Strong Antifungal Activity Research Articles

Preparation of chitosan/ fennel seed essential oil/ starch sodium octenyl succinate composite films for apple fruit preservation

Although studies have reported on the preparation of composite films and its application, the preparation and application for fruit preservation of composite film with fennel seed essential oil (FEO) are unknown. In this study, six types of composite films (F1–F6) were prepared with chitosan/FEO/starch sodium octenyl succinate (SSOS). The physicochemical, antifungal and preservation properties were investigated. The water content, water vapor permeability and elongation at break of the films increased with the glycerol, but the density and tensile strength decreased. Fourier infrared spectroscopy showed that there was a hydrogen bond existed between the film components. The film surface was smoother with higher content of FEO and glycerin. The films exhibited strong antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea, Trichothecium roseum, and Penicillium expansum. Among them F3, SSOS/glycerol/FEO/chitosan was 1:0.2:1:0.5, had the best antifungal performance. The F3 coating also reduced the lesion diameter of apple fruit inoculated with the three fungi. The F3 coating decreased respiration rate and weight loss, and maintained the firmness and peel lightness of fruit during storage. The findings of this work provide a new insight for exploration of composite film with fennel seed essential oil and its application for fruit preservation.

Physicochemical Properties, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Ethiopian Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Leaf and Flower Oil Extracts.

The occurrence of multidrug resistant pathogenic microbes has initiated the development of natural antimicrobial agents from plants. Oils from herbal sources have drawn scientific interest due to their potential source of bioactive compounds. This study was aimed to examine the physicochemical and biological activities including antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of the oil extracted from basil leaves and flowers. The physicochemical properties of the oil extracts were measured based on oil yield, specific gravity, acid value, free fatty acids and peroxide values whilst the antioxidant activities were assessed by ascorbic acid, DPPH (2, 2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), and hydrogen peroxide free radical scavenging activities. The antimicrobial experiment was conducted based on disc diffusion and broth dilution methods. The result of antioxidant activity of Ocimum basilicum indicated significantly higher DPPH (86.45%) for leaf oil extract. The strongest antibacterial activity with maximum zone of inhibition (15.47 mm), minimum inhibitory concentration MIC (0.09 μg/ml), and corresponding minimum bactericidal concentration MBC (0.19 μg/ml) was exhibited by the flower oil extract against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC-25923. The strongest antifungal activity with maximum zone of inhibition (15.90 mm), MIC (0.125 μg/ml, the least value), and minimum fungicidal concentration MFC (0.09 μg/ml) were recorded for leaf oil against Candida albicans. It can be concluded from the present study that the sweet basil flower and leaf oil extracts can be potential antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal agents.

Tackling Microbial Resistance with Isatin-Decorated Thiazole Derivatives: Design, Synthesis, and in vitro Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity.

IntroductionAntibiotic resistance is a global threat that has been increasing recently, especially with antibiotic overuse and misuse. The search for new antibiotics is becoming more and more indispensable.MethodsDesign and synthesis of isatin derivatives as surrogates of SB-239629, a bacterial tyrosine-tRNA synthetases (TyrRS) inhibitor. The newly synthesized compounds were screened for their antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities. Docking studies were used to investigate potential binding modes of these compounds with TyrRS.Results and DiscussionNewly synthesized isatin-decorated thiazole derivatives (7b, 7d, and 14b) have shown potent antimicrobial activities against E. coli, a representative of gram-negative bacteria. Also, 7f showed the best activity against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In addition, 7h and 11f were found to have antifungal activities against Candida albicans equivalent to that of the reference Nystatin. All the new isatin derivatives with antimicrobial activities were found to exhibit strong biofilm distortion effects at half their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). Moreover, thiazole derivatives 11a-f showed promising biofilm formation inhibition. Finally, molecular docking studies were used to investigate possible binding modes of target compounds with S. aureus and E. coli TyrRS.ConclusionThe novel isatin-decorated thiazole derivatives show strong antimicrobial and antifungal activities with potential action on TyrRS.

