Achatina fulica haemocyanin-derived peptides as novel antimicrobial agents.

Haemocyanin-derived peptides were previously found in semi-purified fractions of mucus secretion from the snail Achatina fulica, which exhibited an inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus strains. Here, an in silico rational design strategy was employed to generate new antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from A. fulica haemocyanin-derived peptides (AfH).

Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis for Studying Differences in High-Quality Colombian Cocoa Beans.

Colombia is a producer of fine cocoa, according to the International Cocoa Organization; however, most of its exports are in the ordinary cocoa category. To remedy this situation, several national organizations are working to create technological platforms for small producers to certify the quality of their beans. The objective of this study was to identify differential chemical markers in 36 cocoa bean samples from five Colombian departments and associate them with cocoa quality properties.

Untargeted Metabolomics for Unraveling the Metabolic Changes in Planktonic and Sessile Cells of Enteritidis ATCC 13076 after Treatment with Essential Oil.

Nontyphoidal species are one of the main bacterial causes of foodborne diseases, causing a public health problem. In addition, the ability to form biofilms, multiresistance to traditional drugs, and the absence of effective therapies against these microorganisms are some of the principal reasons for the increase in bacterial diseases. In this study, the anti-biofilm activity of twenty essential oils (EOs) on serovar Enteritidis ATCC 13076 was evaluated, as well as the metabolic changes caused by thymol chemotype EO (LOT-II) on planktonic and sessile cells.

Metabolomic Analysis of the Effect of Essential Oil on the Inhibition of Quorum Sensing in .

Bacteria can communicate through quorum sensing, allowing them to develop different survival or virulence traits that lead to increased bacterial resistance against conventional antibiotic therapy. Here, fifteen essential oils (EOs) were investigated for their antimicrobial and anti-quorum-sensing activities using CV026 as a model. All EOs were isolated from plant material via hydrodistillation and analyzed using GC/MS.

Antibacterial, Antibiofilm and Anti-Virulence Activity of Biactive Fractions from Mucus Secretion of Giant African Snail against Strains.

is an important etiological agent that causes skin infections, and has the propensity to form biofilms, leading to significant mortality and morbidity in patients with wounds. Mucus secretion from the Giant African snail is a potential source of biologically active substances that might be an important source for new drugs to treat resistant and biofilm-forming bacteria such as . This study evaluated the effect of semi-purified fractions from the mucus secretion of on the growth, biofilm formation and virulence factors of .

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Essential Oils against O157:H7 and Methicillin-Resistant (MRSA).

The emergence of multidrug resistant microorganisms represents a global challenge due to the lack of new effective antimicrobial agents. In this sense, essential oils (EOs) are an alternative to be considered because of their anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and antibiofilm biological activities. Therefore, multiple efforts have been made to consider the potential use of EOs in the treatment of infections which are caused by resistant microorganisms.

Essential Oils of Aromatic Plants with Antibacterial, Anti-Biofilm and Anti-Quorum Sensing Activities against Pathogenic Bacteria.

Both the ability of bacteria to form biofilms and communicate through quorum sensing allows them to develop different survival or virulence traits that lead to increased bacterial resistance against conventional antibiotic therapy. Here, seventeen essential oils (EOs) were investigated for the antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and anti-quorum sensing activities on O157:H7, O33, and ATCC 12228. All essential oils were isolated from plant material by using hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS.

Synthesis of Positional Isomeric Phenylphenalenones.

A series of isomeric phenylphenalenones in which the phenyl ring is located at all possible peripheral positions of the phenalenone nuclei was synthesized. The structural characteristics of the series, in which topological variation is permitted with minimal electronic disturbance, could, in principle, allow for easy pharmacophore recognition when the compounds are aligned in steroidomimetic conformations.

Application of the Crystalline Sponge Method to Revise the Structure of the Phenalenone Fuliginone.

The structure of fuliginone was revised from a phenyl substituted phenalenone to a hydroxyl substituted phenalenone as a result of its re-purification via HPLC with subsequent NMR analysis together with an independent synthesis and analysis of the crystal structure, which was secured via the crystalline sponge method. On-flow High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (HPLC-NMR) was employed to confirm the presence of the natural product in the plant extract and to monitor for any possible degradation or conversion of the compound.

