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Lallemantia iberica (Lamiaceae) has pharmaceutical and nutritional importance owing to production of oily seeds and synthesis of commercially secondary metabolites. In the present study, total phenol and flavonoids content and quantitative changes in the shoot and callus pigments of L. iberica were investigated. Moreover, some growth parameters and volatile content of in vitro grown shoots were analyzed. Nodal segments and epicotyldons were used as the explants for shoot and callus formation, respectively. In the multiplication stage of shoot culture, MS medium supplemented with six concentrations of TDZ was employed. For callus induction, 1 mg/l of TDZ, NAA and a combination of NAA and BA were used. Extracted volatile products were analyzed by GC-mass spectrometry. According to the results, the concentration range of TDZ from 0.22 to 0.66 mg/l improved the flavonoids production and the highest content was reported to be in 2 mg/l TDZ (157.5 ± 25.9 mg QE/ g); also, the highest amount of total phenol (3.86 ± 1.02 mg PYRO/g) was observed in 0.66 mg/l TDZ. For induced calli, among the three tested types of PGRs, TDZ treatment was efficient for total phenol and flavonoids. In general, the higher content of flavonoids was obtained from L. iberica shoots while the callus of this plant was efficient for total phenol production. 55 components were identified using GC-MS analysis indicating a low amount of mono and sesquiterpenes and high quantity of alkan hydrocarbons.

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a major public health risk for developing anxiety-related disorders and hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation in humans. Extensive research has shown that dietary intake or supplementation of the natural flavonoid quercetin might be useful for treating anxiety-related symptoms. The objectives of this study were to determine whether quercetin treatment can attenuate anxiogenic-like behaviors and normalize HPA axis function in mice with mTBI. Animals subjected to mTBI were treated daily with quercetin (50 mg/kg) or diazepam (positive control, 3 mg/kg) for 14 days. Four behavioral tests (open field, plus maze, light-dark box, and zero maze) were used to assess anxiety-related behaviors in mice. To evaluate HPA axis function, adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone were measured in the serum of mice after the anxiety tests. Quercetin treatment was found to significantly reduce anxiety-like behaviors in mTBI-induced mice. A strength of this study is the consistency of results among anxiety tests. The dysregulation of the HPA axis in mTBI-induced mice treated with quercetin was also attenuated, with decreased levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone. The effects of quercetin were comparable with those of diazepam treatment. Taken together, these results suggest that quercetin might be useful for treating anxiety-related symptoms and HPA axis hyperreactivity in patients with mTBI.

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It appears that the biologically-synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) have potential to perform as effective elicitors for the production of valuable secondary metabolites in plants. Besides, it has been reported that the toxicity of the biologically-synthesized NP is not as much as that of the chemically-synthesized NPs. Therefore, it is necessary to test their advantages aspects. In this study, the physical synthesis of perlite NPs and biologically-synthesis of TiO2/perlite nanocomposites (NCs) were conducted. Subsequently, their effects and explant source influence on the growth characteristics and secondary metabolite profiles of Hypericum perforatum callus cultures were evaluated. According to the obtained results, morphology of the synthesized perlite NPs and TiO2/perlite NCs were mesoporous and spherical with sizes ranging about 14.51–23.34 and 15.50–24.61 nm, respectively. Addition of perlite NPs and TiO2/perlite NCs to the culture medium at the concentration range of 25–200 mg/L showed no adverse impacts on the growth characteristics of H. perforatum calli. According to the GC-MS analysis, the stress caused by perlite NPs and TiO2/perlite NCs led to an increase in the variety, amount and number of volatile compounds. The calli obtained from in vitro grown plants produced more volatile compounds relative to the calli obtained from field grown plants under the nanomaterial stress conditions. The production of hypericin and pseudohypericin were also determined in the callus cultures under desired nanomaterials elicitation. Accordingly, our results suggest that perlite NPs and TiO2/perlite NCs can possibly be considered as effective elicitors for the production of volatile compounds, hypericin, and pseudohypericin in callus cultures of H. perforatum.