Antibacterial, antifungal and in vivo anticancer activities of chitin-binding lectins from Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruits

A mixture of chitin-binding lectins from Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) fruits, designated as Tomato chitin-binding lectins (TCLs), was isolated through affinity chromatography using an acetylated chitin column. Molecular weights of TCLs were determined to be 30 to 115 KDa which possessed mild toxicity with an LC 50 value of 521 µg/ml examined by the brine shrimp nauplii toxicity assay. Strong antibacterial activity of TCLs was found against Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella boydii at a concentration of 500 µg/ml by using disc diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of TCLs against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were found to be 200 µg/ml and 140 µg/ml, respectively whereas minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) against the same bacterial species were 840 and 600 µg/ml, respectively. TCLs also exerted antibiofilm activity (53.32% at 250 μg/ml) against Escherichia coli . Strong antifungal activity of TCLs against Aspergillus niger was found at 600 µg/ml whereas the lectin mixture agglutinated A. niger spores at 200 µg/ml. TCLs exhibited 19.63% and 59.91% anti-proliferative activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells in vivo in Swiss albino mice when intraperitonealy injected at doses 1.0 mg/kg/day and 2.0 mg/kg/day, respectively for five consecutive days. Morphological changes of apoptosis in EAC cells under fluorescence microscope and alteration of the expression of apoptosis-related genes (Fas, Caspase 8 and Caspase 3) had also been observed. MTT assay showed 27.61%, 38.74% and 49.23% of in vitro anticancer activity of the tomato lectins at concentrations of 37.5, 75 and 150 µg/ml, respectively.

Design, Synthesis, and Antifungal Activities of Hymexazol Glycosides Based on a Biomimetic Strategy

Hymexazol (HYM) is irreplaceable for treating soil-borne diseases due to its high efficiency and low cost, as a broad-spectrum fungicide. However, when HYM is absorbed by plants, it is rapidly converted into two glycoside metabolites, and the antifungal activities of these glycosides are inferior to that of HYM. Therefore, in this study, to maintain strong antifungal activity in vitro and in vivo, HYM was glycosylated with amino sugars that have diverse biological activities to simulate plant glycosylation. The antifungal experiment proved that glycoside 15 has the highest antifungal activity, and N-acetyl glucosamine and HYM had obvious synergistic effects. According to the structure-activity relationship studies, glycoside 15 had greater numbers of active electron-rich regions and front-line orbital electrons due to the introduction of N-acetyl glucosamine. Moreover, glycoside 15 can significantly promote plant growth and induce an increase in plant defense enzyme activity. Additionally, compared to HYM, the results of electron microscopy and proteomics revealed that glycoside 15 has a unique antifungal mechanism. The promising antifungal activity and interactions with plants mean that glycoside 15 is a potential green fungicide candidate. Furthermore, this research conducted an interesting exploration of the agricultural applications of amino sugars.

Synthesis, Antifungal Activity, Cytotoxicity and QSAR Study of Camphor Derivatives.

Control of fungal phytopathogens affecting crops and woodlands is an important goal in environmental management and the maintenance of food security. This work describes the synthesis of 37 camphor derivatives, of which 27 were new compounds. Their antifungal effects on six fungi were evaluated in vitro. Compounds 3a, 4a and 5k showed strong antifungal activity against Trametes versicolor, with EC50 values of 0.43, 6.80 and 4.86 mg/L, respectively, which were better than that of tricyclazole (EC50 118.20 mg/L) and close to or better than that of carbendazim (EC50 1.20 mg/L). The most potent compound, 3a, exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity towards six fungi with EC50 values within the range of 0.43–40.18 mg/L. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that compounds 3a, 4a and 5k gave irregular growth and shriveling of the mycelia. In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation revealed that the tested camphor derivatives had mild or no cytotoxicity for LO2 and HEK293T cell lines. Quantitative structure−activity relationship (QSAR) analysis revealed that the number of F atoms, relative molecular weight, the atomic orbital electronic population and total charge on the positively charged surfaces of the molecules of camphor derivatives have effects on antifungal activity. The present study may provide a theoretical basis for a high-value use of camphor and could be helpful for the development of novel potential antifungals.

