Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua. is an important medicinal and edible food in China and the traditional processing method of nine-steaming and nine-drying has been used to process its rhizome. However, the global dynamic changes in secondary metabolites during the processing and whether this method could enhance the accumulation of functional components remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the processing-induced mechanisms involved in the accumulation of secondary metabolites and provide theoretical support for the pharmacological study on P. cyrtonema. Results showed the first 6 processing cycles induced drastic changes in the accumulation of secondary metabolites, while the last 3 did not induce further changes. The accumulation of most secondary metabolites significantly increased after the first 3 cycles and stabilized after 6 cycles. The first 3 cycles led to numerous newly added metabolites while the last 6–9 cycles led to a small number of disappeared metabolites. Processing enhanced the biosynthesis of various secondary metabolites and significantly affected the metabolisms of amino acids. Together, a short period of processing was helpful for enhancing the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. However, the enhancing effects will be reversed or weakened under continuous processing. The processing cycles should be reduced to 3–6 to maintain the enhancing effects.

Fipronil is an insecticide widely used in the agricultural and veterinary sectors for its efficacy in pest control. The presence of fipronil in the environment is mainly due to agricultural and domestic practices and is frequently found in different types of environmental matrices in concentrations ranging from µg/L to mg/L and can be hazardous to non-target organisms due to its high toxicity. This study was carried out to obtain and characterize microorganisms from soil which are capable of biodegrading fipronil that could be of great biotechnological interest. For this purpose, a bioprospecting was carried out using fipronil (0.6 g/L) as the main source of carbon and nitrogen for growth. Once obtained, the strain was identified by sequencing the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and the capacity to degrade fipronil was monitored by GC-MS. Our study showed the presence in soil samples of the strain identified as Enterobacter chengduensis, which was able to metabolize fipronil and its metabolites during the mineralization process. Enterobacter chengduensis was able to biodegrade fipronil (96%) and its metabolites fipronil-sulfone (92%) and fipronil-sulfide (79%) in 14 days. Overall, the results of this study provided a bacterium with great potential that could contribute to the degradation of fipronil in the environment.

Marine soft corals are prolific sources of various natural products that have served as a wealthy reservoir of diverse chemical scaffolds for new drug leads. The genus Litophyton contains almost 100 species but only a small part of them had been classified and chemically investigated, which calls for more attentions from the global researchers. In the current work, 109 secondary metabolites have been discussed based on published data from 1975 to July, 2023, covering a period of near five decades. The studied species of the genus Litophyton inhabited various tropical and temperate regions and afforded a variety of biologically active natural products such as terpenes, steroids, alkaloids, and lipids. A wide spectrum of pharmacological effects of these compounds had been evaluated, including cytotoxic, anti-HIV, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-malarial, antifeedant, molluscicidal, PTP1B inhibitory, and insect growth inhibitory activities. This review aims to provide an up-to-date literature survey and comprehensive insight into chemical structures, taxonomical distributions, and biological activities of the reported metabolites from the title genus whenever available.

In the last decades, consumers are increasingly interested in organic products and they strongly demand for reliability of the traceability of the organic products they use to buy and eat. Different researches have been carried out over the years to investigate on new and reliable systems to test the authenticity of products obtained using organic cultivation methods. The monitoring of some chemical components, derived from primary and/or secondary metabolism, in horticultural organic and conventional products, has highlighted the diversity induced by the two production techniques while the difference in fertilization practices has been shown to impact on the isotopic distribution of some elements, with particular reference to nitrogen. An integrated system is proposed to validate, through the acquisition of isotopic data and other chemical and biochemical parameters, the authenticity of organic products. This approach is intended to be coupled to the application of chemometric multivariate analysis of isotopic data combined with other quality and nutraceutical parameters, giving the possibility to discriminate organic from conventional products, thanks to the different isotopic signature impressed by the different nitrogenous source combined with the qualitative pattern of the crops, significantly affected by the different treatments. The main perspectives of the presented integrated approach, based on the combined use of chemometric and analytical tools, are linked to the feasibility of applying a reliable system to authenticate productions obtained with organic fertilizers (organic agriculture) respect to those obtained with the use of synthetic fertilizers (conventional agriculture), protect and valorize virtuous farmers and support political stakeholders and decision makers to counteract food fraud.

