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Endophytic fungi (EFs) have emerged as promising modulators of plant growth and stress tolerance in agricultural ecosystems. This review synthesizes the current knowledge on the role of EFs in enhancing the adaptation of crops to abiotic stress. Abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures, pose significant challenges to crop productivity worldwide. EFs have shown remarkable potential in alleviating the adverse effects of these stresses. Through various mechanisms, including the synthesis of osmolytes, the production of stress-related enzymes, and the induction of plant defense mechanisms, EFs enhance plant resilience to abiotic stressors. Moreover, EFs promote nutrient uptake and modulate the hormonal balance in plants, further enhancing the stress tolerance of the plants. Recent advancements in molecular techniques have facilitated the identification and characterization of stress-tolerant EF strains, paving the way for their utilization in agricultural practices. Furthermore, the symbiotic relationship between EFs and plants offers ecological benefits, such as improved soil health and a reduced dependence on chemical inputs. However, challenges remain in understanding the complex interactions between EFs and host plants, as well as in scaling up their application in diverse agricultural systems. Future research should focus on elucidating the mechanisms underlying endophytic-fungal-mediated stress tolerance and developing sustainable strategies for harnessing their potential in crop production.

The alkamide content and specific tissue localization in the cypselae of Heliopsis longipes were investigated using gas chromatography–electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC-EIMS) and multiphoton fluorescence microscopy (MPFM). GC-EIMS analysis identified two olefinic alkamides: affinin (spilanthol) and N-2-methylbutyl-2E,6Z,8E-decatrienamide. Microscopic analysis revealed that alkamides are localized within the cotyledons, and specifically compartmentalized in lipid bodies, highlighting their spatial organization. The linear unmixing of fluorescence emission fingerprints showed that affinin exhibits autofluorescence at 693 nm, corresponding to the red spectral region. This emission is attributed to the conjugated double bonds in its acyl chain. This study is the first to report on the presence and precise localization of alkamides in the cypselae of H. longipes.

Thevetia thevetioides is a species within the Apocynaceae family known for containing cardenolide-glycosides, commonly referred to as cardiac glycosides, which are characteristic of this genus. The seeds of the Thevetia species are frequently used as a model source for studying cardiac steroids, as these glycosides can be more readily extracted from the oil-rich seeds than from the plant’s green tissues. In this work, the cardenolide profile of ripe and immature seeds was determined and compared to establish the main differences. Ripe seeds contain six related cardenolides and triosides, with thevetin B being the predominant component. In contrast, immature seeds exhibit a total of thirteen cardiac glycosides, including monoglycosides such as neriifolin and peruvosides A, B, and C, as well as diglycosides like thevebiosides A, B, and C. Some of these compounds have previously been identified as degradation products of more complex cardiac glycosides; however, their presence in immature seeds, as described in this study, suggests that they may serve as biosynthetic precursors to the triosides observed in mature seeds. The glycoside patterns observed via HPTLC are associated with specific chemical structures characteristic of this genus, typically featuring thevetose or acetyl-thevetose at the first position, followed by glucose or gentibiose in di- or trisaccharides, independent of the trioside aglycones identified: digitoxigenin, cannogenin, or yccotligenin. Ripe seeds predominantly contain triosides, including thevetin B, C, and A, the latter of which has not been previously reported.

Infertility is a medical concern worldwide and could also have economic consequences in farmed animals. Developing an efficient diet supplement with immediate effects on sperm quality is a promising tool for human reproduction and for domesticated animal species. This study aims at elucidating the effect of a short-time probiotic supplementation consisting of a mixture of two probiotic bacteria with proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities on zebrafish sperm quality and male behavior. For this purpose, three homogeneous groups of males in terms of motility (<60%) were established. The control group was fed with a normal standard diet. The other received supplements: One group (vehicle control) was fed with maltodextrin and the other received a probiotic preparation based on a mixture (1:1) of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CECT8361 and Bifidobacterium longum CECT7347. The feeding regime was 21 days corresponding with a single spermatogenesis in zebrafish. The preparation did not modify animal weight, positively affected the number of fluent males, increased sperm concentration, total motility, progressive motility, and fast spermatozoa subpopulations. Moreover, the animals fed with the supplement showed different behavior patterns compared to control groups. Our results suggest a diet-related modulation on the exploration activity indicating a lower stress-like conduct. The studied formulation described here should be considered as advantageous in male reproductive biotechnology.

