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Several Ranunculaceae species are used in folk medicine to eliminate pathologies associated with oxidative stress as well as parasitic infections; however, a number of studies confirming their pharmacological properties is limited. In this study, 19 ethanolic extracts obtained from 16 Ranunculaceae species were assayed for in vitro antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antiparasitic potential. The maximum antioxidant potential in both oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays was observed for Aconitum toxicum extract [half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) 18.7 and 92.6 μg/mL]. Likewise, Anemone transsilvanica extract exerted the most promising antiproliferative activity against Caco-2 (IC50 46.9 μg/mL) and HT29 (IC50 70.2 μg/mL) cell lines in 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Additionally, a dual antioxidant and cytotoxicity effect was demonstrated for Aconitum moldavicum and Caltha palustris extracts. Whilst the efficacy of extracts was modest against Trypanosoma brucei (IC50 ranging from 88.8 to 269.3 µg/mL), several extracts exhibited high potency against Leishmania infantum promastigotes (Aconitum vulparia IC50 18.8 µg/mL). We also tested them against the clinically relevant intracellular stage and found extract of A. vulparia to be the most effective (IC50 29.0 ± 1.1 µg/mL). All tested extracts showed no or low toxicity against FHs 74Int normal cell line (IC50 ranging from 152.9 to >512 µg/mL). In conclusion, we suggest the above-mentioned plant extracts as potential candidates for development of novel plant-based antioxidant and/or antiproliferative and/or antileishmanial compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A micropropagation protocol via direct shoot organogenesis from leaf explants of six commercial varieties of Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl was established in this study. The shoot induction was successfully achieved on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 0.2 mg L-1 indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 0.5 mg L-1 benzylaminopurine (BA). In proliferation stage, the effects of two combinations of PGRs (V1-0.2 mg L-1 IAA + 0.2 mg L-1 BA and V2-0.2 mg L-1 NAA +1 mg L-1 BA) on shoot number and length were examined for each genotype. The results suggest that PGR's combinations significantly influenced shoot proliferation in all analysed variety and among the treatments 0.2 mg L-1 NAA in combination with 1 mg L-1 BA was the most effective for in vitro shoot multiplication. The in vitro rooting percentage was 86.86-96.66% and was varieties-dependent. In vitro-raised plants showed a very high rate of survival (82-94 %). The genetic fidelity between the selected vitro-plants and mother plants were confirmed by CDDP markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic variability of five populations of Quercus petraea originating from the Transylvania and Maramureș regions of Romania was investigated in this study to provide insights into the species' adaptability, population dynamics, and potential for preservation in the face of environmental challenges. To achieve this, sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers, in conjunction with a set of 18 primer combinations, were employed. The outcomes of the analysis revealed a range of polymorphisms spanning from 69.78% to 85.75%. Additionally, the assessment of genetic diversity using Shannon's information index (I) yielded values ranging between 0.2887 and 0.3955, while Nei's gene diversity (He) exhibited a spectrum from 0.1833 to 0.2582. The analysis of genetic variability, conducted via molecular variance (AMOVA), unveiled that 9% of the genetic variation was attributable to differences among the populations, while a substantial 91% resided within the populations. A further investigation of the population structure revealed that the construction of a UPGMA dendrogram based on Nei's genetic distances elucidated the presence of two principal genetic clusters, a finding that was reinforced by a Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA). The genetic diversity revealed by Quercus petraea using SRAP molecular markers offers promising potential for upcoming breeding programs to identify optimal genitors, facilitating the development of well-adapted oak populations in the Transylvania and Maramureș regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micropropagation of five grapevine cultivars (Fetească albă, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling Italian and Traminer roz) was performed using axillary shoots as a source of explant from field-grown plants. Shoot initiation and proliferation were performed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 0.5 mg/L NAA and BAP (0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 BAP mg/L). Subsequently, proliferated shoots from V3 were used for grapevine callus induction. The callus was then subcultured on fresh MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L BAP +5.0 (V4) and 10 mg/l NAA (V5). Embryogenic calli grown on V5 were transferred and subcultured on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L NAA and three different concentrations of TDZ (0.5; 1.0; 2.0 mg/L) for