Elucidating Antiproliferative Mechanisms of Grapeseed, Guava, and Juniper Berry Extracts

Plant extracts are an untapped source of medicinal potential. Even today they are used as standalone treatments and applied alongside conventional therapies. The focus of our laboratory is to identify plant extracts exhibiting antiproliferative activity in vitro, to determine which chemicals are responsible for this activity, and to elucidate mechanism(s) by which growth is slowed/inhibited by plant extracts. Specifically, we exposed five cell lines/strains to twenty-two plant extracts and measured cell proliferation. Extracts from Vinca, Juniper Berry, Guava, Grapeseed, and Yew slowed the growth of all five lines/strains in a dose dependent fashion. We are working to understand the mechanism of antiproliferation by measuring induction of apoptosis, effects on microtubule assembly, and wound healing

Automated Collage Generation – With Intent

One reason why software undertaking creative tasks might be perceived of as uncreative is its lack of overall purpose or intent. In computational creativity projects, while some skillful aspects may be undertaken by the computer, there is usually a person driving the process, by making decisions with regard t

Redox-State Dependent Ligand Exchange in Manganese-Based Oxidation Catalysis

Manganese-based oxidation catalysis plays a central role both in nature, in the oxidation of water in photosystem II (PSII) and the control of reactive oxygen species, as well as in chemical processes, in the oxidation of organic substrates and bleaching applications. The focus of this review is on efforts made to explore and elucidate the redox-dependent coordination chemistry of these manganese-based systems in solution and the mechanisms by which their catalytic redox reactions proceed. We also examine the behaviour and activity of complexes that have been developed and used as models for the active sites of the corresponding enzymes, or used as catalysts in the oxidation of organic substrates. Given the current concern over the environmental and economic impact of chemical processes, manganese catalysts that use H2O2 as oxidant are the primary focus of this review