Nova Biologica Reperta

The effect of glycolysis inhibitor dichloroacetate on the apoptosis rate and alteration of gene and miRNA expression of breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231

Farnoosh Attari

Breast cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer among women. The triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most invasive subtype, and chemotherapy is the only therapy option. Cancer cells preferably utilize the glycolysis pathway even with proper oxygen availability, and this activation plays a great role in tumorigenesis. Therefore, glycolysis targeting can be an effective strategy for cancer treatment. Here, the apoptotic effect of a glycolysis inhibitor named dichloroacetate (DCA) on TNBC cells MDA-MB-231 was assessed, and the expression of anti-apoptotic genes and oncogenic miRNAs was evaluated. MTT assay showed that DCA reduces cell viability in a dose-dependent manner with the IC50 concentration of 50 mM. Annexin/PI assay demonstrated that DCA due to DCA treatment. Finally, the expression of anti-apoptotic genes Bcl2l1 and Mcl1 and oncogenic miRNAs miR21 and miR27a decreased due to DCA treatment. Our results confirmed that DCA, as a glycolysis inhibitor, leads to apoptosis induction in TNBC cells because of reducing expression of viability genes and miRNAs.

The effect of type 2 diabetes on the olfactory bulb structure of Wistar rats

Zahra Nazari

Olfaction, the sense of smell, plays an important role in the individual's safety, nutrition, social interactions, sexual function, and quality of life. Diabetes mellitus, which affects more than 400 million people worldwide, is associated with olfactory dysfunction. This work evaluated the olfactory bulb structure of Type 2 diabetes rats. Type 2 diabetes induction was performed by administering 20mg/Kg Streptozotocin to adult Wistar rats for five days. 35 days after injection, animals were sacrificed, and olfactory bulb tissue was harvested for tissue processing and Nissl staining to evaluate the olfactory bulb structure. Based on the results, diabetic animals showed a significant decrease in the Glomeruli number compared to controls (P<0.05). Furthermore, we observed a significant decrease in the internal plexiform layer thickness in the olfactory bulb of diabetic rats when compared to controls (P<0.05). The present results showed that olfactory dysfunction in Type 2 diabetes rats is associated with olfactory bulb structural change, which indicates the olfactory bulb tissue damage caused by diabetes.

Plant-based vaccines production and conducted experiments in this case, as an effective strategy to combat infectious diseases, such as Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

Azadeh Niknejad

The emergence of new viruses has always been a threat to the health of people around the world, the latest example of it is the new strains of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the resulting acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The current situation underscores the importance of rapidly producing low-cost stable vaccines that do not require refrigeration equipment for storage and transportation. However, most vaccines are not yet available in developing countries due to import costs and storage and transportation needs. Therefore, the vaccine must be affordable for developing countries so that vaccination can be carried out on a large scale. Herbal vaccines are more cost-effective than other types of vaccines and production methods and can be produced in large quantities. In addition, herbal vaccines have other benefits that are discussed in this article. However, given that an herbal medicinal product is to be used as a vaccine in a semi-processed form (such as mashed potatoes or tomato paste), specific regulatory reviews must apply to injectable vaccines. Products should also be applied to evaluate their side effects clinically. The current review article investigates the opportunities and challenges of producing plant-based vaccines to deal with diseases like Coronavirus disease (COVID-19(.

Evaluation of antifungal activity of nano and bulk forms of copper oxide in wheat (Roshan cultivar)

Monireh Cheniany

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), as one of the most important cultivated crops in the world and Iran, is constantly threatened by many diseases, including Fusarium contamination. Due to the unique characteristics of nanoparticles, copper oxide nanoparticles show high antibacterial and antifungal properties. The purpose of this research was to comparatively investigate the antifungal effects of copper oxide nanoparticles and its bulk form on the suppression of Fusarium calmorum in wheat. For this purpose, a pot experiment was done with four levels (10, 250, 500, and 1000 mg L^-1) of nanoparticles and bulk form of copper oxide treatments in wheat (Roshan cultivar). The results showed that the maximum inhibition of root pathogenicity was observed in a high concentration of nanoparticles as compared to bulk form. The 250 and 500 mg L^-1concentrations of copper oxide nanoparticles caused the highest stem and root length and the highest dry weight of the aerial part and root, respectively. Treatment with 10 and 250 mg L^-1 nanoparticles also increased the content of chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, carotenoid, chlorophyll stability index, membrane stability coefficient, and relative leaf water content. While the content of chlorophyll b, malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and proline increased with the increasing concentration of both nanoparticle and bulk forms. The results of this research showed that the low and medium concentrations of nanoparticles were more successful in inhibiting the aforementioned fungus than the bulk form.

