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A versatile terpene synthase (LcTPS2) producing unconventional macrocyclic terpenoids was characterized from Leucosceptrum canum. Engineered E. coli and Nicotiana benthamiana expressing LcTPS2 produced six 18-/14-membered sesterterpenoids including five new ones and two 14-membered diterpenoids, representing the first macrocyclic sesterterpenoids from plants and the largest sesterterpenoid ring system identified to date. Surprisingly, none of these macrocyclic terpenoids were detected in L. canum. Two variants F516A and F516G producing approximately 3.3- and 2.5- folds respectively more sesterterpenoids than the wild type enzyme was engineered. Both 18- and 14-membered ring sesterterpenoids displayed significant inhibitory activity on the IL-2 and IFN-I³ production of T cells via inhibition of MAPK pathway. The findings will contribute to the development of efficient biocatalysts to create bioactive macrocyclic sesterterpenoids, and also herald a new potential in the well-trodden territory of plant terpenoid biosynthesis.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the growth potential and some rarely reported bioactivities (antioxidant, thrombolytic, anticoagulant, and anthelmintic) of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer adventitious roots. To demonstrate the growth, shake flask and laboratory-scale bioreactor cultures have been employed. The obtained biomass was dried and extracted with water, ethanol, and methanol. The growth ratio (12.62 ± 1.03) observed in the bioreactor was significantly higher than in the shake flask culture. The presence of 10 different phytochemical classes, including carbohydrates, saponins, glycosides, and terpenoids were detected in qualitative estimation. Significant quantities of phenolics, flavonoids, proteins, and tannins were determined. Dose-dependent antioxidant activities were observed, and the IC50 values of methanolic and ethanolic extracts were very similar to the standard. The highest (29.26 ± 5.31%) thrombolytic potential was shown by the methanolic extract. The ethanolic extract significantly extended the coagulation times up to 2.5 fold. The highest anthelmintic properties in terms of paralyzing (2.21 ± 0.31 min) and killing (3.69 ± 0.41 min) of the parasitic worms were displayed by the aqueous extract. The in vitro root growth implies the commercial feasibility of ginseng production in Bangladesh and the demonstration of potential bioactivities strengthens medicinal implications and also offering new research areas.

Drimane‐type sesquiterpenes exhibit various biological activities and are widely present in eukaryotes. Here, we completely elucidated the biosynthetic pathway of the drimane‐type sesquiterpene esters isolated from Aspergillus calidoustus and we discovered that it involves a drimenol cyclase having the same catalytic function previously only reported in plants. Moreover, since many fungal drimenol derivatives possess a γ‐butyrolactone ring, we clarified the functions of the cluster‐associated cytochrome P450 and FAD‐binding oxidoreductase discovering that these two enzymes are solely responsible for the formation of those structures. Furthermore, swapping of the enoyl reductase domain in the identified polyketide synthase led to the production of metabolites containing various polyketide chains with different levels of saturation. These findings have deepened our understanding of how fungi synthesize drimane‐type sesquiterpenes and the corresponding esters., Reported here is the complete elucidation of the biosynthetic pathway of drimane‐type sesquiterpene esters from Aspergillus calidoustus, including the first identified fungal drimenol cyclase. The cluster‐associated acyltransferase is then employed to transfer different lengths of ACP‐activated polyketides, but also very diverse CoA‐esters.

Four synthetic farnesyl diphosphate analogues were enzymatically converted with three bacterial sesquiterpene synthases, including β-himachalene synthase (HcS) and ( Z )-γ-bisabolene synthase (BbS) from Cryptosporangium arvum , and germacrene A synthase (SmTS6) from Streptomyces mobaraensis . These enzyme reactions not only yielded several previously unknown compounds, showing that this approach opened the door to a new chemical space, but substrates with blocked or altered reactivities also gave interesting insights into the cyclisation mechanisms and the potential to catalyse reactions with different initial cyclisation modes.