The genome sequencing of Botrytis cinerea has supplied a general overview of the map of genes involved in secondary metabolite synthesis. B. cinerea genomic data have revealed that this phytopathogenic fungus has seven sesquiterpene cyclase (Bcstc) genes that encode proteins involved in the farnesyl diphosphate cyclization. Three sesquiterpene cyclases (BcStc1, BcStc5 and BcStc7) have been characterized, related to the biosynthesis of botrydial, abscisic acid and (+)-4-epi-eremophilenol, respectively. However, the role of the other four sesquiterpene cyclases (BcStc2, BcStc3, BcStc4 and BcStc6) remains unknown. BcStc3 is a well-conserved protein with homologues in many fungal species, and here, we have undertaken its functional characterization in the life cycle of the fungus. A null mutant ΔBcstc3 and an overexpressed–Bcstc3 transformant (OvBcstc3) were generated, and both strains show deregulation of those other sesquiterpene cyclase-encoding genes (Bcstc1, Bcstc5, Bcstc7). These results suggest a co-regulation of the expression of the sesquiterpene cyclase gene family in B. cinerea. Phenotypic characterization of both transformants revealed that BcStc3 is involved in oxidative stress tolerance, production of reactive oxygen species and virulence. The metabolomic analysis allowed the isolation of characteristic polyketides and eremophilenols from the secondary metabolism of B. cinerea, although no sesquiterpenes different from those already described were identified.

Plant transcriptomes are an extremely dynamic entities shaped spatially and temporally by many intracellular and environmental cues. In this review, we first summarize the complexity and diversity of plant genomes and transcriptomes as a start point for the multitude of transcriptomic responses. Numerous alterations within various tissue and organ-specific transcriptomes as well as the most relevant transcriptomic responses associated with plant acclimation to selected abiotic and biotic stress conditions, from the current studies employing high-throughput transcriptomic analysis are widely discussed. Understanding changes within plant transcriptomes, revealed by in silico functional analysis, allows for the characterization of stress-affected genes and stress acclimatory mechanisms, as well as allows to perform plant metabolic engineering. The latter allow cultivars to produce more secondary metabolites in the future, which are often desirable substances in the biomedical industry. Accordingly, in this review special attention was also paid to characterize the potential of transcriptomic analyses of medicinal species, particularly to search for new cultivars. Extensive characterization of transcriptomic responses in stress would also result in the development of new cultivars that display physiological and molecular mechanisms that allow them to cope with adverse environmental conditions more adequately.

A total of 473 metabolites were identified from 4 sour cherry genotypes using UPLC-TOF-MS. Untargeted metabolomics revealed the dominant chemical groups present in sour cherries. PCA showed that the diversity in sour-cherry metabolites was due to the genotype differences indicating iditol, malic acid, chlorobenzene, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, and pyroglutamic acid as the predominant contributors. The variable importance in the projection (VIP > 1.0) in partial least-squares–discriminant analysis described 20 biomarker metabolites, representing the cherry metabolome profiles. A heatmap of Pearson’s correlation analysis between the 20 biomarker metabolites and antioxidant activities identified seven antioxidant determinants that displayed the highest correlations with different types of antioxidant activities. This study of correlating metabolomics and antioxidant activities elucidated that the higher nutritional value and biological functions of select sour cherry genotypes can be useful for the development of nutraceutical and functional foods.

Background: Deoxycholic acid (DCA) is a secondary bile acid produced by gut bacteria. Its serum concentration increases in cardiovascular disease (CVD). We hypothesized that DCA may affect hemodynamic parameters in rats. Methods: The concentration of DCA in systemic blood was measured with liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Arterial blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and echocardiographic parameters were evaluated in anesthetized, male, 3-4-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats administered intravenously (IV) or intracerebroventricularly (ICV) with investigated compounds. Mesenteric artery (MA) reactivity was tested ex vivo. Results: The baseline plasma concentration of DCA was 0.24 ± 0.03 mg/l. The oral antibiotic treatment produced a large decrease in the concentration. Administered IV, the compound increased BP and HR in a dose-dependent manner. DCA also increased heart contractility and cardiac output. None of the tested compounds: prazosin (an alpha-blocker), propranolol (beta-adrenolytic), atropine (muscarinic receptor antagonist), glibenclamide (K-ATP inhibitor) or DY 268 (FXR antagonist), glycyrrhetinic acid (11HSD2 inhibitor) significantly diminished the DCA-induced pressor effect. ICV infusion did not exert significant HR or BP changes. DCA relaxed MAs. Systemic vascular resistance did not change significantly. Conclusions: DCA increases BP by increasing cardiac output. As a bioactive gut bacteria-derived metabolite, DCA may co the interaction between gut microbiota and the host’s circulatory system.

