Papers by Zora Dajic Stevanovic
Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry, 2013
The aim of this paper is to present a numeric-statistical model by which it is possible to evalua... more The aim of this paper is to present a numeric-statistical model by which it is possible to evaluate the quality of the observed grassland upon floristic and vegetation assessment. Thanks to this new methodological approach, the impact of each individual plant species on overall quality of the grassland could be estimated. The main goal was to determine species which significantly determine the pastoral value of the grassland. The quality (pastoral value) of the grassland was calculated using the numerical values of quality index of each individual species of each relevé of the community. For testing this numerical method, the total of 11 relevés of 4 grassland communities of hilly-mountainous area of Mt. Kopaonik was used. Analyzed vegetation includes previously unpublished phytocenological relevés as result of our own field research. All analyzed relevés were obtained using the method of the Swiss-French phytocenological school. The results showed that the best and the worst quality were determined for the ass. Festuco-Brometum erectii, and the ass. Nardetum strictae, respectively. Species that highly contributed to good and bad quality of grassland were Arrhenatherum elatius, Festuca rubra, Dactylis glomerata, Trifolium repens, etc., and Carduus alpestris, Hieracium hoppeanum, Ornithogalum umbelatum, respectively Key words: semi-natural grasslands, numerical index of grassland quality, numerical assessment of grassland quality, pastoral value, cluster analysis, multivariate analysis.
Understanding the variation in community composition and species abundances, i.e., β-diversity, i... more Understanding the variation in community composition and species abundances, i.e., β-diversity, is at the heart of community ecology. A common approach to examine β-diversity is to evaluate directional turnover in community composition by measuring the decay in the similarity among pairs of communities along spatial or environmental distances. We provide the first global synthesis of taxonomic and functional distance decay along spatial and environmental distance by analysing 149 datasets comprising different types of organisms and environments. We modelled an exponential distance decay for each dataset using generalized linear models and extracted r2 and slope to analyse the strength and the rate of the decay. We studied whether taxonomic or functional similarity has stronger decay across the spatial and environmental distances. We also unveiled the factors driving the rate of decay across the datasets, including latitude, spatial extent, realm, and organismal features. Taxonomic d...
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2020
Essential oils (EOs) and their main constituents, the terpenes, are widely studied, mostly relati... more Essential oils (EOs) and their main constituents, the terpenes, are widely studied, mostly relating to their antioxidant ability and bioactivity, such as antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and range of other actions in the living systems. However, there is limited information on their bioavailability, especially upon clinical studies. Having in mind both strong biological effects and health benefits of EOs and their specific physicochemical properties (volatility, lipophilic character, low water solubility or insolubility, viscosity, expressed odor, concentration-dependent toxicity, etc.), there is a need for their encapsulation for target delivery. Encapsulation of EOs and their constituents is the prerequisite for enhancing their oxidative stability, thermostability, photostability, shelf life, and biological activity. We considered various carrier types such a (1) monophase and polyphase polysaccharide hydrogel carriers, (2) polysaccharide-protein carriers, and (3) lipid carriers in the context of physicochemical and engineering factors. Physicochemical factors are encapsulation efficiency, chemical stability under gastric conditions, mechanical stability, and thermal stability of carrier matrices. Choice of carrier material also determines the encapsulation technique. Consequently, the engineering factors are related to the advantage and disadvantage of various encapsulation techniques frequently used in the literature. In addition, it was intended to address the interactions between (1) main carrier components, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids themselves (in order to form chemically and mechanically stable structure); (2) main carrier components with pepsin under gastric conditions (in order to form resistant material under gastric conditions); and (3) main carrier components with EOs (in order to enhance encapsulation efficiency), as a necessary precondition for whole process optimization. Finally, different sources for obtaining natural carrier macromolecules are surveyed, especially the agro-waste materials and agricultural and food by-products. This review article highlights the bioavailability aspects of encapsulated EOs and physicochemical and engineering factors concerning natural macromolecule carriers for their target delivery and application.
ABI Genetika, 2017
300 and 500 µM). In conclusion, T3 was unable to increase the level of reverse mutations in Ames ... more 300 and 500 µM). In conclusion, T3 was unable to increase the level of reverse mutations in Ames test both with and without S9 mix. Therefore, it seems that ROS production in mitochondria may be the primary cause of DNA damage caused by T3 in mammalian cells.
