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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Damavand volcanic ash on the morphological and physiological characteristics of beans as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design. The results showed that the highest dry leaf weight was observed in 100 mg/L treatment per liter of volcanic ash (0.0099 g). The results also showed that the optimal sugar content of the soluble sugar at 100 mg/L of volcanic ash was 0.650 (mg/g D.W.). The highest protein content and optimal peroxidase activity were observed with 0.68 (mg/g F.W.) and 0.082 (A470/mg/protein), respectively. Therefore, it can be argued that volcanic ash may increase plant growth and biosynthesis of organic compounds such as iron and aluminum.

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Salinity tolerance of four grape genotypes [GharaUzum, Hosseini, AghUzum and Keshmeshi] was studied under various salinity levels (25, 50 and 100 mM NaCl). As a result, growth indices were significantly (P<0.05) reduced by salinity, whereas Cl^- and Na⁺ contents in the plant parts were increased. Cl^- accumulation exceeded than that of Na⁺ in all treatments. Among the genotypes studied, GharaUzum and Keshmeshi had the lowest and highest Cl^- concentrations in the leaf lamina, respectively. Photosynthesis and transpiration rate as well as stomatal conductance were greatly reduced by salinity and were shown to be highly correlated with leaf Cl^- content. GharaUzum showed lower reduction in photosynthesis parameters. Soluble sugars, proline and glycine betaine contents increased in the leaf lamina of all the genotypes studied treated with moderate salinity (50 mM). In conclusion, the results showed that GharaUzum and Keshmeshi had the highest and lowest salt stress tolerance among the genotypes studied, respectively.
 
 

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Beta vulgaris belongs to the family Amaranthaceae and was found to have halophytic ancestors. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sodium chloride on seed germination, therefore the early stages of seedling growth of Beta vulgaris grown under different salinity levels (0, 100, 150 and 200 mM of NaCl) were studied. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications. It was revealed that as concentration of NaCl increases, the rate and percentage of germination, length and fresh weight of radicle & plumule and seedling vigour index decrease. In conclusion, our results indicated that salt stress decreased Beta vulgaris seed germination and early seedling growth while induced changes in the anatomical characteristics such as increased level of cutin synthesis on epidermal leaves cells and altered the thickness of vascular system, epidermis and parenchyma in leaves, roots and petioles.
 

 
 

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Overgrazing affects plant communities, and is a significant disturbance factor in arid and semi-arid regions. The immediate changes of plant communities after overgrazing in the disturbed arid ecosystems of Iran have been poorly studied. We recorded data from 100 random samples before and after overgrazing in the Golbahar plain located in the northeastern Iran to determine the changes in the plant physiognomic, species composition, and diversity after overgrazing. We compared life-forms spectra, change in the RIVI of the recorded plant species, species composition, and species diversity before and after the grazing. Our results showed that therophytes were the dominant life-form in the area, and decreased after overgrazing. The community composition of the area remained unchanged after overgrazing. Species diversity at the level of rare and frequent species reduced after overgrazing. Our findings implied that overgrazing could not immediately affect the community structure of degraded arid areas. However, it causes changes that might reduce ecosystem services in them. It is not possible to completely exclude grazers in such areas, fencing or reducing the number of the livestock entries should be applied to restore the vegetation in the area.
 
 

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Phelipanche pouyanii is described here as a new species from South Khorassan Province, East of Iran. Its diagnostic morphological features are the calyx teeth being far longer than the calyx tube and staminal filaments being glabrous. These characters clearly differentiated the new species from its closely related taxa, i.e., P. mutelii, P. angustelaciniata and P. nana. Results obtained from the pollen and seed micromorphological characters showed no significant taxonomic value in the delimitation of the new species from its closely related species. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, however, showed sufficient differences to delineate the new species from its closely related species.
 

