Profile of Myracrodruon urundeuva Volatile Compounds Ease of Extraction and Biodegradability and In Silico Evaluation of Their Interactions with COX-1 and iNOS

Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of essential oils' insecticidal action using a novel cheminformatics protocol

Essential oils (EOs) are a promising source for novel environmentally safe insecticides. However, the structural diversity of their compounds poses challenges to accurately elucidate their biological mechanisms of action. We present a new chemoinformatics methodology aimed at predicting the impact of essential oil (EO) compounds on the molecular targets of commercial insecticides. Our approach merges virtual screening, chemoinformatics, and machine learning to identify custom signatures and reference molecule clusters. By assigning a molecule to a cluster, we can determine its most likely interaction targets. Our findings reveal that the main targets of EOs are juvenile hormone-specific proteins (JHBP and MET) and octopamine receptor agonists (OctpRago). Three of the twenty clusters show strong similarities to the juvenile hormone, steroids, and biogenic amines. For instance, the methodology successfully identified E-Nerolidol, for which literature points indications of disrupting insect metamorphosis and neurochemistry, as a potential insecticide in these pathways. We validated the predictions through experimental bioassays, observing symptoms in blowflies that were consistent with the computational results. This new approach sheds a higher light on the ways of action of EO compounds in nature and biotechnology. It also opens new possibilities for understanding how molecules can interfere with biological systems and has broad implications for areas such as drug design.

Solid-Phase Microextraction and Related Techniques in Bioanalysis

Living organisms, such as microorganisms, plants and animals, are composed of complex constituents, which may include bioactive components that maintain their functions [...]

Chemical Approach to the Optimization of Conditions Using HS-SPME/GC–MS for Characterization of Volatile Compounds in Eugenia brasiliensis Fruit

Grumixama (Eugenia brasiliensis Lam.) is a native fruit of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, belonging to the Myrtaceae family, which designatesthe most significant number of species with food potential. It stands out due to its phytochemical characteristics because of the presence of polyphenols and volatile organic compounds. Volatile compounds are substances released by foods that give off an aroma and influence flavor. Solid-phase microextraction is a technique that allows for low-cost, fast, and solvent-free extraction, has an affinity for numerous analytes, and is easily coupled to gas chromatography. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the efficiency of different fibers of SPME (solid-phase microextraction) in the extraction of volatile organic compounds from grumixama pulp; optimize a method for extraction time, temperature, and sample weight; and to determine the characteristic volatile profile of this fruit. For the extraction of volatile compounds, three fibers of different polarities were used: polar polyacrylate (PA) fibers, divinylbenzene/carboxyne/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/CAR/PDMS) semipolar fibers, and polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB). Fourteen volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified by DVB/CAR/PDMS, six by PA, and seven by PDMS/DVB through solid-phase microextraction in the headspace mode (SPME-HS). Considering the total number of compounds identified, regardless of the fiber used, and the optimization of the method, Eugenia brasiliensis presented sesquiterpene fractions (85.7%, 83.3%, and 85.7% of total VOCs) higher than the monoterpene fractions (14.3%, 16.7%, and 14.3%) for DVB/CAR/PDMS, PA, and PDMS/DVB, respectively in its composition. In addition, it was possible to verify that the fiber DVB/CAR/PDMS presented a better efficiency due to the larger chromatographic area observed when the grumixama pulp was subjected to conditions of 75 °C, 2.0 g, and an adsorption time of 20 min.