Current Neuropharmacology, 2020
Curcumin is a spice derived nutraceutical which gained tremendous attention because of its profou... more Curcumin is a spice derived nutraceutical which gained tremendous attention because of its profound medicinal values. It alters a number of molecular pathways such as nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF‐κB), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and cyclooxygenases-2 (COX‐2), which make it potential therapeutic choice in treating multiple disorders. It also possesses the potential to prevent protein aggregation and thus protect against degeneration of neurons in neurodegenerative disorders including Huntington’s disease (HD). HD is an autosomal dominant disorder linked with altered gene expression which leads to an increase in the size of cytosine, adenine and guanine (CAG) trinucleotide repeats, aids in protein aggregation throughout the brain and thus damages neurons. Upstream regulation of oxidative stress and inflammatory cascade are two important factors that drive HD progres...
Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society, 2019
This study was performed to determine the main antibacterial compounds of the essential oil (??) ... more This study was performed to determine the main antibacterial compounds of the essential oil (??) of saltmarsh plant Artemisia santonicum (Asteraceae). The combination of HPTLC and direct bioautography was used for the activity guided isolation of isogeranic acid as the main antibacterial constituent with remarkable antimicrobial activity, although it was the minor component of the EO, present only in 0.2 %, as calculated from GC/FID. Its structure was determined by 1D- and 2D-NMR and GC?MS techniques. Antibacterial activity of isogeranic acid against all tested bacteria was significantly higher than EO and even than both controls streptomycin and ampicillin. In further investigation of antibiofilm and antiquorum sensing activity EO exhibited the best inhibition of the biofilm formation at 1/8 minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and isogeranic acid at 1/2 MIC. Both EO and isogeranic acid possessed pyocyanin inhibitory activity showing the reduction of pigment at 60.6 and 62.8 %, r...
Chilean journal of agricultural research, 2019
The fatty acid content is a very important feature of the milk that affects the health of consume... more The fatty acid content is a very important feature of the milk that affects the health of consumers. The aim of this study was to estimate cow's milk fatty acid composition in early vegetative, late vegetative and reproductive phase, with the simultaneous determination of the pasture biomass chemical and botanical composition. The research was conducted on Agrostis castellana semi-natural dry grassland in the vicinity of Podgorica, Montenegro. Cows were put to grazing during the whole experimental period. This pasture was assessed as moderate to good quality and botanically diversified. The chemical composition of the grassland biomass changed with the maturity phase. A significant increase in the content of DM, crude fiber, fat and a decrease in crude protein content were determined throughout three phenological phases (p < 0.05). The content of total milk fat did not show significant variability during first two phases, but it did in the third phase. The content of milk fat and protein was high in all phases, although it is a dry pasture with a poor quality of biomass in the third phase. The content of majority saturated fatty acids (SFAs) increased with grass maturity, while total content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) decreased. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) content kept the same level up to the reproductive phase. The phenological phase significantly influenced the content of fatty acids in the third phase (p < 0.05). A notable number of SFAs, MUFAs end PUFAs had the highest content in the second phase.
Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 2018
In this study the leaves and fruits of wild raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) populations from the cent... more In this study the leaves and fruits of wild raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) populations from the central Balkan region were examined to determine the level of secondary metabolites and related antioxidant activity, as well as biological activity, upon existing ethnobotanical evidence, primarily linked to gastrointestinal disorders. The values obtained for total phenols ranged from 59.68 to 96.83 mg GA g-1 and 24.29 to 38.71 mg GA g-1 in leaf and fruit extracts, respectively. The highest values of tannins and anthocyanins were determined for leaf extracts from a population of east Serbia at a level of 1.27 mg mL-1 and 9.00 mg mL-1. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by measuring the scavenging capacity of the extracts on DPPH. Higher antioxidant activity was detected in the leaf extracts than in the fruit extracts. Leaf and fruit extract were the most effective against Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739). Anticancer activity was studied on a human colorectal cancer cell line HCT-116. Leaf extra...
Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 2017
The success of antioxidant therapy in hyperthyroidism implies that disease is mediated by oxidati... more The success of antioxidant therapy in hyperthyroidism implies that disease is mediated by oxidative stress, which is known as one of the causing agents of ageing, degenerative diseases, and cancer. The main objective of our study was to determine possible protective effects of methanolic extract of N. rtanjensis in triiodothyronine (T3)-induced DNA breaks of human lymphocytes under in vitro conditions, based upon plant antioxidant capacity related to its phytochemical profile, mainly its polyphenolic complex. The total phenolic and flavonoid content and the antioxidant activity using in vitro 1,1-dyphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl reagent (DPPH) was determined in methanolic extracts of plant leaves and flowers. The phenolic compound content of 62.73±1.80mg of GaA/g, exhibited solid antioxidant activity (IC50= 112.59±0.95μg/ml). The antigenotoxic activity of 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0mg/ml N. rtanjensis methanol extracts mixture with 100µM of T3 was studied in human lymphocytes in vitro using the Come...
