Cyanogenic glucoside patterns in sweet and bitter almonds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sánchez Pérez, Raquel; Møller, Birger Lindberg; Olsen, Carl Erik

2009-01-01

When an almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb) kernel containing cyanogenic glucosides (prunasin or amygdalin) is disintegrated, the glucosides will typically be hydrolyzed by amygdalin hydrolase, prunasin hydrolase, and mandelonitrile lyase with concomitant release of glucose, benzaldehyde......, and hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Benzaldehyde and HCN, in low amounts, provide the characteristic almond taste and flavour. Because of the toxicity of HCN, low cyanogenic glucoside content in the kernel is a prime breeding target. Biochemical analyses of different almond tissues were carried out to investigate...... their ability to synthesize and degrade prunasin and amygdalin. The analyses were carried out during the entire growth season, from almond tree flowering to kernel ripening using the following tissues: leaves, petioles, and the fruit (endosperm and cotyledon). Four different genotypes were investigated...

Bitterness in Almonds1[C][OA

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Pérez, Raquel; Jørgensen, Kirsten; Olsen, Carl Erik; Dicenta, Federico; Møller, Birger Lindberg

2008-01-01

Bitterness in almond (Prunus dulcis) is determined by the content of the cyanogenic diglucoside amygdalin. The ability to synthesize and degrade prunasin and amygdalin in the almond kernel was studied throughout the growth season using four different genotypes for bitterness. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses showed a specific developmentally dependent accumulation of prunasin in the tegument of the bitter genotype. The prunasin level decreased concomitant with the initiation of amygdalin accumulation in the cotyledons of the bitter genotype. By administration of radiolabeled phenylalanine, the tegument was identified as a specific site of synthesis of prunasin in all four genotypes. A major difference between sweet and bitter genotypes was observed upon staining of thin sections of teguments and cotyledons for β-glucosidase activity using Fast Blue BB salt. In the sweet genotype, the inner epidermis in the tegument facing the nucellus was rich in cytoplasmic and vacuolar localized β-glucosidase activity, whereas in the bitter cultivar, the β-glucosidase activity in this cell layer was low. These combined data show that in the bitter genotype, prunasin synthesized in the tegument is transported into the cotyledon via the transfer cells and converted into amygdalin in the developing almond seed, whereas in the sweet genotype, amygdalin formation is prevented because the prunasin is degraded upon passage of the β-glucosidase-rich cell layer in the inner epidermis of the tegument. The prunasin turnover may offer a buffer supply of ammonia, aspartic acid, and asparagine enabling the plants to balance the supply of nitrogen to the developing cotyledons. PMID:18192442

Prunasin Hydrolases during Fruit Development in Sweet and Bitter Almonds1[C][W][OA

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Pérez, Raquel; Belmonte, Fara Sáez; Borch, Jonas; Dicenta, Federico; Møller, Birger Lindberg; Jørgensen, Kirsten

2012-01-01

Amygdalin is a cyanogenic diglucoside and constitutes the bitter component in bitter almond (Prunus dulcis). Amygdalin concentration increases in the course of fruit formation. The monoglucoside prunasin is the precursor of amygdalin. Prunasin may be degraded to hydrogen cyanide, glucose, and benzaldehyde by the action of the β-glucosidase prunasin hydrolase (PH) and mandelonitirile lyase or be glucosylated to form amygdalin. The tissue and cellular localization of PHs was determined during fruit development in two sweet and two bitter almond cultivars using a specific antibody toward PHs. Confocal studies on sections of tegument, nucellus, endosperm, and embryo showed that the localization of the PH proteins is dependent on the stage of fruit development, shifting between apoplast and symplast in opposite patterns in sweet and bitter cultivars. Two different PH genes, Ph691 and Ph692, have been identified in a sweet and a bitter almond cultivar. Both cDNAs are 86% identical on the nucleotide level, and their encoded proteins are 79% identical to each other. In addition, Ph691 and Ph692 display 92% and 86% nucleotide identity to Ph1 from black cherry (Prunus serotina). Both proteins were predicted to contain an amino-terminal signal peptide, with the size of 26 amino acid residues for PH691 and 22 residues for PH692. The PH activity and the localization of the respective proteins in vivo differ between cultivars. This implies that there might be different concentrations of prunasin available in the seed for amygdalin synthesis and that these differences may determine whether the mature almond develops into bitter or sweet. PMID:22353576

Laetrile/Amygdalin (PDQ)

Science.gov (United States)

... NIH). NIH is the federal government’s center of biomedical research. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent ... NCCIH) are sponsoring a number of clinical trials (research studies) at medical centers to test CAM therapies for use in cancer. Conventional approaches to cancer ...

Cyanogenic Glucosides and Derivatives in Almond and Sweet Cherry Flower Buds from Dormancy to Flowering

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Jorge Del Cueto

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Almond and sweet cherry are two economically important species of the Prunus genus. They both produce the cyanogenic glucosides prunasin and amygdalin. As part of a two-component defense system, prunasin and amygdalin release toxic hydrogen cyanide upon cell disruption. In this study, we investigated the potential role within prunasin and amygdalin and some of its derivatives in endodormancy release of these two Prunus species. The content of prunasin and of endogenous prunasin turnover products in the course of flower development was examined in five almond cultivars – differing from very early to extra-late in flowering time – and in one sweet early cherry cultivar. In all cultivars, prunasin began to accumulate in the flower buds shortly after dormancy release and the levels dropped again just before flowering time. In almond and sweet cherry, the turnover of prunasin coincided with increased levels of prunasin amide whereas prunasin anitrile pentoside and β-D-glucose-1-benzoate were abundant in almond and cherry flower buds at certain developmental stages. These findings indicate a role for the turnover of cyanogenic glucosides in controlling flower development in Prunus species.

Does apricot seeds consumption cause changes in human urine?

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Eva Tušimová

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Natural substances, such as amygdalin, used in alternative medicine gained high popularity. Common people as well as patients with different diseases have almost unlimited access to various natural supplements. To protect human health, it is very important to study effect of these substances. Amygdalin is a cyanogenic glucoside derived from seeds of rosaceous plants, for example seeds of bitter almonds (Prunus dulcis, or apricot, cherry, apple, peach, plum, etc. It is a natural product that owns antitumor activity, it has also been used for the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, leprosy and diabetes and produces a kind of antitussive and antiasthmatic effects. The present in vivo study was designed to reveal whether amygdalin in apricot seeds has got an effect on human urine composition, pH value and urine associated health status after six weeks of oral administration. The study group finally consisted of 34 healthy adult volunteers (21 females and 13 males. All participants were asked to consume 60 mg.kg-1 body weight of bitter apricot seeds daily (approximately 3.0 mg.kg-1 of amygdalin during 6 weeks. During the experiment, three urine collections were carried out (first collection - at the beginning of the experiment; second collection - after 21 days; third collection - after 42 days. Quantification of urine calcium (Ca, magnesium (Mg, phosphorus (P, sodium (Na, potassium (K, chlorides (Cl-, urea and pH value after apricot seeds supplementation was performed. Statistical analysis of variance showed, that consumption of bitter apricot seeds during 42 days had a significant (p <0.01 effect on amount of calcium excreted in urine, though this decrease shifted its level from elevated mean value in control collection into normal physiological range. Significant changes were observed in urea (p <0.05 and phosphorus (p <0.01 levels in urine after apricot seed ingestion, but gender was also considered to be a source of their variation.

