Search Results (3)

The two accessions of the polytrichaceous moss species Polytrichum formosum, namely German and Serbian genotypes, were subjected to salt stress, aiming to study the species’ developmental and physiological features. Various concentrations of sodium chloride were applied to an axenic in vitro culture of the two moss genotypes, and the growth parameters as well as physiological feature changes were followed. As inferred by the morpho-developmental parameters and survival index, the Serbian genotype showed higher resistance to salt stress as compared to the German one. However, both moss genotypes survived the highest applied concentration (500 mM). As expected, short exposures to salt were rather easily overcome. No clear patterns in sugar content and changes were observed during the stress, but they are surely included in salt stress response and tolerance in P. formosum. Longer stress increased total chlorophyll content in both genotypes. In short-term applied salt stress, the Serbian genotype had a higher total chlorophyll concentration to control unstressed plants, while the German genotype decreased the total amount of chlorophyll. Similarly, carotenoids were shown to be significantly higher in the Serbian genotype, both in unstressed and treated plants, compared to the German one. The contents of tocopherols were higher in the Serbian genotype in controlled unstressed and subsequently short- and long-stressed plantlets compared to the German accession. In general, we can assume that P. formosum is unexpectedly tolerant to salt stress and that there are differences within various accessions of overall European populations, as referred by two randomly selected genotypes, which is most probably a consequence of different genetic structure. Full article

Pentacyclic triterpenoids (PCTs), which possess a number of bioactive properties, are considered one of the most important classes of secondary plant metabolites. Their chromatographic determination in plant biomass is complicated by the need to separate a large number of structurally similar compounds belonging to several classes that differ greatly in polarity (monools, diols, and triterpenic acids). This study proposes a rapid, sensitive, and low-cost method for the simultaneous quantification of ten PCTs (3β-taraxerol, lupeol, β-amyrin, α-amyrin, betulin, erythrodiol, uvaol, betulinic, oleanolic, and ursolic acids) by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) using porous graphitic carbon (Hypercarb) as a stationary phase capable of hydrophobic retention and specific interactions with analytes. Revealing the effects of the mobile phase composition, pH, ionic strength, and column temperature on retention and selection of chromatographic conditions on this basis allowed for the effective separation of all target analytes within 8 min in gradient elution mode and attaining limits of detection in the range of 4–10⁴ µg L⁻¹. The developed method was fully validated and successfully tested in the determination of PCTs in common haircap (Polytrichum commune) and prairie sphagnum (Sphagnum palustre) mosses, and fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) stems and leaves. Full article

One of the most widespread representatives of mosses in the temperate and boreal latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere is common haircap (Polytrichum commune), which is known as the largest moss in the world and widely used in traditional herbal medicine. Polyphenolic compounds constitute one of the most important groups of biologically active secondary metabolites of P. commune, however, the available information on their chemical composition is still incomplete and contradictory. In the present study, a group of dihydrochalcone polyphenolic derivatives that were not previously found in mosses was isolated from P. commune biomass using pressurized liquid extraction with aqueous acetone. The combination of two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry allowed for identifying them as 3-hydroxyphloretin oligomers formed through a carbon–carbon bond between phloroglucinol and pyrocatechol moieties (“head-to-tail” coupling), with a polymerization degree of 2–5. The individual compounds isolated by preparative reverse-phase HPLC had a purity of 71 to 97% and demonstrated high radical scavenging activity (17.5–42.5% with respect to Trolox) determined by the photochemiluminescence method. Along with the low toxicity predicted by QSAR/QSTR algorithms, this makes 3-hydroxyphloretin oligomers a promising source for the production of biologically active food additives and pharmaceuticals. Full article