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Proapoptotic Potential of Bioactive Compounds from Horticulture Crops
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Proapoptotic Potential of Bioactive Compounds from Horticulture Crops

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2022) | Viewed by 10128

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Malgorzata Tyszka-Czochara

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Chemistry and Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Krakow, Poland
Interests: molecular aspects of plant bioactive compounds’ impact upon cells—focusing on proapoptotic mechanisms; targeting metabolism for anticancer therapy; the effect of phytochemicals and pharmaceuticals on mitochondrial processes; the role of AMPK signaling pathway regulation in cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue, we call for original research, short communications and review articles on the latest findings on the potential of horticulture crop-based bioactive molecules and related phytochemicals to elucidate apoptosis. We invite submissions of papers regarding diverse plants including (but not limited to) vegetables, herbs, perennial bushes, grapevines, flowers, ornamental plants, cereals and trees—all plants encompassing the wealth of horticulture crops. Growing evidence has shown that foliage, fruits, seeds, nuts, sprouts, microgreens and roots may be a source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolics, betalains, carotenoids, vitamins, plant sterols, alkaloids, organosulfur compounds and many others. The widespread use of bioactive plant-derived agents may contribute to the reduction in the rate of cancer incidence in humans and increase the effectiveness of anticancer regimens, since a number of studies have recently shown the potential use of phytochemicals as adjuvants in cancer therapy.

The health benefits of bioactive plant ingredients have been demonstrated to act via multiple mechanisms, including the regulation of cell proliferation and cell cycle progress, oxidative stress, suppression of oncogene expression, regulation of signaling pathways and the modulation of inflammation. Primarily, phytochemicals may induce programmed cell death of transformed cells due to apoptosis via intrinsic or extrinsic pathways.

We focus on the advances of the molecular background of proapoptotic effects of bioactive compounds isolated from horticulture crops. We encourage publishing original scientific work related to in vitro experiments using cancer/normal cell lines. Authors are also invited to submit studies performed using animal models to show how the bioactive compounds express their anticancer potential in in vivo conditions. The discussion on the relationship between the proapoptotic activity of the compounds and their bioavailability is also awaited.

We are interested in studies demonstrating the potential chemotherapeutic usefulness and safety of bioactive molecules isolated from horticulture plant materials as well as plant extracts.

Dr. Malgorzata Tyszka-Czochara
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. Plants 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

  • horticulture crops
  • plant bioactive compounds
  • functional foods
  • apoptosis
  • cytotoxicity
  • signaling pathways
  • cell cycle
  • autophagy
  • cancer
  • chemoprevention
  • cancer therapy
  • synergic effect

