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Natural Products and Microbiology in Human Health
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Natural Products and Microbiology in Human Health

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 6293

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ian Edwin Cock

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Interests: biochemistry and cell biology; microbiology; cancer; inflammation; drug discovery; natural products; ethnobotany
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human health is closely linked to microbial exposure, and to the maintenance of the microbiome. Pathogenic bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses cause a myriad of diseases that may seriously impact human health. The use of chemotherapies to combat these diseases has long relied upon traditional medicines and natural products. Indeed, penicillin (and the majority of other first-generation antibiotics) were initially identified as bacterial and fungal natural products, used by microbes to provide a competitive advantage over other cells in their environment. A large portion of the antibiotics produced as second and third-generation antibiotics were based on the chemical scaffolds of the first-generation natural product antibiotics. Notably, even before the development of current antibiotic therapies, natural medicines containing bioactive natural products were used to combat pathogenic diseases. Plant-based medicines were particularly important in this respect and continue to be important in many regions of the world. With the recent development of multiple antibiotic-resistant pathogens, the discovery of novel antibiotic therapies is a priority for medical science and natural products are promising as new drug leads.

Natural products and the microbiome may also impact human health in other fundamental ways. The human microbiome comprises a myriad of bacteria and archaea, protozoa, fungi, and viruses, both within and outside our bodies. Alterations in the natural microbial balance may affect human health via disease induction. Microbiome dysbiosis increases the host’s susceptibility to disease by allowing pathogenic microbes to flourish and out-compete the beneficial microflora. Natural products may also function as pre- or probiotics, allowing the natural microflora and beneficial microbes to dominate, thereby inhibiting the growth of pathogens. Therefore, natural products can also influence human health by modulating the human microbiome.  

We invite the submission of original research and review articles focusing on natural products and microbiology and their effects on human health. Potential topics include but are not limited to:

  • The antimicrobial activity of natural products.
  • Identification of natural products with antimicrobial activity.
  • Plant-derived natural products and their effects on microbes important to human health.
  • Microbial-derived natural products and their effects on microbes important to human health.
  • Natural products derived from marine organisms and their effects on microbes important to human health.
  • Antibacterial activity of natural products against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
  • Potentiation of antibiotic (or probiotic) activity by natural products.
  • Modulation of the human microbiome and disease induction by natural products and traditional medicines.
  • Microbiome dysbiosis (or microbiome maintenance) induced by natural products, and its effects on human health.
  • Natural products as nutritional factors and antioxidants in maintaining gastrointestinal microbial homeostasis and human health.
  • Natural products as probiotics (and/or prebiotics) and their affects on human health.

