Phytochemical Analysis and Antioxidant Activity of Aqueous and Hydroethanolic Extracts from Three Anticancerous Fabaceae of Northern Cameroon Pharmacopoeia

Background: Cancer continues to pose a significant threat to our society, representing one of the most pressing health concerns worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition and the antioxidant activity of aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts from Acacia nilotica (An), Bauhinia reticulate (Br), and Tamarindus indica (Ti) of Fabaceae family, traditionally used in Northern Cameroon for cancer treatment. Methods: The phytochemical screening of the three plants was conducted using conventional colorimetric methods, followed by the measurement of total phenol content, flavonoids, and tannins. The antiradical and antioxidant activities of both plant extracts were assessed through FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH methods. A principal components analysis was employed to correlate the quantities of the evaluated secondary metabolites with the activities. Results: Both types of extracts from the three plants contain alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, tannins, glycosides, terpenoids, coumarins, anthocyanins, and anthraquinones. The aqueous extracts of Br and An are significantly richer (p Conclusion: The three Fabaceae plants from northern Cameroon, prepared in different solvents, can be utilized for their antiradical properties in cancer treatment.

Chemical Compositions of <i>Lonchocarpus cyanescens</i>Benth., (Fabaceae)—Case Study of Its Volatile Oils, and Two Triterpenoids

Leaf and stem essential oils of Lonchocarpus cyanescens Benth., (Fabaceae) were obtained by hydro-distillation, using all-glass apparatus adapted to British Pharmacopeia specifications with yields of 0.03% and 0.17% respectively. The oils were investigated by GC and GC-MS analyses. Results show seven compounds were responsible for 90.4% of leaf;eleven compounds responsible for 97.6% of stem volatile oils. Phytol (62.5%) and hexadecanoic acid (12.4%) dominate the leaf oil;octadecenoic (24.1%) and hexadecanoic acids (17.2%) are predominant in the stem oil. Phytochemical screening of stem, leaf, and root methanol extracts of Lonchocarpus cyanescens reveal presence of following seven classes of metabolites: saponin, tannin, steroid, terpenoid, cardiac glycosides, phlobatannins and flavonoids. Partitioning of methanol extract from dried leaf of it with ethylacetate gave fraction, which was chromatographed using gradient elution. TLC with high Rf was used in monitoring elution. Two white crystalline solids eluted at 5% and 10% ethylethanoate in hexane, were re-crystallized and characterized. They were subjected to Infra-Red spectra, mass spectrometry (ESI technique), 1H and 13C-NMR analyses, which confirmed they are triterpenoids. Above mentioned metabolites may be responsible for literature acclaimed bio-activities L. cyanescens display [anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-microbial effects]. This paper presents details of above results which are new in literature.

Seed Morphology of Some Species of <i>Indigofera</i>(Fabaceae) from Saudi Arabia (Identification of Species and Systematic Significance)

Seeds of 18 species of Indigofera L. were examined with the scanning electron microscope and the light microscope. Macro- and micromorphological characters, including seed shape, colour, size, surface, epidermal cell shape, anticlinal boundaries, outer periclinal cell wall and relief of outer cell walls, are presented. Two types of basic anticlinal cell wall boundaries and two types of relief outer cell walls are recognized and two different shapes of the outer periclinal cell wall are described. A key for the identification of the investigated taxa based on seed characters is provided.

Morphological Diversity of Some <i>Tephrosia</i>Species (Fabaceae) in Saudi Arabia

Morphological features of nine wild species belonging to the genus Tephrosia PER growing in Saudi Arabia were extensively studied in order to support the diversity and simplify the identification of these species. The studied features included macro and micro morphological features of stem, leaves, flowers and pods. The most important features regarded for distinction of Saudi Arabia species of Tephrosia were pods shape, color, size, dehiscence and number of seeds per pod, inflorescences position, flower opening, shape of the upper 2 teeth of calyx, shape of sepals apex, shape of wings, length of hairs on ovary, direction of staminal tube tip, leaflets shape and surface and stem habit form and life spin. A key for the identification of the investigated species based on these morphological features is provided.

Isolation and Characterization of Anthocyanins in Four Varieties of Vigna subterranea (Fabaceae)

By chromatographic methods (HPLC, TLC) coupled with spectral methods (LC-MS, TLC-MS) and chemical revelation tests, anthocyanins from four Vigna subterranea varieties (M4, D3, KVS350, KVS97) were isolated and identified as malvidin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, paeonidin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, petunidin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, cyanidin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, del- pinidin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside.