Aquaculture routine practices may cause stress induction on the fish and compromise their welfare affecting the production. This experiment aimed to evaluate the potential links between handling during culture with stress responses and growth on Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis). We worked with two fish cohorts in terms of initial body weight and culture stage: Trial 1 included specimens in the fattening stage (226 ± 4.96 g) and Trial 2 animals in the pre-fattening stage (27.20 ± 0.44 g). The tested culture protocol, which lasted 6 and 4 months for Trial 1 and 2, respectively, mainly reduced handling-derived stressors in the experimental tanks via lowering routine samplings to a minimum. This decrease of the handling-derived stress was reflected in both trials with lower concentration of circulating cortisol in blood plasma from the experimental fish when compared to controls. Moreover, the proposed protocol promoted higher growth in the fish cultured in the less disturbing protocol in Trial 2. Higher specific growth rates and mean body weight and length were reported. In order to further explore the potential beneficial effects of our protocol, we studied the musculoskeletal from Trial 2 gene expression of key genes regulating glucocorticoid signaling pathway and apoptosis: glucocorticoid receptors 1 and 2 (gr1, gr2), heat shock protein 90 AA (hsp90aa), and caspase 6 (casp6). In line with the cortisol reduced level in this trial, gr1, hsp90aa, and casp6 genes showed lower expression in the samples coming from the experimental group. The findings of this study provide valuable information to the aquaculture industry for the management of Solea senegalensis stress and welfare.

Constructed wetlands are used to remove diclofenac and naproxen from wastewater. However, the role of plants and their root-associated bacteria in removing these pharmaceuticals is still unknown. In this work, bacteria were isolated from the roots of Typha latifolia cultivated in a constructed wetland to treat a diclofenac and naproxen mix. 16S rDNA sequencing indicated that bacterial isolates belong to the Pseudomonas , Serratia , and Rahnella genera. All bacterial isolates showed tolerance to high concentrations of diclofenac and naproxen and had differential laccase activity, phosphate-solubilizing activity, and indole acetic acid production. Bacteria were grouped into three consortia A (0–30 cm), B (50–80 cm), and C (100–130 cm), according to the site from which they were isolated in the wetland. Plant-bacteria interaction assays were conducted to determine the removal capacity of diclofenac and naproxen mix by the bacterial consortia or their interaction with T. latifolia . The results showed that all bacterial consortia removed over 50% of diclofenac and naproxen, while in their interaction with T. latifolia the removal capacity increased to over 70%. Consortium B was the most efficient in removing diclofenac and naproxen, with removal rates of 63.85 ± 0.45% and 74.93 ± 0.75%, respectively. Meanwhile, in the interaction of consortium B with T. latifolia , the removal of diclofenac and naproxen increased to 82.27 ± 0.30% and 88.12 ± 1.23%, respectively. Overall, the results indicated that T. latifolia and its root-associated bacteria removed the diclofenac and naproxen mix in the constructed wetland, contributing to understanding the role of the plant and bacteria in removing emerging contaminants. Therefore, the interaction of T. latifolia and its root-associated bacteria could potentially be used in strategies to remove emerging contaminants from wastewater.

The loss of energy due to friction is one of the major problems industries are facing nowadays. Friction and wear between sliding components reduce the mechanical efficiency of machines and have a negative impact on the environment. In recent years, surface texturing has shown tremendous ability to reduce friction and wear. Micro-features generated on surfaces act as a secondary reservoir for lubricants and wear debris receptacles to further reduce abrasion. In addition, surface texturing boosts hydrodynamic pressure, which increases the elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication regime of the Stribeck curve, reducing friction and wear. Amongst all different techniques to texture surfaces, laser texturing is the most popular due to its advantages such as high accuracy, good consistency and celerity as compared to other techniques. This study investigated the effect of laser texturing on the tribological properties of Ti6Al4V in contact with a ceramic ball. The effect of varying the dimple density on friction and wear was studied using a ball-on-flat reciprocating tribometer under lubricated conditions. Results show that friction and wear were reduced for all the textured samples as compared to an untextured sample, with important friction and wear reductions for the samples with the highest dimple densities. For samples with intermediate dimple densities, the friction coefficient stayed low until the dimples wore out from the surface and then increased to a value similar to the friction coefficient of the untextured surface. The dimple wear-out time observed in these specimens was greatly influenced by the dimple density.

