Amr El-Demerdash

• BChem (Hons), MSc, PhD in Organic Chemistry
• Associate Professor at Mansoura University

QS-21 is a potent vaccine adjuvant currently sourced by extraction from the Chilean soapbark tree. It is a key component of human vaccines for shingles, malaria, coronavirus disease 2019 and others under development. The structure of QS-21 consists of a glycosylated triterpene scaffold coupled to a complex glycosylated 18-carbon acyl chain that is...

Isoflavones are a group of phenolic compounds mostly restricted to plants of the legume family, where they mediate important interactions with plant-associated microbes, including in defense from pathogens and in nodulation. Their well-studied health promoting attributes have made them a prime target for metabolic engineering, both for bioproductio...

The Chilean soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria) produces soap-like molecules called QS saponins that are important vaccine adjuvants. These highly valuable compounds are sourced by extraction from the bark, and their biosynthetic pathway is unknown. Here, we sequenced the Q. saponaria genome. Through genome mining and combinatorial expression in tob...

Cytochalasans are a fascinating class of natural products that possess an intricate chemical structure with a diverse range of biological activities. They are known for their complex chemical architectures and are often isolated from various fungi. These compounds have attracted attention due to their potential pharmacological properties, including...

QS-21 is a potent vaccine adjuvant and remains the only saponin-based adjuvant that has been clinically approved for use in humans1,2. However, owing to the complex structure of QS-21, its availability is limited. Today, the supply depends on laborious extraction from the Chilean soapbark tree or on low-yielding total chemical synthesis3,4. Here we...

Objectives Berlinia confusa is used as wound healing agent in folklore medicine. However, this has not been scientifically validated and there is dearth of information on its bioactive metabolites. The current research aimed at evaluating the wound healing, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the stem bark of the plant and track down some o...

Cymbopogon citratus methanolic extract shows anti-obesity effects in HCHFD rats by reducing lipids, glucose, and gene expression. Flavones bind to APJ protein, confirming its hypolipidemic activity and potential for managing obesity.

SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus variant, has been a worldwide health crisis that may outbreak at any time in the future. Over spans of human history, preparations derived from natural products have always been recognized as a preliminary source of medications. Taking into account the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) as the essential element of the v...

Carica papaya (Family Caricaceae) is endowed with a myriad of biological activities as gastroprotective, antidiabetic, antimalarial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory agent. We performed for the first time an extensive comparative metabolite profiling of different plant organs considering both male and female leaves, seeds, and fruits of different m...

Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) is a flowering plant from the Caryophyllaceae family with a long history of human use as a traditional source of soap. Its detergent properties are because of the production of polar compounds (saponins), of which the oleanane-based triterpenoid saponins, saponariosides A and B, are the major components. Soapwort sa...

The objective of this study is to synthesize novel heterocyclic scaffolds containing a thiophene moiety using easily accessible acetoacetamide as a key syn-thon. The reaction of acetoacetamide with diazonium salts resulted in the formation of the corresponding thiophene derivatives 4a-c. Additionally, the reaction of acetoacetamide derivative 3 wit...

Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments contained in numerous food plants. This study provides an overall quantitative literature analysis on anthocyanins. Bibliometric data were collected through the search string TOPIC = anthocyan*, which yielded 44,121 publications indexed within the Web of Science Core Collection. Term maps were generated using...

New sets of functionalized thiazolidinone and thiadiazole derivatives were synthesized, and their cytotoxicity was evaluated on HepG2, MCF‐7, HTC‐116, and WI38 cells. The synthetic approach is based on the preparation of 4‐(4‐acetamidophenyl)thiosemicarbazide (4) and their thiosemicarbazones 5a‐e, which are converted to the corresponding thiazoldin...

The aim of this study involves the synthesis novel thiophene analogues that can be used as anticancer medications through a strategic multicomponent reaction connecting ethyl 4‐chloroacetoacetate (1), phenyl isothiocyanate, and a series of active methylene reagents, including ethyl acetoacetate (2), malononitrile, ethyl cyanoacetate, cyanoacetamide...

In recent decades, the concept of sustainability has gained significant popularity, with a great emphasis on revalorizing agro-byproducts as potential sources of bioactive compounds. Radish and turnip are economically significant crops that are widely produced across the world for direct consumption or oil and condiment production. Additionally, th...

