Bryophyllum

Yemitan OK, Salahdeen HM. Neurosedative and muscle relaxant activities of aqueous extract of Bryophyllum pinnatum. Fitoterapia 2005 76 187-193. 

Alkaloids have been found in a few species. In this survey, 81 samples of 64 species were tested to give, as the only positive, the known Bryophyllum daigremoniianum. Crassula expansa, C. mariti-ma (1/2), Crassula sp. cf. cotymbosa, C. vagitana (1/3), Echeveria pubescens, Sedum oxypetalum, and Sedum sp. (1/5), which were not known, were also positive. 

Nimmo, G.A., Nimmo, H.G., Hamilton, I.D., Fewson, C.A. Wilkins, M.B. (1986). Purification of the phosphorylated night form and dephosphorylated day form of phosphoeno/pyruvate carboxylase from Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi. Biochemical Journal 239, 213-20. 

Proner has proved the presence of sedoheptulose in Sedum acre L., S. boloniense Lois., and reflexum L. Bennet-Clark reported its presence in S. praealtum A. de C. Nordal ° identified sedoheptulose conclusively in S. acre, L., S. album L., S. roseum (L.) Scop., S. spurium M.-B., and S. Telephium L., and concluded from qualitative color reactions that sedoheptulose is widely distributed within the family Crassu-laceae, but it is not always present. The experiments of Wolf have made it appear highly probable that sedoheptulose occurs in Bryophyllum calycinum Salisb. and Sempervivum glaucum Tenore. 

Adventitious roots are such as occur in abnormal places on the plant. Examples Roots developing on Bryophyllum and Begonia leaves when placed in moist sand. 

An adventitious bud is one which occurs on some position of the stem other than at its apex or in the axil of a leaf. Such buds may be seen developing along the veins of a Begonia leaf or along the margin of a Bryophyllum leaf after these have been planted in moist soil for several days. 

The cardioactive compounds from Bryophyllum species are bufadienolides with potent cytotoxic activity (Yamagishi et al, 1989). Bryophyllin B (35) (Fig. 24.9) from Bryophyllum pinnatum possesses an unusual orthoacetate-containing structure this compound has an ED50 of less than 80 ng/ml in the KB cell culture system (Yamagishi et al, 1989). 

Yamagishi, T., M. Haruna, X. Yan, J. Chang, and K. Lee, Antitumor Agents, 110. Bryophyllin B, a novel potent cytotoxic bufa-dienolide from Bryophyllum pinnatum, J. Nat. Prod., 52, 1071-1079 (1989). 

There are other difficulties in the interpretation of data from experiments using growth retardants. First of all, the site of action of the compounds should be determined, since this will have important implications for the role of GAs in flower initiation. For example, CCC inhibits flower initiation following photoinduction in both the LSDP Bryophyllum daigremontianum and the SDP Pharbitis nil, but in the former case the growth retardant acts in the leaf whereas it is the apex that is the affected tissue in the latter [25,27]. 

The floral stimulus acts at the apex and therefore determination of the site of GA action is important in formulating logical hypotheses about the role of GAs in flower initiation. Although not examined in many species, the evidence indicates that GAs can affect flower initiation at different sites. Flower induction brought about by GAg treatments in Bryophyllum daigremontianum and Hyoscyamus niger is the result of GA action in the leaves, not the apex where the floral stimulus acts [21, 22]. The situation is quite different in the SDP Pharbitis nil and Impatiens balsamina, where it was determined that the apex is the site of GA action [ 16,25,27]. 

It remains to be seen if similar regulatory controls on the production of the floral stimulus are unique to Bryophyllum or are of more widespread distribution. 

With the help of TLC it has been possible to detect, in addition to gibbereUins already known, numerous substances with gibbereUin activity and even gibbereUin precursors [93] as genuinely present in various plant genera m Bryophyllum [118 a] Citrus [52] Echinocystis [15] Fusarium [16, 29, 39a, 83] various Gramineae [38, 121] Hordeum [39, 93, 98a] Malus [11a] Nicotiana [115, 118] Phaseolus [38, 113] Pisum [51, 109 a] Rudheckia [97 a] Solanum tuberosum [31, 31a] TrifoUum [122] Zea mays [38]). 

Comparative studies of transport in Phaseolus vulgaris. New Phytol 62 173-197 Loeb J (1917) Influence of leaf upon root formation and geo tropic curvature in the stem of Bryophyllum calycinum and the possibility of a hormone theory of these processes. Bot Gaz 63 25-50... 

Karsten, U. Bryophyllosid, ein neues Kampferolglykosid aus Bryophyllum daigremon-tianum (R. Hamet et Perr.) Berg. Naturwiss. 52, 84—85 (1965). 

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