This study aimed to analyze the composition of grape seed oil (GSO) derived from an alternative s... more This study aimed to analyze the composition of grape seed oil (GSO) derived from an alternative source after traditional fermentation processes and its potential anti-inflammatory effects using an in vivo model of carrageenan-induced inflammation in mice. Gas chromatography high-resolution electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC-HR-EIMS) analysis identified eight main components in the GSO extract, including myristic acid methyl ester, palmitoleic acid methyl ester, methyl isoheptadecanoate, cis-linoleic acid, oleic acid methyl ester, linoleic acid stereoisomer, linoleic acid ethyl ester, and methyl (6E, 9E, 12E, 15E)-docose-6,9,12,15-tetraenoate. No significant differences were observed in the main fatty acids between commercially available grape seed oil and GSO extract obtained from fermented grape seeds. In the carrageenan-induced inflammation model, treatment with GSO resulted in a significant reduction in paw edema at 180 min, as in the reduction observed with diclofenac tre...
The aim of this study is a comparative metabolomic analysis between the endangered species Astrag... more The aim of this study is a comparative metabolomic analysis between the endangered species Astragalus membranaceus and endemic species Astragalus thracicus concerning cycloartane saponins. In addition, in vitro shoots, callus, and suspension cultures of A. thracicus were successfully established to conserve the biodiversity of those endemic species and to increase the amount of produced saponins. The comparison was made according to the quantity of cycloartane saponins astragaloside I (1), astragaloside II (2), and astragaloside IV (4) to the reference standards for the same compounds by UHPLC-HRESI-MS analysis. The in vitro root cultures of A. thracicus reached two folds higher amounts of saponins (1.50 mg/g DW (1), 1.01 mg/g DW (2), and 0.91 mg/g DW (3)) than the native root of A. thracicus (1.14 mg/g DW (1) 0.47 mg/g DW (2), 0.40 mg/g DW (3)), and up to six times higher when compared with roots A. membranaceus (0.23 mg/g DW (1), 0.18 mg/g DW (2) and 0.05 mg/g DW (3)).
Some of the most effective anticancer compounds are still derived from plants since the chemical ... more Some of the most effective anticancer compounds are still derived from plants since the chemical synthesis of chiral molecules is not economically efficient. Rapid discovery of lead compounds with pronounced biological activity is essential for the successful development of novel drug candidates. This work aims to present the chemical diversity of antitumor bioactive compounds and biotechnological approaches as alternative production and sustainable plant biodiversity conservation. Astragalus spp., (Fabaceae) and Gloriosa spp. (Liliaceae) are selected as research objects within this review because they are known for their anticancer activity, because they represent two of the largest families respectively in dicots and monocots, and also because many of the medicinally important plants are rare and endangered. We summarized the ethnobotanical data concerning their anticancer application, highlighted the diversity of their secondary metabolites possessing anticancer properties such a...
The extensive use of pesticides may negatively affect human health. Additionally, it is one of th... more The extensive use of pesticides may negatively affect human health. Additionally, it is one of the main reasons for the decline of pollinators and is thus a hazard for most crops and biodiversity as a whole. Good candidates for the replacement of pesticides with ones less toxic to humans and pollinators are natural products (bioactive compounds extracted from plants), even though it should be kept in mind that some of them can be toxic too. Ailanthus altissima (Mill.), swingle, known also as tree of heaven, (Simaroubaceae) is one of the most aggressive alien invasive plants. It demonstrates a high tolerance to various habitat conditions and a potent propagation ability. This plant has a prominent ability to suppress the seed development of local vegetation. The aim of this review study is to summarize the potential of this plant for use as a natural pesticide, starting with ethnobotanical information. The essential oils extracted from A. altissima with its main components α-curcumen...
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential genotoxic/antigenotoxic, mutagenic/ant... more The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential genotoxic/antigenotoxic, mutagenic/antimutagenic, and carcinogenic/anticarcinogenic effect of Amorpha fruticosa (AF) fruit, Ailanthus altissima bark hexane (AAEH) and methanol (AAEM) extracts on a model system Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Plants were identified and extracted by Ekaterina Kozuharova. Three concentrations of each extract were tested – 10, 100 and 1000 µg/ml. In vitro pro-oxidant/antioxidant activities were evaluated by DPPH and DNA topology assay. The potential genotoxic/antigenotoxic, mutagenic/antimutagenic and carcinogenic/anticarcinogenic effects were revealed in vivo by: Zimmermman’s test on Saccharomyces cerevisiae diploid strain D7ts1, and Ty1 retrotransposition test on S. cerevisiae haploid strain 551. Zeocin was used as a positive control. Based on the in vitro antioxidant activity the extracts could be arranged as follows: AF>AAEM>AAEH. AAEH possessed moderate oxidative potential. No genotoxic and...
