Lithium is the smallest monovalent cation with many different biological effects. Although lithium is present in the pharmacotherapy of psychiatric illnesses for decades, its precise mechanism of ...action is still not clarified. Today lithium represents first-line therapy for bipolar disorders (because it possesses both antimanic and antidepressant properties) and the adjunctive treatment for major depression (due to its antisuicidal effects). Beside, lithium showed some protective effects in neurological diseases including acute neural injury, chronic degenerative conditions, Alzheimer's disease as well as in treating leucopenia, hepatitis and some renal diseases. Recent evidence suggested that lithium also possesses some anticancer properties due to its inhibition of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) which is included in the regulation of a lot of important cellular processes such as: glycogen metabolism, inflammation, immunomodulation, apoptosis, tissue injury, regeneration etc. Although recent evidence suggested a potential utility of lithium in different conditions, its broader use in clinical practice still trails. The reason for this is a narrow therapeutic index of lithium, numerous toxic effects in various organ systems and some clinically relevant interactions with other drugs. Additionally, it is necessary to perform more preclinical as well as clinical studies in order to a precise therapeutic range of lithium, as well as its detailed mechanism of action. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge concerning the pharmacological and toxicological effects of lithium.
Due to the increasing importance of websites as elements of digital corporate identity, website quality has become an area of great importance in practice and academic research. The goal of the ...research is to evaluate the quality dimensions of the website and determine their importance in choosing the most desirable option among several competing options. Given that the online visibility of companies from the construction industry is unsatisfactory, this sector was selected for the research, and the Web pages of selected companies from this sector were analyzed. By using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, it was examined which dimensions of quality have the greatest influence on the quality of a Web page. It was found that loading speed (0.703) and information quality (0.554) have the greatest influence on the quality of the website. The results of the research can be used by companies and Web designers in practice, in order to make the proper decisions regarding website content, design and functionality and their use in the context of improving the digital corporate identity.
The hairy root clones of Gentiana dinarica cl-B, cl-D, cl-3, and cl-14 were cultivated in parallel in diverse simple bioreactors, including temporary immersion systems RITA® (TIS RITA®), bubble ...column bioreactors (BCB), and Erlenmeyer flasks (EF), and evaluated for biomass production and xanthone content. The obtained results showed that TIS RITA® and BCB containing ½ MS medium with 4% sucrose provided equally good growth conditions in which the majority of the clones displayed the higher percentage of dry matter (DM%), and xanthones norswertianin-1-O-primeveroside (nor-1-O-prim) and norswertianin production than those cultivated in EF. Thin and well branched hairy root clone cl-B grown in BCB for 7 weeks was superior regarding all growth parameters tested, including growth index (19.97), dry weight (2.88 g), and DM% (25.70%) compared to all other clones. Cl-B cultured in TIS RITA® contained the highest amount of nor-1-O-prim (56.82 mg per vessel). In BCB with constant aeration, cl-B accumulated the highest norswertianin content reaching 18.08 mg/vessel. The optimized conditions for cultivation of selected G. dinarica hairy root clones in highly aerated TIS RITA® and BCB systems contribute to the development of bioreactor technology designed for the large scale commercial production of xanthones nor-1-O-prim and norswertianin.
Novel macroporous copolymers of glycidyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate with mean pore size diameters ranging from 150 to 310 nm were synthesized by dispersion polymerization and ...modified with ethylenediamine. The glutaraldehyde and periodate method were employed to immobilize horseradish peroxidase (HRP) onto these carriers. The activity of the immobilized enzyme was greatly affected by the pore size of the carrier. The highest specific activities of 9.65 and 8.94 U/g of dry weight were obtained for HRP immobilized by the periodate-route onto poly(GMA‐co‐EGDMA) carriers with pore size diameters of 234 and 297 nm, respectively. Stability studies showed an improved operational stability of immobilized peroxidase at 65 °C and in an organic solvent. HRP immobilized on a copolymer with a pore size of 234 nm, showing the highest specific activity and good stability, had higher activities at almost all pH values than the native enzyme and the increased K
m
value for pyrogallol oxidation. Immobilized HRP retained 80% of its original activity after five consecutive cycles of the pyrogallol oxidation and 98% of its initial activity in a storage stability study. Enzyme immobilized onto the macroporous copolymer with the pore size diameter of 234 nm showed a substantial degree of phenol removal achieved by immobilized peroxidase.