Drug: D06769 [KEGG MEDICUS

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available D06769 Crude ... Drug Peach kernel (JP17); Powdered peach kernel (JP17); Peach kernel...tegory: 5100 ... Rosaceae (rose family) Peach kernel Major component: Amygdalin [CPD:C08325] ... PubChem: 47208420 ...

Raman spectroscopic analysis of cyanogenic glucosides in plants: development of a Flow Injection Surface-Enhanced Raman Scatter (FI-SERS) method for determination of cyanide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thygesen, Lisbeth Garbrecht; Jørgensen, Kirsten; Møller, Birger Lindberg

2004-01-01

Cyanogenic glucosides were studied using Raman spectroscopy. Spectra of the crystal forms of linamarin, linustatin, neolinustatin, amygdalin, sambunigrin, and dhurrin were obtained using a Raman spectrograph microscope equipped with a 532 nm laser. The position of the signal from the CdropN tripl...

The determination of furaldehyde and benzaldehyde in plum brandy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajković Miloš B.

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Among all alcohol liqueurs, brandies from drupaceous plants are characterized with the highest level of hydro cyanic acid, benzaldehyde and ethylcarbamate. In fruit brandies ethylcarbamate mainly originates from hydro cyanic acid during the processes of alcohol fermentation of crushed fruit and its preservation, distillation and ripening of the brandy. Hydro cyanic acid and benzaldehyde arise from the hydrolysis of amygdaline that is found exist in the heart of fruit stones and seeds, as well as from the hydrolysis of prunasine from the skin and flesh of drupaceous plants. The content of amygdaline and prunazine depends on the type of fruit, which corresponds to the potential content of hydro cyanic acid and benzaldehyde in the brandy that corresponds the stoichiometric ratio 1:3.94. The content of the aldehydes: furfural and benzaldehyde in plum brandy, strong plum brandy, young brandy, of domestic production in the various regions of Serbia were analyzed in this paper.

Beta-glycosidase (amygdalase and linamarase) from Endomyces fibuliger (LU677): formation and crude enzymes properties.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brimer, L.; Nout, M.J.R.; Tuncel, G.

1998-01-01

In our previous studies, the yeast Endomyces fibuliger LU677 was found to degrade amygdalin in bitter apricot seeds. The present investigation shows that E. fibuliger LU677 produces extracellular beta-glycosidase activity when grown in malt extract broth (MEB). Growth was very good at 25 degrees C

75 FR 1623 - Jason Vale; Denial of Hearing; Final Debarment Order

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-12

... the president of Christian Brother's Inc., guilty of three counts of criminal contempt in violation of... conduct relating to the regulation of a drug product. Mr. Vale's convictions for contempt stemmed from his... contempt trial showed that, in violation of the two injunctions, he continued to promote and sell amygdalin...

Isolation and characterization of new strains of cholesterol-reducing bacteria from baboons.

OpenAIRE

Brinkley, A W; Gottesman, A R; Mott, G E

1982-01-01

We isolated and characterized nine new strains of cholesterol-reducing bacteria from feces and intestinal contents of baboons. Cholesterol-brain agar was used for the primary isolation, and subsequent biochemical tests were done in a lecithin-cholesterol broth containing plasmenylethanolamine and various substrates. All strains had similar colony and cell morphology, hydrolyzed the beta-glucosides esculin and amygdalin, metabolized pyruvate, and produced acetate and acetoin. Unlike previously...

Integrated identification, qualification and quantification strategy for pharmacokinetic profile study of Guizhi Fuling capsule in healthy volunteers

OpenAIRE

Yun-Xi Zhong; Xiao-Liang Jin; Shi-Yin Gu; Ying Peng; Ke-Rong Zhang; Bing-Chen Ou-Yang; Yu Wang; Wei Xiao; Zhen-Zhong Wang; Ji-Ye Aa; Guang-Ji Wang; Jian-Guo Sun

2016-01-01

Guizhi Fuling capsule (GZFL), a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, is widely used in China to relieve pain from dysmenorrhea and is now in a Phase II clinical trial in the USA. Due to the low exposure of the five main medicative ingredients (amygdalin, cinnamic acid, gallic acid, paeoniflorin and paeonol) of GZFL in human, a strategy was built to qualitatively and quantitatively identify the possible metabolites of GZFL and to describe the pharmacokinetic profiles of GZFL in human. In ...

Honeybees tolerate cyanogenic glucosides from clover nectar and flowers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lecocq, Antoine; Green, Amelia Ann; Pinheiro de Castro, Érika Cristina

2018-01-01

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) pollinate flowers and collect nectar from many important crops. White clover (Trifolium repens) is widely grown as a temperate forage crop, and requires honeybee pollination for seed set. In this study, using a quantitative LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry...... indicates that plant secondary metabolites found in nectar may protect pollinators from disease or predators. In a laboratory survival study with chronic feeding of secondary metabolites, we show that honeybees can ingest the cyanogenic glucosides linamarin and amygdalin at naturally occurring...

Characterization of Eubacterium coprostanoligenes sp. nov., a cholesterol-reducing anaerobe.

Science.gov (United States)

Freier, T A; Beitz, D C; Li, L; Hartman, P A

1994-01-01

A small, anaerobic, gram-positive coccobacillus that reduces cholesterol to coprostanol was isolated from a hog sewage lagoon. This isolate, strain HLT (T = type strain) does not require cholesterol for growth, but it requires lecithin and has phospholipase activity. Much acid is produced by the fermentation of amygdalin, lactose, and salicin. Arabinose, cellobiose, fructose, glucose, mannose, and melibiose are fermented weakly. Acetic, formic, and succinic acids are produced, as is hydrogen. The isolate does not reduce nitrate, produce indole, or hydrolyze starch and gelatin. Esculin is hydrolyzed. The properties of strain HLT are most similar to those of members of the genus Eubacterium. Because strain HL (= ATCC 51222) has unique morphological and physiological properties, we propose that it should be the type strain of a new species in the genus Eubacterium, Eubacterium coprostanoligenes.

Isolation and characterization of new strains of cholesterol-reducing bacteria from baboons.

Science.gov (United States)

Brinkley, A W; Gottesman, A R; Mott, G E

1982-01-01

We isolated and characterized nine new strains of cholesterol-reducing bacteria from feces and intestinal contents of baboons. Cholesterol-brain agar was used for the primary isolation, and subsequent biochemical tests were done in a lecithin-cholesterol broth containing plasmenylethanolamine and various substrates. All strains had similar colony and cell morphology, hydrolyzed the beta-glucosides esculin and amygdalin, metabolized pyruvate, and produced acetate and acetoin. Unlike previously reported strains, the nine new strains did not require cholesterol and an alkenyl ether lipid (e.g., plasmalogen) for growth; however, only two strains reduced cholesterol in the absence of the plasmalogen. These two strains also produced succinate as an end product. Carbohydrate fermentation was variable; some strains produced weak acid (pH 5.5 to 6.0) from only a few carbohydrates, whereas other strains produced strong acid reactions (pH less than or equal to 5.5) from a wide variety of carbohydrates.