β-Nitrostyrene derivatives as broad range potential antifungal agents targeting fungal cell wall

The prevalence of multidrug resistance has been increasingly witnessed during the past few decades. Resistance of human pathogenic fungi against the currently available antifungal agents has increased the frequency of fungal infections and associated mortality rates. The discovery of novel lead antifungal agents is important to challenge multidrug resistance. The present study examined the antifungal potential of chemically synthesized β-Nitrostyrene derivatives. Among the eight β-Nitrostyrene derivatives used in this study, SS45, SS46 and SS47 showed strong antifungal potential. The results show that β-Nitrostyrene derivatives inhibited the growth of different species of human pathogenic Candida, particularly the highly prevalent C. albicans, C. glabrata and the emerging pathogenic C. auris species. Moreover, β-Nitrostyrene derivatives also show strong antifungal activities against drug-resistant clinical isolates and drug transporter overexpressing fungal species. The drug susceptibility assays revealed that β-Nitrostyrene derivatives are fungicidal and show the synergy of action when combined with antifungal drugs caspofungin and fluconazole. The transcriptomic study performed on C. albicans in the presence of β-Nitrostyrene derivatives revealed the differential expression of genes related to cell wall metabolism. Mechanistically, β-Nitrostyrene derivatives impact cell wall morphology, enhance ROS generation and modulate drug efflux. Collectively this study reveals that β-Nitrostyrene derivatives have strong antifungal potential with a particular mode of activity similar to known cell wall perturbing antifungal agents and thus can be exploited as promising potential antifungal agents for further studies.

Rare Carbon-Bridged Citrinin Dimers from the Starfish-Derived Symbiotic Fungus Penicillium sp. GGF16-1-2.

Four novel, rare carbon-bridged citrinin dimers, namely dicitrinones G–J (1–4), and five known analogs (5–9) were isolated from the starfish-derived fungus Penicillium sp. GGF 16-1-2. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and quantum chemical calculations. Compounds 1–9 exhibited strong antifungal activities against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides with LD50 values from 0.61 μg/mL to 16.14 μg/mL. Meanwhile, all compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against human pancreatic cancer BXPC-3 and PANC-1 cell lines; as a result, compound 1 showed more significant cytotoxicities than the positive control against both cell lines. In addition, based on the analyses of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and Western blot, 1 could induce apoptosis by activating caspase 3 proteins (CASP3).

Evaluation of quinoxaline derivatives as potential ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitors: design, synthesis, ADMET, molecular docking studies, and antifungal activities

Because of the increased infection incidence and the advent of medication resistance, fungi have become a severe medical problem. Ergosterol is a structural component of the fungal cell membrane, and its synthetases (14α-demethylase (CYP51)) are thought to be the key to inhibiting ergosterol synthesis. Based on the active site (CYP51) analysis, we created a series of quinoxaline derivatives in this study. Following that, these target compounds were produced and tested for antifungal efficacy. The majority of the compounds show significant antifungal activity against a variety of Candida species. Compounds 9, 11, 17, 20, and 21 have antifungal properties that are similar to the positive control medicines and have considerable inhibitory effects, with MIC50 values ranging from 0.78 to 3.12 μg/mL. Compound 9 has the strongest antifungal activity against all Candida species, outperforming Ketoconazole and Fluconazole, and was thought to be the series' most active compound. As a result, the action mechanism for the most powerful blows was investigated further. They can alter ergosterol synthesis by blocking the activity of the 14α-demethylase (CYP51) target, according to preliminary mechanisms. According to this study, compounds 9, 11, 17, 20, and 21 have an efficient effect on the ergosterol production pathway. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of the most promising compounds was investigated, revealing the importance of 9, 11, 17, 20, and 21 hits as prospective anticandidal therapeutics. Furthermore, the ADMET characteristics, as well as the created binding models, will be valuable for further lead optimization.

Metabolomic Investigation of Citrus latifolia and the Putative Role of Coumarins in Resistance to Black Spot Disease.

