Arabinoxyloglucan Oligosaccharides May Contribute to the Antiadhesive Properties of Porcine Urine after Cranberry Consumption

© 2019 As part of our continuing investigation for interesting biological activities of native medicinal plants, thirty-nine plants, obtained from diverse areas in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, were screened for insecticidal activity against yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.). Out of the 57 organic extracts, Saussurea lappa, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Taraxacum officinale, Nigella sativa, and Hyssopus officinalis exhibited over 80% mortality against adult female Ae. aegypti at 5 μg/mosquito. In the larvicidal bioassay, the petroleum ether extract of Aloe perryi flowers showed 100% mortality at 31.25 ppm against 1st instar Ae. aegypti larvae. The ethanol extract of Saussurea lappa roots was the second most active displaying 100% mortality at 125 and 62.5 ppm. Polar active extracts were processed using LC-MS/MS to identify bioactive compounds. The apolar A. perryi flower extract was analyzed by headspace SPME-GC/MS analysis. Careful examination of the mass spectra and detailed interpretation of the fragmentation pattern allowed the identification of various biologically active secondary metabolites. Some compounds such as caffeic and quinic acid and their glycosides were detected in most of the analyzed fractions. Additionally, luteolin, luteolin glucoside, luteolin glucuronide and diglucuronide were also identified as bioactive compounds in several HPLC fractions. The volatile ketone, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one was identified from A. perryi petroleum ether fraction as a major compound

Kinase Inhibitors from Marine Sponges

Protein kinases play a critical role in cell regulation and their deregulation is a contributing factor in an increasing list of diseases including cancer. Marine sponges have yielded over 70 novel compounds to date that exhibit significant inhibitory activity towards a range of protein kinases. These compounds, which belong to diverse structural classes, are reviewed herein, and ordered based upon the kinase that they inhibit. Relevant synthetic studies on the marine natural product kinase inhibitors have also been included

Nitrosylation of Myoglobin and Nitrosation of Cysteine by Nitrite in a Model System Simulating Meat Curing

Demand is growing for meat products cured without the addition of sodium nitrite. Instead of the direct addition of nitrite to meat in formulation, nitrite is supplied by bacterial reduction of natural nitrate often added as vegetable juice/powder. However, the rate of nitrite formation in this process is relatively slow, and the total ingoing nitrite is typically less than in conventional curing processes. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the rate of addition of nitrite and the amount of nitrite added on nitrosylation/nitrosation reactions in a model meat curing system. Myoglobin was preferentially nitrosylated as no decrease in sulfhydryl groups was found until maximum nitrosylmyoglobin color was achieved. The cysteine–myoglobin model retained more sulfhydryl groups than the cysteine-only model (p \u3c 0.05). The rate of nitrite addition did not alter nitrosylation/nitrosation reactions (p \u3e 0.05). These data suggest that the amount of nitrite but not the rate of addition impacts the nitrosylation/nitrosation reactions this syste

Cytotoxic Terpene Quinones from Marine Sponges

The 1,4-benzoquinone moiety is a common structural feature in a large number of compounds that have received considerable attention owing to their broad spectrum of biological activities. The cytotoxic and antiproliferative properties of many natural sesquiterpene quinones and hydroquinones from sponges of the order Dictyoceratida, such as avarol, avarone, illimaquinone, nakijiquinone and bolinaquinone, offer promising opportunities for the development of new antitumor agents. The present review summarizes the structure and cytotoxicity of natural terpenequinones/hydroquinones and their bioactive analogues and derivatives

Stress exposure alters brain mRNA expression of the genes involved in insulin signalling, an effect modified by a high fat/high fructose diet and cinnamon supplement

In occidental societies, high fat and high sugar diets often coincide with episodes of stress. The association is likely to modify brain energy control. Brain insulin signalling is rarely studied in stressed individuals consuming high fat diets. Furthermore the effects of cinnamon supplement are not known in these conditions. Therefore, we exposed rats, over a 12-week period, to a control (C) or a high fat/high fructose (HF/HFr) diet that induces peripheral insulin resistance. A cinnamon supplement (C+CN and HF/HFr +CN) was added or not. After diet exposure, one group of rats was exposed to a 30-min restraint followed by a 10-min open-field test, their combination featuring a moderate stressor, the other rats staying unstressed in their home cages. The insulin signalling in hippocampus and frontal cortex was studied through the mRNA expression of the following genes: insulin receptor (Ir), insulin receptor substrate (Irs1), glucose transporters (Glut1 and Glut3), glycogen synthase (Gys1) and their modulators, Akt1 and Pten. In C rats, stress enhanced the expression of Ir, Irs1, Glut1, Gys1 and Akt1 mRNA. In C+CN rats, stress induced an increase in Pten but a decrease in Gys1 mRNA expression. In HF/HFr rats, stress was associated with an increase in Pten mRNA expression. In HF/HFr+CN rats, stress increased Pten mRNA expression but also decreased Gys1 mRNA expression. This suggests that a single moderate stress favours energy refilling mechanisms, an effect blunted by a previous HF/HFr diet and cinnamon supplement

Personal Papers (MS 80-0002)

Letter from the House of Representatives to I. H. Kempner thanking him for the sugar he sent

Metabolomic Analysis of Commercial Cranberry Supplements

Abstract. The potential health benefits of cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) can be attributed to a variety of secondary metabolites, including proanthocyanidins (PACs), flavonoids, organic acids, and triterpenoids. Commercial cranberry supplements can provide a low-sugar alternative to juices and sweetened fruit products, however the phytochemical content can be expected to vary due to widely differing manufacturing processes. Selected commercial cranberry supplements were analyzed for secondary metabolite profile in comparison to a whole cranberry powder reference standard material, using 1H qNMR with Bruker AssureNMR software. HPLC-DAD and the DMAC assay were employed for total anthocyanin and PAC content respectively. Principal component analysis of 1H NMR spectra showed overlap between several supplements and whole cranberry powder, whereas others varied widely from the standard. Total PAC content varied widely, with four supplements ranging 5 - 10 mg PAC/g dry weight, one at 100 mg PAC/g dry weight, and insignificant PAC content in the rest. Several supplements contained only minimal amounts of organic acids and flavonoids. Cranberry peel constituents ursolic acid (8.0-16.3 mg/g) and oleanolic acid (0.3-5.1 mg/g), were detected in the whole cranberry reference standard but only about half of the supplements. Study results suggest significant variation in phytochemical composition among commercial cranberry supplements, reinforcing the need for reliable industry standards. This poster is not available for downloading

Dragmacidin G, A Bioactive Bis-Indole Alkaloid From A Deep-Water Sponge Of The Genus Spongosorites

A deep-water sponge of the genus Spongosorites has yielded a bis-indole alkaloid which we have named dragmacidin G. Dragmacidin G was first reported by us in the patent literature and has recently been reported by Hitora et al. from a sponge of the genus Lipastrotheya. Dragmacidin G is the first in this series of compounds to have a pyrazine ring linking the two indole rings. It also has a rare N-(2-mercaptoethyl)-guanidine side chain. Dragmacidin G shows a broad spectrum of biological activity including inhibition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Plasmodium falciparum, and a panel of pancreatic cancer cell lines