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Microorganisms May 2024Resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics represents a formidable global challenge, manifesting in intricate public health ramifications including escalated mortality... (Review)
Review
Resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics represents a formidable global challenge, manifesting in intricate public health ramifications including escalated mortality rates and augmented healthcare costs. The current efforts to manage antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are limited mainly to the standard therapeutic approaches. The aim of this study is to present and analyze the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the search for new phyto-compounds and novel interactions with antimicrobial effects. The ambition of the current research study is to support researchers by providing summarized information and ideas for future research in the battle with AMR. Inevitably, the AI role in healthcare is growing exponentially. The reviewed AI models reveal new data on essential oils (EOs) as potential therapeutic agents. In terms of antibacterial activity, EOs show activity against MDR bacteria, reduce resistance by sensitizing bacteria to the action of antibiotics, and improve therapeutic efficiency when combined with antibiotics. AI models can also serve for the detailed study of other therapeutic applications of EOs such as respiratory diseases, immune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and oncological diseases. The last 5 years have seen an increasing application of AI in the search for potential plant sources to control AMR. For the time being, the application of machine-learning (ML) models is greater in the studies of EOs. Future attention of research teams may also be directed toward a more efficient search for plant antimicrobial peptides (PAMPs). Of course, investments in this direction are a necessary preface, but the excitement of new possibilities should not override the role of human intelligence in directing research processes. In this report, tradition meets innovation to address the "silent pandemic" of AMR.
PubMed: 38930437
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12061055 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024In the original publication [...].
Correction: Dassanayake et al. Synergistic Field Crop Pest Management Properties of Plant-Derived Essential Oils in Combination with Synthetic Pesticides and Bioactive Molecules: A Review. 2021, , 2016.
In the original publication [...].
PubMed: 38928897
DOI: 10.3390/foods13121874 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Over the years, consumer awareness of proper, healthy eating has increased significantly, but the consumption of fruits and vegetables remains too low. Smoothie drinks... (Review)
Review
Over the years, consumer awareness of proper, healthy eating has increased significantly, but the consumption of fruits and vegetables remains too low. Smoothie drinks offer a convenient way to supplement daily diets with servings of fruits and vegetables. These ready-to-eat beverages retain the nutritional benefits of the raw ingredients from which they are made. Furthermore, they cater to the growing demand for quick and nutritious meal options. To meet consumer expectations, current trends in the food market are shifting towards natural, high-quality products with minimal processing and extended shelf life. Food manufacturers are increasingly aiming to reduce or eliminate synthetic preservatives, replacing them with plant-based alternatives. Plant-based preservatives are particularly appealing to consumers, who often view them as natural and organic substitutes for conventional preservatives. Essential oils, known for their antibacterial and antifungal properties, are effective against the microorganisms and fungi present in fruit and vegetable smoothies. However, the strong taste and aroma of essential oils can be a significant drawback, as the concentrations needed for microbiological stability are often unpalatable to consumers. Encapsulation of essential oils in nanoemulsions offers a promising and effective solution to these challenges, allowing for their use in food production without compromising sensory qualities.
PubMed: 38928796
DOI: 10.3390/foods13121854 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2024Natural products have attracted great interest in the development of tissue engineering. Recent studies have demonstrated that unsaturated fatty acids found in natural...
Natural products have attracted great interest in the development of tissue engineering. Recent studies have demonstrated that unsaturated fatty acids found in natural plant seed oil may exhibit positive osteogenic effects; however, few in vivo studies have focused on the use of plant seed oil for bone regeneration. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of seed oil found in () on the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and bone growth in artificial bone defects in vivo. In this study, Wharton-jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) were co-cultured with seed oil. Cellular osteogenic capacity was assessed using Alizarin Red S staining. Real-time PCR was carried out to evaluate ALP and OCN gene expression. The potential of seed oil to enhance bone growth was assessed using an animal model. Four 6 mm circular defects were prepared at the parietal bone of New Zealand white rabbits. The defects were filled with hydrogel and hydrogel- seed oil, respectively. Quantitative analysis of micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) and histological images was conducted to compare differences in osteogenesis between oil-treated and untreated samples. Although our results showed no significant differences in viability between WJMSCs treated with and without seed oil, under osteogenic conditions, seed oil facilitated an increase in mineralized nodule secretion and upregulated the expression of ALP and OCN genes in the cells ( < 0.05). In the animal study, both micro-CT and histological evaluations revealed that new bone formation in artificial bone defects treated with seed oil were nearly doubled compared to control defects ( < 0.05) after 4 weeks of healing. Based on these findings, it is reasonable to suggest that seed oil holds promise as a potential candidate for enhancing bone healing efficiency in bone tissue engineering.
Topics: Animals; Rabbits; Plant Oils; Seeds; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Osteogenesis; Bone Regeneration; Sapindus; Cell Differentiation; X-Ray Microtomography; Tissue Engineering; Humans; Cells, Cultured
PubMed: 38928455
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126749 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2024Olive oil phenols are recognized as molecules with numerous positive health effects, many of which rely on their antioxidative activity, i.e., the ability to transfer...