The nearly complete assembly of the Cercis chinensis genome and Fabaceae phylogenomic studies provide insights into new gene evolution

Fabaceae is a large family of angiosperms with high biodiversity that contains a variety of economically important crops and model plants for the study of biological nitrogen fixation.Polyploidization events have been extensively studied in some Fabaceae plants,but the occurrence of new genes is still concealed,owing to a lack of genomic information on certain species of the basal clade of Fabaceae.Cercis chinensis(Cercidoideae)is one such species;it diverged earliest from Fabaceae and is essential for phylogenomic studies and new gene predictions in Fabaceae.To facilitate genomic studies on Fabaceae,we performed genome sequencing of C.chinensis and obtained a 352.84 Mb genome,which was further assembled into seven pseudochromosomes with 30612 predicted protein-coding genes.Compared with other legume genomes,that of C.chinensis exhibits no lineage-specific polyploidization event.Further phylogenomic analyses of 22 legumes and 11 other angiosperms revealed that many gene families are lineage specific before and after the diversification of Fabaceae.Among them,dozens of genes are candidates for new genes that have evolved from intergenic regions and are thus regarded as de novo-originated genes.They differ significantly from established genes in coding sequence length,exon number,guanine–cytosine content,and expression patterns among tissues.Functional analysis revealed that many new genes are related to asparagine metabolism.This study represents an important advance in understanding the evolutionary pattern of new genes in legumes and provides a valuable resource for plant phylogenomic studies.

Nuclear phylotranscriptomics and phylogenomics support numerous polyploidization events and hypotheses for the evolution of rhizobial nitrogenfixing symbiosis in Fabaceae

Fabaceae are the third largest angiosperm family,with 765 genera and~19500 species.They are important both economically and ecologically,and global Fabaceae crops are intensively studied in part for their nitrogen-fixing ability.However,resolution of the intrasubfamilial Fabaceae phylogeny and divergence times has remained elusive,precluding a reconstruction of the evolutionary history of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in Fabaceae.Here,we report a highly resolved phylogeny using>1500 nuclear genes from newly sequenced transcriptomes and genomes of 391 species,along with other datasets,for a total of 463 legumes spanning all 6 subfamilies and 333 of 765 genera.The subfamilies are maximally supported as mono-phyletic.The clade comprising subfamilies Cercidoideae and Detarioideae is sister to the remaining legumes,and Duparquetioideae and Dialioideae are successive sisters to the clade of Papilionoideae and Caesalpinioideae.Molecular clock estimation revealed an early radiation of subfamilies near the K/Pg boundary,marked by mass extinction,and subsequent divergence of most tribe-level clades within~15 million years.Phylogenomic analyses of thousands of gene families support 28 proposed putative whole-genome duplication/whole-genome triplication events across Fabaceae,including those at the ancestors of Fabaceae and five of the subfamilies,and further analyses supported the Fabaceae ancestral polyploidy.The evolution of rhizobial nitrogen-fixing nodulation in Fabaceae was probed by ancestral character reconstruction and phylogenetic analyses of related gene families and the results support the hypotheses of one or two switches)to rhizobial nodulation followed by multiple losses.Collectively,these results provide a foundation for further morphological and functional evolutionary analyses across Fabaceae.

Hepatoprotective and in vivo antioxidant activities of the hydroethanolic leaf extract of Mucuna pruriens (Fabaceae) in antitubercular drugs and alcohol models

AIM: Hepatotoxicity is a significantly increasing health problem worldwide, and the extent of the problem has stimulated interest in the search for hepatotherapeutic agents from plants. This study investigated the hepatoprotective and in vivo antioxidant activities of the hydroethanolic extract of Mucuna pruriens leaves in antitubercular and alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity assays in rats. METHOD: In each of the models used, seven groups were allotted. The different groups received normal saline(10 mL·kg-1, p.o.); hepatotoxicant(isoniazid-rifampicin, INH-RIF, 100 mg·kg-1, i.p. or 20% ethanol 5 g·kg-1, p.o.) and normal saline(10 mL·kg-1, p.o.); hepatotoxicant and extract at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg·kg-1 p.o.; hepatotoxicant and silymarin 50 mg·kg-1 p.o.; and extract at 400 mg·kg-1 p.o.. On the 21st day of treatment, blood was collected for assessment of serum biochemical parameters and harvested liver samples were assessed for antioxidants. RESULTS: The hepatotoxicants significantly(P < 0.05-0.001) increased the levels of alanine transaminase(ALT), aspartate transaminase(AST), alkaline phosphatase(ALP), bilirubin, and malondialdehyde(MDA); and reduced the levels of catalase(CAT), superoxide dismutase(SOD), glutathione peroxidase(GPx), and reduced glutathione GSH compared to control. M. pruriens significantly reversed(P < 0.05-0.001) the elevation in the level of ALT, AST, ALP, and bilirubin caused by the hepatotoxicants. The extract(200 and 400 mg·kg-1) significantly reversed(P < 0.05) the diminution in the level of in vivo antioxidants and increased the level of MDA produced by INH-RIF. M. pruriens(100-400 mg·kg-1) elicited significant reduction(P < 0.001) in the level of MDA compared to the alcohol group. Silymarin also reversed the deleterious effects of the hepatotoxicants. CONCLUSION: The hydroethanolic extract of Mucuna pruriens leaves possesses hepatoprotective activity with enhancement of in vivo antioxidants as a possible mechanism of action.

