Advances in celery genomics, metabolomics and important bioactive compound

Chlorella vulgaris is rich in secondary metabolites that defend against environmental stress and aid in detoxification. In particular, bioactive compounds extracted from C. vulgaris may enhance the growth of microorganisms and detoxify them in an ethanolic medium. We aimed to effectively extract and characterize bioactive compounds found in C. vulgaris and further test them for their beneficial effects on the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultured in an ethanolic medium. Bioactive compounds in C. vulgaris were extracted using ultrasound and water as solvents. The extracts were analyzed for total phenol and flavonoid contents as part of their phytochemical composition. Their DPPH radical activity and Hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity were examined to determine their antioxidant properties and protective potential for S. cerevisiae in an ethanolic medium. Further, the extracts were added at 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4% w/v concentrations into S. cerevisiae culture induced with 1% v/v ethanol for 23 days. The yeast cells’ density and viability were measured after 2, 5, 9, 13, 17, and 23 days. The extracts of C. vulgaris were rich in phenols and flavonoids, which are important bioactive compounds. Higher concentrations of the extracts increased total phenols up to 47.67 GAE mg/L and total flavonoids up to 218.67 QE mg/L. The extracts’ antioxidant composition showed high DPPH activity (70.12%) and H2O2 scavenging activity (4.97%). After 23 days, the samples treated with C. vulgaris extracts maintained a high viability of the yeast cells. In particular, the samples with 2, 4, 0.1, and 1% of the extract had a cell viability of 95.75, 94.04, 89.15, and 74%, respectively. The positive control (1% ethanol alone) and negative control (yeast alone) had 47.71 and 21.01% viability, respectively. This drastic reduction in viability was due to lysis of the yeast cells caused by ethanol. Ultrasound extraction with water as a solvent produced abundant beneficial secondary metabolites from C. vulgaris. The addition of C. vulgaris extract increased the viability and cell density of S. cerevisiae after 27 days, thereby protecting the yeast cells from the toxic effects of ethanol.

Helicteres hirsuta Lour. (H. hirsuta) has been traditionally used as a folk medicine for treating a range of common diseases. It has been used in furuncle treatment, pain relief, dysentery, measles, flu, antimalaria and antiobesity treatments in some Asian countries, revealing that this plant material contains important bioactive compounds which are linked with health benefits and/or can act as therapeutic agents. Hence, many attempts have been made to isolate and identify the key bioactive compounds present in H. hirsuta and conduct in vitro tests to investigate their biological activities. We recently revealed that H. hirsuta leaf has a high total phenolic content (TPC: 192.6 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g) and total flavonoid content (TFC: 215.2 mg catechin equivalents (CE)/g). The stem of H. hirsuta also had high contents of TPC and TFC (212.6 mg GAE/g and 280.1 mg CE/g, respectively). The results also revealed that phenolic compounds from this plant had a strong positive correlation with antioxidant capacity including DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (R2 range of 0.78 and 0.99), which are known to link with diverse bioactivities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiobesity and antidiabetic effects. Additionally, H. hirsuta leaf and stem were found to contain high levels of saponins (808.0 and 347.5 mg escin equivalents/g, respectively), that were determined using colorimetric assay. Several individual compounds have been identified in the extracts of H. hirsuta, including rutin, methyl caffeate, 5,8-dihydroxy-7,4-dimethoxyflavone, isoscutellarein 4-methyl ether 8-O--d-glucopyranoside, 4,4-sulfinylbis(2(tert-butyl)-5-methylphenol), 7-O-methylisoscutellarein, 7,4-di-O-methylisoscutellarein, six lignans (pinoresinol, medioresinol, syringaresinol, boehmenan, boehmenan H and trans-dihydrodiconiferyl alcohol), betulinic acid, 3-O-trans-caffeoylbetulinic acid, 3-benzoylbetulinic acid, betulinic acid methyl ester, lupeol, 3β-O-acetylbetulinic acid, simiarenol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol. The derived extracts and isolated compounds from this plant have been shown to inhibit the growth of various cancer cell lines in vitro and offer a promising source of active compounds against other health problems including obesity, diabetes and malaria. Further studies on the mechanisms of bioactive compounds from this plant are suggested to elucidate their mechanisms of action for health benefits. In addition, more in vivo tests associated with clinical trials are also needed to validate and confirm their effects for further development of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products from this plant material.