Immune surveillance and adaptive immune responses, involving continuously circulating and tissue-resident T-lymphocytes, provide host defense against infectious agents and possible malignant transformation while avoiding autoimmune tissue damage. Activation, migration, and deployment of T-cells to affected tissue sites are crucial for mounting an adaptive immune response. An effective adaptive immune defense depends on the ability of T-cells to dynamically reprogram their metabolic requirements in response to environmental cues. Inability of the T-cells to adapt to specific metabolic demands may skew cells to become either hyporesponsive creating immunocompromised conditions or hyperactive causing autoimmune tissue destruction. Here, we review maladaptive T-cell metabolic fitness that can cause autoimmune diseases and discuss how T-cell metabolic programs can potentially be modulated to achieve therapeutic benefits.

Willow (Salix spp.) trees, found worldwide, contain secondary metabolites that are valuable as dietary supplements for animal feed and as anti-parasitic compounds. We quantified secondary metabolites (phenolic, flavonoids, and salicylic acid) in ethanolic extracts from leaves and branches of three Salix acmophylla genotypes and investigated their potential to inhibit Eimeria sp. sporulation, a major concern in ruminants. The total phenolic content of willow leaves and branches was similar in two of three different genotypes. The total flavonoid content of the branches was significantly higher than that of leaves of the same genotype; however, the salicylic acid content was significantly higher in leaves than in branches. Importantly, all extracts exhibited significant inhibition of Eimeria sporulation, where over 70% inhibition was obtained at concentrations as low as 750 ppm. The sporulation inhibition by branch or leaf extracts exceeded 80% for leaves and 90% for branches at concentrations above 1250 ppm. The study highlights the potential of using Salix extracts as bioactive compounds for biological control of coccidiosis in ruminants and emphasizes the importance of genotype-specific variations in secondary metabolite profiles. We conclude that all parts of S. acmophylla can provide secondary metabolites that act as a coccidiostat to treat Eimeria in goats.

The main aims of this study were (1) to identify and compare the major biologically active compounds in the metabolome of ligulate and tubular flowers of two C. officinalis cultivars, ‘Golden Sea’ (GS) and ‘Paradise Garden’ (PG), and (2) to investigate the effect of different proportions of ligulate and tubular flowers in the inflorescences on their metabolome. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and a Q Exactive Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometer were used to analyse the flower metabolome. Analysis of the metabolomics data revealed that polar lipids showed the most significant differences between flowers. Tubular flowers of PG and GS cultivars contained higher levels of 31 and 34 out of 36 lipids, respectively. Furthermore, tubular flowers of both cultivars contained significantly higher levels of phenolamides and caffeoylquinic acids, but lower levels of triterpenoids. To compare the metabolite content of the two C. officinalis cultivars, we analysed the data for their inflorescences. The study showed that GS inflorescences contained significantly higher levels of phenolic compounds and lipids than PG inflorescences. This GS advantage was due to two factors: firstly, the higher content of these metabolites in tubular flowers and, secondly, the higher proportion of tubular flowers in GS inflorescences.

The influence of polysialic acid (PSA) and sialic acid (SA) on the gut microbial community composition and metabolites in healthy human was investigated using a bionic gastrointestinal reactor. The results indicated that PSA and SA significantly changed the gut microbiota and metabolites in different degrees. PSA can increase the relative abundances of Faecalibacterium and Allisonella, whereas SA can increase those of Bifidobacterium and Megamonas. Both can significantly increase the content of short-chain fatty acids. The results of metabolome analysis showed that PSA can upregulate ergosterol peroxide and gallic acid and downregulate the harmful metabolite N-acetylputrescine. SA can upregulate 4-pyridoxic acid and lipoic acid. PSA and SA affect gut microbiota and metabolites in different ways and have positive effects on human health. These results will provide reference for the further development of PSA- and SA-related functional foods and health products.

