Cytogenetic characterization of Guaiacum officinale, chromosome number and conservation management
Article Sidebar
Abstract Views: 368
File Views: 207
Main Article Content
Abstract
Abstract. Pikulthong V, Javadi B, Maneechai S, Homthong M, Sarakit P, Thongprapha C, Umpunjun P, Sraphet S, Tanomtong A. 2025. Cytogenetic characterization of Guaiacum officinale, chromosome number and conservation management. Biodiversitas 26: 5468-5475. Guaiacum officinale, commonly known as lignum vitae (Kaew Chao Chom), is a tree species in the Zygophyllaceae family valued for its ecological and economic importance but threatened by overexploitation. Cytological studies of this endangered species remain scarce. This study presents the first cytogenetic analysis of G. officinale, focusing on both mitotic and meiotic processes. Root tip samples were collected between 05:00 and 12:00 to examine mitosis, while young flower buds were collected between 06:00 and 13:00 to analyze meiosis. Peak mitotic activity occurred at 10:00, although the very small chromosome size and limited spreading during slide preparation posed challenges for accurate counting. In contrast, meiotic analysis at 08:00 provided clear evidence of 12 bivalents at metaphase I, establishing a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 2x = 24. Chromosome pairing was generally regular, with occasional anomalies observed, but overall meiotic stability indicated high fertility and strong reproductive potential. These findings clarify the chromosomal behavior of G. officinale and demonstrate its diploid, cytologically stable nature. The results provide a critical baseline for understanding taxonomy and evolutionary relationships within Zygophyllaceae and offer essential guidance for conservation and sustainable management of this endangered species. These findings represent the first cytogenetic report of G. officinale in Thailand and provide baseline data for future taxonomic, genetic, and conservation studies of this threatened species.
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Agarwal PK, Roy RP. 1976. Natural polyploids in Cucurbitaceae in cytogenetic studies in triploid Momordica dioica Roxb. Caryologia: Intl J Cytol Cytosyst Cytogenet 29 (1): 7-13. DOI: 10.1080/00087114.1976.10796644.
Ahmad VU, Saba N, Ali Z, Zahid M, Alam N. 2000. A new triterpenoidal saponin from the bark of Guaiacum officinale L. Z Naturforsch B 55 (2): 227-230. DOI: 10.1515/znb-2000-0216.
Ahmad VU, Saba N, Khan KM. 2004. Triterpenoid saponin from the bark of Guaiacum officinale L. Nat Prod Res 18 (2): 111-116. DOI: 10.1080/1478641031000140866.
Al-Turki TA, Filfilan SA, Mehmood SF. 2000. A cytological study of flowering plants from Saudi Arabia. Willdenowia 30 (2): 339-358.
Amini-Chermahini F, Ebrahimi M, Farajpour M, Bordbar ZT. 2014. Karyotype analysis and new chromosome number reports in Zygophyllum species. Caryologia: Intl J Cytol Cytosyst Cytogenet 67 (4): 321-324. DOI: 10.1080/00087114.2014.980098.
Amini-Chermahini F, Ebrahimi M, Farajpour M. 2017. Cytological studies in Zygophyllum fabago L. (Syrian bean caper) in Iran. Caryologia: Intl J Cytol Cytosyst Cytogenet 70 (3): 289-294. DOI: 10.1080/00087114.2017.1349259.
Antil S, Abraham JS, Sripoorna S, Maurya S, Dagar J, Makhija S, Bhagat P, Gupta R, Sood U, Lal R, Toteja R. 2023. DNA barcoding, an effective tool for species identification: A review. Mol Biol Rep 50 (1): 761-775. DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-08015-7.
Aslam N, Wani AA, Ganie AH, Nawchoo IA. 2023. Existence of two cytotypes of Peganum harmala L. in the Kashmir Himalaya and Ladakh Trans Himalaya of India. Cytologia 88 (2): 111-116. DOI: 10.1508/cytologia.88.111.
Baquar SR. 1967. Intraindividual numerical chromosome instability in Fagonia cretica L. Genet Iber 19: 99-102.
Barstow M. 2019. Guaiacum officinale. The IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species 2019: E. T33701a68085935. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T33701A68085935.en.
Bhandari MM, Sharma VS. 1977. A new Tribulus (Zygophyllaceae) from India. Bot Not 129: 367-369.
Bhansali A. 1974. Chromosome number of Indian desert plants-1. Geobis 1: 144-45.
