This hydroponic experiment was conducted to determine the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) levels and frond-harvesting on the effectiveness of arsenic (As)hyperaccumulator Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata L.) to remove As from contaminated groundwater collected from south Florida. Three-month old ferns were grown in 38-L plastic tanks (two ferns per tank) containing 30-L of As-conta...

According to traditional knowledge, Fagonia cretica has medicinal potential, especially against cancer and tumors. In the present study, this information was analyzed at laboratory level by performing cytotoxic, antitumor (potato disc) and DNA damage assay. Significant cytotoxic activity was found against brine shrimps at LD50 118.89 ppm, while antitumor assay showed that the extract inhibited ...

Three new pterosins, named as semipterosin A (1), B (2) and C (3), together with 11 known pterosins (4–14), were isolated from the aerial parts of Pteris semipinnata. Their structures elucidated by HRESI-MS, NMR spectral data, CD literature comparisons. assessed for their anti-inflammatory activity. Compounds 1–3 inhibited NF-kB induction 40.7%, 61.9% 34.0%, respectively. This is first report i...

Q I N G E N X I E , † X I U L A N Y A N , ‡ X I A O Y O N G L I A O , * , ‡ A N D X I A L I * , † State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Center of Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China, and Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Aca...

Plant species capable of hyper-accumulating heavy metals are of considerable interest for phytoremediation, and differ in their ability to accumulate metals from the environment. This work aims to examine (i) arsenic accumulation in three fern species [Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata L.), slender brake fern (Pteris ensiformis Burm. f.), and Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata L.)], which were ...

BACKGROUND Morphological and ploidy changes of the arsenic hyperaccumulator, Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata) callus tissue are described here to provide insight into fern life cycle biology and for possible biotechnology applications. Pteris vittata callus was studied using transmission and scanning electron microscopy, and flow cytometry. RESULTS Callus induction occurred both in light a...

To better understand the mechanisms of plant tolerance to high concentration of arsenic, we characterized two antioxidant enzymes, glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase (CAT), in the fronds of Pteris vittata, an arsenic-hyperaccumulating fern, and Pteris ensiformis, an arsenic-sensitive fern. The induction, activation and apparent kinetics of GR and CAT in the plants upon arsenic exposure wer...