Microorganisms: A Potential Source of Bioactive Molecules for Antioxidant Applications

Abstract

Oxidative stress originates from an elevated intracellular level of free oxygen radicals that cause lipid peroxidation, protein denaturation, DNA hydroxylation, and apoptosis, ultimately impairing cell viability. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals and reduce oxidative stress, which further helps to prevent cellular damage. Medicinal plants, fruits, and spices are the primary sources of antioxidants from time immemorial. In contrast to plants, microorganisms can be used as a source of antioxidants with the advantage of fast growth under controlled conditions. Further, microbe-based antioxidants are nontoxic, noncarcinogenic, and biodegradable as compared to synthetic antioxidants. The present review aims to summarize the current state of the research on the antioxidant activity of microorganisms including actinomycetes, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, microalgae, and yeast, which produce a variety of antioxidant compounds, i.e., carotenoids, polyphenols, vitamins, and sterol, etc. Special emphasis is given to the mechanisms and signaling pathways followed by antioxidants to scavenge Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), especially for those antioxidant compounds that have been scarcely investigated so far.

Common Inflammatory Mechanisms in COVID-19 and Parkinson’s Diseases: The Role of Microbiome, Pharmabiotics and Postbiotics in Their Prevention

“…Lactobacteria are promising candidates for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant drugs. 32,452,453 The term pharmabiotics, which was first published about 15 years ago, better describes probiotic-based medicines. 454,455,456,457 The development of drugs aimed at eliminating the inflammation phenotype of the intestinal microbiome will be greatly facilitated if new methodological and conceptual approaches to the search for unique strains of probiotic bacteria are implemented; they include a comparative analysis of the genomes of lactobacteria, as well as metagenomes properties.…”

Biomarkers and Utility of the Antioxidant Potential of Probiotic Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria as Representatives of the Human Gut Microbiota

“…The development of chronic diseases is often accompanied by dysbiosis or dysfunction of the gut microbiome [201]. Probiotic bacteria of the families Lactobacillaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae are promising candidates for antioxidant drugs [202,203]. The development of drugs aimed at eliminating the gut microbiome inflammatory phenotype will be facilitated considerably if novel methodological and conceptual approaches are implemented in the search for unique strains of probiotic bacteria; these include comparative analysis of the genomes of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, as well as metagenomes of the gut microbiome of healthy people and patients with chronic inflammatory diseases using omics technologies.…”

Antioxidants: Classification, Natural Sources, Activity/Capacity Measurements, and Usefulness for the Synthesis of Nanoparticles

“…Various techniques used for this purpose differ in terms of repeatability and costs associated with the necessity of using specialized equipment. Valuable reviews, published in recent years, describe problems related to (i) the mechanisms responsible for the antioxidant activity [ 17 ]; (ii) the antioxidant activity of natural extracts prepared from various plant species [ 36 ], microorganisms [ 37 ], and food ingredients [ 38 ]; and (iii) the preventive role of antioxidants in various diseases such as diabetes [ 39 ], human gut diseases [ 40 ], and cancer [ 41 ], as well as the use of natural extracts for the synthesis of nanoparticles [ 42 ].…”