Project description:Humic substances are principal components of soil organic matter. They have ecological importance as they intervene in regulating a large number of chemical and biological processes that occur in natural ecosystems. Their ability to improve plant growth has been well established in diverse plant species and growth conditions, although the mechanism responsible for this biological action is poorly understood. Microarray analysis might give us more information about up or down regulation of different biological processes. Wheat plants have been grown hydroponically and treated with Humic acid. Seeds were germinated in obscurity during 10 days, and grown in nutrient solution during 10 days. Harvests were conducted 24 hours, 72 hours and 30 days after treatment application, in order to study early response or a more sustained effect during time.
Project description:Humic substances are a mixture of natural organic macromolecular compounds, mainly fulvic acid (FA) (soluble in alkali, water, and acid) and humic acid (soluble in alkali but insoluble in water and acid). However, to the best of our knowledge, its antitumor effect remains indeterminate. Herein, we aimed to explore the effects and mechanisms of FA in ovarian cancer cells.
Project description:Low concentrations of the dissolved leonardite humic acid HuminFeed® (HF) prolonged the lifespan and enhanced the thermal stress resistance of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Furthermore growth was impaired and reproduction delayed, effects which have also been identified in other polyphenolic monomers, including tannic acid, rosmarinic acid, and caffeic acid. Moreover, a chemical modification of HF (HF-HQ), which increases its phenolic/quinonoid moieties, magnified the biological impact on C. elegans. To gain a deep insight into the molecular basis of these effects, we performed global transcriptomics on young adult (3 d) and old adult (11 d) nematodes exposed to two concentrations of HF and young adults (3 d) exposed to two concentrations of HF-HQ.