Mangoes have a unique nutrient profile (carotenoids, polyphenols, sugars, vitamins) that we hypothesized would mitigate post-exercise inflammation. This study examined the effects of mango ingestion in moderating exercise-induced inflammation in a randomized crossover trial with 22 cyclists. In random order with trials separated by a 2-week washout period, the cyclists ingested 330 g/day mangoes with 0.5 liters water or 0.5 liters water alone for 2 weeks, followed by a 2.25-h cycling bout challenge. Blood and urine samples were collected pre- and post-2 weeks supplementation, with additional blood samples collected immediately post-exercise, and then 1.5-h, 3-h, and 24-h post-exercise. Urine samples were analyzed for targeted mango-related metabolites. The blood samples were analyzed for 67 oxylipins that are upstream regulators of inflammation and other physiological processes. After 2-weeks mango ingestion, three targeted urine mango-related phenolic metabolites were significantly elevated compared to water alone (interaction effects, p≤0.003). Significant post-exercise increases were measured for 49 oxylipins, but various subgroup analyses showed no differences in the pattern of change between trials (all interaction effects, p>0.150). The 2.25-h cycling bouts induced significant inflammation but no countermeasure effect was found after 2-weeks mango ingestion despite the elevation of mango gut-derived phenolic metabolites.

Cannabinoid metabolites have been reported to be more potent than the parent compounds. Among them, Ajulemic acid (AJA) is a synthetic analogue of Δ9-THC-11-oic which will be a good template structure for discovery of more potent analogues. Herein, we optimized the key allylic oxidation step to introduce the C-11 hydroxy group with high yield. And a series of compounds were prepared with this condition applied including HU-210, 11-Nor-Δ8-Tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid and Δ9-THC-COOH.

Eurotium is the teleomorph genus associated with section Aspergillus. Eurotium comprises approximately 20 species, which are widely distributed in nature and human environments. Eurotium is usually the key microorganism for the ferment ation of traditional food, such as Fuzhuan brick tea, Liupao tea, Meju, and Karebushi, thus Eurotium is an important fungus in food industry. Eurotium has been extensively studied because they contain a series of interesting, structurally diverse, and biologically important secondary metabolites, including anthraquinones, benzaldehyde derivatives, and indol diketopiperazine alkaloids. These secondary metabolites have shown multiple biological activities, including antioxidative, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antitumor, insecticidal, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory activities. This study presents an up-to-date review of the phytochemistry and biological activities of all Eurotium species. This review will provide the recent advances on the secondary metabolites and their bioactivities in genus Eurotium for the first time and serve as a database for future research and drug development from the genus Eurotium.

The effects of organic metabolites produced by a sulfate-reducing prokaryote (SRP) in seawater on the anode corrosion process of magnesium alloy were analyzed by open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, polarization curve, and other electrochemical methods, combined with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. It was found that the product film produced by magnesium alloy anode corrosion was not dense, and the surface of the magnesium anode substrate was exposed during the corrosion process. The corrosion of magnesium anode matrix was accelerated by the simulation of different organic metabolites including mannose, glucuronic acid, and glucose. Thus, the synergistic effect of various metabolites produced by SRP in the corrosion process of magnesium alloy may be considered in future studies.

Current microbiological methods for pneumonia diagnosis require invasive specimen collection and time-consuming analytical procedures. There is a need for less invasive and faster methods to detect lower respiratory tract infection. The analysis of volatile metabolites excreted by pathogenic microorganisms provides the basis for developing such a method. Given the synergistic role of Candida albicans in increasing the virulence of pathogenic bacteria causing pneumonia and the cross-kingdom metabolic interactions between microorganisms, we compare the emission of volatiles from Candida albicans yeasts and the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus using single and mixed co-cultures and apply that knowledge to human in vivo investigations. Gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis resulted in the identification of sixty-eight volatiles that were found to have significantly different levels in cultures compared to reference medium samples. Certain volatiles found in co-culture originated mainly from C. albicans metabolism (e.g., isobutyl acetate), whereas other volatiles primarily came from S. aureus (e.g., ethyl 2-methylbutyrate). Isopentyl valerate reflects synergic interactions of both microbes, as its level in co-cultures was found to be approximately three times higher than the sum of its amounts in monocultures. Hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced (HLB) coated meshes for thin-film microextraction (TFME) were used to pre-concentrate volatiles directly from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens collected from patients suffering from ventilation-associated pneumonia (VAP) that was caused explicitly by C. albicans and S. aureus. GC-MS analyses confirmed the existence of in vitro-elucidated microbial VOCs in human specimens. Significant differences in BAL-extracted amounts respective to the pathogen causing pneumonia were found. The model in vitro experiments provided evidence that cross-kingdom interactions between pathogenic microorganisms affect the synthesis of the volatile compounds. The TFME meshes coated with HLB particles proved to be suitable for extracting VOCs from human material, enabling the translation of in vitro experiments on the microbial volatilome to the in vivo situation involving infected patients. This indicates the direction that should be taken for further clinical studies on VAP diagnosis based on volatile analysis.

