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Advanced Biosensing of Natural Bioactive Compounds
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Advanced Biosensing of Natural Bioactive Compounds

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2022) | Viewed by 12565

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Isabel Cristina Oliveira González Cunha

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CIIMAR/Universidade do Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
Interests: aquatic ecotoxicology; cyanobacteria; drug discovery; cell sensors; environmental monitoring; marine biotechnology; lipids metabolism; peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs); bioactive compounds
Dr. Manuela Faria Frasco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
BioMark sensor research/UC, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Coimbra University, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: nanobiotechnology; biosensors; bioinspired photonics; biomimetic imprinting; biomarkers; sustainable biomaterials; health and environmental monitoring
Prof. Dr. Maria Goreti Ferreira Sales

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
BioMark sensor research/UC, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Coimbra University, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: molecularly-imprinted polymers; antibodies; electrochemical detection; optical detection; biosensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Vitor Vasconcelos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
2. CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research of the University of Porto, 4450-208 Porto, Portugal
Interests: cyanobacteria; toxins; cyanotoxins; marine biotechnology; secondary metabolites; cyanobacterial blooms; ecotoxicology; environmental contamination
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural bioactive compounds and drug discovery are important research topics that have been receiving much attention. Live organisms produce countless compounds that result from their inumerous metabolic pathways. Bioactive compounds may have medical and pharmaceutical character by promoting health and healing and acting in specific pathways of the target organism but may also target deleterous organisms, acting in, for example, an anti-bacterial, anti-virus, anti-parasitic, anti-biofouling, anti-biofilm, and anti-bloom capacity by killing, weakening, or repelling them. Bioactive compounds also include those that cause harmful effects, as in the case of toxins.

Drug discovery and screening of bioactive compounds can be boosted by recent advances in biosensing technologies, benefiting particularly from the sensitivity and specificity demonstrated by advanced biosensor devices. These innovative analytical tools are getting progressively more cost-effective and portable, fulfilling the demands of the several stages of the drug discovery process. This Special Issue will highlight the progress in the design and use of biosensors for the following:

1) Detection, quantification, and concentration of bioactive natural compounds in the processes of drug discovery, including screening and high-throughput (HTP) screening of bioactivity in extracts and fractions of organisms;

2) Elucidation of the molecular mode of action of isolated compounds; and

3) Detection of bioative compounds in the environment, namely toxins and other relevant allellopatic compounds important to humans and to understanding ecological phenomena.

Such advanced biosensing technology covers the use of aptamers, antibodies, enzymes, cells, and even biomimetic methodologies, such as molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), using new nanobiomaterials with enhanced properties and including on-site sensing in real-time.

Dr. Isabel Cristina Oliveira González Cunha
Dr. Manuela Faria Frasco
Prof. Dr. Maria Goreti Ferreira Sales
Prof. Dr. Vitor Manuel Oliveira Vasconcelos
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. Sensors 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 2600 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

  • Biosensors
  • Biosensor-based bioactivity screening assays
  • Drug discovery
  • Natural compounds
  • Bioactive compounds
  • Aptasensors
  • Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs)
  • Freshwater and marine toxins
  • Environmental toxin survillance
  • Electrochemical detection
  • Optical detection
  • Cell sensors

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1709 KiB  
Article
A Multiplex Molecular Cell-Based Sensor to Detect Ligands of PPARs: An Optimized Tool for Drug Discovery in Cyanobacteria
by Inês Páscoa, Rita Biltes, João Sousa, Marco Aurélio Correia Preto, Vitor Vasconcelos, Luís Filipe Castro, Raquel Ruivo and Isabel Cunha
Sensors 2023, 23(3), 1338; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031338 - 25 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3086
Abstract
Cyanobacteria produce a wealth of secondary metabolites. Since these organisms attach fatty acids into molecules in unprecedented ways, cyanobacteria can serve as a novel source for bioactive compounds acting as ligands for Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPAR). PPARs (PPARα, PPARβ/δ and PPARγ) are ligand-activated [...] Read more.
Cyanobacteria produce a wealth of secondary metabolites. Since these organisms attach fatty acids into molecules in unprecedented ways, cyanobacteria can serve as a novel source for bioactive compounds acting as ligands for Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPAR). PPARs (PPARα, PPARβ/δ and PPARγ) are ligand-activated nuclear receptors, involved in the regulation of various metabolic and cellular processes, thus serving as potential drug targets for a variety of pathologies. Yet, given that PPARs’ agonists can have pan-, dual- or isoform-specific action, some controversy has been raised over currently approved drugs and their side effects, highlighting the need for novel molecules. Here, we expand and validate a cell-based PPAR transactivation activity biosensor, and test it in a screening campaign to guide drug discovery. Biosensor upgrades included the use of different reporter genes to increase signal intensity and stability, a different promoter to modulate reporter gene expression, and multiplexing to improve efficiency. Sensor’s limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.36–0.89 nM in uniplex and 0.89–1.35 nM in multiplex mode. In triplex mode, the sensor’s feature screening, a total of 848 fractions of 96 cyanobacteria extracts were screened. Hits were confirmed in multiplex mode and in uniplex mode, yielding one strain detected to have action on PPARα and three strains to have dual action on PPARα and -β. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Biosensing of Natural Bioactive Compounds)
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Review