Botticelli M, Bellagamba V, Bollati R, Conti L, Sidoti G, Falcucci C. 2021. Tradition unveiled: Pottery production in the Brazilian Kadiweu culture. Glob J Archaeol Anthropol 12 (1): 555826. DOI: 10.19080/GJAA.2021.12.555826.
Chayamarit K. 1985. Studies in Thai Flora: Zygophyllaceae. Thai For Bull Bot 15: 15-21.
Eid S. 1970. In the Iopb chromosome number reports XXVI. Taxon 19 (3): 264-269.
Evans WC, Evans D. 2009. Trease and Evans' Pharmacognosy. Saunders Ltd., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-7020-2933-2.X0001-9.
Foster G. 2023. Guaiacum officinale. Roughbark lignum-vitae, guaiacwood-reducing deaths from bowel cancer. In: Oakeley H (eds). Modern Medicines From Plants. CRC Press, London.
Groves M, Rutherford C. 2023. CITES and Timber: A guide to CITES-listed tree species. Rutherford Groves Publishing, London.
Guerra M. 2008. Chromosome numbers in plant cytotaxonomy: Concepts and implications. Cytogenet Genome Res 120 (3-4): 339-350. DOI: 10.1159/000121083.
Gupta RC, Kaur K, Singh V. 2016. Meiotic chromosomal studies in the family Zygophyllaceae R. Br. From Rajasthan. Indian J Genet Plant Breed 76: 111-115.
Heiser Jr CB, Whitaker TW. 1948. Chromosome number, polyploidy, and growth habit in California weeds. Am J Bot 35 (3): 179-186.
Hilu KW. 1981. Cytotaxonomical studies in Tribulus terrestris and T. alatus (Zygophyllaceae). Nordic J Bot 1 (4): 531-534. DOI: 10.1111/j.1756-1051.1981.tb00718.x.
Jeelani SM, Kumari S, Gupta RC, Siddique MAA. 2014. Detailed cytomorphological investigations through male meiosis of polypetalous plants from the Kashmir Himalaya. Plant Syst Evol 300: 1175-1198. DOI: 10.1007/s00606-013-0954-z.
Jeelani SM, Siddique MAA, Rani S. 2015. Variations of morphology, ecology, and chromosomes of Aconitum heterophyllum Wall., an endangered Alpine medicinal plant in the Himalayas. Caryologia: Intl J Cytol Cytosyst Cytogenet 68 (4): 294-305. DOI: 10.1080/00087114.2015.1109933.
Kotresha K, Savitha K. 2004. Biosystematic studies, distribution, and conservation status of Guaiacum officinale L. in Karnataka state. Bull Bot Surv India 46 (1-4): 454-456.
Koul A, Wakhlu AK. 1976. Chromosome numbers of 52 dicot species of Kashmir. Chr Inf Ser 21: 4-6.
Kumar S, Jeelani SM, Rani S, Gupta RC, Kumari S. 2013. Cytology of five species of subfamily Papaveroideae from the Western Himalayas. Protoplasma 250 (1): 307-316. DOI: 10.1007/s00709-012-0413-7.
Liu J, Ho T, Chen S, Lu A. 2001. Karyomorphology of Biebersteinia stephan (Geraniaceae) and its systematic and taxonomic significance. Bot Bull Acad Sin Taipei 42 (1): 61-66.
Löve Á. 1973. IOPB Chromosome Number Reports XXXIX. Taxon 22 (1): 115-118.
Lowe HI, Toyang NJ, Heredia A, Watson CT, Bryant J. 2014. Anti-HIV-1 activity of the crude extracts of Guaiacum officinale L. (Zygophyllaceae). Eur J Med Plants 4 (4): 483-489. DOI: 10.9734/EJMP/2014/7343.
Magulaev A. 1979. The chromosome numbers of flowering plants in the Northern Caucasus. In: Galushko AI (eds). Flora of the North Caucasus and Questions of its History. Izdatel’stvo Stavropol’skogo Gosudarstvennogo Pedagogicheskogo Instituta, Stavropol, Russia.
Maneechai S, Pikulthong V. 2017. Total phenolic contents and free radical scavenging activity of Guaiacum officinale L. extracts. Pharmacogn J 9 (6): 929-931. DOI: 10.5530/pj.2017.6.145.
Marhold K, Ku?era J. 2016. Iapt/iopb chromosome data 21. Taxon 65 (3): 673-676.
Morrison SM, Scott JK. 1996. Variation in populations of Tribulus terrestris (Zygophyllaceae). 2. Chromosome numbers. Aust J Bot 44 (2): 191-199. DOI: 10.1071/BT9960191.
