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Toxins
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Advances in Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins
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Advances in Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Toxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 15189

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Souichi Nakashima

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. NPR Medical Resource Laboratory (Director of Laboratories), Kyoto 604-0924, Japan
2. Pharmaceutical Research and Technology Institute, Kindai University, Osaka 577-8502, Japan
Interests: dementia; melanin; turmor; AGEs; natural product chemistry; traditional medicines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As well known, a lot of seed compounds for the drug development were found from natural products such as plants, animals, microorganisms, minerals, and so on. The materials are sometimes listed in toxins and venoms. In old times, toxic alkaloid d-tubocurarine was isolated from Chondodendron tomentosum, and have been used as drugs and/or reagent for muscle relaxant. In other cases, tropane alkaloids, such as the hyoscyamine (levo-atropine) and scoporamine included in some Solanaceae plants, are very important antagonists for acetycholine receptor.

In this way, natural toxins are very important drug seeds for critical effects. However, a lot of reported compounds with cytotoxicity were not examined satisfactorily for other beneficial use, except for anti-tumor drugs.

Therefore, we planned this Special Issue, “Advances in Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins”, as a continuation of the previous Special Issue “Basic Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins”.

The aim of this Special Issue is not limited to either plant toxins or toxic plants. Additionally, papers considering research topics, such as chemical structures, biological activity, data science (in vivo or in vitro), chemical biology, mechanisms, cultivation, etc., are welcome. Of course, not only original research articles, but also review type articles, are welcome.

We look forward to your submission to this Special Issue on “Advances in Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins”.

Dr. Souichi Nakashima
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 double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • natural product
  • isolation
  • chemical structure
  • biological activity
  • target protein
  • plant toxins
  • drug seeds

