Anatomical and micromorphological studies on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Teucrium</Emphasis> sect. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Isotriodon</Emphasis> (Lamiaceae) in Turkey with a taxonomic note

In this study, the anatomical features of the leaf and stem, besides the nutlet characteristics of some Teucrium sect. Isotriodon (Lamiaceae) taxa in Turkey, T. montbretii Betham subsp. montbretii, T. montbretii subsp. pamphylicum P. H. Davis, T. odontites Boiss. &; Bal., T. cavernarum P. H. Davis, T. antitauricum T. Ekim, along with an isolated population of T. montbretii (T. montbretii subsp.) were investigated. The anatomical studies revealed that the taxa share generally similar anatomical characters, such as thicker upper leaf cuticles and larger upper leaf epidermal cells compared to lower ones and diacytic to anomocytic stomata on the leaves. However, the portion of the mesophyll occupied by palisade parenchyma and the occurrence of mucilage cells in leaf epidermis shows difference among the taxa. Furthermore, the studied taxa have general stem characteristics of the Lamiaceae family, except for having poorly developed collenchyma at the corners. With the amphistomatic leaves and developed sclerenchymatic tissue in the leaf median vein, T. cavernarum is seperated from the other taxa. Trichome types on the vegetative organs and nutlet shape and sculpturing are generally the same or similar in the studied taxa, but trichomes on the nutlets are different among them. Based on nutlet characteristics and some morphological ones, it was revealed that the isolated population of T. montbretii represent a new subspecies, T. monbretii subsp. yildirimlii M.Dinç &; S.Do?u subsp. nov.     

Chemical Diversity of Volatiles of Teucrium orientale L. var. orientale,var. puberulens,and var. glabrescens Determined by Simultaneous GC‐FID and GC/MS Techniques

In the present work, three varieties of Teucrium orientale, var. orientale, var. puberulens, and var. glabrescens, were collected and investigated for chemical composition of the oils. Subsequent gas chromatography (GC‐FID) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) revealed high abundance of sesquiterpenes in the essential oils analyzed. All the oils contained β‐caryophyllene (22.6, 8.5, and 6.3%, resp.) and hexadecanoic acid (7.9, 12.8, and 13.1%). Germacrene D (24.6 and 33.4%) and bicyclogermacrene (6.7 and 8.5%) were found to be the main constituents of var. orientale and var. puberulens, respectively. The high percentages of β‐cubebene (26.9%), α‐cubebene (9.0%), and α‐copaene (7.2%) established the diversity of var. glabrescens. The qualitative difference between the essential oils allowed the differentiation between the varieties in agreement with the morphological observations described in Flora of Turkey for each variety studied. In addition, a cluster analysis of twelve Teucrium taxa based on the essential‐oil composition has been carried out. Hovewer, the analysis did not clearly reflect the infrageneric classification of the genus, it largely confirmed the relationships between the infraspecific taxa of Teucrium orientale and T. chamaedrys.     

Comparative anatomical and micromorphological studies on Teucrium creticum and Teucrium orientale var. orientale (T. sect. Teucrium, Lamiaceae)

Teucrium creticum L. and T. orientale L. var. orientale are two related taxa in Teucrium sect. Teucrium . In this study, the value of anatomical and micromorphological characters for distinguishing between these two taxa is analysed. Transverse sections of the stem, as well as both transverse and surface sections of the leaves were examined anatomically. According to the data obtained, collenchyma and sclerenchyma do grow more in T. creticum than in T. orientale var. orientale . The leaves of T. creticum are hypostomatic and have a characteristic hypodermis, which is under the upper epidermis, as well as abundant spherocrystals in the upper epidermis. The leaves of T. orientale var. orientale are amphistomatic, yet no spherocristals exists in epidermal cells and the hypodermis is absent. The results obtained from studies carried out under scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows that the nutlet micromorphology varies between the two taxa. In both taxa, the nutlet surfaces are reticulate and glandular. Eglandular hairs do occur. However, in T. orientale var. orientale , 20–60 μm long eglandular hairs with scabrid surface occur only along the margins of the nutlets, whereas the ¾ dorsal sides of the nutlets in T. creticum are all covered with 90–500 μm long, smooth-surfaced hairs. Additionally, while the glandular hairs on the nutlets of T. creticum are subsessile, those on the nutlets of T. orientale var. orientale are capitate and distinctly stalked.     

