Category: Plants & Medicine

Communities of microbes living in and around poplar tree roots are ten times more diverse than the human microbiome and produce a cornucopia of novel molecules that could be useful as antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, or for agricultural applications. The study marks the first deep look at gene clusters in the Populus microbiome that code for the production of unique and varied natural products. (Click on title for full story.)

“Through analysis of the dental calculus of the skeleton, which we believe dates back to the ninth or 10th century, we were able to determine that the cells were from fern plant, asplenium trichomanes, a common species that grows in rocky areas worldwide. These ferns have been used by herbalists, surgeons, doctors, and other healers for centuries across Europe, but until now we have only had written documents that describe their use.”( Click on title for full story.)

Significant reduction of body weight in the HPG group was observed at 5 weeks after beginning the HPG diet. The total fat mass containing epididymal and perirenal adipose tissue was lower in the HPG group than that in the HF group. These results suggested that HPG efficiently inhibited body weight gain in HF diet-fed rats. (Click on title for full story.)

“These results suggest,” points out Prof. Robbins, “that we can extend the period of health, termed healthspan, even towards the end of life.”However, he adds that this is just the first step of a much longer research journey, noting, “[T]here are still many questions to address, including the right dosage, for example.” (Click on title for full story.)

“You could imagine that these extracts might tighten up human skin like a plant-based Botox®, though they would be a topical application, not an injected toxin,” (Click on title for full story.)

In the future, we will be able to indirectly use the pollen count to forecast very high levels of airborne endotoxin pollution. This will provide a useful warning for allergy and asthma sufferers,” (Click on title for full story.)

Ten years ago, in an effort to produce a diabetes drug that specifically inhibits HPA activity without having nasty side effects, scientists screened 30,000 extracts derived from plants and other organisms and found a single compound that fit the bill: montbretin A (MbA) from the bulb-like underground corms of the ornamental plant montbretia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora). Unfortunately, MbA can’t be produced in large quantities without understanding the biochemical pathway and genes involved in its biosynthesis, a difficult task considering the diversity and complexity of plant metabolic pathways. (Click on title for full story.)

Replacing half a serving of rice with lentils caused blood glucose to drop by up to 20 per cent. Replacing potatoes with lentils led to a 35-per-cent drop. (Click on title for full story.)

Even though synthetic antibiotics have been the best weapon for eradicating microbial infections since the arrival of penicillin, the overuse of these medications is gradually rendering them ineffective. Scientists think that if new strategies are not developed soon, medical treatments could retreat to the era where slight injuries and common infections develop into serious medical problems. (Click on title for full story.)