Edible Plants Enriched with Selenium

Selenium （Se） is an important element from the environmental and biological point of view. In the world, deficiency of Se in a diet occurs more often and nutritional supplements are recommended.The ability of several plants to accumulate and transform inorganic Se forms into its bioactive organic compounds has important implications for human nutrition and health. This work gives a brief overview of the study carried out to characterize Se species produced by different enriched edible plants which were grown in the presence of different Se species.

Characterization of blueberry exosome-like nanoparticles and miRNAs with potential cross-kingdom human gene targets

Edible plant derived exosome-like nanoparticles(ELNs)have been shown to have multiple nutraceutical functions.However,the diversity of plant materials makes the plant derived ELN study challenging.More efforts are still needed to explore the feasible isolation methods of edible plant derived ELNs and the possible roles of food-derived ELNs in improving human health.In this study,a size exclusion chromatography based method was compared with the traditional ultracentrifugation method to isolate blueberry derived ELNs(B-ELNs),and the miRNA profile of B-ELNs was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing.A total of 36 miRNAs were found to be enriched in B-ELNs compared with berry tissue,and their potential cross-kingdom human gene targets were further predicted.Results showed that size exclusion chromatography was effective for B-ELN isolation.The most abundant miRNAs in B-ELNs mainly belonged to the miR166 family and miR396 family.Target gene prediction indicated that B-ELNs could potentially regulate pathways related to the human digestive system,immune system and infectious diseases.

Assessment of Nutrient Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Some Popular Underutilized Edible Crops of Nagaland, India

In Nagaland ~70% of population lives in rural areas and depends on forest products for livelihood. Being part of the biodiversity hotspot, state is rich in biodiversity. The present study was an attempt made to understand the nutritional properties of 22 popular underutilized edible plants (UEP) Kohima, Phek, Tuensang districts. Results revealed moisture content of 22 studied plants ranged between 4.8 to 88.15 g/100g, while protein content varied between 0.00269 - 0.773 g/100g with highest in Terminalia chebula (0.773 g/100g) fruit while lowest protein content was in Setaria italica (0.00269 g/100g). Total carbohydrate content was between 0.198 - 5.212 g/100g with highest in Setaria italica (5.212 g/100g) and lowest in Juglans regia (0.198 g/100g). Of the 22 samples, maximum antioxidant activity was in Terminalia chebula fruits (37.49 μg/ml) followed by Clerodendrum glandulosum (65.29 μg/ml) leaves, Phyllanthus emblica (79.08 μg/ml) fruits against Trolox (96.89 μg/ml). Highest total phenol content (TPC) was recorded in Terminalia chebula (53.11 mg GAE/g) and Rhus chinensis (43.99 mg GAE/g) while in other 20 crops the values varied from 0.09 - 8.44 mg GAE/g. Total flavonoid content (TFC) varied between 0.004 - 43.67 mg QE/g with clerodendrum glandulosum (43.67 mg QE/g) and Terminalia chebula (27.78 mg QE/g) were found to be highest among the 22 plant samples. Findings suggest that these underutilized edible plants should be popularized as they can contribute to nutritional support to different region of the state for health improvement and cultivated them commercially to help and develop various value added local product to improve the livelihood status of the rural population and also add to the economy of the state and region.

Nutritional evaluation of Kedrostis africana (L.) Cogn:An edible wild plant of South Africa

Objective:To evaluate the nutritional composition and elemental constituents of Kedrostis africana and their safety aspect.Methods:Proximate parameters(moisture,ash,crude fibre,crude fat,proteins,and carbohydrate and energy) were evaluated using ALASA methods,and elemental analysis by ICP-OES technique.Results:The results from nutritional analysis showed that the tuber used for this study had a low content of crude fat and high content of ash,crude protein,crude fibre,carbohydrate and energy having the recommended dietary allowances.The tuber was rich in major minerals Na,K,Ca and Mg,there was sufficient amount of trace elements Fe,Cu,and Zn while the anti-nutrients oxalate,phytate,alkaloids,and saponins were detected in amounts that are not harmful according to Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization.Conclusions:The outcome of this study suggests that this wild plant has very good nutritional potentials to meet the recommended dietary allowance and it could be a cheap source of essential nutrients that may ameliorate most nutritional challenges and can contribute remarkably to the amount of nutrient intake in human and animal diet.

