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Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources III
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Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources III

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 10343

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Iryna Smetanska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Plant Production and Processing, University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf, Markgrafenstr 16, 91746 Weidenbach, Germany
Interests: food biotechnology; innovative food; bio-active compounds; antioxidants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Oksana Sytar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Biology, Institute Biology and Medicine, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 01033 Kyiv, Ukraine
Interests: secondary metabolites; phenolics; novel compounds; applied research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, there has been a huge interest in bioactive compounds from natural sources. Plant biodiversity leads to a large quantity of bioactive compounds. Bioactive compounds mostly consist of some specific secondary metabolites with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial properties, among others. The bioactive compounds of classes of terpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, stilbenes, etc., alongside the description of some of their mechanisms of action, are important to study. It is important to admit that the use of plant extracts complicates the identification of antiviral and antimicrobial effects, as well as other capacities of separate biologically active compounds. The effects of activities of solute compounds in extracts can be additive (the synergistic effect), or an antagonistic effect can come into play. To discover the role of plant biodiversity in the divert composition of specific secondary metabolites in various plant species is one of the aim of current Special Issue. We welcome research studies on the biochemical composition and other effects on rare, underutilized plants or plants with strong adaptive potential due to the effect of specific stresses. In this context, the current Special Issue is open to submissions of scientific research on the description of novel isolated bioactive compounds, as well as some of their unknown effects, which are a priority for the applied needs of humans in different areas of life. Due to a strong interest in the current topic in the previous Special Issue, we will continue to collect unique and interesting research works connected with plant natural compounds and their biological effects.

Prof. Dr. Iryna Smetanska
Dr. Oksana Sytar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • secondary metabolites
  • bioactive compounds
  • plant biotechnology
  • innovative food
  • plant natural resources

