Search Results (8)

Background: The chloroplast genome provides rich genetic information for plant evolutionary studies. This study aimed to assemble, annotate, and analyze the complete chloroplast genome of flax cultivar ‘Longya 15’ (Linum usitatissimum L.) and clarify its phylogenetic relationships with other Linaceae species. Methods: We assembled and annotated the chloroplast genome of ‘Longya 15’ and retrieved chloroplast genomes of related species (e.g., Linum grandiflorum NC_058845.1, Linum lewisii NC_058799.1) from the NCBI database for phylogenetic analysis. Results: The chloroplast genome of ‘Longya 15’ was a 157,074-bp quadripartite structure with 37.42% GC content, encoding 128 genes (83 mRNAs, 37 tRNAs, 8 rRNAs) without pseudogenes. It showed codon bias for leucine (28 codons with RSCU > 1, ending in A/U), 260 dispersed repeats, and 240 SSRs. Ka/Ks analysis revealed purifying selection for most genes, while rps18 and ycf2 had positive selection. ycf1 was identified as the hypervariable region (pi = 0.25024). Phylogenetically, it clustered closest with Linum grandiflorum, followed by L. lewisii and L. perenne, and was related to Hypericum species. Conclusions: This is the first fine assembly and annotation of ‘Longya 15’ chloroplast genome, confirming no pseudogenes in flax chloroplast. It elucidates flax chloroplast genome conservation and evolutionary dynamics, enriches the database, and provides a foundation for Linaceae phylogenetics, germplasm development, and stress-resistant breeding. Full article

Oral inflammation and the immune response are distinct but related processes where Linum usitatissimum L., fam. Linaceae represents a possible use for localized relief. Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD) with an inflammatory background that mainly affects post- and peri-menopausal women. The presented methodology was threefold. Firstly, the plant extracts were made from flaxseeds of selected cultivars (Szafir [SZ] and Jantarol [JA]) containing plant lignans. In silico docking affinity was performed to verify the beta and alpha estrogen receptors of keratinocytes’ (ERα and ERβ) affinity for lignans from the plant extracts. Lastly, tests using living keratinocyte cell lines were performed. Adding the studied extracts from two cultivars of flaxseed—JA and SZ (10 µg/mL) reduced lipopolysaccharides (LPS)—induced cell inflammation markers levels of COX-2 and IL-6. The effect of JA was more pronounced than that of SZ, with statistical significance (p < 0.05). A high in silico affinity was provided during secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) docking to ERα and ERβ. Flaxseed’s action could be based on the docking affinity of its major components to the estrogen receptors and the overall concentration of the elements of the extracts. Full article

Podophyllotoxin (PTOX), one of the most important natural medicinal compounds, has anticancer properties. Its effective medicinal derivatives, such as etoposide and teniposide, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cancer treatment. This compound is found as a specialized metabolite in the Linum album Kotschy ex Boiss., belonging to the Linaceae family. PTOX is the major aryltetralin lignan resulting from the shikimic acid/phenylpropanoid pathway, and it accumulates in the shoots and roots of L. album. PTOX plays a necessary role in plant defense systems, protecting against abiotic as well as biotic stresses and helping their adaptation to adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, the content of specialized metabolites increases under stress. In this study, the content of PTOX under stressful conditions (potassium deficiency stress at two time points: 12 and 48 h) was examined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) in a completely randomized design with three replications. The results of HPLC showed that the content of PTOX first decreased after 12 h, while after 48 h of treatment, compared with the control plants, it showed a significant increase, with a value of 135.8 in the shoots. In the roots, the results were consistent with the results of the aerial parts, and the amount increased significantly after 48 h. In general, the results show that L. album, as a suitable natural source for PTOX, has great potential to generate large-scale products for commercial and pharmaceutical purposes. Full article