Morsy AA, El Sherbeny EA. 2015. Karyotype characterization and genetic diversity among Zygophyllum sp. (Zygophyllaceae) based on ISSR analysis. Egypt J Exp Biol Bot 11 (2): 155-162.
Nopporncharoenkul N, Chanmai J, Jenjittikul T, Anamthawat-Jonsson K, Soontornchainaksaeng P. 2017. Chromosome number variation and polyploidy in 19 Kaempferia (Zingiberaceae) taxa from Thailand and one species from Laos. J Syst Evol 55: 466-76. DOI: 10.1111/jse.12264.
Oakeley H. 2023. Modern Medicines From Plants: Botanical Histories of Some of Modern Medicine's Most Important Drugs. CRC Press, Boca Raton.
Pendyala V, Suryadevara V, Sathuluri V, Perli D. 2017. Pharmacognostic studies, evaluation of ex vivo thrombolytic and in vitro antioxidant activities of leaves of Guaiacum officinale. World J Pharm Res 7 (3): 477-487. DOI:10.20959/wjpr20183-10377.
Prasalini PS, Kumar SS. 2023. Efficacy of Guaiacum officinale on rheumatoid arthritis and its possible role in the inflammatory pathway through an experimental in-vitro and clinical models. Intl J Res Eng Sci Manag 6 (8): 98-104.
Promsorn T. 2019. Medicinal properties of fragrance flowers in Suan Sunandha Royal Garden. In: International Academic Multidisciplinary Research Conference, London 2019.
Rahimi V, Grouh MS-H, Solymani A, Bahermand N, Meftahizade H. 2011. Assessment of cytological and morphological variation among Iranian native Iris species. Afr J Biotechnol 10 (44): 8805-8815. DOI: 10.5897/AJB10.2555.
Rani S, Jeelani SM, Kumar S, Kumari S, Gupta RC. 2014. An overview of chromosomes and basic numbers diversity in cytologically investigated Polypetalous genera from the Western Himalayas (India). Caryologia: Intl J Cytol Cytosyst Cytogenet 67 (1): 1-24. DOI: 10.1080/00087114.2013.856088.
Rawat D, Kumar A, Rao SR. 2006. Meiotic chromosome studies in Tribulus rajasthanensis, an endemic and threatened medicinal herb of Rajasthan. Cytologia 71 (4): 365-370. DOI: 10.1508/cytologia.71.365.
Saba N, Khatoon R, Ali Z, Ahmad VU. 2012. A new Bidesmoside saponin from the bark of Guaiacum officinale. J Chem Soc Pak 34: 448-450.
Samaras A, Nikolaidis M, Antequera-Gómez ML, Cámara-Almirón J, Romero D, Moschakis T, Amoutzias GD, Karaoglanidis GS. 2021. Whole genome sequencing and root colonization studies reveal novel insights into the biocontrol potential and growth promotion by Bacillus subtilis MBI 600 on cucumber. Front Microbiol 11: 600393. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.600393.
Sarkar A, Datta P, Das AK, Gomes A. 2014. Anti-rheumatoid and antioxidant activity of homeopathic Guaiacum officinale in an animal model. Homeopathy 103: 133-138. DOI: 10.1016/j.homp.2013.08.006.
Sharma AK, Sharma A. 2014. Chromosome Techniques: Theory and Practice. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
Sheahan MC, Chase MW. 2000. Phylogenetic relationships within Zygophyllaceae based on DNA sequences of three plastid regions, with special emphasis on Zygophylloideae. Syst Bot 25 (2): 371-384. DOI: 10.2307/2666648.
Singh P. 1984, In: Löve Á (eds) 10pb chromosome number reports, LXXXV. Taxon 33: 759.
Sugiura T. 1940. Studies on the chromosome numbers in higher plants. Cytologia 10: 363-370.
Wiart C. 2021. Medicinal Plants in the Asia Pacific for Zoonotic Pandemics, Volume 2. Family Zygophyllaceae to Salvadoraceae. CRC Press, Boca Raton. DOI: 10.1201/9781003176398.
Xing-Hua M, Ruo-Lin Q, Wen-Bing X. 1984. Chromosome observations of some medical plants in Xinjiang. J Syst Evol 22 (3): 243-249.
Zeb S, Perveen A, Khan M. 2017. Analysis of protein profile and pollen morphology of Guaiacum officinale Linn. Pak J Bot 49: 1497-1500.