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Cotton Research on Molecular Levels: From Biosynthesis Chemistry to End-Product Utilization

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 6708

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhongqi He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, LA 70124, USA
Interests: cotton; cottonseed; biomaterials; biomass; functional components; organic matter
Dr. Sunghyun Nam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Cotton Chemistry and Utilization. USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, LA 70124, USA
Interests: cellulose; cotton–nanoparticle hybrid; antimicrobials; flame retardants; green processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, there is a global transition to an economy where most goods will be manufactured from renewable agricultural biomass products, rather than from increasingly scarce mineral materials. Cotton is a major fiber source for the textile industry. Cotton plants also produce several other biomass products/byproducts (e.g., stalks, cotton gin trash, whole cottonseed, oil, defatted meal, and protein). For the long-term sustainability of cotton production and utilization, an integrated approach would be highly valuable for incorporating research efforts into breeding improvement and end-product development as a whole. Thus, the aim of the Special Issue is to provide a comprehensive advanced forum for cotton researchers to share their visions, ideas, or applications to promote fundamental and applied research on cotton science and technology on molecular levels. Both original and review articles are welcome.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Molecular breeding.
  • Molecular biology and physiology.
  • Plant nutrients and chemical composition.
  • Best cropping management practices.
  • Structural, functional, and bioactive components.
  • Biomass chemistry and spectroscopy.
  • End-product development and characterization.

Dr. Zhongqi He
Dr. Sunghyun Nam
Guest Editors

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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

  • cotton
  • fiber
  • cottonseed
  • biosynthesis
  • cotton chemistry
  • cotton breeding
  • post-harvest utilization

