Paulownia Organs as Interesting New Sources of Bioactive Compounds

Abstract

Paulownia spp. is a genus of trees in the Paulowniaceae family. It is native to southeastern Asia (especially China), where it has been cultivated for decorative, cultural, and medicinal purposes for over 2000 years. Depending on taxonomic classification, there are 6 to 17 species of Paulownia; P. tomentosa, P. elongata, P. fortunei, and P. catalpifolia are considered the most popular. Nowadays, Paulownia trees are planted in Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia for commercial, medical, and decorative purposes. Lately, growing interest in Paulownia has led to the development of various hybrids, the best-known being Clone in vitro 112, Shan Tong, Sundsu 11, and Cotevisa 2. Paulownia Clone in vitro 112 is an artificially created hybrid of two species of Paulownia: P. elongata and P. fortunei. The present review of selected papers from electronic databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, and SCOPUS before 15 November 2022 describes the phytochemical characteristics, biological properties, and economic significance of various organs from different Paulownia species and hybrids, including P. tomentosa, P. elongata, P. fortunei, and Paulownia Clone in vitro 112. Many compounds from Paulownia demonstrate various biological activities and are promising candidates for natural preparations; for example, the leaves of Clone in vitro 112 have anti-radical and anticoagulant potential. However, further in vivo studies are needed to clarify the exact mechanism of action of the active substances and their long-term effects.

Paulownia Witches’ Broom Disease: A Comprehensive Review

“…An m 6 A modification is involved in regulating mRNA expression, translation efficiency, alternative splicing and mRNA degradation. The m 6 A transcriptome was sequenced for PaWB-diseased and PaWB-recovered (MMS-treated diseased, 16S rRNA gene-nested PCR-negative) P. fortunei plantlets grown in vitro [68]. The results indicated that MMS treatment lowered the m 6 A modification degree in PaWBrecovered paulownia, compared to diseased plantlets.…”

“…The m 6 A transcriptome was sequenced for PaWB-diseased and PaWB-recovered (MMS-treated diseased, 16S rRNA gene-nested PCR-negative) P. fortunei plantlets grown in vitro [68]. The results indicated that MMS treatment lowered the m 6 A modification degree in PaWBrecovered paulownia, compared to diseased plantlets. When combined with RNA-seq data, 315 differentially methylated genes (DMGs) were screened from DEGs.…”

“…The most commonly cultivated species are Paulownia fortunei, P. catalpi-folia, P. tomentosa and P. elongate [5,6]. The paulownias are mainly distributed in southeastern Asia (especially China), where they were cultivated for over 2000 years for wood and ornamental purposes [6]. The genus name Paulownia Siebold & Zucc was recorded by German botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold, to honor Anna Pavlovna Romanova, grand duchess of Russia and queen of the Netherlands, who sponsored Philipp's expedition to Japan.…”

“…Therefore, the paulownia tree is also known as the princess tree and the royal tree [7], while its Chinese name is 泡桐 (pao tong). Nowadays, paulownia trees are widely planted across Asia, North America, Europe and Australia for commercial and decorative purposes [6].…”

“…The genus Paulownia, within the Paulowniaceae family, includes 17 fast growing, hard wood tree species. The most commonly cultivated species are Paulownia fortunei, P. catalpifolia, P. tomentosa and P. elongate [5,6]. The paulownias are mainly distributed in south-eastern Asia (especially China), where they were cultivated for over 2000 years for wood and ornamental purposes [6].…”