Lentinus crinitus: Traditional use, phytochemical and pharmacological activities, and industrial and biotechnological applications.

The saprophytic basidiomycete Lentinus crinitus (L.) Fr is a Brazilian native fungus with pantropical occurrence. L. crinitus produces edible fruiting bodies with medicinal, nutritional, and biotechnological applications. The compounds from fungal fruiting bodies can be applied to the preparation of products in the food, cosmetic, biomedical, and pharmaceutical industries. Our aim was to review the literature on L. crinitus concerning its botanical description, geographical distribution, phytochemistry, pharmacological properties, nutritional value, and biotechnology potential (in vitro cultivation and enzyme production). Scientific search engines, including ScienceDirect, CAPES Journals Portal, Google Scholar, PubMed, SciELO, MEDLINE, LILACS, and SciFinder, were consulted to gather data on L. crinitus. The present review is an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of the phytochemical compounds, phytopharmacological activities, and biotechnological value of L. crinitus. Extracts from L. crinitus have been reported to exhibit numerous in vitro pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer. The substances in these extracts belong to different classes of chemical compounds such as polysaccharides, fatty acids, terpenes, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. Reviews on Brazilian native fungi are of great importance for scientific knowledge, with great applicability as a mirror for species of the same family. The ethnobotanical, phytochemical, pharmacological, ethnomedicinal, and biotechnological properties of L. crinitus highlighted in this review provide information for future studies and commercial exploitation, and reveal that this fungus has enormous potential for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, biotechnological, and ecological applications.

Low-cost alternative for the bioproduction of bioactive phenolic compounds of callus cultures from Cereus hildmannianus (K.) Schum.

The aim of this study was to establish a sustainable alternative callus culture of Cereus hildmannianus for the production and bioactive determination of phenolic compounds from this species. The conventional callus was cultivated using agar and Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, while for the alternative culture the agar was replaced with a cotton support covered with filter paper and MS medium (incubated at 32 °C with photoperiod of 16 h), and the morphological characteristics and growth index were assessed (8 weeks). Extracts were obtained by maceration followed by partition, characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance - NMR and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography - UHPLC, quantified (phenolic compounds) by UV-Vis methods, and their antioxidant, antitumor activities, as well as cytotoxicity, were evaluated. The establishment of an alternative callus culture was carried out successfully. Characteristic signals of phenolic compounds were determined by NMR, and 46 compounds with fragment ions were identified using UHPLC analysis. The highest concentrations of phenolic compounds, and greatest antioxidant and antitumor activities, were obtained with the dichloromethane fractions of both callus tissue cultures, which were not cytotoxic. The callus culture from C. hildmannianus has shown promise as a source for the sustainable production of phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antiproliferative activities and thus, has potential use as a natural antitumor product.

Effects of fructans and probiotics on the inhibition of Klebsiella oxytoca and the production of short-chain fatty acids assessed by NMR spectroscopy.

Generally, the selection of fructans prebiotics and probiotics for the formulation of a symbiotic has been based on arbitrary considerations and in vitro tests that fail to take into account competitiveness and other interactions with autochthonous members of the intestinal microbiota. However, such analyzes may be a valuable step in the development of the symbiotic. The present study, therefore, aims to investigate the effect of lactobacilli strains and fructans (prebiotic compounds) on the growth of the intestinal competitor Klebsiella oxytoca, and to assess the correlation with short-chain fatty acids production. The short-chain fatty acids formed in the fermentation of the probiotic/prebiotic combination were investigated using NMR spectroscopy, and the inhibitory activities were assessed by agar diffusion and co-culture methods. The results showed that Lactobacillus strains can inhibit K. oxytoca, and that this antagonism is influenced by the fructans source and probably associated with organic acid production.

Anti-herpes activity of polysaccharide fractions from Stevia rebaudiana leaves.

