scholarly journals Di-2-ethylhexylphthalate May Be a Natural Product, Rather than a Pollutant

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurelio Ortiz ◽  
Estibaliz Sansinenea

Di-2-ethylhexylphtalate is an ester of phthalic acid that has been used as plasticizer in many materials. Due to the extended use, it has been persistently found in different environments being classified as a pollutant with some risks for human health. However, in the last years, it has been found that this compound is produced by plants or microorganisms like bacteria or fungi. This finding opened a serious debate about the origin of this compound and questioned if it is a real pollutant or a natural metabolite with some biological activities that could help us in several ways. This review tries to give some data of the different points of view about this question.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 1955-1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Speciale ◽  
Antonella Saija ◽  
Romina Bashllari ◽  
Maria Sofia Molonia ◽  
Claudia Muscarà ◽  
...  

: Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), mostly represented by cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic pulmonary diseases, cancers, and several chronic pathologies, are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality, and are mainly related to the occurrence of metabolic risk factors. Anthocyanins (ACNs) possess a wide spectrum of biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective and chemopreventive properties, which are able to promote human health. Although ACNs present an apparent low bioavailability, their metabolites may play an important role in the in vivo protective effects observed. : This article directly addresses the scientific evidences supporting that ACNs could be useful to protect human population against several NCDs not only acting as antioxidant but through their capability to modulate cell redox-dependent signaling. In particular, ACNs interact with the NF-κB and AP-1 signal transduction pathways, which respond to oxidative signals and mediate a proinflammatory effect, and the Nrf2/ARE pathway and its regulated cytoprotective proteins (GST, NQO, HO-1, etc.), involved in both cellular antioxidant defenses and elimination/inactivation of toxic compounds, so countering the alterations caused by conditions of chemical/oxidative stress. In addition, supposed crosstalks could contribute to explain the protective effects of ACNs in different pathological conditions characterized by an altered balance among these pathways. Thus, this review underlines the importance of specific nutritional molecules for human health and focuses on the molecular targets and the underlying mechanisms of ACNs against various diseases.


Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Yamazaki

AbstractNature is a prolific source of organic products with diverse scaffolds and biological activities. The process of natural product discovery has gradually become more challenging, and advances in novel strategic approaches are essential to evolve natural product chemistry. Our focus has been on surveying untouched marine resources and fermentation to enhance microbial productive performance. The first topic is the screening of marine natural products isolated from Indonesian marine organisms for new types of bioactive compounds, such as antineoplastics, antimycobacterium substances, and inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B, sterol O-acyl-transferase, and bone morphogenetic protein-induced osteoblastic differentiation. The unique biological properties of marine organohalides are discussed herein and attempts to efficiently produce fungal halogenated metabolites are documented. This review presents an overview of our recent work accomplishments based on the MONOTORI study. Graphic abstract


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Guo ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Sheng-Hong Li

An overall coverage of plant sesterterpenoids including the distribution, chemistry, biological activities, biosynthesis and evolution is provided, highlighting the untapped potential of this enigmatic but promising natural product class in plants.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1306
Author(s):  
Marcin Dziedziński ◽  
Joanna Kobus-Cisowska ◽  
Barbara Stachowiak

The pine (Pinus L.) is the largest and most heteromorphic plant genus of the pine family (Pinaceae Lindl.), which grows almost exclusively in the northern hemisphere. The demand for plant-based remedies, supplements and functional food is growing worldwide. Although pine-based products are widely available in many parts of the world, they are almost absent as food ingredients. The literature shows the beneficial effects of pine preparations on human health. Despite the wide geographical distribution of pine trees in the natural environment, there are very few data in the literature on the widespread use of pine in food technology. This study aims to present, characterise and evaluate the content of phytochemicals in pine trees, including shoots, bark and conifer needles, as well as to summarise the available data on their health-promoting and functional properties, and the potential of their use in food and the pharmaceutical industry to support health. Various species of pine tree contain different compositions of bioactive compounds. Regardless of the solvent, method, pine species and plant part used, all pine extracts contain a high number of polyphenols. Pine tree extracts exhibit several described biological activities that may be beneficial to human health. The available examples of the application of pine elements in food are promising. The reuse of residual pine elements is still limited compared to its potential. In this case, it is necessary to conduct more research to find and develop new products and applications of pine residues and by-products.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 3253
Author(s):  
Clarisse Roblin ◽  
Steve Chiumento ◽  
Cédric Jacqueline ◽  
Eric Pinloche ◽  
Cendrine Nicoletti ◽  
...  