 

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The pomegranate fruit is one of the most important horticultural products due to the presence of polyphenolic, antioxidant and anti-fungal compounds. In the present study, morphological and phytochemical compounds diversity was investigated in eight Iranian commercial pomegranate cultivars. Fourteen morphological characters and 10 chemical compounds were measured. Based on PCA analysis the most variable morphological characteristics among Punica cultivars studied were the wood surface, the leaf tip, the leaf incision, growth power and rained condition. High-performance liquid chromatograms of chlorgenic acid, caffeic acid, Para Coumaric acid as well as titrable acidity, total soluble solid, total phenolic contents, antioxidant activity in juice and peel of cultivars differentiated the cultivars studied. Comparing the two UPGMA dendrograms of Punica cultivars based on morphological data and chemical contents indicated certain disagreement between them. The correlation between morphological and chemical compounds and geographical distances of Punica cultivars was not statistically significant by the Mantel test. These findings indicate that Punica cultivars studied differ in their genetic content, however, this genetic difference is not correlated with their geographical distance.
 
 

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Centaurea glastifolia, a plant species from the Asteraceae family, is distributed in the Northwest of Iran. This study carried out to determine suitable habitats and habitat connectivity of Centaurea glastifolia in three Provinces of West Azarbayejan, East Azarbayejan and Ardabil. Seven habitat variables and 36 presence points were selected for habitat modelling using six habitat distribution models of GLM, GAM, MARS, MaxEnt, RF and GBM. The ensemble map resulting from these models was used for habitat connectivity modelling using electrical-circuit method. Results of habitat evaluation revealed that suitable habitats of the species studied were mainly located in West Azarbayejan and east of Ardabil Provinces, for which distance from agricultural lands, mean annual temperature and distance from rangelands had the highest contribution to the model. Habitat connectivity modelling showed that the current density movement was highest in West Azarbayejan. Current density movement between East and Southeast of Ardabil was evaluated to be significant, whereas the current density movement between West Azarbayejan and Ardabil Provinces was relatively low. The high current density movement in West Azarbayejan indicates the species’ high dispersal ability in expanding its range across the area. The results of the current study could facilitate understanding of the distribution and dispersal of Centaurea glastifolia.
 
 

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Salinity stress is an important challenge for wheat production in the world. Plant growth promoting rhizosphere bacteria, isolated from halophytic plants, can increase the tolerance of crop plants to salinity by direct and indirect mechanisms. In this study, plant growth-promoting traits of bacterial strains (Bacillus safensis, Bacillus pumilus and Zhihengliuella halotolerans), isolated from the rhizosphere of several halophyte plants, were deterimined and their effects on some vegetative traits and ionic content of wheat plant irrigated with saline water ( 0.2, as control,  4, 8 and 16 dS/m) were measured. Result showed that all three bacteria were able to produce auxin, hydrogen cyanide, siderophore, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase and soluble phosphate. The increase in salinity levels caused increase in the concentration of sodium and decrease in the concentration of potassium, calcium and phosphorus in wheat leaves, as well as decrease in stem length, shoot and root dry weight, root to shoot dry weight ratio and total biomass. In wheat plants irrigated with saline water and inoculated with the bacterial strains, sodium concentration decreased up to 17.7% and concentrations of potassium, calcium, phosphorus and potassium to sodium ratio increased up to 33, 25.7, 200.4 and 41%, respectively. The most efficient bacterium was found to be Z. halotolerans. All bacterial isolates also increased stem length, shoot and root dry weight, root to shoot dry weight ratio and total biomass by 17, 58.6, 137, 88 and 66 %, respectively. The results of this study showed that the plant growth-promoting bacteria of rangeland halophytic plants potentionally improve the growth indices of wheat plants in saline conditions. These results also showed that the rhizosphere of halophytic plants in rangelands can be a good source for the isolation of salinity-resistant bacteria to improve the resistance of wheat plants to salinity.
 