Chinese Medicine Amygdalin and β-Glucosidase Combined with Antibody Enzymatic Prodrug System As A Feasible Antitumor Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yun-Long; Li, Qiao-Xing; Liu, Rui-Jiang; Shen, Xiang-Qian

2018-03-01

Amarogentin is an efficacious Chinese herbal medicine and a component of the bitter apricot kernel. It is commonly used as an expectorant and supplementary anti-cancer drug. β-Glucosidase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes the glycosidic bond between aryl and saccharide groups to release glucose. Upon their interaction, β-glucosidase catalyzes amarogentin to produce considerable amounts of hydrocyanic acid, which inhibits cytochrome C oxidase, the terminal enzyme in the mitochondrial respiration chain, and suspends adenosine triphosphate synthesis, resulting in cell death. Hydrocyanic acid is a cell-cycle-stage-nonspecific agent that kills cancer cells. Thus, β-glucosidase can be coupled with a tumor-specific monoclonal antibody. β-Glucosidase can combine with cancer-cell-surface antigens and specifically convert amarogentin to an active drug that acts on cancer cells and the surrounding antibodies to achieve a killing effect. β-Glucosidase is injected intravenously and recognizes cancer-cell-surface antigens with the help of an antibody. The prodrug amarogentin is infused after β-glucosidase has reached the target position. Coupling of cell membrane peptides with β-glucosidase allows the enzyme to penetrate capillary endothelial cells and clear extracellular deep solid tumors to kill the cells therein. The Chinese medicine amarogentin and β-glucosidase will become an important treatment for various tumors when an appropriate monoclonal antibody is developed.

Integrated identification, qualification and quantification strategy for pharmacokinetic profile study of Guizhi Fuling capsule in healthy volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Yun-Xi; Jin, Xiao-Liang; Gu, Shi-Yin; Peng, Ying; Zhang, Ke-Rong; Ou-Yang, Bing-Chen; Wang, Yu; Xiao, Wei; Wang, Zhen-Zhong; Aa, Ji-Ye; Wang, Guang-Ji; Sun, Jian-Guo

2016-08-16

Guizhi Fuling capsule (GZFL), a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, is widely used in China to relieve pain from dysmenorrhea and is now in a Phase II clinical trial in the USA. Due to the low exposure of the five main medicative ingredients (amygdalin, cinnamic acid, gallic acid, paeoniflorin and paeonol) of GZFL in human, a strategy was built to qualitatively and quantitatively identify the possible metabolites of GZFL and to describe the pharmacokinetic profiles of GZFL in human. In this strategy, LC-Q-TOF/MS was used to identify and structurally elucidate the possible metabolites of GZFL in vivo; and a time-based metabolite-confirming step (TBMCs) was used to confirm uncertain metabolites. The simultaneously quantitation results by LC-MS/MS showed low exposure of the five medicative ingredients. According to the strategy we built, a total of 36 metabolites were found and structurally elucidated. The simultaneously semi-quantitative analysis by LC-MS/MS showed that obvious time-concentration curves could be established for 12 of the metabolites, and most of them showed a relatively higher exposure. This study provides a better understanding of the metabolic processes of GZFL in human.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of the Major Constituents in Chinese Medical Preparation Lianhua-Qingwen Capsule by UPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS

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Weina Jia

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Lianhua-Qingwen capsule (LQC is a commonly used Chinese medical preparation to treat viral influenza and especially played a very important role in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS in 2002-2003 in China. In this paper, a rapid ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detector and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS method was established for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the major constituents of LQC. A total of 61 compounds including flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, anthraquinones, triterpenoids, iridoids, and other types of compounds were unambiguously or tentatively identified by comparing the retention times and accurate mass measurement with reference compounds or literature data. Among them, twelve representative compounds were further quantified as chemical markers in quantitative analysis, including salidroside, chlorogenic acid, forsythoside E, cryptochlorogenic acid, amygdalin, sweroside, hyperin, rutin, forsythoside A, phillyrin, rhein, and glycyrrhizic acid. The UPLC-DAD method was evaluated with linearity, limit of detection (LOD, limit of quantification (LOQ, precision, stability, repeatability, and recovery tests. The results showed that the developed quantitative method was linear, sensitive, and precise for the quality control of LQC.

Evaluation of the glycoside hydrolase activity of a Brettanomyces strain on glycosides from sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) used in the production of special fruit beers.

Science.gov (United States)

Daenen, Luk; Sterckx, Femke; Delvaux, Freddy R; Verachtert, Hubert; Derdelinckx, Guy

2008-11-01

The glycoside hydrolase activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Brettanomyces custersii was examined on sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) glycosides with bound volatile compounds. Refermentations by the beta-glucosidase-negative S. cerevisiae strains LD25 and LD40 of sour cherry juice-supplemented beer demonstrated only a moderate increase of volatiles. In contrast, the beta-glucosidase-positive B. custersii strain LD72 showed a more pronounced activity towards glycosides with aliphatic alcohols, aromatic compounds and terpenoid alcohols. Important contributors to sour cherry aroma such as benzaldehyde, linalool and eugenol were released during refermentation as shown by analytical tools. A gradually increasing release was observed during refermentations by B. custersii when whole sour cherries, sour cherry pulp or juice were supplemented in the beer. Refermentations with whole sour cherries and with sour cherry stones demonstrated an increased formation of benzyl compounds. Thus, amygdalin was partially hydrolysed, and a large part of the benzaldehyde formed was mainly reduced to benzyl alcohol and some further esterified to benzyl acetate. These findings demonstrate the importance and interesting role of certain Brettanomyces species in the production of fruit lambic beers such as 'Kriek'.

[Application of microwave technology in extraction process of Guizhi Fuling capsule].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zheng-kuan; Zhou, Mao; Liu, Yuan; Bi, Yu-an; Wang, Zhen-zhong; Xiao, Wei

2015-06-01

In this paper, optimization of the conditions of microwave technique in extraction process of Guizhi Fuling capsule in the condition of a pilot scale was carried out. First of all, through the single factor experiment investigation of various factors, the overall impact tendency and range of each factor were determined. Secondly, L9 (3(4)) orthogonal test optimization was used, and the contents of gallic acid in liquid, paeoniflorin, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, benzoyl paeoniflorin, amygdalin of the liquid medicine were detected. The extraction rate and comprehensive evaluation were calculated with the extraction effect, as the judgment basis. Theoptimum extraction process of Guizhi Fuling capsule by microwave technology was as follows: the ratio of liquid to solid was 6: 1 added to drinking water, the microwave power was 6 kW, extraction time was 20 min for 3 times. The process of the three batch of amplification through verification, the results are stable, and compared with conventional water extraction has the advantages of energy saving, time saving, high efficiency advantages. The above results show the optimum extracting technology of high efficiency, stable and feasible.

