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Natural Products Chemists: Leaving Our Lab in Covid-19 Emergency

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 19210

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Severina Pacifico

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
Interests: food chemistry; natural products chemistry; nutraceuticals; mass spectrometry polyphenols; chemoprevention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world has been brought to a stop following the advance of an invisible enemy, Covid-19. Slowly, even non-medical researchers have had to leave their laboratory, which for many is nothing less than their second home, often more frequented than their own house. In the deafening silence of the period, natural product chemists cannot and must not stop. Natural product chemists have to continue, if not by handling their continuous and exciting experiments, then by even retrieving and investigating old data that previous daily activities had forced to put on hold, or for which it had not been the right time to draf a potential publication—until today.

In this time, when to safeguard their people, various governments have dictated the blocking of educational and nondidactic activities, natural product chemists have the opportunity to study and deepen into the literature on all those potentially antiviral compounds that nature biosynthesizes, and to which the drug industry has paid little attention.

This non-specific Special Issue is open to all this, to a family of researchers who cannot stop and who feel a sense of urgency to continue with their research work in the hope of soon returning to the benches of their laboratory.

Prof. Dr. Severina Pacifico
Guest Editor

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 product chemistry
secondary metabolites
phytochemicals
dietary bioactive compounds
antiviral compounds

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3120 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phytochemical Characterization of Olea europaea L. Cultivars of Cilento National Park (South Italy) through NMR-Based Metabolomics

by Assunta Esposito, Pietro Filippo De Luca, Vittoria Graziani, Brigida D’Abrosca, Antonio Fiorentino and Monica Scognamiglio

Molecules 2021, 26(13), 3845; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26133845 - 24 Jun 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1646

Abstract

Olea europaea germplasm is constituted by a huge number of cultivars, each one characterized by specific features. In this context, endemic cultivars evolved for a very long period in a precise local area, developing very specific traits. These characteristics include the production and accumulation of phytochemicals, many of which are also responsible for the nutraceutical value of the drupes and of the oils therefrom. With the aim of obtaining information on the phytochemical profile of drupes of autochthonous cultivars of Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, a metabolomics-based study was carried out on 19 selected cultivars. Multivariate data analysis of ¹H-NMR data and 2D NMR analyses allowed the rapid identification of metabolites that were qualitatively and/or quantitatively varying among the cultivars. This study allowed to identify the cultivars Racioppella, Guglia, Pizzulella, Oliva amara, and Racioppa as the richest in health-promoting phenolic compounds. Furthermore, it showed a significant variability among the different cultivars, suggesting the possibility of using metabolic fingerprinting approaches for cultivar differentiation, once that further studies aimed at assessing the influence of growing conditions and environmental factors on the chemical profiles of single cultivars are carried out. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products Chemists: Leaving Our Lab in Covid-19 Emergency)

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Review

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12 pages, 778 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Influence of Propolis on Dental Plaque Reduction and the Correlation between Dental Plaque and Severity of COVID-19 Complications—A Literature Review

by Anna Kurek-Górecka, Karolina Walczyńska-Dragon, Rafael Felitti, Aleksandra Nitecka-Buchta, Stefan Baron and Paweł Olczyk

Molecules 2021, 26(18), 5516; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26185516 - 11 Sep 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4531

Abstract

Current studies suggest that cariogenic bacteria in dental plaque influence the severity of COVID-19 complications since the oral cavity is a reservoir for respiratory pathogens potentially responsible for the development of hospital-acquired pneumonia. This article focuses on the association between dental plaque and COVID-19 concerning the influence of altered oral biofilm on the risk of increased severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, it concentrates on the usefulness of propolis, with its apitherapeutic antibacterial properties, for treating oral bacterial infections co-occurring with SARS-CoV-2 infection. A review of the literature on PubMed, Cochrane Library and Medline between 2000 and 2021 revealed 56 published articles indicating that a link between dental plaque and COVID-19 complications was probable. Furthermore, they indicated that propolis may minimize COVID-19 severity by reducing dental plaque accumulation. The possibility that improved oral health could reduce the risk of COVID-19 complications should be of interest to scientists. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products Chemists: Leaving Our Lab in Covid-19 Emergency)

