scholarly journals The Terpene Mini-Path, a New Promising Alternative for Terpenoids Bio-Production

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1974
Author(s):  
Julie Couillaud ◽  
Létitia Leydet ◽  
Katia Duquesne ◽  
Gilles Iacazio
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activities ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Economic Point ◽  
Dimethylallyl Diphosphate ◽  
Enzymatic Cascades ◽  
Methyl Erythritol Phosphate

Terpenoids constitute the largest class of natural compounds and are extremely valuable from an economic point of view due to their extended physicochemical properties and biological activities. Due to recent environmental concerns, terpene extraction from natural sources is no longer considered as a viable option, and neither is the chemical synthesis to access such chemicals due to their sophisticated structural characteristics. An alternative to produce terpenoids is the use of biotechnological tools involving, for example, the construction of enzymatic cascades (cell-free synthesis) or a microbial bio-production thanks to metabolic engineering techniques. Despite outstanding successes, these approaches have been hampered by the length of the two natural biosynthetic routes (the mevalonate and the methyl erythritol phosphate pathways), leading to dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) and isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP), the two common universal precursors of all terpenoids. Recently, we, and others, developed what we called the terpene mini-path, a robust two enzyme access to DMAPP and IPP starting from their corresponding two alcohols, dimethylallyl alcohol and isopentenol. The aim here is to present the potential of this artificial bio-access to terpenoids, either in vitro or in vivo, through a review of the publications appearing since 2016 on this very new and fascinating field of investigation.

scholarly journals Recent Developments in Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushroom) Polysaccharides: Isolation, Structural Characteristics, Biological Activities and Application

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1441
Author(s):  
Yangpeng Lu ◽  
Yanan Jia ◽  
Zihan Xue ◽  
Nannan Li ◽  
Junyu Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activities ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Inonotus Obliquus ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Inonotus Obliquus Polysaccharide ◽  
Future Work

Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushroom) is a kind of medicine and health food widely used by folk in China, Russia, Korea, and some occidental countries. Among the extracts from Inonotus obliquus, Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide (IOPS) is supposed to be one of the major bioactive components in Inonotus obliquus, which possesses antitumor, antioxidant, anti-virus, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic activities. In this review, the current advancements on extraction, purification, structural characteristics, and biological activities of IOPS were summarized. This review can provide significant insight into the IOPS bioactivities as their in vitro and in vivo data were summarized, and some possible mechanisms were listed. Furthermore, applications of IOPS were reviewed and discussed; IOPS might be a potential candidate for the treatment of cancers and type 2 diabetes. Besides, new perspectives for the future work of IOPS were also proposed.

scholarly journals The Natural Compound Hydrophobic Usnic Acid and Hydrophilic Potassium Usnate Derivative: Applications and Comparisons

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (19) ◽  
pp. 5995
Author(s):  
Hallysson Douglas Andrade de Araújo ◽  
Hianna Arely Milca Fagundes Silva ◽  
José Guedes da Silva Júnior ◽  
Mônica Camelo Pessoa de Azevedo Albuquerque ◽  
Luana Cassandra Breitenbach Barroso Coelho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activities ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Usnic Acid ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Structural Modifications ◽  
Hydrophobic Molecule ◽  
Antiparasitic Agents ◽  
Toxic Molecule

Usnic acid is the best-studied lichen metabolite, presenting several biological activities, such as antibacterial, immunostimulating, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antiparasitic agents; despite these relevant properties, it is a hydrophobic and toxic molecule. In this context, scientific research has driven the development of innovative alternatives, considering usnic acid as a source of raw material in obtaining new molecules, allowing structural modifications (syntheses) from it. The purpose is to optimize biological activities and toxicity, with less concentration and/or response time. This work presents a literature review with an analogy of the hydrophobic molecule of usnic acid with its hydrophilic derivative of potassium usnate, emphasizing the elucidation and structural characteristics, biological activities, and toxicological aspects of both molecules, and the advantages of using the promising derivative hydrophilic in different in vitro and in vivo assays when compared to usnic acid.

scholarly journals Secondary Metabolites from Gorgonian Corals of the Genus Eunicella: Structural Characterizations, Biological Activities, and Synthetic Approaches

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Dario Matulja ◽  
Maria Kolympadi Markovic ◽  
Gabriela Ambrožić ◽  
Sylvain Laclef ◽  
Sandra Kraljević Pavelić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Antimicrobial Activities ◽  
Chemical Structures ◽  
Gorgonian Corals ◽  
Synthetic Approaches ◽  
Further Development

Gorgonian corals, which belong to the genus Eunicella, are known as natural sources of diverse compounds with unique structural characteristics and interesting bioactivities both in vitro and in vivo. This review is focused primarily on the secondary metabolites isolated from various Eunicella species. The chemical structures of 64 compounds were divided into three main groups and comprehensively presented: a) terpenoids, b) sterols, and c) alkaloids and nucleosides. The observed biological activities of depicted metabolites with an impact on cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities were reviewed. The most promising biological activities of certain metabolites point to potential candidates for further development in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and other industries, and are highlighted. Total synthesis or the synthetic approaches towards the desired skeletons or natural products are also summarized.