Highly branched neo-fructans (agavins) are natural prebiotics found in Agave plants, with a large capacity to mitigate the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Here, we investigated the impact of agavins intake on gut microbiota modulation and their metabolites as well as their effect on metabolic endotoxemia and low-grade inflammation in mice fed high-fat diet. Mice were fed with a standard diet (ST) and high-fat diet (HF) alone or plus an agavins supplement (HF+A) for ten weeks. Gut microbiota composition, fecal metabolite profiles, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), pro-inflammatory cytokines, and systemic effects were analyzed. Agavins intake induced substantial changes in gut microbiota composition, enriching Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, Prevotella, Allobaculum, and Akkermansia genus (LDA > 3.0). l-leucine, l-valine, uracil, thymine, and some fatty acids were identified as possible biomarkers for this prebiotic supplement. As novel findings, agavins supplementation significantly decreased LPS and pro-inflammatory (IL-1α, IL-1β, and TNF-α; p < 0.05) cytokines levels in portal vein. In addition, lipid droplets content in the liver and adipocytes size also decreased with agavins consumption. In conclusion, agavins supplementation mitigate metabolic endotoxemia and low-grade inflammation in association with gut microbiota regulation and their metabolic products, thus inducing beneficial responses on metabolic disorders in high-fat diet-fed mice.

The present study was to investigate whether agavins supplementation might reduce obesity in mice fed with a high fat-high sucrose (HF-HS) diet. Mice were fed with a HF-HS diet with (HF-HS+A) or without agavins (HF-HS) supplementation. Body weight, white adipose tissue (WAT), biomarkers inflammation, gastrointestinal hormones, microbiota, and their excreted metabolites were evaluated. HF-HS+A mice significantly reduced body weight, WAT, and leptin levels compared to the HF-HS group. Furthermore, pro-inflammatory cytokines and insulin levels tended to be lower in the HF-HS+A group. Moreover, the genera Allobaculum, Akkermansia, and Sutterella, linked with positives effects on host health, were identified as possible biomarkers for agavins treatment; meanwhile, ethyl oleate, thymine, hypoxanthine, uracil, and some fatty acids were substantially enriched with agavins and negative associated with pro-inflammatory biomarkers. Collectively, these results demonstrate that agavins can ameliorates many of the harmful effects induced by intake of a diet with a high fat and sucrose content.

The ecological interaction between plants and herbivores has promoted the evolution of defense and offense characteristics of both parties. Specialized metabolites, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), constitute a key defensive mechanism of plants, helping to reduce/prevent damage by herbivores and indirectly attracting their natural enemies. However, in the absence of herbivores, as occurs in invaded ranges, natural selection may favor the reduction in costly chemical defenses. Here, we assessed the production of VOCs in both damaged and undamaged leaves of plants of Datura stramonium from Mexico (native) and Spain (non-native). The emissions of VOCs were detected and compared, along with the induction extended to neighboring undamaged leaves. A total of 45 VOCs were detected and differences in chemical diversity and concentration between plants of different origin and between damaged and undamaged leaves. Notably, native populations exhibited greater VOCs diversity and higher emission levels than non-native populations, highlighting population-specific differences in both constitutive and induced chemical defenses. Expression analysis of the gene implicated in terpenoid biosynthesis (DsTPS10) demonstrated damage-induced upregulation. Gene expression patterns coupled with metabolic profiles suggest a potential defense capability of native populations as compared with non-native populations of recent evolution in the absence of the D. stramonium’s coevolved herbivores.