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Hairy root culture of plants is a considerable way for the in vitro production of valuable metabolites because of genetic stability, rapid growth rate, biochemical stability, and high capacity in the synthesis of secondary metabolites. Alizarin is an anthraquinone derived from the roots of madder (Rubia tinctorum) and has been used since ancient times as a natural red dye and exhibits various pharmacological and biological activities including anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-microbial activity. The influence of two factors including explant (leaf, internode, cotyledon) and strains of A. rhizogenes (15834, 2656, MSU, R1000) was tested on hairy root production of madder. All explants produced hairy roots with acceptable frequencies but leaf explants produced the highest number of roots per explant followed by cotyledons. The highest root induction rate (100%) and the highest number of hairy roots per explant were obtained from leaf explants inoculated with 15834 and R 1000. Analysis of the PCR products showed the presence of a 403 bp amplicon related to the specific reproduction of rolA gene in transgenic roots. Anthraquinone production was documented in transgenic roots but there was a significant difference between roots from different bacterial strains. As a brief result, the use of suitable bacterial strains and explants were effective factors for hairy root induction in madder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicyclic hexapeptide RA-VII analogues were synthesized by replacing the Tyr-3 and/or Tyr-6 methoxy groups with difluoromethoxy or fluoromethoxy groups, and their cytotoxic activity against HL-60 cells was evaluated. The analogues showed reduced cytotoxic activity compared with that of RA-VII, and those having a fluorinated methoxy group at Tyr-3 showed weaker activity than that of the corresponding Tyr-6 analogues. [Display omitted] • BrCF 2 COOEt and p -TsOCH 2 F are applicable to modify the tyrosyl hydroxy group of peptides. • The methoxy group at Tyr-3 is critically involved in the activity of RA-VII. • -OCHF 2 and -OCH 2 F are not just a simple isosteric replacement of -OCH 3 in bioactive compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Indian madder (Rubia cordifolia L.), is an important natural dyeing plant with long history. Rubia belongs to the family Rubiaceae. It is one of the oldest dyeing plant with a source of beautiful and permanent shades of red. The compounds found in the plant’s roots are an excellent natural dye for dyeing protein fibres. The ingredients contained in the root of the plant have numerous health-promoting effects on the human body, both internal and external. In this study water extract from the plant roots was tested to obtain different colours on protein fibres. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the dyeing properties of East Frisian sheep wool by water extract of R. cordifolia roots. Methods: In this research wool from the East Frisian sheep breed were selected and compared the colours obtained on this wool using six dyeing methods. Results: The results indicate that the type of mordants used affects the intensity and colour of the wool after dyeing. Wool samples dyed without any treatments and with various mordants show different intensity of colour in the red colour range (cinnabar red, brick red, raspberry, tomato red, Tuscan red). Conclusions: Indian Madder R. cordifolia plant is an efficient raw material that gives intense colours on wool in range of red. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubia podantha Diels is endemic to southwestern China and belongs to the family Rubiaceae. It is used in traditional Chinese medicines. To enrich the genetic data and resolve Rubiaceae's phylogeny, we assembled a complete chloroplast (cp) genome of R. podantha using Illumina HiSeq reads. The whole length of the cp genome was 154,866 bp. Annotation using PGA software found 113 genes, including 79 protein coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. The large single-copy region was 84,717 bp, the inverted repeat B (IRa) region was 26,516 bp, the small single copy was 17,117 bp, and the inverted repeats B (IRb) region was 26,516 bp. Moreover, 64 SSRs were identified. Phylogenomic analysis using cp genomes of 109 Rubiaceae species found that R. podantha is closely related to R. cordifola. Rubiaceae was separated into three subfamilies: Ixoroideae, Cinchonoideae, and Rubiodeae. The genus Saprosma was not imbedded within the Spermacoceae alliance as reported in previous studies. Instead, it was imbedded within the Psychotrieae alliance. Divergence time estimation indicated that R. podantha split from its relative R. cordifolia around 1.25 million years ago. The assembled chloroplast genome in this study provided useful molecular information about the evolution of R. podantha and was a basis for phylogenetic analyses of Rubiaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytochemical investigation of the 70% ethanolic extract of the roots of Rubia oncotricha Hand.