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4692 KiB  
Article
Phytochemical Investigation of Carex praecox Schreb. and ACE-Inhibitory Activity of Oligomer Stilbenes of the Plant
by Csilla Zsuzsanna Dávid, Norbert Kúsz, Orinamhe Godwin Agbadua, Róbert Berkecz, Annamária Kincses, Gabriella Spengler, Attila Hunyadi, Judit Hohmann and Andrea Vasas
Molecules 2024, 29(14), 3427; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29143427 - 22 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 969
Abstract
Phenolic compounds are the main special metabolites of Cyperaceae species from phytochemical, pharmacological, and chemotaxonomical points of view. The present study focused on the isolation, structure determination, and pharmacological investigation of constituents from Carex praecox. Twenty-six compounds, including lignans, stilbenes, flavonoids, megastigmanes, [...] Read more.
Phenolic compounds are the main special metabolites of Cyperaceae species from phytochemical, pharmacological, and chemotaxonomical points of view. The present study focused on the isolation, structure determination, and pharmacological investigation of constituents from Carex praecox. Twenty-six compounds, including lignans, stilbenes, flavonoids, megastigmanes, chromenes, and phenylpropanoids, were identified from the methanol extract of the plant. Five of these compounds, namely, carexines A–E, are previously undescribed natural products. All compounds were isolated for the first time from C. praecox. The ACE-inhibitory activity of seven stilbenoid compounds was tested, and (–)-hopeaphenol proved to be the most active (IC50 7.7 ± 0.9 μM). The enzyme–kinetic studies revealed a mixed-type inhibition; therefore, domain-specific studies were also conducted. The in silico docking of (–)-hopeaphenol to the ACE affirmed some favorable interactions. In addition, the antiproliferative and antibacterial effects of some compounds were also evaluated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources III)
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17 pages, 10187 KiB  
Article
Polysaccharides from Radix Peucedani: Extraction, Structural Characterization and Antioxidant Activity
by Jie Zhang, Chenyue Wang, Qian Li and Wei Liang
Molecules 2023, 28(23), 7845; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28237845 - 29 Nov 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2060
Abstract
In this study, an ultrasound-assisted green extraction method was applied for the extraction of polysaccharides from Radix Peucedani based on deep eutectic solvents (DESs), and the result showed that a DES system composed of betaine and 1,2-propylene glycol with a molar ratio of [...] Read more.
In this study, an ultrasound-assisted green extraction method was applied for the extraction of polysaccharides from Radix Peucedani based on deep eutectic solvents (DESs), and the result showed that a DES system composed of betaine and 1,2-propylene glycol with a molar ratio of 1:2 possessed the optimal extraction efficiency for polysaccharides. Single-factor and Box–Behnken designs were used to determine the optimum extraction conditions for the maximum yields of polysaccharides from Radix Peucedani by using DESs. The maximum yields of polysaccharides attained 11.372% within a DES water content of 19%, an extraction time of 36 min, an extraction temperature of 54 °C, a solid–liquid ratio of 1:30 and an ultrasonic irradiation power of 420 W. The physicochemical properties of polysaccharides were analyzed using ICS and FT-IR, and the structure morphology was observed by SEM. The polysaccharides extracted from Radix Peucedani exhibited general antioxidant activities in vitro including DPPH, Hydroxyl and ABTS+ radical-scavenging activity. The antioxidant mechanism of Radix Peucedani polysaccharides was investigated using network pharmacology and molecular docking methods. The result showed that the high binding activity of glucose and IL1B, galactose and CASP3 was recognized as a potential mechanism for the antioxidant effects of Radix Peucedani polysaccharides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources III)
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13 pages, 2549 KiB  
Article
Anti-Aging Constituents from Pinus morrisonicola Leaves
by Ta-Wei Liu, Sui-Wen Hsiao, Chi-Ting Lin, George Hsiao and Ching-Kuo Lee
Molecules 2023, 28(13), 5063; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28135063 - 28 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1617
Abstract
Pinus morrisonicola Hayata is a unique plant species found in Taiwan. Previous studies have identified its anti-hypertensive, anti-oxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, a bioactivity-guided approach was employed to extract 20 compounds from the ethyl acetate fraction of the ethanol extract of [...] Read more.
Pinus morrisonicola Hayata is a unique plant species found in Taiwan. Previous studies have identified its anti-hypertensive, anti-oxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, a bioactivity-guided approach was employed to extract 20 compounds from the ethyl acetate fraction of the ethanol extract of Pinus morrisonicola Hayata’s pine needles. The anti-aging effects of these compounds were investigated using HT-1080 cells. The structures of the purified compounds were confirmed through NMR and LC-MS analysis, revealing the presence of nine flavonoids, two lignans, one coumarin, one benzofuran, one phenylic acid, and six diterpenoids. Among them, PML18, PML19, and PML20 were identified as novel diterpene. Compounds 3, 4, and 5 exhibited remarkable inhibitory effects against MMP-2 and showed no significant cell toxicity at 25 μM. Although the purified compounds showed lower activity against Pro MMP-2 and Pro MMP-9 compared to the ethyl acetate fraction, we speculate that this is the result of synergistic effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources III)
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16 pages, 631 KiB  
Article
Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Properties of Honey Bee Venom
by Valery Isidorov, Adam Zalewski, Grzegorz Zambrowski and Izabela Swiecicka
Molecules 2023, 28(10), 4135; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28104135 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3085
Abstract
Due to its great medical and pharmaceutical importance, honey bee venom is considered to be well characterized both chemically and in terms of biomedical activity. However, this study shows that our knowledge of the composition and antimicrobial properties of Apis mellifera venom is [...] Read more.
Due to its great medical and pharmaceutical importance, honey bee venom is considered to be well characterized both chemically and in terms of biomedical activity. However, this study shows that our knowledge of the composition and antimicrobial properties of Apis mellifera venom is incomplete. In this work, the composition of volatile and extractive components of dry and fresh bee venom (BV) was determined by GC-MS, as well as antimicrobial activity against seven types of pathogenic microorganisms. One-hundred and forty-nine organic C1–C19 compounds of different classes were found in the volatile secretions of the studied BV samples. One-hundred and fifty-two organic C2–C36 compounds were registered in ether extracts, and 201 compounds were identified in methanol extracts. More than half of these compounds are new to BV. In microbiological tests involving four species of pathogenic Gram-positive and two species of Gram-negative bacteria, as well as one species of pathogenic fungi, the values of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC) were determined for samples of dry BV, as well as ether and methanol extracts from it. Gram-positive bacteria show the greatest sensitivity to the action of all tested drugs. The minimum MIC values for Gram-positive bacteria in the range of 0.12–7.63 ng mL−1 were recorded for whole BV, while for the methanol extract they were 0.49–125 ng mL−1. The ether extracts had a weaker effect on the tested bacteria (MIC values 31.25–500 ng mL−1). Interestingly, Escherichia coli was more sensitive (MIC 7.63–500 ng mL−1) to the action of bee venom compared to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC ≥ 500 ng mL−1). The results of the tests carried out indicate that the antimicrobial effect of BV is associated with the presence of not only peptides, such as melittin, but also low molecular weight metabolites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources III)
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17 pages, 5172 KiB  
Article
Discovery, Antitumor Activity, and Fermentation Optimization of Roquefortines from Penicillium sp. OUCMDZ-1435
by Xingxing He, Yanzheng Jin, Fei Kong, Liyuan Yang, Mingzhuang Zhu and Yi Wang
Molecules 2023, 28(7), 3180; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28073180 - 3 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1735
Abstract
Meleagrin and oxaline, which belong to the roquefortine alkaloids with a unique dihydroindole spiroamide framework, have significant bioactivities, especially tumor cell inhibitory activity. In order to discover the requefortine alkaloids, Penicillium sp. OUCMDZ-1435 was fished and identified from marine fungi using molecular probe [...] Read more.
Meleagrin and oxaline, which belong to the roquefortine alkaloids with a unique dihydroindole spiroamide framework, have significant bioactivities, especially tumor cell inhibitory activity. In order to discover the requefortine alkaloids, Penicillium sp. OUCMDZ-1435 was fished and identified from marine fungi using molecular probe technology. Meleagrin (1) and oxaline (2) were isolated from it. In addition, we first reported that compounds 1 and 2 could effectively inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of the human HepG2 cell and induce HepG2 cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Additionally, the fermentation of Meleagrin (1) was optimized to increase its yield to 335 mg/L. These results provided bioactive inspiration and fungus resources for roquefortine alkaloid development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources III)
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