Feruloyl-amides as natural antimicrobials for crop and food protection
Abstract Background Plants have developed multiple chemical defence responses against pathogen attacks. The main mechanism of defence is based on a rapid transcriptional reprogramming of genes encoding biosynthetic enzymes that synthesize specific secondary metabolites. Increasing evidence indicates...
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SpringerOpen
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40538-025-00736-8 |
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| author | Denise Dozio Sharmila Ghosh Daniele Alessandro Consolini Josè Luis Ermini Starna Loris Pinto Federico Baruzzi Martina Letizia Contente Andrea Pinto Paolo Cortesi Salvatore Princiotto Andrea Kunova Sabrina Dallavalle |
| author_facet | Denise Dozio Sharmila Ghosh Daniele Alessandro Consolini Josè Luis Ermini Starna Loris Pinto Federico Baruzzi Martina Letizia Contente Andrea Pinto Paolo Cortesi Salvatore Princiotto Andrea Kunova Sabrina Dallavalle |
| author_sort | Denise Dozio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Plants have developed multiple chemical defence responses against pathogen attacks. The main mechanism of defence is based on a rapid transcriptional reprogramming of genes encoding biosynthetic enzymes that synthesize specific secondary metabolites. Increasing evidence indicates phenylamides (PAs) as an important group of bioactive compounds in food plants. Results We synthesized a small collection of ferulic acid-derived phenylamides by chemoenzymatic approaches. The compounds were tested against fungal and bacterial pathogens to assess their antimicrobial potential. The treatment with the synthesized phenylamides showed modest inhibition of the fungal growth (up to 25%) and had no significant influence on spore germination, whereas some of the compounds gave a considerable inhibition of Pyricularia oryzae appressorium formation, up to 94%. They also exhibited in vitro antibacterial activity against six foodborne bacterial pathogens. Monitoring of six growth parameters (taking into account growth rate, time and absorbance) measured during 24 h incubation showed that the synthesized molecules, assayed at four concentrations between 12.5 and 100 mg/L, produced a stronger average antimicrobial effect against Gram-positive pathogenic strains than against Gram-negative ones. Conclusions The obtained results evidenced that the effect of this class of compounds is mainly related to blocking fungal virulence mechanisms, mediated by a significant effect on appressorium maturation, rather than to mycelium growth inhibition. Together with the observed in vitro antibacterial activity against foodborne bacterial pathogens, we conclude that PAs are promising candidates for future developments in the agri-food sector. Graphical Abstract |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1266f357c04a45ae823e3bbac86fd7af |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2196-5641 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
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| series | Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-1266f357c04a45ae823e3bbac86fd7af2025-02-02T12:12:05ZengSpringerOpenChemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture2196-56412025-01-0112111510.1186/s40538-025-00736-8Feruloyl-amides as natural antimicrobials for crop and food protectionDenise Dozio0Sharmila Ghosh1Daniele Alessandro Consolini2Josè Luis Ermini Starna3Loris Pinto4Federico Baruzzi5Martina Letizia Contente6Andrea Pinto7Paolo Cortesi8Salvatore Princiotto9Andrea Kunova10Sabrina Dallavalle11Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of MilanDepartment of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of MilanDepartment of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of MilanDepartment of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of MilanInstitute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR-ISPAInstitute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR-ISPADepartment of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of MilanDepartment of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of MilanDepartment of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of MilanDepartment of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of MilanDepartment of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of MilanDepartment of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of MilanAbstract Background Plants have developed multiple chemical defence responses against pathogen attacks. The main mechanism of defence is based on a rapid transcriptional reprogramming of genes encoding biosynthetic enzymes that synthesize specific secondary metabolites. Increasing evidence indicates phenylamides (PAs) as an important group of bioactive compounds in food plants. Results We synthesized a small collection of ferulic acid-derived phenylamides by chemoenzymatic approaches. The compounds were tested against fungal and bacterial pathogens to assess their antimicrobial potential. The treatment with the synthesized phenylamides showed modest inhibition of the fungal growth (up to 25%) and had no significant influence on spore germination, whereas some of the compounds gave a considerable inhibition of Pyricularia oryzae appressorium formation, up to 94%. They also exhibited in vitro antibacterial activity against six foodborne bacterial pathogens. Monitoring of six growth parameters (taking into account growth rate, time and absorbance) measured during 24 h incubation showed that the synthesized molecules, assayed at four concentrations between 12.5 and 100 mg/L, produced a stronger average antimicrobial effect against Gram-positive pathogenic strains than against Gram-negative ones. Conclusions The obtained results evidenced that the effect of this class of compounds is mainly related to blocking fungal virulence mechanisms, mediated by a significant effect on appressorium maturation, rather than to mycelium growth inhibition. Together with the observed in vitro antibacterial activity against foodborne bacterial pathogens, we conclude that PAs are promising candidates for future developments in the agri-food sector. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s40538-025-00736-8Crop protectionAntimicrobial activityAntifungal activityBacterial inhibitionFerulic acidPhenylamides |
| spellingShingle | Denise Dozio Sharmila Ghosh Daniele Alessandro Consolini Josè Luis Ermini Starna Loris Pinto Federico Baruzzi Martina Letizia Contente Andrea Pinto Paolo Cortesi Salvatore Princiotto Andrea Kunova Sabrina Dallavalle Feruloyl-amides as natural antimicrobials for crop and food protection Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture Crop protection Antimicrobial activity Antifungal activity Bacterial inhibition Ferulic acid Phenylamides |
| title | Feruloyl-amides as natural antimicrobials for crop and food protection |
| title_full | Feruloyl-amides as natural antimicrobials for crop and food protection |
| title_fullStr | Feruloyl-amides as natural antimicrobials for crop and food protection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feruloyl-amides as natural antimicrobials for crop and food protection |
| title_short | Feruloyl-amides as natural antimicrobials for crop and food protection |
| title_sort | feruloyl amides as natural antimicrobials for crop and food protection |
| topic | Crop protection Antimicrobial activity Antifungal activity Bacterial inhibition Ferulic acid Phenylamides |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40538-025-00736-8 |
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