Exploration of Phytoconstituents from Mussaenda roxburghii and Studies of Their Antibiofilm Effect

In the context of ethno botanical importance with no phytochemical investigations, Mussaenda roxburghii have been investigated to explore it's phytoconstituents and studies of their antibiofilm activity. Four compounds have been isolated from the aerial parts of this plant and were characterized as 2α,3β,19α,23‐tetrahydroxyurs‐12‐en‐28‐oic acid ( 1 ), β‐sitosterol glucoside ( 4 ), lupeol palmitate ( 5 ), and myoinositol ( 6 ). All these compounds were tested for antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Compound 1 exhibited three times more antibiofilm activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) at 0.74 mm compared to that of streptomycin. Molecular docking studies exhibited a very high binding affinity of 1 with P. aeruginosa quorum sensing proteins and motility associated proteins viz. LasR and PilB, PilY1, PilT, respectively. Compound 1 was also found to be non‐cytotoxic against sheep RBC and murine peritoneal macrophages at selected sub‐MIC doses.     

Mussaenda lancipetala X. F. Deng & D. X. Zhang,a new species of Rubiaceae from China

Mussaenda lancipetala X. F. Deng & D. X. Zhang, a new species of Rubiaceae from Yunnan Province, Southwestern China, is described and illustrated. The new species is characterized by its reverse herkogamous sexual system, its ovate-lanceolate corolla lobes with caudate apex, and corolla tube covered with sparse farinose pubescence, by which it is clearly distinguished from other species of Mussaenda.     

国产玉叶金花属(茜草科)的三个新异名

澄清了中国产玉叶金花属Mussaenda 2种1变型的分类学位置, 分别将胀管玉叶金花M. inflata Hsue &; H. Wu、异形玉叶金花M. anomala Li和灵仙玉叶金花M. pubescens Ait. f. forma clematidiflora Chun ex Hsue &; H. Wu作为粗毛玉叶金花M. hirsutula Miq.、大叶白纸扇M. esquirolii Lévl.和玉叶金花M. pubescens Ait. f.的新异名处理。     

中国玉叶金花属一新记录种——长瓣玉叶金花

报道中国茜草科(Rubiaceae)玉叶金花属一新记录种——长瓣玉叶金花(Mussaenda longipetala H. L. Li)。该种在形态上与尾裂玉叶金花(M. caudatiloba D. Fang)和狭瓣玉叶金花(M. lancipetal X. F. Deng & D. X. Zhang)相似,但区别在于叶片长圆状卵形或椭圆状卵形,托叶早落,正常的萼裂片长6~8 mm,花冠管长约3 cm,裂片披针形,长约12 mm。目前仅知分布于越南北部的广宁省和中国的广西北部湾沿海地区。凭证标本存放于广西植物标本馆(IBK)。     

中国玉叶金花属(茜草科)植物一新种

报道了在云南发现的玉叶金花属Mussaenda一新种——狭瓣玉叶金花M. lancipetala X. F. Deng ＆ D. X. Zhang。狭瓣玉叶金花的性系统为柱头缩入式雌雄异位; 花冠裂片卵状披针形且具有细长的长尖头, 花冠管外被有粉末状的毛被, 可以很容易与玉叶金花属其他种类相区别。     

Cryptic dioecy in Mussaenda pubescens (Rubiaceae): a species with stigma-height dimorphism

Background and Aims

Evolutionary transitions from heterostyly to dioecy have been proposed in several angiosperm families, particularly in Rubiaceae. These transitions involve the spread of male and female sterility mutations resulting in modifications to the gender of ancestral hermaphrodites. Despite sustained interest in the gender strategies of plants, the structural and developmental bases for transitions in sexual systems are poorly understood.

Methods

Here, floral morphology, patterns of fertility, pollen-tube growth and floral development are investigated in two populations of the scandent shrub Mussaenda pubescens (Rubiaceae), native to southern China, by means of experimental and open-pollinations, light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy combined with paraffin sectioning.

Key Results

Mussaenda pubescens has perfect (hermaphroditic) flowers and populations with two style-length morphs but only weak differentiation in anther position (stigma-height dimorphism). Experimental pollinations demonstrated that despite morphological hermaphroditism, the species is functionally dioecious. The long-styled (L) morph possesses sterile pollen and functions as a female, whereas the short-styled (S) morph is female sterile and functions as a male. Self- and intra-morph pollinations of the S-morph were consistent with those expected from dimorphic incompatibility. The two populations investigated were both S-morph (male) biased. Investigations of early stages of floral development indicated patterns typical of hermaphroditic flowers, with no significant differences in organ growth between the floral morphs. Meiosis of microspore mother cells was of the simultaneous type with tetrads isobilateral in shape. The tapetal cells in anther walls of the L-morph became vacuolized during meiosis I, ahead of the uninucleate microspore stage in the S-morph. In the L-morph, the microspore nucleus degenerated at the tetrad stage resulting in male sterility. Microsporogenesis and male gametophyte development was normal in the S-morph. Failure in the formation of megaspore mother cells and/or the development of megagametophytes resulted in female sterility in the S-morph, compared with normal megasporogenesis in the L-morph.

Conclusions

In M. pubescens, cryptic dioecy has evolved from stigma-height dimorphism as a result of morph-specific sterility mutations.     

玉叶金花一新变种

报道了茜草科玉叶金花属玉叶金花一新变种,即白花玉叶金花Mussaenda pubescens Ait．f.var．alba X．F．Denget D．X．Zhang,var．nov．     

Pre- and post-zygotic reproductive isolation between co-occurring Mussaenda pubescens var. alba and A/I. shikokiana （Rubiaceae）

Reproductive isolation is a fundamental require- ment for speciation and includes several sequential stages. Few studies have determined the relative contributions of pre- and post-zygotic reproductive isolation in plants, especially between relative species with clear differentiation in flower form. To investigate the mechanisms responsible for repro- ductive isolation in sympatric A4ussaenda pubescens var. alba and Mussaenda shikokiana （Rubiaceae） in Guangxi Province, China, we made observations of flowering phenology, patterns of insect visitation, and conducted pollination experiments, including artificial hybridization. The two species had over- lapping flowering times and were pollinated by overlapping pollinators; however, their relative importance differed significantly with M. pubescens visited more commonly by bees and M. shikokiana more frequently by butterflies. Using vegetative and floral characters and molecular evidence based on nuclear ribosomal internal and external transcribed spacer regions we detected seven naturally occurring hybrids among a sample of approximately 125 individuals. Hybrids were characterized by morphologies that most closely resembled their maternal parents based on chloroplast evidence. Studies of artificially synthesized and natural hybrids demonstrated that hybrid seed had very low germination rates and naturally occurring hybrids exhibited pollen sterility. Post-zygotic reproductive isolating mechanisms play a primary role in limiting gene exchange between co-occurring species and maintaining species integrity in areas of sympatry.     

贵州石楠属三个种的补记

根据原产地模式标本 ,对贵州石楠、短柄石楠和巴铃石楠 3种进行补充描述 ,澄清对其认识的模糊与混淆