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Plant extracts are increasingly recognized for their potential in modulating (postprandial) blood glucose levels. In this context, root extracts are of particular interest due to their high concentrations and often unique spectrum of plant bioactives. To identify new plant species with potential glucose-lowering activity, simple and robust methodologies are often required. For this narrative review, literature was sourced from scientific databases (primarily PubMed) in the period from June 2022 to January 2024. The regulatory targets of glucose homeostasis that could be modulated by bioactive plant compounds were used as search terms, either alone or in combination with the keyword “root extract”. As a result, we present a comprehensive methodological toolbox for studying the glucose homeostasis modulating properties of plant extracts and its constituents. The described assays encompass in-vitro investigations involving enzyme inhibition (α-amylase, α-glucosidase, dipeptidyl peptidase 4), assessment of sodium-dependent glucose transporter 1 activity, and evaluation of glucose transporter 4 translocation. Furthermore, we describe a patch-clamp technique to assess the impact of extracts on KATP channels. While validating in-vitro findings in living organisms is imperative, we introduce two screen able in-vivo models (the hen’s egg test and Drosophila melanogaster). Given that evaluation of the bioactivity of plant extracts in rodents and humans represents the current gold standard, we include approaches addressing this aspect. In summary, this review offers a systematic guide for screening plant extracts regarding their influence on key regulatory elements of glucose homeostasis, culminating in the assessment of their potential efficacy in-vivo. Moreover, application of the presented toolbox might contribute to further close the knowledge gap on the precise mechanisms of action of plant-derived compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peatlands cover approximately 12% of the Canadian landscape and play an important role in the carbon cycle through their centennial‐ to millennial‐scale storage of carbon under waterlogged and anoxic conditions. In recognizing the potential of these ecosystems as natural climate solutions and therefore the need to include them in national greenhouse gas inventories, the Canadian Model for Peatlands module (CaMP v. 2.0) was developed by the Canadian Forest Service. Model parameterization included compiling peat profiles across Canada to calibrate peat decomposition rates from different peatland types, to define typical bulk density profiles, and to describe the hydrological (i.e., water table) response of peatlands to climatic changes. A total of 1217 sites were included in the dataset from published and unpublished sources. The CORESITES table contains site location and summary data for each profile, as well as an estimate of total carbon mass per unit area (in megagrams of C per hectare). Total carbon mass per unit area at each location was calculated using bulk density and carbon content through each profile. The PROFILES table contains data for depth (in centimeters), bulk density (in grams per cubic meter), ash and carbon content (in percentage), and material descriptions for contiguous samples through each peat profile. Data gaps for bulk density and C content were filled using interpolation, regression trees, and assigned values based on material description and/or soil classification to allow for the estimation of total carbon mass per unit area. A subset of the sites (N = 374) also have pH and pore water trace‐elemental geochemistry data and are found in the WATER table. The REFERENCES table contains the full citation of each source of the data and is linked to each core location through the SOURCEDATA table. The LOOKUP table defines codes in the database that required more space that what was sufficient in the metadata tables. The data can be accessed on Open Government Canada and will be useful for future work on carbon stock mapping and ecosystem modeling. All metadata and data are provided © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2023 and information contained in this publication may be reproduced for personal or public noncommercial purposes with attribution, whereas commercial reproduction and distribution are prohibited except with written permission from NRCan; complete details are noted in the Supporting Information file Metadata S1 (see Class III.B.3: Copyright restrictions). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bryophyte growth and production can be critical measurements in quantifying carbon input into peatlands. For any species, total biomass produced in a given year is determined by three main [...]

Peatland-margin habitats with organic matter accumulation of 40–150 cm make up a significant but poorly quantified portion of Canada’s boreal forest region. Spanning the transition between non-wetland forest and fen proper, these ecosystems represent a zone of complex environmental and vegetation change, yet little is known about their ecological function or development. We here use vegetation and macrofossil analysis, traditional 14C, bomb-spike 14C, and 210Pb dating to investigate the development, organic matter accumulation, and recent vegetation history of peat margin communities at two sites in central Saskatchewan, Canada. Although similar in general shape, bomb-spike 14C and 210Pb chronologies show limited agreement in three of the four profiles examined, with 210Pb generally producing younger ages than 14C. Peat initiation and long-term organic matter accumulation at the Old Black Spruce (OBS) transect were probably driven mainly by the dynamics of Sphagnum, whereas at the Sandhill Fen (SF) transect, they were controlled by water level fluctuations in the neighboring fen. Bryophyte macrofossils suggest a recent drying of the vegetation surface at both sites, most likely triggered by regional drought in the late 1950s and 1960s. At OBS, the shift from Sphagnum- to feather moss-dominated communities continued in the 1990s, possibly reflecting effects of direct disturbance on local drainage patterns. Overall, our results suggest that community composition and C dynamics of peat-margin swamps respond dynamically to climatic and hydrologic fluctuations. However, uncertainties regarding the reliability of different chronologies limit our ability to link observed community changes to specific causal events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant extracts are increasingly recognized for their potential in modulating (postprandial) blood glucose levels. In this context, root extracts are of particular interest due to their high concentrations and often unique spectrum of plant bioactives. To identify new plant species with potential glucose-lowering activity, simple and robust methodologies are often required. For this narrative review, literature was sourced from scientific databases (primarily PubMed) in the period from June 2022 to January 2024. The regulatory targets of glucose homeostasis that could be modulated by bioactive plant compounds were used as search terms, either alone or in combination with the keyword "root extract". As a result, we present a comprehensive methodological toolbox for studying the glucose homeostasis modulating properties of plant extracts and its constituents. The described assays encompass in-vitro investigations involving enzyme inhibition (α-amylase, α-glucosidase, dipeptidyl peptidase 4), assessment of sodium-dependent glucose transporter 1 activity, and evaluation of glucose transporter 4 translocation. Furthermore, we describe a patch-clamp technique to assess the impact of extracts on K ATP channels. While validating in-vitro findings in living organisms is imperative, we introduce two screenable in-vivo models (the hen's egg test and Drosophila melanogaster ). Given that evaluation of the bioactivity of plant extracts in rodents and humans represents the current gold standard, we include approaches addressing this aspect. In summary, this review offers a systematic guide for screening plant extracts regarding their influence on key regulatory elements of glucose homeostasis, culminating in the assessment of their potential efficacy in-vivo . Moreover, application of the presented toolbox might contribute to further close the knowledge gap on the precise mechanisms of action of plant-derived compounds., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Bauer, Rimbach, Cordeiro, Bosy-Westphal, Weghuber, Ipharraguerre and Lüersen.)