https://bsr.ujiroft.ac.ir/ Biospeices Research en daily 1 Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://bsr.ujiroft.ac.ir/article_236870.html The impact of dietary supplementation of 1.5 mg of Selenium/kg of diet as Selenium-methionine (Se-Met) and 0.8 mg of Chromium/kg of diet as Chromium-methionine (Cr-Met) and their combination (Se-Cr-Met) on glucose and insulin responses during intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was examined on 24 Baluchi ewe lambs (18-20 weeks of age) with 6 replicates per treatment. Blood samples were collected before (time 0) and 2, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min after IVGTT. The supplementation of Se- and/or Cr-Met resulted in a lower peak glucose concentration at 2 minutes and a diminished concentration at 180 minutes following the infusion (P<0.05). Additionally, lambs receiving Cr-Met and Se-Cr-Met exhibited lower serum glucose levels at 120 minutes in comparison to the control group (P≤ 0.05). Furthermore, animals consuming diets supplemented with Se-Met and/or Cr-Met showed a reduced area under the curve (AUC) for glucose and insulin at 180 minutes following the IVGTT (P<0.05). The quantity of circulating malondialdehyde, which serves as an indicator of oxidative stress, was reduced in lambs supplemented with Se-Met and/or Cr-Met (P<0.05). It can be concluded that the supplementation of organic Se-Met and/or Cr-Met enhanced glucose clearance and insulin sensitivity in growing Baluchi ewe lambs, with these effects possibly mediated by a decrease in systemic oxidative stress. https://bsr.ujiroft.ac.ir/article_237520.html Pergularia tomentosa, a medicinally valuable species in arid regions, persists at critically low densities in recently years in Iran, demanding some conservation action. Its frequent coexistence with Pteropyrum aucheri, a shrub known to enhance its aboveground growth, prompted our investigation into P. aucheri's influence on soil seed bank (SSB) dynamics for potential restoration applications. Greenhouse germination of soil samples (beneath vs. outside shrub canopies) revealed 2,164 seedlings, with 68% (1,486) emerging from sub-canopy soils. P. aucheri significantly enhanced SSB density at 0-5 cm depth across functional groups: annuals (3,431 vs. 999), perennials (412 vs. 147), forbs (1,835 vs. 726), and grasses (2,048 vs. 424). Poaceae dominated the SSB composition (8 species). The complete absence of P. tomentosa germinants, despite its coexistence with P. aucheri, reveals a critical restoration constraint. This suggests that SSBs contributes minimally to P. tomentosa persistence and canopy-associated SSB enrichment doesn't benefit this target species. While P. aucheri creates favorable microsites for general SSB enrichment, its facilitation doesn't extend to P. tomentosa recruitment via seed banks. Restoration protocols must therefore combine shrub-retention (to maintain beneficial microhabitats) with active P. tomentosa reintroduction to ensure species recovery in degraded arid ecosystems. Active restoration such as direct seeding is essential. https://bsr.ujiroft.ac.ir/article_237521.html Apoptosis is a genetically encoded and meticulously controlled cellular self-destruction program, fundamental to embryogenesis, tissue equilibrium, immune function, and the removal of compromised or dangerous cells. Unlike necrosis, apoptosis unfolds via a coordinated molecular cascade that maintains the plasma membrane's integrity and avoids inciting inflammation. Mechanistically, apoptosis is driven by a family of cysteine proteases called caspases. Their activation occurs primarily through two routes: the extrinsic pathway, triggered by death receptor activation, and the intrinsic pathway, regulated by mitochondrial events. A key regulatory checkpoint of the intrinsic pathway is mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), a process controlled by interactions among members of the B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein family. In parallel, the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins provides an additional regulatory layer by restraining caspase activity downstream of mitochondrial signaling. Dysregulation of these apoptotic networks is a defining feature of numerous human diseases, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, neurodegeneration, and ischemic injury. Advances in understanding apoptotic control mechanisms have facilitated the development of targeted therapeutic strategies, such as BH3-mimetics and SMAC mimetics, aimed at modulating cell death susceptibility in disease-specific contexts. This review synthesizes current insights into the molecular architecture of apoptosis, highlighting key regulatory checkpoints, pathway integration, and emerging therapeutic opportunities. https://bsr.ujiroft.ac.ir/article_239648.html The heavy metal cadmium is an environmental pollutant that causes various toxicities in living organisms, especially plants. The organic substances thiamine and 24-epibrassinolide are known as plant growth regulators that cause different growth and physiological responses in plants. There have been no studies on the interaction of thiamine and epibrassinolide with heavy metals. In this study, the induction of possible resistance-inducing effects by the application of thiamine and epibrassinolide treatment on the reduction of cadmium toxicity in rapeseed was investigated. Rapeseed plants were grown in a greenhouse environment under standard conditions for 4 weeks. After this period, the effects of experimental treatments including concentrations of thiamine (0, 100, and 200 μM), epibrassinolide (0, 0.02, and 0.5 μM), and cadmium (0, 250, and 500 μM) were tested on plants every other day for 7 days. The experiment and treatments were performed in a completely randomized design with 3 replications on the plants. The resulting data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range test at a significance level of 5% using SPSS 18.0 software. The results of this study showed that cadmium stress reduced plant height parameters, fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots, and