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Investigation of Natural Products as Sources of Bioactive Molecules

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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: 20 September 2024 | Viewed by 4319

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Dr. Stefania Garzoli

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Department of Chemistry and Technologies of Drug, Sapienza University, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: metabolomic; chemical characterization of natural products; determination of pollutants in environmental matrices; food chemistry
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Dear Colleagues,

Natural products can derive from plants and animals and considering their rich composition, they certainly represent an inexhaustible source of high potential substances that can be exploited in multiple sectors. Their various physiological and biological activities are based on their specific chemical structures. However, the process of identifying bioactive components from natural product mixtures can be quite difficult, since many of them are quite complex. For the purposes of chemical characterization, various extractive and analytical techniques are applied for the detection and identification of the constituent molecules.

Based on the bioactivity exerted by most of the molecules that characterize natural products, in recent years, there has been a growing interest in the study of biological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory activities and so on.

This Special Issue therefore welcomes original research and reviews on topics such as the methods of extraction and characterization of bioactive molecules from natural products, also associated with the evaluation of biological properties.

Dr. Stefania Garzoli
Guest Editor

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Keywords

metabolomic
secondary metabolites
phytochemical analysis
bioactivity
chemical investigation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3863 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hypolipidemic Effect of Rice Bran Oil Extract Tocotrienol in High-Fat Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Induced by High-Fat Diet

by Naicheng Liu, Peng Zhang, Mingyang Xue, Mengwei Zhang, Zhenyu Huang, Chen Xu, Yan Meng, Yuding Fan, Wei Liu, Feixiang Zhang, Peng Chen and Yong Zhou

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2954; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052954 - 03 Mar 2024

Viewed by 752

Abstract

In recent years, the potent influence of tocotrienol (T3) on diminishing blood glucose and lipid concentrations in both Mus musculus (rats) and Homo sapiens (humans) has been established. However, the comprehensive exploration of tocotrienol’s hypolipidemic impact and the corresponding mechanisms in aquatic species remains inadequate. In this study, we established a zebrafish model of a type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) model through high-fat diet administration to zebrafish. In the T2DM zebrafish, the thickness of ocular vascular walls significantly increased compared to the control group, which was mitigated after treatment with T3. Additionally, our findings demonstrate the regulatory effect of T3 on lipid metabolism, leading to the reduced synthesis and storage of adipose tissue in zebrafish. We validated the expression patterns of genes relevant to these processes using RT-qPCR. In the T2DM model, there was an almost two-fold upregulation in pparγ and cyp7a1 mRNA levels, coupled with a significant downregulation in cpt1a mRNA (p < 0.01) compared to the control group. The ELISA revealed that the protein expression levels of Pparγ and Rxrα exhibited a two-fold elevation in the T2DM group relative to the control. In the T3-treated group, Pparγ and Rxrα protein expression levels consistently exhibited a two-fold decrease compared to the model group. Lipid metabolomics showed that T3 could affect the metabolic pathways of zebrafish lipid regulation, including lipid synthesis and decomposition. We provided experimental evidence that T3 could mitigate lipid accumulation in our zebrafish T2DM model. Elucidating the lipid-lowering effects of T3 could help to minimize the detrimental impacts of overfeeding in aquaculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Natural Products as Sources of Bioactive Molecules)

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20 pages, 6700 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Isolation, Characterization, Genome Annotation, and Evaluation of Tyrosinase Inhibitory Activity in Secondary Metabolites of Paenibacillus sp. JNUCC32: A Comprehensive Analysis through Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

by Yang Xu, Xuhui Liang and Chang-Gu Hyun

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(4), 2213; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25042213 - 12 Feb 2024

Viewed by 607

Abstract

A potential strain, Paenibacillus sp. JNUCC32, was isolated and subjected to whole-genome sequencing. Genome functional annotation revealed its active metabolic capabilities. This study aimed to investigate the pivotal secondary metabolites in the biological system. Fermentation and extraction were performed, resulting in the isolation of seven known compounds: tryptophol (1), 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid (2), ferulic acid (3), maculosin (4), brevianamide F (5), indole-3-acetic acid (6), and butyric acid (7). Tryptophol exhibited favorable pharmacokinetic properties and demonstrated certain tyrosinase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 999 μM). For further analysis of its inhibition mechanism through molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, tryptophol formed three hydrogen bonds and a pro-Michaelis complex with tyrosinase (binding energy = −5.3 kcal/mol). The MD simulation indicated favorable stability for the tryptophol–mushroom tyrosinase complex, primarily governed by hydrogen bond interactions. The crucial residues VAL-283 and HIS-263 in the docking were also validated. This study suggests tryptophol as a potential candidate for antibrowning agents and dermatological research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Natural Products as Sources of Bioactive Molecules)

