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In Vivo and In Vitro Production for Plant Secondary Metabolites:...
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In Vivo and In Vitro Production for Plant Secondary Metabolites: Recent Advances and Biological Applications

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 6724

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Cinzia Forni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: abiotic stress response in plants; the production of secondary metabolites in vivo and in vitro; plant-growth-promoting bacteria; phytoremediation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Loretta Bacchetta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Biotechnologies and Agroindustry, ENEA-Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, 00196 Rome, Italy
Interests: genetic resources; chemical characterization; byproducts; crop management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of food quality for human health is well understood. There are several challenges that the world population must face in the imminent future, including climate change, which hinders crop production. Plants synthesize several compounds, named secondary metabolites, which play important roles in the plant’s life, e.g., in the reproduction and establishment of symbiosis, as well as in the response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Besides plants, these molecules also exert a wide range of effects in other living organisms, acting as antimicrobials, antioxidants, and antitumor compounds. The vast and versatile pharmacological effects of medicinal plants are basically dependent on their phytochemical constituents.

We are calling for articles in a new Special Issue of Plants entitled "In Vivo and In Vitro Production for Plant Secondary Metabolites: recent advances and biological applications”. In this Special Issue, we aim to publish research articles and reviews on the different classes of secondary metabolites, as well as their role in plants and in the treatment of human diseases. 

This Special Issue will cover wide research topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

  1. In vitro mass production and secondary metabolites synthesis;
  2. Factors affecting the synthesis of secondary metabolites in vivo and in vitro;
  3. The production and utilization of functional biomolecules for industrial applications;
  4. The recovery and utilization of useful metabolites from byproduct processing;
  5. Abiotic and biotic stresses and secondary metabolism in plants.

Prof. Dr. Cinzia Forni
Dr. Loretta Bacchetta
Guest Editors

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. Plants 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

  • secondary metabolites
  • in vivo and in vitro plant growth
  • edaphic factors
  • abiotic and biotic stress
  • industrial applications
  • bioproducts