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World, 2015
Cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) today is not only a promising alternative and ... more Cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) today is not only a promising alternative and counterpoint to wild collection, enabling preservation of natural genetic variability and survival of rare, endemic, vulnerable and endangered species, but also represents a powerful economy branch providing the high class quality raw material for pharmaceutical, cosmetic and the food industry. Domestication and cultivation of most of medicinal plants, usually conceived as a minor crops, face with many challenges on small, medium and large scale production, relating both cultivation technologies and market and prices fluctuations. Cultivated MAP material is increasingly preferred by the herbal industry, because it is easier to predict plant yield, quality and drug composition, especially when compared with wild harvested raw materials. In case of cultivated MAP material, the possibility of plant misidentification and adulteration is excluded. The profitability of cultivation of medicinal plants compete with profit achievable for standard field crops for which already exist a specialized machinery and a standard procedure for application of fertilizers and agrochemicals to control weeds, pests and diseases. For successful large scale cultivation of MAP, the high quality raw material should be produced using low input cultivation methods to be competitive at the international market and with plants collected from the wild. The most common issues with which the producers of medicinal plants encountered are the market, abundance and accessibility of wild populations, agro-environmental conditions, labor availability and costs, investments in machinery, post-harvest processing, and profitability of production. Superior genotypes are very important for profitable production of the high quality medicinal plants’ row material. Out of all cultivated medicinal plant species, only a small percentage is clearly genetically defined and represented on the seed market in term of variety. Similarly to the other crops, traditional breeding methods, as well as biotechnological procedures and selection assisted by molecular markers are applied in development of new varieties and cultivars of MAP, aiming at improvement of their desirable characteristics. This refers to increased drug yield and the content of required secondary metabolites. Mapping of genes and specific DNA sequences involved in biosynthesis of particular metabolite classes seems to be a future challenge in MAP breeding programs. Most of actual research is focused on genetic variability among different taxa of medicinal plants using several types of DNA markers, including restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), amplified fragment length polymorphic DNA (AFLP), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), cleavage amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS), simple sequence repeat (SSR), and sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers. Although the primary target for trait manipulation in medicinal plants is the content of active compounds, for development as crops, basic agronomic characters related to uniformity, stability, growth and development, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, must also be improved.
Biochemical Engineering Journal, 2015
Abstract Structural changes of Ca-alginate bead due to yeast cell loading and the impact on their... more Abstract Structural changes of Ca-alginate bead due to yeast cell loading and the impact on their mechanical properties were studied based on experimental data of cell number density per beads, cell rearrangement within the bead surface and core regions, bead average volume and density, bead storage and loss moduli. Structural changes could be explained by (1) mechanical and electrostatic cell-matrix interactions and (2) chemical interactions of the matrix with the components of the nutrition medium which include: wash out of Ca2+ ions by presence of non-gelling ions and by chelating compounds such as phosphate. According to obtained results, it was estimated that: (1) cell-matrix electrostatic interactions within the hydrogel matrix at t = 0 induced the bead weakening, (2) wash out of Ca2+ ions by presence of non-gelling ions and by chelating compounds such as phosphate led to the bead weakening (regime 1, t ∈ ( ⌊ 0 , 2 d a y s ⌋ ) , (3) the bead stiffness remained constant (regime 2, t ∈ ( ⌊ 2 , 4 d a y s ⌋ ) ) and (4) the bead reinforcement was caused by cell clusters rapid increase and their inter connections within the bead surface region (regime 3, t ∈ ( ⌊ 4 , 5 d a y s ⌋ ) ). Regulation of the matrix resistance stress and the rate of its change could lead to decrease of the micro-environmental restriction effects and the whole process optimization.
Journal of Apicultural Research, 2011
ABSTRACT
Weed Research, 2009
Surveys of weed vegetation of the western Balkan peninsula (1939-2006) were used to study changes... more Surveys of weed vegetation of the western Balkan peninsula (1939-2006) were used to study changes in species composition. A large data set of arable weed vegetation was compiled and analysed with direct and indirect ordination, regression and beta (b) diversity analysis. Five environmental variables (altitude, season, year, crop, phytogeographical region) were used to determine broad-scale changes in weed species composition. The most important parameter was phytogeography and the second was crop. Altitude and season were found to be less important, although significant, which contrasts with results from Central and Northern Europe. b-diversity was higher in cereals and in summer, while decline along the altitudinal gradient previously demonstrated in Central Europe, was not observed. In southern parts of the studied area, thermophilous species have shifted to higher altitudes. The results and ranking of importance of environmental and spatial variables are discussed in relation to similar studies in Northern and Central Europe.