The high tolerance of various habitat conditions and potent propagation ability of Amorpha frutic... more The high tolerance of various habitat conditions and potent propagation ability of Amorpha fruticosa L. (Fabaceae) promote its aggressive invasive behaviour. The aim of this study is to evaluate 1) several populations of this plant by the potential yield of the fruit, 2) the approximate yield of the essential oils, and 3) composition of the essential oil. The potential yield of fruit is evaluated based on extrapolations of weight and number of fruits per infrutescence, number of infrutescences per plant and number of individuals per population. Steam extraction of the essential oil was performed and GS/MS analysis of the composition of the essential oil. The populations on our key plots are big enough for harvesting with fruit/infrutescence 152 ±15 (n = 20) and infrutescences/shrub 436 ±157 (n = 20). The yield is 0.83 ml/100g. We identified 22 components with major constituents caryophyllene (17.64%) α-guaiene (14.70%), naphthalene (6.75%), γ-muurolene + (5.98%).
Biotransformation of exogenous substrates quercetin, kaempferol and apigenin by suspension cultur... more Biotransformation of exogenous substrates quercetin, kaempferol and apigenin by suspension cultures of Astragalus vesicarius ssp. carniolicus to their monoglycosylated derivatives was performed. The maximal enzymatic potential of cells of A. vesicarius ssp. carniolicus was evaluated by different concentrations of substrate exposure. According to quantitative ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HR-ESI-MS) analysis, the highest concentration of kaempferol O-glycoside (14.88 nmol/g dry weight, DW), apigenin O-glycoside (10.55 nmol/g DW) and quercetin O-glycoside (150.83 nmol/g DW) was achieved, when suspension cultures were treated with 4 mg/mL kaempferol, 4 mg/mL apigenin and 3 mg/mL quercetin, respectively. The glycosidic products of biotransformation were not detected in the untreated control.
IntroductionGloriosa superba L. is a promising antitumoural plant species as a source of colchici... more IntroductionGloriosa superba L. is a promising antitumoural plant species as a source of colchicinoids. Ethnobotanical applications of G. superba are associated with different plant parts such as leaves, seeds, fruits, tuber and the whole plant.ObjectivesA comparative phytochemical study of purified extracts from in vitro cultures and native tubers of G. superba was carried out by ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography‐high‐resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐HR‐MS) in combination with the mass defect filtering (MDF) technique.Material and methodsThe individual compounds were tentatively annotated using database correlations, retention time (Rt), accurate m/z data obtained by electrospray ionisation (ESI) (+)‐HR‐MS, proposed elemental composition, ring double bond equivalent (RDBeq) values and HR‐MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Moreover, the identification was based on transforming the exact mass ratio (m/z) for the protonated molecular ions [М + Н]+ of the observed metabolites i...
The use of flavonoids for prevention and cure of human diseases is already widespread. Quercetin ... more The use of flavonoids for prevention and cure of human diseases is already widespread. Quercetin shows antiproliferative effects against various cancer cell lines. These aspects made flavonoids an interesting object for industrial production. This paper describes a plant-cell-culture production approach that provides increased yields of flavonoids. Cell culture of Astragalus missouriensis was established, and flavonoid production was determined and optimized. The chemical investigation of cell extracts led to the isolation of different flavonoids by means of HPLC and TLC. The main aglycon identified was Quercetin in both free and bound forms (as glycosides). Isoquercitrine (quercetin-3-0-glucoside) and Quercitrine (quercetin-3-0-rhamnoside) were the main flavonoid glycosides in all tested cell lines. Rutin (quercetin-3-0-rutinoside), Hyperoside (quercetin-3-0-galactoside), Scopoletin and Phenolcarbonic acids - p-coumaric and chlorogenic have been also detected. In order to increase flavonoid production in vitro the effect of plant growth regulators (auxins and cytokinins) and sucrose concentration were examined. Content of flavonoids was severally decreased in higher concentrations of 2,4dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Addition of cytokinin stimulated both proliferation and flavonoid production. Kinetin was favorable for flavonoid production in A. missouriensis cells. After optimization of production medium maximum total amount of flavonoids 1.34% was achieved. The highest amount of Isoquercitrine (5.3 mg/g DW) and Quercitrine (8.1 mg/g DW) was found in medium with optimal combination of growth regulators naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) I mg/l, Kinetin 2 mg/l and 6% (w/v) sucrose. Rapidly growing cell lines were selected to increase the efficiency of the production of Quercetin derivatives. These results could provide a practical means of in vitro cultivation of this medicinally important plant and for further biotechnological applications.
