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Trema, a genus of the popularly known Cannabaceae, has recently been the subject of cannabinoid bioprospection. T. micrantha is a tree with pharmacological potential widely used in folk medicine. It has two types of glandular trichomes, bulbous and filiform, spread throughout the plant body. Considering the proximity of this species to Cannabis sativa and Trema orientalis, species containing cannabinoids, the glandular trichomes of T. micrantha are also expected to be related to the secretion of these compounds. Thus, this study aims to detail the morphology of secretory trichomes during the synthesis, storing and release of metabolites in T. micrantha. We tested the proposition that they could be a putative type of cannabinoid-secreting gland. Pistillate and staminate flowers and leaves were collected and processed for ontogenic, histochemical, and ultrastructural analyses. Both types of glandular trichomes originate from a protodermal cell. They are putative cannabinoid-secreting sites because: (1) terpene-phenols and, more specifically, cannabinoids were detected in situ; (2) their secretory subcellular apparatus is consistent with that found in C. sativa: modified plastids, polyribosomes, an extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum, and a moniliform smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Plastids and smooth endoplasmic reticulum are involved in the synthesis of terpenes, while the rough endoplasmic reticulum acts in the phenolic synthesis. These substances cross the plasma membrane by exocytosis and are released outside the trichome through cuticle pores. The study of the cell biology of the putative cannabinoid glands can promote the advancement of prospecting for natural products in plants., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Trema orientalis is a pioneer species in the cannabis family (Cannabaceae) that is widely distributed in Thai community forests and forest edges. The mature leaves are predominantly used as an anti-parasite treatment and feed for local freshwater fish, inspiring investigation of their phytochemical composition and bioactivity. The purpose of this work was to investigate the bioactive compounds in T. orientalis leaf extract and their cytotoxicity in the BF-2 fish cell line (ATCC CCL-91). Flash column chromatography was used to produce 25 mL fractions with a mixture solvent system comprised of hexane, diethyl ether, methanol, and acetone. All fractions were profiled with HPLC-DAD (mobile phase methanol:aqueous buffer, 60:40 v/v) and UV detection (wavelengths 256 and 365 nm). After drying, a yellowish powder was isolated from lipophilic leaf extract with a yield of 280 µg/g dry weight. Structure elucidation by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) indicated it to consist of pure β-sitosterol. The lipophilic extract and pure compound were evaluated for cytotoxicity using BF-2 cells. MTT assays showed both leaf extract and pure compound at 1 µg/mL to increase cell viability after 24 h treatment. The respective half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) values of leaf extract and β-sitosterol were 7,027.13 and 86.42 µg/ml, indicating a lack of toxicity in the BF-2 cell line. Hence, T. orientalis can serve as a source of non-toxic natural lipophilic compounds that can be useful as bioactive ingredients in supplement feed development., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2024 Mekarunothai et al.)

Background: Buddleja polystachya, Trema orientalis, and Cissus rotundifolia were applied locally for various ocular purposes, while receiving few scientific evaluations. Purpose: This study aimed to screen the anticancer properties and determine the cell-cycle cytotoxicity and apoptotic activity of the most promising plant extract. Methods: In this study, MTT assays with MCF7 (human breast adenocarcinoma), HT29 (human colorectal adenocarcinoma) and HepG2 (human liver adenocarcinoma) were used. In addition to MRC5 (normal human foetal lung fibroblast) was carried out for preliminary activity screening and selectivity. The most promising extract was subjected to GC–MS analysis to determine the phytochemical composition. Additionally, a clonogenic assay was performed to measure tumor cell survival and subsequent proliferative capacity after drug exposure was conducted for the most active extract(s) and finally western blotting was used to determine the expression change of the two selected proteins (survivin and CCND1) in order to determine the exact mechanistic features of the most promising plant extract. Results: The six extracts showed variable IC50 values ranging from 1.77 to - 40.97 μg/mL. The most active extracts were C. rotundifolia coded as (stem; BEP-03A and leaves; BEP-03B) on HepG2 cells and showed ∼ 4 and 8 fold selectivity compared to normal MRC5 cells. Both extracts showed a dose-dependent clonogenic effect on HepG2 cells, which was comparable to the effect of doxorubicin. The extract (BEP-03B) caused a significant decrease in the expression of survivin and CCND1 compared to the control GAPDH at its highest dose (12 µg/mL). The GC–MS chromatogram of the leaf of C. rotundifolia extract (BEP-03B) revealed the presence of 17 compounds, as the main phytoconstituents representing 57.5 % of the total compounds present in BEP-03B Three steroidal components (12, 14 and 15) were the main components, while compound stigmast-5-en-3-ol (compound 15) was the main component. Conclusions: Leaves of Cissus rotundifolia (Forssk.) Vahl, possess a significant cytotoxic effect and it may produce this effect, through apoptosis induction, perturbation, and disruption of the cell cycle. The detected phytoconstituents in the plant extract might be involved in the tested cytotoxic activity and its molecular apoptotic mechanism. Future studies are required to isolate the active ingredient(s) and confirm the therapeutic application(s).

