The nuclear reactor accident in Chernobyl, Ukraine, resulted in effects both locally and farther away. Most of the contaminated areas were the agricultural fields and forests. Experimental fields were established near Chernobyl—radioactively contaminated fields localized 5 km from Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant as well as the remediated soil that is localized directly in the Chernobyl town. Two flax varieties growing under chronic exposition to ionizing radiation were used for this study—the local Ukrainian variety Kyivskyi and a commercial variety Bethune. The screening of the length polymorphism generated by transposable elements insertions were performed. All known types of common flax transposon, retrotransposons and iPBS approach were used. In the iPBS multiplex analyze, for the Kyivskyi variety, a unique addition was found in the seeds from the radioactive contaminated field and for the Bethune variety, a total of five amplicon additions were obtained and one deletion. For the TRIM Cassandra fingerprints, two amplicon additions were generated in the seeds from radioactive contaminated fields for the Bethune variety. In summary, the obtained data represent the genetic diversity between control and irradiated subgroups of flax seeds from Chernobyl area and the presence of activated transposable elements due to the irradiation stress.

Stress caused by challenging environmental conditions is often associated with the rapid production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that dramatically alter cellular redox homeostasis. ROS generation is tightly connected with its utilization, as impaired equilibrium of these processes results in oxidative stress having profound consequences for cell physiology. The balanced action of both antioxidant enzymes and non-enzymatic antioxidants counterbalances the harmful effects of ROS. Despite the functional antioxidant system of the cell, excessive ROS leads to disruption of vital cellular processes which is associated with the development of various lifestyle diseases, mainly cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Enhanced consumption of foodstuffs with high and balanced antioxidant bioactive compounds is linked with the positive effects of beneficial antioxidants impacting cellular protection resulting in health promotion. In this chapter, we present an outline of how bioactive compounds determine their health-promoting properties.

The Cornus mas L. fruit is well known for having a high presence of bioactive substances that include phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, vitamins, flavonoids, carotenoids, and ursolic acid. The health-promoting effects of those substances are mainly associated with their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. In this study, we investigated the role of Cornus mas L. fruit ethanolic extract on the cell vitality of a model eukaryotic organism, the yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The effect of Cornus mas L. fruit ethanolic extract on cell viability was determined by analyses of cell growth and cell doubling time during exposure to the extract. To determine the ability of Cornus mas L. to reduce or induce oxidative stress, quantification of intracellular reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde levels was performed. Additionally, the enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase was evaluated together with the determination of changes in the expression of genes related to oxidative stress response. The data suggest a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect of the Cornus mas L. fruit ethanol extract, as a higher concentration (2%) led to increased oxidative stress and reduced cell viability of S. pombe cells, while a lower concentration (0.5%) showed only a subtle effect on the analyzed parameters. This study provides a new perspective on the possible antimicrobial or medicinal properties of Cornus mas L. fruit ethanol extract due to its ability to induce oxidative stress in the cell.

Aluminum (Al), the third most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, has been preserved for thousands or even millions of years. However, acidic rain and soil acidification, largely driven by human activities related to industrialization and the increased use of Al in daily life, have led to the mobilization of Al from its complex natural resources. This exposure has affected various microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and yeast, as well as macroorganisms such as plants, animals, and humans, by introducing them to Al in its ionic form. To date, no biological role for Al has been defined in organisms; however, some beneficial effects have been shown, particularly on plant growth. The exposure of living organisms, particularly human cell lines, to chronic and high doses of Al has been the focus of numerous studies. The consequences of such exposure can vary significantly based on the type of organism, their sensitivity, the form of Al, and the dosage used. In plants, these consequences can include inhibited root growth, stunted development, reduced biomass, and disrupted nutrient uptake. In animals, Al exposure can lead to neurological impairments, impaired mineral metabolism, and bone abnormalities. In humans, it may result in encephalopathy, cognitive deficits, microcytic anemia, and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Unicellular organisms, such as yeast and bacteria, may experience decreased cell viability, inhibited growth, and disrupted metabolic processes. This review discusses the genotoxicity of Al in plants, mammals, and yeast cells, as well as the subsequent detrimental effects on cell cycle and cell proliferation. It also explores the underlying mechanisms and pathways associated with these effects. Furthermore, the types of Al-induced cell death as a response mechanism to Al toxicity and the pathways involved in various cell types were discussed.

Arachis hypogaea L. – peanut (syn. groundnut) belong botanically to annual herbs, more specifically to legumes (family Fabaceae). Cultivated from is characterized as allotetraploid specie and that has a large and genome with high level of complexity as a result of natural hybridization of wild diploid species Arachis cardenasii (nn) and Arachis batizocoi. Individual analysis that are aimed to description of the genetic similarity and variability of wild and cultivated Arachis species are substantial for the knowledge of intaspecific relationships. In this study, conserved DNA-derived polymorphism technique was used to analyse genetic variability of natural genotypes of peanut. CDDP is a simple PCR based method that was proved to be efficient in the studies of plant populations polymorphism. Primers used in CDDP target conserved sequences of plant functional genes that are involved in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Here, bulked DNA samples of twenty-one natural populations were analysed by with five CDDP primer combinations. Selected primers produced a total of 260 amplicons, among which 107 (41.2%) amplicons were polymorphic. The average number of obtained amplicons per primer was about 51.8. Amplified polymorphic fragments of analysed genotypes ranged from 13 to 33 and percentage of polymorphism ranged from 35 % to 47 %. UPGMA cluster analysis was performed on the base of prepared binary matrices and obtained clustering has grouped the analyzed peanut populations into five major groups with further subgroups. The results of CCDP fingerprinting shown, that this marker technique provide sufficient distinguishing of a wild population of Arachis hypogaea L.. Analysed genotypes of peanut were separated into different groups based on genetic diversity, however, the level of polymorphisms that detected used markers among populations of Arachis hypogaea L. was low.

Nonspecific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTP) are common allergen discovered and described 40 years ago. They are present in many plant species and protect plants from stressors such as heat and drought. Studies on the peach nsLTP, Pru p 3, show that nsLTP are very cross-reactive trough presented IgE epitopes shared by nsLTP from other botanically related fruits. These allergens are to varying degrees resistant to heat and digestion, and sensitization may occur through the oral, cutaneous, or inhaled routes. In the last years several web tools for prediction of allergenicity of new molecules based on their homology with known allergens have been created and have been established guidelines to assess potential allergenicity of proteins trough bioinformatics. Here, Allerbase and NCBI Protein BLAST were applied to characterize the protein sequences of nsLTPs of plant species – Malus domestica, Prunus persica, Daucus carota, Vitis vinifera and Solanum lycopersicum. Obtained primary data were evaluated by algorithm NCBI BLAST (Basic local Alignment Search Tools). This tool allows to search similar protein sequences, in this case was used Protein BLAST for comparing protein sequences. Most of the analysed sequences displayed a high probability to be allergenic according to the hight sequencing identity and sharing IgE epitopes to each other. The highest sequencing identity in preselected plant species was presented between Pru p 3 (isoform Pru p 3.0102) and Mal d 3 (isoform Mal d 3.0101), 91,32% and they share the same epitope, NNA. The lowest sequencing homology was identified between Mal d 3.0203 and Dau c LTP, 43,10% and they did not share any epitope to each other.