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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2020) | Viewed by 106458

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Prof. Dr. Manuela Pintado

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Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal
Interests: biotechnology and biochemistry
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Dr. Ezequiel Coscueta

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Assistant Guest Editor

Escola Superior de Biotecnologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
Interests: molecular biology; biotechnology; food science and technology; food chemistry
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Dr. María Emilia Brassesco

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Assistant Guest Editor

Escola Superior de Biotecnologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
Interests: material characterization; food chemistry; enzyme purification; biotechnological techniques
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The marine, forestry, agriculture, and food systems are important sources of bioproducts for health applications. To explore the potential of such sources for the development of natural products with biological activities, it is necessary to develop new technological strategies. Despite the range of natural compounds already on the market, there is a need to identify bioactive molecules (e.g., polysaccharides, proteins and peptides, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and polyphenols) from different natural sources with positive health properties including antihypertensive, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, antimicrobial, anti-atherosclerotic, antioxidant, antithrombotic, immune-modulatory, relaxing, and satiety-inducing effects. This Special Issue aims to identify and gather the latest varied sources of bioproducts, the methods used for extraction and purification, the biological and functional activities of these bioactive compounds, and their mechanisms of action.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manuela Pintado
Dr. Ezequiel Coscueta
Dr. María Emilia Brassesco
Guest Editors

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Keywords

bioactive compounds
health applications
natural sources
purification
downstream processing

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Related Special Issues

Bioproducts for Health II in Molecules (10 articles)
Bioproducts for Health III in Molecules (8 articles)

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 7717 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Redox Potential and Antioxidant Capacity of Bovine Bone Collagen Peptides towards Stable Free Radicals, and Bovine Meat Lipids and Proteins. Effect of Animal Age, Bone Anatomy and Proteases—A Step Forward towards Collagen-Rich Tissue Valorisation

by Laurent Aubry, Claude De-Oliveira-Ferreira, Véronique Santé-Lhoutellier and Vincenza Ferraro

Molecules 2020, 25(22), 5422; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25225422 - 19 Nov 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2778

Abstract

Collagen antioxidant peptides are being widely studied. However, no research has paid attention to biological parameters such as the age and anatomy of collagen-rich tissues, which can determine a change in tissue structure and composition, and then in bioactivity. Moreover, only few research works have studied and assessed peptides antioxidant activity on the food matrix. This work aimed to investigate the effect of bovine’s bone age and anatomy, and of six different enzymes, on the antioxidant activity of collagen peptides. Collagen was extracted from young and old bovine femur and tibia; six different enzymes were used for peptides’ release. The redox potential, the quenching of stable free radicals, and the antioxidant capacity on bovine meat lipids and proteins was evaluated, under heating from ambient temperature to 80 °C. Age and anatomy showed a significant effect; the influence of anatomy becomes most important with age. Each enzyme’s effectiveness toward age and anatomy was not the same. The greatest amount of peptides was released from young bones’ collagen hydrolysed with papain. The antioxidant activity was higher at higher temperatures, except for meat proteins. Assessing the effect of age and anatomy of collagen-rich tissues can promote a better application of collagen bioactive peptides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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13 pages, 2122 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recovery of a Bacteriocin-Like Inhibitory Substance from Lactobacillus bulgaricus FTDC 1211 Using Polyethylene-Glycol Impregnated Amberlite XAD-4 Resins System

by Nur Fazrin Husna Abdul Aziz, Sahar Abbasiliasi, Zhang Jin Ng, Mazni Abu Zarin, Siti Nurbaya Oslan, Joo Shun Tan and Arbakariya Bin Ariff

Molecules 2020, 25(22), 5332; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25225332 - 16 Nov 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2616