-Mazz. led to the isolation of 2 new anthraquinone glucosides named 1-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-9,10-anthraquinone-11- O - β -D-glucopyranoside (1) and 1,3,6–trihydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-9,10-anthraquinone-3- O - β -D-glucopyranoside (2), together with 5 known compounds (3-7). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analysis (1-dimensional, 2-dimensional-nuclear magnetic resonance, and high resolution-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jean-François Persoz (1805-1868) was a Swiss-French pharmacist and chemist who with Payen isolated the amylase of malt (the first enzyme isolated and studied) and with Biot showed that the inversion of sugar could be followed by means of circular polarization. He also studied the chemistry and preparation of complex metallic oxides, the solubility of salts, the composition of madder, the dyeing and printing of fabrics, arsenic poisoning, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of antitumor bicyclic hexapeptide RA-VII analogues modified at residue 2, 3, or 6 were prepared by the chemical transformation of the hydroxy, methoxy, or carboxy groups or the aromatic rings of natural peptides RA-II, III, V, VII, and X. Analogues with modified side chains or peptide backbones, which cannot be prepared by the chemical transformation of their natural peptides, and newly isolated peptides from Rubia cordifolia roots were synthesized by using protected cycloisodityrosines prepared by the degradation of bis(thioamide) obtained from RA-VII or the diphenyl ether formation of boronodipeptide under the modified Chan-Lam coupling reaction conditions. Studies of the conformational features of the analogues and the newly isolated peptides and their relationships with cytotoxic activities against the HCT-116, HL-60, KATO-III, KB, L1210, MCF-7, and P-388 cell lines revealed the following: the methoxy group at residue 3 is essential for the potent cytotoxic activity; the methyl group at Ala-2 and Ala-4 but not at D-Ala-1 is required to establish the bioactive conformation; the N-methyl group at Tyr-5 is necessary for the peptides to adopt the active conformation preferentially; and the orientation of Tyr-5 and/or Tyr-6 phenyl rings has a significant effect on the cytotoxic activity.

In the present work the natural madder dye (Rubia Cordifolia) and Kattha (Acacia catechu) was applied on the regenerated cellulosic fabric-Lyocell through hand screen printing method. In the first part of the study printing paste was developed, using various ratios of guar gum and chitosan for printing with Madder and Kattha. The printed fabric was then characterized with respect to colourfastness and antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. For durability tests, both the dyes showed a moderate to good light fastness and fastness to perspiration and good to excellent fastness to washing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence has shown that metabolism, in particular the synthesis of fatty acids, has great significance for growth and metastasis of colorectal neoplasm. The previous results showed that RA-XII, a natural cyclopeptide isolated from Rubia yunnanensis , inhibits tumor growth and metastasis by AMPK/mTOR/P70S6K pathway and PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway. But if or not lipid metabolism involves the antitumor mechanism of RA-XII is not clear. Herein the results indicated that RA-XII reduced the cell motility by decreasing the expressions of β-catenin and β-catenin dependent proteins CD44 and MMP7 in HCT116 cells. Then RA-XII effectively reduced fatty acids levels by decreasing the expression of SREBP-1 and inhibiting the expressions of de novo fatty acid synthesis proteins FASN and SCD. Moreover the decreased cell motility caused by RA-XII was attenuated with the SREBP-1 knockdown. In addition, the in vivo experiments also demonstrated that RA-XII inhibited tumor growth and metastasis via restraining lipogenesis in colorectal neoplasm mouse models. Taken together, these results indicated that RA-XII suppressed the colorectal neoplasm growth and metastasis by inhibition of lipogenesis depended on SREBP-1 suppression. • Natural cyclopeptide RA-XII suppresses tumor growth and metastasis in colorectal cancer in vitro and in vivo. • RA-XII inhibits lipogenesis in colorectal cancer in vitro and in vivo. • SREBP-1 siRNA blocks the anti-tumor effects of RA-XII. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubia cordifolia L., is an industrially viable medicinal crop and is widely exploited for the therapeutic potential of its bioactive metabolite, purpurin. The present investigation aimed to explore the chemotypic and molecular variability in seven wild populations of R. cordifolia from South Eastern Ghats region of India. Thirty-eight individuals were assessed for molecular fingerprinting (ISSR markers) and densitometric quantification of purpurin and alizarin. The populations of Yelagiri Hills and Shervaroy Hills contained the highest levels of alizarin (0.115 and 0.093%, respectively) while Pachamalai and Kolli Hills revealed the highest purpurin content (0.284 and 0.280%, respectively). Genetic diversity was generally higher in the same populations that produced higher metabolite content, with the exception of Pachamalai, suggesting a highly prioritized conservation concern. The study revealed a Nei's total gene diversity at species level of 0.266 and of 0.187 at population level, with an average population genetic differentiation of 0.28. No clear genetic or chemical structure was retrieved between the studied populations, with individuals from different locations clustering together, and no significant correlation was obtained between metabolites and genetic diversity or between these and the populations' geographic distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary metabolites in fungi offer an interesting source of bio‐based compounds that could be used as colorants in many applications. From a historical point of view, fungal natural dyes have been used more rarely than plant‐based dyes. This paper investigates the potential of fungal colorants, using Cortinarius species as examples. In our research, fruiting bodies of the fungi Cortinarius sanguineus and Cortinarius semisanguineus were used as sources of anthraquinone dyestuffs. From 10 kg of fresh fruiting bodies, 60 g of anthraquinone powder was obtained, 6% of the dry weight content. The most abundant compounds were emodin, dermocybin and their glucosides, which formed over 90% of the total dyestuff amount. Pure emodin and dermocybin, as well as the crude water extract, were used for the dyeing and printing of natural and synthetic fibres. Conventional mordant techniques and high‐temperature (HT) disperse dye techniques were applied, and light and washing fastness were tested according to International Organization for Standardization standards. Our experiments show that the yields of dye powders extracted from fungi are reasonable compared with the yields of, for example, madder (Rubia tinctorum). Natural anthraquinones produce strong and bright colours on several types of fibres. In particular, for HT disperse dyed polyester, the light and washing fastness properties were excellent. Anthraquinones are common in nature and there are many fungal species which produce them, so there are a variety of possibilities for growing fungi. The use of large‐scale cultures is an interesting perspective for future biocolorant production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two RA‐series bicyclic hexapeptides, RA‐XXV (4) and RA‐XXVI (5), which have no N‐methyl group at Tyr‐5, were isolated from the roots of Rubia cordifolia L. Their amino acid compositions and sequences were determined by interpretation of MS, and 1D and 2D NMR data and their relative structures were elucidated by XRD analysis of 4 and RA‐XXVI acetate (6). The absolute stereochemistry of 4 was established by the total synthesis of 4, and that of 5, by the chemical correlation with 4. Peptides 4 and 5 exhibited cytotoxicity toward human promyelocytic leukemia HL‐60 (IC50=0.062 and 0.066 μm, respectively) and human colonic carcinoma HCT‐116 (IC50=0.028 and 0.051 μm, respectively) cell lines. Analysis of the conformational structures of 4 and 6 in the crystalline state and those of 4 and 5 in solution revealed that the N‐methyl group at Tyr‐5 functions to make this series of peptides preferentially adopt the active conformation. The eye of Ra: Two RA‐series bicyclic hexapeptides, RA‐XXV and RA‐XXVI, which have no N‐methyl group at Tyr‐5, were isolated from the roots of Rubia cordifolia L. and their absolute structures were established by synthetic methods. Investigation of their conformational properties and cytotoxic activity revealed that the N‐methyl group at Tyr‐5 is necessary for this series of peptides to take the active conformation preferentially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • It was the most comprehensive analysis of RAs in Rubia species to date. • A UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS method in the MRM mode was established for RAs. • 14 RAs were evaluated in 20 Rubia plants from China. • 51 of 67 samples contained RAs, included 8 Rubia species for the first time. • Relationships between species and RAs were revealed by chemometric analysis. Abstract Rubiaceae-type cyclopeptides (RAs) are one of characteristic constituents isolated from Rubia species, which are candidates of innovative anti-tumor drugs due to their significant bioactivity. However, approaches on the systematic characterization and quantification of RAs are still not available because of low contents and complicated purification. In this study, an ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS) method was established and validated for qualitative and quantitative analysis of 14 RAs (1 - 14) in 20 Rubia plants from China. The separation was achieved on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C 18 column (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) using gradient elution with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile and water. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in positive mode was used to enable the selective detection of RAs from the Rubia root and rhizome extracts within 10 min. This method was proved to be specific, sensitive, precise, and accurate with the limits of detection and quantification at 0.6–11.4 ng/mL and 1.9–34.2 ng/mL, respectively, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the overall intra-day and inter-day precision less than 5.24%. Satisfactory recovery was obtained from 83.80% to 111.77%, with the RSD less than 5.32%. Totally, 67 samples were then qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by this method and 51 of them were proved to contain RAs. Thereinto, R. podantha and R. yunnanensis from Yunnan were the two most abundant species. Additionally, RAs were detected in 8 Rubia species for the first time. Then chemometric approaches were revealed to explain the relationship between samples based on their contents of RAs. This study demonstrated that the method was not only useful for RAs source discovery and chemotaxonomy of Rubia species, but also could be extended to standardization of RAs medical materials and their new drug research and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the current work was to evaluate the spectrum-effect relationships between high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints and analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of Rubia cordifolia L. extract (RCE), and to identify active components of RCE. Chemical fingerprints of ten batches of RC from various sources were obtained by HPLC, and similarity and hierarchical clustering analyses were carried out. Pharmacodynamic assays were performed in adjuvant-induced arthritis rat model to assess the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of RCE. The spectrum-effect relationships between chemical fingerprints and the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of RCE were established by gray correlation analysis. UPLC-ESI-MS was used to identify the structures of potential active components, by reference standards comparison. The results showed that a close correlation existed between chemical fingerprints with analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities, and alizarin, 6-hydroxyrubiadin, purpurin and rubiadin might be the active constituents of RCE. In addition, RCE attenuated pathological changes in adjuvant-induced arthritis. The current findings provide a strong basis for combining chemical fingerprints with analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in assessing the spectrum-effect relationships of RCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new quinone derivatives, rubiasins D-F ( 1 – 3 ), rubialatones A and B ( 4 and 5 ), have been isolated from the roots and rhizomes of three Rubia species, Rubia alata , R. wallichiana and R. schumanniana , together with 26 known quinones ( 6 – 31 ). Their structures have been elucidated on the basis of NMR, MS spectra and computational methods. The compounds have been evaluated for their toxicity to the saprophytic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita . Compounds 1 , 6 and 7 showed toxicity to C. elegans with the LC 50 values at 8.50, 9.44 and 44.82 μg/mL, respectively; and 6 showed toxicity to M. incognita with the LC 50 value at 35.22 μg/mL. Meanwhile, compounds 1 and 6 showed inhibitory effect on egg hatch of C. elegans with the LC 50 values at 5.60 and 48.95 μg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four previously undescribed naphthohydroquinone dimers named rubipodanones A-D, together with 19 known quinones containing three known napthohydroquinone dimers named rubioncolin C, methyl 5-hydroxy-dinaphtho[1,2-2′,3′]furan-7,12-dione-6-carboxylate and rubialatin B, were isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Rubia podantha . Their structures and absolute configurations were determined mainly by NMR, X-ray diffraction, and computational methods. Rubipodanones C and D, the glycosides of rubipodanone A and a pair of C-3 epimer, are the first identified dimeric napthohydroquinone glycosides from the Rubia plants. All naphthohydroquinone dimers were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against ten tumor cell lines and effects on the tumor-associated NF-κB signaling pathway, and rubioncolin C showed the best cytotoxicity with IC 50 value of 1.53 μM and NF-κB inhibitory activity with IC 50 value of 2.97 μM. These results also demonstrated that the key roles of C-3 configuration and sugar group for biological activities of rubipodanone C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver cancer is a progressive, irreversible and aggressive malignant disease, which has no effective chemotherapeutic drugs. RA-XII, a natural cyclopeptide isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Rubia yunnanensis, exerts anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. This work aimed to investigate the effects of RA-XII on a hepatic tumor and its underlying mechanisms in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. The results showed that RA-XII effectively inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells. Consistently, RA-XII significantly induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells by decreasing the expression of caspase 3, 8, 9, and promoting the Cleavage of PARP. Moreover, RA-XII-induced apoptosis was attenuated in the presence of apoptosis inhibitor N-Benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp (O-Me) fluoromethyl keton, suggesting that RA-XII induced apoptosis-cell-death in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, autophagy-related proteins and mRNA levels were dramatically reduced after RA-XII treatment. Meanwhile, we observed that autophagy inhibitor chloroquine could enhance apoptosis in RA-XII-treated HepG2 cells, indicating that autophagy played a protective role in HepG2 cells and RA-XII might inhibit protective autophagy. Further analysis showed that RA-XII inhibited AMPK phosphorylation and led to the mTOR/P70S6K pathway activation, suggesting that RA-XII inhibited autophagy through AMPK/mTOR/P70S6K pathways. This study demonstrated that RA-XII promoted apoptosis and inhibited protective autophagy through AMPK/mTOR/P70S6K pathways in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, these findings suggest that RA-XII might potentially be a candidate as an autophagy inhibitor agent for further therapy of liver cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, eco-friendly 100% nettle bast bio-fibre fabric was dyed with eco-friendly natural dye, madder (Rubia tinctorum L.), using alternative dyeing methods such as ultrasound and microwave energy. Dyeings were performed with conventional-exhaustion, ultrasound and microwave methods using green tea and alum as mordants. The colorimetric, colour fastness properties and FTIR-ATR spectra of the nettle-biofibres dyed were investigated. Although the colour strengths of the microwave and ultrasound energy-aided dyeings were not as high as in conventional dyeings, the usage of microwave-energy in dyeing is important in terms of shortening the process time. All dyed nettle fabrics exhibited very high and commercially acceptable wash, dry-rub, alkaline-perspiration, acidic-perspiration and water fastness properties. Overall the conventional and ultrasound dyeing methods caused slightly higher light fastness than the microwave assisted dyeing method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The paper aims to analyse the effect of acid hydrolysis on the chemical composition and the biological activities of Rubia tinctorum collected from the south of Tunisia. It proposes to clarify the relationship between alizarin content and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Rubia extract.Design/methodology/approach The paper opted for analytical tools (HPLC) and the in-vitro study of biological activities, namely, the antioxidant activity which is evaluated using the radical scavenging assay (ABTS) and ferric reducing power assay (FRAP); the antimicrobial activity is tested using the wells agar diffusion method.Findings The paper provides information about the positive effect of acid hydrolysis, namely, the enhancement of alizarin content in the extract which has increased its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need to study the relationship between the chemical composition, biological activities and colour enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NF-κB signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in regulating the immune response and inflammation. However, it has been shown that NF-κB also has a major role in oncogenesis. Therefore, NF-κB inhibitors have been considered as potential drugs against cancer. Herein, we searched for NF-κB inhibitors from natural sources and identified mollugin from the roots of Rubia cordifolia L. as an inhibitor of NF-κB activation. We found that mollugin significantly inhibited the expression of an NF-κB reporter gene induced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, mollugin inhibited TNF-α-induced phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of p65, phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitor of κB (IκBα), and IκB kinase (IKK) phosphorylation. Furthermore, we discovered that pretreatment of cells with mollugin prevented the TNF-α-induced expression of NF-κB target genes, such as genes related to proliferation (COX-2, Cyclin D1 and c-Myc), anti-apoptosis (Bcl-2, cIAP-1 and survivin), invasion (MMP-9 and ICAM-1), and angiogenesis (VEGF). We