scholarly journals Bioactivity, proximate, mineral and volatile profiles along the flowering stages of Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.): defining potential applications

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1458-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassiba Chahdoura ◽  
João C. M. Barreira ◽  
Virginia Fernández-Ruiz ◽  
Patricia Morales ◽  
Ricardo C. Calhelha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Volatile Profiles

Opuntia spp. flowers have been traditionally used for medical purposes, mostly because of their diversity in bioactive molecules with health promoting properties.

scholarly journals Oxidative Stress and Marine Carotenoids: Application by Using Nanoformulations

Marine Drugs ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasin Genç ◽  
Hilal Bardakci ◽  
Çiğdem Yücel ◽  
Gökçe Şeker Karatoprak ◽  
Esra Küpeli Akkol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Antioxidant Properties ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Photosynthetic Organisms ◽  
Stress Markers ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Cancer Types

Carotenoids are natural fat-soluble pigments synthesized by plants, algae, fungi and microorganisms. They are responsible for the coloration of different photosynthetic organisms. Although they play a role in photosynthesis, they are also present in non-photosynthetic plant tissues, fungi, and bacteria. These metabolites have mainly been used in food, cosmetics, and the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to their utilization as pigmentation, they have significant therapeutically applications, such as improving immune system and preventing neurodegenerative diseases. Primarily, they have attracted attention due to their antioxidant activity. Several statistical investigations indicated an association between the use of carotenoids in diets and a decreased incidence of cancer types, suggesting the antioxidant properties of these compounds as an important factor in the scope of the studies against oxidative stress. Unusual marine environments are associated with a great chemical diversity, resulting in novel bioactive molecules. Thus, marine organisms may represent an important source of novel biologically active substances for the development of therapeutics. Marine carotenoids (astaxanthin, fucoxanthin, β-carotene, lutein but also the rare siphonaxanthin, sioxanthin, and myxol) have recently shown antioxidant properties in reducing oxidative stress markers. Numerous of bioactive compounds such as marine carotenoids have low stability, are poorly absorbed, and own very limited bioavailability. The new technique is nanoencapsulation, which can be used to preserve marine carotenoids and their original properties during processing, storage, improve their physiochemical properties and increase their health-promoting effects. This review aims to describe the role of marine carotenoids, their potential applications and different types of advanced nanoformulations preventing and treating oxidative stress related disorders.

scholarly journals Green Tea and Its Relation to Human Gut Microbiome

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 3907
Author(s):  
Sergio Pérez-Burillo ◽  
Beatriz Navajas-Porras ◽  
Alicia López-Maldonado ◽  
Daniel Hinojosa-Nogueira ◽  
Silvia Pastoriza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Green Tea ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Bioactive Metabolites ◽  
Microbial Dysbiosis ◽  
Inflammatory Processes ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Middle Man ◽  
Specific Species

Green tea can influence the gut microbiota by either stimulating the growth of specific species or by hindering the development of detrimental ones. At the same time, gut bacteria can metabolize green tea compounds and produce smaller bioactive molecules. Accordingly, green tea benefits could be due to beneficial bacteria or to microbial bioactive metabolites. Therefore, the gut microbiota is likely to act as middle man for, at least, some of the green tea benefits on health. Many health promoting effects of green tea seems to be related to the inter-relation between green tea and gut microbiota. Green tea has proven to be able to correct the microbial dysbiosis that appears during several conditions such as obesity or cancer. On the other hand, tea compounds influence the growth of bacterial species involved in inflammatory processes such as the release of LPS or the modulation of IL production; thus, influencing the development of different chronic diseases. There are many studies trying to link either green tea or green tea phenolic compounds to health benefits via gut microbiota. In this review, we tried to summarize the most recent research in the area.

scholarly journals Extracellular Vesicles and Matrix Remodeling Enzymes: The Emerging Roles in Extracellular Matrix Remodeling, Progression of Diseases and Tissue Repair

