Physalis pubescens L. plant produces nutritious and healthy fruits, called husk tomato or hairy ground cherry. However, its bioactive components are largely unknown. Four new withanolide steroids (1-4) together with one known withanolide (5) were isolated from the extract of P. pubescens L. and their chemical structures were established by extensive spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 1, 3 and 5 ...

Transcriptional status of two intra-genomic ITS variants (Type-I and Type-II) identified in Vigna unguiculata ssp. tenuis (NI 1637) was analysed by RT-PCR. Total RNA was isolated from leaves, stem and roots of 15-day old seedlings and was reverse transcribed using specific primers for amplifying ITS-1 and ITS-2. Gel electrophoresis on a high-resolution agarose revealed that only Type-II variant...

Pollen morphology of three parental Quercus species (Q. robur L., Q. petraea (Matt) Liebl, Q. pubescens Willd.) and two spontaneous hybrids of these species (Q. ×calvescens Vuk. = Q. petraea × Q. pubescens and Q. ×rosacea Bechst. = Q. robur × Q. petraea) was investigated in this study. The pollen originated from 18 natural oak sites and 67 individuals (oak trees). Each individual was represente...

The characteristics of plant-mycorrhizae associations are known to vary in both time and space, but the ecological consequences of variation in the dynamics of plant-fungus interactions are poorly understood. For example, do plants associate with single fungi or multiple fungi simultaneously, and do the associations persist through a plant's lifetime or do plants support a succession of differe...

BACKGROUND Malaria is an old life-threatening parasitic disease that is still affecting many people, mainly children living in sub-Saharan Africa. Availability of effective antimalarial drugs played a significant role in the treatment and control of malaria. However, recent information on the emergence of P. falciparum parasites resistant to one of the artemisinin-based combination therapies su...

As a result of extensive deforestation, the survival of many tropical forest species may depend on disturbed forests. However, recent studies demonstrate that tree regeneration following logging can be slow, decreasing the conservation value of disturbed forests. Here we test whether the dominating herb, Acanthus pubescens, in the understory of logged forest, suppresses tree regeneration in Kib...

Trametes pubescens, white rot fungus, has been used for folk medicine in Asian countries to treat ailments such as cancer and gastrointestinal diseases. This study was initiated to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant, anti-diabetes, anti-dementia, and anti-inflammatory activities of T. pubescens fruiting bodies. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activities of T. pu...

Tracer gas studies and oxygen uptake measurements have shown that pressurized gas transport improves oxygen supply to roots in the wetland tree species Taxodium distichum L. Rich. (Taxodiaceae), Betula pubescens J.F. Ehrh. (Betulaceae), and Populus tremula L. (Salicaceae), but not in Acer pseudoplatanus L. and Ilex aquifolium L., which are found in drier habitats. In the deciduous tree species ...