Antimicrobial properties of tomato leaves, stems, and fruit and their relationship to chemical composition

Review on toxicology and activity of tomato glycoalkaloids in immature tomatoes

Owing to the lack of selection and limited intelligence in mechanical picking, some immature tomatoes that contain alkaloids are thrown away. Tomatine alkaloids are steroidal alkaloids naturally present in Solanaceae plants, which are distributed in small amounts in immature tomato fruits and decrease as the fruits ripen. Tomato glycoalkaloids are harmful to human health. However, in small quantities, there is some evidence that these compounds might be beneficial, as other non-antioxidant bioactivities. This article considers recent research on the biological effects of tomato glycoalkaloids in immature tomatoes, providing reference value for the potential development of these compounds.

Antimicrobial properties of tomato juice and peptides against typhoidal Salmonella

Tomatoes are readily available and affordable vegetables that offer a range of health benefits due to their bioactive molecules, such as antioxidants and antimicrobials. In contrast to the widely recognized antioxidant properties of tomatoes, their antimicrobial properties remain largely unexplored. Here, we present our findings on the antimicrobial properties of tomato juice and peptides, namely, tomato-derived antimicrobial peptides (tdAMPs), in relation to their effectiveness against typhoidal Salmonella. Our research has revealed that tomato juice demonstrates significant antimicrobial properties against Salmonella Typhi, a pathogen that specifically affects humans and is responsible for causing typhoid fever. By employing computational analysis of the tomato genome sequence, conducting molecular dynamics simulation, and performing functional analyses, we have successfully identified two tdAMPs, namely, tdAMP-1 and tdAMP-2. These tdAMPs have demonstrated potent antimicrobial properties by effectively disrupting bacterial membranes. The efficacy of tdAMP-2 is shown to be more effective than tdAMP-1. The efficacy of tdAMP-1 and tdAMP-2 has been demonstrated against drug-resistant S. Typhi, as well as hyper-capsular S. Typhi variants that possess hypervirulent characteristics, which are presently circulating in countries with endemicity. Tomato juice, along with the two tdAMPs, has demonstrated effectiveness against uropathogenic Escherichia coli as well. This underscores their potential as viable agents in combating certain Gram-negative pathogens. This study provides valuable insights into the development of effective and sustainable public health strategies that utilize tomato and its derivatives as lifestyle interventions.IMPORTANCEIn this study, we investigate the antimicrobial properties of tomato juice, the most widely consumed affordable vegetables, as well as tomato-derived antimicrobial peptides, in relation to their effectiveness against foodborne pathogens with an emphasis on Salmonella Typhi, a deadly human-specific pathogen.

l-Asparaginase from Solanum lycopersicum as a Nutraceutical for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

l-Asparaginase (E.C. 3.5.1.1) is an indispensable analeptic anticancer enzyme used as an amalgam with additional cancer medicines for the cure of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The presence of lAparaginase in tomato was confirmed byWestern blotting and DNA sequencing. The l-Asparaginase gene from tomato has been deposited in the NCBI database with accession number: OR736141. Crude enzyme was extracted from the fruit pulp of Solanum lycopersicum, and the activity was determined by the Nesslerization method. Further, the crude extract was subjected to purification, and kinetic parameters were studied. The percentage yield was calculated to be 6.457, and the purification fold was 0.086. The enzyme showed maximum activity at optimum pH 7.0, optimum temperature 37 °C, and incubation time of 05 min. The Michaelis constant "Km" and maximum velocity "Vmax" values were determined by the Lineweaver-Burk plot, which showed a low Km value of 0.66 and Vmax of 3.846 IU. Cytotoxic studies were carried out for crude and purified l-asparaginase. Purified l-Asparaginase has exhibited anticancer activity against the ALL model system, K-562 cell line, comparable to that of the anticancer compound vinblastine. Hence, l-Asparaginase from the fruit extract of tomato could be used as a nutraceutical to support cancer treatment in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Agri-Food Waste Recycling for Healthy Remedies: Biomedical Potential of Nutraceuticals from Unripe Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Unripe tomatoes represent an agri-food waste resulting from industrial by-processing products of tomatoes, yielding products with a high content of bioactive compounds with potential nutraceutical properties. The food-matrix biological properties are attributed to the high steroidal glycoalkaloid (SGA) content. Among them, α-tomatine is the main SGA reported in unripe green tomatoes. This review provides an overview of the main chemical and pharmacological features of α-tomatine and green tomato extracts. The extraction processes and methods employed in SGA identification and the quantification are discussed. Special attention was given to the methods used in α-tomatine qualitative and quantitative analyses, including the extraction procedures and the clean-up methods applied in the analysis of Solanum lycopersicum L. extracts. Finally, the health-beneficial properties and the pharmacokinetics and toxicological aspects of SGAs and α-tomatine-containing extracts are considered in depth. In particular, the relevant results of the main in vivo and in vitro studies reporting the therapeutic properties and the mechanisms of action were described in detail.