Vibrio rotiferianus sp. nov., isolated from cultures of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez-Gil, B; Thompson, F L; Thompson, C C; Swings, J

2003-01-01

Five Gram-negative bacterial strains, oxidase-positive, motile by means of more than one polar flagella, facultative anaerobe, arginine dihydrolase-negative, lysine- and omithine decarboxylase-positive, sensitive to the vibriostatic agent O/129, were isolated from a flow-through rotifer culture system in Gent, Belgium, and previously characterized by fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism. Comparison of the 16S rDNA sequence of strain LMG 21460T indicated close relationships (approximately 99% similarity) to Vibrio campbellii, Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. However, DNA hybridization experiments revealed similarity values below 70% with its closest species V. campbellii and V. harveyi. Additionally, the analysed strains differ from related Vibrio species by the utilization of melibiose and production of acid from L-arabinose and amygdalin. Among the strains analysed, differences were observed in some phenotypic characters, particularly susceptibility to ampicillin, polymyxin B and amikacin, and urease activity. The major fatty acids identified were 16:0, 18:1 omega7c, 14:0, 12:0 3-OH and 18:0. Vibrio rotiferianus sp. nov. is proposed, with type strain LMG 21460T (=CAIM 577T); it has a DNA G+C content of 44.5 +/- 0.01 mol%.

Neurovascular compression of cranial nerves: CT and MRI findings; Evaluacion de las compresiones neurovasculares intracraneales: hallazgos en TC y RM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almeida Llanos, Julio; Sinner, Ricardo; Nagel, Jorge [Instituto Gamma, Rosario (Argentina)

2002-07-01

Purpose: The compression of a nervous structure by an aberrant vessel may be asymptomatic or produce an important symptoms, in these cases CT and MRI show relevant information. Materials and Methods: Between January 1998 and March 2001, we studied 27 patients: 8 with trigeminal neuralgia, 7 with hemi facial spasm, 4 vertigo and tinnitus, 2 hemianopsia, 1 with neuralgia of the amygdalin fossa, 1 with bitonal voice, 1 with tongue deviation with fascicular movements, 2 essential hypertension and 1 with severe headache. All of them had a neurologic evaluation from 2 specialists and 2 neuro radiologists interpreted the results. Results: The CT and RMI images with special sequences allowed to prove the compression of the entry segments of the V, VII, IX, X and XII cranial nerves, of the optic chiasma and the ventrolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata in close relation with the vasopressor centre. Also they demonstrate a rare vessel in the Silvio aqueduct avoiding the normal flow of the CSF. Of the total of patients that were studied, 37% had surgical confirmation. Conclusion: CT and RMI are sensitive and specific methods for the detection of vascular compressions of nervous structures. (author)

Neurovascular compression of cranial nerves: CT and MRI findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida Llanos, Julio; Sinner, Ricardo; Nagel, Jorge

2002-01-01

Purpose: The compression of a nervous structure by an aberrant vessel may be asymptomatic or produce an important symptoms, in these cases CT and MRI show relevant information. Materials and Methods: Between January 1998 and March 2001, we studied 27 patients: 8 with trigeminal neuralgia, 7 with hemi facial spasm, 4 vertigo and tinnitus, 2 hemianopsia, 1 with neuralgia of the amygdalin fossa, 1 with bitonal voice, 1 with tongue deviation with fascicular movements, 2 essential hypertension and 1 with severe headache. All of them had a neurologic evaluation from 2 specialists and 2 neuro radiologists interpreted the results. Results: The CT and RMI images with special sequences allowed to prove the compression of the entry segments of the V, VII, IX, X and XII cranial nerves, of the optic chiasma and the ventrolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata in close relation with the vasopressor centre. Also they demonstrate a rare vessel in the Silvio aqueduct avoiding the normal flow of the CSF. Of the total of patients that were studied, 37% had surgical confirmation. Conclusion: CT and RMI are sensitive and specific methods for the detection of vascular compressions of nervous structures. (author)

Crops: a green approach toward self-assembled soft materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Vemula, Praveen Kumar; John, George

2008-06-01

To date, a wide range of industrial materials such as solvents, fuels, synthetic fibers, and chemical products are being manufactured from petroleum resources. However, rapid depletion of fossil and petroleum resources is encouraging current and future chemists to orient their research toward designing safer chemicals, products, and processes from renewable feedstock with an increased awareness of environmental and industrial impact. Advances in genetics, biotechnology, process chemistry, and engineering are leading to a new manufacturing concept for converting renewable biomass to valuable fuels and products, generally known as the biorefinery concept. The swift integration of crop-based materials synthesis and biorefinery manufacturing technologies offers the potential for new advances in sustainable energy alternatives and biomaterials that will lead to a new manufacturing paradigm. This Account presents a novel and emerging concept of generating various forms of soft materials from crops (an alternate feedstock). In future research, developing biobased soft materials will be a fascinating yet demanding practice, which will have direct impact on industrial applications as an economically viable alternative. Here we discuss some remarkable examples of glycolipids generated from industrial byproducts such as cashew nut shell liquid, which upon self-assembly produced soft nanoarchitectures including lipid nanotubes, twisted/helical nanofibers, low-molecular-weight gels, and liquid crystals. Synthetic methods applied to a "chiral pool" of carbohydrates using the selectivity of enzyme catalysis yield amphiphilic products derived from biobased feedstock including amygdalin, trehalose, and vitamin C. This has been achieved with a lipase-mediated regioselective synthetic procedure to obtain such amphiphiles in quantitative yields. Amygdalin amphiphiles showed unique gelation behavior in a broad range of solvents such as nonpolar hexanes to polar aqueous solutions

Bumblebees are not deterred by ecologically relevant concentrations of nectar toxins.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiedeken, Erin Jo; Stout, Jane C; Stevenson, Philip C; Wright, Geraldine A

2014-05-01

Bees visit flowers to collect nectar and pollen that contain nutrients and simultaneously facilitate plant sexual reproduction. Paradoxically, nectar produced to attract pollinators often contains deterrent or toxic plant compounds associated with herbivore defence. The functional significance of these nectar toxins is not fully understood, but they may have a negative impact on pollinator behaviour and health, and, ultimately, plant pollination. This study investigates whether a generalist bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, can detect naturally occurring concentrations of nectar toxins. Using paired-choice experiments, we identified deterrence thresholds for five compounds found in the nectar of bee-pollinated plants: quinine, caffeine, nicotine, amygdalin and grayanotoxin. The deterrence threshold was determined when bumblebees significantly preferred a sucrose solution over a sucrose solution containing the compound. Bumblebees had the lowest deterrence threshold for the alkaloid quinine (0.01 mmol l(-1)); all other compounds had higher deterrence thresholds, above the natural concentration range in floral nectar. Our data, combined with previous work using honeybees, suggest that generalist bee species have poor acuity for the detection of nectar toxins. The fact that bees do not avoid nectar-relevant concentrations of these compounds likely indicates that it is difficult for them to learn to associate floral traits with the presence of toxins, thus maintaining this trait in plant populations.