In pancreatic cancer, healthy cells in the pancreas begin to malfunction and proliferate out of control. According to our conventional knowledge, many plants contain several novel bioactive compounds, having pharmaceutical applications for the treatment of disease like pancreatic cancer. The methanolic fraction of fruit extract of Trema orientalis L. (MFETO) was analysed through HRMS. In this in silico study, pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties of the identified flavonoids from MFETO were screened out by ADMET analysis. Kaempferol and catechin followed Lipinski rules and showed no toxicity in Protox II. Targets of these compounds were taken from SwissTarget prediction and TCMSP whilst targets for pancreatic cancer were taken from GeneCards and DisGeNET databases. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of common genes was generated through STRING and then exported to the Cytoscape to get top 5 hub genes (AKT1, SRC, EGFR, TNF, and CASP3). The interaction between compounds and hub genes was analysed using molecular docking, and high binding affinity between them can be visualised by Biovia discovery studio visualizer. Our study shows that, five hub genes related to pancreatic cancer play an important role in tumour growth induction, invasion and migration. Kaempferol effectively check cell migration by inhibiting ERK1/2, EGFR-related SRC, and AKT pathways by scavenging ROS whilst catechin inhibited TNFα-induced activation and cell cycle arrest at G1 and G2/M phases by induction of apoptosis of malignant cells. Kaempferol and catechin containing MFETO can be used for formulation of potent drugs for pancreatic cancer treatment in future., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Trema to jedno z najczęstszych zjawisk odczuwanych przed wystąpieniami publicznymi. Istotnym powodem pomiaru tremy jest jej negatywny wpływ na zdrowie i emisję głosu dzieci i młodzieży. W literaturze światowej istnieją teorie, które opisują zjawisko tremy i jej impli­kacje dla emisji głosu. Niestety, brakuje narzędzi do badania tremy przed występem, które byłyby przeznaczone dla dzieci i młodzieży oraz zawierałyby jednocześnie kontekst pracy głosem. Celem tego artykułu jest krótka charakterystyka tremy i zaburzeń głosu o podło­żu psychogennym oraz przedstawienie autorskiego narzędzia stworzonego na podstawie trójczynnikowej teorii konstruktu tremy. W tekście opisane są kolejne etapy powstawania kwestionariusza, analiza czynnikowa i wyłanianie skal. Wyniki analiz potwierdziły trój­czynnikową konstrukcję narzędzia i sugerują, że skala może okazać się trafnym kwestio­nariuszem do badania tremy.