Dual ecological functions of scatter-hoarding rodents:pollinators and seed dispersers of Mucuna sempervirens(Fabaceae)

Double mutualism,that is,pollination and seed dispersal of the same plant species mediated by the same animal partners,is important but remains elusive in nature.Recently,rodent species were found as key pollinators(i.e.explosive openers)for some Mucuna species in(sub)tropical Asia,but no evidence has shown whether and how these rodents could also act as legitimate seed dispersers via scatter-hoarding for those producing large seeds.Here,my aim was to test the hypothesis that scatter-hoarding rodents could act as double mutualists for both pollination and seed dispersal of the same Mucuna species,that is,Mucuna sempervirens(Fabaceae).Based on camera-trapping survey at 2 locations with or without squirrel presence in the Dujiangyan subtropical forests,Southwest China,7 mammals and birds were identified as explosive openers for M.sempervirensflowers,but Leopoldamys edwardsi(rats)and Paguma larvata(civets)were the main pollinators at the squirrel-absent site,while Callosciurus erythraeus(squirrels)were the main pollinators at the squirrel-present site.By tracking the fate of individually-tagged seeds over 5 years at each site,I provide thefirst evidence for seed-eating rodents as legitimate seed dispersers via scatter-hoarding of seeds in this world-wide plant genus,although dispersal services were slightly reduced at squirrel-absent site.More importantly,the dual roles of scatter-hoarding rodents as key pollinators and seed dispersers for the same Mucuna species have shown a clear relationship of double mutualism,and their key services may be essential for population conservation of these Mucuna species in human-disturbed landscapes.

Legumes from the Paleocene sediments of India and their ecological significance

During the early Paleogene,greenhouse gases created warm global climates.These warm climates redistributed the habitat of marine and terrestrial biota globally.Understanding the ecology of biotas under extremely warm climates is important to decipher their behavior in future climate warming.Here we report two new legume fossils(Leguminocarpum meghalayensis Bhatia,Srivastava et Mehrotra sp.nov.,and Parvileguminophyllum damalgiriensis Bhatia,Srivastava et Mehrotra sp.nov.) from the late Paleocene sediments of Tura Formation of Meghalaya,northeast India.Globally,the Paleocene legume fossil records indicate that legumes most likely immigrated to India from Africa via the Ladakh-Kohistan Arc during the early Paleogene.Moreover,previously reconstructed climate data from the Tura Formation indicate that legumes were well adapted to a warm seasonal climate with monsoon rains.

Antibacterial activity of leaves extracts of Trifolium alexandrinum Linn,against pathogenic bacteria causing tropical diseases

Objective:To investigate antibacterial potential of Trifolium alexandrinum(T.alexandrinum) Linn,against seven gram positive and eleven gram negative hospital isolated human pathogenic bacterial strains responsible for many tropical diseases.Methods:Non-polar and polar extracts of the leaves of T.alexandrinum i.e.,hexane,dichloromethane(DCM),ethyl acetate(EtOAc), methanol(MeOH) and aqueous(AQ) extracts at five different concentrations(1,2,5,10 and 15 mg/ mL) were prepared to evaluate their antibacterial value.NCCL standards were strictly followed to perform antimicrobial disc susceptibility test using disc diffusion method.Results:Polar extracts demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against tested pathogens.EtOAc and MeOH extracts showed maximum antibacterial activity with higher inhibition zone and were found effective against seventeen of the tested pathogens.While AQ plant extract inhibited the growth of sixteen of the test strains.EtOAc and MeOH plant extracts inhibited the growth of all seven gram positive and ten of the gram negative bacterial strains.Conclusions:The present study strongly confirms the effectiveness of crude leaves extracts against tested human pathogenic bacterial strains causing several tropical diseases.Since Egyptian clover is used as a fodder plant,it could be helpful in controlling various infectious diseases associated with cattle as well.

