Effects of growth conditions and cultivability on the content of cyclitols in Medicago sativa

Abstract

Cyclitols are secondary metabolites with bioactive properties, naturally occurring in plants. Accumulation of such metabolites is directly connected with abiotic stressing factors. This article investigates the influence exercised by a series of abiotic factors including plant treatment with elicitors and cultivability in various regions of Europe, in some cases during two seasons, onto the amounts of cyclitols produced in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). The obtained results highlighted that NaCl elicitation acts to increase the quantity of cyclitols, while AgNO3 and Zn(NO3)2 generally decreased the obtained amount of cyclitols. When considering the seasonal impact, samples harvested in August presented a double amount of cyclitols in comparison with those collected in May. Correlation analysis proved that this phenomenon is related mainly to sunshine period versus low humidity. However, our investigation suggests that soil type, salinity level, lack of humidity, the number of sunny days, and plant elicitation play a role on the amount of cyclitols produced in alfalfa plant.

Wine Polyphenol Content and Its Influence on Wine Quality and Properties: A Review

“…In fact, a negative water balance from flowering to harvest combined with soils with water deficits resulted in earlier shoot-growth slackening, a reduced berry size and thus a high phenolic compound concentration, which increased grape quality. These results were in accordance with the observed by Ratiu et al [ 74 ] who evaluated the influence of different climatic conditions on secondary metabolites such as phenolic compounds. They proved that conditions with low temperatures and deficiency of water facilitate the production of the phenolic compounds and especially the anthocyanin accumulation.…”

Bacterial Plant Biostimulants: A Sustainable Way Towards Improving Growth, Productivity, and Health of Crops

“…Plant beneficial fungi and bacteria can be considered as the most promising microbial biostimulants [21]. The recent trend has underscored the fact that plants are not autonomous agents in their environments but are associated with bacterial and fungal microorganisms, and that many external and internal microbial interactions respond to biotic and abiotic stresses [22][23]. Therefore, biostimulants are gradually being incorporated into production systems to alter physiological processes in plants to maximize productivity [24].…”

Microwave Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Carbohydrates from Different Morphological Parts of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

“…Alfalfa or lucerne (Medicago sativa) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Fabaceae family. Worldwide, it is widely cultivated and intended for animal nutrition since it can be grown in areas with extreme abiotic factors [1] and has high protein and digestible fiber levels [2,3]. Alfalfa extracts have been proven to be an efficient dietary tool in the treatment of hypertension, metabolic disorders related to glucose, and lipid metabolism, arthritis, and kidney problems [2] and to be helpful in lowering cholesterol levels in both animals and humans [4,5].…”

“…These activities have been attributed to its content in several bioactive compounds such as sterols, triterpenes, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and saponins [2,[5][6][7][8]. While several studies have been carried out regarding these compounds, scarce attention has been paid to its bioactive carbohydrate composition [1,9]. Cyclitols (also named inositols) are minor phytochemicals with several reported biological activities (anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and even anti-cancer properties) [1].…”

“…While several studies have been carried out regarding these compounds, scarce attention has been paid to its bioactive carbohydrate composition [1,9]. Cyclitols (also named inositols) are minor phytochemicals with several reported biological activities (anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and even anti-cancer properties) [1]. The presence of free inositols such as myo-inositol, methyl-inositols (such as pinitol and ononitol), and glycosyl-inositols (such as galactinol) have been previously detected in alfalfa leaves [9].…”