Lignans of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.): A comprehensive review

Major lignans of sesame sesamin and sesamolin are benzodioxol–substituted furofurans. Sesamol, sesaminol, its epimers, and episesamin are transformation products found in processed products. Synthetic routes to all lignans are known but only sesamol is synthesized industrially. Biosynthesis of furofuran lignans begins with the dimerization of coniferyl alcohol, followed by the formation of dioxoles, oxidation, and glycosylation. Most genes of the lignan pathway in sesame have been identified but the inheritance of lignan content is poorly understood. Health-promoting properties make lignans attractive components of functional food. Lignans enhance the efficiency of insecticides and possess antifeedant activity, but their biological function in plants remains hypothetical. In this work, extensive literature including historical texts is reviewed, controversial issues are critically examined, and errors perpetuated in literature are corrected. The following aspects are covered: chemical properties and transformations of lignans; analysis, purification, and total synthesis; occurrence in Seseamum indicum and related plants; biosynthesis and genetics; biological activities; health-promoting properties; and biological functions. Finally, the improvement of lignan content in sesame seeds by breeding and biotechnology and the potential of hairy roots for manufacturing lignans in vitro are outlined.Alexander von Humboldt Foundation/[]//AlemaniaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Centro para Investigaciones en Granos y Semillas (CIGRAS

Siegener Beiträge zur Geschichte und Philosophie der Mathematik 2017

Die in diesem nunmehr vorliegenden achten Band der Siegener Beiträge vereinten Aufsätze dokumentieren jene Pluralität von Themen, Perspektiven und Methoden, die uns schon in den vorangehenden Bänden stets ein Anliegen war. Überspitzt gesagt, eint sie, zumindest auf den ersten Blick, nicht viel mehr als das große Oberthema Geschichte und Philosophie der Mathematik

Synthesis and characterization of novel ruthenium-nitrosyl complexes with amino acids

Seit Cisplatin entdeckt wurde, sind Platinum(II) Komplexe ein integraler Bestandteil der anti-Krebs Chemotherapie. Trotz ihrer beachtlichen Wirksamkeit gegen manche Krebsarten, ist die Suche nach Alternativen notwendig, da schwere Nebenwirkungen auftreten und verschiedene Tumore Resistenzen zeigen. Wie seit mehreren Jahren bekannt ist, sind einige Ruthenium(II) und (III) Verbindungen vielversprechende potentielle Chemotherapeutika, obwohl noch nicht restlos geklärt ist, auf welche Weise sie wirken. Spätestens seit die anti-angiogenetischen und anti-invasiven Eigenschaften von NAMI-A teilweise auf die Bindung von freiem NO zurückgeführt werden konnten, stellt Nitrosyl einen interessanten Liganden für Chemotherapeutika dar. Nitrosyl spielt im Organismus eine Rolle als Signalmolekül und trägt zur Regulierung des Blutdrucks bei, indem es gefäßerweiternd wirkt. Darüber hinaus wird bei Entzündungsreaktionen, in nekrotischem Gewebe und im Zuge der Apoptose NO freigesetzt. Die Affinität von Ru(II) und (III) zu NO ist in der Literatur gut dokumentiert. Sowohl im Körper als auch in Zellkulutrexperimenten sind Aminosäuren die wichtigsten kleinen biologischen Liganden. Trotzem ist wenig über die Reaktivität von Aminosäuren gegenüber Ruthenium-Nitrosylkomplexen bekannt. Ziel unsere Arbeit war diese Lücke zu schließen. Es wurde eine Serie von Ruthenium-Nitrosylkomplexen mit Aminosäure mit der Formel Bu4N[RuCl3NO(L)] (L = L-Ala, L -Val, Gly, L-Ser, L-Thr, L-Tyr, L -Pro, D-Pro) hergestellt und mittles 1H NMR ESI-MS, UV-vis, ATR-IR Spektroskopie, Cyclovoltammetrie, Elementaranalyse und Röntgenstrukturanalyse charakterisiert. Außerdem wurden Zelltest an drei menschlichen Krebszelllinien durchgeführt, um die IC50 Werte zu bestimmen. Na2[RuCl5NO]•6H2O, 1.5 eq Aminosäure und 2 eq Bu4NCl wurden in n-Butanol gelöst und 1.5 Stunden refluxiert. Die Komplexe mit L-Tyr und Gly wurden direkt aus der Mutterlauge kristallisiert. Die übrigen Komplexe wurden aus einer kleinen Menge Wasser kristallisiert.Since the discovery of cisplatin, platinum(II) compounds have become an integral part of anticancer chemotherapy. Despite their remarkable cure rates for some types of cancer, it is necessary to search for alternatives due to the severe side effects of approved platinum compounds and the resistance of some tumor types. As known for several years ruthenium(II) and ruthenium(III) compounds are promising anti-cancer agents, although the mode of action is still controversial. At least since the anti-angiogenic and anti-invasive properties of NAMI-A were in part reported to NO capturing, NO, which plays an important role in organism as signaling molecule, in blood pressure regulation, inflammatory response and in necrosis and apoptosis, is an interesting ligand for potential anticancer agents. Moreover ruthenium shows a well described affinity to NO. Amino acids are the most important biological ligands with low molecular weight in the body as well as in cell culture experiments, nevertheless very little is known about the reactivity of amino acids towards ruthenium-nitrosylcomplexes. We intend to close that gap and therefore a series of ruthenium-nitrosylcomplexes with amino acids, Bu4N[RuCl3NO(L)] (L = L-Ala, L-Val, Gly, L-Ser, L-Thr, L-Tyr, L-Pro, D-Pro), was prepared and characterized by 1H NMR, ESI MS, UV-vis, ATR IR spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, elemental analysis and X-ray crystallography. Furthermore cell culture experiments with three human cancer cell lines were performed. The IC50 values were determined. Na2[RuCl5NO].6H2O, 1.5 eq amino acid and 2 eq Bu4NCl were dissolved in n-butanol and refluxed for 1.5 hours. To obtain the L-Tyr and Gly complexes the n-butanol solutions were transferred into a baker. The solutions were filtrated after 24 hours and after several days the desired product crystallized. To obtain the other complexes n-butanol was evaporated, the remaining oil was dried in vacuo and dissolved in water. Crystals formed after several days

