Search results for "Opuntia"

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

Physiological and Technical Aspects of Cactus Pear [Opuntia ficus-indica(L.) Mill.] Double Rellowering and Out-of-Season Winter Fruit Cropping

2007

Abstract A commercial cactus pear plantation in Sicily, Italy was manipulated to induce late cropping. The spring flush of flowers and cladodes were removed as was the second induced bloom of flowers and cladodes. The third induced bloom was harvested for a late out-of-season crop of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.). The double removal induced a third flush of flowers and cladodes during late August with a fruit production that ripened the following winter (to March). The number of flowers per fertile cladode was halved after the double removal and the length of the fruit development period increased from 100-120 days to 160-190 days for the out-of-season crop. Polyethylene covering…

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.

Life Cycle Impact Assessment applied to cactus pear crop production for generating bioenergy and biofertiliser

2020

Among the potential uses of cactus pear, the generation of bioenergy (biogas) and biofertiliser (digestate), from the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of cladodes and fruits, is surveyed in this paper. Data for Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) was drawn from a farm located in Roccapalumba (Palermo, Sicily, Italy), where three cultivars were cultivated: 1) yellow pulp cultivar; 2) red pulp cultivar; 3) white pulp cultivar. LCIA was applied to six scenarios: 1) current dry crop; 2) current irrigated crop; 3) dry crop for fruit and bioenergy production; 4) irrigated crop for fruit and bioenergy production; 5) dry crop for bioenergy production; 6) irrigated crop for bioenergy production. According t…

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…

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…

Phytochemical indicaxanthin suppresses 7-ketocholesterol-induced THP-1 cell apoptosis by preventing cytosolic Ca(2+) increase and oxidative stress.

2012

7-Ketocholesterol (7-KC)-induced apoptosis of macrophages is considered a key event in the development of human atheromas. In the present study, the effect of indicaxanthin (Ind), a bioactive pigment from cactus pear fruit, on 7-KC-induced apoptosis of human monocyte/macrophage THP-1 cells was investigated. A pathophysiological condition was simulated by using amounts of 7-KC that can be reached in human atheromatous plaque. Ind was assayed within a micromolar concentration range, consistent with its plasma level after dietary supplementation with cactus pear fruit. Pro-apoptotic effects of 7-KC were assessed by cell cycle arrest, exposure of phosphatidylserine at the plasma membrane, varia…

Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activity of whole extract and isolated indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus-indica associated with re-activation of …

2014

Phytochemicals may exert chemo-preventive effects on cells of the gastro-intestinal tract by modulating epigenome-regulated gene expression. The effect of the aqueous extract from the edible fruit of Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI extract), and of its betalain pigment indicaxanthin (Ind), on proliferation of human colon cancer Caco-2 cells has been investigated. Whole extract and Ind caused a dose-dependent apoptosis of proliferating cells at nutritionally relevant amounts, with IC50 400 ± 25 mg fresh pulp equivalents/mL, and 115 ± 15 μM (n = 9), respectively, without toxicity for post-confluent differentiated cells. Ind accounted for ∼80% of the effect of the whole extract. Ind did not cause ox…