Triphala is a mixture of tree fruits obtained from Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellerica, and Phyllanthus emblica. It is one of the Ayurveda medicinal recipes used to treat health diseases such as obesity. The chemical composition analysis of Triphala extracts obtained from an equal portion of three fruits was performed. The contents of total phenolic compounds (62.87 ± 0.21 mg gallic acid equivalent/mL), total flavonoids (0.24 ± 0.01 mg catechin equivalent/mL), hydrolyzable tannins (177.27 ± 10.09 mg gallotannin equivalent/mL), and condensed tannins (0.62 ± 0.11 mg catechin equivalent/mL) were observed in Triphala extracts. The 1 mg/mL of Triphala extracts was applied to batch culture fermentation which contained the feces from voluntarily obese female adults (body mass index of 35.0-40.0 kg/m²) for 24 h. The extraction of DNA and metabolites was each conducted on the samples obtained from batch culture fermentation within and without Triphala extracts treatment. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted metabolomic analysis were carried out. There was no statistically significant difference between Triphala extracts and control treatments on the changes in microbial profiles (p-value <0.05). While the metabolomic analysis showed statistically significant differences of 305 up-regulated and 23 down-regulated metabolites in the treatment of Triphala extracts when compared with the control (p-value <0.05 and fold-change ≥2) belonging to 60 pathways. The pathway analysis revealed that Triphala extracts play an important role in the activation of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis. In this study, phenylalanine and tyrosine were identified metabolites which involve in the regulation of energy metabolism. The treatment of Triphala extracts possesses the induction of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis in fecal batch culture fermentation of obese adults and therefore it can be suggested as a probable herbal medicinal recipe for obesity treatment.

Changing environmental conditions can generate abiotic stress, such as the scarcity of water and exposure to chemicals. This includes biotic stress like Phytophthora palmivora infection, which causes leaf fall disease and inhibits the growth rate of para rubber seedlings, resulting in economic loss. To prevent abiotic and biotic stresses, biocontrol agents such as cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) from Bacillus spp. have been introduced to reduce the use of chemically synthesized fungicides and fertilizers. This study aimed to use Bacillus CLP extracts as a biological agent to stimulate the plant growth system in para rubber seedlings under stress conditions compared with the exogenous plant hormone (salicylic acid, SA). CLP extracts obtained from B. subtilis PTKU12 and exogenous SA were applied to the leaves of para rubber seedlings. The extracted metabolites from each treatment were analyzed by untargeted metabolomics for metabolite identification and metabolic networks under stress responses. In both treatments, 1,702 and 979 metabolites were detected in the positive and negative ion modes of electrospray ionization, respectively. The differential analysis revealed that the accumulation of up-regulated metabolites in the treatment of CLP extracts was higher than in the exogenous SA treatment, belonging to 56 metabolic pathways. The analysis of metabolic pathways indicated that CLP extracts employed alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolisms for stress responses leading to plant growth promotion. These findings revealed that the metabolic network for plant growth promotion induced by BacillusCLP extracts could be considered a protective option for para rubber plantations. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-03-022 Full Text: PDF

Phytophthora palmivora, an oomycete pathogen, induces leaf fall disease in rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis), causing significant economic losses. Effective disease management requires an understanding metabolic dynamics during infection. This study employed untargeted metabolomic and proteomic analyses to investigate the response of rubber seedling leaves to P. palmivora infection. Metabolomic profiling revealed 1702 and 979 metabolite peaks in positive and negative ionization modes, respectively, with 212 metabolites identified after duplicate removal. Principal component analysis demonstrated distinct metabolic profiles between infected and non-infected leaves. Volcano plots indicated significant changes in 90 metabolites (P < 0.05, fold-change ≥ 2), with 20 showing increased levels and 70 showing decreased levels in infected leaves. Pathway analysis highlighted nine metabolic pathways, with alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism being the most impacted. Proteomic analysis identified 391 proteins, with 283 in infected leaves and 253 in control leaves. Among these, 145 were common to both conditions, suggesting their roles in maintaining homeostasis and responding to stress. Unique proteins in infected leaves were linked to oxidative phosphorylation, ATP synthesis and metabolic adjustments, reflecting the increased energy demands. Control samples showed proteins related to growth and photosynthesis. Integrating metabolomic and proteomic data revealed significant alterations in energy metabolism pathways in response to infection. These findings enhance our understanding of rubber seedlings’ defense strategies against P. palmivora, with implications for improving plant resistance and disease management strategies.