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 5332 KiB  
Communication
The Presence of Testis Determines Aristolochic Acid-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Mice
by Wei-Long Li, Babu J. Padanilam and Jinu Kim
Toxins 2023, 15(2), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins15020118 - 1 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1593
Abstract
Aristolochic acid (AA) is notorious for inducing nephrotoxicity, but the influence of sex on AA-induced kidney injury was not clear. This study sought to investigate sex differences in kidney dysfunction and tubular injury induced by AA. Male and female mice were bilaterally orchiectomized [...] Read more.
Aristolochic acid (AA) is notorious for inducing nephrotoxicity, but the influence of sex on AA-induced kidney injury was not clear. This study sought to investigate sex differences in kidney dysfunction and tubular injury induced by AA. Male and female mice were bilaterally orchiectomized and ovariectomized, respectively. Fourteen days after gonadectomy, the mice were intraperitoneally injected with AA (10 mg/kg body weight/day) daily for 2 days and sacrificed 7 days after the first injection. Body weight, kidney function, and tubular structure were assessed. When compared between male and female non-gonadectomized mice, AA-induced body weight loss was greater in male mice than in female mice. Functional and structural damages in male kidneys were markedly induced by AA injection, but kidneys in AA-injected female mice showed no or mild damages. Ovariectomy had no effect on AA-induced nephrotoxic acute kidney injury in female mice. However, orchiectomy significantly reduced body weight loss, kidney dysfunction, and tubular injury in AA-induced nephrotoxicity in male mice. This study has demonstrated that testis causes AA-induced nephrotoxic acute kidney injury. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins)
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23 pages, 3609 KiB  
Article
Documentation of Phytotoxic Compounds Existing in Parthenium hysterophorus L. Leaf and Their Phytotoxicity on Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. and Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop
by HM Khairul Bashar, Abdul Shukor Juraimi, Muhammad Saiful Ahmad-Hamdani, Md Kamal Uddin, Norhayu Asib, Md. Parvez Anwar, SM Rezaul Karim, Ferdoushi Rahaman, Mohammad Amdadul Haque and Akbar Hossain
Toxins 2022, 14(8), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14080561 - 18 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2808
Abstract
The utilization of the invasive weed, Parthenium hysterophorus L. for producing value-added products is novel research for sustaining our environment. Therefore, the current study aims to document the phytotoxic compounds contained in the leaf of parthenium and to examine the phytotoxic effects of [...] Read more.
The utilization of the invasive weed, Parthenium hysterophorus L. for producing value-added products is novel research for sustaining our environment. Therefore, the current study aims to document the phytotoxic compounds contained in the leaf of parthenium and to examine the phytotoxic effects of all those phytochemicals on the seed sprouting and growth of Crabgrass Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. and Goosegrass Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. The phytotoxic substances of the methanol extract of the P. hysterophorus leaf were analyzed by LC-ESI-QTOF-MS=MS. From the LC-MS study, many compounds, such as terpenoids, flavonoids, amino acids, pseudo guaianolides, and carbohydrate and phenolic acids, were identified. Among them, seven potential phytotoxic compounds (i.e., caffeic acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, anisic acid, and parthenin) were documented, those are responsible for plant growth inhibition. The concentration needed to reach 50% growth inhibition in respect to germination (ECg50), root length (ECr50), and shoot length (ECs50) was estimated and the severity of phytotoxicity of the biochemicals was determined by the pooled values (rank value) of three inhibition parameters. The highest growth inhibition was demarcated by caffeic acid, which was confirmed and indicated by cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). In the case of D. sanguinalis, the germination was reduced by 60.02%, root length was reduced by 76.49%, and shoot length was reduced by 71.14% when the chemical was applied at 800 μM concentration, but in the case of E. indica, 100% reduction of seed germination, root length, and shoot length reduction occurred at the same concentration. The lowest rank value was observed from caffeic acids in both E. indica (rank value 684.7) and D. sanguinalis (909.5) caused by parthenin. It means that caffeic acid showed the highest phytotoxicity. As a result, there is a significant chance that the parthenium weed will be used to create bioherbicides in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins)
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13 pages, 3851 KiB  
Article
The Evaluation of the Biological Effects of Melanin by Using Silkworm as a Model Animal
by Vivian Andoh, Liang Chen, Feifei Zhu, Qi Ge, Lin Ma, Qiang Wang and Keping Chen
Toxins 2022, 14(7), 421; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14070421 - 21 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2139
Abstract
Melanin has been reported to have potential applications in industries such as cosmetics and food due to its anti-UV and antioxidative qualities. However, the corresponding data on its safety evaluation or biological consequences are fairly limited; such data are critical given its widespread [...] Read more.
Melanin has been reported to have potential applications in industries such as cosmetics and food due to its anti-UV and antioxidative qualities. However, the corresponding data on its safety evaluation or biological consequences are fairly limited; such data are critical given its widespread use. The effect of different concentrations (1, 2, 3, and 4%) of melanin on growth status (larvae length and weight, cocoon weight, and morphology), the microstructure of the various tissues (fat body, silk gland, and midgut), and silk properties was studied by using the silkworm (bombyx mori) as the model organism. The weight and length of silkworm larvae fed with melanin were lower than the control, indicating that melanin appears to have a negative effect on the growth status of silkworms; however, the histophysiology analysis indicates that the cell morphologies are not changed, the XRD and FTIR spectra indicate that the secondary and crystalline structures of silks are also well preserved, and the thermogravimetric analysis and tensile test indicate that the thermal stability and mechanical properties are well maintained and even improved to some extent. Generally, it indicates that melanin has a certain inhibitory effect on the growth of silkworm larva but causes no harm to the cell microstructures or silk properties; this demonstrates that the safety of melanin as a food addictive should be considered seriously. The increase of thermal stability and mechanical properties shows that melanin may be a good chemical modifier in textile industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins)
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7 pages, 815 KiB  
Communication
Analysis of Active Compounds Using Target Protein Cofilin―Cucurbitacins in Cytotoxic Plant Bryonia cretica
by Souichi Nakashima, Yoshimi Oda, Moeko Morita, Ayako Ohta, Toshio Morikawa, Hisashi Matsuda and Seikou Nakamura
Toxins 2022, 14(3), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14030212 - 16 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2292
Abstract
We examined a two-step target protein binding strategy that uses cofilin as the target protein to analyze the active constituents in Bryonia cretica. In the first step, we prepared the target protein, and used it to analyze the compounds binding to it [...] Read more.
We examined a two-step target protein binding strategy that uses cofilin as the target protein to analyze the active constituents in Bryonia cretica. In the first step, we prepared the target protein, and used it to analyze the compounds binding to it in the second step. We used the methanolic extract of B. cretica as a library of possible active compounds. We conducted LC–MS analysis using information from our previous study. The peaks in the HPLC profile were identified as cucurbitacin D, isocucurbitacin D, and cucurbitacin I. As far as we know, there is no known study of the activity of isocucurbitacin D in this research field. Therefore, we examined the effects of isocucurbitacin D on cell proliferation and cofilin protein in human fibrosarcoma cell line HT1080 to confirm the effectiveness of this strategy. The cytotoxicity assay, the fibrous/globular actin ratio assay, and the immunoblotting analysis revealed that isocucurbitacin D showed a cytotoxic effect with disruption of target protein cofilin. The target protein binding strategy is a direct and straightforward method for finding new drug seeds from crude sources, such as natural plant extracts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins)
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Review