Polyphenols are important bioactive compounds whose regular ingestion has shown different positive impacts in health. Celiac patients have nutritional deficiencies, bringing many problems to their health. Thus, it is important to develop gluten-free (GF) products, such as bread, with nutritional benefits. The acorn is the fruit of holm oak and cork oak, being an underexploited resource nowadays. Its nutritional and functional characteristics are remarkable: rich in unsaturated fatty acids and fiber, vitamin E, chlorophylls, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant properties. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of acorn flour as a bioactive compounds source and natural GF ingredient for baking GF bread. Bread loaves were prepared with buckwheat, rice, acorn flour, and potato starch. Two levels of acorn flour (23% and 35% of the flour mixture) were tested. The physical, nutritional, and sensory characteristics of the bread were analysed, as well as the composition of phenolic compounds: total phenols, ortho-diphenols, and flavonoids. The phenolic profile was assessed by Reverse Phase–High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Diode Array Detector (RP-HPLC-DAD). The antioxidant activity of the bread extracts was determined by 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), diphenyl-1-picrylhidrazyl radical (DPPH), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methodologies. Acorn flour can be considered a good source of bioactive compounds and antioxidants in GF bread. Acorn flour showed good technological properties in GF baking, improving bread nutritional and sensory characteristics.

Many important bioactive compounds have been discovered from natural sources using bioactivity-directed fractionation and isolation (BDFl) [Balunas MJ, Kinghorn AD (2005) Drug discovery from medicinal plants. Life Sci 78:431-441]. Continuing discovery has also been facilitated by the recent development of new bioassay methods. These bioactive compounds are mostly plant secondary metabolites, and many naturally occurring pure compounds have become medicines, dietary supplements, and other useful commercial products. Active lead compounds can also be further modified to enhance the biological profiles and developed as clinical trial candidates. In this review, the authors will summarize research on many different useful compounds isolated or developed from plants with emphasis placed on those recently discovered by the authors' laboratories as antitumor and anti-HIV clinical trial candidates.

Medicinal plants have been employed commonly in many countries to remedy of various ailments. In this study, Inula graveolens leaves (5.0 g) were extracted with methanol (100 mL) for 24 hours at room temperature. After filtration with Whatman 1 filter pater, the solvent was removed under reduced pressure to yield the crude extract. Quantification of natural products in methanol extract of Inula graveolens was determined by LC-MS/MS. Chlorogenic acid was determined as a chief product (3.5 mg/g extract). Furthermore, salicylic acid (0.055 mg/g extract), caffeic acid (0.054 mg/g extract), protocatechuic acid (0.026 mg/g extract), hesperidin (0.016 mg/g extract), rutin (0.0160 mg/g extract) were found in the methanol extract. Since Inula graveolens contains important bioactive compounds, it has the possibility to be used in pharmaceuticals and food.

Promising roles of Zingiber officinale roscoe, Curcuma longa L., and Momordica charantia L. as immunity modulators against COVID-19: A bibliometric analysis

A laboratory exercise is described that involves the combined use of HPLC-MS (liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry), by means of TOF (time of flight) and IT (ion trap) as mass analyzers, and NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy. The use of these techniques allows the full identification of the major phenolic compound in olive leaves and the correct assignment of its relative stereochemistry, i.e., (2S*, 4S*)-oleuropein. Through HPLC-MS, three isomers of oleuropein are detected, all of which have the same fragmentation pattern. By using NMR, the correct assignment of the 1H NMR signals and the relative configuration of the stereocenters are precisely defined by means of TOCSY (total correlation spectroscopy) and NOESY (nuclear Overhauser spectroscopy) NMR experiments, respectively. This exercise gives students practice in olive leaf extraction processes, instrumental analysis, determination and interpretation of physical properties, and in the critical evaluation of results obtained using different analytical techniques. The take-home lesson is that important bioactive compounds are not only present in the olive oil but also in their leaves.