Eruca sativa is known in traditional medicine for its therapeutic effects, while young plants are used as a salad or green food. Recently, the consumption of rocket has increased considerably, so it ...has become very important for breeders. Plant tissue culture provides a platform to overcome the problems in improving this species. In the present study, an efficient protocol for in vitro shoot regeneration and propagation of recalcitrant rocket variety Domaća rukola was studied. Murashige and Skoog (MS, 1962) medium containing 0.1 mg L−1 BA and frequent subculture over a period of three weeks proved to be optimal for shoot multiplication with a multiplication index of over 3 and only 8.72% of hyperhydrated shoots without necrosis. Different concentrations of 2,4-D, BA, or TDZ in combination with NAA, with or without the presence of AgNO3, were tested for de novo shoot organogenesis (DNSO) from seedling explants. The hypocotyl explants cultured on MS with a combination of TDZ1.0+NAA0.1+AgNO3 5.0 mg L−1 regenerated viable shoots with the highest rate (25.38%) and an average number of 2.18 shoots per regenerating explant. Somatic embryogenesis from immature zygotic embryos proved to be the best way to regenerate a recalcitrant rocket cultivar. The highest embryogenic efficiency was achieved in explants cultured on MS medium containing 1.0 mg L−1 2,4-D with a frequency of 76.64% and 5.13 mean number of regenerated somatic embryos per explant, which were further converted into normal plants. Additionally, in vitro-produced rocket shoots could serve as a possible promising source for the production of flavonoid kaempferol with proven antioxidant properties.
Shoot and root in vitro culture of endemic European species Gentiana clusii was established for the first time. The effects of different concentrations of benzyl adenine (BA), 6-phurphurylaminopurine ...(KIN), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) on shoot propagation and rooting of G. clusii were investigated. The optimal in vitro conditions for shoot propagation and long-term maintenance were achieved using woody plant medium (WPM) supplemented with 0.5 mg l−1 KIN, and subsequent application of IBA at 0.5 mg l−1 significantly improved rooting of these shoots. Root culture was established from excised root tips cultured in ½ MS liquid media with increasing concentrations of IBA (0.1–1.0 mg l−1). A high root growth rate and considerable biomass yield were obtained by addition of 1.0 mg l−1 IBA. HPLC analysis revealed that in vitro culture considerably promoted the production of secondary metabolites in G. clusii. The selected protocol for shoot propagation (WPM + 0.5 mg l−1 KIN) increased the content of sweroside, gentiopicrin and norswertianin-1-O-primeveroside (N-1-P) for more than 2-fold compared with the wild plants. IBA promoted N-1-P and norswertianin production in root cultures; their contents were enhanced 6.4- and 18.6-fold, respectively, compared with the wild plants. The extract of these roots displayed the highest antioxidant capacity (IC50 = 66.57 μg ml−1). The established shoot and root propagation protocols facilitate in vitro conservation of G. clusii, and provides a promising tool for the large scale production of valuable secoiridoids and xanthones.
•Shoot and root in vitro culture of endemic European Gentiana clusii was established for the first time.•PGRs affected production of secondary metabolites in in vitro shoots and roots of G. clusii.•In comparison to wild plants in vitro conditions enhanced secoiridoid and xanthone content more than 2-fold.•Extract of roots from liquid culture displayed the most active antioxidant capacity.
In vitro shoot culture of the endangered medicinal plant Gentianella lutescens was established from epicotyl explants cultured on MS basal medium with 0.2 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) and ...evaluated for xanthones content for the first time. Five shoot lines were obtained and no significant variations in multiplication rate, shoot elongation, and xanthones profile were found among them. The highest rooting rate (33.3%) was achieved by shoots treated for 2 days with 5 mg L−1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) followed by cultivation in liquid PGR-free ½ MS medium for 60 days. HPLC analysis revealed the lower content of xanthones—mangiferin, bellidifolin, demethylbellidifolin, demethylbellidifolin-8-O-glucoside and bellidifolin-8-O-glucoside—in in vitro cultured shoots compared to wild growing plants. The increasing concentration of sucrose, sorbitol and abiotic elicitors salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) altered shoot growth and xanthone production. Sucrose and sorbitol applied at the highest concentration of 233.6 mM increased dry matter percentage, while SA at 100 μM promoted shoot growth 2-fold. The increased sucrose concentration enhanced accumulation of xanthones in shoot cultures 2–3-fold compared to the control shoots. Elicitors at 100–300 μM increased the accumulation of mangiferin, demethylbellidifolin-8-O-glucoside, and bellidifolin-8-O-glucoside almost equally, while MeJA at the highest concentration of 500 μM enhanced amount of aglycones demethylbellidifolin and bellidifolin 7-fold compared to the control. The obtained results facilitate conservation of G. lutescens and pave the way for further research on large-scale shoot propagation and production of pharmacologically active xanthones.
