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Harnessing Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources: From Discovery to Application
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Harnessing Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources: From Discovery to Application

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 14217

Special Issue Editors

Dr. María P. Serratosa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Soil Science and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
Interests: phenolic compounds; antioxidant activity; wine; fruit; HPLC
Prof. Dr. María de los Ángeles Varo Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Soil Science and Microbiology, Campus of Rabanales, Universidad de Córdoba, E-14014 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: phenolic compounds; antioxidant activity; wine; fruit; HPLC; distilled beverages, bioactive compounds, functional foods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioactive compounds can be considered compounds of different chemical families that have a beneficial effect on human health. Among these compounds, we find vitamins, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, etc. These compounds can be found in foods of both plant and animal origin and their presence provides added value to the foods that contain them.

The content of these compounds in foods can be modified during elaboration and/or processing. Derivatives or new compounds that may also have beneficial properties may also appear during processing. On the other hand, a large amount of these compounds can be retained in food waste, which can be a source for their extraction and subsequent use.

The extraction, identification, and utilization of bioactive compounds of natural origin can be of great importance for the food industry and/or for other industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and medicine.

Dr. María P. Serratosa
Prof. Dr. María de los Ángeles Varo Santos
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • bioactive compounds
  • extraction
  • structural characterization
  • evolution in food
  • bioaccessibility
  • pharmacological activities