Metabolic syndrome (MS) represents a global health challenge characterized by various metabolic disorders, including HOMA-IR (insulin resistance), obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. In our pursuit of identifying natural alternatives for the development of effective and safe anti-obesity medications, we examined the potential of the methanolic...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined as a clinical syndrome characterized by excessive fat accumulation in liver, predominantly influenced by dietary choices. This study provides an extensive quantitative literature analysis on dietary influences on NAFLD. Bibliometric data were collected through the search string TOPIC = (“NAFLD*”...

In this comprehensive review article, an in-depth exploration over the period from 1949 to 2023 is presented, focusing on the discovery, chemistry, biosynthesis and therapeutic potentials of pederin and related polyketides. Herein, we extensively documented a diverse collection of 45 isolated compounds with varied chemical structures, systematicall...

It has been reported that organic extracts derived from soft corals belonging to the genus Sarcophyton have exhibited a wide range of therapeutic characteristics. Based on biochemical and histological techniques, we aimed to assess the hepatoprotective role of the organic extract and its principal steroidal contents derived from the Red Sea soft co...

The new coronavirus variant (SARS-CoV-2) and Zika virus are two worldwide health pandemics. Along history, natural products-based drugs have always crucially recognised as a main source of valuable medications. Considering the SARS-CoV-2 and Zika main proteases (Mpro) as the reproduction key element of the viral cycle and its main target, herein we...

Melatonin (MT, an indoleamine, N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is distributed broadly in distant life forms and is responsible for multiple functions in plants. Phytomelatonin functions as an antioxidant, and now its role as a phytohormone-candidate is well established. Current understanding advocates phytomelatonin as a regulator for plant growth, d...

Microorganisms still remain the main hotspots in the global drug discovery avenue. In particular, fungi are highly prolific producers of vast structurally diverse specialised secondary metabolites, which have displayed a myriad of biomedical potentials. Intriguingly, isocoumarins is one distinctive class of fungal natural products polyketides, whic...

Microorganisms still remain as main hotspots in the global drug discovery avenue. In particular, fungi are highly prolific producers of a vast of structurally divers specialised secondary metabolites, which have displayed a myriad of biomedical potentialities. Intriguingly, isocoumarins is one distinctive class of fungal natural products polyketide...

Background The development of digital technologies and the evolution of open innovation approaches have enabled the creation of diverse virtual organizations and enterprises coordinating their activities primarily online. The open innovation platform titled “International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce” (INPST) was established in 2018, to bring...

The new coronavirus variant (SARS-CoV-2) and Zika virus are two worldwide health pandemics which outbreak borders and causing significant health difficulties, severe economic problems, and disturbing people’s daily life globally. Although many forms of preventative vaccines have been discovered and approved as protective manipulations alongside sev...

Marine fungi receive excessive attention as prolific producers of structurally unique secondary metabolites, offering promising potential as substitutes or conjugates for current therapeutics, whereas existing research has only scratched the surface in terms of secondary metabolite diversity and potential industrial applications as only a small sha...

One of the main hotspots in the global drug discovery endeavour is the microbial natural products due not only to their great structural diversity and complexity but also their capacity to generate new analogues by changing the culture conditions, thus providing them with a wide array of biological and pharmacological properties. Among microorgani...

Over a span of two years ago, since the emergence of the first case of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in China, the pandemic has crossed borders causing serious health emergencies, immense economic crisis and impacting the daily life worldwide. Despite the discovery of numerous forms of precautionary vaccines along with other recently approved...

Since prehistoric times, medicinal plants and their extracts had been used as prolific sources of medications. Pomegranate is a symbol of life, longevity and in Aurvedic medicine; pomegranate is considered a pharmacy up to itself. Despite several previous studies centered to the phytochemistry and pharmacological actions of all Punica granatum L. c...

Lycopene intake from tomatoes and other food sources has multiple potential health benefits. This report aimed to evaluate the current research literature on lycopene concerning human and animal health. The electronic Web of Science Core Collection database was searched with (lycopene*) AND (health* OR illness* OR disease* OR medic* OR pharma* OR d...

