The aim of this research was to identify the volatile metabolites produced in different organs (leaves, stem and roots) of Polygonum minus, an important essential oil producing crop in Malaysia. Two methods of extraction have been applied: Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) and hydrodistillation coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Approximately, 77 metabolites have been identified and aliphatic compounds contribute significantly towards the aroma and flavour of this plant. Two main aliphatic compounds: decanal and dodecanal were found to be the major contributor. Terpenoid metabolites were identified abundantly in leaves but not in the stem and root of this plant. Further studies on antioxidant, total phenolic content, anticholinesterase and antimicrobial activities were determined in the essential oil and five different extracts. The plant showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity in polar (ethanol) extract for all the tissues tested. For anti-acetylcholinesterase activity, leaf in aqueous extract and methanol extract showed the best acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. However, in microbial activity, the non-polar extracts (n-hexane) showed high antimicrobial activity against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) compared to polar extracts. This study could provide the first step in the phytochemical profiles of volatile compounds and explore the additional value of pharmacology properties of this essential oil producing crop Polygonum minus.
Increasing demands for the supply of biopharmaceuticals have propelled the advancement of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies for biomanufacturing of bioactive natural products. Using metabolically engineered microbes as the bioproduction hosts, a variety of natural products including terpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, and cannabinoids have been synthesized through the construction and expression of known and newly found biosynthetic genes primarily from model and non-model plants. The employment of omics technology and machine learning (ML) platforms as high throughput analytical tools has been increasingly leveraged in promoting data-guided optimization of targeted biosynthetic pathways and enhancement of the microbial production capacity, thereby representing a critical debottlenecking approach in improving and streamlining natural products biomanufacturing. To this end, this mini review summarizes recent efforts that utilize omics platforms and ML tools in strain optimization and prototyping and discusses the beneficial uses of omics-enabled discovery of plant biosynthetic genes in the production of complex plant-based natural products by bioengineered microbes.
Wounds are considered to be a serious problem that affects the healthcare sector in many countries, primarily due to diabetes and obesity. Wounds become worse because of unhealthy lifestyles and habits. Wound healing is a complicated physiological process that is essential for restoring the epithelial barrier after an injury. Numerous studies have reported that flavonoids possess wound-healing properties due to their well-acclaimed anti-inflammatory, angiogenesis, re-epithelialization, and antioxidant effects. They have been shown to be able to act on the wound-healing process via expression of biomarkers respective to the pathways that mainly include Wnt/β-catenin, Hippo, Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β), Hedgehog, c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase (JNK), NF-E2-related factor 2/antioxidant responsive element (Nrf2/ARE), Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF-κB), MAPK/ERK, Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, Nitric oxide (NO) pathways, etc. Hence, we have compiled existing evidence on the manipulation of flavonoids towards achieving skin wound healing, together with current limitations and future perspectives in support of these polyphenolic compounds as safe wound-healing agents, in this review.
Neuronal models are an important tool in neuroscientific research. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a major risk factor of neuronal oxidative stress, initiates a cascade of neuronal cell death. Polygonum minus Huds, known as 'kesum', is widely used in traditional medicine. P. minus has been reported to exhibit a few medicinal and pharmacological properties. The current study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of P. minus ethanolic extract (PMEE) on H2O2-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. LC-MS/MS revealed the presence of 28 metabolites in PMEE. Our study showed that the PMEE provided neuroprotection against H2O2-induced oxidative stress by activating the Nrf2/ARE, NF-κB/IκB and MAPK signaling pathways in PMEE pre-treated differentiated SH-SY5Y cells. Meanwhile, the acetylcholine (ACH) level was increased in the oxidative stress-induced treatment group after 4 h of exposure with H2O2. Molecular docking results with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) depicted that quercitrin showed the highest docking score at -9.5 kcal/mol followed by aloe-emodin, afzelin, and citreorosein at -9.4, -9.3 and -9.0 kcal/mol, respectively, compared to the other PMEE's identified compounds, which show lower docking scores. The results indicate that PMEE has neuroprotective effects on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells in vitro. In conclusion, PMEE may aid in reducing oxidative stress as a preventative therapy for neurodegenerative diseases.
