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Summary Zanthoxylum armatum and Zanthoxylum bungeanum, known as ‘Chinese pepper’, are distinguished by their extraordinary complex genomes, phenotypic innovation of adaptive evolution and species‐special metabolites. Here, we report reference‐grade genomes of Z. armatum and Z. bungeanum. Using high coverage sequence data and comprehensive assembly strategies, we derived 66 pseudochromosomes comprising 33 homologous phased groups of two subgenomes, including autotetraploid Z. armatum. The genomic rearrangements and two whole‐genome duplications created large (~4.5 Gb) complex genomes with a high ratio of repetitive sequences (>82%) and high chromosome number (2n = 4x = 132). Further analysis of the high‐quality genomes shed lights on the genomic basis of involutional reproduction, allomones biosynthesis and adaptive evolution in Chinese pepper, revealing a high consistent relationship between genomic evolution, environmental factors and phenotypic innovation. Our study provides genomic resources and new insights for investigating diversification and phenotypic innovation in Chinese pepper, with broader implications for the protection of plants under severe environmental changes.

DC. is renowned for its medicinal values. All the plant parts have been used to treat tooth- and gum-related problems, gastro-intestinal problems, inflammation, rheumatism, and pain by the indigenous people of Nepal, India, China, and other South East Asian countries. Bioassay-guided isolation of active compounds from medicinal plants is recognized as a promising approach for the discovery of novel drug candidates. The objective of this study was to examine the main constituents of DC. stems through bio-guided isolation and to explore their anti-inflammatory potential. Sequential fractions were prepared from the hydromethanolic stem extract of DC. Afterward, bioassay-guided isolation was conducted using a combination of column chromatography, heat-induced hemolysis inhibition assay, and albumin denaturation inhibition assay. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated through single crystal XRD and NMR. The anti-inflammatory activity of the compounds was evaluated by measuring the expression levels of IL12 and CD80 using flow cytometry. Sequential ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest protein anti-denaturation and membrane stabilization activities. Afterward, sesamin and fargesin were isolated from the sequential ethyl acetate fraction. Both of them showed activity against IL12 production by conventional type 1 dendritic cells. Moreover, fargesin significantly inhibited the expression of CD80. The results identified bioactive compounds with potential against the pro-inflammatory dendritic cells for the first time. The findings justified the traditional use of DC. as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Zanthoxylum armatum DC. is an important oil plant and economic crop, but the natural reproduction rate is extremely low due to the existence of dormancy in its seeds, so it is of great significance to explore methods to promote its seed germination. In this study, an orthogonal test was applied to study the effects of different factors on the seed germination indexes with four factors and four levels of different sodium carbonate degreasing time, different incubation temperature, different kinetin soaking concentration, and seed soaking time. Through this study, analysis of variance, correlation, and clustering was applied. The results demonstrated that all experimental groups showed significant improvement in different germination indexes compared with the control. Among which, group 7 treated with sodium carbonate degreasing for 12 h, kinetin soaking concentration of 50 mg/L for 48 h, and under the culture condition of constant temperature at 25°C showed the best performance in germination rate, germination vigor, vitality index, germination index, root length, and shoot length. In addition, the shoot fresh weight and dry weight, root dry weight and fresh weight of group 7 were also significantly increased compared with the control. The results of this study provided a certain theoretical basis for the efficient seed germination of Zanthoxylum armatum DC. in the future.