Research for innovative drugs is crucial to contribute to parasitic infections control and eradication. Inspired by natural antiprotozoal triterpenes, a library of 12 hemisynthetic 3‐O‐arylalkyl esters was derived from ursolic and oleanolic acids through one‐step synthesis. Compounds were tested on Trypanosoma, Leishmania and the WI38 cell line alongside with a set of triterpenic acids. Results showed that the triterpenic C3 esterification keeps the antitrypanosomal activity (IC50≈1.6–5.5 μm) while reducing the cytotoxicity compared to parent acids. Unsaturation of the ester alkyl chain leads to an activity loss interestingly kept when a sterically hindered group replaces the double bond or shields the ester group. An ursane/oleanane C3 hydroxylation was the only important feature for antileishmanial activity. Two candidates, dihydrocinnamoyl and 2‐fluorophenylpropionyl ursolic acids, were tested on an acute mouse model of African trypanosomiasis with significant parasitemia reduction at day 5 post‐infection for the dihydrocinnamoyl derivative. Further evaluation on other alkyl/protective groups should be investigated both in vitro and in vivo., A library of 12 C3 triterpenic esters was readily synthesized and tested for antiparasitic activity and cytotoxicity evaluation. C3 esterification kept the activity while lowering the cytotoxicity. The most potent antitrypanosomal activity, coupled with great selectivity, was shown by 2‐fluoro phenylpropionate, phenylpropionate and α‐methyl phenylpropionate esters of ursolic acids. The phenylpropionate derivative showed significant in vivo parasitemia reduction at day 5 post‐infection.

In the current research study, the phytochemical tests of the Ricinus communis L methanolic extract detected the presence of coumarin, reducing sugar, emodines, terpenoids, flavonoids, and steroids while water extract showed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, and soluble starch. The methanolic extract was further subjected to synthesize Au nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were confirmed by UV-Vis through the appearance of a peak at 550 nm which correspond to the existence of Au nanoparticles. The size and morphology of synthesized nanoparticle were further studied by the dynamic light scattering technique which shows that nanoparticles were in the range of 100 nm which were further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The synthesized nanoparticles and extracts were tested against different bacterial strains. The results revealed that methanolic extract showed maximum inhibition of 19.5 mm against Klebsiella pneumoniae and 20.33 mm against Bacillus cereus while water extract showed maximum inhibition of 18.16 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 19.33 mm against B. cereus. On the other hand, Au nanoparticles showed maximum inhibition of 18.5 mm against Escherichia coli.

Schinortriterpenoids, such as pre-schisanartanin A and arisanlactone C, are complex and highly oxygenated polycyclic terpenes. In this study, the left-hand fragment of this class terpenes, which possesses oxygen-functionality at C19, was synthesized through [3+2] cycloaddition with excellent diastereoselectivity. This stereoselectivity was investigated by computational studies. Further selective transformation provided a tricyclic skeleton with the desired stereochemistry.

Peony (Paeonia section Moutan DC.) seed oil is a novel vegetable oil with unique aromatic profile. The objectives of this study were to characterize the volatile compounds with optimized analysis conditions, and to study the effects of oxidation during storage. The Headspace Solid-phase Micro-extraction (HS-SPME) conditions were optimized with factors including extraction fiber, extraction time and temperature, as well as sample amount and desorption time. Then, the aromatic compounds extracted from peony seed oil were determined using the odor activity value (OAV) method coupled with the GC-olfactometry. Results found that the best HS-SPME conditions were DVB/CAR/PDMS fibers with magnetic stirring for 50 min of extraction at 60°C. The optimal sample amount was 4 g with 6 min of desorption. Forty-one volatile components were found, and 19 aromatic components were identified using GC-MS and GC-olfactometry. This is the first study to describe 4,7-dimethylbenzofuran in peony seed oil with a unique aroma of grass, light bitter, and fragrance. The stability of alcohol and terpenoids decreased as accelerated oxidation progresses. This study provides the theoretical basis for the sensory attributes, and shelf-life of peony seeds oil products for industry production and marketing.

Introduction The genus Aster plants have been widely used for thousands of years in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau for the clearing of heat, detoxification, and the treatment of seasonal pandemic diseases. Although the presence of several flavonoid compounds in Aster has been reported by previous studies, the diversity of secondary metabolites within and among species is relatively unknown. Objective The metabolite profile of one Aster species was systematically compared with those of other taxa to find potential chemotaxonomic markers, delimit species, and assess chemodiversity. Method Samples of the above-ground parts of 11 Aster species were collected and their metabolites were analysed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Unsupervised principal component analysis, supervised orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis, heatmap analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis were employed to analyse 95 representative samples from 11 Aster species and determine species-specific chemical markers based on a metabolomics database. Results Six phenolic acids and flavonoids were detected and quantified in all Aster species, suggesting that these compounds may be common constituents in the Aster genus. Metabolite analysis showed terpenoid compounds to be potential chemical markers for interspecies differentiation. Ent-kaurane-type diterpenoid glycosides were the main class of compounds in all Aster species except for A. farreri, which mainly contained oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpenoids. Diterpenoid glycosides were low-content chemotaxonomic markers and were detected for the first time in Aster species from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Conclusion Chemotaxonomy and metabolomics were used to support the phylogenic relationships of the Aster genus.

