Phenolic Compounds: Bioactivity, Diversity and Role in Photosynthetic Organisms

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 5270

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, sede Molosiglio, via Acton 55, 80133 Naples, Italy
Interests: microalgae; polyphenols; natural compounds; biotechnology

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, sede Molosiglio, via Acton 55, 80133 Naples, Italy
Interests: photosynthesis; microalgae; bioactive molecules; biotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of the eco-sustainable production of natural bioactive metabolites represents a continuous challenge as nature itself owns precious resources for human health and wellness yet to be discovered. Polyphenols are the largest family of secondary metabolites in the plant kingdom, with a plethora of recognized biological activities. Chemical forms and related bioactivity of polyphenols appear to be closely linked, and their biological role can be exerted as structural molecules, signaling compounds with allelopathic properties, metal ions chelating compounds, and especially as powerful antioxidants. Their distribution is not only limited to land plants, but also to marine plants, seaweeds, and microscopic photosynthetic organisms, e.g., cyanobacteria or diatoms. This Special Issue is devoted to an update of the knowledge on the bioactivity, diversity, and role of phenolic compounds in photosynthetic organisms.

Dr. Angelo Del Mondo
Dr. Christophe Brunet
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • polyphenols
  • bioactivity
  • biotechnology
  • antioxidants
  • plants
  • seaweeds
  • microalgae

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3168 KiB  
Article
Artemisia abrotanum and Symphytum officinale Polyphenolic Compounds-Rich Extracts with Potential Application in Diabetes Management
by Elena Neagu, Gabriela Paun, Camelia Albu, Sandra Ana-Maria Victoria Eremia and Gabriel Lucian Radu
Metabolites 2023, 13(3), 354; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13030354 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2353
Abstract
Lately, there has been increased interest in the development of phytochemical alternatives for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes, the alternatives that are able to reduce or prevent glucose absorption by inhibiting digestive enzymes. In this context, this study aims to [...] Read more.
Lately, there has been increased interest in the development of phytochemical alternatives for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes, the alternatives that are able to reduce or prevent glucose absorption by inhibiting digestive enzymes. In this context, this study aims to analyze the inhibitory α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities of Artemisia abrotanum and Symphytum officinale polyphenolic compound-rich extracts obtained by membrane technologies (micro- and ultrafiltration). Polyphenols and flavones content, HPLC-MS polyphenolic compounds profiling, antioxidant activity, and cytotoxic potential of these herbs were determined. Major phenolic acid compounds were chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, caffeic acid, and rosmarinic acid. The flavone content was higher in the case of A. abrotanum extracts, and the major compounds were rutin and umbelliferone. The polyphenolic-rich extract of A. abrotanum had the highest quantities of polyphenols, 977.75 µg/mL, and flavones, 552.85 µg/mL, as well as a pronounced α-amylase inhibitory activity (IC50 1881.21 ± 1.8 mg/mL), a value close to acarbose inhibitory activity (IC50 1110.25 ± 8.82 mg/mL) that was used as the control for both enzymes. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was higher for both herb extracts, more pronounced for S. officinale polyphenolic-rich extract (IC50 291.56 ± 2.1 mg/mL), a value higher than that of acarbose (IC50 372.35 ± 3.2 mg/mL). These plants show potential as a complementary therapy for type 2 diabetes management. Full article
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14 pages, 6610 KiB  
Article
Revealing the Phenolic Acids in Cardamine violifolia Leaves by Transcriptome and Metabolome Analyses
by Shen Rao, Xin Cong, Haodong Liu, Yili Hu, Wei Yang, Hua Cheng, Shuiyuan Cheng and Yue Zhang
Metabolites 2022, 12(11), 1024; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12111024 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2104
Abstract
Cardamine violifolia, a species belonging to the Brassicaceae family, is a selenium hyperaccumulator and a nutritious leafy vegetable. Our previous study showed that C. violifolia leaves are rich in total phenolic acids, but the composition and corresponding genes remain unknown. In this [...] Read more.
Cardamine violifolia, a species belonging to the Brassicaceae family, is a selenium hyperaccumulator and a nutritious leafy vegetable. Our previous study showed that C. violifolia leaves are rich in total phenolic acids, but the composition and corresponding genes remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the phenolic acid compounds and potential gene regulation network in the outer leaves (OL) and central leaves (CL) of C. violifolia using transcriptome and metabolome analyses. Results showed that the OL contained a higher total phenolic acid content than the CL. Metabolome analysis revealed a total of 115 phenolic acids, 62 of which (e.g., arbutin, rosmarinic acid, hydroxytyrosol acetate, and sinapic acid) were differentially accumulated between the CL and OL of C. violifolia. Transcriptome analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in the pathways of secondary metabolite biosynthesis and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Conjoint analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome indicated that seven genes (CYP84A1, CYP84A4, CADH9, SGT1, UGT72E1, OMT1, and CCR2) and eight phenolic acids (sinapic acid, sinapyl alcohol, 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid, sinapoyl malate, coniferin, coniferyl alcohol, L-phenylalanine, and ferulic acid) constituted a possible regulatory network. This study revealed the phenolic acid compounds and possible regulatory network of C. violifolia leaves and deepened our understanding of its nutrient value. Full article
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