Tijana B Banjanac - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Tijana B Banjanac
The genus Nepeta is one of the largest genera in the Lamiaceae family, and Iran is one of the mai... more The genus Nepeta is one of the largest genera in the Lamiaceae family, and Iran is one of the main centers of origin of this genus. The genetic diversity estimation of the genus Nepeta germplasm provides a basis for future biodiversity conservation efforts and also for the selection of high-productive genotype(s) for the field production improvement. In this work, eleven RAPD primers with suitable banding pattern and prominent polymorphism were used for the estimation of infraspecific genetic diversity of N. kotschyi based on 21 populations. The study included 19 and 2 populations belonging to var. persica and var. kotschyi, respectively. Eleven primers amplified totally 225 scorable RAPD loci, 204 of which were polymorphic. The average number of bands per primer was 20.5, 18.5 of which were polymorphic. Primers OPF 05, OPB 15, OPT 14, OPO 07, and OPF 14 were the most powerful for the detection of the genetic diversity across the samples. Cluster analysis showed six genotypic groups. N. kotschyi var. kotschyi populations were placed in a group separated from the samples belonging to N. kotschyi var. persica. The same analysis showed that the genetic diversity pattern corresponds to the geographical distribution of the populations. Of the total variation in the studied germplasm, 32% was related to inter-populations and 68% to intra-populations variation. The results indicated the high potential of RAPD markers to resolve the status of the studied genotypes in regard to inter-and intra-populations diversity and to diversify N. kotschyi varieties previously resolved by morphometric methods.
South African Journal of Botany, Aug 1, 2020
Универзитет у Београду, Oct 21, 2016
Industrial Crops and Products, Oct 1, 2022
Antioxidants
The present study provides, for the first time, a physicochemical and biochemical characterizatio... more The present study provides, for the first time, a physicochemical and biochemical characterization of the redox processes associated with the ripening of Solanum dulcamara L. (bittersweet) berries. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPRS) and Imaging (EPRI) measurements of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were performed in parallel with the tissue-specific metabolic profiling of major antioxidants and assessment of antioxidant enzymes activity. Fruit transition from the mature green (MG) to ripe red (RR) stage involved changes in the qualitative and quantitative content of antioxidants and the associated cellular oxidation and peroxidation processes. The skin of bittersweet berries, which was the major source of antioxidants, exhibited the highest antioxidant potential against DPPH radicals and nitroxyl spin probe 3CP. The efficient enzymatic antioxidant system played a critical protective role against the deleterious effects of progressive oxidative stress during ripening. ...
Frontiers in Plant Science
The aim of this study was to determine intra- and interspecies variation in the qualitative and q... more The aim of this study was to determine intra- and interspecies variation in the qualitative and quantitative composition of methanol-soluble metabolites in the leaves of three Digitalis species (D. lanata, D. ferruginea, and D. grandiflora) from the central Balkans. Despite the steady use of foxglove constituents for human health as valuable medicinal products, populations of the genus Digitalis (Plantaginaceae) have been poorly investigated to describe their genetic and phenetic variation. Following untargeted profiling using UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS, by which we identified a total of 115 compounds, 16 compounds were quantified using the UHPLC(–)HESI–QqQ-MS/MS approach. In total, 55 steroid compounds, 15 phenylethanoid glycosides, 27 flavonoids, and 14 phenolic acid derivatives were identified across the samples with D. lanata and D. ferruginea showing a great similarity, while 15 compounds were characteristic only for D. grandiflora. The phytochemical composition of methanol extracts...