Terpenoids have an impressive structural diversity and provide valuable substances for a variety of industrial applications. Among terpenes, the sesquiterpenes (C15 ) are the largest subclass with bioactivities ranging from aroma to health promotion. In this article, we show a gram-scale production of the sesquiterpene α-humulene in final aqueous concentrations of 2 g L-1 with the recombinant strain Cupriavidus necator pKR-hum in a fed-batch mode on fructose as carbon source and n-dodecane as an extracting organic phase for in situ product removal. Since C. necator is capable of both heterotrophic and autotrophic growth, we additionally modeled the theoretically possible yields of a heterotrophic versus an autotrophic process on CO2 in industrially relevant quantities. We compared the cost-effectiveness of both processes based on a production of 10 t α-humulene per year, with both processes performing equally with similar costs and gains. Furthermore, the expression and activity of 3-hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase (hmgR) from Myxococcus xanthus was identified as the main limitation of our constructed C. necator pKR-hum strain. Thus, we outlined possible solutions for further improvement of our production strain, for example, the replacement of the hmgR from M. xanthus by a plant-based variant to increase α-humulene production titers in the future.

Introduction Xanthones are metabolites with a variety of biological properties. The Clusiaceae family, which until recently included the genus Calophyllum, is recognised for its production of monohydroxylated and polyhydroxylated xanthones. Presently, C. brasiliense is the only Calophyllum spp. known to occur in the Yucatan peninsula. Objective To use a combination of traditional phytochemical methods and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13 C-NMR) dereplication analysis to identify xanthones in the stem bark of C. brasiliense. Material and methods Initial fractionation and purification of the stem bark extract of C. brasiliense produced macluraxanthone (1). Additional xanthones, together with chromanones and terpenoids, were identified using 13 C-NMR dereplication analysis in different semipurified fractions obtained from the low and medium polarity fractions of the stem bark extract of C. brasiliense. Results Initial identification of macluraxanthone (1) was confirmed by 13 C-NMR dereplication analysis; additionally, 13 C-NMR dereplication analysis allowed the identification of a number of monohydroxylated and polyhydroxylated xanthones, together with chromanones and terpenoids. Conclusion This study confirms C. brasiliense as a rich source of xanthones and the 13 C-NMR dereplication analysis as a suitable method to quickly identify the presence of different families of secondary metabolites in semipurified fractions.

Terpene synthases (TPSs) produce a variety of terpenoids that play numerous functional roles in primary and secondary metabolism, as well as in ecological interactions. Here, we report the functional characterization of an inducible potato TPS gene encoding bulnesol/elemol synthase (StBUS/ELS). The expression of StBUS/ELS in potato leaves was significantly induced in response to both bacterial (Pseudomonas syringae) and fungal (Alternaria solani) infection as well as methyl jasmonate treatment, indicating its role in defense. The leaves exhibited the highest StBUS/ELS expression followed by the stem with least and similar expression in tuber, sprout and root. Recombinant StBUS/ELS catalyzed the formation of different sesquiterpenes by utilizing farnesyl diphosphate as substrate, and the monoterpene geraniol from geranyl diphosphate. Among the sesquiterpenes formed by StBUS/ELS, elemol was the predominant product followed by α-bulnesene, bulnesol and β-elemene. Further gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of StBUS/ELS assay products at different injection temperatures revealed elemol and bulnesol as the major products at 275 and 200/150°C, respectively, without much change in the levels of minor products. This indicated thermal rearrangement of bulnesol into elemol at higher temperatures. Transient overexpression of StBUS/ELS in potato leaves conferred tolerance against the growth of bacteria P. syringae and Ralstonia solanacearum, and the fungus A. solani. Further, expression analysis of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes in StBUS/ELS overexpressing leaves showed no significant change in comparison to control, indicating a direct involvement of StBUS/ELS enzymatic products against pathogens. Overall, our study suggested that StBUS/ELS is a pathogen-inducible TPS encoding bulnesol/elemol synthase and could provide a direct role in defense against biotic stress in potato.

