Article
Food Science & Technology
Zhengyu Bao, Mingcong Fan, Kanza Hannachi, Tingting Li, Jiajia Zhao, Yan Li, Haifeng Qian, Li Wang
Summary: This study investigates the antifungal effect and mechanism of star anise extract (SAE) on spoilage fungi in bread. The results show that SAE has significant antifungal activity against Penicillium roqueforti and Aspergillus niger, and its mechanism involves disrupting the cell membrane and altering membrane proteins. Additionally, SAE extends the shelf life of bread.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Reem A. ElGamal, Amal A. Galala, Maged S. Abdel-Kader, Farid A. Badria, Amal F. Soliman
Summary: The biotransformation of vulgarin, a sesquiterpene lactone obtained from Artemisia judaica, was performed by Aspergillus niger to produce three more polar metabolites. The structures of these metabolites were determined using NMR spectroscopy and HRESIMS. The anti-inflammatory activity of vulgarin and its metabolites was evaluated, and vulgarin showed preferential inhibitory activity against COX-2, while its metabolite (3a) exhibited selective inhibition against COX-1.
Article
Microbiology
N. Van Rhijn, M. Bromley, M. Richardson, P. Bowyer
Summary: This study identified a novel CYP51 paralogue named CYP51D in azole-resistant fungi, and demonstrated the presence of this new gene in resistant species. Additionally, introduction of the CYP51A paralogue from azole-resistant fungi into azole-sensitive species resulted in the development of drug resistance.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Mine Aslan, Nilgun Ertas, M. Kursat Demir
Summary: This study investigated the characteristics of liposomes encapsulated with ethanolic extracts of Cinnamomum verum, Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinale, Syzygium aromaticum and Laurus nobilis. The liposomes showed strong antifungal activity and good encapsulation efficiency. The thermal stability and release properties varied among the different extract-loaded liposomes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shivananda Behera, Monika Priyadarshanee, Vandana, Surajit Das
Summary: The rising plastic pollution has negative impacts on the environment due to the non-biodegradable nature of petroleum-based plastics. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) offer a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative as they can be synthesized using various microorganisms and possess enhanced biodegradability and other useful properties. This review provides an overview of the synthesis mechanism, properties, and applications of microbially synthesized PHAs, as well as discussing the classification, detection techniques, genetic regulation, and industrial production of these biopolymers.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yina Xiao, Fubo Han, Myeong Ji Kim, Kwang Youl Lee, Ik-Soo Lee
Summary: Major bioactive constituents BCA (1) and BCB (2) from Broussonetia papyrifera were synthesized synthetically and subjected to microbial transformation, yielding 10 previously undescribed chalcones. Among them, metabolite 1e showed the highest cytotoxicity in human cancer cell lines.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ashutosh Singh, Prerna Singh, Jacques F. Meis, Anuradha Chowdhary
Summary: Olorofim demonstrates potent in vitro activity against drug-resistant dermatophytes and opportunistic moulds, with exceptions in Alternaria alternata. When compared to other systemic antifungal drugs, Olorofim exhibits lower activity against Penicillium and Talaromyces species. Particularly, Olorofim shows strong activity against Trichophyton isolates, including those resistant to terbinafine and azoles.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Tian-Lin Wu, Yong-Mei Hu, Yu Sun, Zhi-Jun Zhang, Zheng-Rong Wu, Wen-Bin Zhao, Chen Tang, Sha-Sha Du, Ying-Hui He, Yue Ma, Cheng-Jie Yang, Ying-Qian Liu
Summary: The study found that 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl isothiocyanate exhibited strong antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger by damaging cell morphology and membrane integrity, affecting energy metabolism, and inducing oxidative stress.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Banu Metin
Summary: This review provides an in-depth exploration of the secondary metabolites produced by P. roqueforti in blue cheeses. It focuses on their biosynthetic pathways, the gene clusters responsible for their production, and their bioactivities. The review also discusses the potential of P. roqueforti for producing secondary metabolites and highlights recently identified metabolites and related gene clusters.
