Topic
Withania somnifera
About: Withania somnifera is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2116 publications have been published within this topic receiving 43404 citations. The topic is also known as: Ashwaganda & Indian ginseng.
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01 Mar 2019
TL;DR: This is the first report on endophyte, T. trachyspermus from W. somnifera having potential plant growth promoting traits and biocontrol, which can be further exploited to enhance the medicinal value of the plant.
Abstract: The medicinal plant, Withania somnifera is attributed by valuable medicinal properties and is widely cultivated. It is a need to take care of this plant from synthetic agrochemicals that may be hazardous for health and environment. The aim of the present study was to isolate and screen the endophytic fungi of W. somnifera that have potential of plant growth promotion and antagonism against plant pathogens. In this study, 22 potential fungal endophytes comprising of species of Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Nigrospora, Colletotrichum and Talaromyces identified at National Fungal Culture Collection of India (NFCCI), Pune were isolated. The potential isolate, Talaromyces trachyspermus was confirmed by BLAST and phylogenetic analysis of sequences of rDNA ITS, LSU (D1 D2) and β-tubulin genes. Among all the isolates, T. trachyspermus exhibited comparatively higher activity for hydrolytic enzymes, protease, chitinase, amylase, cellulase and pectinase that are required for antagonistic property. It was observed to be a promising biocontrol agent against plant pathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. This strain is also characterized with high level of indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophore synthesis, and phosphate solubilization activities that are important for plant growth promotion. This is the first report on endophyte, T. trachyspermus from W. somnifera having potential plant growth promoting traits and biocontrol, which can be further exploited to enhance the medicinal value of the plant.
11 citations
TL;DR: The results showed that the growth index of THRs after five weeks of culture was 2-fold higher than that of adventitious hairy roots (AHRs), which can be used for the production of WFA as a valuable anticancer compound through controlled and scaled up cultures of W. somnifera THRs.
Abstract: Withanolides (WTDs), well-known medicinally important compounds of Withania somnifera, including the anticancer compound withaferin A (WFA), are biosynthesized from their dedicated precursor squale...
11 citations
11 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The two most antagonistic isolates against Fusarium oxysporum were Trichoderma harzianum and Trichodma hamatum, both of which inhibited mycelial growth at maximum in in vitro condition.
Abstract: Withania somnifera is an important medicinal plant native to the Indian-sub continent. Owing to the presence of a number of precious alkaloids, flavonoids and withanolides, it is widely used in the Indian and African systems of medicines. It is severely affected by Fusarium oxysporum causing wilting. The general inadequacy of chemical fungicides to tackle Fusarium oxysporum disease in plants has led to the search for biocontrol solutions to this malady. Eleven isolates of different fungal spp. were evaluated for their antagonistic activity against F. oxysporum under in vitro conditions. Different isolates showed varying degrees of antagonism. The two most antagonistic isolates against Fusarium oxysporum were Trichoderma harzianum and. Trichoderma hamatum. Both these fungus inhibited mycelial growth at maximum in in vitro condition. Microscopic examination at the point of contact of two fungi revealed that the overgrowing mycelium of the antagonist penetrated the mycelium of the pathogen and the tip of the hyphae of the pathogen swelled and curled making it ineffective.
11 citations
TL;DR: Results revealed that column fractions of methanolic extract obtained from leaves of Withania somnifera showed significantly improved suppression of parasitemia at lower doses compared to the crude extracts.
Abstract: Different crude methanolic and chloroform extracts of Withania somnifera leaves, and column fractions of the methanolic extract, were tested in vivo for antimalarial activity on Swiss albino male mice. Each mouse in the study was infected intraperitoneally with 0.2 mL of blood containing 106-107 infected erythrocytes taken from mice previously infected with chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei. The extracts were given to the infected mice intraperitoneally starting from 3 h following inoculation. Antimalarial activity was evaluated by taking blood smears on day 4. The results revealed that column fractions of methanolic extract obtained from leaves of Withania somnifera showed significantly improved suppression of parasitemia at lower doses compared to the crude extracts. Reduction of parasitemia by 44% and 57% was observed at doses of 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight, respectively, by column fractions of methanolic crude extract.
10 citations