Tropical forests absorb large amounts of atmospheric CO2 through photosynthesis, but high surface temperatures suppress this absorption while promoting isoprene emissions. While mechanistic isoprene emission models predict a tight coupling to photosynthetic electron transport (ETR) as a function of temperature, direct field observations of this phenomenon are lacking in the tropics and are necessary to assess the impact of a warming climate on global isoprene emissions. Here we demonstrate that in the early successional species Vismia guianensis in the central Amazon, ETR rates increased with temperature in concert with isoprene emissions, even as stomatal conductance (gs ) and net photosynthetic carbon fixation (Pn ) declined. We observed the highest temperatures of continually increasing isoprene emissions yet reported (50°C). While Pn showed an optimum value of 32.6 ± 0.4°C, isoprene emissions, ETR, and the oxidation state of PSII reaction centers (qL ) increased with leaf temperature with strong linear correlations for ETR (ƿ = 0.98) and qL (ƿ = 0.99) with leaf isoprene emissions. In contrast, other photoprotective mechanisms, such as non-photochemical quenching, were not activated at elevated temperatures. Inhibition of isoprenoid biosynthesis repressed Pn at high temperatures through a mechanism that was independent of stomatal closure. While extreme warming will decrease gs and Pn in tropical species, our observations support a thermal tolerance mechanism where the maintenance of high photosynthetic capacity under extreme warming is assisted by the simultaneous stimulation of ETR and metabolic pathways that consume the direct products of ETR including photorespiration and the biosynthesis of thermoprotective isoprenoids. Our results confirm that models which link isoprene emissions to the rate of ETR hold true in tropical species and provide necessary "ground-truthing" for simulations of the large predicted increases in tropical isoprene emissions with climate warming.

Rosa rugosa Thunb., is as a medicinal plant known for anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the specific active compounds responsible for the individual pharmacological effects of in R. rugosa extract (95% EtOH) remain unknown. Here, we hypothesized that terpenoid structure, the most abundant constituents in R. rugosa extract, are responsible for its anti-inflammatory activity. We investigated the phytochemical substituents (compounds 1-13) and newly purified 11-methoxy polisin A, and 13-methoxy bisaborosaol F using NMR and ESI-MS and to screened their effects on NO production in LPS-induced macrophages. Rugosic acid A (RA) induced to ameliorate NO production, iNOS, and pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with the NF-κB. And, RA suppressed IL-6 secretion and IL-6-mediated STAT3 activation in LPS-mediated inflammation. In addition, RA was evaluated in LPS-mediated acute lung injury (ALI) model similar to acute pneumonia. Our results suggested that RA was suppressed to translocate nuclear NF-κB and IL-6-mediated STAT3 activation. Finally, RA led to amelioration of ALI by decreasing myeloperoxidase (MPO) and inhibiting phosphorylation of NF-κB and STAT3. Our group originally found that R. rugosa extract had new methoxy compounds and RA may be alternative natural agent for acute pneumonia similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome by coronavirus.

The pea leafminer, Liriomyza huidobrensis, is an important pest species affecting ornamental crops worldwide. Plant damage consists of oviposition and feeding punctures created by female adult flies as well as larva-bored mines in leaf mesophyll tissues. How plants indirectly defend themselves from these two types of leafminer damage has not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, we compared the indirect defense responses of bean plants infested by either female adults or larvae. Puncturing of leaves by adults released green leaf volatiles and terpenoids, while larval feeding caused plants to additionally emit methyl salicylate and (E,E)-4,8,12-trimethyl-1,3,7,11-tridecatetraene (TMTT). Puncturing of plants by female adults induced increases in jasmonic acid (JA) and JA-related gene expressions but reduced the expressions of salicylic acid (SA)-related genes. In contrast, JA and SA and their-related gene expression levels were increased significantly by larval feeding. The exogenous application of JA+SA significantly triggered TMTT emission, thereby significantly inducing the orientation behavior of parasitoids. Our study has confirmed that larval feeding can trigger TMTT emission through the activation of both JA and SA pathways to attract parasitoids; however, TMTT alone is less attractive than the complete blend of volatiles released by infested plants.

