Bufadienolides - natural, biologically active compounds for medicines and cosmetics. A review.

Toad skin secretions are a rich source of various biologically active compounds, such as alkaloids, bufadienolides, biogenic amines, or peptides. Also plants from Hyacinthaceae and Crassulaceae can be a potent source of these groups of molecules. These compounds play a crucial role in amphibians’ and plants’ physiology such as defense against predators or pathogenic microorganisms. Among them, bufadienolides are the focus of many researches in recent years. These molecules have a very interesting, steroidal chemical structure and have potent activity at the cellular level. They possess cardiotonic, antiviral, antibacterial, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, bacteriostatic, wound-healing, and antiparasitic properties. Although the structures of about 500 bufadienolides are known, it is strongly suggested that this group of compounds is still very poorly examined. Moreover, bufadienolides may be an excellent basis for the chemical synthesis of new drugs with selective bioactivity. The aim of this paper is to briefly overview bufadienolides as potent compounds for medicines and cosmetics

The Current State of Knowledge about Essential Oil Fumigation for Quality of Crops during Postharvest

Prolonging crops’ shelf-life while retaining their high quality is a major issue related to postharvest management. During storage, fruits and vegetables are exposed to microbial attacks, which may cause spoilage. Crop deterioration causes the loss of physical properties and drops in quality and nutritional value. Hence, new techniques to improve the resistance of food products are being explored. One promising technique is fumigation. Essential oils and their constituents, due to their antimicrobial properties, are likely to be used as fumigants, as they are highly volatile, effective in low concentrations, biodegradable, and safe. Papers indicate that some of them can improve their quality by increasing the content of antioxidants. This comprehensive review aims to present the current state of knowledge about the influence of essential oil fumigation on crop quality. It covers antioxidant capacity, the content of some bioactive compounds, physicochemical properties, decay properties, and sensory attributes of fruits and vegetables treated with essential oil vapors. The review indicates that this technique might be an interesting field for further exploration due to the promising results presented in the studies. Moreover, the review presents major objectives for current studies and indicates a lack of recent papers in this field

Oksymy 4-furanylo i 4-tiofenylobutan-2-onów

Oximes of 4-(furan-2-yl)butan-2-one, 4-(furan-3-yl)butan-2-one, 4-(5-methylfuran-2-yl)butan-2-one, 4-(thiophen-2-yl)butan-2-one, 4-(5-methylthiophen-2-yl)butan-2-one and 4-(3-methyl-thiophen-2-yl)butan-2-one have been synthesized. The sensory analysis revealed interesting and complex properties of methyl furan derivative: green, weed-like, similar to herb and flower of nettle. Replacement of oxygen atom by sulfur one in the aromatic ring resulted in creation of smell associated with food.W artykule opisano syntezę, charakterystykę spektralną oraz zapachową oksymów 4-(furan-2-ylo)butan-2-onu, 4-(furan-3-ylo)butan-2-onu, 4-(5-metylofuran-2-ylo) butan-2-onu, 4-(tiofen-2-ylo)butan-2-onu, 4-(5-metylotiofen-2-ylo)butan-2-onu oraz 4-(3-metylotiofen-2-ylo)butan-2-onu. Pochodne metylofuranowe okazały się interesujące pod względem zapachowym. Ich zapach można opisać jako: zielony, podobny do ziela i kwiatu pokrzywy. Zastąpienie atomu tlenu, atomem siarki w pierścieniu aromatycznym skutkowało otrzymaniem związków charakteryzujących się zapachem związanym z żywnością

Selected Compounds Structurally Related to Acyclic Sesquiterpenoids and Their Antibacterial and Cytotoxic Activity

