Epicotripeptin (1), a new cyclic tripeptide along with four known cyclic dipeptides (2–5) and one acetamide derivative (6) were isolated from seagrass-associated endophytic fungus Epicoccum nigrum M13 recovered from the Red Sea. Additionally, two new compounds, cyclodidepsipeptide phragamide A (7) and trioxobutanamide derivative phragamide B (8), together with eight known compounds (9–16), were isolated from plant-derived endophyte Alternaria alternata 13A collected from a saline lake of Wadi El Natrun depression in the Sahara Desert. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined based on the 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data, HRESIMS data, and a comparison with the reported literature. The absolute configurations of 1 and 7 were established by advanced Marfey’s and Mosher’s ester analyses. The antimicrobial screening indicated that seven of the tested compounds exhibited considerable (MIC range of 2.5–5 µg/mL) to moderate (10–20 µg/mL) antibacterial effect against the tested Gram-positive strains and moderate to weak (10–30 µg/mL) antibacterial effect against Gram-negative strains. Most of the compounds exhibited weak or no activity against the tested Gram-negative strains. On the other hand, four of the tested compounds showed considerable antibiofilm effects against biofilm forming Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains.

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites of low molecular weight produced by filamentous fungi, such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium spp. Mycotoxins are natural contaminants of agricultural commodities and their prevalence may increase due to global warming. Dangerous mycotoxins cause a variety of health problems not only for humans, but also for animals. For instance, they possess carcinogenic, immunosuppressive, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic, and neurotoxic effects. Hence, various approaches have been used to assess and control mycotoxin contamination. Significant challenges still exist because of the complex heterogeneous nature of food composition. The potential of combined omics approaches such as metabolomics, genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics would contribute to our understanding about pathogen fungal crosstalk as well as strengthen our ability to identify, isolate, and characterise mycotoxins pre and post-harvest. Multi-omics approaches along with advanced analytical tools and chemometrics provide a complete annotation of such metabolites produced before/during the contamination of crops. We have assessed the merits of these individual and combined omics approaches and their promising applications to mitigate the issue of mycotoxin contamination. The data included in this review focus on aflatoxin, ochratoxin, and patulin and would be useful as benchmark information for future research.

The constant exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) has a variety of harmful effects on human health. Although synthetic sunscreen products have been introduced as a preventive/therapeutic strategy, with the realization of their adverse side effects, the recent trend is to search for human friendly alternative formulations especially of plant origin. Therefore, the present study focuses on evaluation of photoprotective activity of aqueous extracts (1 mg/ml) of eleven medicinal plants in Sri Lanka that have been widely employed in traditional medicine as treatment options for various skin diseases and to improve the complexion. For the determination of UV filtering potential of the extracts, UV absorption was measured and the sun protection factor (SPF) was calculated according the Mansur equation. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assays. Among the extracts, Atalantia ceylanica, Hibiscus furcatus, Leucas zeylanica, Mollugo cerviana, Olax zeylanica and Ophiorrhiza mungos have displayed SPF value ≥ 25, which are even higher than two commercial photoprotective creams used as reference compounds. L. zeylanica and O. mungos have displayed a high UV absorbance in 260–350 nm range indicating their potential of being broad spectrum sunscreens. In addition, the extract of O. mungos was found to be photostable, without any significant reduction in the SPF after exposure to direct solar radiation for 21 days. DPPH assay and the ABTS assay revealed that the extracts possess high antioxidant activity. The results of the present study suggest that the presence of secondary metabolites with antioxidant property could be responsible for the high UV absorbance. Our findings would offer an exciting avenue for further research towards the development of herbal cosmetics.

Marine endophytic fungi from under-explored locations are a promising source for the discovery of new bioactivities. Different endophytic fungi were isolated from plants and marine organisms collected from Wadi El-Natrun saline lakes and the Red Sea near Hurghada, Egypt. The isolated strains were grown on three different media, and their ethyl acetate crude extracts were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against a panel of pathogenic bacteria and fungi as well as their antioxidant properties. Results showed that most of the 32 fungal isolates initially obtained possessed antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The most potent antimicrobial extracts were applied to three different cellulose containing fabrics to add new multifunctional properties such as ultraviolet protection and antimicrobial functionality. For textile safety, the toxicity profile of the selected fungal extract was evaluated on human fibroblasts. The 21 strains displaying bioactivity were identified on molecular basis and selected for chemical screening and dereplication, which was carried out by analysis of the MS/MS data using the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) platform. The obtained molecular network revealed molecular families of compounds commonly produced by fungal strains, and in combination with manual dereplication, further previously reported metabolites were identified as well as potentially new derivatives.

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) fruit juice has been used in Polynesia as a traditional folk medicine and is very popular worldwide as a functional food supplement. In this study, compounds present in Hawaiian Noni fruit juice, with anti-inflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were identified. Five compounds were isolated using a bioassay-driven technique and phytochemical analysis of noni fruit juice: asperulosidic acid (1), rutin (2), nonioside A (3), (2E,4E,7Z)-deca-2,4,7-trienoate-2-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (4), and tricetin (5). The structures of these five compounds were determined via NMR spectroscopy and LC/MS. In an anti-inflammatory assay, compounds 1–5 inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO), which is a proinflammatory mediator, in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of compounds 1–5 were investigated. Parallel to the inhibition of NO production, treatment with compounds 1–5 downregulated the expression of IKKα/β, I-κBα, and NF-κB p65 in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Furthermore, treatment with compounds 1–5 downregulated the expression of nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. Thus, these data demonstrated that compounds 1–5 present in noni fruit juice, exhibited potential anti-inflammatory activity; these active compounds may contribute preventively and therapeutically against inflammatory diseases.

Juices, wine, coffee, and cocoa are rich sources of natural polyphenolic compounds that have potent antioxidant activities proven by in vitro and in vivo studies. These polyphenolic compounds quench reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) or reactive free radicals and act as natural antioxidants which are also able to protect against reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative damage, which elevates cellular antioxidant capacity to induce antioxidant defense mechanisms by modulating transcription factors. Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor encoded in humans. It is activated as a result of oxidative stress and induces the expression of its target genes. This is one of the most important cellular defense mechanisms against oxidative stress. However, the oxidative stress alone is not enough to activate Nrf2. Hence phytochemicals, especially polyphenolics, act as natural Nrf2 activators. Herein, this review discusses the natural products identified in juices, coffee, cocoa and wines that modulate Nrf2 activity in cellular systems.