Viscum album L. subsp. album is a hemiparasitic plant that is recognized as a medicinal plant due to its beneficial effects, including anti-tumor activity, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-hepatotoxic, hypoglycemic, and antimicrobial properties as well as for lowering blood pressure. On the other hand, mistletoe is a biotic stressor for both deciduous trees and conifers. Our main aim was to evidence the influence of mistletoe on the content of chlorophylls, proline, total phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity of leaves from tree host trees (Malus domestica, Prunus domestica, and Populus alba) that grow on the northwest of Romania. In addition, HPLC-DAD-MS-ESI+ was used to analyze the phenolic acid and flavonoid profiles of V. album L. subsp. album leaves according to their parasitized hosts. A significant decrease in chlorophyll a level of approximately 32% was detected in poplars infested with mistletoe, followed by infested apples and plums with pigment reductions of 29.25% and 9.65%, respectively. The content of total phenols and flavonoids in the parasitized trees was higher compared to the non-parasitized ones. In the case of poplar, which presented the highest incidence of mistletoe infestation (70.37%), the content of total phenols in the leaves was two times higher compared to non-infested leaves. Based on HPLC chromatographic analysis, leaves of mistletoe growing on apple (VAM) had the highest content of phenolic acids (7.833 mg/g dw), followed by mistletoe leaves on poplar (VAO) and plum (VAP) (7.033 mg/g dw and, respectively, 5.559 mg/g dw). Among the flavonols, the predominant component was Rhamnazin glucosides in the amount of 1.025 ± 0.08 mg/g dw in VAO, followed by VAP and VAM (0.514 ± 0.04 and 0.478 ± 0.04 mg/g dw, respectively). Although our results show that mistletoe negatively influences the host trees, it is still a valuable plant that must be exploited to bring benefits to human health.

With the expansion of urban areas, the amount of sludge produced by sewage treatment plants is increasing, raising big problems regarding the reintroduction of this sludge into nature in order to fully solve the wastewater problem. The application of sludge to agricultural surfaces or degraded land is a controversial solution since, despite the well-known benefits, sludge can, in certain cases, represent a real threat to both human health and the environment, with long-term harmful effects. The present study evaluates the potential genotoxicity of sludge using the Comet Test and three cellular bioindicators (lymphocytes, coelomocytes, and Allium cepa L.) for its quantification. To perform the tests, the soluble fraction of the sludge was used at concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, as well as a negative control (H₂O) and a positive control (H₂O₂). The Comet test indicated an increase in DNA damage among cells exposed for 4 h in the following order: coelomocytes, lymphocytes, and Allium cepa L. cells. Our results indicate that Allium cepa L. nuclei are more sensitive, with genotoxic effects being evident at concentrations as low as 25%. In coelomocytes, we recorded nuclear damage starting at a concentration of 75%. These results indicate the necessity of using multiple genotoxicity tests, combined in a test battery, to achieve a greater level of relevance. The concentration of the soluble fraction of the sludge has an inverse relationship with the auxin content in leaves and roots, suggesting varying levels of stress. The results of this study can contribute to the creation of a genotoxic profile of sewage sludge, facilitating decisions related to reducing its negative impact.

Natural compounds are used in modern dermal treatments to avoid side effects commonly associated with conventional treatments. The aim of our study was to develop a liposomal formulation including black mulberry extract and to highlight its potential on the healing of normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) in vitro using the scratch test. Mulberry-loaded liposomes (MnL) were prepared using a thin-film hydration method based on cholesterol (C) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) in a 1:3 (w/w) ratio. The liposomal formulation was characterized by analyzing its size, electric surface potential, morphology, entrapment efficiency, and in vitro healing effects. Also, the black mulberry fruits (Morus nigra L.) were characterized from point of view of polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity by Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay. HPLC-DAD-MS (ESI⁺) (high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection-mass spectrometry (electrospray ionization)) analysis indicated the presence of phenolic compounds namely from hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonols. Among flavonols, quercetin-glucoside represented 50.56%, and chlorogenic acid was the predominant compound among hydroxycinnamic acids (37.06%). In vitro fibroblast wound closure was more effective with mulberry-loaded liposomes (MnL) than extracts of mulberries. According to our study, mulberry-loaded liposomes have been shown to be effective in wound healing and can be used as a natural treatment.

This study was conducted to evaluate whether the application of proline as a potential osmoprotectant at different doses could improve the genotoxic and mutagenic effects caused by plant exposure to cadmium salts. For this purpose, the Comet assay was used, which allows the rapid detection of DNA damage shortly after its occurrence, before the DNA is repaired, as well as the discrimination of the DNA damage limited to specific cells in a heterogeneous population. After treatment of Allium cepa roots with 75µM CdSO₄·H₂O (Cd sample), a DNA percentage of 35.24% was recorded in the tail. In the samples treated first with proline and then with cadmium (pre-treatment group), the percentage DNA in the tail was reduced by 24.8% compared with the Cd sample. Instead, in the post-treatment group (samples treated first with cadmium and then with proline), the percentage DNA in the tail was reduced by 69.04% compared with the Cd sample. All cadmium treatments induced chromosomal aberrations (CAs). Compared with the CAs values obtained after Cd treatment, the reduction was 75.6% in the pre-treatment group and 55.39% in the post-treatment group. The results of this study highlighted that exogenous application of proline alleviated the genotoxic effect of cadmium.

Wheat is the most important raw material for bakery industries. Real-time grain quality assessment could increase bakery product quality and baking efficiency. The quality assessment of wheat grains can be conducted using modern and non-invasive techniques based on near-infrared spectrophotometry (NIRS) methods for the assessment of gluten content (WetGL), protein content, Zeleny index (ZelenyIdx), grain humidity (Ur), etc. The topic covered in the study is of current interest, is a part of sustainable research, and involves aspects of food quality, one of the concerns addressed by the University of Oradea’s Department of Food Engineering. The present study was carried out in 2020 on eleven wheat lots from Romania and Hungary. Following the NIRS analyses, the results show varied quality for the Romanian and Hungarians wheat lots. The Romanian variety Crisana recorded the highest values for quality parameters, being similar to the Hungarian variety Bekes from Hajdu Bihar County. The statistical analysis was carried out using multivariate analysis (multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), canonical variate analysis (CVA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA)), which highlighted which of the batches of wheat grains can be mixed to obtain a raw material of high quality for the bakery industry.