Journal of Medicinal Plants Biotechnology

Abstract Irinotecan is considered to be one of the most effective anticancer drugs for colorectal cancer therapy. In this study, the role of human serum albumin (HSA), as a protein biopolymer and safe drug delivery system, in the binding of irinotecan was surveyed. The interaction between irinotecan and HSA has been studied by fluorimetry, circular dichroism (CD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy as well as molecular docking study. By the analysis of the fluorescence spectra, it was observed that irinotecan can quench the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA through a static quenching procedure. The binding parameters were determined according to the modified Stern-Volmer equation and the enthalpy change (ΔH^° and entropy change (ΔS^°) of binding were calculated to be -19.11 kJ mol⁻¹ and 13.80 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively. The Analysis of the thermodynamic parameters indicated that the hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions played the dominant role in the stabilization of the irinotecan-HSA complex. The competitive site markers experiments indicated that the drug binds to the site I of HSA, confirmed by molecular docking. The distance, r, between the donor (HSA) and the acceptor (irinotecan) was obtained according to Förster’s theory of non-radiation energy transfer. The quantitative analysis of the far-UV CD and FT-IR spectra represented that irinotecan has induced some alterations in the secondary and tertiary structures of the protein.

Abstract Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.), is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Asteraceae family, which has both medicinal and nutritional properties. It seems that harvesting time has an important effect on the quantity and quality of plant products especially on secondary metabolites. In order to analysis of plant or field age on some physiological, biochemical and secondary metabolites characteristics of artichoke, a research project was carried out in a completely randomized design at the research field of medicinal plants at the University of Zanjan. One-year old and two-year old artichoke farms were selected as experimental treatments, and then three plots were randomly selected from each farm in which the plant specimens were taken and the desired traits were measured. According to the results: some traits such as: leaf dry weight, leaf length and width, amount of chlorophylls and carotenoids, root soluble proteins and carbohydrates increased at second year old plants. However; shoot soluble proteins and carbohydrate and also the total number of extracted secondary metabolites were decreased by increasing of plant age. D-methyl Buta Dienil (26.18 %), Pentacosadiynoic acid (21.24%), Inositol (10.97%) and Tetramethyl-octahydronaphthalen (9.61%) were the major compounds of one-year old artichoke plants and scyllo inositol (59.01%), methyl-hexadecatetra enoate (20.46%), isopropenyl-methanol (5.2%) and glucopyranose (4.71%) were the major components two-year old artichoke plant leaf extract.  It can be concluded that plant age has noticeable effects on growth and biochemical and specially on secondary metabolites properties of artichoke.

Abstract Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the oldest medicinal and spice plants in the world. Several factors affect the growth and production of saffron including: age and the number of corms per surface area, soil texture, the time of plant culture, time and kind of irrigation, mineral nutrition and ecological factors. It seems that the quantity and quality of saffron products are greatly different at different plant ages. The plant or field age has important effect on growth indices of saffron and its secondary metabolites. In order to investigate the effects of plant age on secondary metabolites and some physiological factors of saffron, a research project was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications at the research field of medicinal plants of the University of Zanjan. Three saffron farms with different biological ages of one, two and five years old were selected as experimental treatments, and then three plots were randomly selected from each farm and the desired traits were measured. Results showed that, increasing of the age of saffron plants in this experiment increased fresh weight of plant and dry weight of stigma. 5-yraes old plants showed the highest amounts of these traits. Whereas, the contents of soluble proteins and sugars and photosynthetic pigments were higher at first year and decreased by increasing of plant age. Number of secondary metabolites decreased when the age of plants increased as in one–year old saffron plants 26 metabolites and in 5-year old plants only 15 metabolites were detected. Loliolid (18%) and thymol (17%) in 1-year old plants and thymol (19%) and camphor (14%) in 5-year old plants showed the highest level among all detected secondary compounds. Generally according to these results, plant age has an important effect on the number and kinds of secondary metabolites in saffron which should be considered at the time of saffron harvesting.   

Abstract Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the oldest medicinal and spice plants in the world. In order to investigate the effects of plant age on secondary metabolites and some physiological factors of saffron, a research project was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications at the research field of medicinal plants of the University of Zanjan. Three saffron farms with different biological ages of one, two and five years old were selected as experimental treatments, and then three plots were randomly selected from each farm and the desired traits were measured. Results showed that, increasing of the age of saffron plants in this experiment increased fresh weight of plant and dry weight of stigma. 5-yraes old plants showed the highest amounts of these traits. Whereas, the contents of soluble proteins and sugars and photosynthetic pigments were higher at first year and decreased by increasing of plant age. Number of secondary metabolites decreased when the age of plants increased as in one–year old saffron plants 26 metabolites and in 5-year old plants only 15 metabolites were detected. Loliolid (18%) and thymol (17%) in 1-year old plants and thymol (19%) and camphor (14%) in 5-year old plants showed the highest level among all detected secondary compounds. Generally according to these results, plant age has an important effect on the number and kinds of secondary metabolites in saffron which should be considered at the time of saffron harvesting.

Abstract Artificial seed technology is a novel method in biotechnology where artificial seeds are produced and encapsulated using various materials and processes. These seeds are typically created by encapsulating plant meristems or somatic embryos, using polymer materials such as sodium alginate for encapsulation. One of the advantages of these seeds is the easier and better cultivation of certain plants, especially those with harder germination conditions due to dormancy or environmental factors. However, the use of artificial seed technology comes with challenges, including environmental impacts, production costs, and technical issues such as improving encapsulation processes and the quality of artificial seeds. This article introduces artificial seeds and production methods, the materials used for encapsulation, the principles of encapsulation, the advantages, and challenges faced by these seeds. Some companies active in the field of artificial seeds and the plants from which artificial seeds are produced are introduced to further study and advance this technology.