Zanthoxylum armatum DC. (Z. armatum) is a versatile plant species valued for its aroma oil and nutritional components. However, the variability of chemical composition in Z. armatum fruits in the field remains largely unknown, and it is still unclear how harvest parameters affect the aroma and nutritional quality of the fruits. To address this gap, Z. armatum fruits from varying harvest times, tree ages, and fruiting positions were analyzed for physicochemical properties, nutrients, minerals, aroma profiles, and antioxidant activity. A quality assessment method was developed based on key Z. armatum fruit parameters. Results showed significant differences in the size, weight, total phenol, flavonoid and sanshool content of Z. armatum fruit from different harvest parameters. Z. armatum fruits contained abundant minerals, showing diverse harvest-condition variations. In vitro antioxidant assays showed higher ABTS/DPPH scavenging activity and reducing capacity (23–54 mg/g). HS-SPME-GC-MS identified 64 aroma compounds, encompassing terpenes, alcohols, etc. Linalool was the predominant constituent (46.65%). PLS-DA and Volcano plot analyses highlighted significant differences in VOCs among harvest times and tree ages, while fruit positions showed minimal impact. The Mantel test identified aroma-active compounds associated with antioxidant activity. These findings facilitate a science-based harvesting strategy to standardize Z. armatum fruit quality and marketability.

This review has been collated with the intention of drawing the reader’s attention towards Zanthoxylum armatum ’s potential in green nanotechnology . This multifaceted medicinal plant has paved its way into the field of nano sciences by exhibiting excellent capabilities as a metal reducing agent and providing broad application possibilities of the synthesized nanoparticles. This review summarizes the procedures followed for green synthesis of various metal nanoparticles utilizing Zanthoxylum armatum extracts , the physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized nanoparticles and their applications.

Zanthoxylum armatum (Z. armatum) is an economic crop widely planted for both spice and medicinal purposes in Southwest China. Soil is a key environmental condition that affects seedling growth and development, and screening suitable soil types is of great significance for the large-scale cultivation of crops. This study designed growth experiments of Z. armatum seedlings in red soil (RS), yellow soil (YS), acidic purple soil (ACPS), alkaline purple soil (ALPS), and alluvial soil (AS) to screen for more suitable soil types. The growth traits of Z. armatum seedlings and the carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), C:N:P stoichiometry, and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) content of different organs were comparatively analyzed. The results showed that the morphological indexes of Z. armatum seedlings cultured in AS were better than those in the other four soils.AS and RS may be beneficial for the culture of Z. armatum seedlings due to higher nutrient levels in three organs. Two-factor ANOVA and PCA analysis showed that C, N, and P and their proportions would affect the uptake and distribution of NSC in various organs of Z. armatum seedlings. These results showed that soil types and plant organs significantly affected the accumulation and distribution of N, P, and NSC in Z. armatum seedlings. These results are conducive to screening soil types suitable for the growth and development of Z. armatum and provide data support for further large-scale cultivation of Z. armatum in suitable areas.

PIN-formed (PIN) proteins are important auxin carriers that participate in the polar distribution of auxin in plants. In this study, 16 ZaPIN genes were identified from the whole genome of Zanthoxylum armatum DC. The physicochemical properties and structure of PIN proteins were determined, and the gene sequences and promoter regions were analyzed to identify cis-acting elements and conserved motifs. The transcript profiles of ZaPIN genes in different tissues and in response to auxin and gibberellin treatments were also analyzed. A phylogenetic analysis separated the 16 ZaPIN genes into four groups. The ZaPIN genes showed the closest evolutionary relationship to those of Citrus sinensis and the most distant evolutionary relationship to those of Oryza sativa. A cis-element analysis revealed a large number of cis elements in ZaPIN promoter regions related to plant hormones, plant growth and development, and stress stimuli, suggesting that ZaPINs have a wide range of biological activities. Additionally, gene expression profiling revealed that ZaPINs had different expression patterns in nine tissues. Further qRT-PCR analyses revealed that most ZaPINs were upregulated by auxin and gibberellin in young leaves. Our results provide useful information for further structural and functional analyses of the ZaPIN gene family in Z. armatum.