Frontiers in Plant Science
Secoiridoid glucosides (SGs) are monoterpenoids derived from the iridoid cyclopentane-C-pyran ske... more Secoiridoid glucosides (SGs) are monoterpenoids derived from the iridoid cyclopentane-C-pyran skeleton with β-D glucose linked at C1 position. Coordinated metabolic processes, such as biosynthesis and catabolism of SGs, ensure constitutive presence of these bitter tasting compounds in plant tissues, which plays a decisive role in the defense against pathogens and herbivores. These compounds are susceptible to hydrolysis mediated by enzymes β-glucosidases, and the resulting aglycones are subsequently directed toward different metabolic pathways in plants. Function of two β-D-glucosidases (named CeBGlu1 and CeBGlu2) from centaury (Centaurium erythraea Rafn; fam. Gentianaceae), belonging to the glycoside hydrolase 1 (GH1) family, was confirmed using in vitro assays with recombinant proteins, following their heterologous expression in E. coli and His-tag affinity purification. Although they show slightly differential substrate preference, both isoforms display high specificity toward SG...
Vrste roda Centaurium Hill često hibridizuju u prirodi. Brojni primeri ukazuju na značaj poliploi... more Vrste roda Centaurium Hill često hibridizuju u prirodi. Brojni primeri ukazuju na značaj poliploidizacije i hibridizacije tokom specijacije u okviru ovog roda. Ukrštanjem Centaurium erythraea Rafn × C. littorale (Turner) Gilmour u uslovima in vitro, dobijeno je alotetraploidno potomstvo, što ide u prilog hipotezi postojanja nedovoljno efikasnih prereproduktivnih barijera, koje bi sprečavale hibridizaciju. Primenjene metode za detekciju hibridnih jedinki u uslovima in vitro su uspešno iskorišćene i u slučaju prirodnih populacija poreklom sa Subotičko-horgoške peščare. Novi takson, nazvan Centaurium pannonicum, je heksaploid nastao iz ukrštanja C. erythraea × C. littorale ssp. compressum (Hayne) Kischner, nakon fertilizacije, tj. spajanja diploidnog i tetraploidnog jedra. De novo razvijeni EST-SSR markeri ukazuju da C. pannonicum konvergira vrsti C. erythraea, dok je prema fitohemijskim markerima hibridni takson sličniji C. littorale ssp. compressum. Razvijeni setovi EST-SSR i fitohem...
Horticulturae, 2022
The variety Prokupac is the dominant variety in the vineyards of Southern Serbia, which produces ... more The variety Prokupac is the dominant variety in the vineyards of Southern Serbia, which produces quality wines of characteristic and unique tastes. In the agroecological conditions of the Prokuplje vine district, the influence of manual defoliation on the phenolic profile of the wine produced from the variety Prokupac was examined. Four experimental treatments with different timings of manual defoliation were applied: early defoliation—treatment I, early defoliation—treatment II, late defoliation—treatment III and the control. The phenolic profile of the wine was determined for the three treatments of defoliation and the control treatment. Additionally, a multivariate analysis was applied on the obtained results, together with already published data (grape seeds and skins phenolic profiles). Identification and quantification of the phenolic compounds was performed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) with an ultraviolet multi-diode detector (DAD) and mass detec...
Weedy sunflower is an invasive plant on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, which causes hig... more Weedy sunflower is an invasive plant on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, which causes high yield losses in many crops. During the harvesting of the sunflower crops the dispersal of the seeds occurs, and as a resultthe volunteer plants appear next year. Weedy sunflowers originate from volunteer plants that live through a longer period in one place. Spontaneous hybridization of weedy sunflower with other sunflower forms makes them more aggressive. If the volunteer plants originate from the hybrids tolerant to ALS inhibiting herbicides, they can be the carriers of herbicide tolerance genes and thus will not be sensitive to these herbicides. The exchange of the genetic material also enables the transfer of the ALS (AHAS) gene (responsible for the tolerance to the ALS inhibiting herbicides) to the progeny. In this study we have examined the spontaneous hybridization between different sunflower forms (volunteer sunflowers, weedy sunflowers, susceptible and tolerant sunflower hybri...
