Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki 1, 20-093, Lublin, Poland.
Department of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie- Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033, Lublin, Poland.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 23;14(1):25113. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-75434-w.
Plants belonging to the genus Cotoneaster can be valuable sources of phytochemicals with potential therapeutic properties. The natural habitats of most of these species are situated in Asia, Africa and southern Europe. Introducing them into other climatic conditions could expose them to abiotic and biotic stresses, affecting their bioactive properties. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the performance of four non-native Cotoneaster species (C. roseus, C. hissaricus, C. hsingshangensis, C. nebrodensis) grown in eastern Poland in terms of leaf morphology, anatomy, and efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus in relation to lipid peroxidation level, being an indicator of oxidative stress. Photosynthetic pigments concentration and chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters were used to evaluate the photosynthetic capacity. The morphological and anatomical analysis of leaves did not show any anomalies or stress symptoms. Cotoneaster roseus was characterized by the highest chlorophyll concentration, viability index (Rfd) and a moderate lipid peroxidation level. On the other hand, the lowest values of photochemical quenching (qP), maximum fluorescence (F), Rfd, and quantum yield of the photosystem II (QY) observed for C. nebrodensis might indicate an inferior efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus in this species; however, it demonstrated the lowest lipid peroxidation level. Nevertheless, the content and proportion of the photosynthetic pigments as well as overall chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters and lipid peroxidation levels indicate a good physiological condition of all examined plants. The observed differences between the species may be rather species specific and genetically established and not indicate their sensitivity to non-native growth conditions. This is the first report about the physiological parameters of the four Cotoneaster species, proving they are well adapted to growth in the climatic conditions of central Europe providing thus a raw material with potential for pharmaceutical applications.
属于栒子属的植物是具有潜在治疗特性的植物化学物质的有价值来源。这些物种的大多数自然栖息地位于亚洲、非洲和南欧。将它们引入其他气候条件下可能会使它们面临非生物和生物胁迫，影响其生物活性特性。本研究的目的是评估和比较四种非本地栒子属物种（Cotoneaster roseus、C. hissaricus、C. hsingshangensis、C. nebrodensis）在波兰东部的表现，这些物种在叶片形态、解剖结构以及光合机构的效率方面，与脂质过氧化水平（氧化应激的一个指标）进行了比较。使用光合色素浓度和叶绿素 a 荧光参数来评估光合作用能力。叶片的形态和解剖分析未显示出任何异常或胁迫症状。Cotoneaster roseus 的叶绿素浓度最高，活力指数（Rfd）适中，脂质过氧化水平中等。另一方面，C. nebrodensis 的光化学猝灭（qP）、最大荧光（F）、Rfd 和光系统 II 的量子产率（QY）最低，这可能表明该物种的光合机构效率较低；然而，它表现出最低的脂质过氧化水平。尽管如此，所有被检测植物的光合色素含量和比例以及整体叶绿素 a 荧光参数和脂质过氧化水平表明它们具有良好的生理状况。观察到的物种之间的差异可能是物种特异性和遗传建立的，并不表明它们对非本地生长条件的敏感性。这是关于四种栒子属物种生理参数的首次报告，证明它们很好地适应了中欧气候条件下的生长，从而为药物应用提供了潜在的原料。