FERMENTATION-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Fengming Li, Zhencheng Lv, Zhijuan Zhong, Lutian Mao, Lee Suan Chua, Liangxiong Xu, Riming Huang
Summary: The antifungal mechanism of cyclosporin A (CsA) was investigated in this study. It was found that CsA can inhibit the growth of Aspergillus niger on grapes by interfering with protein synthesis and destructing cell walls.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Carlos Luz, Raquel Carbonell, Juan Manuel Quiles, Raquel Torrijos, Tiago de Melo Nazareth, Jordi Manes, Giuseppe Meca
Summary: Peracetic acid (PA) has demonstrated significant antifungal and antimycotoxigenic activity against maize and barley grain contaminated with the toxigenic fungi Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium Verrucosum during storage.
LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Ajuan Niu, Hongying Wu, Fang Ma, Song Tan, Guangyu Wang, Weifen Qiu
Summary: Cinnamaldehyde vapor has prominent antifungal activity by disrupting the ultrastructure of mycelium, which makes it a promising antifungal agent in food storage and transportation.
LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Zhi Li, Fangwang Shen, Lili Song, Shicui Zhang
Summary: NP20 is a novel antifungal peptide that has the ability to kill spores of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus and directly damage their surface, membrane, cytoplasm, organelle, and nucleus. It is active under temperature stress and a wide range of pH. The mechanisms underlying NP20's antifungal activity include binding with and passing through the fungal cell wall, interfering with the lipid membrane, inducing intracellular ROS production, DNA fragmentation, and protein synthesis inhibition of the fungal cells.
MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Joao Raul Belinato, Carina Pedrosa Costa, Adelaide Almeida, Silvia M. Rocha, Fabio Augusto
Summary: The study investigated the Aspergillus niger exometabolome using advanced gas chromatography and multivariate analysis, proposing a metabolite biomarker pattern. The research revealed the potential applicability of A. niger biomarkers for early detection of fungi contamination, highlighting the importance of rapid detection methods for food safety.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Wenkang Hu, Zeping Liu, Bin Fu, Xiaolong Zhang, Yonggang Qi, Yong Hu, Chao Wang, Dongsheng Li, Ning Xu
Summary: The study found that Aspergillus oryzae was the dominant strain in koji mixed fermentation, with both fungal species growing rapidly during the initial 24 hours of fermentation and then stabilizing. Inoculation of Aspergillus niger led to changes in the contents of various metabolites in koji.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Srichandan Padhi, Marco Masi, Yugal Kishore Mohanta, Muthupandian Saravanan, Swati Sharma, Alessio Cimmino, Dhivya Shanmugarajan, Antonio Evidente, Kumananda Tayung, Amit Kumar Rai
Summary: Seventy-three anticancer metabolites from different endolichenic fungi previously reported were analyzed for drug likeliness and pharmacokinetic properties. Three compounds, including talaromycin A, pyridoxatin, and terricollene A, showed strong binding affinity and stability, potentially serving as glycolytic inhibitors. These findings contribute to the development of potential glycolytic inhibitors for treating and controlling various forms of cancer, but further experimental investigations are needed to evaluate the efficacy of these compounds.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Francesca Casella, Maurizio Vurro, Francesca Valerio, Enrico Vito Perrino, Giuseppe N. Mezzapesa, Angela Boari
Summary: The study showed that thirteen essential oils extracted from wild Lamiaceae species have herbicidal activity against different plant seeds and leaves. One of the oils from Thymbra capitata inhibited cress germination and reduced chlorophyll and carotenoid content in lambsquarters leaves. Some oils also inhibited tomato radicle elongation and broomrape seed germination. Certain components of the oils, such as alpha-terpinene and p-cymene, were correlated with the inhibition of seed germination and radicle elongation. These findings suggest that these essential oils or their components could be potential herbicides and contribute to new weed control strategies.