Abstract

Lactobacillus bulgaricus is a LAB strain which is capable of producing bacteriocin substances to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus. The aim of this study was to purify a bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance (BLIS) produced by L. bulgaricus FTDC 1211 using an aqueous impregnated resins system consisting of polyethylene-glycol (PEG) impregnated on Amberlite XAD4. Important parameters influencing on purification of BLIS, such as the molecular weight and concentration of PEG, the concentration and pH of sodium citrate and the concentration of sodium chloride, were optimized using a response surface methodology. Under optimum conditions of 11% (w/w) of PEG 4000 impregnated Amberlite XAD4 resins and 2% (w/w) of sodium citrate at pH 6, the maximum purification factor (3.26) and recovery yield (82.69% ± 0.06) were obtained. These results demonstrate that AIRS could be used as an alternate purification system in the primary recovery step. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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11 pages, 4559 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Homology Modeling and Optimized Expression of Truncated IK Protein, tIK, as an Anti-Inflammatory Peptide

by Yuyoung Song, Minseon Kim and Yongae Kim

Molecules 2020, 25(19), 4358; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25194358 - 23 Sep 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2527

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis, caused by abnormalities in the autoimmune system, affects about 1% of the population. Rheumatoid arthritis does not yet have a proper treatment, and current treatment has various side effects. Therefore, there is a need for a therapeutic agent that can effectively treat rheumatoid arthritis without side effects. Recently, research on pharmaceutical drugs based on peptides has been actively conducted to reduce negative effects. Because peptide drugs are bio-friendly and bio-specific, they are characterized by no side effects. Truncated-IK (tIK) protein, a fragment of IK protein, has anti-inflammatory effects, including anti-rheumatoid arthritis activity. This study focused on the fact that tIK protein phosphorylates the interleukin 10 receptor. Through homology modeling with interleukin 10, short tIK epitopes were proposed to find the essential region of the sequence for anti-inflammatory activity. T_H17 differentiation experiments were also performed with the proposed epitope. A peptide composed of 18 amino acids with an anti-inflammatory effect was named tIK-18mer. Additionally, a tIK 9-mer and a 14-mer were also found. The procedure for the experimental expression of the proposed tIK series (9-mer, 14-mer, and 18-mer) using bacterial strain is discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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10 pages, 2550 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Health Benefits of Ropy Exopolysaccharides Produced by Lactobacillus plantarum

by Tülin Yılmaz and Ömer Şimşek

Molecules 2020, 25(14), 3293; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25143293 - 20 Jul 2020

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 4028

Abstract

The ability of Lactobacillus plantarum to produce exopolysaccharides (EPS) of various structures and properties is effective in showing both starter and probiotic culture qualification. In this study, the potential health promoting functions of the ropy EPS produced by Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from tarhana were tested. A stimulation of the pro-inflammatory IL-12 and TNF-α cytokines was observed in the presence of the ropy EPS suggesting an in vitro immune modulation. Similarly, the tested EPS demonstrated promoted the growth of the probiotic strains in fermentation medium. A medium level of radical scavenging activities of ropy EPS was observed whereas the superoxide and hydroxyl scavenging activities were more effective. The ropy EPS also showed α-glucosidase inhibition and cholesterol removal characteristics depending on their concentration. These findings revealed the potential health-promoting functions of ropy EPS from L. plantarum strains and EPS from L. plantarum PFC311 and PFC310 strains demonstrated multiple health-improving effects that can be further evaluated in food and other industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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14 pages, 930 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cytokine Expression by Human Macrophage-Like Cells Derived from the Monocytic Cell Line THP-1 Differs between Treatment with Milk from Preterm- and Term-Delivering Mothers and Pasteurized Donor Milk

by Veronique Demers-Mathieu, Robert K. Huston and David C. Dallas

Molecules 2020, 25(10), 2376; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25102376 - 20 May 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6446

Abstract

Immunomodulatory proteins from human milk may enhance the protection and development of the infant’s gut. This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of treatment with milk from preterm-(PM) and term-delivering (TM) mothers and pasteurized donor milk (DM) on cytokine gene expression in human macrophage-like cells derived from the monocytic cell line THP-1. The gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12 (p40), IL-10 and GAPDH in macrophages treated with PM, TM and DM at steady and activated (inflammatory) states were measured using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. TNF-α and IL-6 in macrophages (both states) with DM were higher than PM or TM. IL-10 in steady state macrophages with DM was higher than PM whereas DM increased IL-10 in activated macrophages compared with TM. TM increased IL-6 and IL-12 (p40) in steady state macrophages compared with PM. IL-12 (p40) in activated macrophages with TM was higher than PM. IL-10 in steady state macrophages with TM was higher than PM. These results suggest that DM induces higher gene expression of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in macrophages compared with PM or TM. PM reduced gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines compared with TM, which may decrease the development of necrotizing enterocolitis and systematic inflammation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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15 pages, 686 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Potential of Ursolic Acid as Bioproduct for Cutaneous and Visceral Leishmaniasis