Establishing the genetic diversity and population structure of a species can guide the selection of appropriate conservation and sustainable utilization strategies. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches are increasingly being used to generate multi-locus data for genetic structure determination. This study presents the genetic structure of a fodder species -Trema orientalis based on two genome-wide high-throughput diversity array technology (DArT) markers; silicoDArT and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Genotyping of 119 individuals generated 40,650 silicoDArT and 4767 SNP markers. Both marker types had a high average scoring reproducibility (>99%). Genetic relationships explored by principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) showed that the first principal coordinate axis explained most of the variation in both the SilicoDArT (34.2%) and SNP (89.6%) marker data. The average polymorphic information content did not highly differ between silicoDArT (0.22) and SNPs (0.17) suggesting minimal differences in informativeness in the two groups of markers. The, mean observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosity were low and differed between the silicoDArT and SNPs respectively, estimated at Ho = 0.08 and He = 0.05 for silicoDArT and Ho = 0.23 and He = 0.19 for SNPs. The population of T. orientalis was moderately differentiated (FST  =  0.20-0.53) and formed 2 distinct clusters based on maximum likelihood and principal coordinates analysis. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that clusters contributed more to the variation (46.3-60.8%) than individuals (32.9-31.2%). Overall, the results suggest a high relatedness of the individuals sampled and a threatened genetic potential of T. orientalis in the wild. Therefore, genetic management activities such as ex-situ germplasm management are required for the sustainability of the species. Ex-situ conservation efforts should involve core collection of individuals from different populations to capture efficient diversity. This study demonstrates the importance of silicoDArT and SNP makers in population structure and genetic diversity analysis of Trema orientalis, useful for future genome wide studies in the species., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Charcoal-tree, Trema orientale (L.) Blume (Cannabaceae) (syn. T. orientalis) has a range of uses in African traditional medicine such as the treatment of respiratory ailments, gonorrhea, yellow fever, and toothache, while the root bark is used traditionally to induce labour. This study evaluated the possible contractile effect of methanol (MeOH) crude extract of the root bark of T. orientale on the isolated uterus of oestrogenised non-pregnant female rats suspended in physiological salt solution (PSS). The effect of MeOH extract (0.2-4.0 mg/mL) on spontaneous uterine tissue contraction in physiological salt solution (PSS) was determined. Similarly, 1.0 mg/mL extract was tested on uterine tissues precontracted with oxytocin (6.7 µg/mL) in PSS and in the calciumfree medium. Finally, tissue was precontracted with high KCL concentration (80 mM, 1 mg/mL) followed by adding extract (10 mg/mL). Amplitude and frequency of contraction were measured in all cases. Extract elicited dose-dependent increases in amplitude (0.347 - 1.252 gr) and frequency (8 - 19 peaks/min) of spontaneous uterine contraction. For the oxytocin pre-contracted uteri in normal PSS and calcium-free-PSS, as well as high KCL concentration-induced contraction, decreases in amplitude and frequency of contractions were recorded, suggesting the plant did not potentiate the effects of these agonists. Trema orientale root bark methanol extract demonstrated tocolytic properties on a preliminary basis, not contractile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a fresh root of Trema guineensis (Ulmaceae), endophytic fungi were isolated, among which a taxon belonging to the new species Diaporthe cameroonensis. This strain was fermented in shake flask batch cultures and the broth was extracted with ethyl acetate. From the crude extract, a hemiketal polyketide 1, and an acetylated alternariol 2 were isolated, along with fifteen known secondary metabolites. Their structures were established by extensive NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analyses, as well as by comparison with literature data of their analogs.

There are inconclusive claims in the scientific literature that the species Trema micranthum, widely distributed throughout the Brazilian territory, may produce phytocannabinoids, potentially serving as an alternative to Cannabis sativa. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation to assess the presence of phytocannabinoids in two Trema micranthum samples collected in the Midwest region of Brazil. In trying to detect cannabinoids in T. micranthum, a recommended cannabis screening test was employed, the Fast Blue BB Salt (FBBBS) colorimetric assay, followed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and instrumental techniques: high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). When employed without chloroform extraction, the FBBBS reagent yielded positive results for extracts from all parts of T. micranthum (leaves, branches, fruits, and inflorescences). However, these initial positive results from the FBBBS test, suggesting the presence of cannabinoids, were not corroborated by FBBBS followed by chloroform extraction, TLC, or the instrumental techniques used in this study. These additional outcomes suggest that the positive FBBBS test results were likely due to the presence of other phenolic compounds rather than phytocannabinoids. For example, the presence of vitexin-like compounds in T. micranthum extracts might explain the positive FBBBS test results. Therefore, new assertions that T. micranthum produces cannabinoids will require the support of more selective experiments to avoid false-positive claims based on less selective screening tests.

