Dear Editor, The tropical plant Madagascar periwinkle Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don is a rich source of plant-derived medicinal terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs), including the anti-hypertensive ajmalicine, the sedative compound serpentine, and the anticancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine. However, the latter two compounds are produced in C. roseus plants only in very low amounts. Elicitor...

The farnesyltransferase α-subunit (FTA) may be involved in the regulation of defence responses against pathogens plants. In this study, gene was amplified from Catharanthus roseus (CrFTA gene). cDNA found to 1 403 bp long, and encodes a putative protein 331 amino acids that contains conserved PPTA motif. phylogenetic analysis showed sequence CrFTA is most similar Coffea canephora. qRT-PCR assay...

In the present study, Plumbago zeylanica Linn. (Plumbaginaceae) , one of the folk medicinal plants commonly used as antifertility agent was evaluated for its antifertility effect. Five successive solvent extracts, petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, ethanol and water extracts, of the stems of P. zeylanica were studied on estrous cycle at two dose levels, 200 and 400 mg/kg respectively....

Endophytic actinomycetes were isolated from surface sterilized leaves of Catharanthes roseus (L.) G. Don offamily Apocynaceae. A total of 38 endophytic actinomycetes were recovered on Starch Casein Agar.Among the 38 isolates 20 morphologically different isolates were screened for antibacterial activity againstBacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pr...

In the last years, studies on captive greater flamingos have increased. Research on zoo animals is important to improve the knowledge on these species and to improve their ex-situ and in-situ conservation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the parental behaviour of a captive colony of greater flamingo hosted at Parco Natura Viva, an Italian zoological garden, to improve the knowle...

Substrate stratification is a new research area in which multiple substrates, or the same substrate with differing physical properties, are layered within container to accomplish production goal, such as decreasing water use, nutrient leaching, potentially reducing weed growth. Previous using pine ( Pinus sp.) bark screened ?1/2 3/4 inch reduced growth of bittercress Cardamine flexuosa ) by 80%...

Plumbagin is a naturally occurring naphthoquinone isolated from roots of Plumbago scandens. The plant was collected at the Campus of Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. P. scandens is used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases. The antimicrobial activity of plumbagin was evaluated using the macrodilution method. The compound exhibited relatively specific act...