also demonstrated that mollugin potentiated TNF-α-induced apoptosis and inhibited proliferation of HeLa cells. We further demonstrated in vivo that mollugin suppressed the growth of tumor xenografts derived from HeLa cells. Taken together, mollugin may be a valuable candidate for cancer treatment by targeting NF-κB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to determine the effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and caffeic acid (CA) applications on the root growth index and contents of total anthraquinones (AQs), alizarin, purpurin, total phenolic (TP) and individual phenolic compounds in madder (Rubia tinctorum) roots grown in vitro conditions. For this aim, in vitro adventitious roots derived from internode parts were cultured in Murashige and Skoog media containing two different concentrations of MeJA (10 and 100 µM) and CA (1 and 2 mM) for 7 days. Based on the results, MeJA decreased the root growth index compared to control while CA had a positive influence on the root growth of madder. It may be concluded that 2 mM CA+100 µM MeJA combination was the most suitable application providing the highest AQs and phenolics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Natural dyes are mostly used for dyeing of natural fibre textiles to improve their eco-friendly features. For successful commercial use of natural dyes, the appropriate and standardized dyeing techniques need to be adopted. Appropriate scientific techniques or procedures need to be derived from scientific studies on dyeing methods, dyeing process variables, dyeing kinetics and compatibility of selective natural dyes with minimal use of hazardous chemicals.Design/methodology/approach In the present study, different enzymes (protease, amylase, xylanase, pectinase, phytase) were used efficiently with Rubia dye by using simultaneous and two-step processes; both the processes were developed with an aim for conservation of time and energy, for the ease of industrial use. The highlights of the study are twofold: eco-friendly natural dyeing by using enzyme replacing metal mordant and room temperature dyeing, which is a completely new concept.Findings Experiments showed that enzymatic treatment can give good colour strength to silk fabric using Rubia as a dye source and has good potential for commercial dyeing. It is a non-toxic dye. Use of enzymes were a deliberate attempt to avoid metal mordanting in silk dyeing, as it would make textile dyeing eco-friendlier. The order of reactivity of enzymes in one-step process was found to be protease > phytase > xylanase > amylase > pectinase. Similarly, for two-step dyeing process, the order of reactivity of enzymes observed was protease > amylase > xylanase = pectinase > phytase. Protease enzyme was the best option in both the cases. Overall, it can be concluded that in the case of enzymatic treatment, the two-step process was better in terms of larger K/S values, colour coordinate values and dye adherence.Research limitations/implications A new domain of room temperature dyeing technique has been introduced.Originality/value In the present study, different enzymes (protease, amylase, xylanase, pectinase, phytase) were used efficiently with Rubia dye by using simultaneous and two-step processes; both the processes were developed with an aim for conservation of time and energy, for the ease of industrial use. The highlights of the research are twofold: eco-friendly natural dyeing by using enzyme replacing metal mordant and room temperature dyeing, which is a completely new concept. Overall, the ease of use for industrial application. Rubia dye from Sri Lanka has been used in conjunction with different enzymes to show that metal mordanting can be easily replaced by the use of eco-friendly and biodegradable enzymes. The most attractive feature of this study is the low-temperature dyeing at 30-40°C. For any dyeing house, this process can be easily adapted on jigger, winch or even in continuous padding machine. Good fastness properties and dye adherence have been the other highlights of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubia L. is the type genus of Rubiaceae, comprising ca. 80 species. China is an important diversity center for Rubia with approximately half of its species, most of which are belong to sect. Oligoneura. The morphological variations and taxonomy are complicated in sect. Oligoneura. To provide some statistic evidences for the classification of sect. Oligoneura, we explore a morphometric study based on 20 species （171 specimens） from the section using 28 qualitative and 3 quantitative characters. Our results show that the principal components analysis produces the similar result as the cluster analysis, though the accumulation rising slowly with the first three principal components with only 48.56% of the total variations. Contributions to the first three components include leaf shape（leaf length / leaf width）, length of leaf petiole, leaf veins, number of leaves in each