Steroidal Alkaloids from Food Waste of Tomato Processing Inhibit Neuroblastoma Cell Viability

Nowadays, there is considerable attention toward the use of food waste from food processing as possible sources of compounds with health properties, such as anticancer activity. An example is tomato processing, which is responsible for generating a remarkable amount of waste (leaves, peel, seeds). Therefore, our goal was to evaluate the potential anticancer property of tomato extracts, in particular "Datterino" tomato (DT) and "Piccadilly" tomato (PT), and to study their phytochemical composition. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS) results showed that these extracts are rich in alkaloids, flavonoids, fatty acids, lipids, and terpenes. Furthermore, their potential anticancer activity was evaluated in vitro by MTT assay. In particular, the percentage of cell viability was assessed in olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), a particular glial cell type of the olfactory system, and in SH-SY5Y, a neuroblastoma cell line. All extracts (aqueous and ethanolic) did not lead to any significant change in the percentage of cell viability on OECs when compared with the control. Instead, in SH-SY5Y we observed a significant decrease in the percentage of cell viability, confirming their potential anticancer activity; this was more evident for the ethanolic extracts. In conclusion, tomato leaves extracts could be regarded as a valuable source of bioactive compounds, suitable for various applications in the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical fields.

Is the biotic potential, expressed as life-history features and nutritional indices, of generalized herbivore insects a function of host plants? — Spodoptera littoralis as a case study.. [DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3223926/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

The present study aimed at evaluating the impacts of castor bean, tomato, potato, and cucumber leaves on the various components of biological fitness and food consumption and utilization of S. littoralis. The levels of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous in the tested host plants were quantified. Feeding larvae on the tested host plants did not affect larval or pupal duration. Whereas, weight of full-grown larvae, adult emergence, and egg-hatch were significantly affected, with the highest and lowest values in case of feeding on castor bean and cucumber leaves, respectively. The highest and lowest number of eggs deposited per female were attained on castor bean and tomato leaves, respectively. Adult male and female longevity was the highest on potato and on castor bean leaves, respectively. Nutritional indices were dependent on the host plant, metamorphed instar, and age within instar, with the most profound change in case of 6th -instar larvae (last instar). Castor bean was the most nutritive host plant as it contained the highest levels of nitrogen and potassium. In contrast, tomato was the least nutritive one as it contained the lowest concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. It appears that castor bean was the most suitable host plant, whereas tomato was the least suitable one. The findings obtained herein may help in understanding the biology of S. littoralis, leading to a better strategy to its control. Future studies should focus on testing a wider range of host plant species.

Physiological functions, pharmacological aspects and nutritional importance of green tomato- a future food

Green tomatoes contain significant levels of steroidal glycoalkoids (SGA) such as α-tomatine and green pigment chlorophyll. Tomatine is an admixture of two glycoalkoids; alpha tomatine and dehydrotomatine reported various health beneficial biological activities. Moreover, a hydrolyzed product of tomatine also contributes to age-related atrophy, and muscle weakness and helps the elderly recover from illness and injuries related to age. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the absorption of tomatine in the human body concerning proposed biological activity, which should be an area of interest in the future. Once, the absorption study is established compounds concentrated in green tomatoes are potentially involved as protective compounds for several diseases and also used for functional food. To facilitate the use of green tomatoes in food processing, this comprehensive review provides data on the nutritional value of green tomatoes, with emphasis on the evolution of the physiological chemistry, analytical, medicinal, and pharmacological effects of the α-tomatine and chlorophyll in an experimental model. The broad aim of this review is to evaluate the health benefits of green tomatoes in addition to their nutritional value and to study the several features of the role of α-tomatine and chlorophyll in human health.