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3147 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Potential In Vitro Anticancer and Antimicrobial Activities of Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile Fruit Extract and Its Phytochemical Components
by Omer H. M. Ibrahim, Adel D. Al-Qurashi, Khalid A. Asiry, Magdi A. A. Mousa, Nabil A. Alhakamy and Kamal A. M. Abo-Elyousr
Plants 2022, 11(19), 2621; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192621 - 5 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2071
Abstract
The therapeutic importance of Balanites aegyptiaca in folk medicine for the treatment of several common human diseases has led researchers to conduct phytochemical and pharmacological studies on extracts from various parts of the plant. In the current study, the phytochemical composition of the [...] Read more.
The therapeutic importance of Balanites aegyptiaca in folk medicine for the treatment of several common human diseases has led researchers to conduct phytochemical and pharmacological studies on extracts from various parts of the plant. In the current study, the phytochemical composition of the B. aegyptiaca methanolic fruit extract was characterized, and its antimicrobial activity was evaluated together with the cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, PC-3, and Caco-2, compared with normal Vero cells. Further, its effects on cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction and expression of apoptosis-related genes were assessed. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of fatty acids and their esters in addition to phytosterols, steroid derivatives, and bioflavonoid glycosides with oleic and palmitic acids being the prevalent components (24.12 and 21.56%, respectively). The results showed considerable cytotoxic activity of the extract against the three cancer cell lines (MCF-7, PC-3, and Caco-2) with a selectivity index ranging from 5.07 to 6.52. This effect was further confirmed with the accompanied increased total apoptosis of treated PC-3 cells (19.22% of the total number of cells) compared to the control cells (0.64% of the total number of cells) with cell cycle arrest at G1 phase and the increased transcription of pro-apoptotic genes including P53 (3.69) and BAX (3.33) expressed as fold change (2^ ΔΔCT). The calculated minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was similar (62.5 µg/mL) against the three tested bacterial strains (Acinetobacter johnsonii, Serratia marcescens and Agrobacterium tumefaciens), while it was higher than 1000 µg/mL for the fungal species (Rhizoctonia solani, Penicillium italicum, and Fusarium oxysporium). Our findings suggest a promising anticancer activity for B. aegyptiaca, which paves the way for more detailed future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Proapoptotic Potential of Bioactive Compounds from Horticulture Crops)
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15 pages, 2398 KiB  
Article
Natural Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Antiproliferative Activities of Ethanolic Extracts from Punica granatum L. Tree Barks Mediated by Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase
by Arpron Leesombun, Ladawan Sariya, Jarupha Taowan, Chowalit Nakthong, Orathai Thongjuy and Sookruetai Boonmasawai
Plants 2022, 11(17), 2258; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11172258 - 30 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1901
Abstract
The nonedible parts of the pomegranate plant, such as tree barks and fruit peels, have pharmacological properties that are useful in traditional medicine. To increase their value, this study aimed to compare the antioxidative and antibacterial effects of ethanolic extracts from pomegranate barks [...] Read more.
The nonedible parts of the pomegranate plant, such as tree barks and fruit peels, have pharmacological properties that are useful in traditional medicine. To increase their value, this study aimed to compare the antioxidative and antibacterial effects of ethanolic extracts from pomegranate barks (PBE) and peels (PPE). The antiproliferative effects on HeLa and HepG2 cells through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway were also evaluated. The results indicated that the total amounts of phenolics and flavonoids of PBE and PPE were 574.64 and 242.60 mg equivalent gallic acid/g sample and 52.98 and 23.08 mg equivalent quercetin/g sample, respectively. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed that 5-hdroxymethylfurfural was the major component of both PBE (23.76%) and PPE (33.19%). The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate free radical scavenging capacities of PBE and PPE, in terms of the IC50 value, were 4.1 and 9.6 µg/mL, respectively. PBE had a greater potent antibacterial effect against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, and S. Typhimurium. PBE and PPE (1000 µg/mL) had exhibited no cytotoxic effects on LLC-MK2. PBE and PPE (250 and 1000 µg/mL, respectively) treatments were safe for BHK-21. Both extracts significantly inhibited HepG2 and HeLa cell proliferations at 10 and 50 µg/mL, respectively (p < 0.001). The results indicated that PBE and PPE have remarkable efficiencies as free radical scavengers and antibacterial agents, with PBE exhibiting greater efficiency. The inhibitory effects on HepG2 might be through the modulation of the ERK1/2 expression. PBE and PPE have the potential for use as optional supplementary antioxidative, antibacterial, and anticancer agents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Proapoptotic Potential of Bioactive Compounds from Horticulture Crops)
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17 pages, 3362 KiB  
Article
Azadirachta indica A. Juss Fruit Mesocarp and Epicarp Extracts Induce Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Effects against Prostate (PC-3), Breast (MCF-7), and Colorectal Adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) Cancer Cell Lines through Upregulation of Proapoptotic Genes
by Omer H. M. Ibrahim, Magdi A. A. Mousa, Khalid A. Asiry, Nabil A. Alhakamy and Kamal A. M. Abo-Elyousr
Plants 2022, 11(15), 1990; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11151990 - 30 Jul 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1790
Abstract
Effective alternative strategies and methodological approaches are critically necessary for cancer prevention and therapy. In this study, we investigated the antitumor potential of neem fruit mesocarp and epicarp extracts. The chemical composition of the derived extracts was characterized using GC–MS. Data were collected [...] Read more.
Effective alternative strategies and methodological approaches are critically necessary for cancer prevention and therapy. In this study, we investigated the antitumor potential of neem fruit mesocarp and epicarp extracts. The chemical composition of the derived extracts was characterized using GC–MS. Data were collected on the antimicrobial activity of the extracts in addition to the cytotoxicity effect evaluated against PC-3, MCF-7, and Caco-2 cancer cell lines, compared with the normal Vero cells. Cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, and expression of apoptosis-related genes were assessed on PC-3 cells. Both extracts had significant antiproliferative effects on all tested cell lines in a dose-dependent manner, with the mesocarp extract being more potent. Both extracts also showed high antibacterial and antifungal activities. These results were related to the chemical constituents of the extracts identified by the GC–MS analysis. The extract of neem fruit mesocarp caused cell-cycle arrest at G2/M phase of PC-3 cells. The cytotoxicity of neem mesocarp extract is strongly correlated with the induction of apoptosis, where it caused downregulation of the antiapoptotic BCL2 gene but upregulation of the proapoptotic P53 and BAX genes. This study showed that neem fruit extract is potential anticancer material in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Proapoptotic Potential of Bioactive Compounds from Horticulture Crops)
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Review

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19 pages, 2714 KiB  
Review
The Synergistic Effects of Curcumin and Chemotherapeutic Drugs in Inhibiting Metastatic, Invasive and Proliferative Pathways
by Maria Younes, Rita Mardirossian, Liza Rizk, Tia Fazlian, Jean Paul Khairallah, Christopher Sleiman, Hassan Y. Naim and Sandra Rizk
Plants 2022, 11(16), 2137; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11162137 - 17 Aug 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3689
Abstract
Curcumin, the main phytochemical identified from the Curcuma longa L. family, is one of the spices used in alternative medicine worldwide. It has exhibited a broad range of pharmacological activities as well as promising effects in the treatment of multiple cancer types. Moreover, [...] Read more.
Curcumin, the main phytochemical identified from the Curcuma longa L. family, is one of the spices used in alternative medicine worldwide. It has exhibited a broad range of pharmacological activities as well as promising effects in the treatment of multiple cancer types. Moreover, it has enhanced the activity of other chemotherapeutic drugs and radiotherapy by promoting synergistic effects in the regulation of various cancerous pathways. Despite all the literature addressing the molecular mechanism of curcumin on various cancers, no review has specifically addressed the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of curcumin in combination with therapeutic drugs on cancer metastasis. The current review assesses the synergistic effects of curcumin with multiple drugs and light radiation, from a molecular perspective, in the inhibition of metastasis, invasion and proliferation. A systemic review of articles published during the past five years was performed using MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus. The assessment of these articles evidenced that the combination therapy with various drugs, including doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, paclitaxel, berberine, docetaxel, metformin, gemcitabine and light radiation therapy on various types of cancer, is capable of ameliorating different metastatic pathways that are presented and evaluated. However, due to the heterogeneity of pathways and proteins in different cell lines, more research is needed to confirm the root causes of these pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Proapoptotic Potential of Bioactive Compounds from Horticulture Crops)
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