Worldwide, there are plants known as psychoactive plants that naturally contain psychedelic active components. They have a high concentration of neuroprotective substances that can interact with the nervous system to produce psychedelic effects. Despite these plants' hazardous potential, recreational use of them is on the rise because of their psychoactive properties. Early neuroscience studies relied heavily on psychoactive plants and plant natural products (NPs), and both recreational and hazardous NPs have contributed significantly to the understanding of almost all neurotransmitter systems. Worldwide, there are many plants that contain psychoactive properties, and people have been using them for ages. Psychoactive plant compounds may significantly alter how people perceive the world.
1. Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 1;14(1):22792. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-73818-6. Exploring the rhizosphere of perennial wheat: potential for plant growth promotion and biocontrol applications. Giannelli G(1), Del Vecchio L(1), Cirlini M(1), Gozzi M(1), Gazza L(2), Galaverna G(1), Potestio S(3), Visioli G(4). Author information: (1)Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. (2)Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, CREA, Rome, Italy. (3)Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. (4)Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. giovanna.visioli@unipr.it. Perennial grains, which remain productive for multiple years, rather than growing for only one season before harvest, have deep, dense root systems that can support a richness of beneficial microorganisms, which are mostly underexplored. In this work we isolated forty-three bacterial strains associated with the rhizosphere of the OK72 perennial wheat line, developed from a cross between winter common wheat and Thinopyrum ponticum. Identified using 16S rDNA sequencing, these bacteria were assessed for plant growth-promoting traits such as indole-3-acetic acid, siderophores and ACC-deaminase acid production, biofilm formation, and the ability to solubilize phosphate and proteins. Twenty-five strains exhibiting in vitro significant plant growth promoting traits, belong to wheat keystone genera Pseudomonas, Microbacterium, Variovorax, Pedobacter, Dyadobacter, Plantibacter, and Flavobacterium. Seven strains, including Aeromicrobium and Okibacterium genera, were able to promote root growth in a commercial annual wheat cultivar while strains from Pseudomonas genus inhibited the growth of Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium species, using direct antagonism assays. The same strains produced a high amount of 1-undecanol a volatile organic compound, which may aid in suppressing fungal growth. The study highlights the potential of these bacteria to form new commercial consortia, enhancing the health and productivity of annual wheat crops within sustainable agricultural practices. © 2024. The Author(s). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-73818-6 PMCID: PMC11445523 PMID: 39354104 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests. 2. Food Chem. 2024 Sep 21;463(Pt 3):141330. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141330. Online ahead of print. Composition and micromorphological determination of blue honeysuckle fruit (Lonicera caerulea L.) cuticular wax and its effects on fruit post-harvest quality. Peng Z(1), Chen H(1), Niu B(1), Wu W(1), Chen H(1), Farag MA(2), Ding Y(1), Liu R(3), Gao H(4). Author information: (1)Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Food Logistic and Processing, Key Laboratory of Post-Harvest Handling of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China. (2)Pharmacognosy Department, College of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Kasr el Aini St, Cairo P.O. 11562, Egypt. (3)Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Food Logistic and Processing, Key Laboratory of Post-Harvest Handling of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China. Electronic address: ruilingliu2005@163.com. (4)Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Food Logistic and Processing, Key Laboratory of Post-Harvest Handling of Fruits, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Postharvest Preservation and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables, China National Light Industry, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China. Electronic address: spsghy@163.com. The chemical composition and structure of the cuticular wax in blue honeysuckle fruit were investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that the cuticular wax was dense and uniform, taking on a tubular form. A total of 158 wax components were identified, including alkanes, terpenes, ketones, alcohols, fatty acids, and esters. The wax was found to be particularly rich in alkanes. After storage, the wax content decreased, whereas an increase in 1-undecanol. The destruction or reduction of cuticular wax resulted in a more rapid decline in storage quality, loss of nutrients, and a decrease in antioxidant phytochemicals. Meanwhile, wax metabolizing enzyme activity and gene expression increased. This study presents a deeper understanding of blue honeysuckle fruit cuticular wax composition and aids to developing effective measures to delay its postharvest fruit quality deterioration. Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141330 PMID: 39332358 Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 3. Toxicon. 2024 Nov 6;250:108089. