Nanoencapsulation of Plant Volatile Organic Compounds to Improve Their Biological Activities

Abstract

Plant volatile organic compounds (volatiles) are secondary plant metabolites that play crucial roles in the reproduction, defence, and interactions with other vegetation. They have been shown to exhibit a broad range of biological properties and have been investigated for antimicrobial and anticancer activities. In addition, they are thought be more environmentally friendly than many other synthetic chemicals 1. Despite these facts, their applications in the medical, food, and agricultural fields are considerably restricted due to their volatilities, instabilities, and aqueous insolubilities. Nanoparticle encapsulation of plant volatile organic compounds is regarded as one of the best strategies that could lead to the enhancement of the bioavailability and biological activity of the volatile compounds by overcoming their physical limitations and promoting their controlled release and cellular absorption. In this review, we will discuss the biosynthesis and analysis of plant volatile organic compounds, their biological activities, and limitations. Furthermore, different types of nanoparticle platforms used to encapsulate the volatiles and the biological efficacies of nanoencapsulated volatile organic compounds will be covered.

Green Leaf Volatile Trans-2-Hexenal Inhibits the Growth of Fusarium graminearum by Inducing Membrane Damage, ROS Accumulation, and Cell Dysfunction

“…Plant VOCs are well known for their water insolubility as lipophilic small molecular compounds. 54 However, T2H greatly reduced the increase in mycelial biomass of F. graminearum in YEPD liquid medium. Similarly, T2H reduced the bacterial numbers of Pseudomonas syringae, Aeromonas sobria, and Aeromonas hydrophila in tryptic glucose yeast (TGY) broth and Penicillium expansum growth in apple juice broth.…”

“…Plant VOCs are well known for their water insolubility as lipophilic small molecular compounds . However, T2H greatly reduced the increase in mycelial biomass of F.…”

Pharmacological effects of volatile oil from chrysanthemum and its associated mechanisms: a review

“…Moreover, researchers have used chitosan and pectin to modify Chrysanthemum VO liposomes to form more stable Chrysanthemum VO triple-layer liposomes, which showed better antibacterial activity against Campylobacter jejuni in chickens without affecting their quality [124] . Moreover, nanotechnology for VO delivery, which is characterized by improved cellular uptake, controlled release, and precise targeting, is a current focus of interest [125,126] . Compared to traditional emulsions, nanoemulsions are stabler because of their higher surface-to-volume ratio, which can be used as a promising antibacterial delivery method to enhance the stability of VO, organ and cellular targeting, and antibacterial efficacy [127] .…”

The power of the smallest: The inhibitory activity of microbial volatile organic compounds against phytopathogens

“…In addition, it has already been shown that polyamide-based microcapsules with TiO 2 can be successfully used to trigger the release of volatile organic compounds by UV-A irradiation ( Marques et al, 2013 ). Recently, Mun and Townley (2020) reviewed the different types of nanoparticles to encapsulate plant VOCs, but we believe that the same can be true for microbial volatiles, which is a valuable alternative for using these compounds in the field.…”