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Natural Secondary Metabolites III

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 3965

Special Issue Editors

Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo Via Cintia 4, I-80126 Naples, Italy
Interests: secondary metabolites in plant-pathogen interaction; natural substances with biological activity; chromatographic techniques; spectroscopic methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo Via Cintia 4, I-80126 Naples, Italy
Interests: isolation and structure elucidation of bioactive natural compounds from microorganisms and plants; chromatographic techniques; mass spectrometry; metabolomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

After the first two editions and considering the vigorous investigational activity on this intriguing topic, we can now announce with great pleasure the third edition of the Special Issue “Natural Secondary Metabolites”.

Since ancient times, secondary metabolites that are produced by plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms have been used for their interesting properties as medical substances, poisons, dyes, antimicrobials, insecticides, flavoring substances, etc.

Several secondary metabolites mediate relationships between organisms, such as virulence factors, attractants for other useful organisms, defense factors, etc. Moreover, their distribution is often cross-species, as observed, for example, in plants and their endophytes. Finally, secondary metabolites show interesting action mechanisms and peculiar chemical properties. 

The principal goal of this Special Issue is to cover all aspects of chemical and biotechnological relevance, such as extraction, identification, structural and stereostructural elucidation, biological activities, the rules of biotic and abiotic factors on secondary metabolites’ expressions, the development of analytical methods for their detection, and other related research.  

Thus, this Special Issue aims to collect contributions from the field and provide a platform to make them more visible to the scientific community.

Dr. Anna Andolfi
Dr. Maria Michela Salvatore
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Molecules 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

  • structure and stereostructure elucidation
  • analytical techniques
  • optimization of growth conditions
  • dual culture method
  • biological activities
  • structure–activity relationship
  • biotic and abiotic factors on secondary metabolite production
  • chemical properties
  • metabolomics