A new subspecies of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Centaurea cassia</Emphasis> (Asteraceae) from Turkey

A new subspecies in sect. Jacea (Mill.) DC., Centaurea cassia Boiss. subsp. dumanii M. Dinç, A. Duran &; B. Bilgili subsp. nov., collected by the authors from South Anatolia, is described and illustrated. The new subspecies is restricted to Abies cilicica (Ant. &; Kotschy) Carr. subsp. cilicica forest above Göller Yaylas? (C6 Adana-Kozan). Diagnostic morphological characters from C. cassia subsp. cassia are discussed. The ecology, biogeography and conservation status of the new taxon are also presented.     

The effects of enalapril maleate and cold stress exposure on tyrosine hydroxylase activity in some rat tissues

Enalapril is a highly specific and competitive inhibitor of angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) and thus belongs to the category of ACE inhibitors. The beneficial effects of ACE inhibitors appear to result primarily from the suppression of the plasma renin-angiotensin-aldesterone system. This study was designed to detect the effects of enalapril maleate and cold stress on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in adrenal medulla, heart and hypothalamus in rat. In cold stress treatment (exposed to 8 degrees C cold for 48 h) TH activity was found to be raised significantly (p < 0.05) in adrenal medulla, hypothalamus and heart tissues. In the adrenal medulla, hypothalamus and heart tissues, TH activity of enalapril maleate treated rats (10 mg kg(-1) body weight) group was not raised significantly (p > 0.05). Following intraperitoneal injection of enalapril maleate (10 mg kg(-1) body weight) the rats were exposed to 8 degrees C cold for 48 h. After cold stress and enalapril maleate treatment no statistically significant change in tyrosine hydroxylase activity was detected in adrenal medulla, hypothalamus or heart (p > 0.05). The results of our studies show that enalapril maleate blocks the effect of cold stress on the regulation of TH activity.     

Effects of dietary combination of chromium and biotin on egg production, serum metabolites, and egg yolk mineral and cholesterol concentrations in heat-distressed laying quails

Chromium picolinate is used in the poultry diet because of its antistress effects in addition to the fact that the requirement for it is increased during stress. This study was conducted to determine if the negative effects of high ambient temperature (34°C) on egg production, egg quality, antioxidant status, and cholesterol and mineral content of egg yolk could be alleviated by combination of chromium picolinate and biotin (0.6/2.0; Diachrome^™, as formulated by Nutrition 21 Inc.), in laying Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japanica), Quails (n=240; 50 d old) were divided into 8 groups, 30 birds per group. The quails were fed either a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with 2, 4, or 8 mg of Diachrome/kg diet. Birds were kept at 22°C and 53% relative humidity (RH). At 14 wk of age, the thermoneutral (TN) group remained in the same temperature as at the beginning of experiment, whereas the heat stress (HS) group was kept in an environment-controlled room (34°C and 41% RH) for 3 wk. Heat exposure decreased performance when the basal diet was fed (p=0.001). Diachrome supplementation at 4 and 8 mg/kg diet, increased feed intake (p=0.05), egg production (p=0.05), feed efficiency (p=0.01), egg weight (p=0.05), and Haugh unit (p=0.01) in quails reared under heat stress conditions. Heat exposure increased concentrations of serum malondialdehyde (MDA) (p=0.001), glucose, and cholesterol (p=0.01), which were elevated by supplemental Diachrome (p≤0.05). Egg yolk Cr, Zn, and Fe (p=0.01) concentrations increased linearly, whereas MDA and cholesterol concentrations decreased (p=0.05) as dietary Diachrome supplementation increased in HS groups. Similar effects of supplementation on serum levels of glucose and cholesterol (p=0.05) and egg yolk concentrations of cholesterol (p=0.05) and Cr (p=0.01) were observed in TN groups. No significant differences in other values were observed in the TN groups. Results of the present study suggest that supplementation with Diachrome protects the quail by reducing the negative effects of heat stress.     