Plants, 2019
Centaurium erythraea Rafn produces and accumulates various biologically active specialized metabo... more Centaurium erythraea Rafn produces and accumulates various biologically active specialized metabolites, including secoiridoid glucosides (SGs), which help plants to cope with unfavorable environmental conditions. Specialized metabolism is commonly modulated in a way to increase the level of protective metabolites, such as SGs. Here, we report the molecular background of the wounding-induced changes in SGs metabolism for the first time. The mechanical wounding of leaves leads to a coordinated up-regulation of SGs biosynthetic genes and corresponding JA-related transcription factors (TFs) after 24 h, which results in the increase of metabolic flux through the biosynthetic pathway and, finally, leads to the elevated accumulation of SGs 96 h upon injury. The most pronounced increase in relative expression was detected for secologanin synthase (CeSLS), highlighting this enzyme as an important point for the regulation of biosynthetic flux through the SG pathway. A similar expression patte...
Genetika, 2018
Available scientific literature reports very few microsatellite markers derived from tetraploid g... more Available scientific literature reports very few microsatellite markers derived from tetraploid genomes using de novo transcriptome sequencing, mostly because their gain usually represents a major computational challenge due to complicated combinatorics during assembly of sequence reads. Here we present a novel approach for mining polymorphic microsatellite loci from transcriptome data in a tetraploid species with no reference genome available. Pairs of 114 bp long de novo sequenced transcriptome reads of Centaurium erythraea were merged into short contigs of 170-200 bp each. High accuracy assembly of the pairs of reads was accomplished by a minimum of 14 bp overlap. Sequential bioinformatics operations involved fully free and open-source software and were performed using an average personal computer. Out of the 13 150 candidate contigs harboring SSR motifs obtained in a final output, we randomly chose 16 putative markers for which we designed primers. We tested the effectiveness of...
Phytochemistry, Jan 24, 2017
Species within the genus Centaurium readily hybridize and polyploid complexes are often seen in n... more Species within the genus Centaurium readily hybridize and polyploid complexes are often seen in natural populations. We describe phytochemical profiles of newly discovered allohexaploid hybrid, here named Centaurium pannonicum, and its parental tetraploid species C. erythraea and rare C. littorale ssp. compressum. Our aim was to examine chemodiversity of these taxa in the area of Vojvodina (North Serbia) and to perform metabolomics search for chemical classifiers which would provide high resolution discrimination of parental and hybrid individuals. In sum, UHPLC-MS/MS Orbitrap metabolomics fingerprinting revealed seventy compounds in methanol extracts. Despite the lack of qualitative chemical novelty in hybrid plants, UHPLC-qqqMS targeted metabolomics approach, aimed at three secoiridoid compounds and seventeen phenolics, pointed to considerable differences in quantitative composition of these dominant compounds among the plant taxa studied. In addition to the difference in the ploi...
Records of Natural Products, Aug 5, 2013
With regard to world's increasing demand for biologically active compounds, a novel source of xan... more With regard to world's increasing demand for biologically active compounds, a novel source of xanthones and secoiridoid glycosides has been studied. Zeltnera beyrichii (Torr. & A. Gray) Mans., an insufficiently acknowledged North American medicinal plant species, may be considered a pharmacological substitute for commercial C. erythraea Rafn, since it accumulates in aerial parts nearly the same amount of secoiridoid glycosides: swertiamarin, gentiopicrin, and sweroside (13.76, 7.56, and 0.17 mmol per 100 g dry weight, respectively) in plants grown under greenhouse condition, and a considerable amount of xanthones: decussatin and eustomin. Additionally, Z. beyrichii produced as much biomass during cultivation in RITA ® temporary immersion bioreactors as greenhouse-grown plants, in a third of the time. Plants grown in bioreactors contained moderate levels of total phenolics and total flavonoids, and possessed modest antioxidant activity and antimicrobial potential against eight bacterial and eight fungal species. Therefore, this species may be highly recommended for cultivation either in natural environment, or in bioreactors under in vitro conditions, for producing compounds of interest of modern pharmacology and food industry.
