Effects of Cd(2+) on seedling growth of garlic (Allium sativum L.) and selected physiological and biochemical characters

Encapsulation and antibacterial studies of goji berry and garlic extract in the biodegradable chitosan

As known, the chitosan is a biodegradable biopolymer with antibacterial properties, therefore it is used in the fields of pharmacy, medical, wastewater treatment, biotechnology, cosmetics, textiles, and agriculture. Apart from these, the chitosan has an important place in the food industry with its widespread use. In this research article, the chitosan were encapsulated with the taurine and garlic extracts by the spray dryer. The CSA and CSB compounds synthesized as final products were analyzed by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The effect of the encapsulation process on the molecular weight of the polymer structure was investigated using the cryoscopy method. The compound CSA represents 1/2 encapsulation of chitosan with taurine and increased garlic extracts, respectively, while CSB represents 1/1 encapsulation of chitosan with increased taurine and fixed garlic extracts. The % antioxidant activity of the final products was determined by DDPH method. The inhibition zone and surface activity proporties of the CSA and CSB were carried out against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and Salmonella bacteria. The results obtained as a result of the analyzes were evaluated, and optimum values were determined for use in food packaging.

Investigation and preparation of biodegradable starch-based nanofilms for potential use of curcumin and garlic in food packaging applications

In this study, biodegradable starch-based nano films were developed by turmeric extract curcuma longa (CC), octaphenyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), garlic extract with antibacterial properties (GC) and clay nanoparticles. Ag⁺-Mt-POSS-CC-CS, Mt-CC-CS and Mt-GC-CS nanofilms were synthesized as the final products. The antibacterial and surface-active corn starch-based nanofilms that were synthesized were analyzed by using the methods of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After this, the antibacterial resistances of the corn starch nanofilms against the bacteria Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and their surface-active properties against the bacteria S. aureus, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella were examined. The synthesized nano films were subjected to migration analyses, which are an important criterion for food packaging films, and their results were compared.According to the results of the analysis, while the starch nanofilms containing garlic showed antibacterial resistance against salmonella and S. aureus bacteria, the starch nano films containing curcumin and octaphenyl-POSS did not form an inhibition zone. Comparing surface activity properties, curcumin and octaphenyl-POSS-containing nano films showed surface activity, while the garlic-containing nanofilms did not show surface activity. This result shows that the mechanical properties of nanofilm containing garlic have given stronger results. Migration analysis results show that the synthesized nanofilm has found to suitable for use in the packaging of all food products such as milk products, fatty foods, liquid, acidic and dry foods according to the results of all migration analyses.

Chive (Allium schoenoprasum L.) response as a phytoextraction plant in cadmium-contaminated soils

Cadmium (Cd) soil contamination poses a major hazard to safe food production throughout the world, calling upon actions for decontamination using environmentally friendly methods, such as phytoextraction. In this study, the capability of chive (Allium schoenoprasum L.) for phytoextracting Cd from contaminated soils was tested. Growth of chive was studied in a soil spiked with 0, 15, 30, 60, and 120 mg Cd/kg soil, and then, concentrations of Cd in soil, plant shoots, and roots were measured after harvest. Chive dry matter production was not affected significantly by the different Cd levels in soil, except from the maximum Cd concentration (120 mg Cd/kg soil), where dry matter was reduced by 77%. Cadmium accumulation occurred mostly in roots rather than in shoots, with maximum Cd concentrations 482.48 and 26.65 mg/kg of dry matter, respectively. Translocation factor (the proportion of Cd concentration in the aerial plant parts to that in the roots) was below 1 in all contaminated levels and decreased with increasing Cd concentrations in soil, indicating low Cd reallocation from roots to shoots. Maximum amount of Cd absorption (Cd concentration in shoots), maximum contaminant uptake rate, and minimum clean-up time were all observed in Cd concentration 60 mg/kg soil. Based on chive potential to acquire Cd in its roots and shoots, it can be designated as a convenient species for reducing Cd from contaminated soils up to concentrations of 60 mg Cd/kg soil.