Olive oil phenols are recognized as molecules with numerous positive health effects, many of which rely on their antioxidative activity, i.e., the ability to transfer hydrogen to radicals. Proton-coupled electron transfer reactions and hydrogen tunneling are ubiquitous in biological systems. Reactions of olive oil phenols, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleuropein, oleacein, oleocanthal, homovanillyl alcohol, vanillin, and a few phenolic acids with a DPPH• (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical in a 1,4-dioxane:water = 95:5 or 99:1 / solvent mixture were studied through an experimental kinetic analysis and computational chemistry calculations. The highest rate constants corresponding to the highest antioxidative activity are obtained for the ortho-diphenols hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, and oleacein. The experimentally determined kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) for hydroxytyrosol, homovanillyl alcohol, and caffeic acid reactions are 16.0, 15.4, and 16.7, respectively. Based on these KIEs, thermodynamic activation parameters, and an intrinsic bond orbital (IBO) analysis along the IRC path calculations, we propose a proton-coupled electron transfer mechanism. The average local ionization energy and electron donor Fukui function obtained for the phenolic compounds show that the most reactive electron-donating sites are associated with electrons above and below the aromatic ring, in support of the IBO analysis and proposed PCET reaction mechanism. Large KIEs and isotopic values of Arrhenius pre-exponential factor / determined for the hydroxytyrosol, homovanillyl alcohol, and caffeic acid reactions of 0.6, 1.3, and 0.3, respectively, reveal the involvement of hydrogen tunneling in the process.
Topics: Olive Oil; Hydrogen; Phenols; Electron Transport; Protons; Kinetics; Thermodynamics; Antioxidants
PubMed: 38928048
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126341 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2024Metabolic engineering enables oilseed crops to be more competitive by having more attractive properties for oleochemical industrial applications. The aim of this study...
Metabolic engineering enables oilseed crops to be more competitive by having more attractive properties for oleochemical industrial applications. The aim of this study was to increase the erucic acid level and to produce wax ester (WE) in seed oil by genetic transformation to enhance the industrial applications of . Six transgenic lines for high erucic acid and fifteen transgenic lines for wax esters were obtained. The integration of the target genes for high erucic acid ( and ) and for WEs ( and ) in the genome of cv. 'Derash' was confirmed by PCR analysis. The qRT-PCR results showed overexpression of and and downregulation of RNAi- in the seeds of the transgenic lines. The fatty acid profile and WE content and profile in the seed oil of the transgenic lines and wild type grown in biotron were analyzed using gas chromatography and nanoelectrospray coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. A significant increase in erucic acid was observed in some transgenic lines ranging from 19% to 29% in relation to the wild type, with a level of erucic acid reaching up to 52.7%. Likewise, the transgenic lines harboring and genes produced up to 25% WE content, and the most abundant WE species were 22:1/20:1 and 22:1/22:1. This study demonstrated that metabolic engineering is an effective biotechnological approach for developing into an industrial crop.
Topics: Erucic Acids; Metabolic Engineering; Plants, Genetically Modified; Waxes; Esters; Seeds; Brassica; Fatty Acids; Plant Oils; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Plant Proteins
PubMed: 38928029
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126322 -
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The emergence of as a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen represents a significant global health challenge, especially given the growing issue of antifungal drug... (Review)
Review
The emergence of as a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen represents a significant global health challenge, especially given the growing issue of antifungal drug resistance. This review aims to illuminate the potential of essential oils (EOs), which are volatile plant secretions containing complex mixtures of chemicals, as alternative antifungal agents to combat , thus combining traditional insights with contemporary scientific findings to address this critical health issue. A systematic literature review was conducted using the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from 2019 to 2024, and using the Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) protocol to identify relevant studies on the antifungal efficacy of EOs or their components against . Of the 90 articles identified, 16 were selected for detailed review. The findings highlight the diverse mechanisms of action of EOs and their components, such as disrupting fungal cell membranes, inducing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and impeding biofilm formation, suggesting that some of them may be as effective as, or better than, traditional antifungal drugs while potentially limiting the development of resistance. However, issues such as variability in the composition of EOs and a paucity of clinical trials have been identified as significant obstacles. In conclusion, EOs and their active ingredients are emerging as viable candidates for creating effective treatments for , underscoring their importance as alternative or complementary antifungal agents in the face of increasing drug resistance. The call for future research underscores the need for clinical trials and standardization to unlock the full antifungal potential of EOs against .
PubMed: 38927234
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13060568 -
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024(immortelle) essential oil is one of the most popular essential oils worldwide and it has many beneficial properties, including antimicrobial. However, in this plant,...