scholarly journals Enhancement of Osteogenic Induction by LL37 Modified With Collagen Binding Domain in Vitro and in Vivo

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxuan Lin ◽  
Sipeng Chen ◽  
Jingjing Quan ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Muzi Liao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activities ◽  
Drug Loading ◽  
Bone Diseases ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Collagen Binding ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Osteogenic Induction ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

Abstract Bone defect diseases, particularly induced by inflammation, render a challenge for designing ideal drug-loading scaffold that could facilitate bone repairing and eliminate inflammatory pathogens. LL37 is considered as promising alternative loading drug due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial effect and various bio-functions including osteogenic induction. In this study, we synthesized modified LL37 by adding collagen binding domain (CBD), which aim to provide a specific binding onto collagen and slow-releasing pattern. The modified peptide was proved to exhibit similar biological activities to nature LL37 on rat BMSCs including promoting migration activity, anti-inflammatory activity and osteogenic induction in vitro. Ectopic bone formation experiment further confirmed the angiogenesis and osteoinduction activities in vivo. Collectively, LL37-CBD may be a potential loaded drug for preventative and curative applications in Inflammation-induced bone diseases, exerting dual strategies including anti-inflammatory and osteogenic effects.

scholarly journals Extraction, Purification, Structural Characteristics, Biological Activities and Pharmacological Applications of Acemannan, a Polysaccharide from Aloe vera: A Review

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Liu ◽  
Yan Cui ◽  
Fuwei Pi ◽  
Yuliang Cheng ◽  
Yahui Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wound Healing ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Aloe Vera ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clinical Experiments

: Aloe vera is a medicinal plant species of the genus Aloe with a long history of usage around the world. Acemannan, considered one of the main bioactive polysaccharides of Aloe vera, possesses immunoregulation, anti-cancer, anti-oxidation, wound healing and bone proliferation promotion, neuroprotection, and intestinal health promotion activities, among others. In this review, recent advancements in the extraction, purification, structural characteristics and biological activities of acemannan from Aloe vera were summarized. Among these advancements, the structural characteristics of purified polysaccharides were reviewed in detail. Meanwhile, the biological activities of acemannan from Aloe vera determined by in vivo, in vitro and clinical experiments are summarized, and possible mechanisms of these bioactivities were discussed. Moreover, the latest research progress on the use of acemannan in dentistry and wound healing was also summarized in details. The structure-activity relationships of acemannan and its medical applications were discussed. Finally, new perspectives for future research work on acemannan were proposed. In conclusion, this review summarizes the extraction, purification, structural characteristics, biological activities and pharmacological applications of acemannan, and provides information for the industrial production and possible applications in dentistry and wound healing in the future.

scholarly journals Natural Compounds in the Modulation of the Intestinal Microbiota: Implications in Human Physiology and Pathology

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enzo Spisni ◽  
Silvia Turroni ◽  
Sheri Shahaj ◽  
Renato Spigarelli ◽  
Dario Ayala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Intestinal Microbiota ◽  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
The Future

Clinical interest in the human gut microbiota has increased considerably, because of the increasing number of studies linking the human intestinal microbiota and microbiome to an ever increasing number of non-communicable diseases. Many attempts at modulating the gut microbiota have been made using probiotics and prebiotics. However, there are other avenues that are still little explored from a clinical point of view that appear promising to obtain modifications of the microbial ecology and biological activities connected to the microbiome. This chapter summarizes all in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies demonstrating the possibility to positively modulate the intestinal microbiota by using probiotics, foods (and prebiotics), essential oils, fungus and officinal plants. For the future, clinical studies investigating the ability to modify the intestinal microbiota especially by using foods, officinal and aromatic plants or their extracts are required. More knowledge in this field is likely to be of clinical benefit since modulation of the microbiome might support the therapy of most non-communicable diseases in the future.

Use of light microscopy in the qualitative and quantitative study of liquid crystalline order

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 264-265
Author(s):  
Christopher Viney
Keyword(s):  
Light Microscopy ◽  
Liquid Crystalline ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Molecular Order ◽  
Liquid Crystalline Phases ◽  
Convenient Technique ◽  
Liquid Crystalline Materials ◽  
Transparent Windows

Light microscopy is a convenient technique for characterizing molecular order in fluid liquid crystalline materials. Microstructures can usually be observed under the actual conditions that promote the formation of liquid crystalline phases, whether or not a solvent is required, and at temperatures that can range from the boiling point of nitrogen to 600°C. It is relatively easy to produce specimens that are sufficiently thin and flat, simply by confining a droplet between glass cover slides. Specimens do not need to be conducting, and they do not have to be maintained in a vacuum. Drybox or other controlled environmental conditions can be maintained in a sealed chamber equipped with transparent windows; some heating/ freezing stages can be used for this purpose. It is relatively easy to construct a modified stage so that the generation and relaxation of global molecular order can be observed while specimens are being sheared, simulating flow conditions that exist during processing. Also, light only rarely affects the chemical composition or molecular weight distribution of the sample. Because little or no processing is required after collecting the sample, one can be confident that biologically derived materials will reveal many of their in vivo structural characteristics, even though microscopy is performed in vitro.

