scholarly journals Lichens: traditional use and biological activities

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruchira R. Sutar ◽  
◽  
Subhash B. Gaikwad ◽  
Sachin V. Mapari ◽  
Bhaskar C. Behera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Lichen Species ◽  
Symbiotic Association ◽  
Traditional Use ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
The World ◽  
Immense Potential

Lichens are a stable symbiotic association between photobiont (algae and/or cyanobacteria) and mycobiont (fungi). They are utilized in traditional medicine for ages and documented in various pharmacopeia throughout the world. India is having a rich diversity of lichen species represented by about 2400 species. The tribal inhabitant around forests and other difficult terrains acquired unique knowledge about the use of much wide flora and fauna. Most of these are either lesser known or unknown to the outside world. The treasure of traditional knowledge if subjected to scientific scrutiny could benefit humankind in many ways. They produce unique secondary metabolites through various metabolic pathways and are known to exhibit a wide array of bioactivities. We have reviewed the literature for traditional knowledge of the lichen species and biological activities reported to study its inter-relationship. It was observed that that still a major percentage of lichens have remained unexplored. These lichens may have immense potential; and if analysed could be used in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic industries, and many more.

Secondary metabolites of the genus Crotalaria (Rattlepods) and their medicinal importance – A review

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Muhammad Sarwar Yaqub ◽  
Bushra Basher ◽  
Rozina Aslam
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Wound Healing ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
The World

This review describes the genus Crotalaria focusing on its secondary metabolites and their medicinal applications. The genus Crotalaria of Fabaceae or Leguminosae family have about 600 species which are distributed in tropic and sub-tropic regions of the world. They are medicinally important due to production of various compounds. Traditional early medicines and drug discovery were based on natural products. Organisms produce some chemical compounds by their metabolic pathways that are not necessary for their growth and development and are known as secondary metabolites. This diverse group of compounds is synthesized by algae, plants, animals and fungi. These metabolites consist of variety of compounds such as phenols, coumarins, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids and fatty acids. Secondary metabolites obtained from crotalaria exhibit anticancer, anti-rheumatoid arthritis, anti-allergic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiaging and wound healing activities along with many other medicinal applications.

Use of the genus Satureja as food supplement: possible modulation of the immune system via intestinal microbiota during SARS-CoV-2 infection?

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelkarim Ezaouine ◽  
Badreddine Nouadi ◽  
Yousra Sbaoui ◽  
Mariam El Messal ◽  
Fatima Chegdani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Intestinal Microbiota ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Food Supplement ◽  
Traditional Use ◽  
The World ◽  
Causes Of Disease ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Antibacterial And Antifungal

Abstract: Satureja genus belongs to the Lamiaceae family, they are used in food products and by pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The chemical composition of Satureja are responsible for its pharmacological and phytochemical properties. Among the various biological activities, notably antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal, Satureja also has a potential antiviral activity. The existence of a microbiota modulation potential by Satureja in farming animals has also been reported. Viral pathologies are one of the main causes of disease in the world. It is commonly known that gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the fight and progression of viral infection. Previous studies conducted on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have prouved an imbalance in the intestinal and pulmonary microbiota via gut-lung axis. Knowing the properties of Satureja and its traditional use, one can suggest the possibility of using it as dietary supplement to modulate immune system in order to prevent and fight viral infections. The objective of this review is to reveal the potential impact of medicinal plants such as Satureja genus as food supplement, on immune enhancing during SARS-CoV-2 infection and their relationships with the intestinal microbiota.

scholarly journals Euphorbia-Derived Natural Products with Potential for Use in Health Maintenance

Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salehi ◽  
Iriti ◽  
Vitalini ◽  
Antolak ◽  
Pawlikowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Health Maintenance ◽  
The Third ◽  
The World ◽  
Microbial Infections ◽  
Pure Compounds

Euphorbia genus (Euphorbiaceae family), which is the third largest genus of angiosperm plants comprising ca. 2000 recognized species, is used all over the world in traditional medicine, especially in the traditional Chinese medicine. Members of this taxa are promptly recognizable by their specialized inflorescences and latex. In this review, an overview of Euphorbia-derived natural products such as essential oils, extracts, and pure compounds, active in a broad range of biological activities, and with potential usages in health maintenance, is described. The chemical composition of essential oils from Euphorbia species revealed the presence of more than 80 phytochemicals, mainly oxygenated sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons, while Euphorbia extracts contain secondary metabolites such as sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, sterols, flavonoids, and other polyphenols. The extracts and secondary metabolites from Euphorbia plants may act as active principles of medicines for the treatment of many human ailments, mainly inflammation, cancer, and microbial infections. Besides, Euphorbia-derived products have great potential as a source of bioactive extracts and pure compounds, which can be used to promote longevity with more health.

