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[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1657368.].

Cassia tora L. seeds, known as “juemingzi” in China, have been one of the key traditional Chinese medicines for thousands of years. When stir-fried, this herb has an excellent therapeutic effect on hypertension. Research on its active components has mainly focused on flavonoids. Proteins account for approximately 20% of the total seed weight. The effect of protein hydrolysate-derived peptides on blood pressure has not been reported yet. In this study, C. tora peptides from globulin hydrolysate were sequentially separated by ultrafiltration, ion exchange chromatography and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and identified by the Nano LC-Q-TOF–MS. Then, molecular simulation combining in silico proteolysis was applied to screen the potent sequences. Finally, a novel ACE inhibitory peptide TTPSY was obtained with an IC50 of 5.92 × 10–6 mol/L. In vivo antihypertensive effect of this pentapeptide was evaluated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The maximum reduction in blood pressure was 46.00 mmHg at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight. Echocardiographic assessment revealed the treatment with TTPSY reduced ventricular wall thickness and prevented left ventricle remodeling. Novel peptide TTPSY possessed a satisfactory hypotensive effect and the cardioprotective function, similar to that of captopril, and could be a potential candidate for antihypertensive treatment. Our research provides beneficial data to reveal the pharmacological actions of C. tora.

Eight selected wild vegetables from Nepal (Alternanthera sessilis, Basella alba, Cassia tora, Digera muricata, Ipomoea aquatica, Leucas cephalotes, Portulaca oleracea and Solanum nigrum) were investigated for their antioxidative potential using 2,2-dyphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and ferric thiocyanate (FTC) methods. Among the selected plant extracts C. tora displayed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value 9.898 μg/mL, whereas A. sessilis had the maximum H2O2 scavenging activity with an IC50 value 16.25 μg/mL—very close to that of ascorbic acid (16.26 μg/mL). C. tora showed the highest absorbance in the FRAP assay and the lowest lipid peroxidation in the FTC assay. A methanol extract of A. sessilis resulted in the greatest phenolic content (292.65 ± 0.42 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g) measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent method, while the smallest content was recorded for B. alba (72.66 ± 0.46 GAE/g). The greatest flavonoid content was observed with extracts of P. oleracea (39.38 ± 0.57 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/g) as measured by an aluminium chloride colorimetric method, while the least was recorded for I. aquatica (6.61 ± 0.42 QE/g). There was a strong correlation between antioxidant activity with total phenolic (DPPH, R2 = 0.75; H2O2, R2 = 0.71) and total flavonoid content (DPPH, R2 = 0.84; H2O2, R2 = 0.66). This study demonstrates that these wild edible leafy plants could be a potential source of natural antioxidants.

Nanoparticle research is fascinating and getting hold of consequences due to the wide variety of applications in the biomedical field. Green synthesis of nanoparticles is a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach. It can be synthesised using fungi, algae, plant, yeast, bacteria, microbial enzymes etc. Our current research study focuses on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using seed extract of Cassia tora. The colour change from yellow to red colour confirms the formation of silver nanoparticles. The synthesised silver nanoparticles were characterised by Ultraviolet–Visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and antibacterial efficacy against three different strains were analysed. The surface plasmon resonance of synthesised AgNPs using Cassia tora seed extract shows maximum absorption peak at 423 nm in UV–visible spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction displays the crystalline nature of synthesised AgNPs and they exhibited four distinct peaks at 36.69°, 42.92°, 63.27° and 76.46°. The particle size of synthesised AgNPs observed through SEM was found to be 55.80 nm, 58.97 nm, 61.06 nm, 63.26 nm and 64.80 nm. S.aureus exhibited maximum zone of inhibition of 12 mm and 13 mm when treated with 25 and 50 μl of the synthesised nanoparticles. Thus, the green synthesised silver nanoparticle using Cassia tora seed extract proved to possess strong anti-bacterial activity.

Senna tora is a widely used medicinal plant. Its health benefits have been attributed to the large quantity of anthraquinones, but how they are made in plants remains a mystery. To identify the genes responsible for plant anthraquinone biosynthesis, we reveal the genome sequence of S. tora at the chromosome level with 526 Mb (96%) assembled into 13 chromosomes. Comparison among related plant species shows that a chalcone synthase-like (CHS-L) gene family has lineage-specifically and rapidly expanded in S. tora . Combining genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and biochemistry, we identify a CHS-L gene contributing to the biosynthesis of anthraquinones. The S. tora reference genome will accelerate the discovery of biologically active anthraquinone biosynthesis pathways in medicinal plants. Anthraquinones are aromatic polyketides and have been used for treating various diseases, but the biosynthetic pathway is unclear. Here, the authors assemble the genome of an anthraquinone-producing medicinal plant Senna tora and show the evidences that CHS-like genes may be involved in anthraquinone biosynthesis.

