The concentration of bioactive compounds in Plantago lanceolata is genotype specific

Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is known to contain bioactive compounds including verbascoside (acteoside), aucubin and catalpol. Limited New Zealand data are available to quantify the concentrations of secondary plant compounds in cultivars of plantain. This experiment compared secondary plant compound concentrations for five cultivars or breeding lines of plantain and the botanical distribution of these compounds over a year. For all cultivars verbascoside concentration was greatest, aucubin intermediate and catalpol lowest. The concentration of catalpol and verbascoside in leaf tended to be greater for the cultivars ‘Hercules’ and ‘Endurance’ compared with ‘Elite 2’, ‘PG742’ and ‘Tonic’. However, ‘Hercules’ and ‘Endurance’ tended to have lower concentrations of catalpol and verbascoside in scape (reproductive material from base to seedhead). The difference among cultivars in aucubin concentration was small. This experiment suggests that leaf concentration of catalpol and verbascoside is genotype specific.

Biofilm compartmentalisation of the rumen microbiome: modification of fermentation and degradation of dietary toxins

Many deleterious chemicals in plant materials ingested by ruminants produce clinical effects, varying from losses of production efficiency through to death. Many of the effects are insidious, often going unrecognised by animal managers. When secondary plant compounds enter the rumen, they may undergo modification by rumen microbes, which often removes the deleterious compounds, but in specific instances, the deleterious effect may be enhanced. Improved understanding of rumen ecology, particularly concerning the biofilm mode of microbial fermentation, has led to major advances in our understanding of fermentation. In the present review, the potential impact of the physical structuring of the rumen microbiome is discussed in relation to how several economically important secondary plant compounds and other toxins are metabolised by the rumen microbiome and how their toxic effects may be remedied by providing inert particles with a large surface area to weight ratio in the diet. These particles provide additional surfaces for attachment of rumen microorganisms that help alleviate toxicity problems associated with deleterious compounds, including fluoroacetate, mimosine, mycotoxins, cyanoglycosides and hydrogen cyanide. The review first summarises the basic science of biofilm formation and describes the properties of biofilms and their roles in the rumen. It then addresses how biofilms on inert solids and fermentable particulates may assist in detoxification of potentially toxic compounds. A hypothesis that explains how nitrate poisoning may occur as a result of compartmentalisation of nitrate and nitrite reduction in the rumen is included.

Caenorhabditis elegansas Model System in Pharmacology and Toxicology: Effects of Flavonoids on Redox-Sensitive Signalling Pathways and Ageing

Flavonoids are secondary plant compounds that mediate diverse biological activities, for example, by scavenging free radicals and modulating intracellular signalling pathways. It has been shown in various studies that distinct flavonoid compounds enhance stress resistance and even prolong the life span of organisms. In the last years the model organismC. eleganshas gained increasing importance in pharmacological and toxicological sciences due to the availability of various genetically modified nematode strains, the simplicity of modulating genes by RNAi, and the relatively short life span. Several studies have been performed demonstrating that secondary plant compounds influence ageing, stress resistance, and distinct signalling pathways in the nematode. Here we present an overview of the modulating effects of different flavonoids on oxidative stress, redox-sensitive signalling pathways, and life span inC. elegansintroducing the usability of this model system for pharmacological and toxicological research.