whorl, and life forms, which are also important to traditional classification of the genus. Our results are congruent with molecular phylogenetic results and support the recognition of ser. Chinensis, R. mandersii group, R. angustissima group and R. siamensis group, but not ser. Cordifoliae. Our results also indicated that most species in sect. Oligoneura can be well distinguished. Therefore, our study suggests that morphometric analysis provides good evidences for species identification and classification within sect. Oligoneura as well as for the whole genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, salt stress was implemented to callus and cell suspension cultures of Rubia tinctorum L. at 100 mM and 200 mM concentrations and the effects on fresh and dry weights (g), relative dry weight ratios, and alizarin and purpurin contents (mg/g dry weight) of biomass were determined. Due to an increase in salt concentrations, biomass obtained from callus and cell suspension cultures were decreased. In callus cultures, due to the low viability and proliferation rate of the callus cells, the biomass showed no significant increase. Alizarin and purpurin contents decreased as the salt concentrations in callus cultures increased, but amounts of these compounds increased in cell suspension cultures. Inoculation ratios were also found effective on fresh and dry weights, and alizarin and purpurin contents of the samples tested. 1:2 inoculation ratio caused higher alizarin and purpurin contents in cell suspension cultures, but biomass amounts were found higher at 1:4 inoculation ratio. The highest alizarin (3.183 mg/g) and purpurin (1.153 mg/g) contents were detected in the sample that had 1:2 inoculation ratios and was obtained from the medium at 200 mM NaCl concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extraction of natural dye from the roots of Rubia Cordifolia by conventional extraction, as well as by using ultrasonic extraction, has been performed in this study. Process variables, namely ultrasonic frequency (25, 40, 58 kHz), solid-to-liquid ratio (1:5, 1:10, 1:15) and extraction time (2, 2.5, 3 h) were studied, and the optimum condition was determined using three-factor Central Composite Design (CCD). The optimum extraction condition obtained from CCD was 25 kHz ultrasonic frequency, 1:15 solid-to-liquid ratio and extraction time of 3 h. The experimental result obtained at the optimum condition is in good agreement with the predicted value. An Artificial Neural Network(ANN) model was also developed, and the predictions are compared with values obtained from Response Surface Methodology (RSM) model. The extracted compounds were identified using TLC and FT-IR Spectroscopy. The extracted dye was used for dyeing leather and cotton fabric along with different mordants to obtain different shades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charles Frédéric Kuhlmann (1803-1881), French chemist who carried research in a wide variety of subjects and transformed many of his results into industrial reality that led him to fund a powerful chemical empire that is still active. He did work on catalysis with sponge of platinum, crystallization, vegetable and mineral dyes, metallurgy, soil fertility, nitrification, sugars of different sources, fluoride and hydrogen fluoride, etherification, alcoholic fermentation, wall efflorescence, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an alternative cleaner process over traditional metallic mordanting process for wool dyeing with madder, Rubia tinctorum L., root natural dye was presented. Wool surface was modified with novel eco-friendly and biocompatible cationizing agent having numerous free amine groups, namely chitosan-polypropylene imine dendrimer hybrid (CS-PPI). Modified wool demonstrated remarkable increase in dye uptake as compared to raw wool. Optimal dyeing results were obtained when CS-PPI 7 %, madder dye 20 % and dyeing pH 7 were employed. Dyeing results such as percent dye exhaustion and color depth emphasized auxiliary agents, i.e., metallic mordant and acid could be eliminated from wool dyeing process with madder dye. Saturation point shifted to lower dye concentrations in the treated wool suggested the same color depth could be obtained using lower amount of crude dye material. Wool modification with CS-PPI demonstrated no adverse impact on other properties such as colorfastness and color shade characteristics. In addition, treated wool exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity (nearly 100 % microbial reduction) against two common pathogenic microorganisms, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus which were almost durable after dyeing and subsequent repeated washes. In general, the results of this investigation showed that CS-PPI can be employed as an alternative eco-friendly 'bio-mordant' as well as effective antimicrobial finishing material in wool dyeing with madder dye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]