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22 pages, 4060 KiB  
Review
Emerging Optical Materials in Sensing and Discovery of Bioactive Compounds
by Raquel Vaz, Beatriz Valpradinhos, Manuela F. Frasco and Maria Goreti F. Sales
Sensors 2021, 21(17), 5784; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21175784 - 27 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3519
Abstract
Optical biosensors are used in numerous applications and analytical fields. Advances in these sensor platforms offer high sensitivity, selectivity, miniaturization, and real-time analysis, among many other advantages. Research into bioactive natural products serves both to protect against potentially dangerous toxic compounds and to [...] Read more.
Optical biosensors are used in numerous applications and analytical fields. Advances in these sensor platforms offer high sensitivity, selectivity, miniaturization, and real-time analysis, among many other advantages. Research into bioactive natural products serves both to protect against potentially dangerous toxic compounds and to promote pharmacological innovation in drug discovery, as these compounds have unique chemical compositions that may be characterized by greater safety and efficacy. However, conventional methods for detecting these biomolecules have drawbacks, as they are time-consuming and expensive. As an alternative, optical biosensors offer a faster, simpler, and less expensive means of detecting various biomolecules of clinical interest. In this review, an overview of recent developments in optical biosensors for the detection and monitoring of aquatic biotoxins to prevent public health risks is first provided. In addition, the advantages and applicability of these biosensors in the field of drug discovery, including high-throughput screening, are discussed. The contribution of the investigated technological advances in the timely and sensitive detection of biotoxins while deciphering the pathways to discover bioactive compounds with great health-promoting prospects is envisaged to meet the increasing demands of healthcare systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Biosensing of Natural Bioactive Compounds)
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48 pages, 5144 KiB  
Review
An Overview of Optical and Electrochemical Sensors and Biosensors for Analysis of Antioxidants in Food during the Last 5 Years
by Maryam Nejadmansouri, Marjan Majdinasab, Gilvanda S. Nunes and Jean Louis Marty
Sensors 2021, 21(4), 1176; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21041176 - 07 Feb 2021
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4849
Abstract
Antioxidants are a group of healthy substances which are useful to human health because of their antihistaminic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory activity and inhibitory effect on the formation and the actions of reactive oxygen species. Generally, they are phenolic complexes present in plant-derived foods. Due [...] Read more.
Antioxidants are a group of healthy substances which are useful to human health because of their antihistaminic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory activity and inhibitory effect on the formation and the actions of reactive oxygen species. Generally, they are phenolic complexes present in plant-derived foods. Due to the valuable nutritional role of these mixtures, analysis and determining their amount in food is of particular importance. In recent years, many attempts have been made to supply uncomplicated, rapid, economical and user-friendly analytical approaches for the on-site detection and antioxidant capacity (AOC) determination of food antioxidants. In this regards, sensors and biosensors are regarded as favorable tools for antioxidant analysis because of their special features like high sensitivity, rapid detection time, ease of use, and ease of miniaturization. In this review, current five-year progresses in different types of optical and electrochemical sensors/biosensors for the analysis of antioxidants in foods are discussed and evaluated well. Moreover, advantages, limitations, and the potential for practical applications of each type of sensors/biosensors have been discussed. This review aims to prove how sensors/biosensors represent reliable alternatives to conventional methods for antioxidant analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Biosensing of Natural Bioactive Compounds)
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