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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 17136

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Dr. Carmen Lizette Del-Toro-Sánchez

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Guest Editor

Departamento de Investigación y Posgrado en Alimentos, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Interests: antioxidants; microencapsulation; nanoencapsulation; in vitro digestion; bioactive compounds
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Products of natural origin have gained greater interest due to the health benefits of their compounds. Generally, these natural compounds present some biological activities (bioactives) such as those that are antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antioxidant, etc., making them an interesting application to different areas such as the cosmetology, pharmaceutical and medical industries, and the preparation of different materials and foods. Bioactive compounds can come from plants, microorganisms, algae and microalgae, animals or any other natural source. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to gather original research or comprehensive reviews related to the current research on the bioactives of natural products, providing an advanced forum for molecular studies in biology and chemistry.

Leading by Dr. Carmen Lizette Del-Toro-Sánchez and assiting by our Topical Advisory Panel Members Dr. Ariadna Thalia Bernal-Mercado (Universidad de Sonora), Dr. Ricardo Iván González Vega (Universidad de Guadalajara) and Dr. Jiameng Liu (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), the scope of this Special Issue encompasses the following:

Fundamental theoretical problems of broad interest in bioactive compounds in biology, chemistry, medicine, food, materials, etc.;
Breakthrough experimental technical progress of broad interest in biology, chemistry, medicine, food, materials, etc.; of bioactive compounds from natural products;
Application of the theories and novel technologies to specific experimental studies and calculations.

Dr. Carmen Lizette Del-Toro-Sánchez
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

antioxidants
molecular models
natural products
bioactive compounds
food
materials
antimicrobials
mechanisms of action
extraction techniques
health benefits

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 720 KB

Open AccessArticle

An Anthocyanin- and Anti-Ageing Amino Acids-Enriched Pigmented Rice Innovation Promotes Healthy Ageing Through the Modulation of Telomere, Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Reduction: A Randomized Clinical Trial

by Jintanaporn Wattanathorn, Wipawee Thukham-mee, Sophida Phuthong, Weerapon Sangartit, Terdthai Thong-un, Praew Kotruchin, Thapanawong Mitsungnern, Suphap Im-uan, Nitiwat Sirijun and Supaporn Muchimapura

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(22), 10911; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262210911 - 11 Nov 2025

Viewed by 643

Abstract

Owing to the great demand for healthy ageing promotion, and the anti-ageing reputation of anthocyanins and amino acids, we aimed to assess the effect of anthocyanin- and anti-ageing amino acids-enriched pigmented rice innovation on age-related cognitive decline, facial wrinkles, and a cardiovascular risk, and explored its mechanisms and safety. A total of 90 male and female volunteers (45–65 years old) participated in a 3-arm randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled parallel study for 12 weeks. They were randomly allocated to one of the following groups: placebo, “Zuper rice” (Zup) 2 g/day and “Zuper Rice” 4 g/day. Cognition, facial wrinkles, atherogenic index in plasma (AIP), telomere length, telomerase, oxidative stress and inflammatory markers, together with safety parameters, were assessed every 6 weeks until the end of the study and compared to the baseline data. A high dose of “Zup” improved cognition, facial wrinkles, AIP and oxidative stress, while a low dose of “Zup” improved cognition, telomere length, telomerase and inflammation. No toxicity signs were observed. Therefore, “Zup” is a potential healthy ageing promotion innovation which improves telomere length, telomerase activity and inflammation at a low dose, resulting in an improvement in cognitive decline and the suppression of oxidative stress. At a high dose, it gives rise to improvements in cognition, facial wrinkles and cardiovascular risk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Research on Bioactives from Natural Products)

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28 pages, 5357 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Characterization and Antioxidant and Erythroprotective Effects of β-Carotene Complexed in β-Cyclodextrin

by Andrés Leobardo Puebla-Duarte, Ariadna Thalía Bernal-Mercado, Irela Santos-Sauceda, Mónica Acosta-Elias, Daniel Fernández-Quiroz, Silvia Elena Burruel-Ibarra, José de Jesús Ornelas-Paz, Ingrid Daniela Pérez-Cabral, Francisco Rodríguez-Félix, Rey David Iturralde-García, Miguel Ángel Robles-García, José Agustín Tapia-Hernández, Ricardo Iván González-Vega and Carmen Lizette Del-Toro-Sánchez

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(8), 3902; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26083902 - 20 Apr 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1837

Abstract

β-carotene (β-C) is a hydrophobic compound, easily degradable by light and oxygen and with low solubility, limiting its applications. β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) can encapsulate β-C, protecting it from degradation and maintaining its bioactivity. Therefore, this research aimed to characterize and determine the antioxidant and erythroprotective activity of β-C/β-CD inclusion complexes. The co-precipitation technique was used to elaborate β-C/β-CD in a 40:60 ratio, obtaining a high yield (94.10%), an entrapment efficiency of 82.47%, and a loading efficiency of 11.92%. The moisture of β-C/β-CD was 2.93%. β-C release increased over the time of 216 h (80.8%, 92.8%, and 97.4% at 8 °C, 25 °C, and 37 °C, respectively). A UV–visible analysis confirmed the presence of β-carotene in the inclusion complex, indicating successful encapsulation without significant structural changes. According to the adsorption–desorption isotherms, the complexes showed a type II isotherm. The FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of the inclusion complex, which interacted by hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, or van der Waals forces. The DSC showed an endothermic peak at 118 °C in the β-C/β:CD. The TGA revealed reduced water loss in the β-carotene/β-cyclodextrin complex, indicating limited water binding due to encapsulation. The microscopic surface morphologies observed by the SEM of β-C/β-CD were irregular-shaped clumps in the surface with a particle average size of 8.09 µm. The X-ray diffraction showed a crystalline structure of the complex. The zeta potential determination indicated a negative charge (−23 and −32 mV). The ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP demonstrated the antioxidant activity of β-C/β:CD (34.09%, 21.73%, and 8.85. mM ET/g, respectively), similar to pure β-C (34.64%, 22.63%, and 9.12 μM ET/g, respectively). The complexes showed an erythroprotective effect inhibiting hemolysis (64.09%). Therefore, with these characteristics, β-CD is a good encapsulant for β-C, and this complex could be applied in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Research on Bioactives from Natural Products)

