• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.53-60
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• 2011

Artemisinin is effective against both chloroquine-resistant and -sensitive strains of Plasmodium species. However, the low yield of artemisinin from cultivated and wild plants is a serious limitation to the commercialization of this drug. Optimization of artemisinin yield either in vivo or in vitro is therefore highly desirable. To this end, we have overexpressed the 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) gene (hmgr) from Catharanthus roseus L. in Artemisia annua L. and analyzed its influence on artemisinin content. PCR and Southern blot analyses revealed that the transgenic plants showed stable integration of the foreign hmgr gene. The reverse transcriptase-PCR results suggested that the hmgr was expressed at the transcriptional level in transgenic lines of Artemisia annua L., while the high-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that artemisinin content was significantly increased in a number of the transgenic lines. Artemisinin content in one of the A. annua transgenic lines was 38.9% higher than that in non-transgenic plants, and HMGR enzyme activity in transgenic A. annua L. was also higher than that in the non-transgenic lines.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.311-316
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• 2007

In this study, the twenty-four ethyl acetate extracts of twenty-two medicinal plants, traditionally used in Vietnam as anti-diabetes agents, were investigated for ${\alpha}$-amylase and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) enzymes inhibitory activity in vitro. The results indicated that, twelve materials (50.0%) showed moderate to strong inhibitory activity in ${\alpha}$-amylase inhibitory activity with $IC_{50}$ values ranging from 2.5 to $48.8{\mu}g/mL$; meanwhile, ten extracts (41.6%) could demonstrate PTP1B activity with $IC_{50}$ values less than $30.5{\mu}g/mL$. Some plants presented interesting activities against both of ${\alpha}$-amylase and PTP1B enzymes such as Catharanthus roseus, Carthamus tinctorius, Momordica charantia, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Smilax glabra, Psidium guajava (leave), and Rehmannia glutinosa. The study may provide a proof, at least in a part, for the ethno-medical use in diabetes disease of these plants.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.305-312
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• 2021

Background: Butterflies make an important part for plant-pollinator guild. These are nectar feeder or occasionally pollen feeder and thus proboscis of the butterfly species are considered as one of the most important variable in relation to the collection of food from plants. In butterfly-plant association, nectar source is principally determined by quality of nectar, corolla length, and nectar quantity. For the butterfly, nectar uptake is determined by proboscis length because flowers with long corolla restrict butterfly species containing shorter proboscis. Empirical studies proved that butterfly species with high wing loading visit clustered flowers and species with low wing loading confined their visit to solitary or less nectar rich flowers. The present study tries to investigate the flower preference of butterfly species from Lycaenidae family having very short proboscis, lower body length, lower body weight and wing span than the most species belonging from Nymphalidae, Pieridae, Papilionidae, and Hesperiidae. Results: Butterflies with shorter proboscis cannot access nectar from deeper flower. Although they mainly visit on less deeper flower to sucking nectar, butterflies with high wing loading visits clustered flowers to fulfill their energy requirements. In this study, we demonstrated flower choice of seven butterfly species belonging to Lycanidiae family. The proboscis length maintains a positive relationship with body length and body weight. Body length maintains a positive relationship with body weight and wing span. Wing span indicate a strong positive relationship with body weight. This study proved that these seven butterfly species namely Castalius rosimon (CRN), Taracus nara (TNA), Zizinia otis (ZOT), Zizula hylax (ZHY), Jamides celeno (JCE), Chilades laius (CLA), and Psuedozizeeria maha (PMA) visit frequently in Tridax procumbens (TPR), Ocimum americanum (OAM) and Syndrella nodiflora (SNO). The species do not visit Lantana camara (LCA) and Catharanthus roseus (CRO) plants. Conclusion: The present study proved that butterfly species visits frequently in Tridax procumbens (TPR), Ocimum americanum (OAM) but less frequently in Syndrella nodiflora (SNO). So, that study determined the butterfly species helps in pollination of these herbs that in turn helps the conservation of these butterfly species.

• FLOWER RESEARCH JOURNAL
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.112-117
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• 2008

Plug seedlings of vinca (Catharanthus roseus L. 'Pacifica Punch') and salvia (Salvia splendens F. Sellow ex Roem & Schult 'Maestro') were transplanted into square plastic pots (145 mL volume) filled with a soilless growing medium. To determine the effect of application rate on the growing medium EC and growth of plants, 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 4.0 g per pot of a controlled release fertilizer (14-14-14 Osmocote, 14N-6.2P-11.6K) were mixed with the growing medium. Plants were subirrigated daily with tap water. In both vinca and salvia, growing medium EC increased as application rate was elevated. Growing medium EC was relatively constant over a whole crop period when the application rate was less than 1.5 g per pot, while it decreased throughout the experiment at higher application rates such as 2.0 to 4.0g per pot in both species. The greatest leaf area, plant height, and shoot dry weight of vinca were obtained when plants were fertilized with 2.0 to 4.0 g per pot of the fertilizer, resulting in a growing medium EC of $1.0{\sim}1.7dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ throughout the experiment. Leaf area, shoot dry weight, and chlorophyll content of salvia increased with elevated application rates. Leaf area, shoot dry weight, and chlorophyll content of salvia were the greatest when plants were fertilized with 4.0 g per pot, resulting in growing medium EC of $1.0{\sim}4.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ throughout the experiment. Plant height of salvia was the greatest when plants were fertilized with 2.0 to 4.0g per pot. Concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S) in the shoots of vinca increased, while concentration of calcium (Ca) decreased with elevated application rates. Concentrations of boron (B) and manganese (Mn) in the shoots of vinca increased as the application rate decreased.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.269-277
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• 2003

Some species of true bugs have become serious problems in rice, upland crops, and tree fruits. It would be meaningful to understand research status by reviewing articles on those true bugs in Korea. Articles on those bugs published in several scientific Korean journals were reviewed, except articles on true bugs on rice plants; CD Part 1 included classification and morphological studies on eggs and larvae of Piesma spp., on external genitalia of Gonopsis affinis, and on spermathecae of some Podopinae and Asopinae species. $\circled2$ Development and growth analysis of Piesma sp., P. maculata, and 2 species of Coreidae were reviewed in part 2. $\circled3$ In part 3 we reviewed with major pest bug species on soybean, sweet persimmon, yuzu, citrus, chrysanthemum, and Cynanchum wilfordii, and insect fauna in mountain areas. $\circled4$ In part 4, damage levels in soybean, sweet persimmon, yuzu, grapes were reviewed. $\circled5$ ID In part 5 we reviewed seasonal occurrence patterns of Halyomorpha halys, Plautia stali, Riptortus clavatus in sweet persimmon orchards, of some species in soybean fields, of Nysius plebejus on chrysanthemum, and of Tropidothorax cruciger on Cynanchum wilfordii. $\circled6$ Chemical control methods in a sweet persimmon orchard, in grapevine yards, in a soybean field, and in a chrythansemum field were introduced in part 6. Some laboratory bioassay on insecticides against R. clavatus were mentioned, too. $\circled7$ Finally in part 7, researches on transmission by Halyomorpha halys and Cyrtopeltis tenuis of micoplasma-like organism which is a pathogen of paulownia withces' -broom to Catharanthus roseus were reviewed.