Search

Buddleja saligna Willd. is an evergreen tree native to South Africa. Historically, the tree has been used for the treatment of various diseases and has been scientifically found to have promising pharmacological effects. In the current study, the phenological growth stages of B. saligna are characterised according to the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie (BBCH) scale standardised coding. A total of eight out of ten principal growth stages have been described for the development of buds, leaves and shoots, inflorescence emergence, flowering, the development and ripening of fruits, and senescence. A total of thirty-three secondary growth stages were identified and described in detail. Illustrative images with codification have been provided to better define and describe the growth stages. The temperature fluctuations during the study period could have influenced the flowering time, as phenological shifts were observed during the study period. These data are a useful reference for efficient management, cultivation, and scientific research.

Melanoma cells secrete pro-angiogenic factors, which stimulates growth, proliferation and metastasis, and therefore are key therapeutic targets. Buddleja saligna (BS), and an isolated triterpenoid mixture (DT-BS-01) showed a fifty percent inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 33.80 ± 1.02 and 5.45 ± 0.19 µg/mL, respectively, against melanoma cells (UCT-MEL-1) with selectivity index (SI) values of 1.64 and 5.06 compared to keratinocytes (HaCat). Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition was observed with IC50 values of 35.06 ± 2.96 (BS) and 26.40 ± 4.19 µg/mL (DT-BS-01). BS (30 µg/mL) significantly inhibited interleukin (IL)-6 (83.26 ± 17.60%) and IL-8 (100 ± 0.2%) production, whereas DT-BS-01 (5 µg/mL) showed 51.07 ± 2.83 (IL-6) and 0 ± 6.7% (IL-8) inhibition. Significant vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibition, by 15.84 ± 4.54 and 12.21 ± 3.48%, respectively, was observed. In the ex ovo chick embryo yolk sac membrane assay (YSM), BS (15 µg/egg) significantly reduced new blood vessel formation, with 53.34 ± 11.64% newly formed vessels. Silver and palladium BS nanoparticles displayed noteworthy SI values. This is the first report on the significant anti-angiogenic activity of BS and DT-BS-01 and should be considered for preclinical trials as there are currently no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs to inhibit angiogenesis in melanoma.