Marine microorganisms took excessive attention as prolific producers of structurally unique secondary metabolites, offering a promising potential as substitutes or conjugates for the current therapeutics. Given the fact that various fungal species have the potential to produce secondary metabolites, only a small share of bioactive natural products...

Marine natural products (MNPs) are powerful chemical tools that might be able to compete COVID-19 outbreak. • Extensive computational screening supported with structure-activity relationships (SARs) studies recommended the marine batzelladine alkaloids, particularly batzelladines H-I (8-9) as promising antiviral hits for hunting SARS-CoV-2 main pro...

Microbial natural products are continuing to be a promising platform for future drug lead discover. As a part of our ongoing research program on fungal natural product, herein we report metabolites isolated from the fungus Parastagonospora nodorum SN15 a pathogen of wheat and related cereals. Its chemical investigation led to the purification of ne...

There have been more than 150 million confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic in 2019. By June 2021, the mortality from such infections approached 3.9 million people. Despite the availability of a number of vaccines which provide protection against this virus, the evolution of new viral variants, inconsistent availability...

Since its first report in December 2019, the novel coronavirus virus, SARS-CoV-2, has caused an unprecedented global health crisis and economic loss imposing a tremendous burden on the worldwide finance, healthcare system, and even daily life. Even with the introduction of different preventive vaccines, there is still a dire need for effective anti...

Numerous investigations on quercetin have revealed that it effectively treats and prevents different diseases, acting as an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-proliferative, anti-atherogenic, anticoagulative, antioxidant, antidiabetic agent, etc. This work aimed to analyze the present research literature on quercetin in the context of human an...

Apples contain substantial amounts of polyphenols, and diverse phenolics – mainly flavonoids and phenolic acids, have been identified in their flesh and skins. This work aimed to analyze the overall landscape of the research literature published to date on apple phenolic compounds in the context of human and animal health. The Web of Science Core C...

Immune evasion is one of the unique characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) attributed to its ORF8 protein. This protein modulates the adaptive host immunity through down-regulation of MHC-1 (Major Histocompatibility Complex) molecules and innate immune responses by surpassing the host's interferon-mediated a...

The huge global expansion of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS-corona virus-2 is an extraordinary public health emergency. The unavailability of specific treatment against SARS-CoV-2 infection necessitates the focus of all scientists in this direction. The reported antiviral activities of guanidine alkaloids encouraged us to run a comp...

Chemical investigation of the South-Pacific marine sponge Suberea clavata led to the isola- tion of eight new bromotyrosine metabolites named subereins 1–8 (2–9) along with twelve known co-isolated congeners. The detailed configuration determination of the first representative major compound of this family 11-epi-fistularin-3 (11R,17S) (1) is descr...

The present study evaluated for the first time citation-impacts of human research reporting guidelines in comparison to their animal version counterparts. Re-examined and extended also were previous findings indicating that a research reporting guideline would be cited more for its versions published in journals with higher Impact Factors, compared...

A comprehensive in silico binding affinity of fifteen guanidine alkaloids against five different proteins of SARS-CoV-2 has been investigated. The investigated proteins are COVID-19 main protease (Mpro) (PDB ID: 6lu7), spike glycoprotein (PDB ID: 6VYB), nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (PDB ID: 6VYO), membrane glycoprotein (PDB ID: 6M17), and non-struct...

p>A comprehensive in silico binding affinity of fifteen guanidine alkaloids against five different proteins of SARS-CoV-2 has been investigated. The investigated proteins are COVID-19 main protease (M^pro) (PDB ID: 6lu7), spike glycoprotein (PDB ID: 6VYB), nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (PDB ID: 6VYO), membrane glycoprotein (PDB ID: 6M17), a...

Chemical investigation of the whole Fagonia schimperi C. Presl plant yielded a new triterpene saponin, namely 3-O-βxylopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-27-hydroxyoleanolic acid 28-O-β-glucopyranoside (1), along with five known natural products 2–6. Structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by intensive spectroscopic methods including...

Chemical investigation of the French Polynesia Monanchora sp. marine sponge led to the isolation and identification of one pentacyclic guanidine alkaloid crambescidin acid (1) along with four simple nitrogenous compounds, including one nucleoside thymidine (2) and three amino acid derivatives, namely phenylethylamine (3), tryptophan (4) and phenyla...