The world is on the verge of a major antibiotic crisis as the emergence of resistant bacteria is increasing, and very few novel molecules have been discovered since the 1960s. In this context, scientists have been exploring alternatives to conventional antibiotics, such as ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs). Interestingly, the highly potent in vitro antibacterial activity and safety of ruminococcin C1, a recently discovered RiPP belonging to the sactipeptide subclass, has been demonstrated. The present results show that ruminococcin C1 is efficient at curing infection and at protecting challenged mice from Clostridium perfringens with a lower dose than the conventional antibiotic vancomycin. Moreover, antimicrobial peptide (AMP) is also effective against this pathogen in the complex microbial community of the gut environment, with a selective impact on a few bacterial genera, while maintaining a global homeostasis of the microbiome. In addition, ruminococcin C1 exhibits other biological activities that could be beneficial for human health, as well as other fields of applications. Overall, this study, by using an in vivo infection approach, confirms the antimicrobial clinical potential and highlights the multiple functional properties of ruminococcin C1, thus extending its therapeutic interest.


Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Bety W. Hapsari ◽  
Manikharda ◽  
Widiastuti Setyaningsih

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), as an edible flower, has long provided an array of positive effects on human health. This benefit is a result of phenolic compounds that are naturally present mainly in the calyx. Plentiful medicinal remedies and functional foods based on this flower are available worldwide, as supported by the studies of phenolic compounds in recent decades. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the composition, biological activity, and beneficial effects on human health of phenolic compounds in roselle. This review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A structured search in the published literature for phenolics compositions in roselle was required prior to the evaluation on the validity of the reported analytical methods. Reliable identification and quantification of phenolic compounds in roselle can be achieved by employing the proper extraction and separation methods. With ample alternative analytical methods discussed here, this review provided an aid for comprehending and selecting the most appropriate method for a particular study. The applications of the analytical methods highlighted indicated that phenolic acids, flavonoids, and their derivatives have been identified and quantified in roselle with a range of biological activities and beneficial effects on human health. It was also disclosed that the composition and concentration of phenolic compounds in roselle vary due to the growth factors, cultivars, and environmental influence. Finally, apart from the research progress carried out with roselle during the last ten years, this review also proposed relevant future works.


2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (sup1) ◽  
pp. 46-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara P. Kondratyuk ◽  
John M. Pezzuto
Keyword(s):  

2015 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 289-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Carolina Anholeti ◽  
Selma R. de Paiva ◽  
Maria Raquel Figueiredo ◽  
Maria Auxiliadora C. Kaplan

Benzophenone derivatives are special metabolites that arouse great scientific interest. The Clusiaceae family is known for producing large amounts of benzophenone derivatives with several isoprene residues on their structures, which are responsible for the observed complexity and structural variety in this class of substances, and also contribute to their biological activities. Clusia is an important genus belonging to Clusiaceae, with 55 different polyisoprenylated benzophenones identified so far. These substances were analyzed from biosynthetic and chemosystematic points of view, allowing the determination of characteristics regarding their production, accumulation and distribution within this genus. Polyisoprenylated benzophenones found in Clusiashowed a high prenylation degree, with 2 to 5 isoprene units and a greater occurrence in flowers and fruits. Section Cordylandra showed a very similar occurrence of 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzophenone derivatives and bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,4,9-trione derivatives, the majority of them with 4 isoprene units. In section Anandrogyne there is a predominance of simple 2,4,6-trihydroxy-benzophenone derivatives, with 2 isoprene units, and in Chlamydoclusia predominates bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,4,9-trione derivatives with 4 isoprene units. Although highly prenylated, these substances showed low oxidation indexes, which from an evolutionary perspective corroborates the fact that Clusiaceae is a family in transition, with some common aspects with both basal and derived botanical families.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1984413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soraia I. Falcão ◽  
Mélissa Lopes ◽  
Miguel Vilas-Boas

Propolis is a natural product derived from plant resins collected by honeybees and used in the beehive as a construction and defensive material. The broad spectrum of biological activities is dependent on the chemical diversity of its composition which is determined by the floral sources at the site of collection. For the first time, the chemical composition of Guinean propolis as well as its physicochemical properties, phenolic composition, and antioxidant activity was assessed. Eight compounds were identified through LC/DAD/ESI-MS n , mostly isoflavonoids, resembling Nigerian and Brazilian red propolis from the genus Dalbergia.


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