(immortelle) essential oil is one of the most popular essential oils worldwide and it has many beneficial properties, including antimicrobial. However, in this plant, the chemical diversity of the essential oil is very pronounced. The aim of this work was to process the GC-MS results of four samples of essential oil of Serbian origin by chemometric tools, and evaluate the antimicrobial activity in vitro and in silico. Overall, 47 compounds were identified, the most abundant were -curcumene, -pinene, and -curcumene, followed by -ylangene, neryl acetate, -caryophyllene, italicene, -selinene, limonene, and italidiones. Although the four samples of essential oil used in this study were obtained from different producers in Serbia, they belong to the type of essential oil rich in sesquiterpenes (-curcumene and -curcumene chemotype). In vitro antimicrobial potential showed that five were sensitive among ten strains of tested microorganisms: , , , and . Therefore, these microorganism models were used further for in silico molecular docking through the mechanism of ATP-ase inhibitory activity. Results showed that among all compounds from essential oil, neryl acetate has the highest predicted binding energy. Artificial neural network modeling (ANN) showed that two major compounds -curcumene and -pinene, as well as minor compounds such as --ocimene, terpinolene, terpinene-4-ol, isoitalicene, italicene, --bergamotene, --bergamotene, italidiones, --farnesene, -selinene, -selinene, -selinene, and guaiol are responsible for the antimicrobial activity of essential oil. The results of this study indicate that essential oil samples rich in -curcumene, -pinene, and -curcumene cultivated in Serbia (Balkan) have antimicrobial potential both in vitro and in silico. In addition, according to ANN modeling, the proportion of neryl acetate and other compounds detected in these samples has the potential to exhibit antimicrobial activity.
PubMed: 38927166
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13060499 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) are of interest due to their potential health properties and have a significant role in reducing the risk of various...
Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) are of interest due to their potential health properties and have a significant role in reducing the risk of various chronic diseases in humans. It is commonly used as a supplement. However, lipid oxidation is an important negative factor caused by environmental, processing, and limited water solubility of LCPUFA, making them difficult to incorporate into food products. The objective of this research work was to prevent oxidation, extend shelf life, enhance the stability of fatty acids, and to achieve controlled release by preparing spray-dried powder (SDM). For spray-drying, aqueous emulsion blends were formulated using a 1:1 ratio of chia seed oil (CSO) and fish oil (FO) and using a laboratory-scale spray-dryer with varying conditions: inlet air temperature (IAT, 125-185 °C), wall material (WM, 5-25%), pump speed (PS, 3-7 mL/min), and needle speed (NS, 3-11 s). The maximum alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) content was 33 ± 1%. The highest values of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the microcapsules were 8.4 ± 0.4 and 13 ± 1%, respectively. Fourier transform infrared and X-Ray diffraction analysis results indicated that SDM was successfully formulated with Gum Arabic and maltodextrin (MD). The blending without encapsulation of CSO and FO was digested more efficiently and resulted in more oil being released with simulated gastric fluid (SGF), simulated intestinal fluid (SIF), and SGF + SIF conditions without heating. No significant changes were observed for saturated, monounsaturated, and LCPUFA, whether exposed or not to gastrointestinal conditions. However, compared to the release of SDM, it can be useful for designing delivery systems for the controlled release of essential fatty acids.
Topics: Fish Oils; Capsules; Spray Drying; Plant Oils; Salvia; Fatty Acids; Humans
PubMed: 38926468
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65214-x -
Plant Biotechnology Journal Jun 2024Oil-Camellia (Camellia oleifera), belonging to the Theaceae family Camellia, is an important woody edible oil tree species. The Camellia oil in its mature seed kernels,...
Oil-Camellia (Camellia oleifera), belonging to the Theaceae family Camellia, is an important woody edible oil tree species. The Camellia oil in its mature seed kernels, mainly consists of more than 90% unsaturated fatty acids, tea polyphenols, flavonoids, squalene and other active substances, which is one of the best quality edible vegetable oils in the world. However, genetic research and molecular breeding on oil-Camellia are challenging due to its complex genetic background. Here, we successfully report a chromosome-scale genome assembly for a hexaploid oil-Camellia cultivar Changlin40. This assembly contains 8.80 Gb genomic sequences with scaffold N50 of 180.0 Mb and 45 pseudochromosomes comprising 15 homologous groups with three members each, which contain 135 868 genes with an average length of 3936 bp. Referring to the diploid genome, intragenomic and intergenomic comparisons of synteny indicate homologous chromosomal similarity and changes. Moreover, comparative and evolutionary analyses reveal three rounds of whole-genome duplication (WGD) events, as well as the possible diversification of hexaploid Changlin40 with diploid occurred approximately 9.06 million years ago (MYA). Furthermore, through the combination of genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches, a complex regulatory network was constructed and allows to identify potential key structural genes (SAD, FAD2 and FAD3) and transcription factors (AP2 and C2H2) that regulate the metabolism of Camellia oil, especially for unsaturated fatty acids biosynthesis. Overall, the genomic resource generated from this study has great potential to accelerate the research for the molecular biology and genetic improvement of hexaploid oil-Camellia, as well as to understand polyploid genome evolution.
PubMed: 38923257
DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14412