The impact of industrial wastewater on some of the morphological and physiologhical characteristics of Cyperus alternifolius, Chrysopogon zizanioide and Aloe vera

Seyed Mehdi Razavi

The increase of the entry of industrial effluents containing various types of heavy metals into water and soil leads to the ever-increasing spread of environmental problems. Therefore, it is necessary to find less expensive solutions to reduce the pollution. In this regard, in order to compare the effect of the removal of heavy elements on some of the morphological and physiological characteristics of C. alternifolius, Ch. zizanioides and Aloe vera plants, an experiment was conducted in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications for 14 months at the University of Guilan. The results showed that under the treatment of industrial wastewater, the metal accumulation indices (MAI) of zinc, chromium, lead, copper, manganese, nickel, magnesium were higher in Ch. zizanioides and Aloe vera than those in C. alternifolius. In all three studied plants, the indices of root length, shoot length, total biomass and tolerance index (TI) had a significant decrease compared with those in the control plants, and Ch. zizanioides and A. vera plants had the lowest percentage of decrease. In addition, other investigated components including absorption index (UI), total soluble sugar, total phenol content, total flavonoid, total anthocyanin, total tannin, and DPPH free radical inhibition percentage increased in all three plants under industrial wastewater treatment. The highest percentage of increase in all investigated components, except DPPH free radical inhibition percentage, was observed in Ch. zizanioides. In general, it can be said that in terms of MAI and morphological and physiological characteristics, Ch. zizanioides and A. vera were more successful than the C. alternifolius. Therefore, it is recommended to plant the studied plants in the order of priority (Ch. zizanioides ˃ A. vera ˃ C. alternifolius) in soils contaminated with industrial effluents, in order to remediate the soil.

Plant diversity in the understory of plant communities along the elevational gradient in western Aladagh Mountains, northeastern Iran

Farshid Memariani

Understanding the different patterns of plant diversity and distribution along the environmental gradients is essential for managing ecosystems, especially in fragmented habitats due to intensive human pressure. The Darkash area is located in the western Aladagh Mountains in Khorassan-Kopet Dagh Floristic Province. The easternmost patches of the Hyrcanian montane forests grow in this area. The three main vegetation types in the area are shrublands/scrub forests, oak forests (Quercus castaneifolia), and subalpine vegetation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the plant diversity in the understory of plant communities along the elevational gradient. We sampled 187 vegetation plots (2m x 2m) along a 1300m elevational gradient (in 100-m classes) using the stratified-random method and estimated the abundance and canopy cover of the species. Floristic characteristics and different diversity indices were measured. In total, 252 plant species belonging to 161 genera and 44 families were identified. Of these, 41 species were found to be endemic or semi-endemic. Hemicryptophytes and therophytes are the dominant life-forms in the study area. The Irano-Turanian elements (46.8%) make the major chorotype in the flora of the area, followed by Bi-regional (17.5%), Tri-regional (17.5%), Pluri-regional (11.5%), and Euro-Siberian (6.7%) elements. The shrubland understory has the highest Hill's and beta diversity indices, followed by the oak forest and the subalpine understory. The biodiversity changes sinusoidally along the elevation. In order to protect plant species, especially young oak seedlings, it is recommended to create a protective corridor along the elevational gradient in this area. This strategy is essential to protect plant diversity in these habitats.

A new record of Solanum chenopodioides (Solanaceae), from Iran, Bujagh National Park (Guilan Province)

Mahmoud Bidarlord

Solanum chenopodioides is introduced here as a new record for the flora of Iran from the coastal areas of the Caspian Sea, Guilan province. This species grows in Bujagh National Land-Sea Park, on sand dunes, along with other coastal psammophytic plants. This species belongs to the Morelloid clade. It differs from the related species S. nigrum, by its shrubby nature, perfect leaves margin, dull berries, bi-colored petals in the middle, and peduncle that bends a bit downwards in fruit. This plant is native to southern South America. It is introduced as a common weed all over the world; in addition, this species is considered an alien species for the flora of Iran. Transit of goods, especially wool, to the different parts of the world is one of the ways of the spread of this species all over the world. In addition to providing some pictures of the plant, some notes about the distribution and ecology of this species were also provided in this paper. The numerous reports of alien species from Bujagh National Park in recent years could be regarded as a credible warning for the stability of native vegetation of the area and existing ecosystems.

Floristic study of five villages in Aladagh rural district in Bojnourd city, North Khorassan, Iran

Azarnoosh Jafari

The present research, a floristic study was executed on Imamverdy, Dartum, Ghapagh, Garivan and Niestaneh villages, located 30 km south of Bojnourd (North Khorassan province) with altitudinal range of 1442-1783 m. The present study aimed to identify the specimens, their possible medicinal properties, endemism and concervation status. For this purpose, the specimens were collected during March-November 2012 and identified using Flora of Iran and Flora Iranica. The results showed the presence of 133 species from 104 genera and 38 families, one species belonged to Gymnosperms and the rest, 132 species, belonged to Angiosperms, of which five families, 13 genera and 18 species were monocotyledons and 32 families, 90 genera and 114 species were dicotyledons. Moreover, 40 species were found to have medicinal applications in the studied region. Fabaceae, Brassicaceae, Poaceae, Asteraceae and Lamiaceae were the largest families and Astragalus, Poa, Vicia and Euphorbia were reported as the largest genera in the region. Erysimum koelzii, Astragalus khoshjailensis, Eryngium bungei, Acanthophyllum pachystegium, Sclerorachis platyrachis, Taraxacum hydrophyllum were endemic species for Iran. Astragalus ackerbergensis was found to be in vulnerable status and Rubia florida, Mentha longifolia, Fumaria vaillanti and Onopordum carmanicum were found to be at low-risk status. The maximum and minimum percentages of chorotypes were related to Irano-Turanian with 68.14% and Irano-Turanian, Saharo-Arabian regions with 0.7%, respectively. The maximum and minimum percentage of life form were reported to be hemicryptophytes with 45.8% and cryptophytes with 3%, respectively. The results reflected the cold and arid climate and uncontrolled grazing in the studied region.