Publications by authors named "Jiri Gruz"

N-Sulfonated IAA was discovered as a novel auxin metabolite in Urtica where it is biosynthesized de novo utilizing inorganic sulfate. It showed no auxin activity in DR5::GUS assay, implying possible inactivation/storage mechanism. A novel auxin derivative, N-sulfoindole-3-acetic acid (IAA-N-SOH, SIAA), was discovered in stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) among 116 sulfonated metabolites putatively identified by a semi-targeted UHPLC-QqTOF-MS analysis of 23 plant/algae/fungi species.

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Given the significant prevalence of FLT3 receptor and its mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) pathogenesis, we present a novel series of furo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-1,3,4-thiadiazole-urea derivatives, designed to exhibit FLT3-ITD inhibitory activity. These compounds demonstrated cytotoxicity in FLT3-ITD expressing AML cell lines MOLM-13 and MV4-11 in the nanomolar range, with significant selectivity over the K562 cell line. In-depth evaluations of example compound 49 revealed its efficacy in suppressing FLT3 phosphorylation and the downstream signaling molecules, including STAT5 and ERK1/2.

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In situ separation and visualization of synthetic and naturally occurring isomers from heterogeneous plant tissues, especially when they share similar molecular structures, are a challenging task. In this study, we combined the ion mobility separation with desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-IM-MSI) to achieve a direct separation and visualization of two synthetic auxin derivatives, auxinole and its structural isomer 4pTb-MeIAA, as well as endogenous auxins from Arabidopsis samples. Distinct distribution of these synthetic isomers and endogenous auxins in Arabidopsis primary roots and hypocotyls was achieved in the same imaging analysis from both individually treated and cotreated samples.

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Cis-(+)-12-oxophytodienoic acid (cis-(+)-OPDA) is a bioactive jasmonate, a precursor of jasmonic acid, which also displays signaling activity on its own. Modulation of cis-(+)-OPDA actions may be carried out via biotransformation leading to metabolites of various functions. This work introduces a methodology for the synthesis of racemic cis-OPDA conjugates with amino acids (OPDA-aa) and their deuterium-labeled analogs, which enables the unambiguous identification and accurate quantification of these compounds in plants.

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3,5,7-Trisubstituted pyrazolo[4,3-]pyrimidines have been identified as potent inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), which are established drug targets. Herein, we describe their further structural modifications leading to novel nanomolar inhibitors with strong antiproliferative activity. We determined the crystal structure of fully active CDK2/A2 with 5-(2-amino-1-ethyl)thio-3-cyclobutyl-7-[4-(pyrazol-1-yl)benzyl]amino-1(2)-pyrazolo[4,3-]pyrimidine () at 1.

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Sulfated phenolic acids are widely occurring metabolites in plants, including fruits, vegetables and crops. The untargeted UHPLC-QTOF-MS metabolomics of more than 50 samples from plant, fungi and algae lead to the discovery of a small group of sulfated metabolites derived from phenolic acids. These compounds were detected in land plants for the first time.

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Members of the Viola genus play important roles in traditional Asian herbal medicine. This study investigates the ability of Viola odorata L. extracts to inhibit Na,K-ATPase, an essential animal enzyme responsible for membrane potential maintenance.

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The total phenolic content, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, antioxidant capacity and α-amylase inhibitory activity of black (Aydin Siyahi), purple (Kadife Kemer) and white (Trabzon Kadife) eggplants grown in Turkey were subjected to a comparative investigation. The black cultivar exhibited the highest total phenolic (17,193 and 6552 mg gallic acid equivalent/kg fw), flavonoid (3019 and 1160 quercetin equivalent/kg fw) and anthocyanin (1686 and 6167 g delphinidin-3--glucoside equivalent/kg fw) contents in crude extracts of the peel and pulp. The majority of the caffeic acid was identified in the ester (2830 mg/kg fw) and ester-bound (2594 mg/kg fw) forms in the peel of 'Kadife Kemer' and in the glycoside form (611.

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Phytohormones (plant hormones) are a group of small signalling molecules that act as important endogenous regulators in plant development and stress responses. Previous research has identified the phytohormone species, jasmonates, auxins and abscisic acid, and their related compounds in stressed leaf extracts. However, in situ visualisations of endogenous phytohormones from intact plant tissues remain elusive without the usage of labels or reporters.

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Article Synopsis
  • Phomopsis longicolla is a fungus that causes major yield losses in soybeans globally, and zinc plays a key role in how plants interact with this pathogen.
  • Soybean seedlings were tested with different zinc concentrations, revealing that the right amount of zinc can help prevent damage by promoting the growth of beneficial compounds that fend off the fungus.
  • Higher zinc levels improve soybean resistance by boosting the production of phenolics and phytohormones, enhancing the plant's ability to combat the fungus while low zinc levels make the plant more susceptible to infection.
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Cytokinins are adenine-based phytohormones that regulate key processes in plants, such as cell division and differentiation, root and shoot growth, apical dominance, branching, and seed germination. In preliminary studies, they have also shown protective activities against human neurodegenerative diseases. To extend knowledge of the protection (protective activity) they offer, we investigated activities of natural cytokinins against salsolinol (SAL)-induced toxicity (a Parkinson's disease model) and glutamate (Glu)-induced death of neuron-like dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells.

