Characteristics of plant communities, population features, and edaphic conditions of Arnica montana L. populations in pine forests of mid-Eastern Europe

Sugier, Piotr; Sugier, Danuta; Sozinov, Oleg V.; Kołos, Aleksander; Wołkowycki, Dan; Plak, Andrzej; Budnyk, Olha

doi:10.5586/asbp.3640

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(64 reference statements)

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“…Among the 29 species representing the genus Arnica, the mountain arnica Arnica montana L., which is endangered with extinction and under strict protection in many European countries, has the greatest importance for the pharmaceutical industry [13][14][15]. The demand for arnica raw material has exerted pressure on naturally growing populations, i.e., by increased collection for medicinal purposes, which has led to a rapid decline in the abundance of this species in Europe [16][17][18]. The demand for Arnicae flos is not satisfied by either the few difficult and expensive commercial plantations or harvests from natural habitats, which are limited, due to conservation protection [19][20][21][22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield and Chemical Composition of Raw Material from Meadow Arnica (Arnica chamissonis Less.) Depending on Soil Conditions and Nitrogen Fertilization

2021

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Considering the global tendency towards using valuable secondary metabolites of plant origin, there is a need to optimize the cultivation of herbal plants, e.g., the meadow arnica (A. chamissonis Less.). The inflorescences of this species (Arnicae anthodium) have a similar chemical composition and pharmacological activity to that in the mountain arnica (Arnica montana L.), and can be cultivated more easily than the mountain arnica. Therefore this study assesses soil and fertilization effects on the flower head yield and concentrations of active substances (sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, and essential oil) with great importance for application in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. A field experiment was carried out during 2017–2019 on two types of soil (sandy and loamy soils) differing in the pH values, organic matter content, and the P, K, and Mg levels. Five levels of nitrogen fertilization were applied in both soil variants: 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 kg N∙ha−1. The study showed that both the soil type and the nitrogen fertilization had a positive impact on the raw material yield and the content and yield of the main active substances. The cultivation of arnica in the loamy soil was more favorable—it provided a higher flower head yield, higher levels of sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, and essential oils, and consequently, a higher yield of these metabolites. High flower head yields were achieved at doses of 60 and 90 kg N∙ha−1. The content of sesquiterpene lactones and essential oils increased in the consecutive study years along with the increase in nitrogen doses. The highest content of flavonoids was detected in flower heads obtained from three-year-old plants fertilized with 60 kg N∙ha−1. High yields of sesquiterpene lactones and essential oils were obtained at doses of 90–120 kg N∙ha−1, whereas the fertilization with 60–90 N∙ha−1 ensured a high yield of flavonoids. The yields of sesquiterpene lactones and essential oil did not depend on their concentration but correlated with the increase in the yield of flower heads of plants cultivated in both sandy and loamy soil variants. In turn, the yield of flavonoids was influenced by both their concentration and the flower head yield. The flower head yield, the content of sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, and essential oils, and the yields of metabolites presented in this study indicate favorable climatic conditions for the cultivation of A. chamissonis in Central and Eastern Poland. This proves that a wide range of pharmacologically active substances can be produced in this region of Europe.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield and Chemical Composition of Raw Material from Meadow Arnica (Arnica chamissonis Less.) Depending on Soil Conditions and Nitrogen Fertilization

2021

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“…This interaction is reflected in the spatial configuration and major quantitative features of plants, such as coverage, height, DBH, ground diameter, density, abundance and frequency. It also gives an explanation to variations in the plant community characteristics, and advantages and disadvantages of the ecological environment (Sellan et al, 2017; Sugier et al, 2019).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of restoration strategies on wetland: A case‐study of Xinqiang River National Wetland Park