Cells ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nawaz ◽  
Neelam Shah ◽  
Bruna Zanetti ◽  
Marco Maugeri ◽  
Renata Silvestre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Extracellular Vesicles ◽  
Tissue Repair ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Tissue Inhibitors Of Metalloproteinases ◽  
Matrix Remodeling ◽  
Pathological Conditions ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Non Coding Rnas

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane enclosed micro- and nano-sized vesicles that are secreted from almost every species, ranging from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, and from almost every cell type studied so far. EVs contain repertoire of bioactive molecules such as proteins (including enzymes and transcriptional factors), lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids including DNA, coding and non-coding RNAs. The secreted EVs are taken up by neighboring cells where they release their content in recipient cells, or can sail through body fluids to reach distant organs. Since EVs transport bioactive cargo between cells, they have emerged as novel mediators of extra- and intercellular activities in local microenvironment and inter-organ communications distantly. Herein, we review the activities of EV-associated matrix-remodeling enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases, heparanases, hyaluronidases, aggrecanases, and their regulators such as extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducers and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases as novel means of matrix remodeling in physiological and pathological conditions. We discuss how such EVs act as novel mediators of extracellular matrix degradation to prepare a permissive environment for various pathological conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis and metabolic diseases. Additionally, the roles of EV-mediated matrix remodeling in tissue repair and their potential applications as organ therapies have been reviewed. Collectively, this knowledge could benefit the development of new approaches for tissue engineering.

scholarly journals Yield, Characterization, and Possible Exploitation of Cannabis Sativa L. Roots Grown under Aeroponics Cultivation

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (16) ◽  
pp. 4889
Author(s):  
Fabio Ferrini ◽  
Daniele Fraternale ◽  
Sabrina Donati Donati Zeppa ◽  
Giancarlo Verardo ◽  
Andrea Gorassini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Total Content ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Bioactive Metabolites ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
Root Extracts ◽  
Cultivation Technique ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Health Promoting

Cannabis sativa L. has been used for a long time to obtain food, fiber, and as a medicinal and psychoactive plant. Today, the nutraceutical potential of C. sativa is being increasingly reappraised; however, C. sativa roots remain poorly studied, despite citations in the scientific literature. In this direction, we identified and quantified the presence of valuable bioactives (namely, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, friedelin, and epi-friedelanol) in the root extracts of C. sativa, a finding which might pave the way to the exploitation of the therapeutic potential of all parts of the C. sativa plant. To facilitate root harvesting and processing, aeroponic (AP) and aeroponic-elicited cultures (AEP) were established and compared to soil-cultivated plants (SP). Interestingly, considerably increased plant growth—particularly of the roots—and a significant increase (up to 20-fold in the case of β-sitosterol) in the total content of the aforementioned roots’ bioactive molecules were observed in AP and AEP. In conclusion, aeroponics, an easy, standardized, contaminant-free cultivation technique, facilitates the harvesting/processing of roots along with a greater production of their secondary bioactive metabolites, which could be utilized in the formulation of health-promoting and health-care products.

scholarly journals Highly Bioavailable Forms of Curcumin and Promising Avenues for Curcumin-Based Research and Application: A Review

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney J. Stohs ◽  
Oliver Chen ◽  
Sidhartha D. Ray ◽  
Jin Ji ◽  
Luke R. Bucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Free Form ◽  
Blood Levels ◽  
Pharmacokinetic Studies ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Health Maintenance ◽  
Enhanced Absorption ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Human Pharmacokinetic ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Health Promoting

Curcumin exerts a wide range of beneficial physiological and pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-amyloid, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-neoplastic, immune-modulating, metabolism regulating, anti-depressant, neuroprotective and tissue protective effects. However, its poor solubility and poor absorption in the free form in the gastrointestinal tract and its rapid biotransformation to inactive metabolites greatly limit its utility as a health-promoting agent and dietary supplement. Recent advances in micro- and nano-formulations of curcumin with greatly enhanced absorption resulting in desirable blood levels of the active forms of curcumin now make it possible to address a wide range of potential applications, including pain management, and as tissue protective. Using these forms of highly bioavailable curcumin now enable a broad spectrum of appropriate studies to be conducted. This review discusses the formulations designed to enhance bioavailability, metabolism of curcumin, relationships between solubility and particle size relative to bioavailability, human pharmacokinetic studies involving formulated curcumin products, the widely used but inappropriate practice of hydrolyzing plasma samples for quantification of blood curcumin, current applications of curcumin and its metabolites and promising directions for health maintenance and applications.

