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Plants
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Unravelling Potential Biotechnological Uses of Extremophile Plants
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Unravelling Potential Biotechnological Uses of Extremophile Plants

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 4380

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maria João Rodrigues

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre of Marine Sciences—CCMAR, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: natural products; medicinal plants; halophytes; biological activities; bioactive molecules; biotechnological applications; saline cultivation; in vitro propagation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Extremophile plants are adapted to live and reproduce in extreme environments, where most of the other species cannot, which may include high/low temperature, alkaline/acidic systems, high UV radiation, salinity, drought, etc. In response to these stressful extreme conditions, these plants have developed highly specialized morphological and physiological adaptations, which lead to the production and accumulation of unique metabolites, such as phenolic compounds, alkaloids, or sterols. These molecules have important biological properties (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, antitumor), which provide them with multiple biotechnological applications, such as food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic ingredients. Hence, extremophile plants are an outstanding source of biologically active products.

This Special Issue, “Unravelling Potential Biotechnological Uses of Extremophile Plants”, will provide an opportunity for researchers to publish studies on the exploitation of the biotechnological applications of extremophile plants. Submissions from scientists and academics from across the world are welcome.

Dr. Maria João Rodrigues
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 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. Plants 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

  • Extremophile species
  • Antioxidant
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Antitumoral
  • Neuroprotective
  • Antidiabetic
  • Bioactive compounds
  • Secondary metabolites
  • Medicinal/industrial applications
  • Biotechnological applications

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 904 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi Activity of Halophytes from Southern Portugal Reloaded: A Special Focus on Sea Fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.)
by Catarina G. Pereira, Carolina Borsoi Moraes, Caio H. Franco, Clarissa Feltrin, Raphaël Grougnet, Euzébio Guimarães Barbosa, Michele Panciera, Carlos Roque D. Correia, Maria João Rodrigues and Luísa Custódio
Plants 2021, 10(11), 2235; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112235 - 20 Oct 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1965
Abstract
Marine halophytes are an outstanding reservoir of natural products and several species have anti-infectious traditional uses. However, reports about their potential use against neglected tropical ailments, such as Chagas disease, are scarce. This work evaluated for the first time the in vitro anti- [...] Read more.
Marine halophytes are an outstanding reservoir of natural products and several species have anti-infectious traditional uses. However, reports about their potential use against neglected tropical ailments, such as Chagas disease, are scarce. This work evaluated for the first time the in vitro anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity of extracts from the aromatic and medicinal species Helichrysum italicum subsp. picardii (Boiss. & Reut.) Franco (Asteraceae, everlasting) and Crithmum maritimum L. (Apiaceae, sea fennel). For that purpose, decoctions, tinctures, and essential oils from everlasting’s flowers and sea fennel’s stems, leaves, and flowers were tested against intracellular amastigotes of two T. cruzi strains. The extract from the sea fennel flower decoction displayed significant anti-trypanosomal activity and no toxicity towards the host cell (EC50 = 17.7 µg/mL, selectivity index > 5.65). Subsequent fractionation of this extract afforded 5 fractions that were re-tested in the same model of anti-parasitic activity. Fraction 1 was the most active and selective (EC50 = 0.47 μg/mL, selectivity index = 59.6) and was submitted to preparative thin-layer chromatography. One major compound was identified, falcarindiol, which was likely the one responsible for the observed anti-trypanosomal activity. This was confirmed using a commercially sourced molecule. Target-fishing studies showed falcarindiol as a ligand of T. cruzi spermidine synthase, pointing to a potential enzyme-inhibiting anti-trypanosomal mechanism of action. Overall, this work shows that sea fennel can provide effective anti-parasitic molecule(s) with potential pharmacological applications in the treatment of CD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Unravelling Potential Biotechnological Uses of Extremophile Plants)
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17 pages, 1534 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Variations of the Nutritive Value and Phytotherapeutic Potential of Cladium mariscus L. (Pohl.) Targeting Ruminant’s Production
by Marta Oliveira, Maria João Rodrigues, Nuno R. Neng, José Manuel Florêncio Nogueira, Rui J. B. Bessa and Luísa Custódio
Plants 2021, 10(3), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10030556 - 16 Mar 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1867
Abstract
In our endeavor to identify salt-tolerant plants with potential veterinary uses in ruminants’ production strategies, we focused on Cladium mariscus L. Pohl (sawgrass), due to its high total phenolic and tannin content, anti-radical properties, and ethnomedicinal uses. Aerial parts were collected along the [...] Read more.
In our endeavor to identify salt-tolerant plants with potential veterinary uses in ruminants’ production strategies, we focused on Cladium mariscus L. Pohl (sawgrass), due to its high total phenolic and tannin content, anti-radical properties, and ethnomedicinal uses. Aerial parts were collected along the year in Southern Portugal and evaluated for the nutritional profile and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), aiming for its use as feed. Acetone extracts were appraised for total contents in phenolics (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), and tannins (CTC), as well as the chemical composition by HPLC-DAD and in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, targeting its exploitation as phytotherapeutic products. Sawgrass biomass has a limited nutritive value, due to its high neutral detergent fiber (NDF; 596–690 g kg−1 dry matter (DM)) and acid detergent fiber (ADF; 330–418 g kg−1 DM) contents, low crude protein (51.8–87.3 g kg−1 DM) and IVOMD (172–317 g kg−1 organic matter (OM)). Despite differences among seasons, the mineral profile was adequate. The extracts were rich in TPC (88–112 mg g−1), CTC (115–169 mg g−1), and TFC (18.5–20.2 mg g−1), and displayed significant antioxidant capacity, particularly in summer and autumn, whilst no seasonal influence was detected for anti-inflammatory properties (30% reduction of nitric oxide production). Eleven phenolics were quantified: chlorogenic, ferulic, and syringic acids were the most abundant, especially in the autumn sample. Overall, despite the low nutritional interest, sawgrass extracts hold the potential as a source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phenolic compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Unravelling Potential Biotechnological Uses of Extremophile Plants)
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