The prominent cultivation of lemongrass ( Cymbopogon spp.) relies on the pharmacological incentives of its essential oil. Lemongrass essential oil (LEO) carries a significant amount of numerous bioactive compounds, such as citral (mixture of geranial and neral), isoneral, isogeranial, geraniol, geranyl acetate, citronellal, citronellol, germacrene-D, and elemol, in addition to other bioactive compounds. These components confer various pharmacological actions to LEO, including antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, and antioxidant properties. These LEO attributes are commercially exploited in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food preservations industries. Furthermore, the application of LEO in the treatment of cancer opens a new vista in the field of therapeutics. Although different LEO components have shown promising anticancer activities in vitro, their effects have not yet been assessed in the human system. Hence, further studies on the anticancer mechanisms conferred by LEO components are required. The present review intends to provide a timely discussion on the relevance of LEO in combating cancer and sustaining human healthcare, as well as in food industry applications.

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Secondary metabolites (SMs) found in medicinal plants are one of main sources of drugs, cosmetics, and health products. With the increase in demand for these bioactive compounds, improving the content and yield of SMs in medicinal plants has become increasingly important. The content and distribution of SMs in medicinal plants are closely related to environmental factors, especially light. In recent years, artificial light sources have been used in controlled environments for the production and conservation of medicinal germplasm. Therefore, it is essential to elucidate how light affects the accumulation of SMs in different plant species. Here, we systematically summarize recent advances in our understanding of the regulatory roles of light quality, light intensity, and photoperiod in the biosynthesis of three main types of SMs (polyphenols, alkaloids, and terpenoids), and the underlying mechanisms. This article provides a detailed overview of the role of light signaling pathways in SM biosynthesis, which will further promote the application of artificial light sources in medicinal plant production.

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The scientific community is exploiting the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in nanomedicine and other AgNPs combination like with biomaterials to reduce microbial contamination. In the field of nanomedicine and biomaterials, AgNPs are used as an antimicrobial agent. One of the most effective approaches for the production of AgNPs is green synthesis. Lysiloma acapulcensis (L. acapulcensis) is a perennial tree used in traditional medicine in Mexico. This tree contains abundant antimicrobial compounds. In the context of antimicrobial activity, the use of L. acapulcensis extracts can reduce silver to AgNPs and enhance its antimicrobial activity. In this work, we demonstrate such antimicrobial activity effect employing green synthesized AgNPs with L. acapulcensis. The FTIR and LC-MS results showed the presence of chemical groups that could act as either (i) reducing agents stabilizing the AgNPs or (ii) antimicrobial capping agents enhancing antimicrobial properties of AgNPs. The synthesized AgNPs with L. acapulcensis were crystalline with a spherical and quasi-spherical shape with diameters from 1.2 to 62 nm with an average size diameter of 5 nm. The disk diffusion method shows the magnitude of the susceptibility over four pathogenic microorganisms of clinical interest. The antimicrobial potency obtained was as follows: E. coli ≥ S. aureus ≥ P. aeruginosa > C. albicans. The results showed that green synthesized (biogenic) AgNPs possess higher antimicrobial potency than chemically produced AgNPs. The obtained results confirm a more significant antimicrobial effect of the biogenic AgNPs maintaining low-cytotoxicity than the AgNPs produced chemically.

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Impact statement The success rate for cancer drugs which enter into phase 1 clinical trials is utterly less. Why the vast majority of drugs fail is not understood but suggests that pre-clinical studies are not adequate for human diseases. In 1975, as per the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, pharmaceutical industries expended 100 million dollars for research and development of the average FDA approved drug. By 2005, this figure had more than quadrupled, to $1.3 billion. In order to recover their high and risky investment cost, pharmaceutical companies charge more for their products. However, there exists no correlation between drug development cost and actual sale of the drug. This high drug development cost could be due to the reason that all patients might not respond to the drug. Hence, a given drug has to be tested in large number of patients to show drug benefits and obtain significant results.

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Plants as well as microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). IAA is the most common plant hormone of the auxin class and it regulates various aspects of plant growth and development. Thus, research is underway globally to exploit the potential for developing IAA-producing fungi for promoting plant growth and protection for sustainable agriculture. Phylogenetic evidence suggests that IAA biosynthesis evolved independently in bacteria, microalgae, fungi, and plants. Present studies show that IAA regulates the physiological response and gene expression in these microorganisms. The convergent evolution of IAA production leads to the hypothesis that natural selection might have favored IAA as a widespread physiological code in these microorganisms and their interactions. We summarize recent studies of IAA biosynthetic pathways and discuss the role of IAA in fungal ecology.

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