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Genovese basil has great economic potential; however, there is no established micropropagation protocol for this species. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the in vitro growth of Genovese basil in response to different concentrations of salts in the Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) and interaction of sucrose and activated carbon. Two assays were conducted independently in an in vitro environment using the MS medium, regulators, agar, and five salt concentrations (0, 25, 50, 70 and 100%). In the second assay, two concentrations of sucrose (30 and 60 g L ) were tested.In addition, copper and zinc were quantified in the roots. The results showed that shoots were favored when the medium was at its full strength (100% salts), with seedlings forming more leaves.This result may be associated with a higher demand for nitrogen and because of the ionic balance between NH 4 + and NO 3 -. High concentrations of salts affected the roots, but a reduction to 70% salt favored root development. Doubling the usual dose of sucrose (60 g L -1 ) damaged the growth of the seedlings. Damage caused by osmotic and oxidative potentials, and by toxic compounds may be related to the observed results. The amount of copper and zinc in the root increased with increased concentrations of activated carbon in the medium. The presence of activated carbon reduced callus formation but did not mitigate the effects of increased sucrose concentration.

The contamination of food, water, and soils by herbicides, as well as the growing resistance of weeds to these products, has increased demands for alternative methods of weed control that have less impact on the environment and human health. Curcuma zedoaria (zedoary), a species of the Zingiberaceae family, is a promising plant for alternative weed control as it produces an essential oil with herbicidal action. We evaluated the chemical composition of C. zedoaria essential oil and its allelopathic effects on the vigor and germination of lettuce achenes and tomato seeds. The essential oil was extracted from the plant rhizome by hydrodistillation and subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify its component chemical compounds. Bioassays to evaluate allelopathic potential were performed in gerbox-type containers maintained in a refrigerated biochemical oxygen demand incubator at 25°C. The treatments consisted of five essential oil concentrations (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00%) and two bioindicators (lettuce and tomato). C. zedoaria essential oil comprises monoterpene hydrocarbons (4.63%), oxygenated monoterpenes (25.88%), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (21.95%), and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (47.54%). The major compounds encountered were 1.8-cineole (15.75%) and epi-curzerenone (18.20%). We believe that the isolated effect of these compounds or the synergism between them may have influenced the observed results. Germination was inhibited in both bioindicator species, but the percentage inhibition was greater in lettuce achenes. Germination rates decreased in lettuce and tomato with increasing concentrations of essential oil, and bioindicator growth was slowed. The root system was more heavily damaged than the hypocotyl, especially in tomato compared to lettuce. These preliminary results indicate that C. zedoaria essential oil has allelopathic effects on seed germination and seedling growth and thus shows potential for weed control.

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Sweet basil is a perennial herb. Studies on in vitro cultivation of these plant species are scarce and inconclusive. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of culture medium concentration in combination with antioxidants and plant growth regulators on the in vitro growth and biochemical activity of sweet basil seedlings. Seeds of the ‘Genovese’ cultivar were inoculated into Murashige and Skoog culture medium supplemented with activated carbon and plant growth regulators 6 -benzylaminopurine and a-naphthaleneacetic acid. The seedlings were grown under controlled conditions for 80 days and their biometric and biochemical characteristics evaluated. More abnormal seedlings were observed in the 100% medium with 30 g L-1 sucrose, 0.4 g L-1 6-benzylaminopurine, and 0.2 g L-1 a-naphthaleneacetic acid (T4) and the medium without regulators (T1). However, the T4 culture medium resulted in a higher leaf number and shoot dry mass. Antioxidant activity was higher in the seedlings grown in the culture medium composed of 100% medium + 3.0 g L-1 activated carbon + 0.4 mg L-1 6-benzylaminopurine + 0.2 mg L-1 a-naphthaleneacetic acid (T5) and that composed of 70% medium + 3.0 g L-1 activated carbon + 0.1 mg L-1 6-benzylaminopurine (T3). The enzyme superoxide dismutase showed higher activity in all culture media than catalase or ascorbate peroxidase. Sweet basil seedlings growing in T4 and T1 medium showed the highest growth rate of shoots and the lowest antioxidant activity, whereas seedlings grown in T3 medium had the highest catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activity.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and is highly prevalent in old age. Unlike current drugs, medicinal plants can have preventive and protective effects with less side effects. Given the great number of bioactive substances, plants from the Zingiberaceae Family have medicinal potential and currently are widely studied regarding its anti-Alzheimer's disease effects. The objective of this study was to provide an overview of advances in phytochemical composition studies, in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies, and toxicological effects of the Zingiberaceae Family on Alzheimer's disease. Information was obtained from relevant papers in electronic databases. Most of the studies of Zingiberaceae effects on Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis theory are related to cholinergic, β amyloid cascade, tau, inflammation, and oxidative stress hypothesis. Also, in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies on the effect of Alpinia, Curcuma, and Zingiber genera have been reported as harmless and safe, with potential for anti-Alzheimer treatment.

Medicinal plants are important in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industry owing to the diversity of their chemical composition. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is a medicinal plant that is frequently used to produce cosmetics and food. However, the effects of factors such as photoperiod, growth regulators, and nutrients on growth during micropropagation are not comprehensively understood. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of different photoperiods and growth regulators on in-vitro growth and biochemical activity of the O. Basilicum 'Genovese' cultivated using a potassium-supplemented culture medium. The experiments were carried out in a completely causalized design and were conducted using a Murashige and Skoog culture medium plus sucrose and agar. In the first experiment, seeds were inoculated at three different photoperiods in the presence or absence of growth regulators. In the second experiment, growth media containing five different concentrations of potassium iodide (KI) (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 μM) were used. Basil seedlings grown at photoperiods of 16h and 24h produced more leaves and larger length and shoot mass, and addition of growth regulators showed no effect. However, the root systems produced the highest average values at a photoperiod of 16 h and when growth regulators were supplemented (0.23 g ±0,08). Antioxidant activity and the concentration of ascorbate peroxidase were higher under the 16 h light treatment and with addition of growth regulators. Addition of potassium to the growth medium had no beneficial effects on seedlings. Antioxidant activity was not affected by potassium concentrations, but it remained high (above 13.5%) when compared with the previous treatment. Catalase activity was the highest in seedlings grown at the highest concentrations of KI. The catalase enzyme is considered a stress indicator, so in higher concentrations of KI there is evidence that the basil plants may have had oxidative damage