Today’s reality is connected with mitigation of threats from the new chemical and biological warfare agents. A novel investigation of cold plasmas in contact with liquids presented in this paper ...demonstrated that the chemically reactive environment produced by atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) is potentially capable of rapid destruction of chemical warfare agents in a broad spectrum. The decontamination of three different chemical warfare agent surrogates dissolved in liquid is investigated by using an easily transportable APPJ. The jet is powered by a kHz signal source connected to a low-voltage DC source and with He as working gas. The detailed investigation of electrical properties is performed for various plasmas at different distances from the sample. The measurements of plasma properties in situ are supported by the optical spectrometry measurements, whereas the high performance liquid chromatography measurements before and after the treatment of aqueous solutions of Malathion, Fenitrothion and Dimethyl Methylphosphonate. These solutions are used to evaluate destruction and its efficiency for specific neural agent simulants. The particular removal rates are found to be from 56% up to 96% during 10 min treatment. The data obtained provide basis to evaluate APPJ’s efficiency at different operating conditions. The presented results are promising and could be improved with different operating conditions and optimization of the decontamination process.
Graphical abstract
Allelopathic plants exploit their chemical 'weapons' to prevail over the competition, suppress neighboring plants and consequently use the available resources more efficiently. However, the ...investigation of plant allelopathic interactions in rhizosphere is difficult to perform because of its high complexity due to interactions of biotic and abiotic factors. Thus, autonomous, aseptic root cultures of apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) could facilitate allelopathic studies. We report on the successful genetic transformation of apple cultivars Melrose, Golden Delicious, Čadel and Gloster using Agrobacterium rhizogenes (Riker et al. 1930) Conn 1942 strain 15834 and for the first time the establishment of apple autonomous and permanent in vitro hairy root cultures that could be used as a new tool for apple allelopathic assays. Molecular characterization of transgenic hairy root lines was conducted to elucidate the possible relationship between expression of T-DNA genes and root growth characteristics that include branching. Similar content of phenolic acids (chlorogenic, caffeic, syringic, p-coumaric and ferulic), glycosilated flavonoids (rutin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, kaempferol-3-glucoside) and flavonoid aglycones (quercetin and naringenin), and dihydrochalcone phloridzin, was detected in untransformed and transgenic apple root tissue by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (UHPLC/(+/-)HESI-MS/MS) analyses, confirming that genetic transformation did not disturb secondary metabolite production in apple. Chlorogenic and caffeic acids and dihydrochalcones phloridzin and phloretin were detected as putative allelochemicals exuded into the growth medium in which transgenic roots were maintained for 4 weeks. Apple hairy root exudates significantly affected shoot and root development and growth of test plant Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. seedlings after 5 or 10 days of treatment. Additionally, core cell-cycle genes CDKA1;1, CDKB2;1, CYCA3;1 and CYCB2;4 were down regulated in Arabidopsis shoots suggesting, in part, their role in inhibition of shoot growth. The present work highlighted an autonomous and permanent in vitro hairy root culture system as a valuable tool for studying allelopathic potential of apple, offering new perspective for allelopathy background elucidation in this important fruit species.
•Accumulation of xanthones in transformed Gentiana utriculosa was investigated.•Hairy root cultures of G. utriculosa were established using A4M70GUS strain.•Hairy roots of line 9 produced 4.5-fold ...more decussatin than plants from nature.•Transgenic line 9 could be considered for large scale production of xanthones.
Production of innovative drugs from natural products in controlled conditions plays an important role in modern pharmacology in order to tackle global health challenges. The potential of Gentiana utriculosa hairy roots, obtained by transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4M70GUS, as well as that of the shoots regenerated from them via somatic embryogenesis, for xanthone production was investigated. Gentiana utriculosa was shown to be a new source of xanthones, medicinal raw materials for different pharmaceutical applications, among which decussatin has been recently recognized as a prospective hepatoprotective and antiulcer compound. Decussatin and decussatin-1-O-primeveroside were detected in both hairy roots and transgenic shoots, while mangiferin, present in nontransformed plants, was not detected. Quantitative HPLC analysis revealed up to 4.5-fold higher decussatin production in hairy roots line 9 compared with the plants from the nature, and this clone was selected. It showed stable growth after more than two years of continuous subcultivation. Cultivation of hairy roots on solid medium was favorable for biomass production, while liquid culture was beneficial for decussatin and decussatin-1-O-primeveroside accumulation. Cytokinins kinetin or N6-benzyladenine promoted somatic embryo maturation and germination as well as multiplication of obtained plantlets, while active charcoal reduced hyperhydricity. Plants regenerated from selected hairy root line 9 comprised two TL-DNA inserts, as confirmed by Southern blot analysis. They accumulated at least 2.5-fold more decussatin then nontransformed plants. Therefore, these plants could be valuable material to create xanthone high-yielding cultivars of G. utriculosa.
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