Industrial Crops and Products, 2012
The content of secoiridoid glycosides in the aerial parts and roots of in vitro grown centaury (C... more The content of secoiridoid glycosides in the aerial parts and roots of in vitro grown centaury (Centaurium erythraea Rafn) plants, originating from 52 Balkan Peninsula populations was analyzed. The results of this study give insight into the infraspecific variability of centaury, based on the yield of secoiridoid glycosides as chemical markers of phenotypic variation. According to the cluster analysis, existence of two basic chemotypes is suggested. Moreover, the impact of prevailing environmental gradients in natural habitats on chemotype differentiation was assessed. The precipitation rate of the warmest quarter of year significantly affects the accumulation of secondary metabolites. These results will enable the selection of particular populations which are characterized by enhanced accumulation of secondary metabolites of interest, thus making it possible to realize the commercial field cultivation and upscale production and of this threatened and pharmacologically important species.
Industrial Crops and Products, 2012
Food Chemistry, 2014
Methanol extracts of aerial parts and roots of five centaury species (Centaurium erythraea, C. te... more Methanol extracts of aerial parts and roots of five centaury species (Centaurium erythraea, C. tenuiflorum, C. littorale ssp. uliginosum, C. pulchellum, and Schenkia spicata) were analysed for their main secondary metabolites: secoiridoid glycosides, a group of monoterpenoid compounds, and phenolics (xanthones and flavonoids), and further investigated for antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity. The results of ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assays showed that above ground parts generally displayed up to 13 times higher antioxidant activity compared to roots, which should be related to higher phenolics content, especially flavonoids, in green plant organs. Secoiridoid glycosides showed no antioxidant activity. All the tested extracts demonstrated appreciative antibacterial (0.05-0.5 mg ml(-1)) and strong antifungal activity (0.1-0.6 mg ml(-1)). Our results imply that above ground parts of all centaury species studied, could be recommended for human usage as a rich source of natural antioxidants and also in food industry as strong antimicrobial agents for food preservation.
The genus Nepeta is one of the largest genera in the Lamiaceae family, and Iran is one of the mai... more The genus Nepeta is one of the largest genera in the Lamiaceae family, and Iran is one of the main centers of origin of this genus. The genetic diversity estimation of the genus Nepeta germplasm provides a basis for future biodiversity conservation efforts and also for the selection of high-productive genotype(s) for the field production improvement. In this work, eleven RAPD primers with suitable banding pattern and prominent polymorphism were used for the estimation of infraspecific genetic diversity of N. kotschyi based on 21 populations. The study included 19 and 2 populations belonging to var. persica and var. kotschyi, respectively. Eleven primers amplified totally 225 scorable RAPD loci, 204 of which were polymorphic. The average number of bands per primer was 20.5, 18.5 of which were polymorphic. Primers OPF 05, OPB 15, OPT 14, OPO 07, and OPF 14 were the most powerful for the detection of the genetic diversity across the samples. Cluster analysis showed six genotypic groups. N. kotschyi var. kotschyi populations were placed in a group separated from the samples belonging to N. kotschyi var. persica. The same analysis showed that the genetic diversity pattern corresponds to the geographical distribution of the populations. Of the total variation in the studied germplasm, 32% was related to inter-populations and 68% to intra-populations variation. The results indicated the high potential of RAPD markers to resolve the status of the studied genotypes in regard to inter-and intra-populations diversity and to diversify N. kotschyi varieties previously resolved by morphometric methods.