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18 pages, 1243 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Therapeutic Intervention of COVID-19 by Natural Products: A Population-Specific Survey Directed Approach

by Christian R. Gomez, Ingrid Espinoza, Fazlay S. Faruque, Md. Mahbub Hasan, Khondaker Miraz Rahman, Larry A. Walker and Ilias Muhammad

Molecules 2021, 26(4), 1191; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26041191 - 23 Feb 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3937

Abstract

To date very few promising leads from natural products (NP) secondary metabolites with antiviral and immunomodulatory properties have been identified for promising/potential intervention for COVID-19. Using in-silico docking studies and genome based various molecular targets, and their in vitro anti-SARS CoV-2 activities against whole cell and/or selected protein targets, we select a few compounds of interest, which can be used as potential leads to counteract effects of uncontrolled innate immune responses, in particular those related to the cytokine storm. A critical factor for prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection relates to factors independent of viral infection or host response. They include population-related variables such as concurrent comorbidities and genetic factors critically relevant to COVID-19 health disparities. We discuss population risk factors related to SARS-CoV-2. In addition, we focus on virulence related to glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PDd), the most common human enzymopathy. Review of data on the response of individuals and communities with high prevalence of G6PDd to NP, prompts us to propose the rationale for a population-specific management approach to rationalize design of therapeutic interventions of SARS-CoV-2 infection, based on use of NP. This strategy may lead to personalized approaches and improve disease-related outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products Chemists: Leaving Our Lab in Covid-19 Emergency)

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19 pages, 2597 KiB

Open AccessReview

Chemical Diversity of Plant Cyanogenic Glycosides: An Overview of Reported Natural Products

by Meri Yulvianti and Christian Zidorn

Molecules 2021, 26(3), 719; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26030719 - 30 Jan 2021

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 5517

Abstract

Cyanogenic glycosides are an important and widespread class of plant natural products, which are however structurally less diverse than many other classes of natural products. So far, 112 naturally occurring cyanogenic glycosides have been described in the phytochemical literature. Currently, these unique compounds have been reported from more than 2500 plant species. Natural cyanogenic glycosides show variations regarding both the aglycone and the sugar part of the molecules. The predominant sugar moiety is glucose but many substitution patterns of this glucose moiety exist in nature. Regarding the aglycone moiety, four different basic classes can be distinguished, aliphatic, cyclic, aromatic, and heterocyclic aglycones. Our overview covers all cyanogenic glycosides isolated from plants and includes 33 compounds with a non-cyclic aglycone, 20 cyclopentane derivatives, 55 natural products with an aromatic aglycone, and four dihydropyridone derivatives. In the following sections, we will provide an overview about the chemical diversity known so far and mention the first source from which the respective compounds had been isolated. This review will serve as a first reference for researchers trying to find new cyanogenic glycosides and highlights some gaps in the knowledge about the exact structures of already described compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products Chemists: Leaving Our Lab in Covid-19 Emergency)

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18 pages, 2669 KiB

Open AccessReview

Polyphenols vs. Coronaviruses: How Far Has Research Moved Forward?

by Simona Piccolella, Giuseppina Crescente, Shadab Faramarzi, Marialuisa Formato, Maria Tommasina Pecoraro and Severina Pacifico

Molecules 2020, 25(18), 4103; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules25184103 - 08 Sep 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2684

Abstract

The epidemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2 at the beginning of 2020, led us to a serious change in our lifestyle that for about three months has confined us to our homes, far from our laboratory routine. In this period, the belief that the work of a researcher should never stop has been the driving force in writing the present paper. It aims at reviewing the recent scientific knowledge about in vitro experimental data that focused on the antiviral role of phenols and polyphenols against different species of coronaviruses (CoVs), pointing up the viral targets potentially involved. In the current literature scenario, the papain-like and the 3-chymotrypsin-like proteases seem to be the most deeply investigated and a number of isolated natural (poly)phenols has been screened for their efficacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products Chemists: Leaving Our Lab in Covid-19 Emergency)

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