Article
Plant Sciences
Antonio Moreno-Robles, Antonio Cala Peralta, Jesus G. Zorrilla, Gabriele Soriano, Marco Masi, Susana Vilarino-Rodriguez, Alessio Cimmino, Monica Fernandez-Aparicio
Summary: This study investigates the inhibitory effects of trans-cinnamic acid and its derivatives on the growth of Cuscuta campestris, a parasitic weed causing significant yield losses in crops. The findings reveal that some derivatives of trans-cinnamic acid exhibit enhanced growth inhibition activity against C. campestris seedlings, with the methyl ester derivative being the most active compound. This structure-activity relationship study provides valuable information for the design of herbicidal treatments targeting parasitic weeds.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shurooq Ismail, Rosa Gaglione, Marco Masi, Srichandan Padhi, Amit K. Rai, Ghadeer Omar, Alessio Cimmino, Angela Arciello
Summary: This study purified extracts from Ephedra foeminea and identified bioactive compounds with antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties. The compound kaempferol-3-O-alpha-L-(2 '',4 ''-di-E-p-coumaroyl)-rhamnopyranoside exhibited strong antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against S. aureus strains. Molecular docking studies suggested its potential applicability in biomedical and biotechnological fields.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francisco J. Agudo-Jurado, Pierluigi Reveglia, Diego Rubiales, Antonio Evidente, Eleonora Barilli
Summary: Fungal phytotoxins, as secondary metabolites toxic to host plants, play a role in the development of symptoms in legume diseases by targeting host cellular machineries or interfering with host immune responses. This review focuses on the isolation, chemical and biological characterization of fungal phytotoxins produced by necrotrophic fungi involved in legume diseases. The possible role in plant-pathogen interaction and structure-toxicity relationship studies are also discussed. Additionally, multidisciplinary studies on other biological activities of reviewed phytotoxins are described, along with the challenges in identifying new fungal metabolites and their potential applications in future experiments.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Antonio Evidente
Summary: The alkaloids derived from Amaryllidaceae plants have been used in folk medicine since ancient times and are classified into different subfamilies and carbon skeletons. Over the past two decades, more than 600 alkaloids with various biological activities have been isolated from regions including Southern Africa, Andean South America, and the Mediterranean basin.
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marco Masi, Angela Boari, Francisco Sautua, Marcelo Anibal Carmona, Maurizio Vurro, Antonio Evidente
Review
Microbiology
Antonio Evidente
Summary: Weeds, including parasite plants, have become a serious problem for farmers, causing significant losses in agricultural and herding production and hindering reforestation practices and important infrastructure. To combat these pests, synthetic herbicides have been widely used, leading to environmental pollution and risks to human and animal health. This review explores the potential of fungal phytotoxins as bioherbicides, as well as the commercial availability and future perspectives of bioherbicides based on microbial toxic metabolites.
Article
Microbiology
Jesus G. Zorrilla, Marco Masi, Suzette Clement, Alessio Cimmino, Susan Meyer
Summary: (10S,11S)-(-)-epi-pyriculol is a phytotoxic metabolite produced by Pyricularia grisea, a fungus that infects the invasive weed species buffelgrass. This study developed a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for quantifying (10S,11S)-(-)-epi-pyriculol in complex mixtures. The results showed that the production of (10S,11S)-(-)-epi-pyriculol varied among different P. grisea isolates and was strongly correlated with phytotoxic activity. The HPLC method could be used for selecting the best strain and cultural conditions for mass production of (10S,11S)-(-)-epi-pyriculol, thus providing a new bioherbicide for the control of buffelgrass.
Article
Microbiology
Stefany Castaldi, Jesus G. Zorrilla, Claudia Petrillo, Maria Teresa Russo, Patrizia Ambrosino, Marco Masi, Alessio Cimmino, Rachele Isticato
Summary: Alternaria alternata is a devastating phytopathogenic fungus that causes black spots in many fruits and vegetables. In this study, the pathogenicity mechanisms and competitive exclusion of A. alternata were investigated, with a focus on its interaction with Botrytis cinerea. The fungus was found to produce strong enzymatic activities and four different toxins, which showed varying levels of necrotic activity on different hosts. Interestingly, A. alternata exhibited competitive exclusion of B. cinerea in host and non-host pear fruits, inhibiting its growth by 70% and 65%, respectively. The toxins Alteichin and alternariol 4-methyl ether showed the strongest inhibition activity against B. cinerea.