by Pablo Bilbao-Ramos, Dolores R. Serrano, Helga Karina Ruiz Saldaña, Juan J. Torrado, Francisco Bolás-Fernández and María Auxiliadora Dea-Ayuela

Molecules 2020, 25(6), 1394; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25061394 - 19 Mar 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3368

Abstract

Leishmaniasis affects around 12 million people worldwide and is estimated to cause the ninth-largest disease burden. There are three main forms of the disease, visceral (VL), cutaneous (CL), and mucocutaneous (MCL), leading to more than one million new cases every year and several thousand deaths. Current treatments based on chemically synthesized molecules are far from ideal. In this study, we have tested the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of ursolic acid (UA), a multifunctional triterpenoid with well-known antitumoral, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects on different Leishmania strains. The in vitro antileishmanial activity against the intracellular forms was six and three-fold higher compared to extracellular forms of L. amazonensis and L. infantum, respectively. UA also showed to be a potent antileishmanial drug against both VL and CL manifestations of the disease in experimental models. UA parenterally administered at 5 mg/kg for seven days significantly reduced the parasite burden in liver and spleen not only in murine acute infection but also in a chronic-infection model against L. infantum. In addition, UA ointment (0.2%) topically administered for four weeks diminished (50%) lesion size progression in a chronic infection model of CL caused by L. amazonensis, which was much greater than the effect of UA formulated as an O/W emulsion. UA played a key role in the immunological response modulating the Th1 response. The exposure of Leishmania-infected macrophages to UA led to a significant different production in the cytokine levels depending on the Leishmania strain causing the infection. In conclusion, UA can be a promising therapy against both CL and VL. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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12 pages, 1360 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Ceiba speciosa (A. St.-Hil.) Seeds Oil: Fatty Acids Profiling by GC-MS and NMR and Bioactivity

by Sergio Rosselli, Rosa Tundis, Maurizio Bruno, Mariarosaria Leporini, Tiziana Falco, Rossella Gagliano Candela, Natale Badalamenti and Monica R. Loizzo

Molecules 2020, 25(5), 1037; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25051037 - 25 Feb 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4254

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analyses, the antioxidant activities evaluated by different in vitro assays namely 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), Ferric Reducing Ability Power (FRAP), and β-carotene bleaching tests, and the inhibitory effects of enzymes linked to obesity (lipase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase) of fixed seed oil of Ceiba speciosa (A. St.-Hil.). Fourteen compounds were identified. Linoleic acid (28.22%) was the most abundant followed by palmitic acid (19.56%). Malvalic acid (16.15%), sterculic acid (11.11%), and dihydrosterculic acid (2.74%) were also detected. C. speciosa fixed oil exerted a promising ABTS radicals scavenging activity with an IC₅₀ value of 10.21 µg/mL, whereas an IC₅₀ of 77.44 µg/mL against DPPH⁺ radicals was found. C. speciosa fixed oil inhibited lipase with an IC₅₀ value of 127.57 µg/mL. The present investigation confirmed the functional properties of C. speciosa fixed oil, and proposes its use as valuable source of bioactive constituents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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27 pages, 479 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Recent Discoveries in the Field of Lipid Bio-Based Ingredients for Meat Processing

by Rubén Domínguez, Benjamin Bohrer, Paulo E. S. Munekata, Mirian Pateiro and José M. Lorenzo

Molecules 2021, 26(1), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26010190 - 2 Jan 2021

