r.a. khavari-nejad

Madder (Rubia tinctorum L.) is a perennial and herbaceous plant. Madder's root is known as its most important economic part, and it is rich in anthraquinone derivatives. Madder is a plant with medicinal, nutritional, color and health benefits. Recent pharmaceutical studies have shown that the anthraquinones of the madder root have selective inhibitory effects on cancer cells. In this research, according to the water and soil limitations of the tested area, the use of biodegradable calcium carbonate and phosphate fertilizers to produce madder was suggested. So, considering climate change and water shortage as severe risks to sustainable development, the cheapness of madder production and its multiple uses, the planting and production of this plant are mainly used in semi-arid areas. 
In field conditions in Ardakan, Yazd, this research was tested in factorial form in a randomized complete block design with two factors and four replications. Calcium carbonate agent was supplied at five levels of 0, 20, 50, 100 and 150 kg hˉ1 and phosphate from triple superphosphate fertilizer at four levels of 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg hˉ1. In each four-by-four-meter plot, four rows of seeds were planted, two side rows and two plants from the sides of the remaining lines were removed as marginal effects, and the rest of the plants were considered statistical populations. Irrigation water's electrical conductivity was measured during the growth period, and its average was 11.6 ds mˉ2. The plots were irrigated immediately after planting the seeds. Four days later, irrigation was done again. In the fall of the second and third years, soil was again given to the plants along with the desired treatments. Madder plants were harvested in the third winter year. Root fresh-weight biomass was weighed immediately after harvesting. After drying the roots at 104 °C, the dry weight of the roots was measured. A spectrophotometer also determined the content of anthraquinone and hydrogen peroxide in the roots.
The results of bivariate analysis of variance of the data showed that the simple and reciprocal effect of different calcium carbonate and phosphate treatments on functional indicators of biomass, root fresh weight, root dry weight, anthraquinone content and root hydrogen peroxide in this research was significant at P≥ 0.05. The comparison of averages showed that the highest values of biomass, root wet weight, root dry weight, anthraquinone and hydrogen peroxide were observed in the combined treatment of 20 kg h-1 of calcium carbonate and 100 kg h-1 of phosphate, compared to the control. The lowest value of performance indicators investigated in this research was observed in the combined treatment of 150 kg h-1 of calcium carbonate and 150 kg h-1 of phosphate, compared to the control. The simultaneous use of these two fertilizers had a complementary effect on each other. This was because the application of 20 and 50 kg h-1of calcium carbonate and 100kg h-1 of phosphate had an increasing impact on the anthraquinone and hydrogen peroxide content in madder roots. The comparison of the averages showed that in the combined treatment of 20 kg h-1of calcium carbonate and 100 kg h-1of phosphate, compared to the control, the highest wet weight of the root increased by 71%, the highest dry weight of the root increased by 91%, and the highest anthraquinone content increased by 142% was observed. The comparison of the averages showed that in the combined treatment of 50 kg h-1 of calcium carbonate and 100 kg h-1 of phosphate, compared to the control, the highest biomass index was observed, with an increase of 79%.
The results showed that the functional indices of root fresh weight, root dry weight, anthraquinone content and biomass of madder increased significantly under the combined treatment of 20 kg h-1 of calcium carbonate and 100 kg h-1 of phosphate. It is suggested that madder be cultivated using calcium carbonate and phosphate fertilizers to increase the anthraquinone compounds under the influence of biodegradable and inexpensive external environmental stimuli in regions similar to the climatic conditions studied in this research.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of seasonal variations in physicochemical parameters of seawater including temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, total suspended solids, total nitrogen, and total phosphate, on the antioxidant capacity of the green, brown, and red algae from the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf. The algal collection involved 34 samples (18, 9, and 7 green, brown, and red macroalgae, respectively) from 4 different months of the year 2016 (March, May, October, and December). Antioxidant activity was evaluated by the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging assay. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu’s reagent and the colorimetric method, respectively. Water sampling was performed at two-day intervals on days 6, 4, and 2 before algal sampling. Results revealed that the highest phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were observed in October for the sampled brown algae, whereas for red algae the highest antioxidant capacity was obtained in December. Higher levels of flavonoids were noticed in the green algae in October. In both green and red algae, there was a negative significant correlation between IC50 and flavonoids, whereas in the brown algae a negative significant correlation was observed between IC50 and phenolic content. In a multivariate regression model, the main and interaction effects of each variable were examined. The antioxidant parameters were influenced by temperature, dissolved oxygen, and total nitrogen. pH at different levels of algal groups showed different effects on IC50, phenolic, and flavonoid contents.

Aluminum (Al) is a major concern in acidic environments as it can lead to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induce oxidative stress in the host. Assessment of Al-resistant microorganisms can help scientists to discover their mechanisms and improve bioremediation techniques. The present study aimed to characterize Al-resistant microalgae by screening industrial wastewater microorganisms. The microalgae were treated with 0, 10, and 100 µM Al. Then, H2O2, malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POX) values were measured. In addition, the effects of time (30-300 min), Al concentration (0-370 µM), and pH (4.0-6.5) on Al removal were investigated using the design-expert software. The efficiency of various biosorbents in Al removal was also evaluated in the optimal conditions of the final experiment. According to the results, Scenedesmus sp. was the most resistant microalgae and produced more biomass at 100 µM. Moreover, the POX and CAT activities of Scenedesmus sp. were increased by the high Al concentrations. In optimum conditions (81.60 µM Al, pH 5.8, 45 minutes), free cells (without modifications) were effective in Al biosorption (93.56%).