Synthesis of 8-Phenylphenalenones: 2-Hydroxy-8-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-phenalen-1-one from Eichhornia crassipes.

2-Hydroxy-8-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-phenalen-1-one (1), the first reported 8-phenylphenalenone from the roots of Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), was synthesized starting from 2-methoxynaphthalene in 11 steps and with an overall yield of 2%. A cascade Friedel-Crafts/Michael annulation reaction between acryloyl chloride and 2-methoxynaphthalene afforded 9-methoxyperinaphthanone that, after transformation to 9-methoxy-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-phenalen-1-one by means of standard Suzuki-Miyaura methodology, was subjected to a reductive carbonyl transposition to afford 8-(4-methoxyphenyl)perinaphthanone. Dehydrogenation, epoxidation, and demethylation of the latter afforded 1.

Phenylphenalenones protect banana plants from infection by Mycosphaerella fijiensis and are deactivated by metabolic conversion.

Phenylphenalenones, polycyclic aromatic natural products from some monocotyledonous plants, are known as phytoalexins in banana (Musa spp.). In this study, (1) H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics along with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry were used to explore the chemical responses of the susceptible 'Williams' and the resistant 'Khai Thong Ruang' Musa varieties to the ascomycete fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis, the agent of the black leaf Sigatoka disease.

4-Methoxycinnamic acid--An unusual phenylpropanoid involved in phenylphenalenone biosynthesis in Anigozanthos preissii.

In vitro root cultures of Anigozanthos preissii and Wachendorfia thyrsiflora (Haemodoraceae) are suitable biological systems for studying the biosynthesis of phenylphenalenones. Here we report how we used these root cultures to investigate precursor-product relationships between phenylpropanoids and phenylphenalenones whose phenyl rings share identical substitution patterns. Four phenylpropanoic acids, including ferulic acid and the unusual 4-methoxycinnamic acid, were used in (13)C-labeled form as substrates to study their incorporation into phenylphenalenones.

4-Phenylphenalenones as a template for new photodynamic compounds against Mycosphaerella fijiensis.

Background: Evaluation of 4-phenylphenalenones and structural analogues against the fungal pathogen Mycosphaerella fijiensis (causal agent of black sigatoka disease in bananas) under light-controlled conditions uncovered some key structural features for the design of photodynamic compounds.

Results: Structure-activity relationship analysis revealed the importance of a chromophoric aryl-ketone and a steroidomimetic structural motif in the activity of the assayed compounds. The results pointed to 1,2-dihydro-3H-naphtho[2',1':3,4]cyclohepta[1,2-b]furan-3-one, which displayed an activity in the range of propiconazole but with photodynamic behaviour.

Tissue-specific distribution of secondary metabolites in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.).

Four different parts, hypocotyl and radicle (HR), inner cotyledon (IC), outer cotyledon (OC), seed coat and endosperm (SE), were sampled from mature rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) by laser microdissection. Subsequently, major secondary metabolites, glucosinolates and sinapine, as well as three minor ones, a cyclic spermidine conjugate and two flavonoids, representing different compound categories, were qualified and quantified in dissected samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and mass spectrometry.

Biosynthesis of tetraoxygenated phenylphenalenones in Wachendorfia thyrsiflora.

The biosynthetic origin of 1,2,5,6-tetraoxygenated phenylphenalenones and the sequence according to which their oxygen functionalities are introduced during the biosynthesis in Wachendorfia thyrsiflora were studied using two approaches. (1) Oxygenated phenylpropanoids were probed as substrates of recombinant W. thyrsiflora polyketide synthase 1 (WtPKS1), which is involved in the diarylheptanoid and phenylphenalenone biosynthetic pathways, (2) Root cultures of W.

Structure-activity relationship in the interaction of substituted perinaphthenones with Mycosphaerella fijiensis.

The levels of native fungitoxic perinaphthenone phytoalexins in susceptible Musa varieties (banana), which are commercially grown in large plantations, are too low to provide plants with long-lasting protection against highly pathogenic fungi. Novel strategies for plant protection are necessary to reduce crop losses and to prevent the development of resistant fungal strains. The synthesis of novel fungicides based on the structures of perinaphthenone natural products is considered to be a promising strategy.