Citrus black spot (CBS) is a disease caused by the fungus Phyllosticta citricarpa that affects citrus plants, causing fruit blemish and premature drop that result in severe economic losses in commercial citrus orchards. However, CBS symptoms and effects may vary depending on the citrus species: Citrus limon (lemon) is susceptible and highly affected by the disease, while no CBS-related damage has ever been observed for Citrus latifolia (Tahiti lime), implying that it must be resistant to the disease. The difference in the response to this disease provided the opportunity to gain insight into the metabolites responsible for the resistance by comparison of the metabolomic profiles of these two citrus species. Metabolic variations of C. limon and C. latifolia inoculated with P. citricarpa were analyzed using various metabolomic-based platforms including 1H NMR for overall metabolic profiling, and LC-MS and HPTLC for targeted analysis. The 1H NMR spectra of the samples demonstrated that certain phenolics were strongly induced after pathogenic inoculation, especially in the resistant species. The induced phenolics were identified from C. latifolia by further 1H NMR, LCMS and HPTLC analysis yielding six prenylated and methoxy coumarins, i.e., 5,7-dimethoxycoumarin, 5-geranyloxy-7-methoxycoumarin, 7-geranyloxycoumarin, 8-methoxypsoralen, 5,8-dimethoxypsoralen and 5-geranyloxypsoralen. These isolated coumarins and a coumarin-rich fraction were tested against the fungal pathogen, P. citricarpa, to evaluate their activity. None of the individual coumarins exhibited a significant inhibition, while the coumarin fraction exhibited a strong antifungal activity suggesting a synergistic interaction of its components. To obtain further insight into the roles of these compounds in the plant defense, the possible mechanisms of the individual coumarins were tested using an in-silico model, the PASS Online Tool; the analysis showed that each coumarin appeared to have a unique defense mechanism, even with very slight variations in the chemical structures. The results could provide evidence of the existence of a complex plant defense mechanism consisting in a multitude of synergistic interactions between compounds.

Synthesis, characterization, and applications with the manifestation of antifungal activity and seed germination properties of nickel doped zinc oxide nano platform by biochemical contrivance

In the recent era, nanotechnology, a rapidly emerging field, has been explored as the most studied field worldwide. The goal of this study is to use neem leaves extract as an effective ‘reducing agent’ and ‘stabilizing agent’ in the green synthesis of bio-medically important Zn1-XNiXO (X = 0.00, 0.04, 0.08, 0.12) nanoparticles. The molar concentrations of nickel nitrate and zinc nitrate are varied to produce nickel-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Color change is the first indicator of nanoparticle formation during this biosynthesis. The hexagonal wurtzite structure with good crystallinity is confirmed by X-ray diffraction. FTIR analysis reveals the fact that the Zn–O stretching vibration shifts with the introduction of impurities into the ZnO matrix. UV–Vis spectra show the typical surface plasma resonance around 370 nm and the hydrodynamic diameter is larger than the size calculated from the XRD value, according to DLS. The main finding of this study is that Ni0.12Zn0.88O has a strong antifungal activity against and a significant growth rate after treating wheat seeds with biologically synthesized Ni0.12Zn0.88O nanoparticles.

Antagonist activities and phylogenetic relationships of actinomycetes isolated from an Artemisia habitat

Diverse habitats have been screened for novel antimicrobial actinomycetes, while others remain unexplored. In this study, we analyzed the bioactivities of actinomycetes cultured from rhizosphere soils of the desert plant Artemisia tridentata and the nearby bulk soils. Actinomycetes were screened for antifungal and antibacterial activities toward a panel of plant pathogens; all comparisons were between activities of rhizosphere soil isolates toward those of its counterpart bulk soil. A selected group of the strongest antifungal isolates were also tested against two antifungal-drug resistant strains of Candida albicans. 16S rDNA partial sequences and phylogenetic analysis of isolates that showed broad-spectrum antifungal activities were performed. Forty-two out of 200 and two soil isolated actinomycetes were selected for their strong antifungal activities. The highest proportion of isolates (p<0.05) from rhizosphere soil of an old plant showed antagonism against gram-positive bacteria (0.483 and 0.224 proportions against Bacillus subtilis and Rathayibacter tritici, respectively), and phytopathogenic fungi (0.259, 0.431, and 0.345 proportions against Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium ultimum, respectively), while the highest antagonism against the gram-negative bacteria predominated in isolates from the bulk soils. Isolates from a rhizosphere soil of a young plant were characterized for strong antagonist activities against Fusarium oxysporum (0.333 proportion, p<0.05). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences showed that isolates that exhibited strong antifungal activity were genetically similar. We conclude that the rhizosphere soil of A. tridentata is an excellent source for discovery of actinomycetes with potentially novel antifungal compounds.