scholarly journals Applications of Compounds from Coffee Processing By-Products

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amaia Iriondo-DeHond ◽  
Maite Iriondo-DeHond ◽  
María Dolores del Castillo
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Coffee Grounds ◽  
Food Applications ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
By Products

To obtain the coffee beverage, approximately 90% of the edible parts of the coffee cherry are discarded as agricultural waste or by-products (cascara or husk, parchment, mucilage, silverskin and spent coffee grounds). These by-products are a potential source of nutrients and non-nutrient health-promoting compounds, which can be used as a whole ingredient or as an enriched extract of a specific compound. The chemical composition of by-products also determines food safety of the novel ingredients. To ensure the food safety of coffee by-products to be used as novel ingredients for the general consumer population, pesticides, mycotoxins, acrylamide and gluten must be analyzed. According with the priorities proposed by the Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to maximize the benefit for the environment, society and economy, food waste generation should be avoided in the first place. In this context, the valorization of food waste can be carried out through an integrated bio-refinery approach to produce nutrients and bioactive molecules for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and non-food applications. The present research is an updated literature review of the definition of coffee by-products, their composition, safety and those food applications which have been proposed or made commercially available to date based on their chemical composition.

scholarly journals Health-Promoting Effects of Thymus Phenolic-Rich Extracts: Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory and Antitumoral Properties

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 814
Author(s):  
Andrea F. Afonso ◽  
Olívia R. Pereira ◽  
Susana M. Cardoso
Keyword(s):  
Phenolic Compounds ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
The West ◽  
Numerous Species ◽  
Anti Cancer ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Salvianolic Acids ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

Thymus genus comprises numerous species that are particularly abundant in the West Mediterranean region. A growing body of evidence suggests that many of these species are a rich source of bioactive compounds, including phenolic compounds such as rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acids and luteolin glycosides, able to render them potential applications in a range of industrial fields. This review collects the most relevant studies focused on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer of phenolic-rich extracts from Thymus plants, highlighting correlations made by the authors with respect to the main phenolic players in such activities.

scholarly journals Recent Trends on Biosurfactants With Antimicrobial Activity Produced by Bacteria Associated With Human Health: Different Perspectives on Their Properties, Challenges, and Potential Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra De Giani ◽  
Jessica Zampolli ◽  
Patrizia Di Gennaro
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Hydrophilic Nature ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Low Toxicity

The attention towards the bacteria associated with human health is growing more and more, above all regarding the bacteria that inhabit the niches offered by the human body, i.e., the gastrointestinal tract, skin, vaginal environment, and lungs. Among the secondary metabolites released by microorganisms associated with human health, little consideration is given to the biosurfactants, molecules with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic nature. Their role in the complex human environment is not only the mere biosurfactant function, but they could also control the microbiota through the quorum sensing system and the antimicrobial activity. These functions protect them and, accordingly, the human body principally from microbial and fungal pathogens. Consequently, nowadays, biosurfactants are emerging as promising bioactive molecules due to their very different structures, biological functions, low toxicity, higher biodegradability, and versatility. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive perspective of biosurfactants with antimicrobial activity produced by bacteria associated with the human body and related to everything human beings are in contact with, e.g., food, beverages, and food-waste dumping sites. For the first time, the role of an “-omic” approach is highlighted to predict gene products for biosurfactant production, and an overview of the available gene sequences is reported. Besides, antimicrobial biosurfactants’ features, challenges, and potential applications in the biomedical, food, and nutraceutical industries are discussed.

scholarly journals Advances in Research on Food Bioactive Molecules and Health

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (24) ◽  
pp. 7678
Author(s):  
Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan ◽  
Alessandra Durazzo ◽  
Massimo Lucarini
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Structure ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Processed Food ◽  
Consumer Awareness ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Function Relationship ◽  
Relationship Of