et al. 2022

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Accurately understanding the characteristics of a wetland ecological restoration plant communities and their species diversity relationships is the key to improving wetland management and biodiversity protection. To see the effects of restoration strategies implemented in Xinqiang River National Wetland Park, China, we studied 4 models for ecological restoration, namely protection and conservation (PC), reasonable utilization (RU), restoration and reconstruction (RR) and the building of constructed wetland (CW). We then analyzed the features of the plant communities, species diversity and soil properties, and carried out a correlation analysis between plant communities and the species diversity. Finally, we selected four key communities and analyzed their features and soil properties using a symmetric matrix. Results showed that the soil in the PC model had the highest amount of available phosphorus, available nitrogen and pH value. The soil had higher moisture content in the RU model and CW model than the other 2 models. Based on the correlation analysis, we found that there are obvious common characteristics among different ecological restoration types, that is, the diversity characteristics of tree layer, shrub layer and herb layer have obvious differentiation characteristics. We identified four features of the community characteristics that could improve species diversity: SA, TH, HH and SCD.The results of this study have provided a theoretical basis that there is a coupling relationship between ecological community characteristics and species diversity. The above coupling results have practical significance for maintaining good ecological structure and diversity protection.

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“…A very good example is the mountain arnica ( Arnica montana L.), a rare and endangered medicinal plant species that has been under pressure in the natural environment for years. Arnica montana is a perennial mountain plant endemic to Europe; it grows in Western European heathlands and in the pine forests of Eastern Europe [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. The above-ground and underground parts of this special medicinal plant are characterized by the presence of valuable secondary metabolites, including sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolic acids, and essential oils [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen Fertilization and Solvents as Factors Modifying the Antioxidant and Anticancer Potential of Arnica montana L. Flower Head Extracts

Sugier

Jakubowicz-Gil

et al. 2022

Plants

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Arnica montana L. is one of Europe’s endemic endangered medicinal plants, with diverse biological activities commonly used in medicine, pharmacy, and cosmetics. Its flower heads are a rich source of raw material, with antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antiradical, antioxidant, and antitumor properties. The objective of the present study was (i) to characterize the chemical composition of flower heads of A. montana plants cultivated under nitrogen fertilization, (ii) to identify the impact of the nitrogen fertilization and extraction method (water, ethanol) on the antioxidant activity of extracts, and (iii) to determine the role of different nitrogen doses applied during plant cultivation and different extraction methods in the anticancer activity of the extracts through analysis of apoptosis and autophagy induction in HT29, HeLa, and SW620 cell lines. The present study shows that nitrogen is a crucial determinant of the chemical composition of arnica flower heads and the antioxidant and anticancer activity of the analyzed extracts. Nitrogen fertilization can modify the composition of pharmacologically active substances (sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, essential oil) in Arnicae flos. The content of sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, and essential oil increased with the increase in the nitrogen doses to 60 kg N ha−1 by 0.66%, 1.45%, and 0.27%, respectively. A further increase in the nitrogen dose resulted in a decrease in the content of the analyzed secondary metabolites. Varied levels of nitrogen application can be regarded as a relevant way to modify the chemical composition of arnica flower heads and to increase the anticancer activity, which was confirmed by the increase in the level of apoptosis with the increase in fertilization to a level of 60 kg N ha−1. The fertilization of arnica plants with low doses of nitrogen (30 and 60 kg N ha−1) significantly increased the LOX inhibition ability of the ethanol extracts. The present study is the first report on the anticancer activity of A. montana water extracts, with emphasis on the role of water as a solvent. In further studies of factors modifying the quality of Arnicae flos, attention should be paid to the simultaneous use of nitrogen and other microelements to achieve synergistic results and to the possibility of a more frequent use of water as a solvent in studies on the biological activity of A. montana extracts.

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Characteristics of plant communities, population features, and edaphic conditions of Arnica montana L. populations in pine forests of mid-Eastern Europe

Cited by 9 publications

References 31 publications

Yield and Chemical Composition of Raw Material from Meadow Arnica (Arnica chamissonis Less.) Depending on Soil Conditions and Nitrogen Fertilization

Yield and Chemical Composition of Raw Material from Meadow Arnica (Arnica chamissonis Less.) Depending on Soil Conditions and Nitrogen Fertilization

Effects of restoration strategies on wetland: A case‐study of Xinqiang River National Wetland Park

Nitrogen Fertilization and Solvents as Factors Modifying the Antioxidant and Anticancer Potential of Arnica montana L. Flower Head Extracts

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