Phenotypic variation in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis isolates derived from intestinal tracts of marine and freshwater fish.

Science.gov (United States)

Itoi, S; Yuasa, K; Washio, S; Abe, T; Ikuno, E; Sugita, H

2009-09-01

We compared phenotypic characteristics of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis derived from different sources including the intestinal tract of marine fish and freshwater fish, and cheese starter culture. In the phylogenetic analysis based on partial 16S rRNA gene nucleotide sequences (1371 bp), freshwater fish-, marine fish- and cheese starter culture-derived strains were identical to that of L. lactis subsp. lactis previously reported. Fermentation profiles determined using the API 50 CH system were similar except for fermentation of several sugars including l-arabinose, mannitol, amygdalin, saccharose, trehalose, inulin and gluconate. The strains did have distinct levels of halotolerance: marine fish-derived strains > cheese starter-derived strain > freshwater fish-derived isolate. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis showed extensive diversity in phenotypic adaptation to various environments. The phenotypic properties of these strains suggested that L. lactis subsp. lactis strains from fish intestine have additional functions compared with the cheese starter-derived strain that has previously described. The unique phenotypic traits of the fish intestinal tract-derived L. lactis subsp. lactis might make them useful as a probiotics in aquaculture, and contribute to the development of functional foods and novel food additives, since the strains derived from fish intestines might have additional functions such as antibacterial activity.

Influence of apricot kernels on blood plasma levels of selected anterior pituitary hormones in male and female rabbits in vivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarína Michalcová

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Amygdalin is represented in the family Rosacea more precisely in an apricot kernels and an almonds. There are a lot of components such as trace elements, vitamins, carbohydrates, organic acids, esters, phenols, terpenoids, except cyanogenic glycoside in the seeds. It is known that bioregulators can modulate the activity of specific enzymes and hormones very exactly at low levels and in a short time. The aim of our study was examine the effects of selected doses (0, 60, 300, 420 mg/kg b.w. of apricot kernels in feed on the plasma levels of anterior pituitary hormones in young male and female rabbits in vivo. A sensitive, biochemical method, ELISA was used to determine the hormones prolactin (PRL, luteinizing hormone (LH and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH. 28-day application of apricot kernels did not affect the concentration of PRL, LH, FSH in blood plasma of males. No significant (P≤0.05 differences in case of PRL and LH levels in the blood plasma of females were found. On the other hand a significant (P≤0.05 inhibition of FSH release induced by kernels at the doses 300, 420 mg/kg was found. Our results indicate that apricot kernels could affect secretion of anterior pituitary hormone FSH in female rabbits.

1H-NMR, 1H-NMR T2-edited, and 2D-NMR in bipolar disorder metabolic profiling.

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Sethi, Sumit; Pedrini, Mariana; Rizzo, Lucas B; Zeni-Graiff, Maiara; Mas, Caroline Dal; Cassinelli, Ana Cláudia; Noto, Mariane N; Asevedo, Elson; Cordeiro, Quirino; Pontes, João G M; Brasil, Antonio J M; Lacerda, Acioly; Hayashi, Mirian A F; Poppi, Ronei; Tasic, Ljubica; Brietzke, Elisa

2017-12-01

The objective of this study was to identify molecular alterations in the human blood serum related to bipolar disorder, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and chemometrics. Metabolomic profiling, employing 1 H-NMR, 1 H-NMR T 2 -edited, and 2D-NMR spectroscopy and chemometrics of human blood serum samples from patients with bipolar disorder (n = 26) compared with healthy volunteers (n = 50) was performed. The investigated groups presented distinct metabolic profiles, in which the main differential metabolites found in the serum sample of bipolar disorder patients compared with those from controls were lipids, lipid metabolism-related molecules (choline, myo-inositol), and some amino acids (N-acetyl-L-phenyl alanine, N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-L-glutamic acid, L-glutamine). In addition, amygdalin, α-ketoglutaric acid, and lipoamide, among other compounds, were also present or were significantly altered in the serum of bipolar disorder patients. The data presented herein suggest that some of these metabolites differentially distributed between the groups studied may be directly related to the bipolar disorder pathophysiology. The strategy employed here showed significant potential for exploring pathophysiological features and molecular pathways involved in bipolar disorder. Thus, our findings may contribute to pave the way for future studies aiming at identifying important potential biomarkers for bipolar disorder diagnosis or progression follow-up.

Identification and functional properties of dominant lactic acid bacteria isolated from Kahudi, a traditional rapeseed fermented food product of Assam, India

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Gunajit Goswami

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Kahudi or Pani tenga is a very unique fermented mustard product of Assam that is prepared by mixing coarsely ground mustard with extracts of acidic Garcinia pedunculata (Thekera or tamarind. Kahudi is produced through a spontaneous and uncontrolled solid state fermentation and very little scientific effort has been directed to understand its microflora and their functional properties. In this paper, we report the microbial flora and their dynamics during Kahudi fermentation with special emphasis on lactic acid bacteria (LAB. LAB were found to be dominant (8 log CFU/g over other microbial flora (4 log CFU/g during the fermentation process leading to Kahudi formation. The microbial load in Kahudi did not include any mycelial molds or pathogenic enteric bacteria. Combination of phenotypic parameters, biochemical tests, and 16S rDNA gene sequencing revealed the dominant group of LAB as Enterococcus durans, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus fermentum, and Lactobacillus casei. The sugar fermentation and enzyme profile analysis revealed the ability of the microbial consortia to metabolize an array of indigestible sugars including D-mannose, mannitol, sorbitol, methyl-α-D-mannopyranoside, methyl-α-D-glucopyranoside, N-acetylglucosamine, amygdalin, and arbutin. Although the isolates showed good acid phosphatase activity they had weak extracellular phytase activity. This is the first report on the microbial dynamics and involvement of LAB during Kahudi fermentation.

Pantoea allii sp. nov., isolated from onion plants and seed.

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Brady, Carrie L; Goszczynska, Teresa; Venter, Stephanus N; Cleenwerck, Ilse; De Vos, Paul; Gitaitis, Ronald D; Coutinho, Teresa A

2011-04-01

Eight yellow-pigmented, Gram-negative, rod-shaped, oxidase-negative, motile, facultatively anaerobic bacteria were isolated from onion seed in South Africa and from an onion plant exhibiting centre rot symptoms in the USA. The isolates were assigned to the genus Pantoea on the basis of phenotypic and biochemical tests. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), based on gyrB, rpoB, infB and atpD sequences, confirmed the allocation of the isolates to the genus Pantoea. MLSA further indicated that the isolates represented a novel species, which was phylogenetically most closely related to Pantoea ananatis and Pantoea stewartii. Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis also placed the isolates into a cluster separate from P. ananatis and P. stewartii. Compared with type strains of species of the genus Pantoea that showed >97 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with strain BD 390(T), the isolates exhibited 11-55 % whole-genome DNA-DNA relatedness, which confirmed the classification of the isolates in a novel species. The most useful phenotypic characteristics for the differentiation of the isolates from their closest phylogenetic neighbours are production of acid from amygdalin and utilization of adonitol and sorbitol. A novel species, Pantoea allii sp. nov., is proposed, with type strain BD 390(T) ( = LMG 24248(T)).