Related Special Issues

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 6988 KiB  
Article
Comparative Metabolomics and Transcriptome Analysis Reveal the Fragrance-Related Metabolite Formation in Phoebe zhennan Wood
by Hanbo Yang, Fang Wang, Wenna An, Yunjie Gu, Yongze Jiang, Hongying Guo, Minhao Liu, Jian Peng, Bo Jiang, Xueqin Wan, Lianghua Chen, Xiong Huang, Fang He and Peng Zhu
Molecules 2023, 28(20), 7047; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28207047 - 12 Oct 2023
Viewed by 769
Abstract
Nanmu (Phoebe zhennan) has a unique fragrance and is a high-quality tree species for forest conservation. The types and contents of volatile compounds in different tissues of nanmu wood are different, and the study of its volatile metabolites can help us [...] Read more.
Nanmu (Phoebe zhennan) has a unique fragrance and is a high-quality tree species for forest conservation. The types and contents of volatile compounds in different tissues of nanmu wood are different, and the study of its volatile metabolites can help us to understand the source of its fragrance and functions. In order to explore the metabolites related to the wood fragrance of nanmu and to find out the unique volatile substances in the heartwood, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was performed to analyze the non-targeted metabolomics in five radial tissues from the sapwood to the heartwood of nanmu. A total of 53 volatile metabolites belonging to 11 classes were detected in all tissues, including terpenes, aromatic hydrocarbons, organoheterocyclics, phenols, esters, organic acids, alcohols, alkaloids, alkane, indoles derivatives, and others. And most of the volatile metabolites were identified for the first time in nanmu wood. Among them, terpenes and aromatic hydrocarbons were the main volatile components. In addition, 22 differential metabolites were screened from HW and SW, HW, and TZ via metabolomic analysis. Among these DAMs, three volatile metabolites (cadinene, a sesquiterpenoid; p-cymene, a monoterpenoid; 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene, an aromatic hydrocarbon) contributed heavily to the characteristic fragrance of the heartwood. Additionally, the expression of transcripts showed that the unigenes in the terpenoid biosynthesis pathway were especially up-regulated in the SW. Therefore, we speculated that fragrance-related metabolites were synthesized in SW and then deposited in heartwood during sapwood transformed to heartwood. The expression levels of transcription factors (e.g., WRKY, C2H2, NAC) acted as the major regulatory factors in the synthesis of terpenoid. The results lay the foundations for further studies on the formation mechanism of fragrance components in nanmu wood and also provide a reference for the further development and utilization of nanmu wood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Secondary Metabolites III)
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14 pages, 4209 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Secondary Metabolites in Diplodia corticola Strains with Different Virulence Degrees Associated with Canker and Dieback of Quercus spp.
by Maria Michela Salvatore, Maria Teresa Russo, Rosario Nicoletti, Alla Eddine Mahamedi, Akila Berraf-Tebbal, Alessio Cimmino, Marco Masi and Anna Andolfi
Molecules 2023, 28(17), 6302; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28176302 - 28 Aug 2023
Viewed by 689
Abstract
Diplodia corticola is one of the most aggressive fungal pathogens of Quercus species involved in the decline of Mediterranean oak forests. In this study, three strains of D. corticola associated with holm (Quercus ilex) and cork (Quercus suber) oak [...] Read more.
Diplodia corticola is one of the most aggressive fungal pathogens of Quercus species involved in the decline of Mediterranean oak forests. In this study, three strains of D. corticola associated with holm (Quercus ilex) and cork (Quercus suber) oak trees exhibiting dieback symptoms and cankers in Algeria were selected to investigate the production of secondary metabolites. Metabolomic analyses revealed the production of several known compounds, such as sphaeropsidins, diplopyrones and diplofuranones. Moreover, the comparative investigation of secondary metabolites produced by the analyzed strains with different degrees of virulence revealed possible implications of these compounds in the fungal virulence. In particular, sphaeropsidins seem to be the main phytotoxic compounds of D. corticola involved in the infections of Quercus species, with a possible synergistic influence of the less representative compounds in the fungal virulence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Secondary Metabolites III)
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23 pages, 12126 KiB  
Article
Effects of the Coculture Initiation Method on the Production of Secondary Metabolites in Bioreactor Cocultures of Penicillium rubens and Streptomyces rimosus
by Tomasz Boruta, Anna Ścigaczewska, Agnieszka Ruda and Marcin Bizukojć
Molecules 2023, 28(16), 6044; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28166044 - 13 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1137
Abstract
Bioreactor cocultures involving Penicillium rubens and Streptomyces rimosus were investigated with regard to secondary metabolite production, morphological development, dissolved oxygen levels, and carbon substrate utilization. The production profiles of 22 secondary metabolites were analyzed, including penicillin G and oxytetracycline. Three inoculation approaches were [...] Read more.
Bioreactor cocultures involving Penicillium rubens and Streptomyces rimosus were investigated with regard to secondary metabolite production, morphological development, dissolved oxygen levels, and carbon substrate utilization. The production profiles of 22 secondary metabolites were analyzed, including penicillin G and oxytetracycline. Three inoculation approaches were tested, i.e., the simultaneous inoculation of P. rubens with S. rimosus and the inoculation of S. rimosus delayed by 24 or 48 h relative to P. rubens. The delayed inoculation of S. rimosus into the P. rubens culture did not prevent the actinomycete from proliferating and displaying its biosynthetic repertoire. Although a period of prolonged adaptation was needed, S. rimosus exhibited growth and the production of secondary metabolites regardless of the chosen delay period (24 or 48 h). This promising method of coculture initiation resulted in increased levels of metabolites tentatively identified as rimocidin B, 2-methylthio-cis-zeatin, chrysogine, benzylpenicilloic acid, and preaustinoid D relative to the values recorded for the monocultures. This study demonstrates the usefulness of the delayed inoculation approach in uncovering the metabolic landscape of filamentous microorganisms and altering the levels of secondary metabolites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Secondary Metabolites III)
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19 pages, 2233 KiB  
Article
Chemical Compositions of Eupatorium heterophyllum Leaf Samples from Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces of China—Isolation of 13 New Sesquiterpene Lactones
by Yiming Hu, Yoshinori Saito, Yasuko Okamoto, Yosuke Matsuo, Xun Gong and Takashi Tanaka
Molecules 2023, 28(13), 5107; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28135107 - 29 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 792
Abstract
Eight samples of Eupatorium heterophyllum leaves were collected at different locations in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China, and their chemical constituents were investigated. Thirteen previously undescribed sesquiterpene lactones—seven germacranolides, three eudesmanolides, two guaianolides, and a 2-norelemanolide—were isolated, and their structures were elucidated [...] Read more.
Eight samples of Eupatorium heterophyllum leaves were collected at different locations in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China, and their chemical constituents were investigated. Thirteen previously undescribed sesquiterpene lactones—seven germacranolides, three eudesmanolides, two guaianolides, and a 2-norelemanolide—were isolated, and their structures were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic analyses. The major constituents in the six samples from northwestern Yunnan and Sichuan are hiyodorilactones A and B, whereas that in the two samples from the region near Kunming, Yunnan is eupatoriopicrin. These results and previously reported results suggest the presence of locality-dependent intra-specific diversity in the chemical constituents of E. heterophyllum leaves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Secondary Metabolites III)
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