Maternal obesity and over/undernutrition can have a long-lasting impact on offspring health during critical periods in the first 1000 days of life. Children born to mothers with obesity have reduced immune responses to stimuli which increase susceptibility to infections. Recently, maternal western-style diets (WSD), high in fat and simple sugars, have been associated with skewing neonatal immune cell development, and recent evidence suggests that dysregulation of innate immunity in early life has long-term consequences on metabolic diseases and behavioral disorders in later life. Several factors contribute to abnormal innate immune tolerance or trained immunity, including changes in gut microbiota, metabolites, and epigenetic modifications. Critical knowledge gaps remain regarding the mechanisms whereby these factors impact fetal and postnatal immune cell development, especially in precursor stem cells in bone marrow and fetal liver. Components of the maternal microbiota that are transferred from mothers consuming a WSD to their offspring are understudied and identifying cause and effect on neonatal innate and adaptive immune development needs to be refined. Tools including single-cell RNA-sequencing, epigenetic analysis, and spatial location of specific immune cells in liver and bone marrow are critical for understanding immune system programming. Considering the vital role of immune function plays in offspring health, it will be important to understand how maternal diets can control developmental programming of innate and adaptive immunity.

High-density olive groves, despite their interesting production potential, have several limitations, also due to the high fruit load and the irrigation requirements.The study aimed to evaluate the effects of fruit load and deficit irrigation on oil yield and fruit quality, and on olive chemical composition in a high-density olive grove (cv Sikitita). Our main hypothesis was that the primary metabolism, as influenced by crop load and stress, could modify the accumulation of different phenolic classes.Different fruit loads were generated through flower thinning (66%, 50%, 33%, 0%) and two deficit irrigation treatments (-60%, -75%) were compared to the well-watered control (920 m3/ha).Thinning treatments had a limited effect on oil yield, on the other hand, deficit irrigation caused considerably less oil accumulation in the fruit on all sampling dates.Thinning 66% and deficit irrigation 75% were considered with the control for untargeted metabolomic analysis, considering three sampling dates. 233 different phenolic compounds were annotated. Multivariate HCA results indicated the impact of harvest time on the phenolic profile of olive fruits, yielding two separate clusters grouping t1 and t2 together and apart from t3. Regarding agronomic techniques, they played a differential role in the phenolic profile (supervised OPLS – DA). Fruit load mostly affected flavonoid glycosides. In contrast, the phenolic response to deficit irrigation is more heterogeneous, with phenolic acids (35%), flavonoids (25%), LMW, and other phenols (25%).

Phenolic compounds represent a group of secondary metabolites that serve essential functions in plants. Beyond their positive impact on plant, these phenolic metabolites, often referred to as polyphenols, possess a range of biological properties that can promote skin health. Scientific research indicates that using phenolics derived from plants topically can be advantageous, but the activity and stability highly depend on storage of the source material and the extract method. These compounds have the ability to relieve symptoms and hinder the progression of different skin diseases. Because they come from natural sources and have minimal toxicity, phenolic compounds show potential in addressing the causes and effects of skin aging, skin diseases, and various types of skin damage, such as wounds and burns. Hence, this review provides an extensive information of the particular crops from which by-product phenolic compounds can be sourced, but pointing the need investigation according to a proper storage plant material and the choice of the best extracting method, along with an examination of their specific functions and the mechanisms by which they act to protect skin.

In this study, we present data on the effects of condensed (CTs) and hydrolysable (HTs) tannins, polyphenols extracted from plants, at different concentrations on zebrafish development to identify the range of concentrations with toxic effects. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to CTs and HTs at two different concentration ranges (5.0, 10.0, 20.0 μgL-1 and 5.0, 10.0, 20.0 mgL-1) for 72 h. The toxicity parameters were observed up to 72 h of treatment. The uptake of CTs and HTs by zebrafish larvae was assessed by HPLC analysis. The qRT-PCR analysis was performed to evaluate gene expression of cd63, zhe1 and klf4, involved in the hatching process of zebrafish. CTs and HTs at 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 μgL-1 were not toxic. On the contrary, at 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 mgL-1 HTs induced a delayed in hatching starting from 48 h of treatment, while CTs showed a delayed in hatching mainly at 48h. The analysis of gene expression showed a down-regulation in the group exposed to HTs confirming the hatching data. We believe that this study is important to define the optimal doses of CTs and HTs, to be employed in different application fields such as chemical and animal feed industry, and medical science.