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Biological Properties of Plant Bioactive Compounds 2.0

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2023) | Viewed by 8952

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Dr. Meiliang Zhou

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Guest Editor

Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: minor crop; bioactive compounds; gene regulation; biosynthesis pathways
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Milen I. Georgiev

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Guest Editor

Metabolomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 139 Ruski Blvd., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Interests: plant secondary metabolism; natural products chemistry; leads finding; metabolomics; plant biotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue follows the publication of the first edition on “Biological Properties of Plant Bioactive Compounds (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms/special_issues/Biological_Properties_Plant)”.

In recent years, demand has increased for plants, and so, they have attracted the attention of nutritional and medical scientists due to their bioactive compounds and high efficacy as functional foods and medicines with healing effects over chronic diseases, exhibiting antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic activities, etc. Additionally, these bioactive compounds also play important roles in mediating plant–plant, plant–microorganism, or plant–environment interactions to maintain ecological and environmentally sustainable development.

In this Special Issue of IJMS, we will focus on the important roles of bioactive compounds from plants in human health and disease, as well as in plant–environment interactions and their potential for maintaining ecological balances. Research papers and up-to-date review articles are welcome.

Dr. Meiliang Zhou
Prof. Dr. Milen I. Georgiev
Guest Editors

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Keywords

plants
bioactive compounds
biological properties

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2354 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor, Sodium Butyrate-Induced Metabolic Modulation in Platycodon grandiflorus Roots Enhances Anti-Melanogenic Properties

by Min-A Ahn, Jinsu Lee and Tae Kyung Hyun

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(14), 11804; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241411804 - 22 Jul 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1653

Abstract

While the status of histone acetylation is a critical regulator of chromatin’s structure with a significant impact on plant physiology, our understanding of epigenetic regulation in the biosynthesis of active compounds in plants is limited. In this study, Platycodon grandiflorus was treated with sodium butyrate (NaB), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, to investigate the influence of histone acetylation on secondary metabolism. Its treatment with NaB increased the acetylation of histone H3 at lysine 9, 14, and 27 and enhanced the anti-melanogenic properties of P. grandiflorus roots. Through transcriptome and differentially expressed gene analyses, we found that NaB influenced the expression of genes that were involved in both primary and secondary metabolic pathways. In addition, NaB treatment caused the accumulation of polyphenolic compounds, including dihydroquercetin, gallic acid, and 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid. The NaB-induced transcriptional activation of genes in the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway influenced the anti-melanogenic properties of P. grandiflorus roots. Overall, these findings suggest the potential of an epigenomic approach to enhance the medicinal qualities of medicinal plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Properties of Plant Bioactive Compounds 2.0)

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11 pages, 2353 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anti-Mitochondrial and Insecticidal Effects of Artemisinin against Drosophila melanogaster

by Mengjiao Zhong, Chen Sun and Bing Zhou

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(8), 6912; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24086912 - 7 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1654

Abstract

Artemisinin (ART) is an endoperoxide molecule derived from the medicinal plant Artemisia annua L. and is clinically used as an antimalarial drug. As a secondary metabolite, the benefit of ART production to the host plant and the possible associated mechanism are not understood. It has previously been reported that Artemisia annua L. extract or ART can inhibit both insect feeding behaviors and growth; however, it is not known whether these effects are independent of each other, i.e., if growth inhibition is a direct outcome of the drug’s antifeeding activity. Using the lab model organism Drosophila melanogaster, we demonstrated that ART repels the feeding of larvae. Nevertheless, feeding inhibition was insufficient to explain its toxicity on fly larval growth. We revealed that ART provoked a strong and instant depolarization when applied to isolated mitochondria from Drosophila while exerting little effect on mitochondria isolated from mice tissues. Thus, ART benefits its host plant through two distinct activities on the insect: a feeding-repelling action and a potent anti-mitochondrial action which may underlie its insect inhibitory activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Properties of Plant Bioactive Compounds 2.0)

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18 pages, 3350 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Limonene, a Monoterpene, Mitigates Rotenone-Induced Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration by Modulating Neuroinflammation, Hippo Signaling and Apoptosis in Rats

by Lujain Bader Eddin, Sheikh Azimullah, Niraj Kumar Jha, Mohamed Fizur Nagoor Meeran, Rami Beiram and Shreesh Ojha

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5222; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065222 - 9 Mar 2023

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2577

Abstract

Rotenone (ROT) is a naturally derived pesticide and a well-known environmental neurotoxin associated with induction of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Limonene (LMN), a naturally occurring monoterpene, is found ubiquitously in citrus fruits and peels. There is enormous interest in finding novel therapeutic agents that can cure or halt the progressive degeneration in PD; therefore, the main aim of this study is to investigate the potential neuroprotective effects of LMN employing a rodent model of PD measuring parameters of oxidative stress, neuro-inflammation, and apoptosis to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. PD in experimental rats was induced by intraperitoneal injection of ROT (2.5 mg/kg) five days a week for a total of 28 days. The rats were treated with LMN (50 mg/kg, orally) along with intraperitoneal injection of ROT (2.5 mg/kg) for the same duration as in ROT-administered rats. ROT injections induced a significant loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and DA striatal fibers following activation of glial cells (astrocytes and microglia). ROT treatment enhanced oxidative stress, altered NF-κB/MAPK signaling and motor dysfunction, and enhanced the levels/expressions of inflammatory mediators and proinflammatory cytokines in the brain. There was a concomitant mitochondrial dysfunction followed by the activation of the Hippo signaling and intrinsic pathway of apoptosis as well as altered mTOR signaling in the brain of ROT-injected rats. Oral treatment with LMN corrected the majority of the biochemical, pathological, and molecular parameters altered following ROT injections. Our study findings demonstrate the efficacy of LMN in providing protection against ROT-induced neurodegeneration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Properties of Plant Bioactive Compounds 2.0)

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18 pages, 1194 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion and Colonic Fermentation on the Stability of Polyphenols in Pistachio (Pistacia Vera L.)

by Isabel Velasco-Ruiz, Elsy De Santiago, José Luis Ordóñez-Díaz, Gema Pereira-Caro and José Manuel Moreno-Rojas

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4975; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054975 - 4 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2302

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation on the polyphenol compounds from different varieties of pistachio by UHPLC-HRMS analysis. The total polyphenol content decreased significantly, mostly during oral (recoveries of 27 to 50%) and gastric digestion (recoveries of 10 to 18%), with no significant changes after the intestinal phase. After in vitro digestion, the hydroxybenzoic acids and the flavan-3-ols were the main compounds found in pistachio, with respective total polyphenol contents of 73 to 78% and 6 to 11%. More specifically, the main compounds determined after in vitro digestion were 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic hexoside and epigallocatechin gallate. The colonic fermentation affected the total phenolic content of the six varieties studied, with a recovery range of 11 to 25% after 24 h of fecal incubation. A total of twelve catabolites were identified after fecal fermentation, the main compounds being the 3-(3′-hydroxyphenyl)propanoic, 3-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)propanoic, 3-(3′,4′-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic, 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acids and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-ɣ-valerolactone. Based on these data, a catabolic pathway for colonic microbial degradation of phenolic compounds is proposed. The catabolites identified at the end of the process are potentially responsible for the health properties attributed to pistachio consumption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Properties of Plant Bioactive Compounds 2.0)

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