As a traditional spicy condiment, Zanthoxylum armatum var. novemfolius is of high economical and medicinal value. Despite the long history of human cultivation, the molecular mechanisms underlying flower development are still poorly understood in Z. armatum. In this study, we performed de novo transcriptome assembly and comparative analysis of female and male flowers in Z. armatum. A total of 94,771 unigenes were obtained, and 50,605 unigenes were successfully annotated against the public database. Transcriptome data showed that 20,431 annotated unigenes were differentially expressed genes. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the most representative pathway was plant hormone signal transduction. Among them, 41, 16, 41, 27, 95, and 40 unigenes were involved in the biosynthesis and signaling of abscisic acid, ethylene, cytokinin, gibberellin, auxin, and jasmonic acid, respectively. Transcription factors also played crucial roles in flower development, such as AGL11, PMADS2, and NAC. These results provided an important basis for characterizing the potential mechanism of flower development and enriching the knowledge of reproduction genetics in Z. armatum.

Natural antioxidants present in several medicinal plants are responsible for inhibiting the harmful effects of oxidative stress. These plants contain polyphenols and flavonoids that act as free radical scavengers and reduce oxidative stress and may be an alternative remedy to cure various harmful human diseases. This study aims to quantify the total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC) and antioxidant properties of methanol extracts of fruits, seeds, and bark of an important medicinal and aromatic plant, Zanthoxylum armatum collected from wild and cultivated populations in Nepal. TPC was determined by Folin–Ciocalteu colorimetric method using gallic acid as standard, and various concentrations of the extract solutions were measured at 760 nm. TFC was calculated by aluminum chloride colorimetric assay. Quercetin was used as standard, and the absorbance was measured at 510 nm. The antioxidant potential of the different extracts was estimated by DPPH free radical scavenging assay, and the absorbance was measured at 517 nm. The highest TPC value was 226.3 ± 1.14 mg GAE/g in wild fruits, and the lowest was 137.72 ± 4.21 mg GAE/g in cultivated seeds. Similarly, the highest TFC value was 135.17 ± 2.02 mg QE/g in cultivated fruits, and the lowest was 76.58 ± 4.18 mg QE/g in cultivated seeds. The extracts showed variable antioxidant properties. The fruits exhibited excellent antioxidant properties with IC50 values of 40.62 μg/mL and 45.62 μg/mL for cultivated and wild fruits, respectively. Similarly, the IC50 values of the bark were 63.39 μg/mL and 67.82 μg/mL, respectively, for cultivated and wild samples. And the least antioxidant capacity was shown by the seeds extract with IC50 values of 86.75 μg/mL and 94.49 μg/mL for wild and cultivated seeds, respectively. The IC50 value of the standard ascorbic acid was 36.22 μg/mL. Different extracts of Z. armatum contain considerable amount of phenols and flavonoids, including antioxidant properties, suggesting the potential use of this species in pharmacy and phytotherapy as a source of natural antioxidants.

The present study clarified the forest‐age associated change in the pericarp quality of Zanthoxylum planispinum ‘dintanensis’ (ZPD) and aimed to provide a theoretical foundation for formulating management strategies. The studied forest age groups consisted of 5‐to‐7‐, 10‐to‐12‐, 20‐to‐22‐, and 28‐to‐32‐yr‐old ZPD plants growing in rocky desertified areas of karst dry‐hot valleys in Guizhou, China. By measuring the pericarp quality indices of the plants present in the stands, the changes in pericarp quality were determined. The quality traits were optimal when the forest age was 28–32 yr, and the quality did not degrade with increased forest age. The sensitivity levels of ash contents and vitamins to the forest age were weak, whereas the levels of amino acids and trace elements were more affected by forest age. The latter two compounds were, therefore, more suitable for quality grading. The comprehensive quality index of the 28‐to‐32‐yr‐old plant group was the highest, followed by the 10‐to‐12‐yr‐old, 5‐to‐7‐, and 20‐to‐22‐yr‐old plants. Core Ideas Pericarp quality of the 28‐to‐32‐yr‐old plant group was the best and did not degenerate as the forest aged. The variations in amino acids and trace elements levels were high. The fruit cultivation objectives differed along with age.