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Plant and Endophytic Alkaloids

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 2883

Special Issue Editors

Department of Plant Breeding, Physiology and Seed Science, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Łobzowska 24, 31-140 Krakow, Poland
Interests: phytochemistry; metabolomics; plant tissue culture; plant biotechnology
Université de Lorraine, INRAE, LAE, 54000 Nancy, France
Interests: phytochemistry; metabolomics; plant tissue culture; metabolic engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Alkaloids, with their structural diversity and range of pharmacological activities, are one of the most important groups of natural substances of therapeutic interest. Many alkaloids have exhibited various biological activities, and some can be used as pesticides. They are mainly isolated from angiosperms, and certain plant families have a marked tendency to elaborate alkaloids (Amaryllidaceae, Liliaceae, Papaveraceae, Solanaceae, Apocynaceae, Annonaceae, Ranunculaceae, etc.). However, alkaloids have also been detected in microorganisms, especially in endophytes.

This Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences aims to collect contributions, in the form of both original research and review articles, on alkaloids isolated from plants and endophytes (including their isolation, structure determination, metabolomics, in vitro culture production, biosynthetic pathways and biological activities) which may be applied in medicine and agriculture.

Dr. Agata Ptak
Prof. Dr. Dominique Laurain-Mattar
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

  • alkaloids
  • endophytic microorganisms
  • medicinal plants
  • pathway biosynthesis
  • enzymes
  • pathway gene discovery
  • in vitro culture
  • metabolomics

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 879 KiB  
Article
Determination of Selected Isoquinoline Alkaloids from Chelidonium majus, Mahonia aquifolium and Sanguinaria canadensis Extracts by Liquid Chromatography and Their In Vitro and In Vivo Cytotoxic Activity against Human Cancer Cells
by Tomasz Tuzimski, Anna Petruczynik, Tomasz Plech, Barbara Kaproń, Anna Makuch-Kocka, Małgorzata Szultka-Młyńska, Justyna Misiurek, Bogusław Buszewski and Monika Waksmundzka-Hajnos
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6360; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076360 - 28 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1510
Abstract
The search for new substances with cytotoxic activity against various cancer cells, especially cells that are very resistant to currently used chemotherapeutic agents, such as melanoma cells, is a very important scientific aspect. We investigated the cytotoxic effect of Chelidonium majus, Mahonia [...] Read more.
The search for new substances with cytotoxic activity against various cancer cells, especially cells that are very resistant to currently used chemotherapeutic agents, such as melanoma cells, is a very important scientific aspect. We investigated the cytotoxic effect of Chelidonium majus, Mahonia aquifolium and Sanguinaria canadensis extracts obtained from different parts of these plants collected at various vegetation stages on FaDu, SCC-25, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. Almost all the tested extracts showed higher cytotoxicity against these cancer cells than the anticancer drug etoposide. The highest cytotoxicity against the FaDu, SCC-25, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines was obtained for the Sanguinaria candensis extract collected before flowering. The cytotoxicity of extracts obtained from different parts of Chelidonium majus collected at various vegetation stages was also evaluated on melanoma cells (A375, G361 and SK-MEL-3). The highest cytotoxic activity against melanoma A375 cells was observed for the Chelidonium majus root extract, with an IC50 of 12.65 μg/mL. The same extract was the most cytotoxic against SK-MEL-3 cells (IC50 = 1.93 μg/mL), while the highest cytotoxic activity against G361 cells was observed after exposure to the extract obtained from the herb of the plant. The cytotoxic activity of Chelidonium majus extracts against melanoma cells was compared with the cytotoxicity of the following anticancer drugs: etoposide, cisplatin and hydroxyurea. In most cases, the IC50 values obtained for the anticancer drugs were higher than those obtained for the Chelidonium majus extracts. The most cytotoxic extract obtained from the root of Chelidonium majus was selected for in vivo cytotoxic activity investigations using a Danio rerio larvae xenograft model. The model was applied for the first time in the in vivo investigations of the extract’s anticancer potential. The application of Danio rerio larvae xenografts in cancer research is advantageous because of the transparency and ease of compound administration, the small size and the short duration and low cost of the experiments. The results obtained in the xenograft model confirmed the great effect of the investigated extract on the number of cancer cells in a living organism. Our investigations show that the investigated plant extracts exhibit very high cytotoxic activity and can be recommended for further experiments in order to additionally confirm their potential use in the treatment of various human cancers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant and Endophytic Alkaloids)
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Review

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17 pages, 1141 KiB  
Review
Furoquinoline Alkaloids: Insights into Chemistry, Occurrence, and Biological Properties
by Agnieszka Szewczyk and Filip Pęczek
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(16), 12811; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241612811 - 15 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 826
Abstract
Furoquinoline alkaloids exhibit a diverse range of effects, making them potential candidates for medicinal applications. Several compounds within this group have demonstrated antimicrobial and antiprotozoal properties. Of great interest is their potential as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and anti-inflammatory agents in neurodegenerative diseases. The promising [...] Read more.
Furoquinoline alkaloids exhibit a diverse range of effects, making them potential candidates for medicinal applications. Several compounds within this group have demonstrated antimicrobial and antiprotozoal properties. Of great interest is their potential as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and anti-inflammatory agents in neurodegenerative diseases. The promising biological properties of furoquinoline alkaloids have motivated extensive research in this field. As a result, new compounds have been isolated from this group of secondary metabolites, and numerous pharmacological studies have been conducted to investigate their activity. It is crucial to understand the mechanisms of action of furoquinoline alkaloids due to their potential toxicity. Further research is required to elucidate their mechanisms of action and metabolism. Additionally, the exploration of derivative compounds holds significant potential in enhancing their pharmacological benefits. In vitro plant cultures offer an alternative approach to obtaining alkaloids from plant material, presenting a promising avenue for future investigations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant and Endophytic Alkaloids)
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