For centuries, herbs and plants have been used for medicinal purposes and as food as well. This review concerns about different types of plants that retain the immune stimulating and anti-tumor properties. Large variety of active phytochemicals such as carotenoids, flavonoids, ligands, polyphenolics, terpenoids, sulfides, lignans and plant sterols has been identified in different types of herbs. These phytochemicals have different mechanisms of action. They either stimulate the protective enzyme like glutathione transferase or prevent the cell proliferation. This review has centered on the biochemical properties of Allium sativum, Echinacea, Curcuma longa, Arctium lappa, Camellia sinensis, Panax ginseng and Flax seed. Extracts and juices of Withania somnifera, Amoora rohituka, Dysoxylum binectariferum and Vaccinium macrocarpon, respectively also used as anti-breast cancer. The volatile oils and extracts of these herbs and plants inhibit the synthesis of mevalonate that lessen the tumor growth and cholesterol synthesis.
Quinoa is gaining importance on global scale due to its excellent nutritious profile and environmental stress‐enduring potential. Its production decreases under high salt stress but can be improved with paclobutrazol application. This study showed involvement of some potential protective mechanisms in root and leaf tissues of quinoa plants treated with paclobutrazol (PBZ) against high salinity. The treatment levels were based on preliminary experiments, and it was found that salt stress (400 mm NaCl) markedly reduced growth and photosynthetic pigments while PBZ (20 mg/L) application significantly improved these attributes. Stomata density and aperture declined on adaxial and abaxial surfaces of leaves due to salinity. Paclobutrazol application significantly improved the stomatal density on both surfaces of leaves. Concentration of proline and soluble sugars increased in root and leaf tissues under salinity, which was more obvious in PBZ‐treated plants. Salinity stress induced the oxidative damage by increasing lipid peroxidation (MDA) level in roots and more specifically in leaf tissues. However, PBZ treatments ameliorated the drastic effects of salinity and markedly reduced oxidative damage in salt‐stressed quinoa plants. Enhanced activity of enzymatic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) was triggered by PBZ application, more pronounced in leaf than root tissues. Based on these findings, we conclude that PBZ application improves the salt tolerance in quinoa by activation of the above‐mentioned physiological and biochemical mechanisms specifically in leaves.
Ecological stoichiometry is an important aspect in the analysis of the changes in ecological system composition, structure, and function and understanding of plant adaptation in habitats. Leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations in desert phreatophytes can be affected by different depths of groundwater through its effect on the adsorption and utilization of nutrient and plant biomass. We examined the biomass, soil organic C, available (mineral) N, and available P, and leaf C, N, and P concentrations of Alhagi sparsifolia grown at varying groundwater depths of 2.5, 4.5, and 11.0 m in 2015 and 2016 growing seasons in a desert-oasis ecotone in northwest China. The biomass of A. sparsifolia and the C, N, and P concentrations in soil and A. sparsifolia showed different responses to various groundwater depths. The leaf P concentration of A. sparsifolia was lower at 4.5 m than at 2.5 and 11.0 m likely because of a biomass dilution effect. By contrast, leaf C and N concentrations were generally unaffected by groundwater depth, thereby confirming that C and N accumulations in A. sparsifolia were predominantly determined by C fixation through the photosynthesis and biological fixation of atmospheric N2, respectively. Soil C, N, and P concentrations at 4.5 m were significantly lower than those at 11.0 m. Leaf P concentration was significantly and positively correlated with soil N concentration at all of the groundwater depths. The C:N and C:P mass ratios of A. sparsifolia at 4.5 m were higher than those at the other groundwater depths, suggesting a defensive life history strategy. Conversely, A. sparsifolia likely adopted a competitive strategy at 2.5 and 11.0 m as indicated by the low C:N and C:P mass ratios. To our knowledge, this study is the first to elucidate the variation in the C, N, and P stoichiometry of a desert phreatophyte at different groundwater depths in an arid ecosystem.
Salinity extent and severity is rising because of poor management practices on agricultural lands, possibility lies to grow salt-tolerant crops with better management techniques. Therefore, a highly nutritive salt-tolerant crop quinoa with immense potential to contribute for future food security was selected for this investigation. Soil drenching of paclobutrazol (PBZ; 20 mg l ) was used to understand the ionic relations, gaseous exchange characteristics, oxidative defense system and yield under saline conditions (400 mM NaCl) including normal (0 mM NaCl) and no PBZ (0 mg l ) as controls. The results revealed that salinity stress reduced the growth and yield of quinoa through perturbing ionic homeostasis with the consequences of overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative damages and reduced photosynthesis. PBZ improved the quinoa performance through regulation of ionic homeostasis by decreasing Na , Cl , while improving K , Mg and Ca concentration. It also enhanced the antioxidative system including ascorbic acid, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, polyphenol oxidase and glutathione peroxidase, which scavenged the ROS (H O and O ) and lowered the oxidative damages (malondialdehyde level) under salinity in roots and more specifically in leaf tissues. The photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance consequently improved (16 and 21%, respectively) in salt-stressed quinoa PBZ-treated compared to the non-treated ones and contributed to the improvement of panicle length (33%), 100-grain weight (8%) and grain yield (38%). Therefore, PBZ can be opted as a shotgun approach to improve quinoa performance and other crops under high saline conditions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.