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IntroductionThis study describes the molecular profile and the potential antiviral activity of extracts from Phyllanthus brasiliensis, a plant widely found in the Brazilian Amazon. The research aims to shed light on the potential use of this species as a natural antiviral agent.MethodsThe extracts were analysed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) system, a potent analytical technique to discover drug candidates. In the meantime, in vitro antiviral assays were performed against Mayaro, Oropouche, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses. In addition, the antiviral activity of annotated compounds was predicted by in silico methods.ResultsOverall, 44 compounds were annotated in this study. The results revealed that P. brasiliensis has a high content of fatty acids, flavones, flavan‐3‐ols, and lignans. Furthermore, in vitro assays revealed potent antiviral activity against different arboviruses, especially lignan‐rich extracts against Zika virus (ZIKV), as follows: methanolic extract from bark (MEB) [effective concentration for 50% of the cells (EC50) = 0.80 μg/mL, selectivity index (SI) = 377.59], methanolic extract from the leaf (MEL) (EC50 = 0.84 μg/mL, SI = 297.62), and hydroalcoholic extract from the leaf (HEL) (EC50 = 1.36 μg/mL, SI = 735.29). These results were supported by interesting in silico prediction, where tuberculatin (a lignan) showed a high antiviral activity score.ConclusionsPhyllanthus brasiliensis extracts contain metabolites that could be a new kick‐off point for the discovery of candidates for antiviral drug development, with lignans becoming a promising trend for further virology research.

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Introduction: Plants of the genus Phyllanthus (Euphorbiaceae), the “stone breaker” has long been used in folk medicine to treat hepatitis B, an important viral disease. In this regard some species of this genus were tested against viruses as Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), COVID and Hepatitis C virus (HCV), showing expressive inhibition in some of them, attracting attention to the genus and to its chemical constituents. Although P. brasiliensis has no traditional use as an antiviral plant, these findings urge us to consider whether P. brasiliensis, plant widely distributed in the Brazilian Amazon and its compounds have antiviral activity against Vero cell lines infected with Mayaro, Oropouche, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Objectives: Thus, herein we describe a study of extracts' chemical diversity, antiviral activity, and specialized metabolites detected in different parts of the Phyllanthus brasiliensis (Aubl.) Poir., Methods: In this context, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry is a crucial analytical method to reveal the identity of many drug candidates from extracts from medicinal plants used to treat diseases, including for instance infections by viruses. Results: As result, 44 compounds were annotated by mass spectrometry-based molecular networking approach. Along, the extracts were tested against Vero cell lines infected with Mayaro, Oropouche, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Overall, the results revealed that this species is high in fatty acids, flavones, flavan-3-ols, and lignans. Among them, especially lignans are known to have promising antiviral properties. In this context, in vitro assays revealed potent antiviral activity against different viruses, especially lignan-rich extracts MEB (EC50 = 0.80 µg.mL− 1, SI = 377.59), MEL (EC50 = 0.84 µg.mL− 1, SI = 297.62), and HEL (EC50 = 1.36 µg.mL− 1, SI = 735.29) against Zika virus (ZIKV). Conclusions: The potential of lignans was also supported by in silico antiviral prediction, and Tuberculatin (a lignan) stood out with high activity score and as a strong candidate from MEL extract. Therefore, authors believe that P. brasiliensis extracts contain metabolites that could be a new kick-off point with candidates for antiviral drug development, with lignans becoming a promising trend for further virology research.

Sugars released by thermochemical pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass are possible substrate for hydrogen production. However, the major drawback for bacterial fermentation is the toxicity of weak acids and furan derivatives normally present in such substrate. This study aimed to investigate the metabolism involved in hydrogen production by the isolate Enterobacter LBTM2 using 10, 20 and 30-fold diluted synthetic (SH) and sugarcane bagasse hemicellulose (SBH) hydrolysates. In addition, the effects of acetic acid, formic acid and furfural on the bacterial metabolism, as well as detoxification of SBH with activated carbon and molecularly imprinted polymers on the hydrogen production were assessed. The results showed the best hydrogen yield was 0.46 mmol H 2 /mmol sugar for 20-times diluted SH, which was 2.3-times higher than obtained in SBH experiments. Bacterial growth and hydrogen production were negatively affected by 0.8 g/L of acetic acid when added alone, but were totally inhibited when formic acid (0.4 g/L) and furfural (0.3 g/L) were also supplied. However the maximum hydrogen production of SBH20 has duplicated when 3% of powdered activated carbon was added to the SBH experiment. The results presented herein can be helpful in understanding the bottlenecks in biohydrogen production and could contribute towards development of lignocellulosic biorefinery.