The taxonomy of the subfamily Linoideae at the intergeneric and section levels has been questioned throughout the years, and the evolution of floral characters remains poorly understood. In particular, the evolution of flower color is still uncertain, despite its ecological importance and being one of the most variable and striking traits in Angiospermae. We evaluated the phylogenetic relationships of the genera and sections and used the phylogeny to reconstruct the ancestral state of flower color. The results suggest reevaluating the taxonomic status of segregated genera and re-incorporating them into Linum. Four of the five sections currently accepted were recovered as monophyletic (Cathartolinum, Dasylinum, Linum, and Syllinum). We propose accepting the section Stellerolinon and reevaluating Linopsis, whose representatives were recovered in three separate clades. The ancestral flower color for Linoideae was yellow-white. The flower colors purple and yellow-white were recovered at the deepest nodes of the two main clades. Pink, blue, and red colors were the most recent to evolve. These results appear to be related to diversification events, biogeographical history, and ecological aspects of the subfamily. Our reconstruction constitutes the first plausible scenario that explores the evolution of flower color, leading to new testable hypotheses for future research on the flax group. Full article

The phylogeny of members of the family Linaceae DC. ex Perleb has not been adequately studied. In particular, data on the phylogenetic relationship between Linum stelleroides Planch. and other representatives of the blue-flowered flax are very controversial. In the present work, to clarify this issue, we obtained DNA sequences of three nuclear loci (IGS and ITS1 + 5.8S rDNA + ITS2 of the 35S rRNA gene and the 5S rRNA gene) and eight chloroplast loci (rbcL, the trnL–trnF intergenic spacer, matK, the 3′ trnK intron, ndhF, trnG, the psbA–trnH intergenic spacer, and rpl16) of 10 Linum L. species (L. stelleroides, L. hirsutum, L. perenne, L. leonii, L. lewisii, L. narbonense, L. decumbens, L. grandiflorum, L. bienne (syn. L. angustifolium), and L. usitatissimum) using high-throughput sequencing data. The phylogenetic analysis showed that L. stelleroides forms a basal branch in the blue-flowered flax clade. Previously found inconsistencies in the position of L. stelleroides and some other species in the Linaceae phylogenetic tree resulted from the erroneous species identification of some of the studied plant samples. Full article

Lectins are ubiquitous proteins characterized through their ability to bind different types of carbohydrates. It is well known that active lectins from insufficiently prepared legumes can cause adverse human health effects. The objective of this study was to determine the activity of lectins in samples across plant families representing commercially available edible plants, and the feasibility of inactivating lectins through soaking and boiling. Lectins were extracted from the plant families Adoxaceae, Amaranthaceae, Cannabaceae, Fabaceae, Gramineae, Lamiaceae, Linaceae, Pedaliaceae, and Solanaceae. A hemagglutination assay based on non-treated or trypsin treated rabbit erythrocytes was used to measure the lectin activity. The results showed the highest lectin activity in species from the Fabaceae family and demonstrated that soaking and boiling have an effect on the levels of active lectins. This is the first large study that combines lectin activity obtained from two different assays with raw and processed edible plants. In addition, we examined the current risk assessment, and regulations necessary for an adequate official reporting of results. We encourage the scientific community to further explore this field and agree on harmonized methods for analysis and interpretation, and hope that our methodology can initiate this development. Full article

Many anticancer drugs in clinical use are natural product derived from natural sources. Today, investigations of anti cancer effect of different natural products are increase. The aimed of the current study was to investigate possible antiproliferative effects of methanolic extract of Linum arboreum leaves (MELAL) and fruits (MELAF). Linumarboreum is a plant species that member of Linacea efamily. We evaluated the antiproliferative effect of MELAL and MELAF on human lung carcinomacells A549 by XTT assay. Cells exposed different concentration of MELAL and MELAF (0.1–2000 µg/mL) for 24 h. IC50 value was determined 0.771 ± 0.043 µg/mL of MELAL and IC50 value was determined 1.456 ± 0.995 µg/mL of MELAF. MELAL has shown higher antiproliferative activity compare with MELAF. Alsoboth of MELAL and MELAF have higher antiproliferative activity with low IC50 values in compared cisplatin. Especially MELAL has shown strong anticancer activity with low IC50 value. Nevertheless, anti cancer activity of MELAL should be supported by further studies. Full article

Seven new diterpenes, named ovoideal A (1), B (2), C (3), D (4), E (5), F (6) and G (7), have been isolated along with eleven known diterpenes 8–18 from the petroleum ether soluble fraction of an ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Tirpitzia ovoidea. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated primarily by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, as well as by the HR-ESI-MS spectrometry. All compounds were isolated from the Linaceae family for the first time. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of compounds 1, 3–5, 8–18 was evaluated against the Hela, HepG2 and K562 cell lines. Among them, compounds 3, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 showed moderate inhibitory activities. Full article