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 3961

Abstract

Current culture and pace of lifestyle, together with consumer demand for ready-to-eat foods, has influenced the food industry, particularly the meat sector. However, due to the important role that diet plays in human health, consumers demand safe and healthy food products. As a consequence, even foods that meet expectations for convenience and organoleptic properties must also meet expectations from a nutritional standpoint. One of the main nutritionally negative aspects of meat products is the content and composition of fat. In this sense, the meat industry has spent decades researching the best strategies for the reformulation of traditional products, without having a negative impact in technological processes or in the sensory acceptance of the final product. However, the enormous variety of meat products as well as industrial and culinary processes means that a single strategy cannot be established, despite the large volume of work carried out in this regard. Therefore, taking all the components of this complex situation into account and utilizing the large amount of scientific information that is available, this review aims to comprehensively analyze recent advances in the use of lipid bio-based materials to reformulate meat products, as well as their nutritional, technological, and sensorial implications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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31 pages, 1747 KiB

Open AccessReview

Health Effects of Grape Seed and Skin Extracts and Their Influence on Biochemical Markers

by Lenka Sochorova, Bozena Prusova, Martina Cebova, Tunde Jurikova, Jiri Mlcek, Anna Adamkova, Sarka Nedomova, Mojmir Baron and Jiri Sochor

Molecules 2020, 25(22), 5311; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25225311 - 14 Nov 2020

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 9218

Abstract

This review is focused on the study of the effects of grape seed and skin extract (GSSE) on human health. GSSE contains high concentrations of important polyphenolic substances with high biological activity. This review is a summary of studies that investigate the effects of GSSE on diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and cancer, its neuroprotective effect, and its effects on the gastrointestinal tract and other health complications related to these diseases. The results of the studies confirm that the anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and pro-proliferative effects of “Vitis vinifera L.” seed extract reduce the level of oxidative stress and improve the overall lipid metabolism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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40 pages, 1544 KiB

Open AccessReview

Valorization of Mushroom By-Products as a Source of Value-Added Compounds and Potential Applications

by Filipa Antunes, Sara Marçal, Oludemi Taofiq, Alcina M. M. B. Morais, Ana Cristina Freitas, Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira and Manuela Pintado

Molecules 2020, 25(11), 2672; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25112672 - 9 Jun 2020

Cited by 67 | Viewed by 10713

Abstract

Nowadays, the food sector is highly concerned with environmental issues and foreseen to develop strategies to reduce waste and losses resulting from activities developed in the food system. An approach is to increment added value to the agro-industrial wastes, which might provide economic growth and environmental protection, contributing to a circular economy. Mushroom by-products represent a disposal problem, but they are also promising sources of important compounds, which may be used due to their functional and nutritional properties. Research has been developed in different fields to obtain value added solutions for the by-products generated during mushroom production and processing. Bioactive compounds have been obtained and applied in the development of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical formulations. Additionally, other applications have been explored and include animal feed, fertilizer, bioremediation, energy production, bio-based materials, cosmetics and cosmeceuticals. The main purpose of this review is to highlight the relevant composition of mushroom by-products and discuss their potential as a source of functional compounds and other applications. Future research needs to explore pilot and industrial scale extraction methods to understand the technological feasibility and the economic sustainability of the bioactive compounds extraction and valorization towards different applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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16 pages, 641 KiB

Open AccessReview

Hydrolyzed Collagen—Sources and Applications

by Arely León-López, Alejandro Morales-Peñaloza, Víctor Manuel Martínez-Juárez, Apolonio Vargas-Torres, Dimitrios I. Zeugolis and Gabriel Aguirre-Álvarez

Molecules 2019, 24(22), 4031; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24224031 - 7 Nov 2019

Cited by 304 | Viewed by 55343

Abstract

Hydrolyzed collagen (HC) is a group of peptides with low molecular weight (3–6 KDa) that can be obtained by enzymatic action in acid or alkaline media at a specific incubation temperature. HC can be extracted from different sources such as bovine or porcine. These sources have presented health limitations in the last years. Recently research has shown good properties of the HC found in skin, scale, and bones from marine sources. Type and source of extraction are the main factors that affect HC properties, such as molecular weight of the peptide chain, solubility, and functional activity. HC is widely used in several industries including food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, biomedical, and leather industries. The present review presents the different types of HC, sources of extraction, and their applications as a biomaterial. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioproducts for Health)

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