shoot regeneration. RAPD assay was performed after the 12th subculture using in vitro-raised plants from V6 culture medium (0.5 mg/L NAA+0.5 mg/L TDZ) and the mother plants grown in the field and used as control. The results of this study reveal that the highest number of somaclones (5) was regenerated from the Merlot variety and the lowest number (1) from the Feteasca albă and Traminer roz varieties. For practice, the induction of somaclonal variation and the selection of valuable somaclones are important goals for future grapevine breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclamen genus is part of the Primulaceae family consisting of 24 species widely cultivated as ornamental and medicinal plants. They also possess high plasticity in terms of adaptability to alternating environmental conditions. In this regard, the present study investigates the germination and morphological parameters of heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive Cyclamen persicum accessions in the presence of different GA3 solutions (0, 30, 70 and 90 mg/L) under ambient temperature and heat stress conditions. Heat-tolerant genotypes, mainly C3-Smartiz Victoria (6.42%), C15-Merengue magenta (6.47%) and C16-Metis silverleaf (5.12%) had the highest germination rate with 90 mg/L GA3 treatment compared with control. Regarding heat-sensitive genotypes, C11-Verano (5.11%) and C13-Metis Origami (4.28%) had the lowest values in mean germination time, along with the Petticoat genotypes C1 (73.3%) and C2 (80.0%) with a high germination percentage. Heat-tolerant genotypes positively responded to GA3 (70 and 90 mg/L) even under heat stress conditions, by their higher values in plant height, an ascending trend also seen in heat-sensitive genotypes under GA3 treatment (70 and 90 mg/L). According to the hierarchical clustering, several heat-tolerant genotypes showed peculiar behavior under heat stress conditions, namely C3 (Smartiz Victoria), C7 (Halios falbala) and C8 (Latinia pipoca) which proved to be susceptible to heat stress even under GA3 application, compared with the other genotypes which showed tolerance to higher temperatures. In the case of heat-sensitive genotypes, C4 (Smartiz violet fonce), C6 (Metis blank pur), C11 (Verano) and C13 (Metis origami) possessed higher positive or negative values compared with the other heat-sensitive genotypes with increased doses of GA3. These genotypes were shown to be less affected by heat stress, suggesting their positive response to hormone treatment. In conclusion, the above-mentioned genotypes, particularly heat-tolerant C15 and heat-sensitive C2 with the highest germination capacity and development can be selected as heat-resistant genotypes to be deposited in gene banks and used in further amelioration programs under biotic and/or abiotic stresses to develop resistant genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is one of the abiotic stress factors which affects the global production of grain cereals and is an important risk factor even for consecrated cultivation sites. This is even more acute for spring grains which are the most vulnerable to drought. This is the case for two-row spring barley which is highly sensitive to heat, especially in the post-anthesis phenophase. To monitor drought tolerance, we assess a number of 27 genotypes from the germplasm collection to identify the tolerant ones, to turn them into valuable genitors for cultivars adaptable to the new climate changes. In order to evaluate drought tolerance was used the principle of inducing this phenomenon through the use of chemical desiccants (NaClO3). The method is based on sprinkling the plants with desiccants (NaClO3) with a 2% concentration, 14 days after the anthesis. The genotypes that constitute the objective of this study are analysed through the prism of some components of production that are most significantly affected by the effects of drought appearing in the postanthesis phenophase, such as grain weight/spike and thousand grain weight (TGW). The most pronounced effect of the treatment is highlighted by the case of the genotypes Concerto and Vienna which reacts very favourably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this paper was to identify the most reliable primer pairs out of the 64 used in order to investigate the genetic diversity of four medicinal Ranunculaceae species as follow: Aconitum moldavicum, Anemone transsilvanica, Ranunculus carpaticus and R. platanifolius. Amplified products were separated on 1.6% agarose gel and a total number of 886 DNA fragments were visualized by EtBr staining. After primer combinations screening, 27 primer pairs were selected based on clarity, reproducibility of the amplified bands and high rates of polymorphism for further research. The selected SRAP primer pairs resulted in 553 informative fragments with an average number of 20.5 per primer combination. The most efficient primer combinations were Me1/Em1, Me3/Em3, Me7/Em4, Me7/Em5, Me7/Em8, Me8/Em1 and Me8/Em5 which generated a total number of 201 visible DNA fragments. The current research represents a preliminary study for further conservation perspectives regarding the genetic diversity of several medicinal plants belonging to the Ranunculaceae family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]