Crop Diseases and Mycotoxin Accumulation in Temperate Agroforestry Systems

Background: Temperate agroforestry is regarded as a sustainable alternative to monoculture agriculture due to enhanced provisioning of ecosystem services. Plant health and food safety are crucial requirements for sustainable agriculture; however, studies of fungal diseases and mycotoxin contamination of crops grown under temperate agroforestry are lacking. This study therefore aimed to compare fungal colonization and mycotoxin contamination of crops grown in temperate agroforestry against conventional monoculture. Methods: The biomass of plant pathogenic fungi in oilseed rape plants and barley and wheat grain harvested in 2016 to 2018 at four paired agroforestry and monoculture sites was quantified using species-specific real-time PCR. Mycotoxin content of barley and wheat grain was determined by HPLC-MS/MS. Results: The colonization of oilseed rape plants with the vascular pathogen Verticillium longisporum and wheat grain with the head blight pathogen Fusarium tricinctum was lower in agroforestry than in conventional monoculture. Mycotoxin content of barley and wheat grain did not differ between agroforestry and monoculture systems and did not exceed the legal limits of the EU. Remarkably, fumonisin B1 was detected in wheat grains at two sites in two years, yet the low levels found do not raise food safety concerns. No differences were found between the two production systems with regard to infection of wheat and barley grain with five Fusarium species (F. avenaceum, F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. poae, and F. proliferatum) and oilseed rape with fungal pathogens Leptosphaeria biglobosa, Leptosphaeria maculans, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Conclusions: Temperate agroforestry does not negatively affect the infection of wheat, barley and oilseed rape with major fungal pathogens though it may suppress the infection of oilseed rape with V. longisporum and wheat grain with F. tricinctum. Furthermore, temperate agroforestry does not increase mycotoxin contamination of barley and wheat. Therefore, temperate agroforestry does not negatively affect food safety

Fusarium Head Blight: Effect of Infection Timing on Spread of Fusarium graminearum and Spatial Distribution of Deoxynivalenol within Wheat Spikes

Most studies of Fusarium head blight (FHB) focused on wheat infection at anthesis. Less is known about infections at later stages. In this study, the effect of infection timing on the development of FHB and the distribution of fungal biomass and deoxynivalenol (DON) along wheat spikes was investigated. Under greenhouse conditions, two wheat varieties were point-inoculated with Fusarium graminearum starting from anthesis until 25 days after anthesis. The fungus and fungal DNA were isolated from the centers and the bases of all the spikes but not from the tips for all inoculation times and both varieties. In each variety, the amount of fungal DNA and the content of DON and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside (DON-3-G) were higher in the center than in the base for all inoculation times. A positive correlation was found between the content of fungal DNA and DON in the centers as well as the bases of both varieties. This study showed that F. graminearum grows downward within infected wheat spikes and that the accumulation of DON is largely confined to the colonized tissue. Moreover, F. graminearum was able to infect wheat kernels and cause contamination with mycotoxins even when inoculated 25 days after anthesis