Key Artificial Cultivation Technique by the Naxi Nationality for Dioscorea bulbifera:A Traditional Medicinal and Edible Plant

Dioscorea bulbifera is a medicinal and edible plant of the Naxi nationality living in Lijiang area,and its tuber as a vegetable has the functions of clearing away heat and detoxification,and its bulbil has the functions of clearing away heat and resolving phlegm,relieving cough and relieving asthma,dispersing the accumulation of evils and detoxification,etc.Related studies have shown that it mainly contains steroids,diterpene lactones,flavonoids,polyphenols,alkaloids and so on,and it can also fight cancer,inhibit bacteria,relieve pain,resist inflammation and so on.There is also related literature about hepatotoxicity after taking it.The key technique of traditional vegetable cultivation in Lijiang area is systematically summarized in this paper for reference in the future cultivation process.

Plant-derived secondary metabolites as the main source of efflux pump inhibitors and methods for identification

The upsurge of multiple drug resistance(MDR)bacteria substantially diminishes the effectiveness of antibiotic arsenal and therefore intensifies the rate of therapeutic failure.The major factor in MDR is efflux pump-mediated resistance.A unique pump can make bacteria withstand a wide range of structurally diverse compounds.Therefore,their inhibition is a promising route to eliminate resistance phenomenon in bacteria.Phytochemicals are excellent alternatives as resistance-modifying agents.They can directly kill bacteria or interact with the crucial events of pathogenicity,thereby decreasing the ability of bacteria to develop resistance.Numerous botanicals display noteworthy efflux pumps inhibitory activities.Edible plants are of growing interest.Likewise,some plant families would be excellent sources of efflux pump inhibitors(EPIs)including Apocynaceae,Berberidaceae,Convolvulaceae,Cucurbitaceae,Fabaceae,Lamiaceae,and Zingiberaceae.Easily applicable methods for screening plant-derived EPIs include checkerboard synergy test,berberine uptake assay and ethidium bromide test.In silico highthroughput virtual detection can be evaluated as a criterion of excluding compounds with efflux substrate-like characteristics,thereby improving the selection process and extending the identification of EPIs.To ascertain the efflux activity inhibition,real-time PCR and quantitative mass spectrometry can be applied.This review emphasizes on efflux pumps and their roles in transmitting bacterial resistance and an update plant-derived EPIs and strategies for identification.

Efficiency of white lupin in the removal of mercury from contaminated soils: Soil and hydroponic experiments

This study examined the ability of the white lupin to remove mercury （Hg） from a hydroponic system （Hg concentrations 0, 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 μmol/L） and from soil in pots and lysimeters （total Hg concentration （19.2 ± 1.9） mg/kg availability 0.07%, and （28.9 ± 0.4） mg/kg availability 0.09%, respectively）, and investigated the accumulation and distribution of Hg in different parts of the plant. White lupin roots efficiently took up Hg, but its translocation to the harvestable parts of the plant was low. The Hg concentration in the seeds posed no risk to human health according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, but the shoots should not be used as fodder for livestock, at least when unmixed with other fodder crops. The accumulation of Hg in the hydroponically-grown plants was linear over the concentration range tested. The amount of Hg retained in the roots, relative to the shoots, was almost constant irrespective of Hg dose （90%）. In the soil experiments, Hg accumulation increased with exposure time and was the greater in the lysimeter than in the pot experiments. Although Hg removal was the greater in the hydroponic system, revealing the potential of the white lupin to extract Hg, bioaccumulation was the greatest in the lysimeter-grown plants; the latter system more likely reflects the true behaviour of white lupin in the field when Hg availability is a factor that limits Hg removal. The present results suggest that the white lupin could be used in long-term soil reclamation strategies that include the goal of profitable land use in Hg-polluted areas.

A review on the application,phytochemistry and pharmacology of Polygonatum odoratum,an edible medicinal plant

Polygonatum odoratum is distributed in several countries around the world as a medicinal and dual-use plant,and its rhizomes are used in China as a traditional Chinese medicine,also as vegetables,foods,functional foods or tea,with a history of application for more than 2000 years,with precise efficacy and no toxic side effects.However,few reviews are published on its chemical composition and its pharmacological effects.There are many components of P.odoratum,including steroidal saponins,homoisoflavanones,isoflavones,flavonoids,alkaloids,lignin,volatile oil,polysaccharides and lectins.In this review,recent advances of the history and consumption of P.odoratum,the types of chemical components,and the pharmacological effects manifested in antitumour and anticancer,antioxidant,slowing senescence,relieving fatigue and immune regulation are summarized and discussed.Presumably,the main active ingredients of the plant are homoisoflavanones,polysaccharides,saponins,and lectins.The review provides a reference for its development and utilization in the field of functional food and medicine in the future.

Study on Cultivation Technology of Rosa rugosa Thunb.

