılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Nasturtium officinale’nin farklı konsantrasyonlarda hazırlanan metanol ve su ekstraktlarının gram-pozitif bakteriler, gram-negatif bakteriler ve mantar üzerindeki antimikrobiyal aktivitesi disk difüzyon yöntemiyle araştırıldı. Bunun yanısıra bitkinin içeriğindeki uçucu organik bileşikler ve yağ asitleri tespit edildi. Bu amaçla GC-FID'de (gaz kromatografisi alev iyonizasyon dedektörü) yağ asitleri metil esterlere dönüştürülerek belirlenirken, GC-MS'de (gaz kromatografisi - kütle spektrometrisi) SPME (Katı fazlı mikroekstraksiyon) yöntemi ile uçucu bileşenleri belirlendi. Ayrıca araştırma kapsamında bitkinin farklı kısımlarındaki uçucu bileşenler karşılaştırmalı olarak ele alındı. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre; Nasturtium officinale'nin Bacillus megaterium, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus Spizizenii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus bakterileri üzerinde antimikrobiyal etkisi olduğu ortaya çıktı. Bitki özellikle P. aeruginosa, C. Albicans ve E. Coli üzerinde daha güçlü antimikrobiyal etki göstermiştir. Ayrıca Nasturtium officinale'nin önemli esansiyel yağ asitlerinin yanısıra çok sayıda uçucu bileşenlere de sahip olduğu tespit edildi. Yapılan analizlerde Nasturtium officinale’nin ana uçucu bileşeninin alfa-Terpinolen olduğu belirlendi., Due to the side effects of antibiotics used in the treatment of diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, and antibiotic resistance that develops due to the misuse of antibiotics, scientists have turned to the search for alternative antimicrobial compounds. Plants and antimicrobial compounds in plants are widely researched because they are natural and have been a familiar resource in the field of complementary medicine for centuries. In this study, antimicrobial activities of the methanol and water extracts of Nasturtium officinale prepared at different concentrations were investigated on gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and fungi by the disc diffusion method. In addition, volatile organic compound and fatty acidcontent of the plant were determined. For this purpose, fatty acids were determined by converting them to methyl esters in GC-FID (gas chromatography flame ionization detector), volatile compounds were determined by SPME (Solid-phase microextraction) method in GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). In addition, the amounts of volatile components in different parts of the plant were shown comparatively within the scope of the research. According to the results obtained; it was revealed that Nasturtium officinale has an antimicrobial effect on Bacillus megaterium, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus Spizizenii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The plant showed a stronger antimicrobial effect, especially on P. aeruginosa, C. Albicans, and E. coli. It has also been determined that Nasturtium officinale has important essential fatty acids as well as many volatile components. In the analyzes made, it was determined that the main volatile component of Nasturtium officinale was alpha-Terpinolene.

Flavonoids from plants play an important role in our diet. Watercress is a special plant that is rich in flavonoids. In this study, four important watercress varieties were compared with non-heading Chinese cabbage by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS). A total of 132 flavonoid metabolites (including 8 anthocyanins, 2 dihydroflavone, 3 dihydroflavonol, 1 flavanols, 22 flavones, 11 flavonoid carbonosides, 82 flavonols, and 3 isoflavones) were detected. Flavonoid metabolites varied widely in different samples. Both the non-heading Chinese cabbage and the variety of watercress from Guangdong, China, had their own unique metabolites. This work is helpful to better understand flavonoid metabolites between the non-heading Chinese cabbage and the other four watercress varieties, and to provide a reliable reference value for further research.

Microtheca punctigera (Achard) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a major pest of Brassicaceae family plants in Brazil and occurs together with M. semilaevis. Occurrence of larvae and adults of M. punctigera and M. semilaevis Stal in five host plants grown in closely patchs was investigated in three periods in the field [Fall/Winter 2001 (May 10 to July 21); Fall 2002 (April 3 to June 12), and Spring 2002 (September 20 to November 15)]. Treatments were Chinese cabbage, mustard, watercress, arrugula and radish. The standard of occurrences of larvae of M. punctigera + M. semialevis was not repeated in the three trials: Chinese and mustard were the preferred food in 2001 Fall Winter while in the 2002 Fall and 2002 Spring preference was predominated for mustard and arrugula. M. punctigera was the predominant species during the experiments and populations were higher in the winter periods. In general, M. punctigera beetles were found mostly on Chinese cabbage and mustard, but in some assessments populations were high also in other hosts (mostly arugula). M. semialevis beetles occurred mostly on Chinese cabbage and mustard. RESUMO Microtheca punctigera (Achard) é praga primária de plantas da família Brassicaceae no Brasil e ocorre associada com M. semilaevis Stal. Ocorrência de larvas e adultos de M. punctigera e M. semilaevis em cinco plantas hospedeiras em parcelas próximas foi avaliada em três períodos no campo ([outono/inverno, 2001 (10 de maio a 21 de julho); outono, 2002 (3 de abril a 12 de junho), e primavera, 2002 (20 de setembro a 15 de novembro)]. Os tratamentos foram couve chinesa, mostarda, agrião, rúcula e rabanete. O padrão de ocorrência de larva de M. punctigera + M. semialevis não se repetiu nos três períodos de avaliação: couve chinese e mostarda foram os alimentos preferidos no outono/inverno de 2001, enquanto que no outono e primavera de 2002, mostarda e rúcula foram os hospedeiros preferidos.M. punctigera foi a espécie predominante durante os experimentos e as populações foram maiores no período de inverno. De maneira geral, besouros de M. semialevis foram encontrados principalmente em couve chinesa e mostarda, mas em algumas as avaliações populações foram superiores em outros hospedeiros (principalmente em rúcula). Besouros de M. semialevis ocorreram principalmente em couve chinesa e mostarda.

