NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE PRESENCE OF BILIRUBIN IN A PLANT SPECIES STRELITZIA NICOLAI (STRELITZIACEAE)

Background:

The fortuitous discovery of an animal pigment bilirubin found in the plant Strelitzia nicolai has opened an enormous number of questions regarding bilirubin’s formation and its ultimate function in the human body.

Materials and Methods:

A methodical review of bilirubin in humans and animals was carried out, information was gathered using published scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Articles based on case studies of elevated levels of bilirubin were analysed thoroughly.

Results:

Even though for numerous years bilirubin was assumed to be merely a desecrate product of the heme catabolic pathway by greatest, and a likely lethal compound at worst; statistics from the last few decades clearly shows that placidly high serum bilirubin levels are robustly related to have abundant beneficial effects on the human body.

Conclusion:

This study reveals new insights into the presence of the only animal pigment found in Strelitzia nicolai arils, the potential advantages of bilirubin found in a plant and its therapeutic value indications. This review hopes to resuscitate researchers’ credence regarding bilirubin as a toxic compound.

Strelitzia reginae leaf as a natural template for anisotropic wetting and superhydrophobicity

Artificial surfaces that exhibit unidirectional water spreading and superhydrophobicity are obtained by Strelitzia reginae leaves. Both green and dried leaves are used, thus exploiting the plant senescence. We demonstrate that the natural drying process of the leaves strongly affects the surface morphology and wettability. Polymeric stamps from the green leaf show an arrangement of periodic microridges/microgrooves that favor anisotropic wetting, with a water contact angle (WCA) variation of about 21% along the two principal directions. Instead, the shrinkage of the leaf tissue, as a consequence of the natural dehydration process, induces an enhancement of the superficial corrugation. This results in the establishment of a superhydrophobic state, which shows a WCA of up to 160°, and water rolling off. S. reginae leaves are therefore easily accessible stamps suitable for controlling wettability and realizing surfaces that exhibit various wetting behaviors.