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Special Issue "Bioactive Compounds against Parasite, Bacteria and Related Diseases – 2nd Editon"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2023 | Viewed by 3465

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Dr. Valentina Virginia Ebani

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1. Department of Veterinary Science, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
2. Interdepartmental Research Center “Nutraceuticals and Food for Health” (NUTRAFOOD), University of Pisa, 56121 Pisa, Italy
3. Centre for Climate Change Impact, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: zoonosis; bacterial infectious diseases; vector-borne diseases; antibiotic resistance; One Health
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Prof. Dr. Francesca Mancianti

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Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: parasitology; mycology; zoonotic parasites; zoonotic mycoses; vector-borne parasites
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Dear Colleagues,

Bioactive compounds are phytochemicals present in different plant parts, such as secondary metabolites, which are able to exert health benefits. These molecules are widely studied for their positive impact on different disorders. For these reasons, several bioactive compounds are currently considered as promising therapeutical alternatives. These phytochemicals play an active role in protecting plants from the attacks of different pathogenic agents, thus they also could confer resistance against microorganisms, such as fungi and bacteria, as well as against other parasites. For these reasons, bioactive compounds are employed in treatment and prevention of some parasitic, fungal, and bacterial diseases of humans and animals.

This Special Issue will be devoted to specific in vitro and in vivo studies on the activity of such compounds against parasitic, fungal, and bacterial pathogens. Studies and reviews, about the sources and biological effects of bioactive compounds are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Valentina Virginia Ebani
Prof. Dr. Francesca Mancianti
Guest Editors

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Keywords

bioactive compounds
essential oils
herbal extracts
fungi
mycoses
helmints parasite
protozoa parasite
arthropods parasite
parasitoses
anti-drug resistant parasites
antifungal resistant molds
yeasts
gram-positive bacteria
gram-negative bacteria
antibiotic-resistant bacteria
bacterial infections
animal infections
human infections
zoomotic infections

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Open AccessCommunication

Effects of Synthetic Ligustrazine-Based Chalcone Derivatives on Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Leishmania spp. Promastigotes

Abdulsalam A. M. Alkhaldi

Molecules 2023, 28(12), 4652; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28124652 - 08 Jun 2023

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Abstract

Current medication therapy for leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis remains a major challenge due to its limited efficacy, significant adverse effects, and inaccessibility. Consequently, locating affordable and effective medications is a pressing concern. Because of their easy-to-understand structure and high functionalization potential, chalcones are promising candidates for use as bioactive agents. Thirteen synthetic ligustrazine-containing chalcones were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the growth of leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis in etiologic agents. The tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) analogue ligustrazine was chosen as the central moiety for the synthesis of these chalcone compounds. The most effective compound (EC₅₀ = 2.59 µM) was the chalcone derivative 2c, which featured a pyrazin-2-yl amino on the ketone ring and a methyl substitution. Multiple actions were observed for certain derivatives, including 1c, 2a–c, 4b, and 5b, against all strains tested. Eflornithine served as a positive control, and three ligustrazine-based chalcone derivatives, including 1c, 2c, and 4b, had a higher relative potency. Compounds 1c and 2c are particularly efficacious; even more potent than the positive control, they are therefore promising candidates for the treatment of trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds against Parasite, Bacteria and Related Diseases – 2nd Editon)

Open AccessArticle

Volatile Organic Compounds of Bacillus velezensis GJ-7 against Meloidogyne hapla through Multiple Prevention and Control Modes

and

Molecules 2023, 28(7), 3182; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28073182 - 03 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 967

Abstract

The Bacillus velezensis GJ-7 strain isolated from the rhizosphere soil of Panax notoginseng showed high nematicidal activity and therefore has been considered a biological control agent that could act against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne hapla. However, little was known about whether the GJ-7 strain could produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that were effective in biocontrol against M. hapla. In this study, we evaluated the nematicidal activity of VOCs produced by the fermentation of GJ-7 in three-compartment Petri dishes. The results revealed that the mortality rates of M. hapla J2s were 85% at 24 h and 97.1% at 48 h after treatment with the VOCs produced during GJ-7 fermentation. Subsequently, the VOCs produced by the GJ-7 strain were identified through solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS). Six characteristic VOCs from the GJ-7 strain fermentation broth were identified, including 3-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-2-pentanone, 5-methyl-2-hexanone, 2-heptanone, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, and 6-methyl-2-heptanone. The in vitro experimental results from 24-well culture plates showed that the six volatiles had direct-contact nematicidal activity against M. hapla J2s and inhibition activity against egg hatching. In addition, 3-methyl-1-butanol and 2-heptanone showed significant fumigation effects on M. hapla J2s and eggs. Furthermore, all six of the VOCs repelled M. hapla J2 juveniles in 2% water agar Petri plates. The above data suggested that the VOCs of B. velezensis GJ-7 acted against M. hapla through multiple prevention and control modes (including direct-contact nematicidal activity, fumigant activity, and repellent activity), and therefore could be considered as potential biocontrol agents against root-knot nematodes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds against Parasite, Bacteria and Related Diseases – 2nd Editon)

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Open AccessArticle

Mexican Oregano (Lippia berlandieri Schauer and Poliomintha longiflora Gray) Essential Oils Induce Cell Death by Apoptosis in Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana Promastigotes

Karla Fabiola Chacón-Vargas

Luvia Enid Sánchez-Torres

Mónica L. Chávez-González

Jaime R. Adame-Gallegos

and

Guadalupe Virginia Nevárez-Moorillón

Molecules 2022, 27(16), 5183; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27165183 - 15 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1546

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a neglected vector-borne disease; there are different manifestations of the diseases and species involved, and cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (L.) mexicana is the most prevalent in Mexico. Currently, the drugs available for the treatment of leishmaniasis are toxic, expensive, and often ineffective; therefore, it is imperative to carry out research and development of new therapeutic alternatives, with natural products being an attractive option. In particular, oregano is a plant with worldwide distribution; in Mexico, two species: Lippia berlandieri Schauer and Poliomintha longiflora Gray are endemic. Both essential oils (EO’s) have been reported to have antimicrobial activity attributed to their main components, thymol and carvacrol. In this research, the leishmanicidal effect and mechanism of cell death induced by L. berlandieri EO, P. longiflora EO, thymol, and carvacrol in L. mexicana promastigotes were determined in vitro. Additionally, the cytotoxic activity in mammalian cells was evaluated. L. berlandieri EO presented higher leishmanicidal activity (IC₅₀ = 41.78 µg/mL) than P. longiflora EO (IC₅₀ = 77.90 µg/mL). Thymol and carvacrol were the major components of both Mexican oregano EO’s. Thymol presented higher leishmanial inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 22.39 µg/mL), above that of carvacrol (IC₅₀ = 61.52 µg/mL). All the EO’s and compounds evaluated presented lower cytotoxic activity than the reference drug; thymol was the compound with the best selectivity index (SI). In all cases, apoptosis was identified as the main mechanism of death induced in the parasites. The leishmanicidal capacity of the Mexican oregano EO is an accessible and affordable alternative that can be further explored. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds against Parasite, Bacteria and Related Diseases – 2nd Editon)

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