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14 pages, 4650 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Zingiber officinale Root Capsule Extract Synergistically Enhance the Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Diclofenac Sodium in Experimental Acute Inflammation

by Ioana Boarescu, Paul-Mihai Boarescu, Raluca Maria Pop, Ioana Corina Bocșan, Dan Gheban, Adriana Elena Bulboacă, Anca Dana Buzoianu and Sorana D. Bolboacă

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(3), 1781; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031781 - 01 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1290

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) root capsule extract (GRCE) in doses of 100 mg/kg b.w. (body weight) and 200 mg/kg b.w. alone and in combination with a low dose (5 mg/kg b.w.) of diclofenac sodium (D) on carrageenan-induced acute inflammation (AI). The association of GRCE in a dose of 200 mg/kg b.w. with D offered the highest inhibition percentage for edema, reaching the maximum level of inhibition (95%) after 24 h. The association of GRCE in a dose of 200 mg/kg b.w. with D showed the ability to reduce tissue inflammatory changes when compared to D alone, while GRCE alone did not exhibit such properties. The association of both doses of GRCE with D showed significantly lower plasma and tissue levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) by up to 55% (p ≤ 0.0317), with the best results obtained by the group who received GRCE in the higher dose. These associations reduced the serum and tissue levels of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (COX-2) by up to 71% (p ≤ 0.0371). In conclusion, the association of GRCE with a low dose of D could be an appropriate combination to decrease the dose used to reduce serum and tissue levels of inflammatory molecules, edema, and histological changes in acute inflammation. Further research will be necessary to achieve clinical evaluation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Natural Products as Sources of Bioactive Molecules)

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22 pages, 4347 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of Volatile Molecules and Bioactivity of Gruyt Craft Beer Enriched with Citrus aurantium var. dulcis L. Essential Oil

by Cosimo Taiti, Antonella Di Sotto, Giovanni Stefano, Ester Percaccio, Matteo Iannone, Andrea Marianelli and Stefania Garzoli

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010350 - 26 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1060

Abstract

In this work, for the first time, a gruyt beer and the same one after the addition of Citrus aurantium essential oil (AEO), were investigated to determine the composition of the volatile fraction. The applied analytical techniques, such as Head Space/Solid Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HS/SPME-GC-MS) and Proton Transfer Reaction-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS), allowed us to identify the content of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). From the comparison between the two beer samples, it showed that the one after the addition of AEO was particularly richened in limonene and a series of minor terpene compounds. AEO was also characterized by GC/MS analysis and the results showed that limonene reached 95%. Confocal microscopy was used to look at riboflavin autofluorescence in yeast cells. It was found that beer with AEO had twice as much fluorescence intensity as the control. A spectrophotometric analysis of total polyphenols, tannins, and flavonoids, and a bioactivity screening, including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-Azinobis-(3-Ethylbenzthiazolin-6-Sulfonic Acid) (ABTS) radical scavenger, chelating, reducing, antiglycative ones, were also carried out. Moreover, the tolerability of the tested samples in human H69 cholangiocytes and the cytoprotection towards the tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBOOH)-induced oxidative damage were evaluated. Under our experimental conditions, the beers were found to be able to scavenge DPPH and ABTS radicals and chelate iron ions, despite weak antiglycative and reducing properties. The tested samples did not affect the viability of H69 cholangiocytes up to the highest concentrations; moreover, no signs of cytoprotection against the damage induced by tBOOH were highlighted. Adding AEO to beer resulted in a moderate enhancement of its DPPH scavenging and chelating abilities, without improvements in the other assays. Conversely, AEO and its major compound limonene were ineffective when assessed at the concentrations added to beer. This evidence suggests that the addition of AEO may enhance the organoleptic features of the beer and slightly potentiate some of its bioactivities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Natural Products as Sources of Bioactive Molecules)

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Review

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39 pages, 1870 KiB

Open AccessReview

Nutraceuticals in Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review

by Paola Bozzatello, Roberta Novelli, Cristiana Montemagni, Paola Rocca and Silvio Bellino

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(9), 4824; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25094824 (registering DOI) - 28 Apr 2024

Viewed by 116

Abstract

Correct nutrition and diet are directly correlated with mental health, functions of the immune system, and gut microbiota composition. Diets with a high content of some nutrients, such as fibers, phytochemicals, and short-chain fatty acids (omega-3 fatty acids), seem to have an anti-inflammatory and protective action on the nervous system. Among nutraceuticals, supplementation of probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids plays a role in improving symptoms of several mental disorders. In this review, we collect data on the efficacy of nutraceuticals in patients with schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, major depression, bipolar disorder, and personality disorders. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of recent evidence obtained on this topic, pointing out the direction for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Natural Products as Sources of Bioactive Molecules)

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