Since the early research efforts focusing on bioactive marine substances such as spongouridine, from the marine sponge Cryptotethya crypta, marine natural products (MNPs) have arisen as a robust and sustainable supplier for bioactive drug leads. Marine natural products present definite, unprecedented structural diversifications and varieties of int...

A convenient short synthesis of tricyclic guanidine‐containing natural products featuring four‐component reaction between 2,5‐dimethoxytetrahydrofuran, 2‐aminopyrimidine and two acylacetic or benzoylacetic acids is reported. A synthetic route combining the Robinson–Schöepf bioinspired strategy and biomechanistic analysis of the crambescidin and bat...

We report a convenient short synthesis of tricyclic guanidine‐containing natural products model featuring four‐component reaction between 2,5‐dimethoxytetrahydrofuran, 2‐aminopyrimidine and two acylacetic or benzoylacetic acids. A synthetic route combining the Robinson–Schöepf bioinspired strategy and biomechanistic analysis of the crambescidin and...

Meroterpenoids are a class of hybrid natural products, partially derived from a mixed terpenoid pathway. They possess remarkable structural features and relevant biological and pharmacological activities. Marine-derived fungi are a rich source of meroterpenoids featuring structural diversity varying from simple to complex molecular architectures. A...

Meroterpenoids are a class of hybrid natural products, partially derived from a mixed terpenoid pathway. They possess remarkable structural features and relevant biological and pharmacological activities. Marine-derived fungi are a rich source of meroterpenoids featuring structural diversity varying from simple to complex molecular architectures. A...

The chloroacetamide derivative, 1 , was used as a versatile precursor for the synthesis of various types of N ‐aryl‐2‐(benzothiazol‐2‐ylthio)acetamide derivatives. The reaction of 1 with 2‐mercaptobenzothiazole followed by condensation reaction of the produced sulfide with phenylhydrazine, 2‐cyanoacetohydrazide, and/or thiosemicarbazide furnished t...

A simple synthesis for a series of chloropyridine derivatives incorporating heterocyclic hybrids has been accomplished. The key reaction involving employment of 5‐chloro‐2‐(cyanoacetamido)pyridines 3 in the synthesis of chloropyridinyl‐pyridone, chloropyridinyl‐pyrazole, chloropyridinyl‐thiazole and chloropyridinyl‐thiophene hybrids. The newly synt...

Berberine is an alkaloid with a wide range of reported beneficial health effects. The current work provides an extensive literature analysis on berberine. Bibliometric data were identified by means of the search string TOPIC=(“berberin*” OR “umbellatine*”), which yielded 5,547 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection electronic da...

Background Coumarins are a set of polyphenolic compounds isolated from plant product tonka bean, coumarou in 1820. They belong to the family of benzopyrones, which includes benzene ring joined with the aid of a pyrone ring. Herbal coumarins and their synthetic structural analogs have vast biological activities, which include antimicrobial, anticanc...

The chemical investigation of the wheat plant pathogen Parastagonospora nodorum SN15 led to the purification of seven highly oxygenated acetylenic cyclohexanoids named stagonosporynes A-G. Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive NMR and the relative and absolute configurations by an array of computational methods including simula...

The chemical investigation of the wheat plant pathogen Parastagonospora nodorum SN15 led to the purification of seven highly oxygenated acetylenic cyclohexanoids named stagonosporynes A-G. Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive NMR and the relative and absolute configurations by an array of computational methods including simula...

Resveratrol is a stilbene-type bioactive molecule with a broad spectrum of reported biological effects. In this sense, the current work provides a comprehensive literature analysis on resveratrol, representing a highly-researched commercially available dietary ingredient. Bibliometric data were identified by means of the search string TOPIC=(“resve...

Marine natural products (MNPs) continue to be in the spotlight in the global drug discovery endeavor. Currently, more than 30,000 structurally diverse secondary metabolites from marine sources have been isolated, making MNPs a profound, renewable source to investigate novel drug compounds. Marine sponges of the genus Suberea (family: Aplysinellidae...

