Anthraquinones and their analogues as potential biocontrol agents of rust and powdery mildew diseases of field crops.

Background: Rusts and powdery mildews are severe fungal diseases of major crops worldwide, including cereals and legumes. They can be managed by chemical fungicide treatments, with negative consequences as environmental pollution and risk for human and animal health. Bioactive natural products could be the safest alternative for pest control.

A single phantom, a single statistical method for low-contrast detectability assessment.

Purpose: The assessment of low-contrast-details is a part of the quality control (QC) program in digital radiology. It generally consists of evaluating the threshold contrast (Cth) detectability details for different-sized inserts, appropriately located in dedicated QC test tools. This work aims to propose a simplified method, based on a statistical model approach for threshold contrast estimation, suitable for different modalities in digital radiology.

Secondary metabolites produced by , the causal agent of anthachnose of lupin ( spp.).

is the causal agent of lupin ( L.) anthracnose, a destructive seed-borne disease affecting stems and pods. Despite that several biological studies have been carried out on this pathogen, the production of secondary metabolites has not yet been investigated.

Secondary metabolites of , a plant collected from the Sicilian Island of Lampedusa.

An investigation of the secondary metabolites was carried out on collected from Lampedusa, the largest island of the Pelagie archipelago, located about 100 km from the North African coast and 200 km from the coast of Sicily. Ten compounds were isolated and found to belong to different classes of natural products as chromenes, cyclohexanones, furanyl, bis-furanyl and furanone polyphenols, and acrylates. Compounds , , and were slightly phytotoxic to lettuce reaching phytotoxicity of 1 (, and ) and 2 () using a 1-5 point scale.

Phytotoxic Metabolites Isolated from the Causal Agent of the Scabby Canker of Cactus Pear ( L.).

Six phytotoxins were obtained from the culture filtrates of the ascomycete , the causal agent of the scabby canker of cactus pear ( L.) in minor Sicily islands. The phytotoxins were identified as (-)-()-mellein (); (±)-botryoisocoumarin A (); (-)-(3,4)- and (-)-(3,4)-4-hydroxymellein ( and ); (-)-terpestacin (); and (+)-3,4-dihydro-4,5,8-trihydroxy-3-methylisocoumarin, which we named (+)-neoisocoumarin ().

Laboratory Evaluation of Natural and Synthetic Aromatic Compounds as Potential Attractants for Male Mediterranean fruit Fly, .

, the Mediterranean fruit fly, is one of the most serious agricultural pests worldwide responsible for significant reduction in fruit and vegetable yields. Eradication is expensive and often not feasible. Current control methods include the application of conventional insecticides, leading to pesticide resistance and unwanted environmental effects.

Lentiquinones A, B, and C, Phytotoxic Anthraquinone Derivatives Isolated from Ascochyta lentis, a Pathogen of Lentil.

A strain of the pathogenic fungus Ascochyta lentis isolated from lentil ( Lens culinaris) was studied to ascertain its capability to produce bioactive metabolites. From the culture filtrates were found three new anthraquinone derivatives, named lentiquinones A (1), B (2), and C (3), and the known lentisone. From the mycelium, four known analogues were identified, namely pachybasin (in larger amount), ω-hydroxypachybasin, 1,7-dihydroxy-3-methylanthracene-9,10-dione, and phomarin.

New insights into phenol and polyphenol composition of Stevia rebaudiana leaves.

The diversity in phenols and polyphenols of stevia leaf has been simplified applying sequential fractionation techniques on its ethanol extract through ultrasound assisted maceration. Two of the fractions obtained by reverse-phase column chromatography resulted differently active in an extensive antioxidant and cytotoxic screening. Both fractions were chemically profiled by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI) quadrupole/time-of-flight (QqTOF) mass spectrometry (MS).

Pimarane diterpenes: Natural source, stereochemical configuration, and biological activity.

Plants and fungi are seemingly inexhaustible sources of interesting natural products with remarkable structural and biological diversity. One of the most important groups is the terpenes, ubiquitous natural products that are generated by 2 now well-established biosynthetic pathways: the older mevalonate and the more recently discovered 1-deoxyxylulose-5-phosphate. Among the diterpenes, the pimarane diterpenes are a very representative subgroup with several and interesting biological activities resulting from different functional group modifications.

Fungal Metabolite Antagonists of Plant Pests and Human Pathogens: Structure-Activity Relationship Studies.