This study aimed to analyze the composition of grape seed oil (GSO) derived from an alternative s... more This study aimed to analyze the composition of grape seed oil (GSO) derived from an alternative source after traditional fermentation processes and its potential anti-inflammatory effects using an in vivo model of carrageenan-induced inflammation in mice. Gas chromatography high-resolution electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC-HR-EIMS) analysis identified eight main components in the GSO extract, including myristic acid methyl ester, palmitoleic acid methyl ester, methyl isoheptadecanoate, cis-linoleic acid, oleic acid methyl ester, linoleic acid stereoisomer, linoleic acid ethyl ester, and methyl (6E, 9E, 12E, 15E)-docose-6,9,12,15-tetraenoate. No significant differences were observed in the main fatty acids between commercially available grape seed oil and GSO extract obtained from fermented grape seeds. In the carrageenan-induced inflammation model, treatment with GSO resulted in a significant reduction in paw edema at 180 min, as in the reduction observed with diclofenac tre...
The aim of this study is a comparative metabolomic analysis between the endangered species Astrag... more The aim of this study is a comparative metabolomic analysis between the endangered species Astragalus membranaceus and endemic species Astragalus thracicus concerning cycloartane saponins. In addition, in vitro shoots, callus, and suspension cultures of A. thracicus were successfully established to conserve the biodiversity of those endemic species and to increase the amount of produced saponins. The comparison was made according to the quantity of cycloartane saponins astragaloside I (1), astragaloside II (2), and astragaloside IV (4) to the reference standards for the same compounds by UHPLC-HRESI-MS analysis. The in vitro root cultures of A. thracicus reached two folds higher amounts of saponins (1.50 mg/g DW (1), 1.01 mg/g DW (2), and 0.91 mg/g DW (3)) than the native root of A. thracicus (1.14 mg/g DW (1) 0.47 mg/g DW (2), 0.40 mg/g DW (3)), and up to six times higher when compared with roots A. membranaceus (0.23 mg/g DW (1), 0.18 mg/g DW (2) and 0.05 mg/g DW (3)).
Some of the most effective anticancer compounds are still derived from plants since the chemical ... more Some of the most effective anticancer compounds are still derived from plants since the chemical synthesis of chiral molecules is not economically efficient. Rapid discovery of lead compounds with pronounced biological activity is essential for the successful development of novel drug candidates. This work aims to present the chemical diversity of antitumor bioactive compounds and biotechnological approaches as alternative production and sustainable plant biodiversity conservation. Astragalus spp., (Fabaceae) and Gloriosa spp. (Liliaceae) are selected as research objects within this review because they are known for their anticancer activity, because they represent two of the largest families respectively in dicots and monocots, and also because many of the medicinally important plants are rare and endangered. We summarized the ethnobotanical data concerning their anticancer application, highlighted the diversity of their secondary metabolites possessing anticancer properties such a...
The extensive use of pesticides may negatively affect human health. Additionally, it is one of th... more The extensive use of pesticides may negatively affect human health. Additionally, it is one of the main reasons for the decline of pollinators and is thus a hazard for most crops and biodiversity as a whole. Good candidates for the replacement of pesticides with ones less toxic to humans and pollinators are natural products (bioactive compounds extracted from plants), even though it should be kept in mind that some of them can be toxic too. Ailanthus altissima (Mill.), swingle, known also as tree of heaven, (Simaroubaceae) is one of the most aggressive alien invasive plants. It demonstrates a high tolerance to various habitat conditions and a potent propagation ability. This plant has a prominent ability to suppress the seed development of local vegetation. The aim of this review study is to summarize the potential of this plant for use as a natural pesticide, starting with ethnobotanical information. The essential oils extracted from A. altissima with its main components α-curcumen...
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential genotoxic/antigenotoxic, mutagenic/ant... more The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential genotoxic/antigenotoxic, mutagenic/antimutagenic, and carcinogenic/anticarcinogenic effect of Amorpha fruticosa (AF) fruit, Ailanthus altissima bark hexane (AAEH) and methanol (AAEM) extracts on a model system Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Plants were identified and extracted by Ekaterina Kozuharova. Three concentrations of each extract were tested – 10, 100 and 1000 µg/ml. In vitro pro-oxidant/antioxidant activities were evaluated by DPPH and DNA topology assay. The potential genotoxic/antigenotoxic, mutagenic/antimutagenic and carcinogenic/anticarcinogenic effects were revealed in vivo by: Zimmermman’s test on Saccharomyces cerevisiae diploid strain D7ts1, and Ty1 retrotransposition test on S. cerevisiae haploid strain 551. Zeocin was used as a positive control. Based on the in vitro antioxidant activity the extracts could be arranged as follows: AF>AAEM>AAEH. AAEH possessed moderate oxidative potential. No genotoxic and...
