Bioactive metabolites in improved cowpea seeds

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has developed some pest and disease resistant cowpeas. From these the seeds of 8 cowpea cultivars were extracted with ethanol, and partitioned into chloroform and water-soluble fractions, the water-soluble fraction was further extracted with ethyl acetate. Residues from ethanol, chloroform and ethyl acetate soluble fractions for each of the 8 cowpea cultivars were screened against brine shrimp larvae. The seed extracts of cowpea cultivars IT93K – 596 – 9 – 12, IT90K – 277 – 2 and IT93K – 452 – 1 were found to be most active, indicating that they contain cytotoxic compound(s).African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (6), pp. 513-516, 200

Protein Kinase C: Targets to Regenerate Brain Injuries?

Acute or chronic injury to the central nervous system (CNS), causes neuronal death and irreversible cognitive deficits or sensory-motor alteration. Despite the capacity of the adult CNS to generate new neurons from neural stem cells (NSC), neuronal replacement following an injury is a restricted process, which does not naturally result in functional regeneration. Therefore, potentiating endogenous neurogenesis is one of the strategies that are currently being under study to regenerate damaged brain tissue. The insignificant neurogenesis that occurs in CNS injuries is a consequence of the gliogenic/non-neurogenic environment that inflammatory signaling molecules create within the injured area. The modification of the extracellular signals to generate a neurogenic environment would facilitate neuronal replacement. However, in order to generate this environment, it is necessary to unearth which molecules promote or impair neurogenesis to introduce the first and/or eliminate the latter. Specific isozymes of the protein kinase C (PKC) family differentially contribute to generate a gliogenic or neurogenic environment in injuries by regulating the ADAM17 mediated release of growth factor receptor ligands. Recent reports describe several non-tumorigenic diterpenes isolated from plants of the Euphorbia genus, which specifically modulate the activity of PKC isozymes promoting neurogenesis. Diterpenes with 12-deoxyphorbol or lathyrane skeleton, increase NPC proliferation in neurogenic niches in the adult mouse brain in a PKCb dependent manner exerting their effects on transit amplifying cells, whereas PKC inhibition in injuries promotes neurogenesis. Thus, compounds that balance PKC activity in injuries might be of use in the development of new drugs and therapeutic strategies to regenerate brain injuries

Volatile Compounds of the Leaves and Flowers of Lavandula dhofarensis A.G. Miller

The leaves and flowers of Lavandula dhofarensis were collected from the Dhofar region of Oman and hydro-distilled to give low boiling volatiles, which did not condense at 10 oC.  The dichloromethane extract of the hydrosol was analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. Sixty four compounds were identified in the volatiles of the leaves, accounting for 78.7% of the total.  The major components were caryophyllene oxide (8.0%), germacrene (7.9%), spathulenol (7.8%), and b-caryophyllene (6.6%). Eighty six compounds were also identified in the volatiles of the leaves plus flowers, comprising 94.5% of the total. The major compounds were camphor (12.9%), viridiflorol (10.5%), a-terpinyl acetate (7.5%), valerenal (7.2%), a-gurjunene (5.6%), and spathulenol (5.5%). Compounds such as linalool, linalyl acetate, 1,8-cineole, and b-ocimene, which are usually found as the major components of lavender oils, were either absent or detected at low levels  (<0.1%) in the hydrosol of L. dhofarensis. This investigation showed that the fragrance essence of L. dhofarensis is different from the other Lavandula species. L. dhofarensisis is regionally endemic to wetter areas of Oman