scholarly journals Medicinal Plants Used for Treating Mild Covid-19 Symptoms Among Thai Karen and Hmong

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Methee Phumthum ◽  
Varangrat Nguanchoo ◽  
Henrik Balslev
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Muscle Pain ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Ethnic Minority Groups ◽  
Traditional Medicinal Plants ◽  
The World

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is causing many severe problems globally, and it is not known for how long it will last. The only hope we have for dealing with the problem is to produce sufficient vaccines and administer them efficiently. However, the current demand for vaccines greatly exceeds the supply, and many people will suffer from the disease for still some time. Moreover, the period for immunity obtained by the vaccines remains unknown, and we cannot predict how long the world will suffer the COVID-19 infections. Therefore, there will be a continued demand for treatments of its symptoms. An alternative solution for providing such treatment is the use of traditional medicinal plants.Aims: To document medicinal plants used by Hmong and Karen in Thailand to treat mild symptoms of COVID-19.Methods: Traditional knowledge about ethnomedicinal plants used by Hmong and Karen in Thailand for treating mild symptoms listed by WHO as associated with COVID 19, was collected in field interviews and extracted from the literature.Results: We identified 491 plant species used medicinally by both ethnic groups to treat fever, cough, diarrhea, muscle pain and ache, rash, headache, sore throat, and conjunctivitis. Of the 491 species 60 were mentioned at least five times in the literature or in our field data. Of these 60 species, we propose the most commonly used ones for treatments of mild COVID-19 symptoms. Ten of these most commonly mentioned species were used for treatments of fever, nine for treatment of cough, four for treatment of diarrhea, two for treatment of rash, and a single species was used to treat muscle pain and headache.Conclusion: This study suggests alternative treatments for mild symptoms of COVID-19 with medicinal plants that are traditionally used by the ethnic minority groups of the Hmong and Karen in Thailand. Although COVID-19 is a new disease, its mild symptoms are shared with many other diseases. Traditional knowledge on medicinal plants used by the Thai Karen and Hmong could help in the treatments of these symptoms associated with COVID-19. Many of the proposed plants were used abundantly by both ethnic groups, and other studies on biological activities support their efficacy in such treatments.

scholarly journals Attacks on the precious truffles by useful and harmful invadors

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 01-04
Author(s):  
Waill Elkhateeb
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
General Description ◽  
Fruiting Bodies ◽  
High Significance ◽  
The World

Truffles are ectomycorrhizal mushrooms that grow in specific climates. They are rare and famous for their secondary metabolites and their promising biological activities. Truffles are considered from the most expensive macrofungi all over the world. Understanding the rare and uncommon types of interaction between truffles and their different invadors is of high significance. However, studies describing such relation are very limited. In this review, we describe general description and ecology of truffles. Examples on microbes attracted to colonize fruiting bodies of truffles were mentioned. Finally, factors causing truffles damage such as pathogenic fungal attacks, truffles rot, and insects’ invasion were highlighted.

Hypericum spp.: An Update on the Biological Activities and Metabolic Profiles

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariangela Marrelli ◽  
Giancarlo Statti ◽  
Filomena Conforti
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Complex Spectrum ◽  
Metabolic Profiles ◽  
Pharmaceutical Applications ◽  
The World ◽  
Hypericum Species

: Plants from the genus Hypericum, one genus of the Hypericaceae family, have attracted a lot of attention for their potential pharmaceutical applications. Most of the studies in the literature focus on H. perforatum L. (common St. John's wort), whose complex spectrum of bioactive compounds makes this species one of the top herbal remedies and supplements in the world. It is also important to compare the studies on other Hypericum species, both from the phytochemical and biological point of view. The aim of this review was to provide an update of most recent studies about biological investigations of plants belonging to Hypericum genus. The metabolic profiles of Hypericum spp. were also discussed in order to present a spectrum of secondary metabolites not previously identified in this genus.

scholarly journals Enhypyrazinones A and B, Pyrazinone Natural Products from a Marine-Derived Myxobacterium Enhygromyxa sp.