Evaluation of the In Vivo Acute Toxicity and In Vitro Hemolytic and Immunomodulatory Activities of the Moringa oleifera Flower Trypsin Inhibitor (MoFTI)

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leydianne Leite de Siqueira Patriota ◽  
Dayane Kelly Dias do Nascimento Santos ◽  
Bárbara Rafaela da Silva Barros ◽  
Lethícia Maria de Souza Aguiar ◽  
Yasmym Araújo Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Toxicity ◽  
Trypsin Inhibitor ◽  
Hemolytic Activity ◽  
Moringa Oleifera ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Hematological Parameters ◽  
Behavioral Alterations ◽  
Female Mice

Background: Protease inhibitors have been isolated from plants and present several biological activities, including immunomod-ulatory action. Objective: This work aimed to evaluate a Moringa oleifera flower trypsin inhibitor (MoFTI) for acute toxicity in mice, hemolytic activity on mice erythrocytes and immunomodulatory effects on mice splenocytes. Methods: The acute toxicity was evaluated using Swiss female mice that received a single dose of the vehicle control or MoFTI (300 mg/kg, i.p.). Behavioral alterations were observed 15–240 min after administration, and survival, weight gain, and water and food consumption were analyzed daily. Organ weights and hematological parameters were analyzed after 14 days. Hemolytic activity of MoFTI was tested using Swiss female mice erythrocytes. Splenocytes obtained from BALB/c mice were cultured in the absence or presence of MoFTI for the evaluation of cell viability and proliferation. Mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were also determined. Furthermore, the culture supernatants were analyzed for the presence of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO). Results: MoFTI did not cause death or any adverse effects on the mice except for abdominal contortions at 15–30 min after administration. MoFTI did not exhibit a significant hemolytic effect. In addition, MoFTI did not induce apoptosis or necrosis in splenocytes and had no effect on cell proliferation. Increases in cytosolic and mitochondrial ROS release, as well as ΔΨm reduction, were observed in MoFTI-treated cells. MoFTI was observed to induce TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10, and NO release. Conclusion: These results contribute to the ongoing evaluation of the antitumor potential of MoFTI and its effects on other immunological targets.

Metabolomics of Healthy Berry Fruits

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (37) ◽  
pp. 4888-4902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilda D'Urso ◽  
Sonia Piacente ◽  
Cosimo Pizza ◽  
Paola Montoro
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activities ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Bioactive Metabolites ◽  
Active Metabolites ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Cell Functions ◽  
Berry Fruits

The consumption of berry-type fruits has become very popular in recent years because of their positive effects on human health. Berries are in fact widely known for their health-promoting benefits, including prevention of chronic disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Berries are a rich source of bioactive metabolites, such as vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds, mainly anthocyanins. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies recognized the health effects of berries and their function as bioactive modulators of various cell functions associated with oxidative stress. Plants have one of the largest metabolome databases, with over 1200 papers on plant metabolomics published only in the last decade. Mass spectrometry (MS) and NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) are the most important analytical technologies on which the emerging ''omics'' approaches are based. They may provide detection and quantization of thousands of biologically active metabolites from a tissue, working in a ''global'' or ''targeted'' manner, down to ultra-trace levels. In the present review, we highlighted the use of MS and NMR-based strategies and Multivariate Data Analysis for the valorization of berries known for their biological activities, important as food and often used in the preparation of nutraceutical formulations.

Tamarix articulata (T. articulata) - An Important Halophytic Medicinal Plant with Potential Pharmacological Properties

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah M. Alnuqaydan ◽  
Bilal Rah
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
In Vivo Model ◽  
Drug Candidate ◽  
Phytochemical Analysis ◽  
Pharmacological Properties

Background:Tamarix Articulata (T. articulata), commonly known as Tamarisk or Athal in Arabic region, belongs to the Tamaricaece species. It is an important halophytic medicinal plant and a good source of polyphenolic phytochemical(s). In traditional medicines, T. articulata extract is commonly used, either singly or in combination with other plant extracts against different ailments since ancient times.Methods:Electronic database survey via Pubmed, Google Scholar, Researchgate, Scopus and Science Direct were used to review the scientific inputs until October 2018, by searching appropriate keywords. Literature related to pharmacological activities of T. articulata, Tamarix species, phytochemical analysis of T. articulata, biological activities of T. articulata extracts. All of these terms were used to search the scientific literature associated with T. articulata; the dosage of extract, route of administration, extract type, and in-vitro and in-vivo model.Results:Numerous reports revealed that T. articulata contains a wide spectrum of phytochemical(s), which enables it to have a wide window of biological properties. Owing to the presence of high content of phytochemical compounds like polyphenolics and flavonoids, T. articulata is a potential source of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties. In view of these pharmacological properties, T. articulata could be a potential drug candidate to treat various clinical conditions including cancer in the near future.Conclusion:In this review, the spectrum of phytochemical(s) has been summarized for their pharmacological properties and the mechanisms of action, and the possible potential therapeutic applications of this plant against various diseases discussed.

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