Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Microb Cell Fact. 2024 Nov 4;23(1):297. doi: 10.1186/s12934-024-02557-0.

Improvement of succinate production from methane by combining rational 
engineering and laboratory evolution in Methylomonas sp. DH-1.

Jo JH(#)(1)(2), Park JH(#)(3), Kim BK(4), Kim SJ(5)(6), Park CM(5), Kang CK(7), 
Choi YJ(7), Kim H(8), Lee EY(8), Moon M(5), Park GW(5), Lee S(9), Lee SY(5), Lee 
JS(5), Lee WH(10), Kim JI(11)(12), Kim MS(13).

Author information:
(1)Bioenergy and Resources Upcycling Research Laboratory, Korea Institute of 
Energy Research, Daejeon, 34129, Republic of Korea.
(2)Interdisciplinary Program for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National 
University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea.
(3)Institute of Biotechnology, CJ CheilJedang Co, Gyeonggi-Do, Suwon-Si, 16495, 
Republic of Korea.
(4)Research Institute, GI Biome Inc., Seongnam, Gyeonggi-Do, 13201, Republic of 
Korea.
(5)Gwangju Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Energy Research, 
Gwangju, 61003, Republic of Korea.
(6)Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Chonnam National University, 
Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea.
(7)School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul, 02504, 
Republic of Korea.
(8)Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Gyeonggi-do, 17104, 
Republic of Korea.
(9)Department of Bio-Environmental Chemistry, College of Agriculture and Life 
Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea.
(10)Department of Integrative Food, Bioscience and Biotechnology (BK21 FOUR), 
Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea.
(11)Interdisciplinary Program for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam 
National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea. kimji@chonnam.ac.kr.
(12)Department of Integrative Food, Bioscience and Biotechnology (BK21 FOUR), 
Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea. 
kimji@chonnam.ac.kr.
(13)Bioenergy and Resources Upcycling Research Laboratory, Korea Institute of 
Energy Research, Daejeon, 34129, Republic of Korea. kms0540@kier.re.kr.
(#)Contributed equally

Recently, methane has been considered a next-generation carbon feedstock due to 
its abundance and it is main component of shale gas and biogas. Methylomonas sp. 
DH-1 has been evaluated as a promising industrial bio-catalyst candidate. 
Succinate is considered one of the top building block chemicals in the 
agricultural, food, and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, succinate 
production by Methylomonas sp. DH-1 was improved by combining adaptive 
laboratory evolution (ALE) technology with genetic engineering in the chromosome 
of Methylomonas sp. DH-1, such as deletion of bypass pathway genes (succinate 
dehydrogenase and succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase) or overexpression of 
genes related with succinate production (citrate synthase, pyruvate carboxylase 
and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase). Through ALE, the maximum consumption rate 
of substrate gases (methane and oxygen) and the duration maintaining high 
substrate gas consumption rates was enhanced compared to those of the parental 
strain. Based on the improved methane consumption, cell growth (OD600) increased 
more than twice, and the succinate titer increased by ~ 48% from 218 to 
323 mg/L. To prevent unwanted succinate consumption, the succinate semialdehyde 
dehydrogenase gene was deleted from the genome. The first enzyme of TCA cycle 
(citrate synthase) was overexpressed. Pyruvate carboxylase and 
phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, which produce oxaloacetate, a substrate for 
citrate synthase, were also overproduced by a newly identified strong promoter. 
The new strong promoter was screened from RNA sequencing data. When these 
modifications were combined in one strain, the maximum titer (702 mg/L) was 
successfully improved by more than three times. This study demonstrates that 
successful enhancement of succinic acid production can be achieved in 
methanotrophs through additional genetic engineering following adaptive 
laboratory evolution.

© 2024. The Author(s).

DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02557-0
PMCID: PMC11533326
PMID: 39497114 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: All authors of this paper, including Jae-Hwan 
Jo, Jeong-Ho Park, Byung Kwon Kim, Seon Jeong Kim, Chan Mi Park, Chang Keun 
Kang, Yong Jun Choi, Hyejin Kim, Eun Yeol Lee, Myounghoon Moon, Gwon Woo Park, 
Sangmin Lee, Soo Youn Lee, Jin-Suk Lee, Won-Heong Lee, Jeong-Il Kim, and Min-Sik 
Kim declare that the authors have no competing interests as defined by BMC, or 
other interests that might be perceived to influence the results and/or 
discussion reported in this paper.


2. J Diabetes Investig. 2024 Oct 31. doi: 10.1111/jdi.14334. Online ahead of
print.

Serum metabolomics signature of maternally inherited diabetes and deafness by 
gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry.