Abstract Ferula.gummosa is one of the important medicinal plants in Iran and world. Today this plant is endangered in nature. One of the reasons for the threat is the long dormancy of galbanum seeds and its very low germination power, along with its uncontrolled harvesting. In this research, which was conducted in a completely randomized design with 3 replications and 3 treatments at the Biotechnology Research Institute of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, galbanum plant embryos from Fars province were seprated from seeds and cultured to find the best concentration for growth in MS media with concentrations of 1/2-1/4 and complete MS media. After 30 days, traits such as seedling length, seedling weight, and percentage of germination in each medium were measured and compared. The results showed that the growth rate of this plant in MS1/4 media was higher than the two other concentrations . According to available published sources, the results of this study are reported for the first time on the effect of culture medium concentration on germination and seedling growth indices of Ferula.gummosa plant

Abstract The increasing tendency of human societies to use herbal medicines has caused an increase in the demand for effective medicinal plants. Despite many advances in the field of artificial synthesis of effective plant substances, extraction from plant sources is still the only way to obtain many valuable medicinal substances. A group of alkaloids are natural drugs that are known as sedatives and painkillers; Like morphine and codeine, which are obtained from poppy, they are the most common painkillers. Currently, the country's annual need for morphine is 30 tons, which will increase with the increase in population. 70% of Iran's needs are supplied by importing concentrated poppy straw (CPS) and 30% from opium sap etc. About 5000 types of alkaloids are known in 15% of plants belonging to 150 plant families, among which tropane alkaloids such as hyoscyamine, atropine and scopolamine are widely used in medicine. One of the main uses of poppy alkaloids in the pharmaceutical industry is They are in painkillers. Today, the industrial production of tropane alkaloids through new techniques such as plant cell and tissue culture, somatic hybridization, metabolic engineering, large-scale cultivation and its commercialization using bioreactors has attracted a lot of attention. This article examines poppy alkaloids and their biosynthetic pathways, which can be useful in clarifying the future direction of research in this field.

Abstract Medicinal plants have been a source of medicinal compounds and other useful products since ancient times. Due to some limitations, the traditional methods of supplying medicinal compounds are not able to meet the ever-increasing needs of the market, and therefore the use of alternative methods is inevitable. Metabolic engineering is a logical and efficient solution to increase the production of medicinal compounds and reduce related costs. In addition to improving the production of desired metabolites and reducing the production of unwanted metabolites, metabolic engineering also leads to the production of new metabolites in plants. Currently, many methods are used to manipulate metabolic pathways, among which CRISPR/Cas technology has a special place due to its high accuracy and ease of use. In this article, the importance of medicinal plants and their metabolites has been discussed first, and then the necessity of using metabolic engineering to increase the medicinal compounds of these plants has been pointed out. In the following, we have explained the CRISPR/Cas technology and how it works in gene editing. Then, the application of this technology in manipulating the metabolic pathways of medicinal plants is discussed, focusing on three major groups of plant metabolites, namely terpenoids, alkaloids and phenylpropanoids. The next section deals with some of the challenges in the application of this technology in the metabolic engineering of medicinal plants, and proposed solutions. At the end, the future prospects of using this technology in metabolic improvements of medicinal plants are briefly described.

Abstract Medicinal plants have been associated with human life throughout history and have been used as food, fodder and medicine. One of these plants is wild celery, which is one of the endemic plants of the Zagros region of Iran, which, like other plants, undergoes some biotic and abiotic stresses during its growth in these regions. Wild celery is resistant to temperature, humidity and drought stress in its growing place, because over time it has adapted to the conditions of the Zagros region. There is no salt in the natural growth place of this plant. Regional pests have also been observed in the main habitats of this plant. By knowing the ecological conditions of its growing place as a model from nature, wild celery can be cultivated in agricultural conditions. leucoptera scitella zell, Hyadaphis foeniculi and Eupithecia sp are regional pests of wild celery. When wild celery is cultivated in the field, the most important weeds in its fields are mentioned Avena ludoviciana Dur, Hordeum murinum L., Hordeum spontaneum C. Koch, Secale cereal L, Phalaris minor Retz., Bromus tectorum L., Malva sylvestris L., and Alhagi camelorum Fisch.

Abstract Anghuzeh is one of the important medicinal plants of Apiaceae family. Anghuzeh is very important in traditional Iranian medicine and there is a great global demand for it. This plant has many applications in the pharmaceutical field and has been used in the treatment of diseases for a long time. The results of the research of Angouzeh plant conducted in this field show the anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, antiviral, antibacterial and antioxidant effects. The applications of this plant in the food industry are very important, so this plant is used as an additive, flavoring or spice in the preparation and processing of various foods. Anghuzeh also has many applications in the cosmetics industry. The importance of Anghuzeh is due to the valuable gum that is obtained from cutting its roots. In recent years, due to the considerable profit from the sale of gum, the harvesting of this plant from nature has increased, and this issue leads to the extinction of the Anghuzeh generation. Anghuzeh gum contains special compounds. Essential oil is one of the main active ingredients in gum, which is used in other related industries after extraction and purification. At present, Anghuzeh gum is sold in raw form in Iran. It is hoped that with proper planning and the creation of suitable conversion industries for Anghuzeh, it will be possible to create good added value (valuation) for the country while creating employment.