reduced the content of photosynthetic pigments and sugars in the leaves of stressed plants compared to the control. https://bsr.ujiroft.ac.ir/article_239647.html Weeds are the most significant constraint on rice production in Iran, capable of causing yield losses of up to 90% under severe infestation. while herbicide application remains the predominant control method, its indiscriminate and repeated use has led to herbicide resistance in key species such as Echinochloa crus-galli and Cyperus spp. This practice has also resulted in surface water pollution, increased production costs, and environmental degradation. This article presents integrated weed management (IWM) as a sustainable, economical, and environmentally sound alternative for farmers. The IWM framework is built on five practical pillars: management of the soil seed bank through false seedbed preparation, deep plowing, and rice straw mulching; cultivation of competitive rice varieties with strong vigor and allopathic potential; increased planting density and optimized square planting patterns for rapid canopy closure; smart water management via alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation to reduce water use by 20–30%; and implementation of a structured five-year herbicide rotation program incorporating varied modes of action to delay resistance evolution. The integrated application of these strategies reduces reliance on herbicides, increases yield, protects environmental health, improves farmer profitability, and ensures the long-term sustainability of rice production systems. https://bsr.ujiroft.ac.ir/article_239968.html This study aimed to evaluate different isolation methods, including ultracentrifugation (UC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based precipitation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from Aloe vera and investigate their yield, purity, and physicochemical properties. Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) have attracted increasing attention as natural nanocarriers for biomedical, nutraceutical, and food-related applications. In this study, EVs were isolated from Aloe vera leaf peel and gel using UC and PEG methods. The EVs were characterized by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), NanoDrop protein quantification, and zeta potential measurements. Aloe vera gel-derived EVs using the UC method showed higher particle concentrations, more consistent size distributions, and lower protein contamination compared with peel and gel PEG-derived samples. The PEG isolation markedly increased apparent protein concentration, especially in the gel, indicating co-precipitation of non-vesicular plant components and polymer-associated artifacts. Zeta potential analysis further revealed significant surface charge variation on PEG-derived vesicles, both in peel and gel, particularly after high-speed centrifugation. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that UC provides superior purity and physicochemical stability of Aloe vera EVs, while PEG precipitation inflates protein yield and alters vesicle surface properties. The present study highlights the importance of the isolation method, which affects its potential applications. https://bsr.ujiroft.ac.ir/article_239656.html Petunia is a widely cultivated ornamental plant whose growth and flowering performance are strongly affected by the physical and chemical properties of the growing substrate. Increasing costs and limited availability of cocopeat have encouraged the use of low-cost, locally available alternatives. This study investigated the morphological and physiological responses of petunia grown in Tehran pine cone–based peat (Pinus eldarica) compared with cocopeat. The experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with two substrate treatments, perlite–cocopeat and perlite–pine cone peat, with three replications. Plant height, flower number and diameter, flowering time, shoot and root biomass, leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, total soluble sugars, and petal anthocyanin concentration were evaluated. The results showed that the pine cone peat–perlite mixture increased flower number by 85.7% and significantly enhanced leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid contents by 45.4% and 25.5%, respectively, while cocopeat promoted higher accumulation of soluble sugars. Overall, composted P. eldarica cone peat appears to be a sustainable and economically viable alternative to cocopeat for petunia production. https://bsr.ujiroft.ac.ir/article_242869.html Hairy root culture, induced through Agrobacterium rhizogenes–mediated genetic transformation, has emerged as one of the most powerful platforms in plant biotechnology for the production of high-value secondary metabolites. This technology combines rapid growth, genetic and biosynthetic stability, and synthesis under controlled conditions. In recent years, limitations associated with conventional extraction from natural plants have intensified global interest in vitro systems. Hairy roots offer an efficient alternative, while also enabling metabolic reprogramming and the accumulation of unique phytochemicals not detected in non-transformed tissues. This review summarizes the biological principles of hairy root induction and the metabolic advantages of transformed roots. In addition, the article highlights technological strategies for yield enhancement. Special emphasis is placed on bioreactor-based cultivation, with a focus on reactor designs, engineering constraints, and challenges related to oxygen transfer, shear sensitivity, and biomass aggregation. Key findings highlight that hairy root cultures can surpass wild plants in yield for specific metabolites when combined with elicitation strategies. However, major challenges such as shear sensitivity in bioreactors, biomass aggregation, and scale-up complexities remain significant hurdles for industrial adoption. Continued advances in molecular engineering and bioreactor design are expected to accelerate the commercial deployment of this technology.