The high tolerance of various habitat conditions and potent propagation ability of Amorpha frutic... more The high tolerance of various habitat conditions and potent propagation ability of Amorpha fruticosa L. (Fabaceae) promote its aggressive invasive behaviour. The aim of this study is to evaluate 1) several populations of this plant by the potential yield of the fruit, 2) the approximate yield of the essential oils, and 3) composition of the essential oil. The potential yield of fruit is evaluated based on extrapolations of weight and number of fruits per infrutescence, number of infrutescences per plant and number of individuals per population. Steam extraction of the essential oil was performed and GS/MS analysis of the composition of the essential oil. The populations on our key plots are big enough for harvesting with fruit/infrutescence 152 ±15 (n = 20) and infrutescences/shrub 436 ±157 (n = 20). The yield is 0.83 ml/100g. We identified 22 components with major constituents caryophyllene (17.64%) α-guaiene (14.70%), naphthalene (6.75%), γ-muurolene + (5.98%).
Biotransformation of exogenous substrates quercetin, kaempferol and apigenin by suspension cultur... more Biotransformation of exogenous substrates quercetin, kaempferol and apigenin by suspension cultures of Astragalus vesicarius ssp. carniolicus to their monoglycosylated derivatives was performed. The maximal enzymatic potential of cells of A. vesicarius ssp. carniolicus was evaluated by different concentrations of substrate exposure. According to quantitative ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HR-ESI-MS) analysis, the highest concentration of kaempferol O-glycoside (14.88 nmol/g dry weight, DW), apigenin O-glycoside (10.55 nmol/g DW) and quercetin O-glycoside (150.83 nmol/g DW) was achieved, when suspension cultures were treated with 4 mg/mL kaempferol, 4 mg/mL apigenin and 3 mg/mL quercetin, respectively. The glycosidic products of biotransformation were not detected in the untreated control.
IntroductionGloriosa superba L. is a promising antitumoural plant species as a source of colchici... more IntroductionGloriosa superba L. is a promising antitumoural plant species as a source of colchicinoids. Ethnobotanical applications of G. superba are associated with different plant parts such as leaves, seeds, fruits, tuber and the whole plant.ObjectivesA comparative phytochemical study of purified extracts from in vitro cultures and native tubers of G. superba was carried out by ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography‐high‐resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐HR‐MS) in combination with the mass defect filtering (MDF) technique.Material and methodsThe individual compounds were tentatively annotated using database correlations, retention time (Rt), accurate m/z data obtained by electrospray ionisation (ESI) (+)‐HR‐MS, proposed elemental composition, ring double bond equivalent (RDBeq) values and HR‐MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Moreover, the identification was based on transforming the exact mass ratio (m/z) for the protonated molecular ions [М + Н]+ of the observed metabolites i...
The use of flavonoids for prevention and cure of human diseases is already widespread. Quercetin ... more The use of flavonoids for prevention and cure of human diseases is already widespread. Quercetin shows antiproliferative effects against various cancer cell lines. These aspects made flavonoids an interesting object for industrial production. This paper describes a plant-cell-culture production approach that provides increased yields of flavonoids. Cell culture of Astragalus missouriensis was established, and flavonoid production was determined and optimized. The chemical investigation of cell extracts led to the isolation of different flavonoids by means of HPLC and TLC. The main aglycon identified was Quercetin in both free and bound forms (as glycosides). Isoquercitrine (quercetin-3-0-glucoside) and Quercitrine (quercetin-3-0-rhamnoside) were the main flavonoid glycosides in all tested cell lines. Rutin (quercetin-3-0-rutinoside), Hyperoside (quercetin-3-0-galactoside), Scopoletin and Phenolcarbonic acids - p-coumaric and chlorogenic have been also detected. In order to increase flavonoid production in vitro the effect of plant growth regulators (auxins and cytokinins) and sucrose concentration were examined. Content of flavonoids was severally decreased in higher concentrations of 2,4dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Addition of cytokinin stimulated both proliferation and flavonoid production. Kinetin was favorable for flavonoid production in A. missouriensis cells. After optimization of production medium maximum total amount of flavonoids 1.34% was achieved. The highest amount of Isoquercitrine (5.3 mg/g DW) and Quercitrine (8.1 mg/g DW) was found in medium with optimal combination of growth regulators naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) I mg/l, Kinetin 2 mg/l and 6% (w/v) sucrose. Rapidly growing cell lines were selected to increase the efficiency of the production of Quercetin derivatives. These results could provide a practical means of in vitro cultivation of this medicinally important plant and for further biotechnological applications.
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Papers by Iliana Ionkova