Food waste (FW) minimization at the source by using food waste biodigester (FWBs) has a vast potential to lower down the impact of increasing organic fraction in municipal solid waste generation. To this end, this research sought to check the performance of locally isolated hydrolase-producing bacteria (HPB) to improve food waste biodegradation rate. Two under-explored HPB identified as Bacillus paralicheniformis GRA2 and Bacillus velezensis TAP5 were able to produce maximum amylase, cellulase, protease and lipase activities, and demonstrated a significant hydrolase synergy in co-culture fermentation. In vitro biodegradation analysis of both autoclaved and non-autoclaved FW revealed that the HPB inoculation was effective to degrade total solids (>62%), protein (>19%), total fat (>51), total sugar (>86%), reducing sugar (>38%) and starch (>50%) after 8-day incubation. All co-culture treatments were recorded superior to the respective monocultures and the uninoculated control. The results of FW biodegradation using batch-biodigester trial indicated that the 1500 mL and 1000 mL inoculum size of HPB inoculant reached a plateau on the 4th day, with gross biodegradation percentage (GBP) of >85% as compared to control (66.4%). The 1000 mL inoculum was sufficient to achieve the maximum GBP (>90%) of FW after an 8-day biodigestion in a FWB.
Plastid trnL-trnF and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences were obtained from selected wild-type individuals of Polygonum minus Huds. in Peninsular Malaysia. The 380 bp trnL-trnF sequences of the Polygonum minus accessions were identical. Therefore, the trnL-trnF failed to distinguish between the Polygonum minus accessions. However, the divergence of ITS sequences (650 bp) among the Polygonum minus accessions was 1%, indicating that these accessions could be distinguished by the ITS sequences. A phylogenetic relationship based on the ITS sequences was inferred using neighbor-joining, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. All of the tree topologies indicated that Polygonum minus from Peninsular Malaysia is unique and different from the synonymous Persicaria minor (Huds.) Opiz and Polygonum kawagoeanum Makino.
In this dataset, we distinguish 15 accessions of Garcinia mangostana from Peninsular Malaysia using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy coupled with chemometric analysis. We found that the position and intensity of characteristic peaks at 3600-3100 cm(-) (1) in IR spectra allowed discrimination of G. mangostana from different locations. Further principal component analysis (PCA) of all the accessions suggests the two main clusters were formed: samples from Johor, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan (South) were clustered together in one group while samples from Perak, Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Kelantan, and Terengganu (North and East Coast) were in another clustered group.
In this dataset, we present 15 Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers with the motifs (AC)n, (GA)n, and (AC)n(AG)n using a ISSR-Suppression-PCR technique in order to discriminate Garcinia mangostana from diverse geographical origins in Peninsular Malaysia. A few loci showed differences between 3 and 6 bp in allele size, indicating that there are some polymorphisms between individuals correlating to the number of SSR repeats that may be useful for differentiate of genotypes. Collectively, these data show that the ISSR-Suppression-PCR is a valuable method to illustrate genetic variation of selected G. mangostana in Malaysia.
The chloroplastic trnL intron and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region were sequenced for 11 Nepenthes species recorded in Peninsular Malaysia to examine their phylogenetic relationship and to evaluate the usage of trnL intron and ITS sequences for phylogenetic reconstruction of this genus.
In this dataset, we differentiate four different tissues of Cosmos caudatus Kunth (leaves, flowers, stem and root) obtained from UKM Bangi plot, based on Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy. Different tissues of C. caudatus demonstrated the position and intensity of characteristic peaks at 4000-450 cm-1. Principal component analysis (PCA) shows three main groups were formed. The samples from leaves and flowers were found to be clustered together in one group, while the samples from stems and roots were clustered into two separate groups, respectively. This data provides an insight into the fingerprint identification and distribution of metabolites in the different organs of this species.