This study aimed to determine the chemical compositions of crude aquatic extracts of M. pulegium L. and R. idaeus L., and their anti‐Toxoplasma activity. Crude aquatic extraction of aerial parts of R. idaeus L. and M. pulegium L. was performed. GC‐MS and HTPLC analyses were carried out. MTT assay was performed on Vero cells treated by different concentrations (Log −10 from 10−1 to 10−6) of the extracts. The anti‐Toxoplasma activity of the concentrations was investigated using vital staining. Menthol (99.23%) and limonene (0.227%) were the major compounds of the aquatic extract of M. pulegium L. Phytochemical compositions of R. idaeus L. were terpenoids, esterols, and flavonoids. The cell toxicity of M. pulegium L. was lower than R. idaeus L. (CC50 > 10−2 versus. ≥ 10−4). Aquatic extract of M. pulegium L. showed higher anti‐Toxoplasma activity (LC50 ≥ 10−6) than R. idaeus L. (LC50 ≥ 10−5). Statistically significant cell toxicity and anti‐Toxoplasma activity (p

The 1,3-enyne moiety is commonly found in cyclohexanoid natural products produced by endophytic and plant pathogenic fungi. Asperpentyn (1) is a 1,3-enyne-containing cyclohexanoid terpenoid isolated from Aspergillus and Pestalotiopsis. The genetic basis and biochemical mechanism of 1,3-enyne biosynthesis in 1, and other natural products containing this motif, has remained enigmatic despite their potential ecological roles. Identified here is the biosynthetic gene cluster and characterization of two crucial enzymes in the biosynthesis of 1. A P450 monooxygenase that has a dual function, to first catalyze dehydrogenation of the prenyl chain to generate a cis-diene intermediate and then serve as an acetylenase to yield an alkyne moiety, and thus the 1,3-enyne, was discovered. A UbiA prenyltransferase was also characterized and it is unusual in that it favors transferring a five-carbon prenyl chain, rather than a polyprenyl chain, to a p-hydroxybenzoic acid acceptor.

Callicarpa kwangtungensis Chun is a traditional Chinese medicine that has various therapeutic effects. Despite its wide use in Chinese medicine, the study is still quite limited, especially its chemical compositions. In this research, an ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with Q Exactive hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry tandem mass spectrometry method was utilized to analyze its chemical compositions for the first time. As a result, a total of 124 compounds, including 20 phenylethanoid glycosides, 31 flavonoids, 36 organic acids, 26 terpenoids and 11 phenols, were identified or tentatively characterized in 30 min. Among them, 49 compounds, including 5 phenylethanoid glycosides, 12 flavonoids, 16 organic acids, 12 terpenoids, and 4 phenols, were identified in Callicarpa kwangtungensis Chun for the first time. Besides, the fragmentation pathways were also discussed. This research established a rapid and reliable method to analyze the chemical compositions of complicated herb without the process of isolation, and provide abundant information on the chemical material basis for further bioactivity and quality control studies.

The volatile compositions of eight blueberry cultivars (‘Premier’, ‘Gardenblue’, ‘Legacy’, ‘Brigitta’, ‘Misty’, ‘O’Neal’, ‘Bluerain’ and ‘Northland’) grown in the middle region of China were investigated. Volatiles were extracted by headspace solid‐phase microextraction (HS‐SPME) and analysed by gas chromatography—quadrupole time of flight—mass spectrometry (SPME‐GC‐QTOF‐MS). A total of 28 volatiles were identified and quantified, including 5 esters, 11 terpenoids, 3 aldehydes, 6 alcohols and 3 volatile phenols. Different blueberry cultivars had distinct varietal volatile profiles. Rabbiteye cultivars, ‘Premier’ and ‘Gardenblue’, were characterized by a large amount of esters, especially for ethyl acetate. ‘Misty’ had the highest terpenoid content. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression (PLS) were selected to correlate the chemical data with sensory perceptions. PCA showed that esters were dominant in rabbiteye blueberries, especially for ethyl acetate. No distinct pattern of volatile profile was found for the highbush and half‐highbush blueberry cultivars. PLS showed that the grassy descriptor was positively correlated with linalool and hexanal. The minty descriptor was positively correlated with eucalyptol.