Isomers of the Tomato Glycoalkaloids α-Tomatine and Dehydrotomatine: Relationship to Health Benefits

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of three commercial tomatine samples and another isolated from green tomatoes revealed the presence of two small peaks in addition to those associated with the glycoalkaloids dehydrotomatine and α-tomatine. The present study investigated the possible structures of the compounds associated with the two small peaks using HPLC-mass spectrophotometric (MS) methods. Although the two peaks elute much earlier on chromatographic columns than the elution times of the known tomato glycoalkaloids dehydrotomatine and α-tomatine, isolation of the two compounds by preparative chromatography and subsequent analysis by MS shows the two compounds have identical molecular weights, tetrasaccharide side chains, and MS and MS/MS fragmentation patterns to dehydrotomatine and α-tomatine. We suggest the two isolated compounds are isomeric forms of dehydrotomatine and α-tomatine. The analytical data indicate that widely used commercial tomatine preparations and those extracted from green tomatoes and tomato leaves consist of a mixture of α-tomatine, dehydrotomatine, an α-tomatine isomer, and a dehydrotomatine isomer in an approximate ratio of 81:15:4:1, respectively. The significance of the reported health benefits of tomatine and tomatidine is mentioned.

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Edible Mushroom Extracts: Assessment of Fungal Resistance

Antimicrobial efficacy of the water or methanolic extracts of three medicinal mushrooms Taiwanofungus camphoratus, Agaricus blazei Murrill, and Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst were investigated against yeast and filamentous fungal pathogens as well as against commensal and pathogenic bacteria. The methanolic extract of T. camphoratus (TcM) exhibited both potent antifungal and antibacterial activity, while the water extract of T. camphoratus (TcW) showed limited antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes. Neither the methanolic nor water extracts of A. blazei and G. lucidum exhibited antimicrobial activity. In the risk assessment testing monitoring the development of fungal tolerance to mushroom extracts in food matrices, two P. expansum mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) mutants exhibited a tolerance to TcM. In a proof-of-concept bioassay using the natural benzoic salicylaldehyde (SA), P. expansum and A. fumigatus MAPK antioxidant mutants showed similar tolerance to SA, suggesting that natural ingredients in TcM such as benzoic derivatives could negatively affect the efficacy of TcM when antioxidant mutants are targeted. Conclusion: TcM could be developed as a food ingredient having antimicrobial potential. The antimicrobial activity of TcM operates via the intact MAPK antioxidant signaling system in microbes, however, mutants lacking genes in the MAPK system escape the toxicity triggered by TcM. Therefore, caution should be exercised in the use of TcM so as to not adversely affect food safety and quality by triggering the resistance of antioxidant mutants in contaminated food.

The steroidal alkaloids α-tomatine and tomatidine: Panorama of their mode of action and pharmacological properties

The steroidal glycoalkaloid α-tomatine (αTM) and its aglycone tomatidine (TD) are abundant in the skin of unripe green tomato and present in tomato leaves and flowers. They mainly serve as defensive agents to protect the plant against infections by insects, bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi. In addition, the two products display a range of pharmacological properties potentially useful to treat various human diseases. We have analyzed all known pharmacological activities of αTM and TD, and the corresponding molecular targets and pathways impacted by these two steroidal alkaloids. In experimental models, αTM displays anticancer effects, particularly strong against androgen-independent prostate cancer, as well as robust antifungal effects. αTM is a potent cholesterol binder, useful as a vaccine adjuvant to improve delivery of protein antigens or therapeutic oligonucleotides. TD is a much less cytotoxic compound, able to restrict the spread of certain viruses (such as dengue, chikungunya and porcine epidemic diarrhea viruses) and to provide cardio and neuro-protective effects toward human cells. Both αTM and TD exhibit marked anti-inflammatory activities. They proceed through multiple signaling pathways and protein targets, including the sterol C24 methyltransferase Erg6 and vitamin D receptor, both directly targeted by TD. αTM is a powerful regulator of the NFkB/ERK signaling pathway implicated in various diseases. Collectively, the analysis shed light on the multitargeted action of αTM/TD and their usefulness as chemo-preventive or chemotherapeutic agents. A novel medicinal application for αTM is proposed.