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28 pages, 3823 KiB  
Review
Mycochemicals against Cancer Stem Cells
by Massimo Tacchini, Gianni Sacchetti, Alessandra Guerrini and Guglielmo Paganetto
Toxins 2023, 15(6), 360; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins15060360 - 25 May 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2686
Abstract
Since ancient times, mushrooms have been considered valuable allies of human well-being both from a dietary and medicinal point of view. Their essential role in several traditional medicines is explained today by the discovery of the plethora of biomolecules that have shown proven [...] Read more.
Since ancient times, mushrooms have been considered valuable allies of human well-being both from a dietary and medicinal point of view. Their essential role in several traditional medicines is explained today by the discovery of the plethora of biomolecules that have shown proven efficacy for treating various diseases, including cancer. Numerous studies have already been conducted to explore the antitumoural properties of mushroom extracts against cancer. Still, very few have reported the anticancer properties of mushroom polysaccharides and mycochemicals against the specific population of cancer stem cells (CSCs). In this context, β-glucans are relevant in modulating immunological surveillance against this subpopulation of cancer cells within tumours. Small molecules, less studied despite their spread and assortment, could exhibit the same importance. In this review, we discuss several pieces of evidence of the association between β-glucans and small mycochemicals in modulating biological mechanisms which are proven to be involved with CSCs development. Experimental evidence and an in silico approach are evaluated with the hope of contributing to future strategies aimed at the direct study of the action of these mycochemicals on this subpopulation of cancer cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins)
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30 pages, 2490 KiB  
Review
Microbial and Plant Derived Low Risk Pesticides Having Nematocidal Activity
by Antonio Evidente
Toxins 2022, 14(12), 849; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14120849 - 3 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2389
Abstract
Microorganisms, virus, weeds, parasitic plants, insects, and nematodes are among the enemies that induce severe economic losses to agrarian production. Farmers have been forced to combat these enemies using different methods, including mechanical and agronomic strategies, since the beginning of agriculture. The development [...] Read more.
Microorganisms, virus, weeds, parasitic plants, insects, and nematodes are among the enemies that induce severe economic losses to agrarian production. Farmers have been forced to combat these enemies using different methods, including mechanical and agronomic strategies, since the beginning of agriculture. The development of agriculture, due to an increased request for food production, which is a consequence to the rapid and noteworthy growth of the world’s population, requires the use of more efficient methods to strongly elevate the yield production. Thus, in the last five-to-six decades, a massive and extensive use of chemicals has occurred in agriculture, resulting in heavy negative consequences, such as the increase in environmental pollution and risks for human and animal health. These problems increased with the repetition of treatments, which is due to resistance that natural enemies developed against this massive use of pesticides. There are new control strategies under investigation to develop products, namely biopesticides, with high efficacy and selectivity but based on natural products which are not toxic, and which are biodegradable in a short time. This review is focused on the microbial and plant metabolites with nematocidal activity with potential applications in suitable formulations in greenhouses and fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research for the Potential Use of Plant Toxins)
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