Comparative pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution profiles of four major bioactive components in normal and hepatic fibrosis rats after oral administration of Fuzheng Huayu recipe.

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Yang, Tao; Liu, Shan; Wang, Chang-Hong; Tao, Yan-Yan; Zhou, Hua; Liu, Cheng-Hai

2015-10-10

Fuzheng Huayu recipe (FZHY) is a herbal product for the treatment of liver fibrosis approved by the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), but its pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution had not been investigated. In this study, the liver fibrotic model was induced with intraperitoneal injection of dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), and FZHY was given orally to the model and normal rats. The plasma pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution profiles of four major bioactive components from FZHY were analyzed in the normal and fibrotic rat groups using an ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method. Results revealed that the bioavailabilities of danshensu (DSS), salvianolic acid B (SAB) and rosmarinic acid (ROS) in liver fibrotic rats increased 1.49, 3.31 and 2.37-fold, respectively, compared to normal rats. There was no obvious difference in the pharmacokinetics of amygdalin (AMY) between the normal and fibrotic rats. The tissue distribution of DSS, SAB, and AMY trended to be mostly in the kidney and lung. The distribution of DSS, SAB, and AMY in liver tissue of the model rats was significantly decreased compared to the normal rats. Significant differences in the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution profiles of DSS, ROS, SAB and AMY were observed in rats with hepatic fibrosis after oral administration of FZHY. These results provide a meaningful basis for developing a clinical dosage regimen in the treatment of hepatic fibrosis by FZHY. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lactobacillus brantae sp. nov., isolated from faeces of Canada geese (Branta canadensis).

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Volokhov, Dmitriy V; Amselle, Megan; Beck, Brian J; Popham, David L; Whittaker, Paul; Wang, Hua; Kerrigan, Elizabeth; Chizhikov, Vladimir E

2012-09-01

Three strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from the faeces of apparently healthy wild Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in 2010 by cultivating faecal LAB on Rogosa SL agar under aerobic conditions. These three isolates were found to share 99.9 % gene sequence similarity of their 16S rRNA, their 16S-23S intergenic transcribed spacer region (ITS), partial 23S rRNA, rpoB, rpoC, rpoA and pheS gene sequences. However, the three strains exhibited lower levels of sequence similarity of these genetic targets to all known LAB, and the phylogenetically closest species to the geese strains were Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus saniviri. In comparison to L. casei ATCC 393(T), L. paracasei ATCC 25302(T), L. rhamnosus ATCC 7469(T) and L. saniviri DSM 24301(T), the novel isolates reacted uniquely in tests for cellobiose, galactose, mannitol, citric acid, aesculin and dextrin, and gave negative results in tests for l-proline arylamidase and l-pyrrolydonyl-arylamidase, and in the Voges-Proskauer test. Biochemical tests for cellobiose, aesculin, galactose, gentiobiose, mannitol, melezitose, ribose, salicin, sucrose, trehalose, raffinose, turanose, amygdalin and arbutin could be used for differentiation between L. saniviri and the novel strains. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, and phylogenetic data, the three isolates represent a novel species of the genus Lactobacillus, for which the name Lactobacillus brantae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SL1108(T) (= ATCC BAA-2142(T) = LMG 26001(T) = DSM 23927(T)) and two additional strains are SL1170 and SL60106.

Traditional Persian topical medications for gastrointestinal diseases

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Laleh Dehghani Tafti

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Drug delivery across the skin is used for several millennia to ease gastrointestinal (GI ailments in Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM. TPM topical remedies are generally being applied on the stomach, lower abdomen, lower back and liver to alleviate GI illnesses such as dyspepsia, gastritis, GI ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal worms and infections. The aim of the present study is to survey the topical GI remedies and plant species used as ingredients for these remedies in TPM. In addition, pharmacological activities of the mentioned plants have been discussed. For this, we searched major TPM textbooks to find plants used to cure GI problems in topical use. Additionally, scientific databases were searched to obtain pharmacological data supporting the use of TPM plants in GI diseases. Rosa × damascena, Pistacia lentiscus, Malus domestica, Olea europaea and Artemisia absinthium are among the most frequently mentioned ingredients of TPM remedies. β-asarone, amygdalin, boswellic acids, guggulsterone, crocin, crocetin, isomasticadienolic acid, and cyclotides are the most important phytochemicals present in TPM plants with GI-protective activities. Pharmacological studies demonstrated GI activities for TPM plants supporting their extensive traditional use. These plants play pivotal role in alleviating GI disorders through exhibiting numerous activities including antispasmodic, anti-ulcer, anti-secretory, anti-colitis, anti-diarrheal, antibacterial and anthelmintic properties. Several mechanisms underlie these activities including the alleviation of oxidative stress, exhibiting cytoprotective activity, down-regulation of the inflammatory cytokines, suppression of the cellular signaling pathways of inflammatory responses, improving re-epithelialization and angiogenesis, down-regulation of anti-angiogenic factors, blocking activity of acetylcholine, etc.

Lactobacillus herbarum sp. nov., a species related to Lactobacillus plantarum.

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Mao, Yuejian; Chen, Meng; Horvath, Philippe

2015-12-01

Strain TCF032-E4 was isolated from a traditional Chinese fermented radish. It shares >99% 16S rRNA sequence identity with L. plantarum, L. pentosus and L. paraplantarum. This strain can ferment ribose, galactose, glucose, fructose, mannose, mannitol, N-acetylglucosamine, amygdalin, arbutin, salicin, cellobiose, maltose, lactose, melibiose, trehalose and gentiobiose. It cannot ferment sucrose, which can be used by L. pentosus, L. paraplantarum, L. fabifermentans, L. xiangfangensis and L. mudanjiangensis, as well as most of the L. plantarum strains (88.7%). TCF032-E4 cannot grow at temperature above 32 °C. This strain shares 78.2-83.6% pheS (phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase alpha subunit) and 89.5-94.9% rpoA (RNA polymerase alpha subunit) sequence identity with L. plantarum, L. pentosus, L. paraplantarum, L. fabifermentans, L. xiangfangensis and L. mudanjiangensis. These results indicate that TCF032-E4 represents a distinct species. This hypothesis was further confirmed by whole-genome sequencing and comparison with available genomes of related species. The draft genome size of TCF032-E4 is approximately 2.9 Mb, with a DNA G+C content of 43.5 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) between TCF032-E4 and related species ranges from 79.0 to 81.1%, the highest ANI value being observed with L. plantarum subsp. plantarum ATCC 14917T. A novel species, Lactobacillus herbarum sp. nov., is proposed with TCF032-E4T ( = CCTCC AB2015090T = DSM 100358T) as the type strain.