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1448 KiB  
Article
Characterization of the Nonpolar and Polar Extractable Components of Glanded Cottonseed for Its Valorization
by Zhongqi He, Sunghyun Nam, Shasha Liu and Qi Zhao
Molecules 2023, 28(10), 4181; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28104181 - 19 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1633
Abstract
Cottonseed is the second major product of cotton (Gossypium spp.) crops after fiber. Thus, the characterization and valorization of cottonseed are important parts of cotton utilization research. In this work, the nonpolar and polar fractions of glanded (Gd) cottonseed were sequentially extracted [...] Read more.
Cottonseed is the second major product of cotton (Gossypium spp.) crops after fiber. Thus, the characterization and valorization of cottonseed are important parts of cotton utilization research. In this work, the nonpolar and polar fractions of glanded (Gd) cottonseed were sequentially extracted by 100% hexane and 80% ethanol aqueous solutions and subjected to 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), respectively. The nonpolar (crude oil) extracts showed the characteristic NMR peak features of edible plant oils with the absence of ω-3 linolenic acid. Quantitative analysis revealed the percentage of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated fatty acids as 48.7%, 16.9%, and 34.4%, respectively. Both general unsaturated fatty acid features and some specific olefinic compounds (e.g., oleic, linolenic, and gondonic acids) were found in the nonpolar fraction. In the polar extracts, FT-ICR MS detected 1673 formulas, with approximately 1/3 being potential phenolic compounds. Both the total and phenolic formulas fell mainly in the categories of lipid, peptide-like, carbohydrate, and lignin. A literature search and comparison further identifies some of these formulas as potential bioactive compounds. For example, one compound [2,5-dihydroxy-N′-(2,3,4-trihydroxybenzylidene) benzohydrazide] identified in the polar extracts is likely responsible for the anticancer function observed when used on human breast cancer cell lines. The chemical profile of the polar extracts provides a formulary for the exploration of bioactive component candidates derived from cottonseed for nutritive, health, and medical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cotton Research on Molecular Levels: From Biosynthesis Chemistry to End-Product Utilization)
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12 pages, 3697 KiB  
Article
Washable Antimicrobial Wipes Fabricated from a Blend of Nanocomposite Raw Cotton Fiber
by Sunghyun Nam, Doug J. Hinchliffe, Matthew B. Hillyer, Lawson Gary and Zhongqi He
Molecules 2023, 28(3), 1051; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28031051 - 20 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2591
Abstract
In this study, a simple and effective way to produce washable antimicrobial wipes was developed based on the unique ability of raw cotton fiber to produce silver nanoparticles. A nanocomposite substructure of silver nanoparticles (25 ± 3 nm) was generated in raw cotton [...] Read more.
In this study, a simple and effective way to produce washable antimicrobial wipes was developed based on the unique ability of raw cotton fiber to produce silver nanoparticles. A nanocomposite substructure of silver nanoparticles (25 ± 3 nm) was generated in raw cotton fiber without reducing and stabilizing agents. This nanocomposite raw cotton fiber (2100 ± 58 mg/kg in the concentration of silver) was blended in the fabrication of nonwoven wipes. Blending small amounts in the wipes—0.5% for antimicrobial properties and 1% for wipe efficacy—reduced the viability of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa by 99.9%. The wipes, fabricated from a blend of 2% nanocomposite raw cotton fiber, maintained their antibacterial activities after 30 simulated laundering cycles. The washed wipes exhibited bacterial reductions greater than 98% for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cotton Research on Molecular Levels: From Biosynthesis Chemistry to End-Product Utilization)
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19 pages, 3743 KiB  
Article
Identification of Bcl2 as a Stably Expressed qPCR Reference Gene for Human Colon Cancer Cells Treated with Cottonseed-Derived Gossypol and Bioactive Extracts and Bacteria-Derived Lipopolysaccharides
by Heping Cao and Kandan Sethumadhavan
Molecules 2022, 27(21), 7560; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27217560 - 04 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1723
Abstract
Cottonseed contains many bioactive molecules including plant polyphenols. Cottonseed value might be increased by providing high-value bioactive polyphenols for improving nutrition and health. However, there was a lack of molecular evidence for cottonseed bioactivity in mammalian cells. One widely used method for evaluating [...] Read more.
Cottonseed contains many bioactive molecules including plant polyphenols. Cottonseed value might be increased by providing high-value bioactive polyphenols for improving nutrition and health. However, there was a lack of molecular evidence for cottonseed bioactivity in mammalian cells. One widely used method for evaluating the bioactivity of natural products is quantitative real-time-PCR (qPCR). The selection of stably expressed internal reference genes is a crucial task of qPCR assay for data analysis. The rationale for reference gene selection is that a lower standard deviation of the cycle of threshold (Cq) among the treatments indicates a more stable expression of the gene. The objective of this study was to select reference genes in human colon cancer cells (COLO 205) treated with cottonseed-derived gossypol and bioactive extracts along with bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharides (LPS). SYBR Green qPCR was used to analyze the mRNA levels of a wide range of biomarkers involved in glucose transport, lipid biosynthesis, inflammatory response, and cancer development. qPCR data (10,560 Cq values) were generated from 55 genes analyzed from 64 treatments with triplicate per treatment for each gene. The data showed that B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) mRNA was the most stable among the 55 mRNAs analyzed in the human colon cancer cells. Glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate dehydrogenase (Gapdh) and ribosome protein L32 (Rpl32) mRNAs were not good qPCR references for the colon cancer cells. These observations were consistent regardless of the treatment comparison between gossypol and LPS, glanded and glandless seed extracts, seed coat and kernel extracts, or treatment for 8 and 24 h. These results suggest that Bcl2 is a preferable reference gene for qPCR assays in human colon cancer cells treated with cottonseed-derived gossypol and bioactive extracts as well as LPS. The extensive qPCR results firmly support the conclusion that the Bcl2 gene is stably expressed at the mRNA level in the human colon cancer cells regardless of the treatment, suggesting that Bcl2 gene expression is not regulated at the mRNA level but at the post-transcriptional level. These results should facilitate studies designated to evaluate bioactivity on gene expression regulation by cottonseed molecules and other natural and synthetic molecules for nutrition and health uses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cotton Research on Molecular Levels: From Biosynthesis Chemistry to End-Product Utilization)
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