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 2564 KiB  
Article
Bioactive Compounds and Valorization of Coffee By-Products from the Origin: A Circular Economy Model from Local Practices in Zongolica, Mexico
by Emanuel Bojórquez-Quintal, Damián Xotlanihua-Flores, Loretta Bacchetta, Gianfranco Diretto, Oliviero Maccioni, Sarah Frusciante, Luis M. Rojas-Abarca and Esteban Sánchez-Rodríguez
Plants 2024, 13(19), 2741; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192741 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1914
Abstract
The by-products of green coffee processing are rich in compounds that can be recycled for their possible use in the production of beverages, fertilizers and weed control in production areas. The objective of this work was to identify the organic and inorganic bioactive [...] Read more.
The by-products of green coffee processing are rich in compounds that can be recycled for their possible use in the production of beverages, fertilizers and weed control in production areas. The objective of this work was to identify the organic and inorganic bioactive compounds of green coffee and the coffee by-products related to the production of origin, such as dried cascara (skin-pulp), parchment and silverskin (unroasted), in order to investigate the role their biomolecules may have in reuse through practices and local knowledge, not yet valued. The metabolomic profile by HPLC-ESI-HRMS of the aqueous extract of the dried cascara highlighted 93 non-volatile molecules, the highest number reported for dried cascara. They belong to groups of organic acids (12), alkaloids (5), sugars (5), fatty acids (2), diglycerides (1), amino acids (18), phospholipids (7), vitamins (5), phenolic acids (11), flavonoids (8), chlorogenic acids (17), flavones (1) and terpenes (1). For the first time, we report the use of direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) for the identification of metabolites in aqueous extracts of dried cascara, parchment, silverskin and green coffee. The DART analysis mainly showed the presence of caffeine and chlorogenic acids in all the extracts; additionally, sugar adducts and antioxidant compounds such as polyphenols were detected. The mineral content (K, Ca, P, S, Mg and Cl) by EDS spectrometry in the by-products and green coffee showed a relatively high content of K in the dried cascara and green coffee, while Ca was detected in double quantity in the silverskin. These metabolomic and mineral profile data allow enhancement of the link between the quality of green coffee and its by-products and the traditional local practices in the crop-growing area. This consolidates the community’s experience in reusing by-products, thereby minimizing the impact on the environment and generating additional income for coffee growers’ work, in accordance with the principles of circular economy and bioeconomy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue In Vivo and In Vitro Production for Plant Secondary Metabolites: Recent Advances and Biological Applications)
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17 pages, 12208 KiB  
Article
Metabolomics Analysis of Phenolic Composition and Content in Five Pear Cultivars Leaves
by Huijun Jiao, Qiuzhu Guan, Ran Dong, Kun Ran, Hongwei Wang, Xiaochang Dong and Shuwei Wei
Plants 2024, 13(17), 2513; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172513 - 7 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1101
Abstract
Phenolic compounds are the predominant chemical constituents in the secondary metabolites of plants and are commonly found in pears. In this study, we focused on the analysis of the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of leaves from five pear cultivars (Cuiguan, Chaohong, Kuerle, [...] Read more.
Phenolic compounds are the predominant chemical constituents in the secondary metabolites of plants and are commonly found in pears. In this study, we focused on the analysis of the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of leaves from five pear cultivars (Cuiguan, Chaohong, Kuerle, Nanguoli, and Yali) and tea leaves (Fudingdabai as the control) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The results indicated significant differences in the amount and composition of phenolic metabolites between tea and pear leaves, as well as among the five pear varieties. Only approximately one-third of the metabolites exhibited higher levels in pear leaves compared to that in tea leaves. The total phenol content in the Yali cultivar was higher than that in the other pear cultivars. Furthermore, specific phenolic metabolites with high expression were identified in the leaves of different groups. The levels of delphinidin 3-glucoside, aesculin, prunin, cosmosiin, quercetin 3-galactoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, nicotiflorin, narcissin, chlorogenic acid, and cryptochlorogenic acid were relatively high among the five pear cultivars. (-)-Gallocatechin gallate, 6-methylcoumarin, aesculetin, hesperidin, kaempferol, and caftaric acid were identified as specific metabolic substances unique to each type of pear leaf. Most of the differential metabolites showed positive correlations and were primarily enriched in the flavonoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways. DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical) analysis indicated that the Yali cultivar exhibited the highest antioxidant activity compared to other varieties. This systematic analysis of the differences in phenolic metabolite composition and antioxidant activity between pear and tea leaves provides a theoretical foundation for the development and utilization of pear leaf resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue In Vivo and In Vitro Production for Plant Secondary Metabolites: Recent Advances and Biological Applications)
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15 pages, 7350 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Impact of Rhizobacteria Inoculation and Leaf-Chewing Insect Herbivory on Essential Oil Production and VOC Emissions in Ocimum basilicum
by Tamara Belén Palermo, Lorena del Rosario Cappellari, Jimena Sofía Palermo, Walter Giordano and Erika Banchio
Plants 2024, 13(7), 932; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13070932 - 23 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1282
Abstract
Inoculation with rhizobacteria and feeding by herbivores, two types of abiotic stress, have been shown to increase the production of secondary metabolites in plants as part of the defense response. This study explored the simultaneous effects of inoculation with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens GB03 (a [...] Read more.
Inoculation with rhizobacteria and feeding by herbivores, two types of abiotic stress, have been shown to increase the production of secondary metabolites in plants as part of the defense response. This study explored the simultaneous effects of inoculation with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens GB03 (a PGPR species) and herbivory by third-instar Spodoptera frugiperda larvae on essential oil (EO) yield and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in Ocimum basilicum plants. The density of glandular trichomes was also examined, given that they are linked to EO production and VOC emission. Herbivory increased EO content, but inoculation on its own did not. When combined, however, the two treatments led to a 10-fold rise in EO content with respect to non-inoculated plants. VOC emissions did not significantly differ between inoculated and non-inoculated plants, but they doubled in plants chewed by the larvae with respect to their undamaged counterparts. Interestingly, no changes were observed in VOC emissions when the treatments were tested together. In short, the two biotic stressors elicited differing plant defense responses, mainly when EO was concerned. PGPR did not stimulate EO production, while herbivory significantly enhanced it and increased VOC emissions. The combined treatment acted synergistically, and in this case, PGPR inoculation may have had a priming effect that amplified plant response to herbivory. Peltate trichome density was higher in inoculated plants, those damaged by larvae, and those subjected to the combination of both treatments. The findings highlight the intricate nature of plant defense mechanisms against various stressors and hint at a potential strategy to produce essential oil through the combined application of the two stressors tested here. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue In Vivo and In Vitro Production for Plant Secondary Metabolites: Recent Advances and Biological Applications)
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18 pages, 4223 KiB  
Article
Exogenous Melatonin Promotes Glucoraphanin Biosynthesis by Mediating Glutathione in Hairy Roots of Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Planch)
by Jinyu Bao, Jie Yang, Xu Lu, Lei Ma, Xiaotong Shi, Shimin Lan, Yi Zhao, Jie Cao, Shaoying Ma and Sheng Li
Plants 2024, 13(1), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010106 - 29 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1402
Abstract
To investigate the mechanism of melatonin (MT)-mediated glutathione (GSH) in promoting glucoraphanin (GRA) and sulforaphane (SF) synthesis, the gene expression pattern and protein content of hairy broccoli roots under MT treatment were analyzed by a combination of RNA-seq and tandem mass spectrometry tagging [...] Read more.
To investigate the mechanism of melatonin (MT)-mediated glutathione (GSH) in promoting glucoraphanin (GRA) and sulforaphane (SF) synthesis, the gene expression pattern and protein content of hairy broccoli roots under MT treatment were analyzed by a combination of RNA-seq and tandem mass spectrometry tagging (TMT) techniques in this study. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that both proteins and mRNAs with the same expression trend were enriched in the “Glutathione metabolism (ko00480)” and “Proteasome (ko03050)” pathways, and most of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) regulating the two pathways were downregulated. The results showed that endogenous GSH concentration and GR activity were increased in hairy roots after MT treatment. Exogenous GSH could promote the biosynthesis of GRA and SF, and both exogenous MT and GSH could upregulate the expression of the GSTF11 gene related to the sulfur transport gene, thus promoting the biosynthesis of GRA. Taken together, this study provides a new perspective to explore the complex molecular mechanisms of improving GRA and SF synthesis levels by MT and GSH regulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue In Vivo and In Vitro Production for Plant Secondary Metabolites: Recent Advances and Biological Applications)
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