Serratia glossinae sp. nov., isolated from the midgut of the tsetse fly Glossina palpalis gambiensis.

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Geiger, A; Fardeau, M-L; Falsen, E; Ollivier, B; Cuny, G

2010-06-01

We report the isolation of a novel bacterium, strain C1(T), from the midgut of the tsetse fly Glossina palpalis gambiensis, one of the vector insects responsible for transmission of the trypanosomes that cause sleeping sickness in sub-Saharan African countries. Strain C1(T) is a motile, facultatively anaerobic, rod-like bacterium (0.8-1.0 microm in diameter; 2-6 microm long) that grows as single cells or in chains. Optimum growth occurred at 25-35 degrees C, at pH 6.7-8.4 and in medium containing 5-20 g NaCl l(-1). The bacterium hydrolysed urea and used L-lysine, L-ornithine, citrate, pyruvate, D-glucose, D-mannitol, inositol, D-sorbitol, melibiose, amygdalin, L-arabinose, arbutin, aesculin, D-fructose, D-galactose, glycerol, maltose, D-mannose, raffinose, trehalose and d-xylose; it produced acetoin, reduced nitrate to nitrite and was positive for beta-galactosidase and catalase. The DNA G+C content was 53.6 mol%. It was related phylogenetically to members of the genus Serratia, family Enterobacteriaceae, the type strain of Serratia fonticola being its closest relative (99 % similarity between 16S rRNA gene sequences). However, DNA-DNA relatedness between strain C1(T) and S. fonticola DSM 4576(T) was only 37.15 %. Therefore, on the basis of morphological, nutritional, physiological and fatty acid analysis and genetic criteria, strain C1(T) is proposed to be assigned to a novel Serratia species, Serratia glossinae sp. nov. (type strain C1(T) =DSM 22080(T) =CCUG 57457(T)).

High content cell-based assay for the inflammatory pathway

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Mukherjee, Abhishek; Song, Joon Myong

2015-07-01

Cellular inflammation is a non-specific immune response to tissue injury that takes place via cytokine network orchestration to maintain normal tissue homeostasis. However chronic inflammation that lasts for a longer period, plays the key role in human diseases like neurodegenerative disorders and cancer development. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the inflammatory pathways may be effective in targeting and modulating their outcome. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that effectively combines the pro-inflammatory features with the pro-apoptotic potential. Increased levels of TNF-α observed during acute and chronic inflammatory conditions are believed to induce adverse phenotypes like glucose intolerance and abnormal lipid profile. Natural products e. g., amygdalin, cinnamic acid, jasmonic acid and aspirin have proven efficacy in minimizing the TNF-α induced inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Cell lysis-free quantum dot (QDot) imaging is an emerging technique to identify the cellular mediators of a signaling cascade with a single assay in one run. In comparison to organic fluorophores, the inorganic QDots are bright, resistant to photobleaching and possess tunable optical properties that make them suitable for long term and multicolor imaging of various components in a cellular crosstalk. Hence we tested some components of the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway during TNF-α induced inflammation and the effects of aspirin in HepG2 cells by QDot multicolor imaging technique. Results demonstrated that aspirin showed significant protective effects against TNF-α induced cellular inflammation. The developed cell based assay paves the platform for the analysis of cellular components in a smooth and reliable way.

Major gene mutations in fruit tree domestication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spiegel-Roy, P.

1989-01-01

Though fruit gathering from the wild began long before domestication, fruit tree domestication started only after the establishment of grain agriculture. Banana, fig, date, grape and olive were among the first fruit trees domesticated. Most fruit trees are outbreeders, highly heterozygous and vegetatively propagated. Knowledge of genetics and economic traits controlled by major genes is limited. Ease of vegetative propagation has played a prominent part in domestication; advances in propagation technology will play a role in domestication of new crops. Changes toward domestication affected by major genes include self-fertility in peach, apricot and sour cherry, while the emergence of self-fertile almond populations is more recent and due probably to introgression from Amygdalus webbii. Self-compatibility in the sweet cherry has been attained only by pollen irradiation. A single gene controls sex in Vitis. Wild grapes are dioecious, with most domesticated cultivars hermaphrodite, and only a few females. In the papaya changes from dioecism to hermaphroditism have also occurred. Self-compatible systems have also been selected during domestication in Rubus. Changes towards parthenocarpy and seedlessness during domestication occurred in the banana, citrus, grape, fig and pineapple. In the banana, parthenocarpy is due to three complementary dominant genes; stenospermocarpy in the grape depends on two complementary recessive genes; parthenocarpy and sterility in citrus seems more complicated; however, it can be induced in genetic material of suitable background with ease by irradiation. Presence of persistent syconia in the fig is controlled by a mutant allele P dominant to wild +. Thornlessness in blackberry is recessive, while in the pineapple spineless forms are dominant. Changes affecting fruit composition owing to major genes include the disappearance of amygdalin present in bitter almonds (bitter kernel recessive to sweet), shell hardness in almond, and a recessive

Comparatively evaluating the pharmacokinetic of fifteen constituents in normal and blood deficiency rats after oral administration of Xin-Sheng-Hua Granule by UPLC-MS/MS.

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Pang, Han-Qing; Tang, Yu-Ping; Cao, Yu-Jie; Tan, Ya-Jie; Jin, Yi; Shi, Xu-Qin; Huang, Sheng-Liang; Sun, Da-Zheng; Sun, Jin; Tang, Zhi-Shu; Duan, Jin-Ao

2017-09-01

Xin-Sheng-Hua Granule (XSHG), a famous traditional Chinese medicine prescription, are clinically applied for the treatment of postpartum disease through nourishing blood and promoting blood circulation. In this investigation, a multi-constituents (trigonelline, stachydrine hydrochloride, hydroxysafflor yellow A, chlorogenic acid, amygdalin, leonurine, liquiritin, ferulic acid, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide H, glycyrrhizic acid, senkyunolide A, ligustilide, butylidenephthalide and glycyrrhetinic acid) pharmacokinetic study of XSHG was conducted for the first time. These fifteen constituents in both normal and blood deficiency rat plasma were monitored by using the established and validated ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a triple quadrupole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-TQ-MS/MS) method. The samples were prepared through removing protein from plasma with three volumes of methanol. Sufficient separation of target constituents and internal standards (chloramphenicol and clarithromycin) was obtained on a Thermo Scientific Hypersil GOLD column (100mm×3mm, 1.9μm) within a 20min gradient elution (0.1% formic acid aqueous - acetonitrile). Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was applied to monitor target analytes in both positive and negative electrospray ionization. For the fifteen selected target analytes, this method was fully validated with excellent linearity (r≥0.9925), satisfactory intra- and inter-day precisions (RSD≤11.87%), as well as good accuracies (RE, between -12.84 and 11.69). And the stabilities, matrix effects and extraction recoveries of the rat plasma samples were also within acceptable limits (RSD<15%). Compared to normal group, the pharmacokinetics of major active constituents (except liquiritin and glycyrrhetinic acid) had significant differences (P<0.05) in the model rats, indicated that several metabolite enzymes activities could be altered at disease condition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All

Comparative analysis of the main bioactive components of San-ao decoction and its series of formulations.