ABSTRACT: Poisoning by Trema micrantha commonly causes hepatocellular necrosis in cattle, sheep, and goats and edema and cerebral hemorrhage in horses. This plant can cause toxic pneumopathy in sheep, and there is only one report of the natural form and one of the experimental form in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. This study aimed to report an outbreak of the respiratory form of natural poisoning by T. micrantha in sheep. Six sheep developed clinical respiratory signs after consumption of the plant and four of them died and two recovered after treatment with dexamethasone. The sheep presented tachypnea, noisy breathing, edema of the face, eyelids, and vulva, and subcutaneous emphysema on the face and neck. Necropsy (Sheep 2, 3, and 4) showed uncollapsed, heavy, diffuse red lungs with evident costal impressions and a moderate amount of serosanguineous fluid flowed at section. The liver had a moderate diffuse evident lobular pattern. The histopathology of the lungs of the three necropsied sheep showed congestion and edema with the formation of hyaline membranes within accentuated diffuse alveoli, in addition to thickening of the alveolar septa due to mild to moderate diffuse type II pneumocyte hyperplasia and also mild to moderate diffuse infiltrate of macrophages, lymphocytes, plasma cells, and neutrophils in the lumen of alveoli, bronchi, and bronchioles. Sheep 3 also showed type II pneumocytes with enlarged and hyperchromatic nuclei, sometimes binucleated with evident nucleoli, and, in some regions, the pneumocytes were desquamated to the alveolar lumen forming small syncytia and mild multifocal hyperplasia in the bronchial epithelium. The anti-cytokeratin IHC evaluation showed marked diffuse intracytoplasmic staining in hyperplastic type II pneumocytes in the bronchiolar epithelium of the three evaluated sheep. The liver of the three sheep had mild multifocal centrilobular necrosis. It seems to be the second report of spontaneous poisoning by T. micrantha in sheep developing lung lesions described in Brazil and the first in the State of Santa Catarina.

Introduction The concept of trema refers to an initial phase in the psychotic process that is characterized by intense anguish, an experience of hostility and a feeling of imminent catastrophe. This situation engenders in the patient a sensation of being in a tunnel than can only lead to something terrible but ineffable. Objectives To illustrate the incipient phase of psychotic disorder though the presentation of a case. Methods A presentation of a clinical case. Results A 29-year-old man attends the emergency department due to anxiety of one moth of evolution, that had debuted after a stressful event in the patient’s life such as loss of employment. He suffered from intense morning-predominance anguish, depersonalization episodes, insomnia, hallucinosis, cognitive blocks that occasioned him great anxiety and apragmatic behaviors. Besides, he had language alteration and autolytic ideation with previous autolytic gestures. After evaluation, he was diagnosed with psychotic episode. He was hospitalized, and treatment with olanzapine and lorazepam was started. Conclusions With the exhibition of this case, we intended to point up the importance of a differential diagnosis with different disorders marked by anxiety as the main symptom. In our case, panic disorder should be taken in account as a differential diagnosis. Furthermore, as the evidence shows, the identification of prodromic phases in schizophrenia allows an early diagnosis and early intervention, improving the prognosis. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Medicinal plants contain phytochemical components of pharmaceutical importance, and Trema orientalis MeOH extracts are believed to have potential antioxidant and cytotoxic properties. This investigation explores the phenolic, antioxidant, and anticancer property of the methanol extracts of aerial parts of T. orientalis. The total polyphenol content (TPC) and the total flavonoid contents (TFC) were determined following standard methods. In vitro antioxidant property was assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Cytotoxicity experiments were performed against eight cell lines and one fibroblast cell using the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay. The antimicrobial activity assay was performed using the agar-diffusion method. Individual phenolic acids identified by GC/MS were examined in silico to estimate their drug likeness based on their structures. TPC and TFC were the highest in the leaf extract, with the strongest radical scavenging activity against ABTS (84.43%) and DPPH (79.60%) radicals. The highest cytotoxicity activity was exhibited by leaf (IC50 = 2.256 ± 0.85 μg/mL) and twig (2.704 ± 1.31 μg/mL) extracts against the HCT116 cell line, followed by bark (3.653 ± 0.05 μg/mL) and leaf (3.725 ± 0.30 μg/mL) extracts against the HT29 cell line. Clonogenicity resulted in a clear decrease of colony formation by HCT116 cells, suggesting a dose-dependent mode. In silico investigation suggested that phenolic acids detected have non-drug-like properties. Extracts showed antimicrobial inactivity.