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Lung carcinoma is the second most common type of cancer. Inefficiency of the current treatments and the undesirable side effects of chemotherapy drugs made the know-how of the treatment important. The purpose of this study is to investigate the synergic effect of curcumin and Cisplatin in comparison with the sole application of each treatment on Calu-6 cell line, an epithelial cell line of human lung carcinoma, and the expression of Cdc42 gene. The viability of Calu-6 was examined after 24- or 48-hour treatment with doses of 0.5 to 8 µg/ml of curcumin, 0.1 to 50 µg/ml of cisplatin and combined doses of curcumin and Cisplatin by MTT assay. To measure apoptosis and the expression of Cdc42 gene, flow cytometry and Real-Time PCR were utilized. Decrease of cell viability and induction of cell death were observed in the cells treated with 0.67 µg/ml of curcumin and 1.7 µg/ml of cisplatin (the lowest effective dose) and the combined treatment with the same doses of each drug after 24-hour treatments. The maximum rates of early and late apoptosis were related to treatment with curcumin and the combined treatment. The gene expression analysis results indicated that both Curcumin and Cisplatin decrease the expression of Cdc42 gene, moreover, their co-administration showed synergic effects. Therefore, Curcumin could be an appropriate option for complementary administration with other chemotherapy agents in order to reduce their efficient dose, and to reduce their side effects.
 
 

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The aim of this study was to increase the shelf life of traditional yogurt, to improve its consistency and to prevent whey syneresis by adding tarragon essential oil. Yogurt was produced by industrial procedures and then the essential oil was inoculated into yogurt in different concentrations (10, 25, 30 ppm). Samples were examined for water storage capacity and microbial evaluation during 3 weeks of storage at two temperatures (refrigerator temperature and room temperature). The results showed that different concentrations of tarragon, temperature and storage time had a significant effect (p <0.05) on water holding capacity as well as the number of starter bacteria, molds, and yeasts. Tarragon essential oil reduced the number of bacteria, molds, and yeasts that spoil yogurt. The final results showed that the use of tarragon was not effective in water retention of yogurt samples, but it affected the number of initiator bacteria and yeast. Yogurt samples with high concentration of tarragon had the highest score in terms of consistency and sour taste. While samples with low concentration of tarragon, in terms of yogurt taste, had the highest sensory score.
 

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 Piptatherum ferganense is recorded as a new grass species for the flora of Iran collected from Ghorkhod Protected Area and Aladagh Mountains in North Khorassan province. The core distribution range of the species is Eastern Irano-Turanian with a disjunction in northeastern Iran. The morphological characters of P. ferganense are illustrated and compared with the closely related P. latifolium. It can be distinguished from P. latifolium by its evenly arranged spikelets in the panicle, lanceolate fertile lemma, and shorter lemma awns. Notes on taxonomy, ecology, phytogeography, and conservation status of the recorded species are provided.

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Halimocnemis commixta is recorded as a new species for the flora of Iran from Pistacia vera woodland remnants in NE Iran. It grows on open salty soils with several typical halophytic plants. The new species record is illustrated and compared with the closely related species. It can be distinguished from H. gamocarpa by its clustered flowers and irregularly horned fruits and differs from H. pilosa by its entirely short and adpressed hairs. We provide some additional notes on the distribution, ecology, and conservation status of the newly recorded species.

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Seyed Mohammad Ali Shariatzadeh & Zahra Alizadeh
Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Arak University, Arak, Iran
Correspondent author: Seyed Mohammad Ali Shariatzadeh, s-shariatzadeh@araku.ac.ir

Abstract. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) can affect female fertility because they can cause toxicity in the ovaries. The aim of this study is to see if Spirulina platensis (SP) can protect mouse from Ag NPs-exposed toxicity in its ovary. Twenty-four female Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice were divided into four groups (n = 6 per group): control; Ag NPs (500 mg/kg daily); SP (300 mg/kg daily) and Ag NPs + SP (With the same defined doses). 30 days after oral gavage treatment, biochemical parameters were measured and ovary compartments were estimated stereologically. The Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) values, hormonal concentrations, corpus luteum volume, and the number of healthy follicles were all significantly lower (p<0.05) in the Ag NPs group compared with the control group. in the SP group, malondialdehyde concentration and atretic follicles were significantly lower (p<0.05) compared with the control group. There was no significant difference in the mean total volume of ovary, cortex, medulla, oocyte and its nucleus, and the thickness of the zona pellucida in any group. Although, SP in the Ag NPs + SP group cannot compensate the above parameters to the control level, it considerably improves ovarian damage caused by Ag NPs through reducing oxidative stress.

