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The phosphates (Pi) are nowadays recognized as pollutants. We studied the effect of Pi (0.625–12.500 mM KH 2 PO 4 ) in the culture medium on in vitro grown 2-month-old Populus alba trees. The levels of sugar phosphates and vacuolar and cytoplasmic Pi in cell compartments of roots and stems were determined using 31 P NMR, while tissue-specific micro- and macroelements mapping on stem cross-sections were performed using synchrotron-based X-ray microfluorescence. Plants grown on 0.625 mM Pi (MS/2 medium) showed a survival rate of 70%. With the increase in Pi concentrations up to 6.250 mM, plant growth and survival increased, without changes in total P content per mass or in the levels of cytoplasmic and vacuolar phosphates, in both stems and roots, while the levels of Fe, Cu, Zn, Ca and Mn in stems increased. Further increase in Pi to 9.375 and 12.500 mM in the medium resulted in inhibited growth comparable with plants grown on MS/2, with the increase in total P content per mass up to 50%, in both stems and roots, but with no changes in cytoplasmic and vacuolar phosphates; 12.500 mM Pi affected even plant survival (70%) and thus might be considered as mildly toxic. 31 P NMR results indicate that the high tolerance of P. alba to increased Pi could result from its ability to maintain an intracellular P homeostasis, despite P accumulation up to 50%, in both stems and roots, indicating P. alba as a promising wood species for dendroremediation.

Modern light microscopy imaging techniques have substantially advanced our knowledge about the ultrastructure of plant cells and their organelles. Laser-scanning microscopy and digital light microscopy imaging techniques, in general—in addition to their high sensitivity, fast data acquisition, and great versatility of 2D–4D image analyses—also opened the technical possibilities to combine microscopy imaging with spectroscopic measurements. In this review, we focus our attention on differential polarization (DP) imaging techniques and on their applications on plant cell walls and chloroplasts, and show how these techniques provided unique and quantitative information on the anisotropic molecular organization of plant cell constituents: (i) We briefly describe how laser-scanning microscopes (LSMs) and the enhanced-resolution Re-scan Confocal Microscope (RCM of Confocal.nl Ltd. Amsterdam, Netherlands) can be equipped with DP attachments—making them capable of measuring different polarization spectroscopy parameters, parallel with the ‘conventional’ intensity imaging. (ii) We show examples of different faces of the strong anisotropic molecular organization of chloroplast thylakoid membranes. (iii) We illustrate the use of DP imaging of cell walls from a variety of wood samples and demonstrate the use of quantitative analysis. (iv) Finally, we outline the perspectives of further technical developments of micro-spectropolarimetry imaging and its use in plant cell studies.

In the original publication of the article, one of the project numbers was omitted in the Acknowledgments. The correct version is provided below.

Anatomical adaptation of liana plants includes structural changes in cell walls of different tissues: fibers, vessel elements and tracheids. However, the contribution of parenchyma cells to stem twining in liana plants is mostly unknown. The aim of this investigation is to determine changes in stem parenchyma cell walls that are correlated with the twinning process in liana plants. Parenchyma cell wall structure was studied on the stem cross sections of straight and twisted internodes of monocotyledonous liana Dioscorea balcanica, by different microscopy techniques: light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, fluorescence detected linear dichroism microscopy and Fourier transform infrared microspectrometry. In addition, chemical analysis of the entire stem internodes was performed using photometric and chromatographic methods. Parenchyma cell walls of twisted D. balcanica internodes are characterized by: lower amounts of cellulose (obtained by FTIR microspectrometry) with different cellulose microfibril orientation (shown by Scanning electron microscopy), but no changes in \"cellulose fibril order\" (obtained by Differential polarization laser scanning microscopy); lower amounts of xyloglucan, higher amounts of xylan, higher amounts of lignin with modified organization-less condensed lignin (obtained by FTIR microspectrometry). At the same time, chemical analysis of the entire internodes did not show significant differences in lignin content and cell wall bound phenols related to stem twining, except for the presence of diferulate cross-links exclusively in twisted internodes. Our results indicate that adaptations to mechanical strain in D. balcanica stems involve modifications in parenchyma cell wall structure and chemistry, which provide decreased stiffness, higher strength and increased elasticity of twisted internodes.

Key message We present and test an automatic image processing morphometric method for the analysis of tracheid double wall thickness. Measurements of various anatomical characteristics of wood cells are of great importance in research of wood structure, either for the evaluation of environmental influences or for estimation of wood quality. We present and test an automatic image processing morphometric method for the analysis of tracheid double wall thickness. A new algorithm of image analysis was developed. It uses morphological processing of structural elements with the different orientations from distance maps to analyze tracheid double wall thickness distribution separately for radial walls, tangential walls, and cell corners. For testing the performance of the method, we used confocal laser scanning microscopy images of stem cross-sections of juvenile Picea omorika trees exposed to long-term static bending. As a response to mechanical stress, conifers form compression wood (CW), which occurs in a range of gradations from near normal wood (NW) to severe CW. However, visual detection of compression wood severity, more precisely the determination of mild CW, is difficult. One of the anatomic features that characterize CW is increased wall thickness. After testing proposed automatic image processing morphometric method for the analysis of tracheid double wall thickness separately for radial walls, tangential walls and cell corners, combined with statistical analysis, we could suggest it as a tool for estimation of compression wood severity, or for estimation and gradation of changes in tracheid cell wall thickness as a response to environmental influences during growth and developmental process.