Trema orientalis L. is a potential species to be developed as a biomass-based renewable energy source. The use of quality seedling that can be done through vegetative techniques is one of the issues that determine the success of plantation development. The purpose of this research is to get the best cutting material and an optimal growth regulator for multiplication of shoot cuttings. The shoot cuttings were obtained from 12-month-old seedlings. The design used was a complete randomized design (CRD) factorial pattern with two factors, namely cuttings positions (shoot, middle and bottom parts) and concentration of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) growth regulator of 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 ppm. The result showed that T. Orientalis propagation can be carried out well by using seedling shoot section soaked in NAA 300 ppm for 10 minutes. The treatment was able to have the percentage of rooting cutting of 71.67percent, number of roots of 6 pieces, root dry weight of 0.088 g, and shoot dry weight of 0.148 g.

There are inconclusive claims in the scientific literature that the species Trema micranthum, widely distributed throughout the Brazilian territory, may produce phytocannabinoids, potentially serving as an alternative to Cannabis sativa. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation to assess the presence of phytocannabinoids in two Trema micranthum samples collected in the Midwest region of Brazil. In trying to detect cannabinoids in T. micranthum, a recommended cannabis screening test was employed, the Fast Blue BB Salt (FBBBS) colorimetric assay, followed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and instrumental techniques: high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). When employed without chloroform extraction, the FBBBS reagent yielded positive results for extracts from all parts of T. micranthum (leaves, branches, fruits, and inflorescences). However, these initial positive results from the FBBBS test, suggesting the presence of cannabinoids, were not corroborated by FBBBS followed by chloroform extraction, TLC, or the instrumental techniques used in this study. These additional outcomes suggest that the positive FBBBS test results were likely due to the presence of other phenolic compounds rather than phytocannabinoids. For example, the presence of vitexin-like compounds in T. micranthum extracts might explain the positive FBBBS test results. Therefore, new assertions that T. micranthum produces cannabinoids will require the support of more selective experiments to avoid false-positive claims based on less selective screening tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Trema (Trema orientalis Linn. Blume) merupakan tanaman serba guna karena semua bagian pohon dapat digunakan. Dalam pengembangan tanaman ini, diperlukan benih bermutu, dimana salah satu syarat untuk menentukan benih bermutu adalah benih harus berasal dari buah yang sudah masak fisiologis. Tujuan penelitian adalah mengetahui mutu fisik, mutu fisiologis, dan kandungan biokimia (lemak, karbohidrat dan protein) benih trema berdasarkan tingkat kemasakan buah. Benih trema yang digunakan berasal dari Badung, Bali. Buah trema dikelompokkan menjadi 3 warna (hijau, coklat, hitam). Rancangan penelitian menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap dengan parameter yang diamati : ukuran buah dan benih, berat buah dan benih, kadar air buah dan benih, kandungan biokimia (protein, lemak, karbohidrat), daya berkecambah, dan kecepatan berkecambah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan : (1) Tingkat kemasakan buah berpengaruh nyata terhadap mutu fisik (ukuran buah dan benih, berat buah dan benih, kadar air buah dan benih), fisiologis (daya berkecambah, kecepatan berkecambah), dan kandungan biokimia (lemak, karbohidrat, protein) benih trema, (2) Mutu fisik dan fisiologis benih yang berasal dari buah yang berwarna hitam lebih baik dibandingkan dengan buah berwarna hijau dan coklat, (3) Kandungan lemak, karbohidrat dan protein benih trema berbeda dari masing-masing tingkat kemasakan (hijau, coklat, hitam), (4) Buah trema yang sudah mencapai masak fisiologis adalah buah berwarna hitam, dengan kriteria yaitu : panjang buah 3,87 ± 0,05 mm dan lebar 3,41 ± 0,02 mm; panjang benih 2,10 ± 0,05 mm dan lebar 1,81 ± 0,06 mm; berat 1000 butir buah 25,6883 gr; berat 1000 butir benih 3,8288 gr; kadar air buah 54,74%; kadar air benih 12,03%; daya berkecambah 78%; kecepatan berkecambah 3,05%/Etmal; kandungan karbohidrat 20,10%; kandungan protein 2,84%; kandungan lemak 0,65%.