Key words. follicles, hormones, oxidative stress, stereology, zona pellucida

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In the present study, two regulatory phytohormones, abscisic acid and auxin, were extracted from two different macroalgae, Sargassum muticum and Gracilaria corticata, for the first time. Sampling was performed each month with three replicates, from Bushehr Province shores located in the north region of Persian Gulf for six alternative months. The alteration of seaweeds biomass and the probable impacts of some environmental factors were measured. The extracted phytohormones were isolated employing HPLC method and identified by injection of standards. The highest amount of ABA phytohormone in the two species, occurred in November. Also, the highest amount of Auxin in Sargassum muticum was reported in May, while the highest amount of this hormone in Gracilaria corticata was observed in January. In January, the maximum mean biomass in Sargassum muticum was 679gr/m², while the minimum mean of 20.66gr/m² was observed in September. Moreover, the highest average biomass in Gracilaria corticata was 423/33gr/m² in March and the lowest mean of 158g/m² was reported in November. ANOVA and Chi-squared test results showed a significant difference in all samples. These phytohormones could be applied in preparing algae liquid fertilizer in future studies.
 

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Rhizospheric bacteria are among the beneficial soil microorganisms that improve plant growth. These bacteria increase plant growth through various mechanisms such as the production of various phytohormones and the ability to solubilize phosphate. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of rhizosphere bacteria on the growth of Carthamus tinctorius to improve its physiological and biochemical indicators. Carthamus tinctorius seeds were inoculated with five isolates of rhizosphere bacteria and were then planted the seeds in pots. Subsequently, the physiological and biochemical parameters of the plants, including the rates of auxin production, phosphate dissolving, photosynthetic pigments and the contents of proline and malondialdehyde were measured. For this purpose, a factorial experiment were conducted using a completely randomized design with three replications. The ANOVA was performed and a comparison of the means was carried out using Duncan’s multiple range test. The results indicated that the largest stem fresh weight, root fresh and dry weights observed in the treatments of using Pseudomonas fluorescens (auxin concentration of 23.55 μg/mL) and Bacillus muralis (auxin concentration of 22.27 μg/mL). In addition, all bacterial species increased the safflower seed germination rate compared to the control group. The largest malondialdehyde content was recorded in the treatment with Bacillus albus, and MDA content decreased in the treatments that produced larger amounts of auxin. In general, the finding of this research suggested that bacterial inoculation was capable to significantly affect the growth of safflower and improve its qualitative and quantitative growth parameters.
 

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Urmia Lake is the largest lake in the Iranian plateau and the second largest Salt Lake in the world. This study was conducted to identify hypersaline bacteria in the lake through the screening with molecular markers. For the molecular study of the bacterial microbiome of the lake, samples were collected from water, sludge and soil of the different parts of the lake during different seasons of 2018 and 2019, and then transferred to the laboratory under standard conditions. Bacterial isolates were purified from the samples using universal culture media. ERIC molecular marker was used to study the species diversity. After clustering analysis of the species on the basis of their genetic markers, one bacterium from each cluster was selected as the representative of each cluster and then identified by DNA barcoding method using the 16srDNA. Biochemical tests were performed to confirm the molecular results. In total, 102 bacterial isolates were isolated and purified from the samples, of which only 29 isolates were extremely-halophilic. The molecular diversity of isolates, based on ERIC molecular marker, showed that isolates can be assigned to five different clusters. Five isolates selected from each cluster were selected and their 16SrDNA region were amplified and sequenced with 16SrDNA-specific primers. The results showed that the five selected isolates with 99% similarity belonged to the species Microbulbifer halophilus, Halomonas salina, Bacillus sonorensis, Salinivibrio costicola and Bacillus aquimaris. The results of molecular identification were consistent with the results of biochemical tests.
 