By implementing a common and industrially used method, 30 compounds which are structurally related to geranyl acetone, nerolidol, farnesal, farnesol and farnesyl acetate were obtained. Their antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria was investigated. Pharmacophore models were proposed based on the obtained results and 3D QSAR modelling. Cytotoxic effects against mainly human immortalised and normal cell lines of different origin (malignant melanoma MeWo, colorectal adenocarcinoma HT29, promyelocytic leukemia HL60, gingival fibroblasts HFIG, skin keratinocytes HaCaT and rat small intestine epithelium IEC6) were examined. The odour descriptions of newly synthesised compounds are given

Synthesis of 3- and 4- pyridyl analogues of acyclic monoterpenes - sensory properties and antimicrobial activity

Acykliczne związki terpenowe są podstawowymi składnikami kompozycji zapachowych masowo stosowanych w różnych gałęziach przemysłu. Jednakże związki te charakteryzują się stosunkowo wysoką lotnością, a przez to niską trwałością zapachową. Poza tym większość z nich znajduje się na liście potencjalnych alergenów. Z tego powodu uzyskuje się syntetyczne analogi związków zapachowych naturalnie występujących w przyrodzie, np. Phenoxanol® - fenyloanalog cytronellolu. Zsyntetyzowane zostały molekuły będące kombinacją elementów strukturalnych terpenów i pirydyny, w których formalnie fragment izobutenylowy (obecny w każdym acyklicznym terpenie) został zastąpiony fragmentem 3- lub 4-pirydylowym. Pirydyloanalogi linalolu, geranyloacetonu oraz nerolidolu zostały poddane ocenie sensorycznej oraz testom aktywności przeciwdrobnoustrojowej.Acyclic terpenes are basic components of fragrance compositions in many products. Starting from commercially available aldehydes: nicotinic and isonicotinic, the 3-pyridyl and 4-pyridyl analogues of linalool, geranyloacetone and nerolidol have been synthesized. In these compounds the isobutenyl moiety was replaced by a 3-, 4-pyridine substituent. The olfactory properties of new products are not corresponding of parent terpenes type. The antimicrobial activities of new compounds against pathogenic mircoflora have also been studied (showing MIC 0.2-1.0 µL/mL)

LED Light Quality Affected Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Potential, and Nutritional Value of Red and White Cabbage Microgreens

Microgreens are environmentally friendly and have health benefits in addition to their basic nutritional contents. The effect of white (W), white–blue (W + B), and white–red (W + R) light on the bioactive compounds, nutrient composition, and antioxidant potential of red and white cabbage microgreens were investigated using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The results showed that protein, fat, ash, chlorophylls, and carotenoids were the highest in microgreens under W light, while phenolic compounds were highest in microgreens under W + B light. Supplementation with white light, as well as red or blue light, resulted in higher levels of sugars and total fiber in both white and red microgreens. Twenty-six and thirty-three phenolic compounds were identified in white and red cabbage microgreens, respectively. The identified phenolics belonged to three classes, including phenolic acids, flavonols, and anthocyanins. The antioxidant potential of both cabbage microgreens was determined by four methods (ABTS, DPPH, ORAC, and FRAP). It was found that the highest antioxidant potential was observed in microgreens grown under the W + B light combination. On the other hand, the W + R light combination increased the content of β-sitosterol and campesterol. The results may be helpful in the selection of the type of LED lighting that determines the high nutritional and health-promoting potential of white and red cabbage microgreens

Synthesis and Biotransformation of Bicyclic Unsaturated Lactones with Three or Four Methyl Groups

The aim of this study was to obtain new unsaturated lactones by chemical synthesis and their microbial transformations using fungal strains. Some of these strains were able to transform unsaturated lactones into different hydroxy or epoxy derivatives. Strains of Syncephalastrum racemosum and Absidia cylindrospora gave products with a hydroxy group introduced into a tertiary carbon, while the Penicillium vermiculatum strain hydroxylated primary carbons. The Syncephalastrum racemosum strain hydroxylated both substrates in an allylic position. Using the Absidia cylindrospora and Penicillium vermiculatum strains led to the obtained epoxylactones. The structures of all lactones were established on the basis of spectroscopic data