Aromaticity balance, π-electron cooperativity and H-bonding properties in tautomerism of salicylideneaniline: the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) approach

Topological analysis based on DFT calculations regarding proton transfer reaction in salicylideneaniline (SA) was performed to scrutinize possible changes in the intramolecular H-bond, π-electron delocalization and aromaticity levels of certain fragments. Quantum chemical calculations and natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses were carried out over a tautomeric ensemble whose members correspond to the molecules at different stages in tautomeric interconversion of SA. The elaboration of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in terms of the relevant topological parameters and the interpretation of certain dependencies regarding its strength were examined. The results show that delocalization index (DI) between donor and acceptor atom δ(O,N) is a useful topological parameter for describing H-bond strength, which is influenced by π-delocalization level within quasiaromatic chelate ring, indicating its resonance-assisted character. NBO analyses reveal that lone-pair (LP) population on N center also affects the strength of intramolecular H-bond in SA. Furthermore, π-electron transfer accompanying intramolecular proton migration in SA is brought into being through formally vacant non-Lewis type LP* orbital on the tautomeric proton. As a result of this, tautomeric protons in molecular entities near TS have hypovalent character due to the lack of electron population in the bonding orbital relative to that in LP* orbital. While H-bonds in the tautomeric ensemble of SA are predominantly partial covalent, molecular entities close to transition state have the strongest covalent H-bonds. The most important result is also that there are linear correlations between the orders of bonds (hydroxyl and amine) involving intramolecular H-bond and electron density values at the relevant BCPs due to partially covalent character of these bonds, contrary to exponential behavior as for purely covalent bonds. Quasiaromatic chelate ring formation is established not only to compel a reduced aromaticity of salicylidene ring but also to decrease in LP-population on N.     

Taxonomic status of the subspecies of Teucrium lamiifolium in Turkey: reevaluation based on macro‐ and micro‐morphology,anatomy and chemistry

Teucrium stachyophyllum P. H. Davis was first described as a separate species in the ‘Syrian, Lebanon and Palestine Flora’, but was reduced to a subspecies of T. lamiifolium d’Urv. in the ‘Turkish Flora’. Studies on the macro‐ and micro‐morphology as well as the anatomy of populations of T. lamiifolium subsp. stachyophyllum (P. H. Davis) Hedge & Ekim and T. lamiifolium subsp. lamiifolium in Turkey have been carried out based on herbarium specimens and field observations. The results from the anatomical studies on stems and leaves show that although the two taxa are similar in stem anatomy, they differ in terms of mesophyll thickness and occurrence of crystals in the upper epidermal cells of the leaf. Light and scanning electron microscope analyzes revealed striking differences in colour, size, sculpture and gland density between nutlets of the two taxa. Morphological studies also showed that there were important differences between the two taxa in terms of inflorescence, indumentum, and stem length and thickness. In addition, the essential oils from aerial parts of T. lamiifolium subsp. stachyophyllum and T. lamiifolium subsp. lamiifolium were isolated by steam distillation and analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The major components were characterized as β‐caryophyllene (23.5–44.8%), trans‐β‐bergamotene (22.4–26.4%), germacrene D (22.2%) and (Z)‐β‐farnesene (14.0%) for subp. lamiifolium and trans‐β‐bergamotene (38.1–41.1%) and β‐caryophyllene (8.7–8.9%) for subsp. stachyophyllum, respectively. As a result of the studies, it is proposed that the taxon treated as T. lamiifolium subsp. stachyophyllum in the Turkish flora should be raised to specific rank as T. stachyophyllum.