Rosa rugosa Thunb. is a traditional medicinal and food plant in Hotan region,which has important medicinal and economic value. In recent years,the planting area in Hotan region has been expanding. This paper described the cultivation techniques,planting models and field management,pest control,harvesting and processing of R. rugosa. Based on the analysis of the advantages and cultivation techniques of developing the rose industry in Hotan region,the paper discussed how to accelerate the development of rose cultivation and deep processing industry in Hotan region.

Perceptions of Local People toward Wild Edible Plant Gathering and Consumption:Insights from the Q-method in Hani Terraces

Wild edible plants(WEPs)can provide a variety of provisioning services and cultural services but they are currently under-utilized.Understanding farmers’perceptions of the collection and consumption of wild edible plant resources is essential for promoting local socio-ecological system resilience and local wild plant resource use.This paper uses the Q-method to investigate the main perspectives of farmers toward collecting and consuming wild edible plants in the Honghe Hani Terraces region of Yunnan Province.This analysis identified four main perspective types among the farmers,including market-driven,household user-driven,cultural service seekers,and tradition followers.It revealed the main factors that limit and facilitate farmers’WEP collection and consumption,including limitations due to loss of traditional knowledge,and changes in socioeconomic conditions that negatively affect WEP collection and consumption;while,on the other hand,the demand for WEP-related cultural services and the presence of a strong culture slowed down changes in dietary structure,which in turn have maintained WEP collection and consumption.The Q-method can help in identifying the relationship between community residents and local wild plant resource use in rapidly transitioning areas and in identifying the barriers that affect the resilience of local socio-ecological systems.

Soil Heavy Metal Pollution and Bioavailability in Baoshantao Mining Area, China

In areas with a high geological background of heavy metals,some edible plants could pose a serious threat to human health.In order to find effective methods to remove heavy metals or reduce their harm,this study investigated the enrichment conditions of five soil heavy metals,Cd,Pb,Cu,Zn and Cr,in four edible plants in a mining area,Baoshantao,in eastern China that has a high geological background of metals,and two groups of experiments were designed to investigate the effects of passivators on their enrichment.The results showed that the soil heavy metal content in the study area has a certain degree of spatial variability.The five heavy metal element contaminants in the soil are in the order of Cd>Cu>Zn>Pb>Cr.The enrichment coefficients and the transfer coefficients of different edible plants were different for the different heavy metals.The two groups of passivators showed better passivating effects with an increase in passivating agent dosage.The smaller the enrichment coefficient of water spinach,the lower the bioavailability.The results of this study can provide a scientific basis for the restoration of soil heavy metal pollution and the safe use of land in areas with a high geological background of heavy metals.

Cultivated hawthorn(Crataegus pinnatifida var.major)genome sheds light on the evolution of Maleae(apple tribe)

Cultivated hawthorn(Crataegus pinnatifida var.major)is an important medicinal and edible plant with a long history of use for health protection in China.Herein,we provide a de novo chromosomelevel genome sequence of the hawthorn cultivar“Qiu Jinxing.”We assembled an 823.41 Mb genome encoding 40571 genes and further anchored the779.24 Mb sequence into 17 pseudo-chromosomes,which account for 94.64%of the assembled genome.Phylogenomic analyses revealed that cultivated hawthorn diverged from other species within the Maleae(apple tribe)at approximately 35.4 Mya.Notably,genes involved in the flavonoid and triterpenoid biosynthetic pathways have been significantly amplified in the hawthorn genome.In addition,our results indicated that the Maleae share a unique ancient tetraploidization event;however,no recent independent whole-genome duplication event was specifically detected in hawthorn.The amplification of non-specific long terminal repeat retrotransposons contributed the most to the expansion of the hawthorn genome.Furthermore,we identified two paleo-sub-genomes in extant species of Maleae and found that these two sub-genomes showed different rearrangement mechanisms.We also reconstructed the ancestral chromosomes of Rosaceae and discussed two possible paleopolyploid origin patterns(autopolyploidization or allopolyploidization)of Maleae.Overall,our study provides an improved context for understanding the evolution of Maleae species,and this new highquality reference genome provides a useful resource for the horticultural improvement of hawthorn.

Twelve vegetables used for prevention and treatment of hemorrhoids in Persian Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To review the role of vegetables to prevent and treat hemorrhoids in Persian Medicine(PM).METHODS: We search main Persian Medicine manuscripts, including the books of Liber Continens,Canon of Medicine, Great Elixir, Akbarie’s Medicine,Storehouse of Medicaments and Present for the faithful. Also, it was considered by searching in reference books and published papers with the help of PubMed, Scopus, Google scholar databases.RESULTS: Twelve vegetables, relating to 8 plant families, have been found in PM that their effectiveness involved in laxative, anti-inflammation, antimicrobial, analgesic and wound healing.CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that 12 Persian Medicine vegetables can be used to prevent and treat hemorrhoids.