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Papaver somniferum produces secondary metabolites, which have important roles in their self-defence processes, in plant biochemistry and in allelochemistry. We can see that different stress effects change the quantity of alkaloids. The object of the experiments is, in what manner changes the content of alkaloids of poppy in case of irregular stress effects. Papaver somniferum (cv. 'Kék Duna', Budakalász) plants were grown for 2 months from seeds in quartz-sand (in natural light, temperature: 24-28 °C, in Knop's nutritive solution). In this paper we studied the alkaloid of poppy treated with two kind of stress factors: mycotoxin and drought, respectively. Both the quantity and the spectrum of alkaloids were measured after different separation procedures. Thin layer chromatography (TLC and HPTLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were applied. Content of the level of formaldehyde (HCHO) also increases in plants with different stress effects. Our presupposition is that the formation of methyl groups of poppy alkaloids takes place through HCHO. It gave us an opportunity to examine changing of formaldehyde (HCHO) level in biotic and abiotic stress situation. Formaldehyde in dimedone adduct form can be detected in injured tissues of Papaver somniferum. As a consequence, the stress effects can be detected in poppy plants by two kinds of method. At first we measured content of alkaloids. Drought stress produced a higher level of the alkaloids, but the mycotoxin stress did not show significant results.
Rats were treated with a combination of insecticide agents in different timing schemes. In acute administration, 1/5 LD50 of the three insecticides: dimethoate, propoxur and cypermethrin, or their combination, was given once by gavage. In the developmental model, female rats received oral doses of 1/25 LD50 of the above insecticides in combination in three timing schemes including pregnancy and lactation. Responses in the somatosensory cortex and in the tail nerve, evoked by peripheral electric stimulation, were recorded in acute preparation under urethane anesthesia. It was tested whether the parameters of the cortical and peripheral evoked response are dependent on the frequency and whether this dependence is different in control and treated animals. The latency increase of the cortical responses with increasing stimulation frequency was significantly stronger in rats treated acutely with cypermethrin and the combination, and in rats receiving the combination during both intra- and extrauterine development. On the duration, the effects were less clear. Frequency dependent increase of the tail nerve action potential latency was significantly intensified by cypermethrin, and the amplitude decrease, by cypermethrin and dimethoate. Fatigue of this response during a stimulation series was also altered by the insecticides. Frequency dependence and fatigue possibly reflect the actual state of the nervous system and may have the potency to be developed to functional biomarkers.
EU’s Common Agricultural Policy encourages maintaining agricultural production in less favored areas (LFA) to secure both stable production and income to farmers and to protect the environment. Recently the delimitation of LFAs is suggested to be carried out using common biophysical diagnostic criteria on low soil productivity and poor climate conditions all over Europe. The criterion system was elaborated by European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) and its operational implementation comes under member state competence. This process requires the existence of an adequate national spatial soil information system with appropriate data structure and spatial resolution as well as a proper methodology for its analysis. Hungary possesses an appropriate, nationwide, 1:25,000 scale legacy dataset originating from the national soil mapping project, which was digitally processed and developed into the Digital Kreybig Soil Information System (DKSIS). In the paper we present how DKSIS was applied for the identification and delineation of areas in Hungary concerned by the common biophysical criteria related to soil. Soil data linked to soil profiles and SMUs were jointly spatially analyzed for the compilation of nationwide digital maps displaying spatial distribution of specific limiting factors.
The osmotic stimulation which is able to change the behavioral state of the animal are most effective during rainy weather while they are less effective during dry weather conditions. In isolated CNS preparations from aestivated animals the highest firing activity and serotonin sensitivity of the serotonergic (RPas) heart modulator neurons are recorded during rainy weather and the lowest parameters are observed in dry conditions. In aestivated animals the serotonin (5HT) content in both the CNS and the foot is higher than the dopamine (DA) content during rainy weather, while in dry weather the DA level is higher than the 5HT. The inactivation-reactivation process is accompanied by decreasing both the DA and 5HT levels in the CNS and increasing them in the peripheral organs. Our results suggest that aestivated animals adapt to (favorable and unfavorable) environmental conditions by modulating their central arousal state through changing the levels and distribution of monoamines (5HT, DA) in their body.
Certain classes of bioactive compounds can be separated using planar chromatography. Some biological effects (e.g. antibacterial) of these compounds can be investigated directly by examining the growth of a test organism on a specially treated sorbent of thin layer chromatography (TLC). A special method of detection, direct bioautography, is suitable for studying the antimicrobial activity of plant extracts of natural origin by using TLC. Zones of inhibition are visualised by use of a dehydrogenase-activity-detecting, tetrazol-type reagent. Zones of inhibition appeared as pale spots separating well from the dark background. The antibacterial effect of the main essential oil components of some Thymus taxa, as well as that of two antibiotics (streptomycin sulphate and gentamycin) known and applied in practice was investigated against plant pathogenic bacteria. Results showed that thyme essential oil and its components inhibited the growth of test bacteria, but not so considerably as the antibiotics applied. Compositions of the essential oils were analysed by gas chromatography (GC). It could be verified that among the essential oil components, thymol and carvacrol had the strongest inhibitory effect.
Three different insecticides: dimethoate, cypermethrin and amitraz were given, alone or combined with the heavy metals Pb, Hg and Cd, to male Wistar rats per os for 12 weeks from their 4th week of life. After the treatment period, the left hemisphere of the rats was exposed in urethane anaesthesia, and spontaneous and evoked cortical activity was recorded from the primary sensory areas. The effects of dimethoate on the spontaneous activity, and of dimethoate and amitraz on the evoked responses, were increased by the metal combination treatment, whereby the metals alone had no effect on the spontaneous and mild effect on the evoked activity. Finally, the animals were dissected, organ weights measured, and relative organ weights calculated. The weight gain of all treated groups was significantly retarded compared to the control. Several organ weights were also significantly reduced, mainly in groups receiving insecticide plus metal treatment. The toxic interactions observed in this work indicate that combined human exposure to environmental pesticide residues and heavy metals may have unexpectedly severe effects.
Young adult male Wistar rats were treated, by gavage, with 80 or 320 mg/kg Pb 2+ (lead acetate), 0.4 or 1.6 mg/kg Hg 2+ (mercuric chloride) or both by combining the lower doses. For combination with alcohol, ethanol was added to the rats’ drinking water in 5 v/v %. After 12 weeks of treatment, electrophysiological recording was made from the somatosensory cortex in urethane anaesthesia. Evoked potentials obtained by stimulation of the whiskers were recorded. Both metals, and alcohol alone, increased significantly the latency of the evoked response. Alcohol seemed to abolish the effect of Pb, but not of Hg. Fatigue, calculated form the response amplitude, was increased by Pb and Hg treatment and this effect of Hg was reduced by ethanol. Evoked activity and its dynamic characteristics were sensitive to the complex neurotoxic effect induced in the rats and can provide a basis for developing functional markers.
We aimed to understand the effects of water stress on the alkaloid production in various developmental stages of poppy plants and the effect of stress on the alkaloids content in the capsules. Three stages of the life cycle of Papaver somniferum L. were selected in our studies: Rosette, Flowering and Lancing developmental stages. Four types of water conditions were examined: Control, Withdrawal of Water, 50% Water Supply and Inundation.The morphological monitoring, results of Relative Water Content and proline content were used as indicators of stress. The result of the measurements in poppy leaves show that the secondary metabolites dramatically respond to these stress conditions. The constant water supply was beneficial for the accumulation of alkaloids in the capsules.