Fungi are able to produce many bioactive secondary metabolites that belong to different classes of natural compounds. Some of these compounds have been selected for their antagonism against pests and human pathogens and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies have been performed to better understand which structural features are essential for the biological activity. In some cases, these studies allowed for the obtaining of hemisynthetic derivatives with increased selectivity and stability in respect to the natural products as well as reduced toxicity in view of their potential practical applications.

The fungal phytotoxin lasiojasmonate A activates the plant jasmonic acid pathway.

Jasmonates are signaling compounds that regulate plant responses to stress. Jasmonic acid (JA) is the direct precursor of the bioactive plant hormone JA-isoleucine (JA-Ile), the ligand of the CORONATINE INSENSITIVE 1-jasmonate ZIM-domain (COI1-JAZ) co-receptor complex. JA, its methyl ester, and three furanonyl esters were recently isolated from the grapevine pathogen Lasiodiplodia mediterranea.

Phytotoxic Metabolites Produced by Diaporthella cryptica, the Causal Agent of Hazelnut Branch Canker.

From the culture filtrates of Diaporthella cryptica, an emerging hazelnut pathogen, 2-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoate methyl ester and its 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) and 3-(1 H-indol-3-yl) analogues, named crypticins A-C, were isolated together with the well-known tyrosol. Crypticins A-C were identified by spectroscopic (essentially nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry) methods. The R absolute configuration (AC) of crypticin A was determined by comparing its optical rotation and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectrum with those of papuline, the methyl ester of (-)( S)-phenyllactic acid isolated as the main phytotoxin of Pseudomonas syringae pv.

Ultrasound-assisted aqueous extraction, LC-MS/MS analysis and radiomodulating capability of autochthonous Italian sweet cherry fruits.

The current cancer treatment scenario lacks drugs acting as both radiosensitizer and radioprotector agents. In this context, the radiomodulatory properties exerted by an aqueous extract from the fruits of the Italian Prunus avium cv. Della Recca (PaDRw) were investigated.

Lathyroxins A and B, Phytotoxic Monosubstituted Phenols Isolated from Ascochyta lentis var. lathyri, a Fungal Pathogen of Grass Pea ( Lathyrus sativus).

Ascochyta lentis var. lathyri has recently been reported to be the causal agent of Ascochyta blight of grass pea ( Lathyrus sativus), a disease characterized by the appearance of necrotic lesions of leaves and stems. Considering the novelty of the pathogen and the possible involvement of secondary metabolites in symptom appearance, a study was carried out to ascertain the capability of this fungus to produce bioactive metabolites.

Entrapping quercetin in silica/polyethylene glycol hybrid materials: Chemical characterization and biocompatibility.

Sol-gel synthesis was exploited to entrap quercetin, a natural occurring antioxidant polyphenol, in silica-based hybrid materials, which differed in their polyethylene glycol (PEG) content (6, 12, 24 and 50wt%). The materials obtained, whose nano-composite nature was ascertained by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), were chemically characterized by Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) and UV-Vis spectroscopies. The results prove that a reaction between the polymer and the drug occurred.

An apolar Pistacia lentiscus L. leaf extract: GC-MS metabolic profiling and evaluation of cytotoxicity and apoptosis inducing effects on SH-SY5Y and SK-N-BE(2)C cell lines.

In the course of a cytotoxicity screening of Mediterranean plants vs. neuroblastoma cells, Pistacia lentiscus was of interest. Pl-C extract, prepared from dried leaves by ultrasound assisted maceration (UAM) in chloroform, was profiled through using GC-MS techniques.

Red-fleshed Apples: Old Autochthonous Fruits as a Novel Source of Anthocyanin Antioxidants.

In order to promote breeding programs and a full reintroduction into production of two local red-fleshed apple varieties grown in Bekran and Bastam (Iran), the evaluation of their antioxidant properties was of interest. LC-MS(n) based metabolic fingerprinting analyses were applied to investigate the anthocyanin content of both peel and flesh components of the fruits. Cyanidin-3-O-hexoside isomers were present in both 'Bekran' and 'Bastam' apples, whereas 'Bekran' apple was a valuable source of anthocyanin rutinose derivatives.

Silica/quercetin sol-gel hybrids as antioxidant dental implant materials.

The development of biomaterials with intrinsic antioxidant properties could represent a valuable strategy for preventing the onset of peri-implant diseases. In this context, quercetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid, has been entrapped at different weight percentages in a silica-based inorganic material by a sol-gel route. The establishment of hydrogen bond interactions between the flavonol and the solid matrix was ascertained by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.