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Shu, Xiaoyun; Tang, Yuping; Jiang, Chenxue; Shang, Erxing; Fan, Xinshen; Ding, Anwei

2012-11-01

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with diode array detection (DAD) was established for simultaneous determination of seven main bioactive components in San-ao decoction and its series of formulae (San-ao decoction, Wu-ao decoction, Qi-ao decoction and Jia-wei San-ao decoction). Seven compounds were analyzed simultaneously with a XTerra C(18) column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 µm) using a linear gradient elution of a mobile phase containing acetonitrile (A) and a buffer solution (0.02 mol/L potassium dihydrogen phosphate and adjusted to pH 3 using phosphoric acid) (B); the flow rate was 1.0 mL/min. The sample was detected with DAD at 210, 254 and 360 nm and the column was maintained at 30 °C. All the compounds showed good linearity (r2 > 0.9984) in the tested concentration range. The precisions were evaluated by intra-day and inter-day tests, and relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) values within the range of 0.83%–2.53% and 0.64%–2.77% were reported, respectively. The recoveries of the quantified compounds were observed to cover a range from 95.34% and 104.82% with R.S.D. values less than 2.72%. The validated method was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of seven main bioactive components including ephedrine (1), amygdalin (2), liquiritin (3), benzoic acid (4), isoliquiritin (5), formononetin (6) and glycyrrhizic acid (7) in San-ao decoction and its series of formulae. The results also showed a wide variation in the content of the identified active compounds in these samples, which could also be helpful to illustrate the drug interactions after some herbs combined in different formulations.

Patient perspectives: Tijuana cancer clinics in the post-NAFTA era.

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Moss, Ralph W

2005-03-01

This article contains observations and historical considerations on cancer and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the Tijuana, Mexico, area. There are approximately 2 dozen such clinics in Tijuana, some of which have been treating international cancer patients since 1963. Among the first clinics to be established were the Bio-Medical Center (Hoxsey therapy), Oasis of Hope (a Laetrile-oriented clinic), and a series of clinics affiliated with the Gerson diet therapy. These original clinics were established mainly by American citizens in response to increased regulation of nonstandard therapies in the United States, particularly after passage of the Kefauver-Harris Amendments to the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act in 1962. In the 1970s, the Tijuana clinics proliferated with the upsurge of interest in Laetrile (amygdalin). By 1978, 70,000 US cancer patients had taken Laetrile for cancer treatment, and many of those had gone to Tijuana to receive it. The popularity of the Tijuana clinics peaked in the mid-1980s. Although many new clinics opened after then, a dozen have folded in the past 10 years alone. The turning point for the clinics came with passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which facilitated greater cooperation among the antifraud authorities of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. In 1994, the tripartite members of NAFTA formed the Mexico-United States-Canada Health Fraud Work Group, or MUCH, whose brief is to strengthen the 3 countries' ability to prevent cross-border health fraud. Under the auspices of MUCH and its members, regulatory crackdowns began in earnest early in 2001. The clinics were also badly affected by the general downturn in travel after 9/11. If these trends continue, many Tijuana clinics are unlikely to survive. Some suggestions are made for how the Tijuana clinics could be reorganized and reformed to minimize the likelihood of governmental actions and to maximize public support. Such reforms center on 5

Characterization of a beta-glycosidase highly active on disaccharides and of a beta-galactosidase from Tenebrio molitor midgut lumen.

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Ferreira, Alexandre H P; Terra, Walter R; Ferreira, Clélia

2003-02-01

The midgut of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae has four beta-glycosidases. The properties of two of these enzymes (betaGly1 and betaGly2) have been described elsewhere. In this paper, the characterization of the other two glycosidases (betaGly3 and betaGly4) is described. BetaGly3 has one active site, hydrolyzes disaccharides, cellodextrins, synthetic substrates and beta-glucosides produced by plants. The enzyme is inhibited by amygdalin, cellotriose, cellotetraose and cellopentaose in high concentrations, probably due to transglycosylation. betaGly3 hydrolyzes beta 1,4-glycosidic linkages with a catalytic rate independent of the substrate polymerization degree (k(int)) of 11.9 s(-1). Its active site is formed by four subsites, where subsites +1 and -1 bind glucose residues with higher affinity than subsite +2. The main role of betaGly3 seems to be disaccharide hydrolysis. BetaGly4 is a beta-galactosidase, since it has highest activity against beta-galactosides. It can also hydrolyze fucosides, but not glucosides, and has Triton X-100 as a non-essential activator (K(a)=15 microM, pH 4.5). betaGly4 has two active sites that can hydrolyze p-nitrophenyl beta-galactoside (NPbetaGal). The one hydrolyzing NPbetaGal with more efficiency is also active against methylumbellipheryl beta-D-galactoside and lactose. The other active site hydrolyzes NPbetaFucoside and binds NPbetaGal weakly. BetaGly4 hydrolyzes hydrophobic substrates with high catalytical efficiency and is able to bind octyl-beta-thiogalactoside in its active site with high affinity. The betaGly4 physiological role is supposed to be the hydrolysis of galactolipids that are found in membranes from vegetal tissues. As the enzyme has a hydrophobic site where Triton X-100 can bind, it might be activated by membrane lipids, thus becoming fully active only at the surface of cell membranes.

Effect of apricot seeds on renal structure of rabbits

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Anna Kolesárová

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Amygdalin is the major cyanogenic glycoside present in apricot seeds and is degraded to cyanide by chewing or grinding. The animal data available did not provide a suitable basis for acute human health hazard. The apricot seeds are potentially useful in human nutrition and for treatment of several diseases especially cancer. The present study demonstrates the potential effect of short-term oral application of apricot seeds on renal structure of rabbit as a biological model. Meat line P91 Californian rabbits from the experimental farm of the Animal Production Research Centre Nitra (Slovak Republic were used in the experiments. The animals were randomly divided into the three groups (C-control, P1, P2 - experimental groups leading to 8 rabbits in each group. The control group received no apricot seeds while the experimental groups P1 and P2 received a daily dose 60 and 300 mg.kg-1 b.w. of crushed apricot seeds mixed with feed during 28 days, respectively. After 28 days all animals were slaughtered and kidney tissue was processed by standard histopathological techniques. Tissue sections were observed under an optical microscope with camera Olympus CX41 (Olympus, Japan at a magnification of 10 x 0.40. The basic morphometric criteria of the preparations were quantified using image program MeasurIT (Olympus, Japan. From each sample (n = 24 three histological sections with five different fields of view in each section were analysed and followed parameters were analysed: diameter of renal corpuscles (RC, diameter of glomeruli (G, diameter of tubules (T and the height of epithelial tubules (E. In our study, we observed a slight increase in the most frequent occurrence parenchyma dystrophy experimental animals. These changes were more pronounced in the experimental group (P2 rabbits received a daily dose of 300 mg.kg-1 of body weight of apricot seeds. Most often, we have found enlarged glomeruli filling the entire space of the capsule, and also glomerular