Madder (Rubia tinctorum L.) is a herbaceous and perennial plant, which has bioactive compounds with high medicinal and pigment potency. Local farmers believe that increasing soil lime increases the color composition of this plant. To investigate the effects of calcium carbonate and phosphorus fertilizer on some physiological parameters and root alizarin content in madder, a field factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Experimental treatments included calcium carbonate at five levels (0, 20, 50, 100, and 150 kg.ha-1) and triple superphosphate at four levels (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg.ha-1). Means comparison showed that the highest root dry weight (an increase of 75% compared to control), total plant dry weight (an increase of 58% compared to control), root alizarin content (an increase of 78% compared to control), and root catalase activity were obtained with calcium carbonate increase up to 20 kg.ha-1 and triple superphosphate increase up to 100 kg.ha-1. The highest root length (an increase of 54% compared to control) and leaf catalase activity were observed in the 50 kg.ha-1 calcium carbonate and 100 kg.ha-1 triple superphosphate treatment. The highest leaf and root peroxidase activity was obtained in the treatment of 150 kg.ha-1 calcium carbonate and 150 kg.ha-1 triple superphosphate. Simultaneous application of these two fertilizers had a complementary effect on each other, so that the 20 and 50 kg.ha-1 calcium carbonate application along with the 100 kg.ha-1 triple superphosphate had an increasing effect on the alizarin content of madder root. This method can be used for the future development of a non-destructive tolerance test that shows madder increased response to calcium carbonate and phosphorus fertilizer, to further produce madder root medicinal compounds as a targeted drug for cancer treatment.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain active biological compounds which play important roles in biological processes. The secretion of EVs is a common phenomenon which occurs in archaea, bacteria and mammalian cells. The secretion of bacterial EVs has been discovered in various species of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is one of the commensal bacteria in human intestinal tract which has potentially therapeutic effects by secretion of bioactive compounds. Within the last few years, many investigations have been performed with respect to extracting and obtaining EVs and as a result, there are many methods to isolate and characterize EVs. The aim of this study was to isolate EVs from F. prausnitzii strain A2-165 and to characterize their physico-chemical properties.
EVs were isolated from F. prausnitzii strain A2-165 using ultracentrifugation and filtration. The EVs of bacterium were then characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, SDS-PAGE, Bradford assay, NanoDrop and Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) test.
The extracted EVs were confirmed with the shape of vesicles and the sizes ranging from ~ 30 to 250 nm. Total protein concentration of EVs were ~ 3 mg/ml from two methods; Bradford and NanoDrop, respectively. Protein profile pattern of F. prausnitzii-derived EVs ranged from 11 up to 245 kDa. Endotoxin measurement was 2.04 EU/ml.
The results of the current study demonstrated that EVs purity and conformation were acceptable. However, further investigations are necessary to elucidate the safety, efficacy, practicality and mechanism of action of this bacterium EVs in clinical practices, especially as vaccine delivery vehicles in the field of vaccine research.

The aim of this project is to find diagnostic characters from anatomical features for species separation in Oryzopsis s. l. in Iran. Leaf anatomical structures (dorsal epidermis and cross section at the middle of leaf) of 10 species from Oryzopsis s. l. were studied for the first time. In this research, 43 quantitative and qualitative characters in 23 populations were measured and evaluated. These characters were varied among species, but stable between specimens of one species. Observed variations were investigated using statistical methods (PCA, NJ, UPGMA). Factor analysis based on principle component analysis revealed that most variable characters among Oryzopsis s. l. species are the number and shape of short cells, long cells shape, form of long cells walls, situation of short cells, shape of bulliform cells, length and number of long cells, number of vascular bundles, radial differentiation in mesophyll, sclerification of inner bundle sheath cells, width of silica bodies, presence or absence of macrohairs in adaxial surface and shape of abaxial surface. In addition, an identification key using anatomical characters is presented for Oryzopsis s. l. species in Iran.

Darkesh area is located in northern Khorassan province and west of Bojnurd. This region is located between longitudes 56o41' to 56o49'W and latitudes 37o27' to 37o27'N. Its maximum altitude is 2455m. The regional climate is cold mountains and subhumid, and the precipitation in this region is about 502mm. Based on floristic studies, more than 506 species, 310 genera and 76 families were determinated. Also, more than 140 species with medicinal value were collected. The families of Lamiaceae (with 26 species), Asteraceae (with 21 species) and Rosaceae (with 13 species) have higher contribution in this region. The biological forms in this region are follow: 40% Hemicryptophytes, 18/4% Therophytes, 14/25% Geophytes, 13/57% Phanerophytes and 6/42% Chamaphytes. The phytogeographical distribution of species belong to Irano-Touranian, Euro-Siberian and Mediterranean.