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.108089. Epub 2024 Sep 4. Obscure properties of a traditional herb Pittosporum neelgherrense used to treat snakebite envenoming against Daboia russelli venoms. Dinesh MD(1), P T(2), Sivaraman T(3), Anju KV(4), James T(5), Nair DJ(3). Author information: (1)Department of Microbiology, Nehru Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, 641 005, Tamil Nadu, India. Electronic address: md.dineshmd45@gmail.com. (2)Department of Biotechnology, Nehru Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, 641 005, Tamil Nadu, India. (3)Department of Microbiology, Nehru Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, 641 005, Tamil Nadu, India. (4)Department of Panchakarma, Vaidyarathnam Ayurveda College, Thaikkattusseri, Thrissur, 680 306, Kerala, India. (5)PG and Research Department of Aquaculture and Fishery Microbiology, MES Ponnani College, Ponnani, Malappuram, Kerala, India. In tropical nations, snakebite envenomation is a significant public health issue with negative human and social effects. This is due to three factors: 1) more species of the most hazardous snakes are present; 2) emergency medical assistance is not readily available; and 3) inadequate health care. The problems caused by snakebite envenomation have been partially resolved by immunotherapy. An extensive collection of medicinal herbs is recognized to have antivenomous properties in traditional medicine. However, very few species have undergone scientific investigation, and even fewer have had their active components separated and structurally and functionally defined. In this work, the anti-venom potential of hot and cold aqueous extracts from Pittosporum neelgherrense is evaluated using an in-vitro model. The experimental results showed that 4H-pyran-4-one, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-(11.20), 1-Undecanol (16.38), Lauryl acetate (18.25), and Cyclotridecane (19.14) were phytochemical substances whose chemical structures were recognized by GCMS. The Direct and Indirect hemorrhagic activity was found to be completely neutralized by P. neelgherrense extract (44.61% hot plant extract & 55.38% cold plant extract) and the zone (2.4 mm), respectively. The neutralization of venoms was indicated by the zone (0.5-0.9 cm) of hydrolysis production of proteolytic activity. Additionally, the results of the gelatine liquefaction study demonstrated that clot formation was not triggered by venom at low concentrations (50:50) but was instead brought on by higher concentrations. The present study suggested that the neutralization of venom by hot water extracts of P. neelgherrense is a potentially therapeutic application. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.108089 PMID: 39241868 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 4. Food Chem. 2025 Jan 15;463(Pt 1):141060. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141060. Epub 2024 Sep 2. Rapid ion pair-based surfactant-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction with solidification of floating organic drop for simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of selected anionic dyes in food samples. Elbakri AM(1), Eltabey RM(1), El-Defrawy MM(1), Mortada WI(2). Author information: (1)Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt. (2)Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt. Electronic address: w.mortada@mans.edu.eg. Ion pair-based surfactant-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction with solidification of floating organic drops has been developed to extract Allura red (AR), tartrazine (TAR), and fast green (FG) prior to spectrophotometric determination. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was employed as ion-pairing agent to enhance the hydrophobic behavior of anionic dyes. 1-undecanol and ethanol were used as the extraction and dispersion solvents, respectively. The dyes were quantitatively extracted in the presence of KCl (0.15 mol L-1) at pH 4.0. The method exhibits wide linearity (15.0-1500.0 μg L-1 for AR, 35.0-2000.0 μg L-1 for TAR, and 3.0-1200.0 μg L-1 for FG) with preconcentration factors of 19.6, 20.1, and 19.9, respectively. The detection limit was 3.7. 9.5, and 0.83 μg L-1 for AR, TAR, and FG, respectively. The relative standard deviation did not exceed 2.1 %. The procedure was applied for the determination of these dyes in food samples. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141060 PMID: 39241421 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 5. J Insect Physiol. 2024 Oct;158:104685. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2024.104685. Epub 2024 Aug 3. The morphology of the pygidial glands and the chemical composition of their secretions of four sphodrine ground beetle species (Carabidae: Platyninae). Vranić S(1), Vujisić L(2), Vesović N(1), Todosijević M(3), Pantelić D(4), Pavlović D(4), Ivanović S(5), Vasović M(1), Ćurčić S(1). Author information: (1)Institute of Zoology, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology, Studentski Trg 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. (2)University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski Trg 12-16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: ljubaw@chem.bg.ac.rs. (3)University of Belgrade - Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski Trg 12-16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. (4)Institute of Physics Belgrade, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia. (5)University of Belgrade - Institute for Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Negoševa 12, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. Ground beetles possess a pair of pygidial glands that produce and release secretions that play an important role in defense against predators. The morphology of these glands and the chemical composition of their products were studied in four species of the tribe Sphodrini: Calathus (Calathus) fuscipes (Goeze, 1777), C. (Neocalathus) cinctus Motschulsky, 1850, C. (N.) melanocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Laemostenus (Antisphodrus) elongatus (Dejean, 1828). The morphological analyzes of the glands of the four taxa mentioned were carried out for the first time using bright-field and nonlinear microscopy. All morphological structures were precisely measured and photographed. The pygidial gland secretions of C. (C.) fuscipes and L. (A.) elongatus were analyzed for the first time using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 30 compounds were detected from the extracts of pygidial gland secretions of the four Sphodrini species studied. The simplest chemical mixture was found in L. (A.) elongatus, while the most complex secretion was that of C. (C.) fuscipes. 1-Undecanol, which we were able to detect in all taxa examined here, and dodecyl butyrate, which was detected in the three Calathus species, have never before been detected in the secretions of ground beetles. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2024.104685 PMID: 39103089 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.