Discovery and Characterization of a Potent Antifungal Peptide through One-Bead, One-Compound Combinatorial Library Screening.

This work describes the discovery of a bead-bound membrane-active peptide (MAP), LBF127, that selectively binds fungal giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) over mammalian GUVs. LBF127 was re-synthesized in solution form and demonstrated to have antifungal activity with limited hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. Through systematic structure-activity relationship studies, including N- and C-terminal truncation, alanine-walk, and d-amino acid substitution, an optimized peptide, K-oLBF127, with higher potency, less hemolytic activity, and cytotoxicity emerged. Compared to the parent peptide, K-oLBF127 is shorter by three amino acids and has a lysine at the N-terminus to confer an additional positive charge. K-oLBF127 was found to have improved selectivity toward the fungal membrane over mammalian membranes by 2-fold compared to LBF127. Further characterizations revealed that, while K-oLBF127 exhibits a spectrum of antifungal activity similar to that of the original peptide, it has lower hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. Mice infected with Cryptococcus neoformans and treated with K-oLBF127 (16 mg/kg) for 48 h had significantly lower lung fungal burden compared to untreated animals, consistent with K-oLBF127 being active in vivo. Our study demonstrates the success of the one-bead, one-compound high-throughput strategy and sequential screening at identifying MAPs with strong antifungal activities.

Polylactic acid nanocomposites containing functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes as antimicrobial packaging materials

Intended for food packaging, nanocomposites films based on poly (lactic acid) reinforced by polydopamine-wrapped carbon nanotubes (PLA/PDA-MWCNTs) or TiO2 modified PDA-MWCNTs (PLA/TiO2-PDA-MWCNTs) as nanofillers were elaborated via melt-blending and characterized by several techniques. The success of the synthesis of the modified MWCNTs was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies and thermogravimetric analysis. Properties such as slow crystallization rate, barrier, mechanical, antibacterial and antifungal properties, required for food packaging, have been investigated. As compared to a PLA pristine film, the PLA based modified MWCNTs at 3 wt% loading exhibited better properties, particularly the PLA/TiO2-PDA-MWCNTs nanocomposite film. Indeed, the crystallization rate increased about 10% for PLA/TiO2-PDA-MWCNTs and 7% for PLA/PDA-MWCNTs compared to the neat PLA. Besides, these improved results have positively impacted on the nanomechanical and barrier properties of PLA nanocomposites films. The Young modulus was increased by 161% for PLA/TiO2-PDA-MWCNTs and 113% for PLA/PDA-MWCNTs and the hardness was improved by 815% for PLA/TiO2-PDA-MWCNTs and 79% for PLA/PDA-MWCNTs, respectively, as compared to the pristine PLA. Furthermore, PLA based modified MWCNTs nanocomposite films displayed a strong antimicrobial and antifungal activity compared to pure PLA.

Therapeutic potential of biogenic and optimized silver nanoparticles using Rubia cordifolia L. leaf extract

Rubia cordifolia L. is a widely used traditional medicine in the Indian sub-continent and Eastern Asia. In the present study, the aqueous leaf extract of the R. Cordifolia was used to fabricate silver nanoparticles (RC@AgNPs), following a green synthesis approach. Effect of temperature (60 °C), pH (8), as well the concentration of leaf extract (2 ml) and silver nitrate (2 mM) were optimized for the synthesis of stable RC@AgNPs. The phytofabrication of nanosilver was validated by UV–visible spectral analysis, which displayed a distinctive surface plasmon resonance peak at 432 nm. The effective functional molecules as capping and stabilizing agents, and responsible for the conversion of Ag+ to nanosilver (Ag0) were identified using the FTIR spectra. The spherical RC@AgNPs with an average size of ~ 20.98 nm, crystalline nature, and 61% elemental composition were revealed by TEM, SEM, XRD, and. EDX. Biogenic RC@AgNPs displayed a remarkable anticancer activity against B16F10 (melanoma) and A431 (carcinoma) cell lines with respective IC50 of 36.63 and 54.09 µg/mL, respectively. Besides, RC@AgNPs showed strong antifungal activity against aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus, DNA-binding properties, and DPPH and ABTS free radical inhibition. The presented research provides a potential therapeutic agent to be utilized in various biomedical applications.

Biosynthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles using marasmius palmivorus MG717877.1 and their antifungal activity

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were produced utilizing Marasmius palmivorus MG717877.1 in the current investigation. The fungal cell filtrate was used to accomplish external production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from silver nitrate (AgNo3) solution. The aqueous silver (Ag) ions in a 1mM AgNo3 aqueous solution were decreased when it was exposed to fungal cell filtrate, resulting in highly stable AgNPs. When challenged with 1mM AgNo3 solution, the fungal biomass acquired AgNPs on its surface, inside the cytoplasmic membrane, and within the cytoplasm in 72 hours. UV was used to characterize the AgNPs that had been produced. For M.palmivorus MG717877.1, the greatest absorbance of AgNPs was recorded at 400nm in the visible spectrum. Furthermore, the FTIR and SEM analyses of silver nanoparticles on these fungus were used to characterize silver nanoparticles. In addition, we tested the antifungal activity of M.palmivorus MG717877.1 at various concentrations, including 25, 50, 100, and 150 mg/ml. The findings revealed that silver nanoparticles produced in a concentration-dependent manner have strong antifungal activity on isolates. At 150 mg of AgNPs, the highest decrease was seen for this isolate.

In Silico Analysis and Functional Characterization of Antimicrobial and Insecticidal Vicilin from Moth Bean (Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal) Seeds.

Vicilin has nutraceutical potential and different noteworthy medicative health-promoting biotic diversions, and it is remarkable against pathogenic microorganisms and insects. In this study, Vigna aconitifolia vicilin (VacV) has been identified and characterized from the seed of Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal (Moth beans). LC-MS/MS analysis of VacV provided seven random fragmented sequences comprising 238 residues, showing significant homology with already reported Vigna radiata vicilin (VraV). VacV was purified using ammonium sulfate precipitation (60%) followed by size exclusion chromatography on Hi-Load 16/60 Superdex 200 pg column and anion-exchange chromatography (Hi trap Q FF column). Purified VacV showed a major ~50 kDa band and multiple lower bands on 12% sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) under both reduced and non-reduced conditions. After all, a three-dimensional molecular structure of VacV was predicted, which showed β-sheeted molecular conformation similar to crystallographic structure of VraV. All Vicilins from V. aconitifolia and other plants were divided into six sub-groups by phylogenetic analysis, and VacV shared a high degree of similarity with vicilins of Vigna radiata, Pisum sativum, Lupinus albus, Cicer arietinum and Glycine max. Additionally, VacV (20 μg) has significant growth inhibition against different pathogenic bacteria along strong antifungal activity (50 μg). Likewise, VacV (3.0 mg) produced significant growth reduction in Rice Weevil Sitophilus oryzae larvae after 9 days compared with control. Furthermore, by using MMT assay, the cytotoxicity effect of VacV on the growth of HepG2 liver cancerous cells was tested. VacV showed cytotoxicity against the HepG-2 line and the acquired value was 180 µg after 48 h. Finally, we performed molecular docking against caspase-3 protein (PDB ID: 3DEI) for VacV bioactive receptor interface residues. Hence, our results reveal that VacV, has nutraceutical potential and moth beans can be used as a rich resource of functional foods.