South African Journal of Botany, 2007
Floral nectaries of Ocimum basilicum L. were studied using light, fluorescence and scanning elect... more Floral nectaries of Ocimum basilicum L. were studied using light, fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy. Each nectary forms an asymmetrical four-lobed disc at the base of the outer surface of the ovary. The three large lobes were found to be functional, whereas the smallest lobe is lacking in the modified stomata. Nectary anatomy is characterized by three major zones: a uniseriate epidermis, sub-epidermal secretory tissue and vascular tissue. The nectary epidermis of three functional lobes is covered with a very thin cuticle, and contains many modified stomata involved in the exudation process. They are diffusely distributed and lie in the same plane as the epidermal cells. The secretory tissue is composed of small cells with thin walls, relatively large nuclei, dense granular cytoplasm and small vacuoles. Most of the cells of the nectariferous tissue contain calcium oxalate crystals of different sizes. The nectary diameter, the size of the secretory cells and the thickness of the epidermis and cuticle increased during nectary ontogeny. The nectary is vascularized exclusively by phloem originating from vascular bundles destined for the gynoecium.
Phytocoenologia, 2009
A stratified dataset of 2426 relevés of weed vegetation of arable fields of the Balkan Peninsula ... more A stratified dataset of 2426 relevés of weed vegetation of arable fields of the Balkan Peninsula was analysed by cluster analysis. The major division in species composition was associated with the type of crop. This accords with the syntaxonomical and ecological pattern already detected for southeast Europe and is in conflict with the Central European classification that has appeared in recent years. Clusters resulting from numerical classification reproduced the majority of traditionally recognized phytosociological alliances (Oxalidion, Panico-Setarion and Eragrostion are associated with root crops, while Scleranthion, Caucalidion and Galeopsion with cereals). Galeopsion was grouped with some Caucalidion relevés, which is not surprising since both consist of weed communities from cereals. Vernal communities form a separate cluster and indicate a special community type, which has been treated in some classification systems as a phenological aspect .
Journal of Essential Oil Research, 2009
The differences in essential oil composition, based upon GC and GC/MS analysis, were studied in f... more The differences in essential oil composition, based upon GC and GC/MS analysis, were studied in four cultivated populations of Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schulz Bip.). The yield of oil ranged from 0.23% to 0.36%; the major components were camphor (46.4–47.2%), trans-chrysanthenyl acetate (22.4–27.3%) and camphene (10.9–12.7%). Statistically significant differences among tested populations were mostly related to the content of trans-chrysanthenyl acetate and borneol.
Chemistry & Biodiversity, 2012
Essential oils of 25 indigenous populations of Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L.) that repres... more Essential oils of 25 indigenous populations of Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L.) that represent nearly half of native distribution area of the species were analyzed. Plantlets collected from wild populations were grown in the same field under the same environmental conditions and then sampled for essential-oil analysis. The yield of essential oil ranged from 1.93 to 3.70% with average of 2.83%. Among the 62 compounds detected, eight (cis-thujone, camphor, trans-thujone, 1,8-cineole, b-pinene, camphene, borneol, and bornyl acetate) formed 78.13-87.33% of essential oils of individual populations. Strong positive correlations were observed between camphor and b-pinene, b-pinene and borneol, as well as between borneol and bornyl acetate. The strongest negative correlation was detected between camphor and trans-thujone. Principal component analysis (PCA) on the basis of eight main compounds showed that first main component separated populations with high thujone content, from those rich in camphor, while the second component separated populations rich in cis-thujone from those rich in trans-thujone. Cluster analysis (CA) led to the identification of three chemotypes of S. officinalis populations: cisthujone; trans-tujone, and camphor/b-pinene/borneol/bornyl acetate. We propose that differences in essential oils of 25 populations are mostly genetically controlled, since potential environmental factors were controlled in this study.
Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry, 2003
In this paper results of the analysis of 48 meadow and pasture associations of Serbia deriving fr... more In this paper results of the analysis of 48 meadow and pasture associations of Serbia deriving from 6 vegetation classes in order to establish the presence of harmful species. In this way possibility for more efficient method of their removal or reduction could be defined. Analysis included plants poisonous to domestic animals or could cause mechanical injuries to livestock, plant species that have harmful affect to the quality of livestock products (meat and milk), also plants not consumed by livestock at all and plants inducing the productivity of useful forage plant species (parasites and semi-parasites). It was established that their participation in meadow associations varies between 5 and 35%. The highest total presence of harmful plants (35%) and highest single presence of poisonous (15%) and slightly poisonous (20%) plants was registered in ass. Festucetum ovinae.
Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
Weed communities co-evolve with cropping systems, allowing the populations to adapt to highly, re... more Weed communities co-evolve with cropping systems, allowing the populations to adapt to highly, regularly disturbed environments (Martínez-Ghersa et al., 2000). Floristic composition and the structure of weed communities of arable land are considered to be an ecological response to environmental impacts, mainly soil properties and regional climate (
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Papers by Zora Dajic Stevanovic