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13 pages, 2846 KB

Open AccessArticle

Bioassay-Guided Fractionation Networking for Discovery of Biofungicides from Cultivated Salvia canariensis

by Eduardo Hernández-Álvarez, Samuel Rodríguez-Sabina, Guacimara González-Delgado, Carolina P. Reyes, Cristina Giménez, María Ángeles Llaría-López, Raimundo Cabrera, Isabel L. Bazzocchi and Ignacio A. Jiménez

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(24), 13323; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252413323 - 12 Dec 2024

Viewed by 2414

Abstract

Considering the detrimental impacts of the current pesticides on the biotic components of the biosphere, the development of novel pesticides is vital. Plant-derived biopesticides have emerged as popular alternatives to create a safer and more sustainable agriculture model. This study aims to validate the previous bioguided fractionation of endemic Canary Islands sage, Salvia canariensis, as a potential source of botanical pesticides using a cultivation process. Accordingly, the bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethanolic extract of the leaves of cultivated S. canariensis on the phytopathogenic fungal mycelia of Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum, and Alternaria alternata yielded six known terpenoids. Their abietane diterpenoid-type (1–5) and sesquiterpenoid (6) structures were established based on spectroscopic and spectrometric analysis. This strategy identified one abietane diterpenoid, salviol (5), as a potential candidate for the future development of biofungicides with similar potency towards the assayed phytopathogenic fungi to commercial fungicides. Salviol worked in a concentration-dependent manner. Overall, this study reinforces the potential of abietane-type diterpenoids as promising agrochemical lead compounds against infectious diseases caused by phytopathogenic fungi and validates the cultivation of S. canariensis as a potential source of plant-derived biopesticides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Research on Bioactives from Natural Products)

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20 pages, 4663 KB

Open AccessArticle

Triple-Gene Overexpression of the AcrA-AcrB-TolC Transporter System in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Contributes to a Higher Secretion of Free Fatty Acids in Response to Nitrogen Shortage and Salt Stress

by Kamonchanock Eungrasamee, Peter Lindblad and Saowarath Jantaro

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(22), 12131; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252212131 - 12 Nov 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2198

Abstract

One important aspect of cyanobacterial homoeostasis is reducing the toxicity of excess free fatty acids (FFAs) generated in the cells by means of both secreting these into the medium and recycling them toward membrane lipid synthesis. In this study, the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 served to implement the overexpression of native genes of the transportation system. Specifically, we worked with the Sll0180-Slr2131-Slr1270 homologs of Escherichia coli AcrA-AcrB-TolC, respectively, to create single- and triple-overexpressing strains of OA, OB, OC, and OABC. Remarkably, the OABC strain that triply overexpressed the sll0180_slr2131_slr1270 genes acquired a significant amount of intracellular lipids, up to 23.5% of dry cell weight, under the normal condition. Nitrogen-deficient stress undoubtedly raised extracellular FFAs and intracellular lipids in overexpressing strains, especially in the OABC strain, which exhibited 33.9% and 41.5% of dry cell weight, respectively. During the first 5 days of treatment, salt stress at 256 mM significantly increased the FFA efflux, notably for the OB strain, but had no effect on intracellular lipids. It is noteworthy that the OA and OABC strains outperformed all other strains in terms of growth throughout the 16 days of nitrogen shortage. Furthermore, in comparison to the wild-type control, all the overexpressing strains exhibited a considerable increase in carotenoid accumulation. Thus, our results point to the effective role of the sll0180_slr2131_slr1270 transportation system in facilitating FFA secretion, especially in response to environmental stressors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Research on Bioactives from Natural Products)

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27 pages, 5743 KB

Open AccessReview

Antimicrobial Activity of Bacillus Cyclic Lipopeptides and Their Role in the Host Adaptive Response to Changes in Environmental Conditions

by Natalia Markelova and Anastasia Chumak

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(1), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26010336 - 2 Jan 2025

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 7669

Abstract

Bacillus cyclic lipopeptides (CLP), part of the three main families—surfactins, iturins, and fengycins—are secondary metabolites with a unique chemical structure that includes both peptide and lipid components. Being amphiphilic compounds, CLPs exhibit antimicrobial activity in vitro, damaging the membranes of microorganisms. However, the concentrations of CLPs used in vitro are difficult to achieve in natural conditions. Therefore, in a natural environment, alternative mechanisms of antimicrobial action by CLPs are more likely, such as inducing apoptosis in fungal cells, preventing microbial adhesion to the substrate, and promoting the death of phytopathogens by stimulating plant immune responses. In addition, CLPs in low concentrations act as signaling molecules of Bacillus’s own metabolism, and when environmental conditions change, they form an adaptive response of the host bacterium. Namely, they trigger the differentiation of the bacterial population into various specialized cell types: competent cells, flagellated cells, matrix producers, and spores. In this review, we have summarized the current understanding of the antimicrobial action of Bacillus CLPs under both experimental and natural conditions. We have also shown the relationship between some regulatory pathways involved in CLP biosynthesis and bacterial cell differentiation, as well as the role of CLPs as signaling molecules that determine changes in the physiological state of Bacillus subpopulations in response to shifts in environmental conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Research on Bioactives from Natural Products)

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