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is used as a diarrhoeal remedy in South African herbal medicine, however, its pharmacological properties remain largely unknown. In the present study, extracts from different organs were screened against drug-sensitive and -resistant diarrhoeagenic pathogens using the microdilution assay (minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC). Twig extracts (70% methanol, MeOH) of the plant were purified and the resultant fractions screened for antibacterial properties (MIC).

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Cytokinins are plant hormones with biological functions ranging from coordination of plant growth to the regulation of biotic and abiotic stress-related responses and senescence. The components of the plant immune system can learn from past elicitations by microbial pathogens and herbivores and adapt to new threats. It is known that plants can enter the primed state of enhanced defense induced by either natural or synthetic compounds.

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Grasses are a valuable group of monocotyledonous plants, used as nourishing foods and as remedies against diseases for both humans and livestock. Phytochemical profiles of 13 medicinal grasses were quantified, using spectrophotometric methods and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS), while the antioxidant activity was done using DPPH and ferric-reducing-power assays. The phytochemical analysis included the total soluble phenolic content, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, iridoids and phenolic acids.

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Cytokinins are naturally occurring substances that act as plant growth regulators promoting plant growth and development, including shoot initiation and branching, and also affecting apical dominance and leaf senescence. Aromatic cytokinin 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) has been widely used in micropropagation systems and biotechnology. However, its 9-glucoside (BAP9G) accumulates in explants, causing root inhibition and growth heterogenity.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the impact of smoke-water and karrikinolide on the phytochemicals and antioxidant activity of a declining African plant subspecies, crucial for its medicinal use.
  • The research involved culturing plant leaf explants in nutrient media supplemented with these substances and analyzing the resulting phytochemicals and antioxidant levels using advanced chromatography and chemical tests.
  • Results indicate that both smoke-water and karrikinolide significantly enhance the production of beneficial phytochemicals and their antioxidant activity in the plants, suggesting their potential for promoting sustainability in plant populations.
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Article Synopsis
  • Salinity significantly impacts plant growth and crop yield, particularly affecting seedlings of important Brassica crops like Chinese cabbage, white cabbage, and kale.
  • Under salt stress, root growth and biomass decreased while stress markers like Na/K ratio and reactive oxygen species increased, especially in Chinese cabbage.
  • Tolerant species, like white cabbage and kale, showed higher levels of beneficial phenolic acids and lower metabolic stress compared to more sensitive varieties.
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N-acetylcysteine (N-Acetyl L-cysteine, NAC) is a thiol compound derived from the addition of the acetyl group to cysteine amino acid. NAC has been used as an antioxidant, free radical scavenger, and chelating agent for reducing the deleterious effects on plants of biotic and abiotic environmental stresses. It can also relieve heavy metal (HM) toxicity, although its alleviating mechanism remains unknown.

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In this study, an extract from the bulbs of Cyrtanthus contractus showed strong anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. The extract was partially separated into 14 fractions and analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry metabolomics, and the correlation coefficients were calculated between biological activities and metabolite levels. As a result, the top-scoring metabolite narciclasine (1) is proposed as the active principle of C.

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Bioactive compounds such as karrikinolide (KAR from smoke) and eckol (from the seaweed Ecklonia maxima) show promising effects on several important crop plants. These plant growth-stimulating organic biomolecules, along with crude extracts (smoke-water and Kelpak product prepared from Ecklonia maxima), were tested on spinach plants. Eckol sprayed at 10 M significantly increased all the growth and biochemical parameters examined compared to control spinach plants.

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Eleven 6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin, Kin) derivatives were synthesized to obtain biologically active compounds. The prepared compounds were characterized using H NMR, mass spectrometry combined with HPLC purity determination and elemental C, H, N analyses. The biological activity of new derivatives was tested on plant cells and tissues in cytokinin bioassays, such as tobacco callus, detached wheat leaf chlorophyll retention bioassay and Amaranthus bioassay.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Leucosidea sericea is a southern African tree used for treating different diseases including microbial infections and inflammatory-related conditions.

Aim Of The Study: To isolate and identify the chemicals in Leucosidea sericea which possibly account for the diverse therapeutic effects of the species.

Materials And Methods: Leaf material was extracted using 20% methanol and subsequently partitioned with different solvents (hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and butanol).

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The study compared mineral, chemical and antioxidant qualities of , a wild leafy vegetable, with two widely consumed commercial vegetables, and . Mineral nutrients were quantified with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), phenolic compounds using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS) and β-carotene and vitamin C using high performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA). The antioxidant potential was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays.

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Scadoxus puniceus (Amaryllidaceae), a medicinal plant of high value in South Africa, is used as a component of a traditional herbal tonic prescribed to treat several ailments. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry quantified the phenolic compounds in different organs of S. puniceus.

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