Cao B(1), Lu H(2), Liu P(2), Zhang Y(3), Wang C(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, 
School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
(2)Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of 
Diabetes Mellitus, Shanghai Diabetes Institute, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital 
Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
(3)The Metabolic Disease Biobank, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to 
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to identify a metabolic signature 
of MIDD as compared to healthy controls and other types of diabetes.
METHODS: We performed a comprehensive serum metabolomic analysis using gas 
chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) in participants 
diagnosed with MIDD (n = 14), latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) 
(n = 14), type 2 diabetes mellitus (n = 14), and healthy controls (n = 14). Each 
group was matched for gender and age.
RESULTS: There were significant metabolic differences among MIDD and other 
diabetic and control groups. Compared with control, MIDD patients had high 
levels of carbohydrates (glucose, galactose, mannose, sorbose, and maltose), 
fatty acids (2-Hydroxybutyric acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and octadecanoic 
acid), and other metabolites (alanine, threonic acid, cholesterol, lactic acid, 
and gluconic acid), but low level of threonine. Compared with LADA, MIDD 
patients had high levels of threonic acid and some amino acids (alanine, 
tryptophan, histidine, proline, glutamine, and creatine) but low levels of 
serine. Compared with type 2 diabetes mellitus, MIDD patients had high levels of 
citrulline, creatine, 3-Amino-2-piperidone, but low levels of ornithine, fatty 
acids (arachidonic acid and octadecanoic acid), and intermediates of the 
tricarboxylic acid cycle (malic acid and succinic acid).
CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified a specific metabolic profile related to 
glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle in MIDD that differs from healthy 
controls and other types of diabetes. This unique metabolic signature provides 
new perspectives for understanding the pathophysiology and underlying mechanisms 
of MIDD.

© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian 
Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, 
Ltd.

DOI: 10.1111/jdi.14334
PMID: 39480690


3. Food Sci Nutr. 2024 Aug 29;12(10):8255-8279. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.4431.
eCollection  2024 Oct.

Comparative analysis of the nutritional, physicochemical, and bioactive 
characteristics of Artemisia abyssinica and Artemisia arborescens for the 
evaluation of their potential as ingredients in functional foods.

Al-Maqtari QA(1)(2)(3), Othman N(1), Mohammed JK(2), Mahdi AA(2), Al-Ansi W(2), 
Noman AE(2), Al-Gheethi AAS(4), Asharuddin SM(1).

Author information:
(1)Micro-Pollutant Research Centre (MPRC), Faculty of Civil Engineering and 
Built Environment Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) Batu Pahat Johor 
Malaysia.
(2)Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and 
Environment Sana'a University Sana'a Yemen.
(3)Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science Sana'a University Sana'a 
Yemen.
(4)Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER) University of Newcastle 
and CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC 
CARE) Newcastle New South Wales Australia.

Artemisia abyssinica and Artemisia arborescens are unique plants that show 
significant bioactive properties and are used for the treatment of a variety of 
diseases. This study assessed the nutritional values, functional properties, 
chemical composition, and bioactive attributes of these plants as functional 
nutritional supplements. Compared to A. arborescens, A. abyssinica had higher 
fat (4.76%), fiber (16.07%), total carbohydrates (55.87%), and energy 
(302.15 kcal/100 g DW), along with superior functional properties, including 
higher water and oil absorption capacities (638.81% and 425.85%, respectively) 
and foaming capacity and stability (25.67% and 58.48%). The investigation of 
volatile compounds found that A. abyssinica had higher amounts of hotrienol 
(4.53%), yomogi alcohol (3.92%), caryophyllene (3.67%), and carvotanacetone 
(3.64%), which possess anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant 
properties. Artemisia abyssinica contributed over 30% of the recommended dietary 
intake (RDI) of amino acids. It displayed superior levels of sodium 
(31.46 mg/100 g DW) and calcium (238.07 mg/100 g DW). It also exhibited higher 
levels of organic acids, particularly malic acid, butyric acid, and succinic 
acid, compared to A. arborescens. Fatty acid analysis revealed palmitic and 
linoleic acids as primary components in both plants, with A. abyssinica having a 
higher palmitic acid content. Artemisia abyssinica also had higher vitamin C and 
thiamine levels. Although A. arborescens showed the highest total phenolic 
content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and capacity, A. abyssinica demonstrated 
acceptable efficiency in TPC and antioxidant content. These findings highlight 
the potential of both Artemisia species, particularly A. abyssinica, as valuable 
sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds for various applications.

© 2024 The Author(s). Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals 
LLC.

DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.4431
PMCID: PMC11521740
PMID: 39479604

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict 
of interest.


4. BMC Plant Biol. 2024 Oct 29;24(1):1022. doi: 10.1186/s12870-024-05719-9.

The tale of two Ions Na(+) and Cl(-): unraveling onion plant responses to 
varying salt treatments.

Romo-Pérez ML(1), Weinert CH(2), Egert B(2), Kulling SE(2), Zörb C(3).

