Huntington's disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disease, normally starts in the prime of adult life, followed by a gradual occurrence of psychiatric disturbances, cognitive and motor dysfunction. The daily performances and life quality of HD patients have been severely interfered by these clinical signs and symptoms until the last stage of neuronal cell death. To the best of our knowledge, no treatment is available to completely mitigate the progression of HD. Mangiferin, a naturally occurring potent glucoxilxanthone, is mainly isolated from the Mangifera indica plant. Considerable studies have confirmed the medicinal benefits of mangiferin against memory and cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative experimental models such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of mangiferin against 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) induced HD in rat models. Adult Wistar rats ( n = 32) were randomly allocated equally into four groups of eight rats each: normal control (Group I), disease control (Group II) and two treatment groups (Group III and Group IV). Treatment with mangiferin (10 and 20 mg/kg, p. o.) was given for 14 days, whereas 3-NP (15 mg/kg, i. p.) was given for 7 days to induce HD-like symptoms in rats. Rats were assessed for cognitive functions and motor coordination using open field test (OFT), novel object recognition (NOR) test, neurological assessment, rotarod and grip strength tests. Biochemical parameters such as oxidative stress markers and pro-inflammatory markers in brain hippocampus, striatum and cortex regions were evaluated. Histopathological study on brain tissue was also conducted using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. 3-NP triggered anxiety, decreased recognition memory, reduced locomotor activity, lower neurological scoring, declined rotarod performance and grip strength were alleviated by mangiferin treatment. Further, a significant depletion in brain malondialdehyde (MDA) level, an increase in reduced glutathione (GSH) level, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, and a decrease in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were observed in mangiferin treated groups. Mangiferin also mitigated 3-NP induced histopathological alteration in the brain hippocampus, striatum and cortex sections. It could be inferred that mangiferin protects the brain against oxidative damage and neuroinflammation, notably via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Mangiferin, which has a good safety profile, may be an alternate treatment option for treating HD and other neurodegenerative disorders. The results of the current research of mangiferin will open up new avenues for the development of safe and effective therapeutic agents in diminishing HD.

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Background and aims Leaf size has considerable ecological relevance, making it desirable to obtain leaf size estimations for as many species worldwide as possible. Current global databases, such as TRY, contain leaf size data for ~30 000 species, which is only ~8% of known species worldwide. Yet, taxonomic descriptions exist for the large majority of the remainder. Here we propose a simple method to exploit information on leaf length, width and shape from species descriptions to robustly estimate leaf areas, thus closing this considerable knowledge gap for this important plant functional trait. Methods Using a global dataset of all major leaf shapes measured on 3125 leaves from 780 taxa, we quantified scaling functions that estimate leaf size as a product of leaf length, width and a leaf shape-specific correction factor. We validated our method by comparing leaf size estimates with those obtained from image recognition software and compared our approach with the widely used correction factor of 2/3. Key results Correction factors ranged from 0.39 for highly dissected, lobed leaves to 0.79 for oblate leaves. Leaf size estimation using leaf shape-specific correction factors was more accurate and precise than estimates obtained from the correction factor of 2/3. Conclusion Our method presents a tractable solution to accurately estimate leaf size when only information on leaf length, width and shape is available or when labour and time constraints prevent usage of image recognition software. We see promise in applying our method to data from species descriptions (including from fossils), databases, field work and on herbarium vouchers, especially when non-destructive in situ measurements are needed.

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The aim of this review was to explore the pharmacological activity of early tracheophytes (pteridophytes) as an alternative medicine for treating human ailments. As the first vascular plants, pteridophytes (aka, ferns and fern allies) are an ancient lineage, and human beings have been exploring and using taxa from this lineage for over 2000 years because of their beneficial properties. We have documented the medicinal uses of pteridophytes belonging to thirty different families. The lycophyte Selaginella sp. was shown in earlier studies to have multiple pharmacological activity, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antidiabetic, antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-Alzheimer properties. Among all the pteridophytes examined, taxa from the Pteridaceae, Polypodiaceae, and Adiantaceae exhibited significant medicinal activity. Based on our review, many pteridophytes have properties that could be used in alternative medicine for treatment of various human illnesses. Biotechnological tools can be used to preserve and even improve their bioactive molecules for the preparation of medicines against illness. Even though several studies have reported medicinal uses of ferns, the possible bioactive compounds of several pteridophytes have not been identified. Furthermore, their optimal dosage level and treatment strategies still need to be determined. Finally, the future direction of pteridophyte research is discussed.

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Background When samples are collected in the field and transported to the lab, degradation of the nucleic acids contained in the samples is frequently observed. Immediate extraction and precipitation of the nucleic acids reduces degradation to a minimum, thus preserving accurate sequence information. An extraction method to obtain high quality DNA in field studies is described. Findings DNA extracted immediately after sampling was compared to DNA extracted after allowing the sampled tissues to air dry at 21°C for 48 or 72 hours. While DNA extracted from fresh tissues exhibited little degradation, DNA extracted from all tissues exposed to 21°C air for 48 or 72 hours exhibited varying degrees of degradation. Yield was higher for extractions from fresh tissues in most cases. Four microcentrifuges were compared for DNA yield: one standard electric laboratory microcentrifuge (max rcf = 16,000 × g), two battery-operated microcentrifuges (max rcf = 5,000 and 3,000 × g), and one manually-operated microcentrifuge (max rcf = 120 × g). Yields for all centrifuges were similar. DNA extracted under simulated field conditions was similar in yield and quality to DNA extracted in the laboratory using the same equipment. Conclusions This CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) DNA extraction method employs battery-operated and manually-operated equipment to isolate high quality DNA in the field. The method was tested on plant and fungus tissues, and may be adapted for other types of organisms. The method produced high quality DNA in laboratory tests and under simulated field conditions. The field extraction method should prove useful for working in remote sites, where ice, dry ice, and liquid nitrogen are unavailable; where degradation is likely to occur due to the long distances between the sample site and the laboratory; and in instances where other DNA preservation and transportation methods have been unsuccessful. It may be possible to adapt this method for genomic, metagenomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic projects using samples collected in situ.

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Pteris vittata was the first identified arsenic (As) hyperaccumulator. Our aim was to test whether As hyperaccumulation occurs in other fern species, and whether P. vittata collected from both contaminated and uncontaminated environments accumulates As similarly. Three accessions of P. vittata , two cultivars of Pteris cretica , Pteris longifolia and Pteris umbrosa were grown with 0–500 mg As kg −1 added to the substrate. A second experiment compared As uptake by five common ferns obtained from commercial suppliers. The results show that, in addition to P. vittata , P. cretica , P. longifolia and P. umbrosa also hyperaccumulate As to a similar extent. There was little difference between different Pteris species, or between different accessions of P. vittata . By contrast, Asplenium nidus , Davallia canarensis , Polypodium aureum , Polystichum tsus-simense do not hyperaccumulate As. This study identified three new species of As hyperaccumulators in the Pteris genus and suggests that As hyperaccumulation is a constitutive property in P. vittata .

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