Cordycepin is one of the most important bioactive compounds; the low productivity and long production cycle of cordycepin are barriers to its commercialization. The optimal media for cordycepin production by Cordyceps militaris BCC 2819 and Cordyceps cicadae BCC 19788, which are potent cordycepin-producing-fungal strains, were determined through statistical experiments. Six nutrients including glucose, adenine, glycine, alanine, casein hydrolysate and vitamin solution were found to influence the cordycepin production by C. militaris BCC 2819, while the same factors were found for the cordycepin production by C. cicadae BCC 19788 except glucose that was replaced by ammonium sulfate. The highest cordycepin production of 1,176.69 ± 263.33 mg/L was obtained by C. militaris BCC 2819 using the central composite design. The highest cordycepin production of 4,259.63 ± 224.20 mg/L was obtained by C. cicadae BCC 19788 using the central composite design. Cordycepin production in 5-L fed-batch fermentation by C. militaris BCC 2819 and C. cicadae BCC 19788 using optimized medium reached maximum production levels of 3,112.50 and 3,587.10 mg/L, respectively, accounted for more than 1.2-fold compared to those in batch fermentation. Furthermore, the highest levels of the bioactive compounds; exopolysaccharide, adenosine and mannitol produced by C. militaris BCC 2819 were 43.90 ± 2.51 g/L, 2,897.40 ± 382.47 mg/L and 5,981.10 ± 254.72 mg/L, respectively. The highest levels of the bioactive compounds; exopolysaccharide, adenosine and mannitol produced by C. cicadae BCC 19788 were 38.10 ± 2.84 g/L, 3,78520 ± 165.70 mg/L and 6,100.20 ± 191.14 mg/L, respectively. These results demonstrated the new isolates produced high amounts of bioactive compounds, especially cordycepin. Interestingly, this process can be applied for cordycepin production for future applications or scale-up studies.   Key words: Batch fermentation, cordycepin, Cordyceps militaris, fed-batch fermentation, Cordyceps cicadae, optimization.

Moringa oleifera Lam. is one of the world’s most useful medicinal plants. Different parts of the M. oleifera tree contain a rich profile of important minerals, proteins, vitamins, and various important bioactive compounds. However, there are differences in the phytochemical composition of the medicinal plant’s raw materials due to seasonal variation, cultivation practices, and post-harvest processing. The main objective of this study was therefore to determine the effect of harvesting frequencies on selected bioactive compounds of a M. oleifera cultivar (PKM1) grown in a hydroponic system under a shade net structure. Three harvesting frequency treatments were applied in the study, with the plants harvested at every 30 days (high frequency), 60 days (intermediate frequency), and 90 days (low frequency) respectively. 1H-NMR was used for data acquisition, and multivariate data analysis by means of principal component analysis (PCA), partial least square discriminatory analysis (PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least square discriminatory analysis (OPLS-DA) were applied to determine the changes in the leaf metabolite profile, and also to identify the spectral features contributing to the separation of samples. Targeted metabolite analysis was used to match the NMR peaks of the compounds with the NMR chemical shifts of the contribution plot. The contribution plot showed that the increase in concentration of some compounds in aliphatic, sugar and aromatic regions contributed to the separation of the samples. The results revealed that intermediate and low harvesting frequencies resulted in a change in the leaf metabolite profile. Compounds such as chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, vanillic acid, wogonin, esculetin, niazirin, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) showed an increase under intermediate and low harvesting frequencies. These results provide insight into the effect of harvesting frequencies on the metabolite profile and associated medicinal activity of M. oleifera.

Eight Indian oat cultivars collected from different areas were investigated for the presence of bioactive compounds, their antioxidant capacities and in-vitro DNA damage protection activity. Different assays were used for quantification of antioxidant activities in oat cultivars. Preliminary analysis revealed that all oat cultivars (cv.) were rich in specific phytochemicals as their extracts showed the presence of coumarins, saponins, flavonoids, flavones, proteins, tocols, β-glucan and carbohydrates. The total phenolic and condensed tannin contents of oat cultivars ranged between 7.6 and 16.8 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) g−1 and 27.3–107.3 mg catechin equivalent (CE) 100 g−1, respectively. Comparisons of antioxidant activity of all oat cultivars showed that OS-6 cv. possessed the highest inhibition towards 2, 2-diphenyl-1′ picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS+) radicals and also higher reducing power (8.4 mg quercetin equivalent g−1). All the extracts protected DNA from damaging effect produced during Fenton’s reaction as confirmed by the presence of DNA bands. The results indicated that phenolic compounds are potent radical scavengers as phenolic content was positively correlated to various antioxidant assays studied. The information provided in the present study will help plant breeders to select specific cv. which is rich in phenolics and other important bioactive compounds.

Over the past two decades, both academic and industrial interest in olive bioactive compounds has grown significantly due to their remarkable health benefits, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective properties. These compounds, found in both olive fruit and leaves, have become a central focus in the research on functional foods and nutraceuticals. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of scientific publications from 2000 to 2024 highlights a notable increase in this field, with 2228 documents published in high-impact journals with an estimated annual growth rate of 0.2694 year-1, particularly in the last decade. This surge reflects the growing recognition of olive bioactive compounds' potential in promoting human health through nutritional and therapeutic interventions, and their role in the expanding nutraceutical industry. This growth is further reaffirmed by patent analysis, which shows a significant rise in industrial interest and patent filings related to olive bioactive compounds. The analysis also examined nearly 6000 keywords to identify the most influential research domains, pinpoint knowledge gaps, and reveal the most important bioactive compounds in olives and their potential in preventing various human diseases.