The antiviral potential of natural polysaccharide compounds has been demonstrated, especially against enveloped viruses and members of the Herpesviridae family. Two polysaccharide fractions obtained from Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) leaves, that were active against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) were studied to investigate their mode of action. Both polysaccharides - SFW (crude faction) and SSFK (homogeneous alkaline fraction) - exerted antiviral effects on the initial stages of HSV-1 infection by inhibiting viral adsorption and penetration. When added after virus internalization, both fractions decreased plaque size. The effect of the fractions was confirmed by investigating viral glycoprotein expression. Based on the mode of action of the polysaccharides demonstrated in the present work and on their selectivity index, the polysaccharides obtained from S. rebaudiana could be an alternative treatment of infections caused by HSV-1.

A new natural source for obtainment of inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides from industrial waste of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.

Fructan-type inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) are reserve polysaccharides that offer an interesting combination of nutritional and technological properties for food industry. Stevia rebaudiana is used commercially in the sweetener industry due to the high content of steviol glycosides in its leaves. With the proposal of using industrial waste, the objective of the present study was to isolate, characterize and evaluate the prebiotic activity of inulin and FOS from S. rebaudiana stems. The chemical characterization of the samples by GC-MS, NMR and off-line ESI-MS showed that it was possible to obtain inulin molecules from the S. rebaudiana stems with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 12, and FOS with a DP<6. The in vitro prebiotic assay of these molecules indicates a strain specificity in fermentation capacity of fructans as substrate. FOS molecules with a low DP are preferably fermented by beneficial microbiota than inulin molecules with higher DP.

Biochemical composition of symplastic sap from sugarcane genetically modified to overproduce proline.

Global interest in sugarcane has increased significantly in recent years because of its economic impact on sustainable energy production. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate changes in the concentrations of total sugars, amino acids, free proline, and total proteins by colorimetric analyses and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to perform a metabolic profiling of a water-soluble fraction of symplastic sap in response to the constitutive expression of a mutant Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS) gene from Vigna aconitifolia. However, there was not a significant increase in the free proline content in the sap of transgenic plants compared to the non-transformed control plants. The most noticeable difference between the two genotypes was an almost two-fold increase in the accumulation of sucrose in the stem internodes of P5CS transgenic sugarcane plants. The results presented in this work showed that transgenic sugarcane plants with increased levels of free proline accumulates high soluble sugar content and, therefore, may represent a novel genotype for improving sugarcane cultivars.

Isolation and prebiotic activity of inulin-type fructan extracted from Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng) Pedersen roots.

Pfaffia glomerata (Amaranthaceae) is popularly known as "Brazilian ginseng." Previous studies have shown that fructose is the major carbohydrate component present in its roots. Inulin-type fructans, polymers of fructose, are the most widespread and researched prebiotics. Here, we isolated and chemically characterized inulin extracted from P. glomerata roots and investigated its potential prebiotic effect. Fructans were isolated and their structures were determined using colorimetric, chromatography, polarimetry, and spectroscopic analysis. The degree of polymerization (DP) was determined, and an in vitro prebiotic test was performed. The structure of inulin was confirmed by chromatography and spectroscopic analysis and through comparison with existing data. Representatives from the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium utilized inulin from P. glomerata, because growth was significantly stimulated, while this ability is strain specific. The results indicated that inulin extracted from P. glomerata roots represents a promising new source of inulin-type prebiotics.

Structure and antiviral activity of arabinogalactan with (1→6)-ß-D-galactan core from Stevia rebaudiana leaves.

Cell wall polysaccharides from leaves of Stevia rebaudiana were extracted successively with water and with aq. 10% KOH. After the purification steps, homogeneous fractions (SFW-10RM and SSFK-10RM) were analyzed by sugar composition, HPSEC, methylation and (13)C NMR spectroscopy analysis. The results showed that SFW-10RM is a pectic arabinogalactan with an unusual ß-(1→6)-linked D-Galp residues forming the main chain. Approximately 38% of the ß-D-Galp units of the backbone carry branches on position O-3, consisting of single D-Galp units or arabinan side chains. Arabinose residues were found to occupy mostly the terminal positions in both furanose and pyranose forms and as 2-, 5- and 3,5-linked residues in these side chains. Fraction SSFK-10RM is a similar arabinogalactan, differing mainly in the relative proportions of arabinans attached to the galactan core and in the content of D-GalpA residues present in the pectic domain. The crude aqueous and alkaline extracts and homogeneous SSFK-10RM showed antiviral activity against Herpes Simplex Virus type-1 (HSV-1) in vitro.