Marine natural products (MNPs) continue to be in the spotlight in the global drug discovery endeavor. Currently, more than 30,000 structurally diverse secondary metabolites from marine sources have been isolated, making MNPs a profound, renewable source to investigate novel drug compounds. Marine sponges of the genus Suberea (family: Aplysinellidae...

The alternative of chemical pesticides and bio-pesticides are now widely used to preserve the environment and prevent the spread of pests. In this study, two bacterial isolates well known for their ability to work as bio-control agent as well as plant growth promoting bacteria were tested as bio-pesticides against Tetranychus urticae (Koch.) (Acari...

Microbial natural products (MNPs) have been identified as important hotspots and effective sources for drug lead discovery. The genus Phaeosphaeria (family: Phaeosphaeriaceae, order: Pleosporales), in particular, has produced divergent chemical structures, including pyrazine alkaloids, isocoumarins, perylenequinones, anthraquinones, diterpenes, and...

Microbial natural products (MNPs) have been identified as important hotspots and effective sources for drug lead discovery. The genus Phaeosphaeria (family: Phaeosphaeriaceae, order: Pleosporales), in particular, has produced divergent chemical structures, including pyrazine alkaloids, isocoumarins, perylenequinones, anthraquinones, diterpenes, and...

Although biological and pharmacological effects of dietary natural products have been intensively studied, there has been no bibliometric analysis performed on this research field up to now. The current study has aimed to identify and analyze the manuscripts on dietary natural products and their potential to influence health and disease including s...

Although biological and pharmacological effects of dietary natural products have been intensively studied, there has been no bibliometric analysis performed on this research field up to now. The current study has aimed to identify and analyze the manuscripts on dietary natural products and their potential to influence health and disease including s...

Although numerous bibliometric studies have examined various aspects of cancer research, the landscape of scientific studies focusing on natural products in cancer research has not been characterized. Using the Web of Science Core Collection online database, we identify and analyze scientific articles on natural products in cancer-related research....

Six long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids 1-6 with varied unsaturation degrees were identified from the nonpolar fractions of Monanchora n. sp. marine sponge. Their structures were determined mainly by H NMR and HRMS spectroscopic data interpretations.

Six long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids 1-6 with varied unsaturation degrees were identified from the nonpolar fractions of Monanchora n. sp. marine sponge. Their structures were determined mainly by 1H-NMR and HRMS spectroscopic data interpretations.

Introduction :The fungus Phaeosphaeria nodorum SN15 is a well-known filamentous pathogen of wheat and related cereals. 1 Its genome has been recently sequenced while its chemistry has been few explored so far. Accordingly, we investigated the chemistry of this strain and isolated the metabolites which putatively involved in the pathogeny of the hos...

Over the past seven decades, particularly since the discovery of the first marine-derived nucleosides, spongothymidine and spongouridine, from the Caribbean sponge Cryptotethya crypta in the early 1950s, marine natural products have emerged as unique, renewable and yet under-investigated pools for discovery of new drug leads with distinct structura...

Over the past seven decades, particularly since the discovery of the first marine-derived nucleosides, spongothymidine and spongouridine, from the Caribbean sponge Cryptotethya crypta in the early 1950s, marine natural products have emerged as unique, renewable and yet under-investigated pools for discovery of new drug leads with distinct structura...

Herein, we describe the isolation and spectroscopic identification of eight new tetrabrominated tyrosine alkaloids 2-9 from the Polynesian sponge Suberea ianthelliformis, along with known major compound psammaplysene D (1), N,N-dimethyldibromotyramine, 5-hydroxy xanthenuric acid, and xanthenuric acid. Cytotoxicity and acetylcholinesterase inhibitio...

Herein, we describe the isolation and spectroscopic identification of eight new tetrabrominated tyrosine alkaloids 2-9 from the Polynesian sponge Suberea ianthelliformis, along with known major compound psammaplysene D (1), N,N-dimethyldibromotyramine, 5-hydroxy xanthenuric acid, and xanthenuric acid. Cytotoxicity and acetylcholinesterase inhibitio...

Pyrroloquinoline and guanidine-derived alkaloids present distinct groups of marine secondary metabolites with structural diversity that displayed potentialities in biological research. A considerable number of these molecular architectures had been recorded from marine sponges belonging to different marine genera, including Batzella, Crambe, Monanc...