Effectiveness in woody biomass utilization is highly dependent on its genetics and physiology. We performed morpho-anatomical, chemical, and biomethane productivity characterizations of one-year-old woody stems in three shrub Salix viminalis genotypes: a diploid (Energo) and its two autotetraploid derivatives (PP-E7 and PP-E13). Tetraploidization affected changes in stem morpho-anatomy and corresponding improved chemical features and biomethane productivity, considerably more pronounced in tetraploid PP-E13, while PP-E7 was more similar to diploid Energo. Compared to diploid Energo, in tetraploid PP-E13 morphometric analysis showed increased stem diameter and higher wood fiber radial double wall thickness, while microscopic analysis suggested higher syringyl to guaiacyl (S:G) ratio of the wood fiber cell wall. Presented changes in stem morpho-anatomy of tetraploid PP-E13 compared to diploid Energo correspond to the improved chemical features: the lower Klason lignin content and higher S:G ratio, the higher cellulose and xylan content, and lower cellulose crystallinity (Crl). Presented improved chemical features, along with the increase in ash content, resulted in a 7.3% (10.3 CH 4 mL/g VS) increase in biomethane productivity in tetraploid PP-E13, compared to diploid Energo, suggesting tetraploid PP-E13 as an optimal raw material for fermentation technologies. In addition, besides the well-known chemical markers of willow biomass quality, the presented results highlight key stem morpho-anatomical parameters, which can serve as additional markers in energy willow improvement.

In the original publication of the article, one of the project numbers was omitted in the Acknowledgments. The correct version is provided below.

The present study aimed to estimate the effects of high-protein diet (PD)—isolated whey protein and omega-3 fatty acids—docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acid on oxidative parameters of rats treated with Olanzapine (OLZ). Experiments were carried out on 8-week-old Wistar albino male rats (n = 64) weighing 200 ± 20 g. By dietary and pharmacological treatment, all animals were divided into 8 groups: 1. CTRL group; 2. CTRL + OLZ group; 3. CTRL + FA group; 4. CTRL + OLZ + FA group; 5. PD group; 6. PD + OLZ group; 7. PD + FA group; 8. PD + OLZ + FA group. After 6 weeks of pharmacological/diet treatment, all animals were sacrificed to collect blood samples and determine the biomarkers of oxidative stress. The following oxidative stress markers were measured spectrophotometrically: superoxide anion radical (O2−), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), nitric oxide (NO−), index of lipid peroxidation measured as TBARS, reduced glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase. The study has shown that Olanzapine treatment was associated with increased release of pro-oxidants and diminished activity of anti-oxidant markers. Additional supplementation with PD and FA succeeded in abolishing the negative influence in most of the measured parameters. However, these beneficial impacts were stronger in the case of their separate application, which could be the practical and clinical importance of these results.

Given that oxidative stress represents an important etiological factor in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of different therapeutic approaches, methotrexate, secukinumab, and ustekinumab on systemic oxidative stress biomarkers in psoriatic patients. This study involved 78 psoriatic patients, divided into the group treated with methotrexate (23 patients), secukinumab (28 patients), and ustekinumab (27 patients), and 15 healthy controls. Oxidative stress biomarkers (index of lipid peroxidation measured as TBARS, nitrites (NO2−), superoxide anion radical (O2−), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)) and antioxidative defense system (superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity, and reduced glutathione (GSH)) were determined spectrophotometrically from the blood before the initiation of therapy in 16th, 28th, and 52nd week. O2− and SOD showed the most prominent changes comparing the psoriatic patients and healthy controls. CAT activity was significantly lower in psoriatic patients, and methotrexate induced a further decline in CAT activity. Ustekinumab induced a significant increase in GSH level after 52 weeks of treatment, while methotrexate reduced GSH. All applied therapeutic options induced a reduction in PASI, BSA, DLQI, and EARP. Biological drugs exert more pronounced antioxidant effects compared to methotrexate, which is most clearly observed in the values of O2− and SOD.

A new biosorbent, abbreviated as LVB-ZrO2, was synthesized by chemically modifying Lagenaria vulgaris shell with ZrO2. The removal of textile dye RB19 from aqueous solution by LVB-ZrO2 was studied. Characterization by SEM, FTIR and XRD confirmed the chemical modification of the biomaterial, which showed significant improvement of removal efficiency compared with unmodified Lagenaria vulgaris shell. LVB-ZrO2 point of zero charge is 5.49. The biosorption process is highly pH dependent and the optimal pH is 2.0, at which complete dye removal was attained. The results are the best by a pseudo-second order kinetic model. The optimal adsorbent dosage is 4 mg/dm3.The RB19 biosorption follows the Langmuir isotherm model (R2=0.9978), with the maximum sorption capacity of 75.12 mg/g. LVB-ZrO2 is a mechanically stable, easy to synthesize, cost-effective, biocompatible and environmentally-friendly biosorbent with the high potential for the removal of RB19 from aqueous solution.