Due to its outstanding throughput and analytical resolution, gel-free LC-based shotgun proteomics represents the gold standard of proteome analysis. Thereby, the efficiency of sample preparation dramatically affects the correctness and reliability of protein quantification. Thus, the steps of protein isolation, solubilization, and proteolysis represent the principal bottleneck of shotgun proteomics. The desired performance of the sample preparation protocols can be achieved by the application of detergents. However, these compounds ultimately compromise reverse-phase chromatographic separation and disrupt electrospray ionization. Filter-aided sample preparation (FASP) represents an elegant approach to overcome these limitations. Although this method is comprehensively validated for cell proteomics, its applicability to plants and compatibility with plant-specific protein isolation protocols remain to be confirmed. Thereby, the most important gap is the absence of the data on the linearity of underlying protein quantification methods for plant matrices. To fill this gap, we address here the potential of FASP in combination with two protein isolation protocols for quantitative analysis of pea (Pisum sativum) seed and Arabidopsis thaliana leaf proteomes by the shotgun approach. For this aim, in comprehensive spiking experiments with bovine serum albumin (BSA), we evaluated the linear dynamic range (LDR) of protein quantification in the presence of plant matrices. Furthermore, we addressed the interference of two different plant matrices in quantitative experiments, accomplished with two alternative sample preparation workflows in comparison to conventional FASP-based digestion of cell lysates, considered here as a reference. The spiking experiments revealed high sensitivities (LODs of up to 4 fmol) for spiked BSA and LDRs of at least 0.6 × 102. Thereby, phenol extraction yielded slightly better recoveries, whereas the detergent-based method showed better linearity. Thus, our results indicate the very good applicability of FASP to quantitative plant proteomics with only limited impact of the protein isolation technique on the method’s overall performance.

Neglected tropical diseases affect the world’s poorest populations with soil-transmitted helminthiasis and schistosomiasis being among the most prevalent ones. Mass drug administration is currently the most important control measure, but the use of the few available drugs is giving rise to increased resistance of the parasites to the drugs. Different approaches are needed to come up with new therapeutic agents against these helminths. Fungi are a source of secondary metabolites, but most fungi remain largely uninvestigated as anthelmintics. In this report, the anthelmintic activity of Albatrellus confluens against Caenorhabditis elegans was investigated using bio-assay guided isolation. Grifolin (1) and neogrifolin (2) were identified as responsible for the anthelmintic activity. Derivatives 4–6 were synthesized to investigate the effect of varying the prenyl chain length on anthelmintic activity. The isolated compounds 1 and 2 and synthetic derivatives 4–6, as well as their educts 7–10, were tested against Schistosoma mansoni (adult and newly transformed schistosomula), Strongyloides ratti, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, Necator americanus, and Ancylostoma ceylanicum. Prenyl-2-orcinol (4) and geranylgeranyl-2-orcinol (6) showed promising activity against newly transformed schistosomula. The compounds 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 were also screened for antiproliferative or cytotoxic activity against two human cancer lines, viz. prostate adenocarcinoma cells (PC-3) and colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (HT-29). Compound 6 was determined to be the most effective against both cell lines with IC50 values of 16.1 µM in PC-3 prostate cells and 33.7 µM in HT-29 colorectal cells.

Peperomia obtusifolia (L.) A. Dietr., native to Middle America, is an ornamental plant also traditionally used for its mild antimicrobial properties. Chemical investigation on the leaves of P. obtusifolia resulted in the isolation of two previously undescribed compounds, named peperomic ester (1) and peperoside (2), together with five known compounds, viz. N-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-3,4-dihydroxybenzamide (3), becatamide (4), peperobtusin A (5), peperomin B (6), and arabinothalictoside (7). The structures of these compounds were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR techniques and HREIMS analyses. Compounds 1–7 were evaluated for their anthelmintic (against Caenorhabditis elegans), antifungal (against Botrytis cinerea, Septoria tritici and Phytophthora infestans), antibacterial (against Bacillus subtilis and Aliivibrio fischeri), and antiproliferative (against PC-3 and HT-29 human cancer cell lines) activities. The known peperobtusin A (5) was the most active compound against the PC-3 cancer cell line with IC50 values of 25.6 µM and 36.0 µM in MTT and CV assays, respectively. This compound also induced 90% inhibition of bacterial growth of the Gram-positive B. subtilis at a concentration of 100 µM. In addition, compound 3 showed anti-oomycotic activity against P. infestans with an inhibition value of 56% by using a concentration of 125 µM. However, no anthelmintic activity was observed.