The stress induced by allelochemicals present in stem aqueous extract (SAE) of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia on alterations in growth, ultrastructure on Cassia tora L., and mitotic changes on Allium cepa L. were inspected. Application of SAE at different concentrations (0.5, 1, 2, and 4%) expressively reduced the growth of C. tora in terms of seedling length and dry biomass. Moreover, the ultrastructural variations induced in the epidermis of Cassia leaf (adaxial and abaxial surface) of 15-day-old saplings were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The variations noticed are rupturing and shrinking of cells along epidermis; damaged margins, extensively curled leaf apex along with the appearance of puff-like structures, grooves, and thread-like structures on the leaf surface. The epidermal cells of samples exposed to treatment no longer appear smooth relative to control, besides showing necrosis as well. Upon exposure to different concentrations of extract, A. cepa root tip cells showed aberrations in chromosome arrangement and disparity in the shape of the interphase and prophase nuclei along various phases of mitotic cycle as compared to control. The mitotic index (MI) showed a concentration-dependent decline in onion root tips exposed to SAE. The aberrations appearing frequently were formation of multinucleated cells, sticky metaphase and anaphase with bridges, sticky telophase, disturbed polarity, etc. The results also show the induction of elongated cells, giant cells, and cells with membrane damage by extract treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the methanolic extract of N. plumbaginifolia stem. Overall, 62 compounds were reported, covering 99.61% of the entire constituents, which can be considered responsible for the allelopathic suppression of C. tora. The chief component was 4-tert-butylcalix[4]arene with the highest composition of 19.89%, followed by palmitic acid (12.25%), palmitoleic acid (8.23%), precocene 2 (7.53%), isophytyl acetate (4.01%), and betastigmasterol (3.95%).

Adjoining areas of urban environment has undergone rapid alteration in structure, composition and ecological changes, which makes them a dynamic entity. During the present investigation, herbaceous vegetation were studied in east, west, north and south directions of Ambikapur township at various seasons during March 2017 to April 2018. A total of 18 species representing 11 families were recorded at various directions of Ambikapur township in different seasons. Asteraceae was the predominant family in the study area. Highest species counts were recorded during summer season. Among the herbaceous vegetation, more than two-thirds of the herb species were exotic in nature, revealing the anthropogenic role towards loss of indigenous species. Highest species density was recorded in north direction (152,000 herb/ha during rainy, 104,000 herb/ha in winter and 184,000 herb/ha in summer) and lowest in south direction (90,000 herb/ha during rainy, 72,000 herb/ha in winter and 88,000 herb/ha in summer) in all seasons. Higher Shannon diversity (2.71 in rainy, 2.69 in winter and 3.07 in summer) and richness (0.67 in rainy, 0.52 in winter and 0.66 in summer after west direction) were recorded in the north direction. Total biomass, C storage and CO 2 mitigation were found to be highest towards north direction in all seasons. Argemone mexicana, Cassia tora, Ocimum tenuiflorum and Sida acuata are the most suitable species in terms of C storage, CO 2 mitigation under urban setup. Beside, some weed species also reflected significant potential. CO 2 mitigation by herb species can act as complimentary system towards climate cane adaptation beside other vegetal layers. Such studies are also very much effective towards development of greenery in an urban setup leading to climate mitigation process.

Globally, an aging population is increasing, and aging is a natural physiological process and a major risk factor for all age-related diseases. It seriously threatens personal health and imposes a great economic burden. Therefore, there is a growing scientific interest in strategies for well-aging with prevention and treatment of age-related diseases. The seed, root, stem or leaves of Cassia tora Linn. are useful for anti-bacteria, anti-hyperlipidemia and anti-obesity due to its pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant both in vitro and in vivo. Nevertheless, no clinical trials have been attempted so far, therefore here we would like to understand the current preclinical activities for aging-related disease models including cataract, metabolic dysfunction and neurodegeneration, then discuss their preparation for clinical trials and perspectives.

Cassia tora is a plant of medicinal importance. Medicinal plants from different localities are believed to differ in their therapeutic potency. In this study, six populations of C. tora with different eco-geographical origins were investigated genotypically (ISSR) and phytochemically (FTIR) to establish an integrated approach for population discrimination and authentication of the origin of this medicinal herb. CHS gene expression analysis and determination of flavonoid content were carried out to substantiate the study. A total of 19 population-specific authentication bands were observed in 11 ISSR fingerprints. Authentication codes were generated using six highly polymorphic bands, including three authentication bands. FTIR spectra revealed that the peaks at wavenumber 1623 cm −1 (carbonyl group) and 1034 cm −1 (>CO- group) were powerful in separating the populations. These peaks are assigned to flavonoids and carbohydrates, respectively, were more intense for Ranchi (highland) population. Variation in the transcript level of CHS gene was observed. The findings of FTIR and RT-PCR analyses were in agreement with the TFC analysis, where, the lowest amount of flavonoids observed for Lucknow (lowland) population. All the populations of C. tora have been authenticated accurately by ISSR analyses and FTIR fingerprinting, and the Ranchi site was observed to be more suitable for the potential harvesting of therapeutic bioactive compounds.

Tea plants ( Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) are often colonized by economically important insect pests such as tea green leafhoppers ( Empoasca onukii Matsuda) and green plant bugs ( Apolygus lucorum Meyer-Dür) in northern China. Aromatic plant volatiles can exert repellent effects on insect herbivores. To evaluate the impact of intercropping on the populations of two tea pests and natural enemies in tea plantations, field experiments were conducted in which four aromatic plants ( Cassia tora , Medicago sativa , Leonurus artemisia , and Mentha haplocalyx ) were intercropped with tea plants and compared with tea monoculture in 2014 and 2015. The counts of arthropods conducted on tea plants showed that intercropping C. tora and L. artemisia with tea plants significantly reduced the E. onukii population levels in the tea plantation. The abundance of A. lucorum was variable during the study and not significantly lower in various intercropping plots than monocropping plots. Y-tube olfactometer assays showed that volatile organic compounds derived from C. tora and M. sativa significantly affected the behavior of E. onukii and that M. haplocalyx odors can be used to mask host plant odors and are repellent to A. lucorum . Among natural enemies, coccinellids occurred often on tea plants during growing seasons. Intercropping tea plants with C. tora also promoted a marked increase in the natural enemies of tea pests, including coccinellids, lacewings, spiders, and parasitoids. Our findings suggest that the sustainable pest management achieved by intercropping offers an alternative strategy for the control of important tea pests.