Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Anal Chim Acta. 2024 Nov 22;1330:343303. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2024.343303. Epub 
2024 Oct 4.

Capillary electrochromatography synergistic enantioseparation system for 
racemate malic acid based on a novel nanomaterial synthesized by chiral 
molecularly imprinted polymer and chiral metal-organic framework.

Miao P(1), Yan Y(1), Du S(2), Du Y(3).

Author information:
(1)Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance (Ministry of 
Education), China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, PR China; State 
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 
210009, PR China.
(2)Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los 
Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. Electronic address: shuaijingdu@ucla.edu.
(3)Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance (Ministry of 
Education), China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, PR China; State 
Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 
210009, PR China. Electronic address: du_yingxiang@126.com.

BACKGROUND: Chirality is one of the most fundamental features of nature. In 
terms of biological activities, pharmacological effects, etc., enantiomers often 
show great differences among each other. Therefore, it is important to develop 
highly efficient enantioseparation and analysis methods. Capillary 
electrochromatography (CEC) is one of the most popular methods in the field of 
enantioseparation. In the chiral stationary phase of CEC, chiral molecularly 
imprinted polymers (CMIPs) and chiral metal-organic frameworks (CMOFs) have 
shown great potential of enantioseparation. However, the enantioseparation 
performance of CMOFs and CMIPs alone as chiral separation media is less 
satisfactory.
RESULTS: In this work, a novel nanomaterial synthesized by CMOFs and CMIPs was 
used as stationary phase in CEC synergistic enantioseparation system and the 
relevant reports have not been internationally found by authors. As a 
proof-of-concept demonstration, a coated capillary column was prepared by a 
one-step method using l-malic acid (template), [Cu2(D-Cam)2Dabco] (Cu-MOF) and 
dopamine (functional monomer/cross-linking agent), which greatly simplified the 
modification process of the capillary columns. Compared with Cu-MOF and CMIP 
alone, the CEC synergistic enantioseparation system based on Cu-MOF@MIP has 
significantly better enantioseparation performance of malic acid enantiomers 
(resolution: 1.03/0.58 → 4.22), and there is also a satisfactory performance in 
the quantitative analysis in real samples. Finally, through molecular docking 
and adsorption experiments, it was systematically proved that Cu-MOF@MIP had a 
significantly stronger binding ability for l-malic acid than d-malic acid.
SIGNIFICANCE: Cu-MOF with chiral recognition ability have synergize with CMIPs 
to greatly improve the chiral selectivity of Cu-MOF@MIP, which is firstly used 
for the construction of the CEC chiral separation system. This pioneering 
synergistic chiral separation system creates a potential direction for efficient 
enantioseparation. Considering the diversity of CMOFs and CMIPs, the stationary 
phases hold great promise in chiral separation science.

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2024.343303
PMID: 39489982

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest All authors 
named on the manuscript have made a significant contribution to the writing, 
concept, design, execution, or interpretation of the work represented. All 
authors agree with the authors list appeared on the manuscript. The authors have 
declared no conflict of interest.


2. Microb Cell Fact. 2024 Nov 2;23(1):295. doi: 10.1186/s12934-024-02570-3.

13 C-MFA helps to identify metabolic bottlenecks for improving malic acid 
production in Myceliophthora thermophila.

Jiang J(1), Liu D(2), Li J(2), Tian C(2), Zhuang Y(1), Xia J(3)(4).

Author information:
(1)State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of 
Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
(2)Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Science, 
Tianjin, 300308, China.
(3)State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of 
Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China. xiajy@tib.cas.cn.
(4)Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Science, 
Tianjin, 300308, China. xiajy@tib.cas.cn.

BACKGROUND: Myceliophthora thermophila has been engineered as a significant cell 
factory for malic acid production, yet strategies to further enhance production 
remain unclear and lack rational guidance. 13C-MFA (13C metabolic flux analysis) 
offers a means to analyze cellular metabolic mechanisms and pinpoint critical 
nodes for improving product synthesis. Here, we employed 13C-MFA to investigate 
the metabolic flux distribution of a high-malic acid-producing strain of M. 
thermophila and attempted to decipher the crucial bottlenecks in the metabolic 
pathways.
RESULTS: Compared with the wild-type strain, the high-Malic acid-producing 
strain M. thermophila JG207 exhibited greater glucose uptake and carbon dioxide 
evolution rates but lower oxygen uptake rates and biomass yields. Consistent 
with these phenotypes, the 13C-MFA results showed that JG207 displayed elevated 
flux through the EMP pathway and downstream TCA cycle, along with reduced 
oxidative phosphorylation flux, thereby providing more precursors and NADH for 
malic acid synthesis. Furthermore, based on the 13C-MFA results, we conducted 
oxygen-limited culture and nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) gene 
knockout experiments to increase the cytoplasmic NADH level, both of which were 
shown to be beneficial for malic acid accumulation.
CONCLUSIONS: This work elucidates and validates the key node for achieving high 
malic acid production in M. thermophila. We propose effective fermentation 
strategies and genetic modifications for enhancing malic acid production. These 
findings offer valuable guidance for the rational design of future cell 
factories aimed at improving malic acid yields.

© 2024. The Author(s).

DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02570-3
PMCID: PMC11531171
PMID: 39488710 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

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


3. 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


4. 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.


5. J Hazard Mater. 2024 Oct 28;480:136343. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136343. 
Online ahead of print.

Effect of low-molecular-weight organic acids on the transport of polystyrene 
nanoplastics in saturated porous media.

Wu L(1), Yin J(1), Wu W(1), Pang K(1), Sun H(2), Yin X(3).

Author information:
(1)College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, 
Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
(2)College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, 
Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the 
Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 
Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
(3)College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, 
Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the 
Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 
Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China. Electronic address: xqyin@nwsuaf.edu.cn.

Low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) are extensively present as soluble 
organic matter in the environment, potentially influencing the transport of 
polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) in soil and groundwater environments. In this 
study, we studied the impact of three LMWOAs (Acetic Acid (AA), Malic Acid (MA), 
and Citric Acid (CA)) on PSNPs migration under varied pH and Ionic Strength (IS) 
conditions in the saturated porous medium. The results demonstrated that the low 
LMWOAs concentrations (0.0001 mol L-1) promoted PSNPs migration rate, while high 
concentrations (0.001, 0.01 mol L-1) reduced the migration rate and increased 
the deposition. Due to the different relative molecular weights and number of 
functional groups of different LMWOAs, the order of promoting (0.0001 mol L-1) 
/inhibiting (0.001, 0.01 mol L-1) effects of LMWOAs on PSNPs migration rate 
under various physicochemical conditions in this study was AA < MA < CA. The 
decrease in IS and increase in pH promoted the migration of PSNPs. Electrostatic 
repulsion and spatial potential resistance affected PSNPs migration. This study 
offers theoretical support for the understanding of migration patterns and 
mechanisms of nanoparticles in soil-water environments.

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136343
PMID: 39476696

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors 
declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal 
relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this 
paper.