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Gymnospora
Plant genus in the family Polygalaceae From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gymnospora is a spined[3] genus of plants in the milkwort family (Polygalaceae) which is endemic to Brazil.[1] It was first described as a subgenus of Polygala by Robert Chodat in 1891.[4] It was separated into its own genera in 2013.[2] Their flowers are 6 to 10 millimetres (0.24 to 0.39 in) long and its pedicels are 2 to 8 millimetres (0.079 to 0.315 in) long.[5]
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Terminology
Padina gymnospora, a brown alga species, is also commonly known as Peacock's Tail and Brown Scroll Algae.[6] The name "Peacock's Tail" is most likely derived from the thalli of this alga resembling the tail feathers of a peacock.
Climate
Gymnospora is resistant to cold weather and water shortages,[3] making it a good pioneer species.
Effects on other species
Gymnosporia buxifolia has sharp spines, allowing it to protect animals.[3] It also attracts many types of insects and birds.
Species
As of August 2020, there are 2 accepted species:[1]
- Gymnospora blanchetti (Chodat) J.F.B. Pastore
- Gymnospora violoides (A.St.-Hil. & Moq.) J.F.B. Pastore
Medical usage
Gymnosporia buxifolia is used in various medicines, such as those used to treat pleurisy, diarrhea, and snakebites.[3]
Studies have shown padina gymnospora to have anti-inflammatory effects.[7] To do that, they conducted colorimetric MTT tests on normal fibroblasts, macrophages, human ovarian carcinoma cell lines with a concentration range of 12 – 110 μg/ml to determine cytotoxicity. To determine in-vitro wound-healing, monolayers of fibroblasts were seeded and artificially wounded.
The results were:
- Cell proliferation was blockable with 5 μg/ml mytomycin C
- The cell lines were only cytotoxic at the maximum concentration of 100 μg/ml
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References
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