South African Journal of Botany, Aug 1, 2020
Универзитет у Београду, Oct 21, 2016
Industrial Crops and Products, Oct 1, 2022
Antioxidants
The present study provides, for the first time, a physicochemical and biochemical characterizatio... more The present study provides, for the first time, a physicochemical and biochemical characterization of the redox processes associated with the ripening of Solanum dulcamara L. (bittersweet) berries. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPRS) and Imaging (EPRI) measurements of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were performed in parallel with the tissue-specific metabolic profiling of major antioxidants and assessment of antioxidant enzymes activity. Fruit transition from the mature green (MG) to ripe red (RR) stage involved changes in the qualitative and quantitative content of antioxidants and the associated cellular oxidation and peroxidation processes. The skin of bittersweet berries, which was the major source of antioxidants, exhibited the highest antioxidant potential against DPPH radicals and nitroxyl spin probe 3CP. The efficient enzymatic antioxidant system played a critical protective role against the deleterious effects of progressive oxidative stress during ripening. ...
Frontiers in Plant Science
The aim of this study was to determine intra- and interspecies variation in the qualitative and q... more The aim of this study was to determine intra- and interspecies variation in the qualitative and quantitative composition of methanol-soluble metabolites in the leaves of three Digitalis species (D. lanata, D. ferruginea, and D. grandiflora) from the central Balkans. Despite the steady use of foxglove constituents for human health as valuable medicinal products, populations of the genus Digitalis (Plantaginaceae) have been poorly investigated to describe their genetic and phenetic variation. Following untargeted profiling using UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS, by which we identified a total of 115 compounds, 16 compounds were quantified using the UHPLC(–)HESI–QqQ-MS/MS approach. In total, 55 steroid compounds, 15 phenylethanoid glycosides, 27 flavonoids, and 14 phenolic acid derivatives were identified across the samples with D. lanata and D. ferruginea showing a great similarity, while 15 compounds were characteristic only for D. grandiflora. The phytochemical composition of methanol extracts...
Frontiers in Plant Science
Secoiridoid glucosides (SGs) are monoterpenoids derived from the iridoid cyclopentane-C-pyran ske... more Secoiridoid glucosides (SGs) are monoterpenoids derived from the iridoid cyclopentane-C-pyran skeleton with β-D glucose linked at C1 position. Coordinated metabolic processes, such as biosynthesis and catabolism of SGs, ensure constitutive presence of these bitter tasting compounds in plant tissues, which plays a decisive role in the defense against pathogens and herbivores. These compounds are susceptible to hydrolysis mediated by enzymes β-glucosidases, and the resulting aglycones are subsequently directed toward different metabolic pathways in plants. Function of two β-D-glucosidases (named CeBGlu1 and CeBGlu2) from centaury (Centaurium erythraea Rafn; fam. Gentianaceae), belonging to the glycoside hydrolase 1 (GH1) family, was confirmed using in vitro assays with recombinant proteins, following their heterologous expression in E. coli and His-tag affinity purification. Although they show slightly differential substrate preference, both isoforms display high specificity toward SG...
Vrste roda Centaurium Hill često hibridizuju u prirodi. Brojni primeri ukazuju na značaj poliploi... more Vrste roda Centaurium Hill često hibridizuju u prirodi. Brojni primeri ukazuju na značaj poliploidizacije i hibridizacije tokom specijacije u okviru ovog roda. Ukrštanjem Centaurium erythraea Rafn × C. littorale (Turner) Gilmour u uslovima in vitro, dobijeno je alotetraploidno potomstvo, što ide u prilog hipotezi postojanja nedovoljno efikasnih prereproduktivnih barijera, koje bi sprečavale hibridizaciju. Primenjene metode za detekciju hibridnih jedinki u uslovima in vitro su uspešno iskorišćene i u slučaju prirodnih populacija poreklom sa Subotičko-horgoške peščare. Novi takson, nazvan Centaurium pannonicum, je heksaploid nastao iz ukrštanja C. erythraea × C. littorale ssp. compressum (Hayne) Kischner, nakon fertilizacije, tj. spajanja diploidnog i tetraploidnog jedra. De novo razvijeni EST-SSR markeri ukazuju da C. pannonicum konvergira vrsti C. erythraea, dok je prema fitohemijskim markerima hibridni takson sličniji C. littorale ssp. compressum. Razvijeni setovi EST-SSR i fitohem...