The essential oil in leaves of Polygonum minus Huds., a local aromatic plant, were identified by a pipeline of gas chromatography (GC) techniques coupled with mass-spectrometry (MS), flame ionization detector (FID) and two dimensional gas chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry (GC x GC-TOF MS). A total of 48 compounds with a good match and high probability values were identified using this technique. Meanwhile, 42 compounds were successfully identified in this study using GC-MS, a significantly larger number than in previous studies. GC-FID was used in determining the retention indices of chemical components in P. minus essential oil. The result also showed the efficiency and reliability were greatly improved when chemometric methods and retention indices were used in identification and quantification of chemical components in plant essential oil.
Sauropus androgynus L. Merr. is one of the most popular herbs in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China where it was known as a slimming agent until two outbreaks of pulmonary dysfunction were reported in Taiwan and Japan in 1995 and 2005, respectively. Several studies described that the excessive consumption of Sauropus androgynus could cause drowsiness, constipation, and bronchiolitis obliterans and may lead to respiratory failure. Interestingly, this herb has been used in Malaysia and Indonesia in cooking and is commonly called the "multigreen" or "multivitamin" plant due to its high nutritive value and inexpensive source of dietary protein. The plant is widely used in traditional medicine for wound healing, inducing lactation, relief of urinary disorders, as an antidiabetic cure and also fever reduction. Besides these medicinal uses, the plant can also be used as colouring agent in food. This review will explore and compile the fragmented knowledge available on the botany, ethnobotany, chemical constitutes, pharmacological properties, and toxicological aspects of this plant. This comprehensive review will give readers the fundamental, comprehensive, and current knowledge regarding Sauropus androgynus L. Merr.
Ficus deltoidea Jack (Moraceae) has had a long history of use in traditional medicine among the Malays to alleviate and heal ailments such as sores, wounds, and rheumatism and as an after-birth tonic and an antidiabetic drug. Modern pharmacological studies demonstrated that this plant has a wide variety of beneficial attributes for human health. Despite its importance, a review of this species has not been published in the scientific literature to date. Here, we review and summarize the historic and current literature concerning the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological effects, and toxicity of this wonder plant. This summary could be beneficial for future research aiming to exploit the therapeutic potential of this useful, medicinal species.
Mitragynine is one of the main psychoactive alkaloids in Mitragyna speciosa Korth. (kratom). It has opium-like effects by acting on μ-, δ-, and κ-opioid receptors in the brain. The compound also interacts with other receptors, such as adrenergic and serotonergic receptors and neuronal Ca2+ channels in the central nervous system to have its neuropharmacological effects. Mitragynine has the potential to treat diseases related to neurodegeneration such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, as its modulation on the opioid receptors has been reported extensively. This review aimed to provide an up-to-date and critical overview on the neuropharmacological effects, mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics and safety of mitragynine as a prospective psychotropic agent. Its multiple neuropharmacological effects on the brain include antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, sedative, stimulant, cognitive, and anxiolytic activities. The potential of mitragynine to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms related to opioid dependence, its pharmacokinetics and toxic effects were also discussed. The interaction of mitragynine with various receptors in the brain produce diverse neuropharmacological effects, which have beneficial properties in neurological disorders. However, further studies need to be carried out on mitragynine to uncover its complex mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamic profiles, addictive potential, and safe dosage to prevent harmful side effects.
Erwinia mallotivora was isolated from papaya infected with dieback disease showing the typical symptoms of greasy, water-soaked lesions and spots on leaves. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the strain belonged to the genus Erwinia and was united in a monophyletic group with E. mallotivora DSM 4565 (AJ233414). Earlier studies had indicated that the causal agent for this disease was E. papayae. However, our current studies, through Koch's postulate, have confirmed that papaya dieback disease is caused by E. mallotivora. To our knowledge, this is the first new discovery of E. mallotivora as a causal agent of papaya dieback disease in Peninsular Malaysia. Previous reports have suggested that E. mallotivora causes leaf spot in Mallotus japonicus. However, this research confirms it also to be pathogenic to Carica papaya.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a long-standing history of biotechnological applications even before the dawn of modern biotechnology. The field is undergoing accelerated advancement with the recent systems and synthetic biology approaches. In this review, we highlight the recent findings in the field with a focus on omics studies of S. cerevisiae to investigate its stress tolerance in different industries. The latest advancements in S. cerevisiae systems and synthetic biology approaches for the development of genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) and molecular tools such as multiplex Cas9, Cas12a, Cpf1, and Csy4 genome editing tools, modular expression cassette with optimal transcription factors, promoters, and terminator libraries as well as metabolic engineering. Omics data analysis is key to the identification of exploitable native genes/proteins/pathways in S. cerevisiae with the optimization of heterologous pathway implementation and fermentation conditions. Through systems and synthetic biology, various heterologous compound productions that require non-native biosynthetic pathways in a cell factory have been established via different strategies of metabolic engineering integrated with machine learning.
Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) has major impacts on yield and quality of the tuberous roots of cassava in Eastern and Central Arica. At least two Potyviridae species cause the disease: Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV). Cloned viral genome sequences known as infectious clones (ICs) have been important in the study of other viruses, both as a means of standardising infectious material and characterising viral gene function. IC construction is often technically challenging for Potyviridae due to sequence instability in E. coli. Here, we evaluate three methods for the construction of infectious clones for CBSD. Whilst a simple IC for in vitro transcription was made for UCBSV isolate 'Kikombe', such an approach failed to deliver full-length clones for CBSV isolates 'Nampula' or 'Tanza', necessitating more complex approaches for their construction. The ICs successfully generated symptomatic infection in the model host N. benthamiana and in the natural host cassava. This shows that whilst generating ICs for CBSV is still a technical challenge, a structured approach, evaluating both in vitro and in planta transcription systems should successfully deliver ICs, allowing further study into the symptomology and virulence factors in this important disease complex.
Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) is a leading cause of cassava losses in East and Central Africa, and is currently having a severe impact on food security. The disease is caused by two viruses within the Potyviridae family: Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV), which both encode atypical Ham1 proteins with highly conserved inosine triphosphate (ITP) pyrophosphohydrolase (ITPase) domains. ITPase proteins are widely encoded by plant, animal, and archaea. They selectively hydrolyse mutagenic nucleotide triphosphates to prevent their incorporation into nucleic acid and thereby function to reduce mutation rates. It has previously been hypothesized that U/CBSVs encode Ham1 proteins with ITPase activity to reduce viral mutation rates during infection. In this study, we investigate the potential roles of U/CBSV Ham1 proteins. We show that both CBSV and UCBSV Ham1 proteins have ITPase activities through in vitro enzyme assays. Deep-sequencing experiments found no evidence of the U/CBSV Ham1 proteins providing mutagenic protection during infections of Nicotiana hosts. Manipulations of the CBSV_Tanza infectious clone were performed, including a Ham1 deletion, ITPase point mutations, and UCBSV Ham1 chimera. Unlike severely necrotic wild-type CBSV_Tanza infections, infections of Nicotiana benthamiana with the manipulated CBSV infectious clones do not develop necrosis, indicating that that the CBSV Ham1 is a necrosis determinant. We propose that the presence of U/CBSV Ham1 proteins with highly conserved ITPase motifs indicates that they serve highly selectable functions during infections of cassava and may represent a euphorbia host adaptation that could be targeted in antiviral strategies.
Numerous potyvirus studies, including virus biology, transmission, viral protein function, as well as virus-host interaction, have greatly benefited from the utilization of reverse genetic techniques. Reverse genetics of RNA viruses refers to the manipulation of viral genomes, transfection of the modified cDNAs into cells, and the production of live infectious progenies, either wild-type or mutated. Reverse genetic technology provides an opportunity of developing potyviruses into vectors for improving agronomic traits in plants, as a reporter system for tracking virus infection in hosts or a production system for target proteins. Therefore, this review provides an overview on the breakthroughs achieved in potyvirus research through the implementation of reverse genetic systems.
Rice tungro disease was discovered in Malaysia in the 1930s. The first and only genome of Rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) isolated from rice in Malaysia was sequenced in 1999. After nearly two decades, here, we present the complete genome sequence of an RTBV isolate in rice from Seberang Perai, Malaysia.