Botanical insecticides have introduced a new concept in insecticide research. In response to insect attacks, some plants can release volatile compounds that alter insect metabolism and nervous system activity. In the present study, changes in the electrical activity of chemoreceptors and alteration of the fine structure of metathoracic ganglia of desert locust were examined after acute exposure...

Epidemiologic studies show that the cardiovascular diseases are associated with multiple factors such as raised serum total cholesterol, increased LDL, increased platelet aggregation, hypertension and smoking. In-vitro studies have confirmed the ability of some plants of Allium species to reduce these parameters. Therefore, we evaluated anti-platelet aggregation effect of some Allium species (A...

The rice herbicide cafenstrole and its analogs inhibited the incorporation of [1-(14)C]-oleate and (2-(14)C]-malonate into very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs), using Scenedesmus cells and leek microsomes from Allium porrum. Although the precise mode of interaction of cafenstrole at the molecular level is not completely clarified by the present study, it is concluded that cafenstrole acts as a ...

Leek (Allium porrum) plasma membrane is enriched in phosphatidylserine (PS) by the vesicular pathway, in a way similar to that already observed in animal cells (B. Sturbois-Balcerzak, D.J. Morre, O. Loreau, J.P. Noel, P. Moreau, C. Cassagne [1995] Plant Physiol Biochem 33: 625-637). In this paper we document the formation of PS-rich small vesicles from leek endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes ...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important symbionts of plants that improve plant nutrient acquisition and promote plant diversity. Although within-species genetic differences among AMF have been shown to differentially affect plant growth, very little is actually known about the degree of genetic diversity in AMF populations. This is largely because of difficulties in isolation and culti...

With increased prevalence of antibioticresistant bacterial, finding new sources with antibacterial activity could be an effective help in diseases. The antibacterial activity and Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the extracts of Calendula Officinalis L., Achillea millefolium L. Millefolium L., Allium haemanthoides Boiss. & Reut. ex Regel, Allium ampeloprasum L. and Echinophora platyloba...

The levels of four different heavy metals [cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and copper (Cu)] were determined in various vegetables [leek (Allium ampeloprasum), sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum), parsley (Petroselinum crispum), garden cress (Lepidium sativum) and tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)] cultivated around Sanandaj City. The contributions of the vegetables to the daily intake of heavy...

Loose, fibrillar, spherical structures have been observed during recent years in interphase nuclei of both animal and plant cells. These nuclear formations have been referred to as karyosomes, fibrillar bodies, micropuffs and centromeres. In order to gain further information on the nature of these structures, a cytochemical and radioautographic investigation was undertaken using plant meristema...