Evidence of biosynthetic simplicity in the flavonoid chemistry of the ricciaceae

The major flavonoids in Riccia crystallina are naringenin and its 7-O-glucoside, apigenin 7-O-glucoside and apigenin 7-O-glucuronide and derivatives. Ricciocarpus natans is a rich source of luteolin 7,3′-di-O-glucuronide and also contains the 7-O-glucuronides of apigenin and luteolin and the 3′-O-glucuronide of luteolin. A parallel between the production of biosynthetically simple flavonoids and reduced morphology is evident among these liverworts.     

The flavonoids of ferns in the isolated genera Loxsoma and Loxsomopsis

Kaempferol and quercetin 3-O-glucosides and 3-O-rhamnoglucosides are common to both Loxsoma cunninghamii and Loxsomopsis costaricensis, but in the former the new flavonoid glycosides, kaempferol and quercetin 3-O-glucoside-7-O-arabinoside have also been identified. The data are consistent with the proposed taxonomic relationship between these geographically isolated genera. Comparative flavonoid chemistry indicates that the Loxsomaceae may be a primitive family, not closely related to the Hymenophyllaceae or the Cyatheaceae.     

Screening and selection of fungi for bioremediation of olive mill wastewater

Olive mill wastewater (OMWW) is a significant pollutant and its phytotoxicity is attributed mostly to the phenols present. 220 fungi were screened for their ability to produce detoxifying enzymes and/or grow in OMWW. Four isolates, species of Cerrena, Byssochlamys, Lasiodiplodia and Bionectria were selected and compared against Phanerochaete chrysosporium for their ability to bioremediate OMWW in the presence of a competing indigenous microflora. For the first time we report that a Cerrena sp. achieved a 75% reduction of phenolics in OMWW and that, unusually, the reduction occurred within 2 h of the addition to the OMWW.