Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum L.) has been traditionally used as indigenous Chinese medicine. Phytochemical investigations of the immature fruits S. have carried out and nine phenylpropanoids (1-9) were obtained. Their structures elucidated on basis spectroscopic chemical methods, including MS, 1H 13C-NMR. They identified (7S, 8R)-4-[3-hydroxymethyl-5-(3- hydroxypropyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran...

The location of wild and cultivated host plants by pepper weevil (Anthonomus eugenii Cano) may be aided by visual cues, the male-produced aggregation pheromone, herbivore-induced, or constitutive host plant volatiles. The attractiveness of constitutive plant volatiles to pioneer weevils is important in understanding, and perhaps controlling, dispersal of this insect between wild and cultivated ...

Soil microorganisms have important influences on plant growth and health. In this study, four black pepper fields consecutively monocultured for 12, 18, 28 and 38 years were selected for investigating the effect of planting age on rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil microbial communities and soil physicochemical properties. The results revealed that the relative abundance of the dominant bacte...

Empetrum nigrum L. (Empetraceae) is a species of ethnopharmacological significance to native North Americans. The Haida people of coastal British Columbia used a decoction of the branches of this shrub to treat tuberculosis and other ailments (Turner, personal communication). This research was supported by the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network, Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Vancouver, B. C....

During the study on endophytic fungi of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), 655 fungal isolates were obtained and studied taxonomically. Based on morphological and ITS sequences data, 15 species belonging to 10 genera including Alternaria brassicicola, A. chlamydospora, A. malorum, A. atra, Arthrinium phaeospermum, A. sacchari, Aspergillus nidulans, A. wentii, Beauveria bassiana, Cheatomium elatum, ...

Piperine, the main alkaloid of black pepper (Piper nigrum), has been suggested to display several pharmacological properties, including pain relief, anticonvulsant, antidepressant-like, antianxiety, sedative, and anti-inflammatory effects. This study was designed to investigate the effect of piperine on learning in mice and the interaction of the effect with caffeine and diazepam. Piperine (100...