Expression of the cyanobacterial enzyme cyanase increases cyanate metabolism and cyanate tolerance in Arabidopsis

Cyanate and its derivatives are considered as environmental hazardous materials. Cyanate is released to the environment through many chemical industries and mining wastewater. Cyanase enzyme converts cyanate into CO₂ and NH₃ in a bicarbonate-dependent reaction. At low cyanate concentrations, the endogenous plant cyanases play a vital role in cyanate detoxification. However, such cyanate biodegradation system is probably insufficient due to the excess cyanate concentrations at contaminated sites. In this study, we have transferred the activity of the cyanobacterial cyanase into Arabidopsis thaliana plants in order to enhance plant resistance against cyanate toxicity. The enzyme was shown to be active in planta. Transgenic plants exposed to cyanate, either applied by foliar spray or supplemented in growth medium, showed less reduction in pigment contents, antioxidant enzymes, carbohydrate contents, and reduced levels of plant growth retardation. Plant growth assays under cyanate stress showed enhanced growth and biomass accumulation in cyanase overexpressors compared to control plants. Results of this study provide evidence for developing novel eco-friendly phytoremediation systems for cyanate detoxification.

Higher sensitivity of pad2-1 and vtc2-1 mutants to cadmium is related to lower subcellular glutathione rather than ascorbate contents

Cadmium (Cd) interferes with ascorbate and glutathione metabolism as it induces the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), binds to glutathione due to its high affinity to thiol groups, and induces the production of phytochelatins (PCs) which use glutathione as a precursor. In this study, changes in the compartment specific distribution of ascorbate and glutathione were monitored over a time period of 14 days in Cd-treated (50 and 100 μM) Arabidopsis Col-0 plants, and two mutant lines deficient in glutathione (pad2-1) and ascorbate (vtc2-1). Both mutants showed higher sensitivity to Cd than Col-0 plants. Strongly reduced compartment specific glutathione, rather than decreased ascorbate contents, could be correlated with the development of symptoms in these mutants suggesting that higher sensitivity to Cd is related to low glutathione contents rather than low ascorbate contents. On the subcellular level it became obvious that long-term treatment of wildtype plants with Cd induced the depletion of glutathione and ascorbate contents in all cell compartments except chloroplasts indicating an important protective role for antioxidants in chloroplasts against Cd. Additionally, we could observe an immediate decrease of glutathione and ascorbate in all cell compartments 12 h after Cd treatment indicating that glutathione and ascorbate are either withdrawn from or not redistributed into other organelles after their production in chloroplasts, cytosol (production centers for glutathione) and mitochondria (production center for ascorbate). The obtained data is discussed in respect to recently proposed stress models involving antioxidants in the protection of plants against environmental stress conditions.

Cadmium induced changes in subcellular glutathione contents within glandular trichomes of Cucurbita pepo L

Plants cope with cadmium (Cd) stress by complexation with phytochelatins (Pc), metallothioneins and glutathione and sequestration within vacuoles. Especially glutathione was found to play a major role in Cd detoxification as Cd shows a high binding affinity towards thiols and as glutathione is a precursor for Pc synthesis. In the present study, we have used an immunohistochemical approach combined with computer-supported transmission electron microscopy in order to measure changes in the subcellular distribution of glutathione during Cd-stress in mesophyll cells and cells of different glandular trichomes (long and short stalked) of Cucurbita pepo L. subsp. pepo var. styriaca GREB: . Even though no ultrastructural alterations were observed in leaf and glandular trichome cells after the treatment of plants with 50 microM cadmium chloride (CdCl(2)) for 48 h, all cells showed a large decrease in glutathione contents. The strongest decrease was found in nuclei and the cytosol (up to 76%) in glandular trichomes which are considered as a major side of Cd accumulation in leaves. The ratio of glutathione between the cytosol and nuclei and the other cell compartments was strongly decreased only in glandular trichomes (more than 50%) indicating that glutathione in these two cell compartments is especially important for the detoxification of Cd in glandular trichomes. Additionally, these data indicate that large amounts of Cd are withdrawn from nuclei during Cd exposure. The present study gives a detailed insight into the compartment-specific importance of glutathione during Cd exposure in mesophyll cells and glandular trichomes of C. pepo L. plants.

Uptake and accumulation and oxidative stress in garlic (Allium sativum L.) under lead phytotoxicity

The effects of different concentrations of Pb on growth of Allium sativum L, Pb uptake and accumulation, antioxidant enzyme activity and malondialdehyde content were investigated. The results indicated that shoot growth at high concentration of Pb (10(-3) M) and roots growth at 10(-3) M and 10(-4) M Pb were significantly inhibited. Lead ions were accumulated mainly in the roots and only small amounts were translocated to bulbs and shoots. SOD activities in shoot and roots exposed to 10(-3) M Pb were observed to be high. Plants exposed to 10(-3) M Pb showed a significant increase in POD activity in roots versus the control and other Pb treatments. In roots, CAT activity and MDA concentration at 10(-3) M Pb is high significantly. The mechanisms of Pb toxicity and tolerance in garlic are briefly discussed.