Two New Antibacterial Flavanones from Sophora flavescens

Two new lavandulylated flavanones,（2R, 3R）-8-1avandulyl-2＇-methoxy-5, 7, 4＇-trihydroxyflavanonol （1） and 8-1avandulyl-5,7, 4＇-trihydroxyflavonol （2）,were isolated from the dry roots of S opharaflavescens.Their structures were eiucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited significant antibacterial activities.

Plastid phylogenomic insights into the evolution of subfamily Dialioideae (Leguminosae)

The subfamily Dialioideae(Leguminosae)consists of 17 genera and about 85 species.Previous studies have detected significant plastid genome(plastome)structure variations in legumes,particularly in subfamilies Papilionoideae and Caesalpinioideae.Hence it is important to investigate plastomes from the newly recognized Dialioideae to better understand the plastome variation across the whole family.Here,we used nine plastomes representing nine genera of Dialioideae to explore plastome structural variation and intergeneric relationships in this subfamily.All plastomes of Dialioideae exhibited a typical quadripartite structure,and had relatively conserved structure compared with other legume subfamilies.However,the genome size ranged from 154,124 bp to 165,973 bp and gene numbers ranged from 129 to132,mainly due to the expansion and contraction of the inverted repeat(IR)regions.The IR of Distemonanthus benthamianus has experienced two separate expansions into the large single copy(LSC)region and the small single copy(SSC)region,and one contraction from SSC.Poeppigia procera has experienced two separate IR expansions into LSC,while Dicorynia paraensis has experienced an IR contraction from LSC.Highly divergent regions or genes(ndhC-trnV^(UAC),psbK-trnQ^(UUG),rps19-rps3,rpl33-rps18,accD-psaI,trnG^(UCC)-trnS^(GCU),psbI-trnS^(GCU),5'rps16-trnQ^(UUG)and ycf1)were identified as potential molecular markers for further species delimitation and population genetics analysis in legumes.Phylogenetic analysis based on 77 protein-coding sequences fully resolved the intergeneric relationships among nine genera except a moderately supported sister relationship between Petalostylis labicheoides and Labichea lanceolata.Our study reveals new insights into the structural variations of plastomes in subfamily Dialioideae and advances our understanding of the evolutionary trajectories of legume plastomes.

Red sandalwood(Pterocarpus santalinus L. f.): biology,importance, propagation and micropropagation

Pterocarpus santalinus L. f.(Fabaceae;red sanders) is prized for its wood whose colour and fragrance is due to the presence of santalins that have pharmaceutical and industrial uses. Red sanders is listed as an endangered plant species on the IUCN red data list as a result of the exploitation of its wood and essential oil. This review emphasizes the pollination biology, seed germination, vegetative propagation and micropropagation of P. santalinus. Excessive use of P. santalinus has also caused the emergence of various adulterants, so accurate identification is essential.

Comparative Foliar Structure of Vicia L. Species from China

The genus Vicia L. includes about 190 species around the world and approximately 40 species in China. The genus includes minor food crops and forage plants. This study gives a detailed description of foliar structure of some Vicia species from China. Leaf characters showed considerable variation among studied taxa including petiole and tendril length;leaflets number, length, width, shape, apex, base;blade surface, trichome shape, type, base and length;stipules shape, base, length, width and surface. Numerical analysis of these characters was used to construct a phenogram illustrating the relationship between the studied taxa and to build an artificial key to identify Vicia species. Moreover, variation in leaf characters helped in overcoming the overlapping among harmful taxa.

Influence of cytokinins, basal media and pH on adventitious shoot regeneration from excised root cultures of Albizia lebbeck

A highly reproducible and efficient in vitro shoot regeneration system was developed in a potential medicinal plant, Albizia lebbeck using root explants. Root explants from 15 day-old-aseptic seedlings were cultured on Murashige and Skoog （MS） medium supplemented with different concentrations （0.5, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 μM） of 6-Benzyladenine （BA）, Kinetin （Kn）, 2-Isopentenyl adenine （2-iP） singly as well as in combination with α-Naphthalene acetic acid （NAA） （0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 μM）. The highest rate of shoot multiplication （16.0 ± 1.87 for the average shoot number and 5.16 ± 0.38 cm for shoot length） was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 7.5 μM BA and 0.5 μM NAA. The effects of medium type, medium strength, pH and subculture on shoot induction and proliferation were also tested. An average of 21.6±2.87 shoots per explants could be obtained following this protocol. Rooting was achieved on microshoots using half strength MS medium with 2.0 μM Indole-3-butyric acid （IBA） after four weeks of culture. The in vitro raised healthy plantlets were successfully established in earthen pots containing garden soil and grown in greenhouse with 〉80% survival rate.

