A Chemometry of Aldrovanda vesiculosa L. (Waterwheel, Droseraceae) Populations

Shoots and Turions of Aquatic Plants as a Source of Fatty Acids

BACKGROUND

Fatty acids are essential for human health. Currently, there is a search for alternative sources of fatty acids that could supplement such sources as staple crops or fishes. Turions of aquatic plants accumulate a variety of substances such as starch, free sugars, amino acids, reserve proteins and lipids. Our aim is to see if turions can be a valuable source of fatty acids.

METHODS

Overwintering shoots and turions of aquatic carnivorous plants were collected. The plant material was extracted with hexane. The oils were analyzed using a gas chromatograph with mass spectrometer.

RESULTS

The dominant compound in all samples was linolenic acid. The oil content was different in turions and shoots. The oil content of the shoots was higher than that of the turions, but the proportion of fatty acids in the oils from the shoots was low in contrast to the oils from the turions. The turions of Utricularia species were shown to be composed of about 50% fatty acids.

CONCLUSIONS

The turions of Utricularia species can be used to obtain oil with unsaturated fatty acids. In addition, the high fatty acid content of turions may explain their ability to survive at low temperatures.

Biological Potential of Carnivorous Plants from Nepenthales

Since Charles Darwin and his book carnivorous plants have aroused interest and heated debate. In addition, there is growing interest in this group of plants as a source of secondary metabolites and in the application of their biological activity. The aim of this study was to trace the recent literature in search of the application of extracts obtained from families Droseraceae, Nepenthaceae, and Drosophyllaceae to show their biological potential. The data collected in the review clearly indicate that the studied Nepenthales species have great biological potential in terms of antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer use. We proposed that further investigations should include: (i) bioactivity-guided investigations of crude plant extract to connect a particular type of action with a specific compound or a group of metabolites; (ii) a search for new bioactive properties of carnivorous plants; (iii) establishment of molecular mechanisms associated with specific activity. Furthermore, further research should be extended to include less explored species, i.e., Drosophyllum lusitanicum and especially Aldrovanda vesiculosa.

Immunocytochemical Analysis of the Wall Ingrowths in the Digestive Gland Transfer Cells in Aldrovanda vesiculosa L. (Droseraceae)

Carnivorous plants are unique due to their ability to attract small animals or protozoa, retain them in specialized traps, digest them, and absorb nutrients from the dissolved prey material; however, to this end, these plants need a special secretion-digestive system (glands). A common trait of the digestive glands of carnivorous plants is the presence of transfer cells. Using the aquatic carnivorous species Aldrovanda vesiculosa, we showed carnivorous plants as a model for studies of wall ingrowths/transfer cells. We addressed the following questions: Is the cell wall ingrowth composition the same between carnivorous plant glands and other plant system models? Is there a difference in the cell wall ingrowth composition between various types of gland cells (glandular versus endodermoid cells)? Fluorescence microscopy and immunogold electron microscopy were employed to localize carbohydrate epitopes associated with major cell wall polysaccharides and glycoproteins. The cell wall ingrowths were enriched with arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) localized with the JIM8, JIM13, and JIM14 epitopes. Both methylesterified and de-esterified homogalacturonans (HGs) were absent or weakly present in the wall ingrowths in transfer cells (stalk cells and head cells of the gland). Both the cell walls and the cell wall ingrowths in the transfer cells were rich in hemicelluloses: xyloglucan (LM15) and galactoxyloglucan (LM25). There were differences in the composition between the cell wall ingrowths and the primary cell walls in A. vesiculosa secretory gland cells in the case of the absence or inaccessibility of pectins (JIM5, LM19, JIM7, LM5, LM6 epitopes); thus, the wall ingrowths are specific cell wall microdomains. Even in the same organ (gland), transfer cells may differ in the composition of the cell wall ingrowths (glandular versus endodermoid cells). We found both similarities and differences in the composition of the cell wall ingrowths between the A. vesiculosa transfer cells and transfer cells of other plant species.