Marine Drugs ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Zhang ◽  
Doug R. Braun ◽  
Scott R. Rajski ◽  
Don DeMaria ◽  
Tim S. Bugni
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene ◽  
Biosynthetic Gene Clusters ◽  
Data Analyses ◽  
Nmr Data ◽  
Immense Potential

To date, studies describing myxobacterial secondary metabolites have been relatively scarce in comparison to those addressing actinobacterial secondary metabolites. This realization suggests the immense potential of myxobacteria as an intriguing source of secondary metabolites with unusual structural features and a wide array of biological activities. Marine-derived myxobacteria are especially attractive due to their unique biosynthetic gene clusters, although they are more difficult to handle than terrestrial myxobacteria. Here, we report the discovery of two new pyrazinone-type molecules, enhypyrazinones A and B, from a marine-derived myxobacterium Enhygromyxa sp. Their structures were elucidated by HRESIMS and comprehensive NMR data analyses. Compounds 1 and 2, which contain a rare trisubstituted-pyrazinone core, represent a unique class of molecules from Enhygromyxa sp.

scholarly journals Biosynthesis and metabolic engineering of pseudo-oligosaccharides

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah R. Alanzi ◽  
Ananiya A. Demessie ◽  
Taifo Mahmud
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Engineering ◽  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Biosynthetic Pathways ◽  
Fermentation Conditions ◽  
Chemical Structures

Pseudo-oligosaccharides are microbial-derived secondary metabolites whose chemical structures contain pseudosugars (glycomimetics). Owing to their high resemblance to the molecules of life (carbohydrates), most pseudo-oligosaccharides show significant biological activities. Some of them have been used as drugs to treat human and plant diseases. Because of their significant economic value, efforts have been put into understanding their biosynthesis, optimizing their fermentation conditions, and engineering their metabolic pathways to obtain better production yields. Many unusual enzymes participating in diverse biosynthetic pathways to pseudo-oligosaccharides have been reported. Various methods and conditions to improve the production yields of the target compounds and eliminate byproducts have also been developed. This review article describes recent studies on the biosynthesis, fermentation optimization, and metabolic engineering of high-value pseudo-oligosaccharides.

Marine Actinomycetes-derived Natural Products

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (31) ◽  
pp. 2868-2918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengfang Yang ◽  
Rui Qian ◽  
Yao Xu ◽  
Junxi Yi ◽  
Yiwen Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Marine Actinomycetes ◽  
Bioactive Substances ◽  
Lead Compounds

: Actinomycetes is an abundant resource for discovering a large number of lead compounds, which play an important role in microbial drug discovery. Compared to terrestrial microorganisms, marine actinomycetes have unique metabolic pathways because of their special living environment, which has the potential to produce a variety of bioactive substances. In this paper, secondary metabolites isolated from marine actinomycetes are reviewed (2013-2018), most of which exhibited cytotoxic, antibacterial, and antiviral biological activities.

Mysterious World of Lichens: Highlights on Their History, Applications, and Pharmaceutical Potentials

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waill A. Elkhateeb ◽  
Ghoson M. Daba ◽  
Donia Sheir ◽  
The-Duy Nguyen ◽  
Kalani K. Hapuarachchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Crystal Form ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Symbiotic Association ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Lichen Substances ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of Use

Background: Lichens play an important role in many ecosystems and exist as a symbiotic association between fungi and algae or cyanobacteria. This symbiosis results in production of unique secondary metabolites known as lichen substances, which arise within the thalli and are typically in crystal form on the surface of the fungal hyphae. Recently, lichens and their secondary metabolites have been receiving increased attention due to their nutritional value and pharmaceutical potential. Objectives: This review aims to cast a light on the importance and variety of common lichen substances (secondary metabolites), which are investigated along with their historical and contemporary applications, use in environmental research and discussion of the commercialisation of lichens-based products. Methods: The literature, including research and reviews articles, was analysed and the information was compiled to provide a complete review of Lichens. A desk-based study to elucidate the role of lichens in commercial products was also undertaken. Results: Analysis of metabolites, mostly secondary metabolites, have yielded a wide range of interesting compounds with biological activities from antimicrobial to anticancer. 31 of these compounds are discussed in detail. Further, the nutritional value of lichens is identified alongside a role in environmental monitoring and a number of commercialised lichen-based products are located. Conclusions: Lichens are found on every continent and have a history of use as food, medicine, dyes and livestock feed. The pharmaceutical potential of lichens is high and several companies are now attempting to commercialise these unique attributes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document