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Molecules
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Natural Products: Focus on Antimicrobial and Antitumor Properties
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Natural Products: Focus on Antimicrobial and Antitumor Properties

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 4986

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Annarita Stringaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
Interests: oncology; microbial pathogen; natural products; MDR phenomenon; nanomedicine
Dr. Annarica Calcabrini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
Interests: oncology; natural products; MDR phenomenon; nanomedicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infection diseases and cancer represent two major global health challenges. They cause the highest incidence rate of death around the world. Infections induced by certain viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites constitute risk factors for human health; recently, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been a sad example. Cancer is a multifactorial disease, resulting from a combination of genetic and environmental factors which contribute to tumor heterogeneity. A lot of natural compounds show anticancer and antimicrobial activities. The interest in products of natural origin showing pharmacological activities is increasingly broad. Currently, one of the most interesting approaches in the fight against these diseases is the research for new therapeutic strategies based on natural products in combination with synthetic drugs, free or encapsulated in nanodevices (both green and no green).

This Special Issue of Molecules will focus on relevant knowledge around natural products and their impact on public health and disease to provide the most recent perspectives in this area. Papers in the form of original in vitro, preclinical, and clinical studies, as well as review articles, are welcome.

Dr. Annarita Stringaro
Dr. Annarica Calcabrini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • natural products
  • antimicrobial activities
  • antitumor activities
  • synergic effects
  • green or no green nanomedicine
  • drug delivery

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4198 KiB  
Article
Peptide-Mediated Targeted Delivery of Aloe-Emodin as Anticancer Drug
by Annarita Stringaro, Stefano Serra, Alessandro Gori, Annarica Calcabrini, Marisa Colone, Maria Luisa Dupuis, Francesca Spadaro, Serena Cecchetti and Alberto Vitali
Molecules 2022, 27(14), 4615; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27144615 - 19 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1972
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most diffuse cancers in the world and despite the availability of the different drugs employed against it, the need for new and particularly more specific molecules is ever growing. In this framework, natural products are increasingly assuming [...] Read more.
Breast cancer is one of the most diffuse cancers in the world and despite the availability of the different drugs employed against it, the need for new and particularly more specific molecules is ever growing. In this framework, natural products are increasingly assuming an important role as new anticancer drugs. Aloe-emodin (AE) is one of the best characterized molecules in this field. The functionalization of bioactive natural products with selected peptide sequences to enhance their bioavailability and specificity of action is a powerful and promising strategy. In this study, we analyzed the cell specificity, cell viability effects, intracellular distribution, and immune cell response of a new peptide conjugate of Aloe-emodin in SKBR3 and A549 cell lines by means of viability tests, flow cytometry, and confocal microscopy. The conjugate proved to be more effective at reducing cell viability than AE in both cell lines. Furthermore, the results showed that it was mainly internalized within the SKBR3 cells, showing a nuclear localization, while A459 cells displayed mainly a cytoplasmic distribution. A preserving effect of the conjugate on NKs’ cell function was also observed. The designed conjugate showed a promising specific activity towards HER2-expressing cells coupled with an enhanced water solubility and a higher cytotoxicity; thus, the resulting proof-of-concept molecule can be further improved as an anticancer compound. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products: Focus on Antimicrobial and Antitumor Properties)
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17 pages, 4514 KiB  
Article
Essential Oil from Eucalyptus globulus (Labill.) Activates Complement Receptor-Mediated Phagocytosis and Stimulates Podosome Formation in Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophages
by Manuela Zonfrillo, Federica Andreola, Ewa K. Krasnowska, Gianluca Sferrazza, Pasquale Pierimarchi and Annalucia Serafino
Molecules 2022, 27(11), 3488; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27113488 - 28 May 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2205
Abstract
Eucalyptus essential oil and its major constituent eucalyptol are extensively employed in the cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries and their clinical use has recently expanded worldwide as an adjuvant in the treatment of infective and inflammatory diseases. We previously demonstrated that essential oil [...] Read more.
Eucalyptus essential oil and its major constituent eucalyptol are extensively employed in the cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries and their clinical use has recently expanded worldwide as an adjuvant in the treatment of infective and inflammatory diseases. We previously demonstrated that essential oil from Eucalyptus globulus (Labill.) (EO) stimulates in vitro the phagocytic activity of human monocyte-derived macrophages and counteracts the myelotoxicity induced by the chemotherapeutic 5-fluorouracil in immunocompetent rats. Here we characterize some mechanistic aspects underlying the immunostimulatory ability exerted by EO on macrophages. The internalization of fluorescent beads, fluorescent zymosan BioParticles, or apoptotic cancer cells was evaluated by confocal microscopy. Pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine release was determined by flow cytometry using the BD cytometric bead array. Receptor involvement in EO-stimulated phagocytosis was assessed using complement- or IgG-opsonized zymosan particles. The localization and expression of podosome components was analyzed by confocal microscopy and western blot. The main results demonstrated that: EO-induced activation of a macrophage is ascribable to its major component eucalyptol, as recently demonstrated for other cells of innate immunity; EO implements pathogen internalization and clearance by stimulating the complement receptor-mediated phagocytosis; EO stimulates podosome formation and increases the expression of podosome components. These results confirm that EO extract is a potent activator of innate cell-mediated immunity and thereby increase the scientific evidence supporting an additional property of this plant extract besides the known antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products: Focus on Antimicrobial and Antitumor Properties)
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