Fresh and processed food products are rich in bioactive molecules, including polysaccharides, vitamins, carotenoids, peptides, antioxidants, phenolics, phytosterols, and novel lipids. Bioactive molecules in food could prevent several diseases (i.e., metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, etc.). Thus, consumer awareness is growing about the health-promoting impact of food bioactive molecules. Health claims are essential added-value features, wherein health-enhancing potential of bioactives depend on their chemical structure. On the other hand, the investigation of the structure-function relationship of food bioactive molecules is of importance. In this regard, Molecules is delighted to highlight the importance of food bioactive molecules and their effect on health. In this Special Issue of Molecules, researchers are invited to contribute original research and up-to-date reviews.

scholarly journals Oxidative Catabolism of (+)-Pinoresinol Is Initiated by an Unusual Flavocytochrome Encoded by Translationally Coupled Genes within a Cluster of (+)-Pinoresinol-Coinduced Genes in Pseudomonas sp. Strain SG-MS2

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhura Shettigar ◽  
Sahil Balotra ◽  
Annette Kasprzak ◽  
Stephen L. Pearce ◽  
Michael J. Lacey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Oxidase ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Vanillyl Alcohol ◽  
Cofactor Binding ◽  
Enzyme Family ◽  
The Family ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Cognate Gene ◽  
Defense Compound ◽  
Vanillyl Alcohol Oxidase

ABSTRACT Burkholderia sp. strain SG-MS1 and Pseudomonas sp. strain SG-MS2 have previously been found to mineralize (+)-pinoresinol through a common catabolic pathway. Here, we used comparative genomics, proteomics, protein semipurification, and heterologous expression to identify a flavoprotein from the vanillyl alcohol oxidase/p-cresol methyl hydroxylase (VAO/PCMH) enzyme family in SG-MS2 that carries out the initial hydroxylation of (+)-pinoresinol at the benzylic carbon. The cognate gene is translationally coupled with a downstream cytochrome gene, and the cytochrome is required for activity. The flavoprotein has a unique combination of cofactor binding and cytochrome requirements for the VAO/PCMH family. The heterologously expressed enzyme has a Km of 1.17 μM for (+)-pinoresinol. The enzyme is overexpressed in strain SG-MS2 upon exposure to (+)-pinoresinol, along with 45 other proteins, 22 of which were found to be encoded by genes in an approximately 35.1-kb cluster also containing the flavoprotein and cytochrome genes. Homologs of 18 of these 22 genes, plus the flavoprotein and cytochrome genes, were also found in a 38.7-kb cluster in SG-MS1. The amino acid identities of four of the other proteins within the SG-MS2 cluster suggest they catalyze conversion of hydroxylated pinoresinol to protocatechuate and 2-methoxyhydroquinone. Nine other proteins upregulated in SG-MS2 on exposure to (+)-pinoresinol appear to be homologs of proteins known to comprise the protocatechuate and 2-methoxyhydroquinone catabolic pathways, but only three of the cognate genes lie within the cluster containing the flavoprotein and cytochrome genes. IMPORTANCE (+)-Pinoresinol is an important plant defense compound, a major food lignan for humans and some other animals, and the model compound used to study degradation of the β-β′ linkages in lignin. We report a gene cluster, in one strain each of Pseudomonas and Burkholderia, that is involved in the oxidative catabolism of (+)-pinoresinol. The flavoprotein component of the α-hydroxylase which heads the pathway belongs to the 4-phenol oxidizing (4PO) subgroup of the vanillyl alcohol oxidase/p-cresol methyl hydroxylase (VAO/PCMH) enzyme family but constitutes a novel combination of cofactor and electron acceptor properties for the family. It is translationally coupled with a cytochrome gene whose product is also required for activity. The work casts new light on the biology of (+)-pinoresinol and its transformation to other bioactive molecules. Potential applications of the findings include new options for deconstructing lignin into useful chemicals and the generation of new phytoestrogenic enterolactones from lignans.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document