Search results for "Ficus"

Indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus-indica Fruit Ameliorates Glucose Dysmetabolism and Counteracts Insulin Resistance in High-Fat-Diet-Fed Mice

2021

Obesity-related dysmetabolic conditions are amongst the most common causes of death globally. Indicaxanthin, a bioavailable betalain pigment from Opuntia ficus-indica fruit, has been demonstrated to modulate redox-dependent signalling pathways, exerting significant anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo. In light of the strict interconnections between inflammation, oxidative stress and insulin resistance (IR), a nutritionally relevant dose of indicaxanthin has been evaluated in a high-fat diet (HFD) model of obesity-related IR. To this end, biochemical and histological analysis, oxidative stress and inflammation evaluations in liver and adipose tissue were carried…

Growing cactus pear O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill. The contribution of the scientific research on plant ecophysiology and biology

2010

Effects of natural extracts in the treatment of oral ulcers: A systematic review of evidence from experimental studies in animals

2021

Background To evaluate the clinical and histopathological effects of natural extracts in the treatment of oral ulcers induced in animal experimental models. Material and methods We carried out a search in the Medline, Scopus, WoS and Embase databases from the start of the databases to December 2020, and also made a manual search of the references. The search and selection were carried out by two researchers independently. The inclusion criteria were: experimental studies in animal models, in english, which complied with the study object. Results A total of 705 articles were identified. After selection by title, abstract and full text, 19 articles were finally included. Natural extracts of J…

The effect of different amounts of cladode removal on reflowering of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica(L.) Miller)

1994

SummaryThe removal of the spring flush of flowers and cladodes at bloom promotes reflowering in cactus pear. Studies were conducted to investigate the influence of different amounts of spring flush cladode removal (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, 0%) on cactus pear reflowering. A positive linear correlation between the severity of spring flush cladode removal and the degree of reflowering was found. Primary (spring flush) and secondary (second flush) cladodes showed the same fertility in the year after formation. Two year old cladodes showed a significantly lower fertility and have only a marginal effect on plant yield.

EVOLUTION OF ENDOGENOUS GIBERELLINS AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF FLOWERING IN RELATION TO RETURN BLOOM OF CACTUS PEAR (OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA (L.) MILLER)

1998

Abstract The effect of flower emasculation, flower injection with paclobutrazol and the complete removal of the spring flush of flowers and cladodes on the changes in GA 3 concentration at different stages of bloom in flowers and fertile cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica has been determined. Throughout the bloom period, the concentration of GA 3 was higher in intact flowers and the cladode than in flowers emasculated or injected with paclobutrazol. With the onset of blooming, GA 3 started to accumulate both in the flower and in the fertile cladode, and the highest concentration was measured at full bloom in the flower and in the cladodes whose flowers were not removed. Flower emasculation or…

POLLEN MORPHOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCES IN OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA (L.) MILL.

2015

The fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., the most worldwide cultivated species of Cactaceae family, contain viable seeds (100-250) of large size. This characteristic influences the commercial quality of the fruit. The study of floral biology in Opuntia allows to understand the behaviour of the plant during reproductive phase and perhaps to distinguish clones with different fruits behaviour (with seed and seedless). The study resulted in a palynological characterization by optical and scanning microscopy (SEM), followed by a qualitative analysis on the male line with pollen viability and in vitro germination tests, in addition to a pollen-pistil interaction survey. The plant material c…

Successful treatment of adult multisystemic Langerhans cell histiocytosis with psoralen-UV-A, prednisolone, mercaptopurine, and vinblastine.

2008

Background Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease with a peak incidence in childhood. There is limited experience with treatment options for adult patients having multisystemic LCH involvement. We report successful treatment of a 70-year-old woman with adult onset of LCH and multisystem disease (diabetes insipidus centralis, bone marrow infiltration, and lung and skin involvement). Observations A 70-year-old woman with erythematous plaques and papules of the submammary and inguinal skin attended our outpatient clinic and was diagnosed as having LCH. Organ involvement was found in the infundibulum of the pituitary gland, associated with diabetes insipidus centralis, bone marro…

Photochemical and Photobiological Studies of a Furonaphthopyranone as a Benzo-spaced Psoralen Analog in Cell-free and Cellular DNA

1997

Photobiological activities of the benzo-spaced psoralen analog furonaphthopyranone 3 have been investigated in cell-free and cellular DNA. The molecular geometry parameters of 3 suggest that it should not form interstrand crosslinks with DNA. With cell-free DNA no evidence for crosslinking but also not for monoadduct formation was obtained; rather, the unnatural furocoumarin 3 induces oxidative DNA modifications under near-UVA irradiation. The enzymatic assay of the photosensitized damage in cell-free PM2 DNA revealed the significant formation of lesions sensitive to formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg protein). In the photooxidation of calf thymus DNA by the furonaphthopyranone 3, 0.2…

Quality Standards for Recycled Water: Opuntia ficus-indica as Sorbent Material

2017

In recent years, increased industrial and agricultural activities and the correlated population growth led to overexploitation of natural resources and the increased generation of various types of pollutants. For these reasons, the hazardous pollution of wastewater is one of the most important environmental problems worldwide. A wide range of wastewater treatment technologies are available; however, some disadvantages are often reported. Hence, there is a constant need to search for an efficient, low-cost and alternative wastewater treatment. Recently, several biosolids have been considered for pollutant removal from wastewaters, including Opuntia ficus-indica. This chapter focuses on waste…

Recognition of Trace Element Contamination Using Ficus macrophylla Leaves in Urban Environment

2020

Urban areas are characterized by numerous pollutants emitted by anthropic sources both in the form of solid and gaseous particulates. Biomonitoring is an easy, economical, and accessible approach for the determination of atmospheric pollutants. In this study, we used the leaves of Ficus macrophylla Desf. ex Pers., collected in the city of Palermo (Italy), to determine major and trace elements. Geogenic elements exhibited the highest concentrations, making up 99% of the weight of the analyzed elements (Ca, K, Mg, P, S, Na, Fe, and Al)