The drimentine family is a class of hybrid isoprenoids derived from actinomycete bacteria. Members of this family display weak antitumor and antibacterial activity. Herein we report our efforts toward the total synthesis of drimentine C using three distinct approaches incorporating palladium-catalyzed cyanoamidation, reductive cross-coupling, and photoredox-catalyzed α-alkylation of an aldehyde as key steps. Our synthetic efforts use a convergent synthesis to assemble the terpenoid and alkaloid portions of drimentine C from readily available l-tryptophan, l-proline, and (+)-sclareolide.

The discovery of mid-Proterozoic (1.8-0.8 billion years ago, Ga) indigenous biomarkers is a challenge, since biologically informative molecules of such antiquity are commonly destroyed by metamorphism or overprinted by drilling fluids and other anthropogenic petroleum products. Previously, the oldest clearly indigenous biomarkers were reported from the 1.64 Ga Barney Creek Formation in the northern Australian McArthur Basin. In this study, we present the discovery of biomarker molecules from carbonaceous shales of the 1.73 Ga Wollogorang Formation in the southern McArthur Basin, extending the biomarker record back in time by ~90 million years. The extracted hydrocarbons illustrate typical mid-Proterozoic signatures with a large unresolved complex mixture, high methyl alkane/n-alkane ratios and the absence of eukaryotic steranes. Acyclic isoprenoids, saturated carotenoid derivatives, bacterial hopanes and aromatic hopanoids and steroids also were below detection limits. However, continuous homologous series of low molecular weight C14 -C19 2,3,4- and 2,3,6-trimethyl aryl isoprenoids (AI) were identified, and C20 -C22 AI homologues were tentatively identified. Based on elevated abundances relative to abiogenic isomers, we interpret the 2,3,6-AI isomer series as biogenic molecules and the 2,3,4-AI series as possibly biogenic. The biological sources for the 2,3,6-AI series include carotenoids of cyanobacteria and/or green sulphur bacteria (Chlorobiaceae). The lower concentrated 2,3,4-AI series may be derived from purple sulphur bacteria (Chromatiaceae). These degradation products of carotenoids are the oldest known clearly indigenous molecules of likely biogenic origin.

Non‐natural terpenoids offer potential as pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. However, their chemical syntheses are often long, complex, and not easily amenable to large‐scale production. Herein, we report a modular chemoenzymatic approach to synthesize terpene analogues from diphosphorylated precursors produced in quantitative yields. Through the addition of prenyl transferases, farnesyl diphosphates, (2E,6E)‐FDP and (2Z,6Z)‐FDP, were isolated in greater than 80 % yields. The synthesis of 14,15‐dimethyl‐FDP, 12‐methyl‐FDP, 12‐hydroxy‐FDP, homo‐FDP, and 15‐methyl‐FDP was also achieved. These modified diphosphates were used with terpene synthases to produce the unnatural sesquiterpenoid semiochemicals (S)‐14,15‐dimethylgermacrene D and (S)‐12‐methylgermacrene D as well as dihydroartemisinic aldehyde. This approach is applicable to the synthesis of many non‐natural terpenoids, offering a scalable route free from repeated chain extensions and capricious chemical phosphorylation reactions.

This research analyzed the volatile composition of the fruits pulp of six prickly pear cultivars (NT, NE, NO, NA, FR, and ORI) growing in Spain, by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography (GC-MS and GC-FID). A total of 35 compounds were isolated, identified, and quantified, with aldehydes, alcohols, and terpenes being the predominant chemical families, and esters, ketones, linear hydrocarbons, and terpenoids being also found. Nonanol, 2,6-nonadienal, 1-hexanol, 2-hexenal, and D-limonene were the predominant compounds. NT and FR cultivars showed the highest concentration of total volatile compounds. On the other hand, NE and NO cultivars presented the lowest concentration. Future studies on sensory evaluation are required to determine the sensory quality of the fruits of these Spanish cultivars.

Glucose, a key nutrient utilized by human cells to provide cellular energy and a carbon source for biomass synthesis, is internalized in cells via glucose transporters that regulate glucose homeostasis throughout the human body. Glucose transporters have been used as important targets for the discovery of new drugs to treat cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, owing to their abnormal expression during these disease conditions. Thus far, several glucose transport inhibitors have been used in clinical trials, and increasing numbers of natural products have been characterized as potential anticancer agents targeting glucose transport. The present review focuses on natural product glucose transport inhibitors of plant origin, including alkaloids, flavonoids and other phenolic compounds, and isoprenoids, with their potential antitumor properties also discussed.