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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13 pages, 1993 KiB  
Article
Isolation, Characterization and Anticancer Activity of Two Bioactive Compounds from Arisaema flavum (Forssk.) Schott
by Sobia Nisa, Yamin Bibi, Saadia Masood, Ashraf Ali, Sadia Alam, Maimoona Sabir, Abdul Qayyum, Waqas Ahmed, Sarah Alharthi, Eman Y. Santali, Saif A. Alharthy, Waleed M. Bawazir and Majed N. Almashjary
Molecules 2022, 27(22), 7932; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27227932 - 16 Nov 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2629
Abstract
Medicinal plants play important role in the public health sector worldwide. Natural products from medicinal plants are sources of unlimited opportunities for new drug leads because of their unique chemical diversity. Researchers have focused on exploring herbal products as potential sources for the [...] Read more.
Medicinal plants play important role in the public health sector worldwide. Natural products from medicinal plants are sources of unlimited opportunities for new drug leads because of their unique chemical diversity. Researchers have focused on exploring herbal products as potential sources for the treatment of cancer, cardiac and infectious diseases. Arisaema flavum (Forssk.) is an important medicinal plant found in the northwest Himalayan regions of Pakistan. It is a poisonous plant and is used as a remedy against snake bites and scorpion stings. In this study, two bioactive compounds were isolated from Arisaema flavum (Forssk.) and their anticancer activity was evaluated against human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 using an MTT assay. The crude extract of Arisaema flavum (Forssk.) was subjected to fractionation using different organic solvents in increasing order of polarity. The fraction indicating maximum activity was then taken for isolation of bioactive compounds using various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques such as column chromatography, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Crude extract of Arisaema flavum (Forssk.), as well as various fractions extracted in different solvents such as n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate, were tested against human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 using an MTT assay. The crude extract exhibited significant dose-dependent anticancer activity with a maximum activity of 78.6% at 500 µg/mL concentration. Two compounds, hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester with molecular formula C18H36O7 and molar mass 284 and 5-Oxo-19 propyl-docosanoic acid methyl ester with molecular formula C26H50O3 and molecular mass 410, were isolated from chloroform fraction. These compounds were tested against the MCF-7cell line for cytotoxic activity and exhibited a significant (p < 0.00l) decrease in cell numbers for MCF-7 cells with IC50 of 25 µM after 48 h of treatment. Results indicated that Arisaema flavum (Forssk.) possesses compounds with cytotoxic activity that can further be exploited to develop anticancer formulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Harnessing Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources: From Discovery to Application)
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15 pages, 1240 KiB  
Article
Influence of Fermentation Time on the Phenolic Compounds, Vitamin C, Color and Antioxidant Activity in the Winemaking Process of Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) Wine Obtained by Maceration
by M. Angeles Varo, Maria P. Serratosa, Juan Martín-Gómez, Lourdes Moyano and Julieta Mérida
Molecules 2022, 27(22), 7744; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27227744 - 10 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1853
Abstract
Flavonoid compounds, including anthocyanins and flavan-3-ol derivatives, total tannins, total vitamin C and resveratrol were analyzed by HPLC in blueberry fruits, their skin and pulp, as well as in wines produced from them. Two wines were elaborated, with different times of fermentation. The [...] Read more.
Flavonoid compounds, including anthocyanins and flavan-3-ol derivatives, total tannins, total vitamin C and resveratrol were analyzed by HPLC in blueberry fruits, their skin and pulp, as well as in wines produced from them. Two wines were elaborated, with different times of fermentation. The fruit analysis provided information on the distribution of bioactive compounds in the berries, showing that the skin had the highest concentrations of all compounds. The winemaking process needed a maceration stage to extract these compounds from skins to wine. This maceration process increased the concentration of all compounds and the antioxidant activity values measured by the DPPH assay, but long maceration times decreased the compounds and the antioxidant activity, due to the phenolic compounds that were involved in several reactions, such as polymerization, copigmentation, degradation, formation of pyranoanthocyanins and reactions between anthocyanins and tannins. The sensorial analysis of wines showed that partial fermentation wine had better characteristics than total fermentation wine, although both wines had a high acidity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Harnessing Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources: From Discovery to Application)
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17 pages, 40033 KiB  
Article
A Potential Valorization Strategy of Wine Industry by-Products and Their Application in Cosmetics—Case Study: Grape Pomace and Grapeseed
by Sara M. Ferreira and Lúcia Santos
Molecules 2022, 27(3), 969; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27030969 - 31 Jan 2022
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 7108
Abstract
Grape pomace and grapeseed are agro-industrial by-products, whose inadequate treatment generates socioeconomic and environmental concerns. Nevertheless, it is possible to valorize them by extracting their bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants (phenolic compounds), vitamin E and fatty acids. The bioactive compounds were extracted using [...] Read more.
Grape pomace and grapeseed are agro-industrial by-products, whose inadequate treatment generates socioeconomic and environmental concerns. Nevertheless, it is possible to valorize them by extracting their bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants (phenolic compounds), vitamin E and fatty acids. The bioactive compounds were extracted using solid-liquid extraction. The yields for phenolic compounds were 18.4 ± 0.4% for grape pomace, and 17.4 ± 0.4%, for grapeseed. For the oil, the yields were 13.3 ± 0.2% and 14.5 ± 0.3% for grape pomace and grapeseed. Antioxidant capacity was assessed by the assay with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and showed that phenolic extract has higher antioxidant capacity than the oils. Grape pomace and grapeseed extracts exhibit, correspondingly, values of 90.8 ± 0.8 and 87.5 ± 0.5 of DPPH inhibition and IC50 of 48.9 ± 0.5 and 55.9 ± 0.7 μgextract·mLDPPH−1. The antimicrobial capacity was assessed by the disk diffusion test, and revealed that, phenolic extracts inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The obtained extracts were incorporated in 10 face cream formulations, with slight modifications in quantities of formulation stabilizers. Their stability was studied for 35 days, and this revealed the possibility of incorporating extracts and oils obtained from by-products as antioxidants in cosmetics, and replacing synthetic ones. As a future recommendation, microencapsulation of the extracts should be performed, in order to increase their stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Harnessing Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources: From Discovery to Application)
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10 pages, 1051 KiB  
Systematic Review
Citroflavonoids as Promising Agents for Drug Discovery in Diabetes and Hypertension: A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies
by Rolffy Ortiz-Andrade, Jesús Alfredo Araujo León, Juan Carlos Sánchez-Salgado, Amanda Sánchez-Recillas, Priscila Vazquez-Garcia and Emanuel Hernández-Núñez
Molecules 2022, 27(22), 7933; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27227933 - 16 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2045
Abstract
Flavonoids are naturally occurring compounds widely distributed in the Citrus genus. These natural compounds have many health benefits, mainly for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, some these compounds are components of drug products with approved indications for peripheral vascular insufficiency and hemorrhoids. [...] Read more.
Flavonoids are naturally occurring compounds widely distributed in the Citrus genus. These natural compounds have many health benefits, mainly for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, some these compounds are components of drug products with approved indications for peripheral vascular insufficiency and hemorrhoids. However, information on pharmacological effects of these compounds remains disperse and there is scarce comprehensive analysis of whole data and evidence. These kinds of evidence analyses could be necessary in drug design and the development of novel and innovate drug products in diabetes and hypertension. We aimed to systematically search for evidence on the efficacy of citroflavonoids in diabetes and hypertension in in vivo models. We searched four literature databases based on a PICO strategy. After database curation, twenty-nine articles were retrieved to analyze experimental data. There was high heterogeneity in both outcomes and methodology. Naringenin and hesperetin derivates were the most studied citroflavonoids in both experimental models. More investigation is still needed to determine its potential for drug design and development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Harnessing Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources: From Discovery to Application)
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