Author information:
(1)University of Hohenheim, Institute of Crop Science, Quality of Plant Products 
340e, Schloss Westflügel, Stuttgart, 70599, Germany. 
m.romoperez@uni-hohenheim.de.
(2)Department of Safety and Quality of Fruit and Vegetables, Max 
Rubner-Institut, Haid-und-Neu-Straße 9, Karlsruhe, 76131, Germany.
(3)University of Hohenheim, Institute of Crop Science, Quality of Plant Products 
340e, Schloss Westflügel, Stuttgart, 70599, Germany. 
Christian.zoerb@uni-hohenheim.de.

BACKGROUND: Exploring the adaptive responses of onions (Allium cepa L.) to 
salinity reveals a critical challenge for this salt-sensitive crop. While 
previous studies have concentrated on the effects of sodium (Na+), this research 
highlights the substantial yet less-explored impact of chloride (Cl-) 
accumulation. Two onion varieties were subjected to treatments with different 
sodium and chloride containing salts to observe early metabolic responses 
without causing toxicity.
RESULTS: The initial effects of salinity on onions showed increased 
concentrations of both ions, with Cl- having a more pronounced impact on 
metabolic profiles than Na+. Onions initially adapt to salinity by first 
altering their organic acid concentrations, which are critical for essential 
functions such as energy production and stress response. The landrace 
Birnförmige exhibited more effective regulation of its Na+/K+ balance and a 
milder response to Cl- compared to the hybrid Hytech. Metabolic alterations were 
analyzed using advanced techniques, revealing specific responses in leaves and 
bulbs to Cl- accumulation, with significant changes observed in organic acids 
involved in the TCA cycle, such as fumaric acid, and succinic acid, in both 
varieties. Additionally, there was a variety-specific increase in ethanolamine 
in Birnförmige and lysine in Hytech in response to Cl- accumulation.
CONCLUSION: This comprehensive study offers new insights into onion ion 
regulation and stress adaptation during the initial stages of salinity exposure, 
emphasizing the importance of considering both Na+ and Cl- when assessing plant 
responses to salinity.

© 2024. The Author(s).

DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05719-9
PMCID: PMC11520526
PMID: 39468439 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests.


5. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024 Oct 11;15:1426517. doi: 
10.3389/fendo.2024.1426517. eCollection 2024.

Multi-omics approach to reveal follicular metabolic changes and their effects on 
oocyte competence in PCOS patients.

Chen Y(#)(1), Xie M(#)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6), Wu S(1), Deng Z(1), Tang Y(1), Guan Y(1), 
Ye Y(1), He Q(1), Li L(2)(3)(4)(5)(6).

Author information:
(1)Center for Reproductive Medicine, Zhongshan City People's Hospital, 
Zhongshan, China.
(2)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproductive Medicine, 
The Third Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
(3)Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, The Third 
Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
(4)Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, 
The Third Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
(5)Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Higher Education Joint Laboratory 
of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical 
University, Guangzhou, China.
(6)Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 
Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
(#)Contributed equally

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common heterogeneous disorder 
linked with endocrine and metabolic disturbances. The underlying mechanism of 
PCOS, especially its effect on oocyte competence, remains unclear. The study 
aimed to identify abnormal follicular metabolic changes using a multi-omics 
approach in follicular fluid from PCOS patients and to determine their effects 
on oocyte competence.
METHODS: A total of 36 women with PCOS and 35 women without PCOS who underwent 
in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer were included in the study. Cumulus 
cells and follicular fluid samples were collected. Follicular fluid samples 
underwent metabolomic analysis, while cumulus cell clusters from the same 
patients were assessed using transcriptomic analysis. Clinical information of 
patients and assisted reproductive technology (ART) results were recorded. 
Transcriptomics and metabolomics were integrated to identify disrupted pathways, 
and receiver operation characteristics (ROC) analysis was conducted to identify 
potential diagnostic biomarkers for PCOS. Pearson correlation analysis was 
conducted to assess the relationship between metabolites in follicular fluid and 
oocyte competence (fertilization and early embryo development potential).
RESULTS: Through multi-omics analysis, we identified aberrantly expressed 
pathways at both transcriptional and metabolic levels, such as the citrate cycle 
(TCA cycle), oxidative phosphorylation, the cAMP signaling pathway, the mTOR 
signaling pathway, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Ten candidate metabolites 
were identified based on metabolic profiling data from these altered pathways. 
Phytic acid, succinic acid, 2'-deoxyinosine triphosphate, and 
4-trimethylammoniobutanoic acid in the follicular fluid exhibited high 
specificity and sensitivity in distinguishing PCOS. Among these metabolites, 
L-arginine showed a negative correlation with the 2PN fertilization rate and 
cleavage rate, while estrone sulfate showed a negative correlation with the 
high-quality embryo rate in the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle.
CONCLUSIONS: We have conducted a preliminary study of a novel metabolic 
signature in women with PCOS using a multi-omics approach. The alterations in 
key metabolic pathways may enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of 
PCOS.

Copyright © 2024 Chen, Xie, Wu, Deng, Tang, Guan, Ye, He and Li.

DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1426517
PMCID: PMC11502346
PMID: 39464191 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that the research was 
conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could 
be construed as a potential conflict of interest.