Early performance of two tropical dry forest species after assisted migration to pine-oak forests at different altitudes:strategic response to climate change

Assisted migration has been proposed as a strategy for adaptive management of forest species in response to expected effects of climate change,but it is controversial for several reasons.Tropical dry forests are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world.In Mexico,historically,land-use change and deforestation have been decreasing forest cover,and climate change is shifting the potential distribution of different forest types,exacerbating the risk of local extinctions.Assisted altitudinal migration could be a feasible strategy for reducing local extinctions in response to climate change and lack of landscape connectivity.Our objective was to evaluate survival and growth of Albizia plurijuga and Ceiba aesculifolia,two tropical deciduous forests species in Mexico.We transplanted 4-month-old seedlings to experimental raised beds at three altitudes(2100,2400 and 2700 m a.s.l.),exceeding their upper regional limit of distribution(2000 m a.s.l.).We also tested seed germination at each altitude.We monitored the experiment for 10 months.For both species,as altitude increased and cold weather was more prevalent,plant performance declined.Within species,differences in individual growth were significant among altitudes.Overall survival was 18.5%for A.plurijuga and 24.5%for C.aesculifolia.Both species had higher survival and better growth at lower altitude,and no seedling emergence at any altitude.We conclude that assisted migration can be implemented for each species by an upward attitudinal shift within,and not exceeding,400 m beyond their present upper altitudinal limit of distribution.Our results indicate that for many species that show altitudinal gradients at regional scales,unless current climate conditions change,the potential to establish outside their range is minimal.

Phytotoxic effect of Sesbania virgata(Cav.) Pers.on seeds of agronomic and forestry species

Sesbania virgata（Cav.） Pers.is a pioneer species native to South America able to release allelochemicals that affect germination and development of other plant species.The aim of this work was to evaluate the allelopathic effect of S.virgata on the germination and development of co-occurring species from gallery forest and on agronomic species.Two forest native species,Enterolobium contortisiliquum（Vell.） Morong and Sapindus saponaria L.,and two agronomic species（these as control）,Oryza sativa L.and Solanum lycopersicum L.were used in the lab and greenhouse assays with seeds and leaf extracts of S.virgata.Agronomic species were more affected than native species when co-germinated with seeds of S.virgata.The germination percentage and speed germination index of the agronomic species were reduced in both in vitro and greenhouse assays.In the same assays,the seeds of native species showed no significant differences in the parameters mentioned.However,the initial growth of the four species assayed was affected,with reduction in plant length and shoot diameter followed by significant reduction in plantlet shoot and root weights.In the assays with irrigation of S.virgata leaf extracts,no significant inhibitory effects on germination were observed for all species.Height and shoot diameter of the native species were not affected by the leaf extracts,nor were fresh and dry weights.However,these parameters increased in the agronomic species as they were irrigated with leaf extracts.Based on our data we conclude that seed leachates of S.virgata affect germination and seedling development of other species,suggesting that its invasive behavior is due mainly to seed allelochemicals.Although with less pronounced effects on native species,allelopathy of S.virgata might also influence Interspecific competition in its natural environment.

Vegetative propagation of Apuleia leiocarpa(Vogel)J.F.Macbr

Apuleia leiocarpa is an environmentally and economically significant Atlantic Forest species threat-ened by ongoing exploitation.The vegetative propagation of the species could be a step forward to enable implanta-tion of clonal seed orchards and multiplication of selected trees but remains unknown to date.This study assessed the mini-cutting technique for propagation of A.leiocarpa and determined the time required for rooting and viable mini-cutting type and sizes.The results show that it is possible to propagate A.leiocarpa with mini-cuttings derived from mini-stumps produced with seeds;the mini-stumps pre-sented regrowth capacity and remained constantly produc-tive for 1 year;10-cm A.leiocarpa mini-cuttings should remain under misting conditions for at least 40 days,and the vegetative propagation of A.leiocarpa with intermediate 7-to 10-cm mini-cuttings resulted in more vigorous clonal seedlings than smaller mini-cuttings.

Artificial Erythrina Alkaloids from Three Erythrina Plants,E. variegata,E. crista-galli and E. arborescens

Fourteen unprecedented artificial Erythrina alkaloids were isolated from the Erythrina variegata,E.crista-galli and E.arborescens(Fabaceae).The structures of these alkaloids were determined by spectroscopic analyses.Their possible forma-tions were proposed.All isolated compounds showed no cytotoxicity and hypoglycemic activity at cell screening bioassay.