Anti-leishmanial activity of alkaloidal extracts obtained from different organs of Aspidosperma ramiflorum.

The present study was designated to evaluate semi-quantitative antileishmanial activity of alkaloidal extracts that were obtained from 1g of different parts of Aspidosperma ramiflorum (leaves, roots, seeds, and stem barks). Alkaloidal extracts of barks and leaves presented a good activity against the extracellular form (promastigotes) of Leishmania (L.) amazonensis. It is known that compounds responsible for the antileishmanial activity in the alkaloidal extracts from A. ramiflorum are the monoterpenoid indole alkaloids ramiflorine A and ramiflorine B, therefore extracts obtained from different plant parts were analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) in order to evidence the presence of these bioactive alkaloids. Based on these findings, alkaloidal extract from leaves was fractionated on preparative thin-layer chromatography in a bioassay-guided fractionation affording individual purified ramiflorines A and B. Both ramiflorines A and B showed significant activity against Leishmania (L.) amazonensis (LD(50) values of 18.5±6.5µg/ml and 12.63±5.52µg/ml, respectively). Our results are showing that alkaloidal extract from leaves is a promising alternative to the use of stem barks from A. ramiflorum.

Structure and degree of polymerisation of fructooligosaccharides present in roots and leaves of Stevia rebaudiana (Bert.) Bertoni.

Fructooligosaccharides have been isolated from roots and leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, by hot aqueous extraction, followed by precipitation with ethanol. Their structure has been determined using methylation and NMR analysis, MALDI-TOF, and ESI-MS. Fructooligosaccharides contained almost exclusively (2→1)-linked ß-fructofuranosyl, with terminal α-glucopyranosyl and ß-fructofuranosyl units. MALDI-TOF and ESI-MS analyses showed the wide range of degree of polymerisation (DP) present in various extracts. From roots and leaves, three different fractions gave profiles of homologous series, with DPs ranging up to 17 with MALDI-TOF and 19 using ESI-MS. These inulin-type fructooligosaccharides were the major component of extracts from S. rebaudiana roots and significant components from the leaves.

Anti-leishmanial activity of alkaloidal extract from Aspidosperma ramiflorum.

Infections due to protozoa of the genus Leishmania are a major worldwide health problem, with high endemicity in developing countries. The drugs of choice for the treatment of leishmaniasis are the pentavalent antimonials (SbV), which present renal and cardiac toxicity. Besides, the precise chemical structure and mechanism of action of these drugs are unknown up to date. In order to find new drugs against leishmaniasis, we have been studying extracts of Brazilian trees. In the present study, we have evaluated the effectiveness of an alkaloid extract of Aspidosperma ramiflorum Muell. Arg. (Apocynaceae), against the extracellular forms promastigotes of L. (L.) amazonensis and L. (V.) braziliensis. The alkaloid extract of A. ramiflorum was much more effective against L. (L.) amazonensis (LD50 < 47 microg/ml) than L. (V.) braziliensis. Based on these in vitro results against L. (L.) amazonensis new studies should be made to find the compounds with anti-leishmanial activity.

Alkaloid production by callous tissue cultures of Cereus peruvianus (Cactaceae).

The morphologically undifferentiated cells of nonregenerant callous tissue of Cereus peruvianus cultured in the original medium and in medium supplemented with tyrosine were used as an alkaloid source. Comparison of alkaloid production by C. peruvianus plants and by callous tissues indicated that alkaloid levels were almost twice as high in callous tissues as in shoots of C. peruvianus plants. The ratio of alkaloid concentration between mature plant and morphologically undifferentiated cells of callous tissue was 1:1.7. A relationship between culture medium containing tyrosine and alkaloid production was also observed in the callous tissues of C. peruvianus. Since increased alkaloid production may be induced by additional factors such as tyrosine, increasing levels of tyrosine or other conditions of the culture medium may be considered factors for inducing higher alkaloid production by C. peruvianus callous tissues.