Plants contain important bioactive compounds which possess radical scavenging ability. Processing methods such as fermentation and the kind of solvents used in extraction induces the plant to make available these bioactive compounds. Parkia biglobosa seeds are commonly fermented into a food spice called ‘‘Dawadawa’’ utilized as a condiment in soups and stews possessing varying nutritional and medicinal benefits. The study evaluated the phytochemical, antinutrients content and antioxidant potential of raw and fermented Parkia biglobosa seeds extracted either with methanol or water. Phytochemical presence in the seeds was influenced by extraction solvent and fermentation. Total Phenolic Content was found to be 30.05-147.52 and 21.59-141.41 mg GAE/g of extract in methanol raw and methanol fermented seeds, respectively. While the aqueous raw and fermented had 14.89-72.80 and 19.84-85.19 mg GAE/g, respectively. The fermented and raw Parkia biglobosa seed extracts exhibited great reducing and free radical scavenging properties by reducing ferric (Fe3+) to ferrous (Fe2+). Furthermore, fermentation reduced phytate and oxalate content in the unfermented seeds from 3.410 mg/g to 0.925 mg/g and 5.717 mg/g to 1.356 mg/g, respectively on the sixth day of fermentation. Thus, fermentation increases the phenolic content and the antiradical activity of Parkia biglobosa seed and enhances its nutritional value due to the reduction in the antinutrient content.

This present study aims to analyze the functional group present in the Andrographis paniculata leaves or also known as kalmegh by using Shimadzhu Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) with the absorbance range of 500 cm−1 - 4000 cm−1. Andrographis paniculata (Nees) is a valuable traditional medicinal plant and it has many important bioactive compounds. In this study, kalmegh leaves powder was soaked in two different solvent which were 80% aqueous methanol and distilled water. After soaked for 24 hours, the soaked kalmegh leaves was extracted using rotary evaporator to get the crude extract before being subjected to Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for characterization of functional group contains in the leaves. Results obtained from this present research show six major compound group which are alkene, amine, aromatic, nitro, and alcohol. This six functional group were identified from various wavenumber of bending and stretching type of alkene group (894.97 cm−1 and 1645.10 cm−1), stretching type of amine (1080.11 cm−1), stretching type of aromatic group (1409.96 cm −1), stretching type of nitro group (1543.05 cm−1), stretching type of alcohol group (3323.35 cm−1) and phenol group (3749.62 cm−1). This study attempts to display the use of FTIR while simultaneously creating interest among related researchers in natural plant analysis.

Coscinium fenestratum has been used in the traditional medicine, especially in the Ayurvedic method of healing as this plant can be found vastly in the Western Ghats of India. The distribution of this plant is concentrated to the Southeast Asia including Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, West Java, Borneo, Northeast of Thailand and Laos. This review is related to the phytochemicals and pharmacological effects of C. fenestratum. The major chemical constituents present in this plant include alkaloids, flavonoids and steroids. The most important bio-active compound is the berberine, which is the most widely studied plant compound. This plant exerts several pharmacological effects including antidiabetic, anticancer, antibacterial, antimalarial, antioxidant, antihypertensive, antiulcer, neuroprotector and wound healing activities. This chapter is supported by in vitro and in vivo studies carried out from the year of 1970 to 2016, which are available from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and Scopus.

Phytochemical screening and antimicrobial analysis of Moringa oleifera leaf collected from Ogbomoso, Nigeria were carried out. The secondary metabolites in M. oleifera leaf were extracted by maceration using chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol. Some important bioactive compounds or metabolites in the leaf extracts, such as steroids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, terpernoids and phlobatannins were analyzed. The ethanolic leaf extract was observed to show the highest antimicrobial activity when compared to chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts. It also compared favourably to nystatin, streptomycin and gentamicin (standard antibiotics). The study affirmed the therapeutic potency of the plant, which could be due its high antimicrobial effects on some pathogens like Klebsiella sp, P. aeruginosa, Trichoderma sp, Aspergillus flavus, Bacillus cereus, S. pneumoniae, Candida. sp, and E. coli.