Evaluation of chitosan coatings enriched with turmeric and green tea extracts on postharvest preservation of strawberries

Strawberries are a widely consumed fruit that contains a variety of antioxidant metabolites. However, postharvest strawberries are highly perishable and susceptible to a variety of fungal pathogens. In this study, a chitosan-based coating containing turmeric (TU) and green tea (GT) extracts was developed and evaluated for the preservation of strawberries. Both TU and GT extracts contained high phenolic contents (>5.8 g kg−1 dry weight), but only TU extract showed strong antifungal activity. SEM observations revealed that high concentrations of extract (3–5% v/v) caused the formation of agglomerates within the films, reduced elongation at break and increased tensile strength. The postharvest treatment of strawberries with chitosan coating containing TU extract inhibited the proliferation of Botrytis cinerea during 7 d of storage at 20 °C, whereas the coating containing GT extract extended the antioxidant properties of postharvest strawberries from 4 to 8 d at 20 °C. Sensory analysis indicated that the coatings did not significantly affect flavor and taste. Overall, TU extract was used for the first time for food packaging purposes and proved to be a great complement to the antioxidant properties of GT to extend the shelf-life of postharvest strawberries.

Metabolic Profiling and In Vitro Assessment of the Biological Activities of the Ethyl Acetate Extract of Penicillium chrysogenum "Endozoic of Cliona sp. Marine Sponge" from the Red Sea (Egypt).

Marine sponge-derived endozoic fungi have been gaining increasing importance as promising sources of numerous and unique bioactive compounds. This study investigates the phytochemical profile and biological activities of the ethyl acetate extract of Penicillium chrysogenum derived from Cliona sp. sponge. Thirty-six compounds were tentatively identified from P. chrysogenum ethyl acetate extract along with the kojic acid (KA) isolation. The UPLC-ESI-MS/MS positive ionization mode was used to analyze and identify the extract constituents while 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy were used for kojic acid (KA) structure confirmation. The antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities were assessed in vitro. Both the extract and kojic acid showed potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MIC 250 ± 0.82 µg/mL. Interestingly, the extract showed strong antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans with MIC 93.75 ± 0.55 and 19.53 ± 0.48 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, KA showed the same potency against Fusarium oxysporum and Cryptococcus neoformans with MIC 39.06 ± 0.85 and 39.06 ± 0.98 µg/mL, respectively. Ultimately, KA showed strong antioxidant activity with IC50 33.7 ± 0.8 µg/mL. Moreover, the extract and KA showed strong cytotoxic activity against colon carcinoma (with IC50 22.6 ± 0.8 and 23.4 ± 1.4 µg/mL, respectively) and human larynx carcinoma (with equal IC50 30.8 ± 1.3 and ± 2.1 µg/mL, respectively), respectively. The current study represents the first insights into the phytochemical profile and biological properties of P. chrysoenum ethyl acetate extract, which could be a promising source of valuable secondary metabolites with potent biological potentials.

Assessment of Chemical Composition and Anti-Penicillium Activity of Vapours of Essential Oils from Abies Alba and Two Melaleuca Species in Food Model Systems.

The possibilities of the practical utilization of essential oils (EOs) from various plant species in the food industry have attracted the attention of the scientific community. Following our previous studies, the antifungal activities of three further commercial EOs, Melaleuca armillaris subsp. armillaris (rosalina; REO), Melaleuca quinquenervia (niaouli; NEO), and Abies alba (fir; FEO), were evaluated in the present research in respect to their chemical profiles, over four different concentrations, 62.5 μL/L, 125 μL/L, 250 μL/L, and 500 μL/L. The findings revealed that the major compounds of REO, NEO, and FEO were linalool (47.5%), 1,8-cineole (40.8%), and α-pinene (25.2%), respectively. In vitro antifungal determinations showed that the inhibition zones of a Penicillium spp. mycelial growth ranged from no inhibitory effectiveness (00.00 ± 00.00 mm) to 16.00 ± 1.00 mm, indicating a very strong antifungal activity which was detected against P. citrinum after the highest REO concentration exposure. Furthermore, the in situ antifungal efficacy of all EOs investigated was shown to be dose-dependent. In this sense, we have found that the highest concentration (500 µL/L) of REO, NEO, and FEO significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the growth of all Penicillium strains inoculated on the bread, carrot, and potato models. These results indicate that the investigated EOs may be promising innovative agents in order to extend the shelf life of different types of food products, such as bread, carrot and potato.