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Use of Essential Oils in Agriculture
Published in K. Hüsnü Can Başer, Gerhard Buchbauer, Handbook of Essential Oils, 2020
Catherine Regnault-Roger, Susanne Hemetsberger, Gerhard Buchbauer
Terpenoids are major constituents of EOs and, to a lesser amount, phenylpropanoids. EO constituents belonging to terpenoids are mainly monoterpenes (ten atoms of carbon) and sesquiterpenes (15 atoms of carbon) of low molecular weight. They generally consist of several tens of constituents, of which the great majority possess an isoprenoid skeleton. Monoterpenes present in EOs may contain terpenes that are hydrocarbons (alpha-pinene), alcohols (menthol, geraniol, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, p-menthane-3,8-diol), aldehydes (cinnamaldehyde, cuminaldehyde), ketones (thujone), ethers (1,8-cineole or eucalyptol), and lactones (nepetalactone). As the elongation of the chain to 15 carbons increases the number of possible cyclizations, sesquiterpenes have a wide variety of structures (over 100 skeletons). Aromatic compounds are less common and are derived mainly from the shikimate pathway. Some compounds identified in EOs result from the degradation of fatty acids (jasmonic acid) or are glycosylated volatile compounds (e.g., linalool glucoside) (Regnault-Roger et al., 2012a,b).
Lifestyle Influences on the Microbiome
Published in David Perlmutter, The Microbiome and the Brain, 2019
Dietary emulsifiers like Polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose increase the inflammatory potential of the gut microbiome, in particular increasing the immunogenicity of the multi-species protein flagellin.106 At the same time, they decrease the thickness of the gastrointestinal mucus layer and promote bacterial translocation.107 Non-nutritive sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose are bacteriostatic. Their consumption by rats or mice alters the gut microbiome in ways that decrease insulin sensitivity.108 The herbicide glyphosate is a common food contaminant, because of its widespread agricultural use. Glyphosate inhibits the Shikimate pathway for synthesis of aromatic amino acids. Even when dietary aromatic amino acids are abundant, exposing rats to glyphosate alters the function of their gut microbiome, decreasing synthesis of acetate and elevating fecal pH.109 However, the impact of glyphosate may be age and sex-dependent. Female rats110 and F1 pups111 exposed to glyphosate at levels common in the North American diet demonstrate a significant decrease in Lactobacillus species, but this effect is not observed in adult males.
Indian Diet and Cancer Prevention
Published in Sheeba Varghese Gupta, Yashwant V. Pathak, Advances in Nutraceutical Applications in Cancer, 2019
Vasudha Pritipaul, Asra Sami, Sheeba Varghese Gupta
Phytochemicals are compounds found in spices, and these compounds are known to have chemoprotective properties. These substances are formed during secondary metabolisms in plants. They are not vital for the plants’ tissue growth, storage, or energy production but are important for the viability of the plant in nature. The three main pathways through which the phytochemicals are formed are the shikimate pathway, the cinnamic acid pathway, and the isoprenoid pathway [35]. The shikimate pathway provides three end products, namely, phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine [36]. Phenylalanine starts the cinnamic acid pathway and produces phenolic acids, coumarins, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and lignans [35]. Pyruvic acid, formed during early photosynthesis, starts the isoprenoid pathway and this pathway produces terpenes. Table 14.2 show the sources and subfamilies of some phytochemicals and in which spices they can be found [33].
Potential of Mycobacterium tuberculosis chorismate mutase (Rv1885c) as a novel TLR4-mediated adjuvant for dendritic cell-based cancer immunotherapy
Published in OncoImmunology, 2022
Hyein Jeong, So-Young Lee, Hyejun Seo, Dong Hyun Kim, Duhyung Lee, Bum-Joon Kim
Chorismate mutase (CM) plays a central role in the shikimate pathway for the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids in bacteria, fungi and higher plants, including phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, by catalyzing the conversion of chorismate to prephenate.31 There are two putative genes for CM: Rv1885c and Rv0948c. Of these, the secretory form, TBCM (encoded by Rv1885c), is assumed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis,32 and it has low sequence homology among known CM. Therefore, it has gained increased attention as an interesting target for the discovery of antitubercular agents. However, very little is known about the pathogenic role of TBCM in TB pathogenesis. During research regarding its pathogenic role in TB infections, we unexpectedly found that TBCM can induce DC maturation and activation in BMDCs in a TLR4-dependent manner (Figures 1 and 8). Therefore, we hypothesized that TBCM could be effectively used as an immunoadjuvant for DC-based cancer immunotherapy.
Interactive effects of zinc oxide nano particles and different light regimes on growth and silymarin biosynthesis in callus cultures of Silybum marianum L.
Published in Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, 2021
Muhammad aamir Shehzad, Mubarak Ali Khan, Amir Ali, Sher Mohammad, Ahmed Noureldeen, Hadeer Darwish, Asif Ali, Ayaz Ahmad, Tariq Khan, Raham Sher Khan
The results of the current research are very encouraging, and they show that there is a great potential for the use of such nanoparticles in combination with light intensity to enhance the production of important secondary metabolites in S. marianum. Further, the results of PAL activity showed opposite trends and pointed out that, absence of ZnO NPs in culture media (control treatment) under normal light conditions can produce a higher quantity of PAL (9.10 mg/g) in callus cultures. This was followed by a diffused light, completely dark and complete dark for two weeks then shifted to normal light condition. However, additions of NPs to PGRs containing media drastically reduced the PAL activity (2.8 mg/g) in calli incubated under dark conditions for two weeks and then shifting to normal light. This fashion in PAL activity is ascribed to the PAL turnover, the strategic enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of phenolic acids and flavonoids in the shikimate pathway. More production of TPC and TFC is indirectly proportional to the PAL activity as some important isozymes of PAL may directly involve in the phenylpropanoid metabolism [13]. In a previous study, a combination of different PGRs (ABA, GA3 and ethylene) enhanced the PAL activity in the hairy root of Salvia miltiorrhiza [48].
The impact and toxicity of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides on health and immunity
Published in Journal of Immunotoxicology, 2020
Cindy Peillex, Martin Pelletier
The shikimate pathway targeted by glyphosate in plants also exists in microorganisms, the latter being exposed to GBHs in the gut microbiota through oral ingestion, accidental or not. In a model of cattle rumen exposed to different concentrations of glyphosate, there was a decrease in some microorganism phyla in favor of others, and the dysbiosis benefited pathogens (Ackermann et al. 2015). In particular, glyphosate inhibits Enterococcus spp., the bacteria capable of reducing the growth of the pathogen Clostridium botulinum in cattle rumen (Krüger et al. 2013). Another study demonstrated that dairy cows highly exposed to glyphosate showed changes in their rumen fungal composition compared to non-exposed cattle, revealing an effect of glyphosate on mycobiota (Schrödl et al. 2014). In other models such as mice, it was shown that oral exposure to RoundUp® was associated with a dysbiosis (Ait Bali et al. 2018). Specifically, in these hosts, there was a decreased ratio of firmicutes/bacteroides, the balance of which is essential for host physiology. Therefore, studies strongly indicate that GBHs disturb the microbiota equilibrium.