Horticulturae, 2022
The variety Prokupac is the dominant variety in the vineyards of Southern Serbia, which produces ... more The variety Prokupac is the dominant variety in the vineyards of Southern Serbia, which produces quality wines of characteristic and unique tastes. In the agroecological conditions of the Prokuplje vine district, the influence of manual defoliation on the phenolic profile of the wine produced from the variety Prokupac was examined. Four experimental treatments with different timings of manual defoliation were applied: early defoliation—treatment I, early defoliation—treatment II, late defoliation—treatment III and the control. The phenolic profile of the wine was determined for the three treatments of defoliation and the control treatment. Additionally, a multivariate analysis was applied on the obtained results, together with already published data (grape seeds and skins phenolic profiles). Identification and quantification of the phenolic compounds was performed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) with an ultraviolet multi-diode detector (DAD) and mass detec...
Weedy sunflower is an invasive plant on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, which causes hig... more Weedy sunflower is an invasive plant on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, which causes high yield losses in many crops. During the harvesting of the sunflower crops the dispersal of the seeds occurs, and as a resultthe volunteer plants appear next year. Weedy sunflowers originate from volunteer plants that live through a longer period in one place. Spontaneous hybridization of weedy sunflower with other sunflower forms makes them more aggressive. If the volunteer plants originate from the hybrids tolerant to ALS inhibiting herbicides, they can be the carriers of herbicide tolerance genes and thus will not be sensitive to these herbicides. The exchange of the genetic material also enables the transfer of the ALS (AHAS) gene (responsible for the tolerance to the ALS inhibiting herbicides) to the progeny. In this study we have examined the spontaneous hybridization between different sunflower forms (volunteer sunflowers, weedy sunflowers, susceptible and tolerant sunflower hybri...
Plants, 2019
Centaurium erythraea Rafn produces and accumulates various biologically active specialized metabo... more Centaurium erythraea Rafn produces and accumulates various biologically active specialized metabolites, including secoiridoid glucosides (SGs), which help plants to cope with unfavorable environmental conditions. Specialized metabolism is commonly modulated in a way to increase the level of protective metabolites, such as SGs. Here, we report the molecular background of the wounding-induced changes in SGs metabolism for the first time. The mechanical wounding of leaves leads to a coordinated up-regulation of SGs biosynthetic genes and corresponding JA-related transcription factors (TFs) after 24 h, which results in the increase of metabolic flux through the biosynthetic pathway and, finally, leads to the elevated accumulation of SGs 96 h upon injury. The most pronounced increase in relative expression was detected for secologanin synthase (CeSLS), highlighting this enzyme as an important point for the regulation of biosynthetic flux through the SG pathway. A similar expression patte...
Genetika, 2018
Available scientific literature reports very few microsatellite markers derived from tetraploid g... more Available scientific literature reports very few microsatellite markers derived from tetraploid genomes using de novo transcriptome sequencing, mostly because their gain usually represents a major computational challenge due to complicated combinatorics during assembly of sequence reads. Here we present a novel approach for mining polymorphic microsatellite loci from transcriptome data in a tetraploid species with no reference genome available. Pairs of 114 bp long de novo sequenced transcriptome reads of Centaurium erythraea were merged into short contigs of 170-200 bp each. High accuracy assembly of the pairs of reads was accomplished by a minimum of 14 bp overlap. Sequential bioinformatics operations involved fully free and open-source software and were performed using an average personal computer. Out of the 13 150 candidate contigs harboring SSR motifs obtained in a final output, we randomly chose 16 putative markers for which we designed primers. We tested the effectiveness of...