 

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Fennel is a medicinal plant; all of its parts were being used by humans in different ways. This plant is relatively sensitive to salinity. A factorial experiment as a randomized complete block design with three replications at the greenhouse level was executed to investigate the effect of vermicompost on the increase of salinity tolerance in four fennel populations (Mashhad, Urmia, Shiraz, and Bushehr) in the vegetative stage of the plant, emphasizing the evaluation of some osmotic and antioxidant protection indicators. Experimental treatments were designed with four levels of salinity (0, 40, 80, and 120 mM of NaCl) and two levels of vermicompost (0 and 5% v/v). After harvesting, the roots were separated from the stem to analyze the biochemical variables. Salt stress caused a decrease in the total soluble sugar and starch content in the shoot and an increase of those in the root of the studied populations. In addition, under stress conditions, the proline content of shoot and root, total free amino acid, total phenol, and activity of guaiacol peroxidase and catalase were increased in fennel populations, while total soluble protein and anthocyanin content were decreased. Vermicompost treatment increased the content of soluble carbohydrates, soluble protein, free amino acids, proline, total phenol, and anthocyanin, and decreased the activity of guaiacol peroxidase in the shoot, as well as the starch content in the roots of fennel populations under non-stressed and stressed conditions. Despite observing the complexity in the changes of the analyzed indicators which were dependent on the type of population and the dose of stress, our results showed that the application of vermicompost with a concentration of 5% can improve the osmotic and antioxidant protection in the studied populations of fennel under salinity stress.

 

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Biological cementation is a new process in which urea hydrolysis bacteria or free urease enzyme decompose urea and increases the pH of the environment and chemical interactions in the presence of calcium ions to form calcite. Nowadays, nano-calcite is widely used in engineering, such as increasing the strength of soil and concrete, as well as in medicine, such as drug delivery and cancer treatment. This study aimed to investigate the laboratory conditions for producing nano-calcite particles with appropriate quality, size and purity by Sporosarcina pasteurii enzyme extract for use in medical and engineering studies. This investigation aimed to make calcite by S. pasteurii enzyme extract and optimize influential factors in calcite production. For this purpose, the bacterium S. pasteurii was cultured in nutrient broth containing urea and nickel, and upon reaching the appropriate time, the cells were separated and washed. Then, their enzyme extract was prepared by sonication, and calcite precipitation was studied in different amounts of urea, calcium chloride, enzyme and temperature. The quality of produced calcite crystals and their ratio compared to other crystals were investigated by XRD and SEM analyses. According to the results of XRD analysis, it was found that in 0.5 M urea and 0.25 M calcium chloride, the highest amount of calcite is produced with 96%, and the least side products are produced. Examining the particle size histogram in the sample containing 0.5 M urea and 0.25 M calcium chloride revealed that the range of particles were between 50 and 100 nm. The nature and type of crystals were studied by electron microscopy, and EDX analysis showed the presence of calcium, oxygen, and carbon. According to the results, it was found that by the increase of the concentrations of urea and calcium, the range of particle size became larger. Also, the percentage of calcite produced in low urea and calcium chloride concentrations is higher than those in high concentrations.

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Cisplatin (CP) is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic drugs, however, its clinical use is limited due to possesing nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and hemotoxicity side effects. α-lipoic acid (ALA) is known as a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ALA on cisplatin-induced hemotoxicity. In this experimental study, 35 NMRI mice were divided into five groups (7 mice/group) of Group 1 (Control), group 2 (CP), group3 (CP+ALA low dose), group 4 (CP+ALA high dose) and group 5 (ALA). ALA was administrated orally for 7 consecutive days and CP was injected intraperitoneally. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected and blood parameters were analyzed. Spleens belong to different groups were evaluated histologically. The data were revealed that erythrocyte count, White blood cells count and hemoglobin level were increased significantly in group2 in comparison with other groups. However, ALA administration improved CP induced changes in blood parameters. CP treatment induced histological changes such as increase in megakaryocytes count and accumulation of hemosiderin and collagen in red palp of spleen. ALA treatment improved CP induced histological alteration in groups 3 and 4. Results of the present study showed that ALA exerts protective effects on CP-induced hemotoxicity and histological alteration of spleen.