Dr. Ian Edwin Cock
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • traditional medicine
  • antibiotics
  • antibiotic natural products
  • probiotics
  • novel antimicrobial therapies
  • microbial toxins
  • phytochemicals
  • antibiotic-resistant bacteria
  • drug potentiation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1271 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Antifungal Properties of Hop Cone Carbon Dioxide Extracts Based on Response Surface Methodology
by Katarzyna Tyśkiewicz, Renata Tyśkiewicz, Marcin Konkol, Marcin Gruba and Rafał Kowalski
Molecules 2024, 29(11), 2554; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29112554 - 29 May 2024
Viewed by 735
Abstract
Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the process parameters of the supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of hop cones in terms of their antifungal properties against Fusarium culmorum and Aspergillus niger. The effects of temperature (40–50 °C), pressure (200–300 bar), and [...] Read more.
Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the process parameters of the supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of hop cones in terms of their antifungal properties against Fusarium culmorum and Aspergillus niger. The effects of temperature (40–50 °C), pressure (200–300 bar), and CO2 consumption (25–75 kgCO2/kg) on the extraction yield, content of α- and β-acids, as well as pathogens’ growth inhibition were investigated. Both pressure and CO2 consumption had a significant effect on antifungal properties. It was observed that the best results for antifungal properties were obtained when hop cones were extracted with pure carbon dioxide at the temperature of 50 °C, under the pressure of 300 bar with CO2 consumption at the level of 75 kgCO2/kg of feed for extraction. The highest antifungal properties of hop cone supercritical carbon dioxide extracts were analyzed as 100% for Fusarium culmorum and 68% for Aspergillus niger, calculated as the growth inhibition of tested pathogens. The aim of the study was to determine the optimum values of extraction parameters to achieve the maximum response and enable us to investigate the interaction of these parameters on the antifungal properties of hop cone extracts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products and Microbiology in Human Health)
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13 pages, 3824 KiB  
Article
Antibiofilm Activity of Combretum micranthum G. Don Catechin–Sugar Phytocomplex on Pseudomonas aeruginosa
by Viviana Teresa Orlandi, Fabrizio Bolognese, Luca Chiodaroli, Ilaria Armenia, Enrico Caruso and Miryam Chiara Malacarne
Molecules 2024, 29(9), 2091; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29092091 - 1 May 2024
Viewed by 1142
Abstract
Clinicians often have to face infections caused by microorganisms that are difficult to eradicate due to their resistance and/or tolerance to antimicrobials. Among these pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes chronic infections due to its ability to form biofilms on medical devices, skin wounds, ulcers [...] Read more.
Clinicians often have to face infections caused by microorganisms that are difficult to eradicate due to their resistance and/or tolerance to antimicrobials. Among these pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes chronic infections due to its ability to form biofilms on medical devices, skin wounds, ulcers and the lungs of patients with Cystic Fibrosis. In this scenario, the plant world represents an important reservoir of natural compounds with antimicrobial and/or antibiofilm properties. In this study, an extract from the leaves of Combretum micranthum G. Don, named Cm4-p, which was previously investigated for its antimicrobial activities, was assayed for its capacity to inhibit biofilm formation and/or to eradicate formed biofilms. The model strain P. aeruginosa PAO1 and its isogenic biofilm hyperproducer derivative B13 were treated with Cm4-p. Preliminary IR, UV-vis, NMR, and mass spectrometry analyses showed that the extract was mainly composed of catechins bearing different sugar moieties. The phytocomplex (3 g/L) inhibited the biofilm formation of both the PAO1 and B13 strains in a significant manner. In light of the obtained results, Cm4-p deserves deeper investigations of its potential in the antimicrobial field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products and Microbiology in Human Health)
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15 pages, 3012 KiB  
Article
Beneficial Effects of Dietary Fiber in Young Barley Leaf on Gut Microbiota and Immunity in Mice
by Seita Chudan, Takuto Kurakawa, Miyu Nishikawa, Yoshinori Nagai, Yoshiaki Tabuchi, Shinichi Ikushiro and Yukihiro Furusawa
Molecules 2024, 29(8), 1897; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29081897 - 22 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1410
Abstract
The health benefits of young barley leaves, rich in dietary fiber, have been studied for several decades; however, their beneficial effects on the intestinal microenvironment remain to be elucidated. To investigate the effects of young barley leaf-derived dietary fiber (YB) on the gut [...] Read more.
The health benefits of young barley leaves, rich in dietary fiber, have been studied for several decades; however, their beneficial effects on the intestinal microenvironment remain to be elucidated. To investigate the effects of young barley leaf-derived dietary fiber (YB) on the gut microbiota and immunity, mice were fed an AIN-93G diet containing cellulose or YB and subjected to subsequent analysis. The population of MHC-II-positive conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) and CD86 expression in the cDCs of Peyer’s patches were elevated in the YB-fed mice. MHC-II and CD86 expression was also elevated in the bone marrow-derived DCs treated with YB. 16S-based metagenomic analysis revealed that the gut microbiota composition was markedly altered by YB feeding. Among the gut microbiota, Lachnospiraceae, mainly comprising butyrate-producing NK4A136 spp., were overrepresented in the YB-fed mice. In fact, fecal butyrate concentration was also augmented in the YB-fed mice, which coincided with increased retinaldehyde dehydrogenase (RALDH) activity in the CD103+ cDCs of the mesenteric lymph nodes. Consistent with elevated RALDH activity, the population of colonic IgA+ plasma cells was higher in the YB-fed mice than in the parental control mice. In conclusion, YB has beneficial effects on the gut microbiota and intestinal immune system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products and Microbiology in Human Health)
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Review

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43 pages, 3286 KiB  
Review
A Review of the Antimicrobial Properties of Cyanobacterial Natural Products
by Ian E. Cock and Matthew J. Cheesman
Molecules 2023, 28(20), 7127; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28207127 - 17 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2226
Abstract
The development of multiple-drug-resistant pathogens has prompted medical research toward the development of new and effective antimicrobial therapies. Much research into novel antibiotics has focused on bacterial and fungal compounds, and on chemical modification of existing compounds to increase their efficacy or reactivate [...] Read more.
The development of multiple-drug-resistant pathogens has prompted medical research toward the development of new and effective antimicrobial therapies. Much research into novel antibiotics has focused on bacterial and fungal compounds, and on chemical modification of existing compounds to increase their efficacy or reactivate their antimicrobial properties. In contrast, cyanobacteria have been relatively overlooked for antibiotic discovery, and much more work is required. This may be because some cyanobacterial species produce environmental toxins, leading to concerns about the safety of cyanobacterial compounds in therapy. Despite this, several cyanobacterial-derived compounds have been identified with noteworthy inhibitory activity against bacterial, fungal and protozoal growth, as well as viral replication. Additionally, many of these compounds have relatively low toxicity and are therefore relevant targets for drug development. Of particular note, several linear and heterocyclic peptides and depsipeptides with potent activity and good safety indexes have been identified and are undergoing development as antimicrobial chemotherapies. However, substantial further studies are required to identify and screen the myriad other cyanobacterial-derived compounds to evaluate their therapeutic potential. This study reviews the known phytochemistry of cyanobacteria, and where relevant, the effects of those compounds against bacterial, fungal, protozoal and viral pathogens, with the aim of highlighting gaps in the literature and focusing future studies in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products and Microbiology in Human Health)
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