A low-temperature, efficient and effective method was investigated for phytochemical hydroethanolic extraction of Nasturtium officinale (Brassicaceae). The phytocompounds of the selected plant leaves were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography with mass spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Acetic acid, d-alanine, octodrine, decanoic acid, and cyclohexylethylamine were the major phytocompounds identified in N. officinale leaves with high similarity match and spectral purity. The reducing and stabilizing potential of the extracted phytochemicals was demonstrated by synthesizing the metal oxide nanoparticles (MoO3 ) by treating ammonium heptamolybdate tetrahydrate (H4 MO7 N6 O24 .4H2 O) aqueous complex with bioactive compounds of the leaves. The bio-synthesized MoO3 nanoparticles were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, and gas chromatography with mass spectroscopy. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy identified acetic acid, d-alanine, and octodrine as stabilizing agents in the synthesis of MoO3 nanoparticles.

According to European traditional pharmacopeia, as well as in Chinese traditional medicine, watercress (Nasturtium officinale) has a property in enhancing physical stamina during stress condition. The aim of the study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of watercress extract (WCE) on dexamethasone-induced neurodegeneration in mice. Swiss albino male mice (35-40 g) were divided into 6 groups: double distilled water (DW) and normal saline solution (NSS) (DW+NSS), DW and dexamethasone (DW+DEX)-treated for 21 days, 80 mg/kg of watercress extract (WCE) and NSS (80WCE+NSS), and WCE-treated (14 days prior to and during dexamethasone treatment) at variable doses of 20 mg/kg (20WCE+DEX), 40 mg/kg (40WCE+DEX), and 80 mg/kg (80WCE+DEX). At the end of the experiment, animals were tested for spatial memory and learning ability by Morris Water Maze apparatus to determine the escape latency time (ELT), and the density of parvalbumin (PV)-immunoreactive (PV-ir) neurons in the hippocampus of the brain, using immunohistochemistry. After dexamethasone treatment, the animals had significantly lower body weight, higher ELT and reduced density of PV-ir neurons in the CA1 and CA2 regions of the hippocampus, compared to the control animals. These parameters partially improved in animals supplemented with WCE but without a dose-related pattern. This study suggests that WCE may be beneficial for neuroprotection in stress-induced neurodegeneration.

The growth and cadmium (Cd) accumulation of Nasturtium officinale cuttings taken from plants continuously grafted (three times) onto the rootstock of Brassica oleracea were studied in a pot experim...

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.), an aquatic leafy vegetable of the Brassicaceae family, is known as a nutritional powerhouse. Here, we de novo sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of watercress based on combined PacBio and Illumina data. The cp genome is 155,106 bp in length, exhibiting a typical quadripartite structure including a pair of inverted repeats (IRA and IRB) of 26,505 bp separated by a large single copy (LSC) region of 84,265 bp and a small single copy (SSC) region of 17,831 bp. The genome contained 113 unique genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNAs and 4 rRNAs, with 20 duplicate in the IRs. Compared with the prior cp genome of watercress deposited in GenBank, 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 27 indels were identified, mainly located in noncoding sequences. A total of 49 repeat structures and 71 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were detected. Codon usage showed a bias for A/T-ending codons in the cp genome of watercress. Moreover, 45 RNA editing sites were predicted in 16 genes, all for C-to-U transitions. A comparative plastome study with Cardamineae species revealed a conserved gene order and high similarity of protein-coding sequences. Analysis of the Ka/Ks ratios of Cardamineae suggested positive selection exerted on the ycf2 gene in watercress, which might reflect specific adaptations of watercress to its particular living environment. Phylogenetic analyses based on complete cp genomes and common protein-coding genes from 56 species showed that the genus Nasturtium was a sister to Cardamine in the Cardamineae tribe. Our study provides valuable resources for future evolution, population genetics and molecular biology studies of watercress.