Phytochemistry, Jan 24, 2017
Species within the genus Centaurium readily hybridize and polyploid complexes are often seen in n... more Species within the genus Centaurium readily hybridize and polyploid complexes are often seen in natural populations. We describe phytochemical profiles of newly discovered allohexaploid hybrid, here named Centaurium pannonicum, and its parental tetraploid species C. erythraea and rare C. littorale ssp. compressum. Our aim was to examine chemodiversity of these taxa in the area of Vojvodina (North Serbia) and to perform metabolomics search for chemical classifiers which would provide high resolution discrimination of parental and hybrid individuals. In sum, UHPLC-MS/MS Orbitrap metabolomics fingerprinting revealed seventy compounds in methanol extracts. Despite the lack of qualitative chemical novelty in hybrid plants, UHPLC-qqqMS targeted metabolomics approach, aimed at three secoiridoid compounds and seventeen phenolics, pointed to considerable differences in quantitative composition of these dominant compounds among the plant taxa studied. In addition to the difference in the ploi...
Records of Natural Products, Aug 5, 2013
With regard to world's increasing demand for biologically active compounds, a novel source of xan... more With regard to world's increasing demand for biologically active compounds, a novel source of xanthones and secoiridoid glycosides has been studied. Zeltnera beyrichii (Torr. & A. Gray) Mans., an insufficiently acknowledged North American medicinal plant species, may be considered a pharmacological substitute for commercial C. erythraea Rafn, since it accumulates in aerial parts nearly the same amount of secoiridoid glycosides: swertiamarin, gentiopicrin, and sweroside (13.76, 7.56, and 0.17 mmol per 100 g dry weight, respectively) in plants grown under greenhouse condition, and a considerable amount of xanthones: decussatin and eustomin. Additionally, Z. beyrichii produced as much biomass during cultivation in RITA ® temporary immersion bioreactors as greenhouse-grown plants, in a third of the time. Plants grown in bioreactors contained moderate levels of total phenolics and total flavonoids, and possessed modest antioxidant activity and antimicrobial potential against eight bacterial and eight fungal species. Therefore, this species may be highly recommended for cultivation either in natural environment, or in bioreactors under in vitro conditions, for producing compounds of interest of modern pharmacology and food industry.
Industrial Crops and Products, 2012
The content of secoiridoid glycosides in the aerial parts and roots of in vitro grown centaury (C... more The content of secoiridoid glycosides in the aerial parts and roots of in vitro grown centaury (Centaurium erythraea Rafn) plants, originating from 52 Balkan Peninsula populations was analyzed. The results of this study give insight into the infraspecific variability of centaury, based on the yield of secoiridoid glycosides as chemical markers of phenotypic variation. According to the cluster analysis, existence of two basic chemotypes is suggested. Moreover, the impact of prevailing environmental gradients in natural habitats on chemotype differentiation was assessed. The precipitation rate of the warmest quarter of year significantly affects the accumulation of secondary metabolites. These results will enable the selection of particular populations which are characterized by enhanced accumulation of secondary metabolites of interest, thus making it possible to realize the commercial field cultivation and upscale production and of this threatened and pharmacologically important species.
Industrial Crops and Products, 2012
Food Chemistry, 2014
Methanol extracts of aerial parts and roots of five centaury species (Centaurium erythraea, C. te... more Methanol extracts of aerial parts and roots of five centaury species (Centaurium erythraea, C. tenuiflorum, C. littorale ssp. uliginosum, C. pulchellum, and Schenkia spicata) were analysed for their main secondary metabolites: secoiridoid glycosides, a group of monoterpenoid compounds, and phenolics (xanthones and flavonoids), and further investigated for antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity. The results of ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assays showed that above ground parts generally displayed up to 13 times higher antioxidant activity compared to roots, which should be related to higher phenolics content, especially flavonoids, in green plant organs. Secoiridoid glycosides showed no antioxidant activity. All the tested extracts demonstrated appreciative antibacterial (0.05-0.5 mg ml(-1)) and strong antifungal activity (0.1-0.6 mg ml(-1)). Our results imply that above ground parts of all centaury species studied, could be recommended for human usage as a rich source of natural antioxidants and also in food industry as strong antimicrobial agents for food preservation.