In this review, we discuss novel natural products discovered within the last decade that are reported to have antifungal activity against pathogenic species. Nearly a hundred natural products were identified that originate from bacteria, algae, fungi, sponges, and plants. Fungi were the most prolific source of antifungal compounds discovered during the period of review. The structural diversity of these antifungal leads encompasses all the major classes of natural products including polyketides, shikimate metabolites, terpenoids, alkaloids, and peptides.

This study evaluates the quality variation for twenty-seven capsicum fruit (CF) samples, in terms of their volatile oil composition and biological activities. The GCMS analysis revealed the presence of seventy one chemical compounds from different chemical classes with an average (%) composition of: 26.13 (alcohols) > 18.82 (hydrocarbons) > 14.97 (esters) > 3.08 (ketones) > 1.14 (others) > 1.07 (acids) > 0.72 (sugar) > 0.42 (aldehydes) > 0.15 (amino compounds). Alcohols and hydrocarbons were the most abundant in these CF samples with 1-Decanol, 2-octyl- and docosanoic acid, docosyl ester as the major components, respectively. The % inhibition in cytotoxicity assays was observed in the range of 9–47 (MCF7) and 4–41 (HCT116) whereas, the zone of inhibition (mm) for the antimicrobial activity was found to be 0.0–17 (P. aeruginosa) > 0.0–13 (E. coli and S. aureus). Moreover, the samples with the largest zone of inhibition in the agar-well-diffusion method (C16, C19, and C26) upon further evaluation presented the least MIC and MBC values against P. aeruginosa with an MIC and MBC (µg/mL) of 6.3 and 12.5, respectively. The outcome for GCMS and biological activities were further supported by statistical tools of PCA and K-mean cluster analysis which confirmed the C16 CF sample with the best activity followed by C5, C13 (the best cytotoxic), and C19, C26 (the best antimicrobial). The statistical analysis exhibited a high Chi-square value of 5931.68 (GCMS) and 32.19 (biological activities) with p = 0.00 for KMO and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity. The 27-CF samples were effectively distinguished based on quality variation, and the C16 CF sample exhibited significant potential for further study.

By limiting the nitrogen source to glutamic acid, we isolated cyclic peptides from Euglena gracilis containing asparagine and non‐proteinogenic amino acids. Structure elucidation was accomplished through spectroscopic methods, mass spectrometry and chemical degradation. The euglenatides potently inhibit pathogenic fungi and cancer cell lines e.g., euglenatide B exhibiting IC₅₀ values of 4.3 μM in Aspergillus fumigatus and 0.29 μM in MCF‐7 breast cancer cells. In an unprecedented convergence of non‐ribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase assembly‐line biosynthesis between unicellular species and the metazoan kingdom, euglenatides bear resemblance to nemamides from Caenorhabditis elegans and inhibited both producing organisms E. gracilis and C. elegans. By molecular network analysis, we detected over forty euglenatide‐like metabolites in E. gracilis, E. sanguinea and E. mutabilis, suggesting an important biological role for these natural products.

Background: Geographical variation may affect the phytochemistry as well as the biological activities of Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) root. Herein, a series of biological activities were performed to evaluate the impact of geographical origin on the biological potential of eight different licorice samples. Methodology: Cell culture studies were performed for cytotoxicity (MCF7, HCT116, HepG2, and MRC5), glucose uptake assay (HepG2), and glutathione peroxidase activity (HepG2), whereas α-amylase inhibition activity was tested for antidiabetic potential. Results: The Indian sample was observed to be more cytotoxic against MCF7 (22%) and HCT116 (43%) with an IC₅₀ value of 56.10 (±2.38) μg/mL against the MCF7 cell line. The glucose uptake was seen with a mean value of 96 (±2.82) and a range of 92–101%. For glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx), the Syrian (0.31 ± 0.11) and Pakistani samples (0.21 ± 0.08) revealed a significant activity, whereas the Palestinian (70 ± 0.09) and Indian samples (68±0.06) effectively inhibited the α-amylase activity, with the lowest IC₅₀ value (67.11 ± 0.97) μg/mL for the Palestinian sample. The statistical models of PCA (principal component analysis) and K-mean cluster analysis were performed to correlate the geographical origin, extract yield, and biological activities for the eight licorice samples of different origins. Conclusion: The licorice samples exhibited significant cytotoxic, GPx, and α-amylase inhibitory activity. The samples with higher extract yield showed more potential in these biological activities.

Mango fruit is well known for its nutritional and health benefits due to the presence of a plethora of phytochemical classes. The quality of mango fruit and its biological activities may change depending upon the variation in geographical factors. For the first time, this study comprehensively screened the biological activities of all four parts of the mango fruit from twelve different origins. Various cell lines (MCF7, HCT116, HepG2, MRC5) were used to screen the extracts for their cytotoxicity, glucose uptake, glutathione peroxidase activity, and α-amylase inhibition. MTT assays were carried out to calculate the IC₅₀ values for the most effective extracts. The seed part from Kenya and Sri Lanka origins exhibited an IC₅₀ value of 14.44 ± 3.61 (HCT116) and 17.19 ± 1.60 (MCF7). The seed part for Yemen Badami (119 ± 0.08) and epicarp part of Thailand (119 ± 0.11) mango fruit showed a significant increase in glucose utilization (50 μg/mL) as compared to the standard drug metformin (123 ± 0.07). The seed extracts of Yemen Taimoor seed (0.46 ± 0.05) and Yemen Badami (0.62 ± 0.13) produced a significant reduction in GPx activity (50 μg/mL) compared to the control cells (100 μg/mL). For α-amylase inhibition, the lowest IC₅₀ value was observed for the endocarp part of Yemen Kalabathoor (108.8 ± 0.70 μg/mL). PCA, ANOVA, and Pearson’s statistical models revealed a significant correlation for the fruit part vs. biological activities, and seed part vs. cytotoxicity and α-amylase activity (p = 0.05). The seed of mango fruit exhibited significant biological activities; hence, further in-depth metabolomic and in vivo studies are essential to effectively utilize the seed part for the treatment of various diseases.