Background: Trema micrantha is a tree widely distributed throughout the Americas. The tree produces highly palatable leaves that have been associated with natural poisoning in goats, sheep and horses, in which hepatic necrosis and hepatic encephalopathy have been observed., Objectives: This study describes malacia and haemorrhage in the central nervous system (CNS) due to T. micrantha consumption, with minimal to absent hepatic lesions., Study Design: Retrospective case series., Methods: A total of 14 horses with a history of neurological signs and spontaneous consumption of T. micrantha leaves were submitted to necropsy and multiple samples were collected for histopathology. Details of clinical history and signs of the horses were obtained through inquiries to the owners and attending veterinarians., Results: All the 14 horses had neurological signs of ataxia, severe sialorrhoea, involuntary running movements, sternal and lateral recumbency, and death after a clinical course that lasted from 24 h to 9 days. For a few days prior to onset of clinical signs, all horses had spontaneously consumed, potentially toxic doses of T. micrantha leaves. All 14 brains had diffuse yellowish discoloration affecting the rhombencephalon, mesencephalon, diencephalon, telencephalon and corpus striatum. In all cases, the most severe lesions were observed in the pons. Spinal cord lesions were observed affecting the lumbar intumescence, which was swollen with darken and depressed areas at the dorsal and ventral horns, and at the sacral level, which on cut surface displayed a friable and yellowish grey matter. The lesions observed grossly in brain and spinal cord consisted microscopically of severe vasculitis and liquefactive necrosis of white and grey matter of the brainstem, cerebellum and spinal cord., Main Limitations: This is a small retrospective series relying on clinical observations reported by owners and attending veterinarians. The mechanism of action of the plant toxin in the CNS is still unidentified., Conclusion: T. micrantha poisoning in horses causes predominantly a neurological disease, with minimal to absent hepatic lesions., (© 2017 EVJ Ltd.)

Abstract Background Trema orientalis (T. orientalis Linn) has been used in the management of malaria in the western part of Nigeria and despite its application in ethnomedicine, there is dearth of scientific evidence to justify the acclaimed prophylactic antimalarial usage of the plant. The aim of this study is to assess the in vitro antiplasmodial cell-free assay and chemopreventive efficacy of the methanol extract of the stem bark of T. orientalis and its fractions as a prophylactic regimen for malaria prevention. Also, the antimicrobial activities of the extract and the fractions were investigated. Method Vacuum liquid chromatography was used to obtain dichloromethane, ethylacetate and methanol fractions from the methanol extract of T. orientalis. The fractions were tested for their prophylactic and cell-free antimalarial activity using murine models and β-hematin formation assay respectively. Disc diffusion method was used to determine the antibacterial activity of the extract and its fractions against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Results In the prophylactic experiment, dichloromethane (DCMF), methanol fraction (MF) and extract (ME) (in this order) showed significant chemopreventive effects against P. berghei invasion of the red blood cells when compared with both Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) and untreated controls. Results of the in vitro study showed that the DCMF had the highest effect in preventing the formation of β-hematin when compared with other fractions. The DCMF also had the highest percentage inhibition of β-hematin formation when compared with chloroquine. The extract and fractions showed a concentration dependent antibacterial activity. Methanol extract had a pronounced inhibitory effect on Enterobacter cloaca ATCC 13047 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212. Serratia mercescens ATCC 9986 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 19582 were the most susceptible bacteria. Conclusion The results obtained showed that both extract and fractions of T. orientalis possessed antiplasmodial and antimicrobial activity.

Establishing the genetic diversity and population structure of a species can guide the selection of appropriate conservation and sustainable utilization strategies. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches are increasingly being used to generate multi-locus data for genetic structure determination. This study presents the genetic structure of a fodder species -Trema orientalis based on two genome-wide high-throughput diversity array technology (DArT) markers; silicoDArT and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Genotyping of 119 individuals generated 40,650 silicoDArT and 4767 SNP markers. Both marker types had a high average scoring reproducibility (>99%). Genetic relationships explored by principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) showed that the first principal coordinate axis explained most of the variation in both the SilicoDArT (34.2%) and SNP (89.6%) marker data. The average polymorphic information content did not highly differ between silicoDArT (0.22) and SNPs (0.17) suggesting minimal differences in informativeness in the two groups of markers. The, mean observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosity were low and differed between the silicoDArT and SNPs respectively, estimated at Ho = 0.08 and He = 0.05 for silicoDArT and Ho = 0.23 and He = 0.19 for SNPs. The population of T. orientalis was moderately differentiated (FST = 0.20–0.53) and formed 2 distinct clusters based on maximum likelihood and principal coordinates analysis. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that clusters contributed more to the variation (46.3–60.8%) than individuals (32.9–31.2%). Overall, the results suggest a high relatedness of the individuals sampled and a threatened genetic potential of T. orientalis in the wild. Therefore, genetic management activities such as ex-situ germplasm management are required for the sustainability of the species. Ex-situ conservation efforts should involve core collection of individuals from different populations to capture efficient diversity. This study demonstrates the importance of silicoDArT and SNP makers in population structure and genetic diversity analysis of Trema orientalis, useful for future genome wide studies in the species.

Oxidative stress and its attendant health challenges are on the increase. To find a plant-based solution to the challenges, phytochemical and antioxidant properties of the leaf extracts of Albizia zygia (AZ) and Trema orientalis (TO) were investigated. Phytochemical screening of the leaves of AZ and TO was done using standard methods. Hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts of AZ (AZH, AZE, and AZM) and TO (TOH, TOE, and TOM) were evaluated for their free radical scavenging power in comparison with ascorbic acid (AA), using five different methods. In the DPPH antioxidant assay, AZH, AZE, AZM, TOH, TOE, TOM, and AA had IC50 values of 2.06, 0.28, 0.60, 0.93, 0.40, 0.34, and 0.22 µg/mL respectively. In the ABTS assay, AZH, AZE, AZM, TOH, TOE, TOM, and AA had IC50 values of 1.86, 0.41, 1.58, 2.29, 1.70, 0.73, and 0.27 µg/mL respectively. In the H2O2 antioxidant assay, AZH, AZE, AZM, TOH, TOE, TOM and AA had IC50 values of 0.130, 0.040, 0.220, 1.04, 0.044, 0.038, and 0.040 mg/mL respectively. The results of the studies established that both AZ and TO leaves contain tannins, flavonoids, reducing sugars, cardiac glycosides, saponins, terpenoids, and alkaloids, while combined anthraquinones was found in AZ only. Both AZ and TO are rich in phytochemicals with antioxidant properties. The antioxidant assays showed that AZE extract had the highest antioxidant activity compared to other extracts. This study submits that A. zygia and T. orientalis possess potent antioxidant principles that could be developed for the management of oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) by using the aqueous leaf extract of Trema orientalis (L). The ZnO NPs were synthesised by using zinc nitrate hexahydrate acts as the precursor and leaf extract acts as the reducing and capping agent. The synthesis of ZnO NPs was confirmed by the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and the average crystalline size was calculated by Scherrer's formula (24 nm) and as well as Williamson-Hall (W-H) equation (26 nm). The Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) analysis showed the stability and particle size of approximately 65–67 nm of the synthesised ZnO NPs. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed the presence of various functional groups in the synthesised NPs. The UV absorption wavelength is observed at 370 nm, and the calculated direct band gap was found to be 3.13 eV. The surface morphology, the crystalline shape of the synthesised ZnO NPs was determined by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The effectiveness of the ZnO NPs on photocatalytic degradation of zoxamide, a benzamide class of fungicide was tested under UV irradiation (λ max ≥ 250 nm). The calculated half-lives of photodegradation of zoxamide in acetonitrile/water solvent system were found to be in the range of 4.09 − 10.46 h. Moreover, the effect of pH, the initial concentration of zoxamide and photocatalyst ZnO NPs dosage were investigated. The experimental kinetic data followed the pseudo-first-order model. The reaction rate constant (kobs) was decreased from 0.1695 to 0.1511 h−1 with increasing initial zoxamide concentration from 120 to 260 mg/L, respectively. Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) kinetic model was proposed for the rate equation of the zoxamide degradation in presence of ZnO NPs under UV irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]