Isolation and Total Synthesis of Ukabamide, an Antitrypanosomal Lipopeptide from a Marine sp. Cyanobacterium.

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is one of the most lethal of the neglected tropical diseases. While the discovery of a novel antitrypanosomal drug is highly desired, the creation of a superior lead compound is challenging. Herein we report ukabamide (), which was isolated from a marine sp.

Therapeutic potential of Indonesian plant extracts in combating malaria and protozoan neglected tropical disease.

Background: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) afflict nearly 2 billion people worldwide and are caused by various pathogens, such as bacteria, protozoa, and trypanosoma, prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. Among the 17 NTDs recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), protozoal infections caused by Plasmodium, Entamoeba, Leishmania, and Trypanosoma are particularly prominent and pose significant public health. Indonesia, endowed with a rich biodiversity owing to its tropical climate, harbors numerous plant species with potent biological activities that hold promise for therapeutic interventions.

Computational Workflow to Design Novel Vaccine Candidates and Small-Molecule Therapeutics for Schistosomiasis.

Human schistosomiasis, caused by the trematode, is a neglected parasitic disease affecting over 250 million people worldwide. There is no vaccine, and the single available drug is threatened by drug resistance. This study presents a computational approach to designing multiepitope vaccines (MEVs) targeting the cercarial (CMEV) and schistosomular (SMEV) stages of schistosomes, and identifies potential schistosomicidal compounds from the Medicine for Malaria Ventures (MMV) and SuperNatural Database (SND) libraries.

Amantamide C, an Antitrypanosomal Linear Lipopeptide from a Marine sp. Cyanobacterium.

Amantamides are lipopeptides that act as selective CXC chemokine receptor 7 agonists and modulate spontaneous calcium oscillations in primary cultured neocortical neurons. We isolated a new analog of amantamides, amantamide C, from marine sp. cyanobacterium collected in Japan and established its structure based on NMR and MS/MS analyses, and degradation reactions.

Pemuchiamides A and B, Proline-Rich Linear Lipopeptides, Isolated from a Marine sp. Cyanobacterium.

Pemuchiamides A and B ( and ) were isolated from a marine sp. cyanobacterium collected from Pemuchi Beach on Hateruma Island, Japan. Although and existed as a complex mixture of rotamers in chloroform-, detailed analyses of their 2D NMR and tandem mass spectra revealed their planar structures, respectively.

Isolation and structure determination of a new analog of polycavernosides from marine sp. cyanobacterium.

Polycavernoside E (), a new polycavernoside analog, was isolated from a marine sp. cyanobacterium. The relative configuration was elucidated primarily by analyzing the two dimensional nuclear magnetism resonance (2D NMR) data.

Kagimminols A and B, Cembrene-Type Diterpenes from an sp. Marine Cyanobacterium.

Kagimminols A () and B (), new cembrene-type diterpenoids, were isolated from an sp. marine cyanobacterium. By combining DP4 analysis with an efficient NMR chemical shift calculation protocol, we clarified the relative configurations of and without consuming precious natural products.

Spatial and meteorological controls of stable water isotope dynamics of precipitation in Kashmir Valley, Western Himalaya, India.

In the Himalayas, the lives and livelihoods of millions of people are sustained by water resources primarily depending on the moisture brought by Western Disturbances and Indian Summer Monsoon. In the present study, a network of 12 precipitation stations was established across the Kashmir Valley to understand the spatial and meteorological factors controlling precipitation isotopes. Temperature and relative humidity are dominant meteorological factors, whereas altitude, proximity to forest canopy, land use/land cover, windward and leeward sides of the mountains are the main physical factors influencing precipitation isotopes.

Isolation of Hennaminal and Isolation and Total Synthesis of Hennamide, Pyrrolinone Compounds from the Marine Cyanobacterium sp.

Two new natural products were isolated from the marine cyanobacterium sp. collected in Japan. Hennaminal possesses a very rare functional group, β,β-diamino unsaturated ketone, which has only been found in bohemamine-type natural products so far.

Attenuation of In Vitro and In Vivo Virulence Is Associated with Repression of Gene Expression of AIG1 Gene in .

virulence results from complex host-parasite interactions implicating multiple amoebic components (e.g., Gal/GalNAc lectin, cysteine proteinases, and amoebapores) and host factors (microbiota and immune response).

Isolation and Total Synthesis of Beru'amide, an Antitrypanosomal Polyketide from a Marine Cyanobacterium sp.

A 68 μg amount of an acyclic polyketide, named beru'amide, was isolated from a marine cyanobacterium sp. Beru'amide contains six unique moieties in its relatively small skeleton. By applying several cutting-edge techniques, including DFT-based chemical shift calculations, we achieved the structure determination and the total synthesis of this highly functionalized scarce natural product.

Physiological roles and metabolism of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in parasitic protozoa.

γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a nonstructural amino acid that serves diverse functions in unicellular and multicellular organisms. Besides its widely established role in mammals as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, the diverse biological roles and metabolism of GABA in protozoan parasites have begun to be unveiled. GABA acts as either the intracellular signal or cell-to-cell messenger to mediate a variety of cellular responses that protect the parasites from environmental and host-derived stress.

Isolation and Total Synthesis of Kinenzoline, an Antitrypanosomal Linear Depsipeptide Isolated from a Marine sp. Cyanobacterium.

Kinenzoline (), a new linear depsipeptide, was isolated from a marine sp. cyanobacterium. Its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic analyses and degradation reactions.

Arsenic fate in upper Indus river basin (UIRB) aquifers: Controls of hydrochemical processes, provenances and water-aquifer matrix interaction.

Major river basins of the Himalayas contain a significant amount of arsenic (As) in the geological matrix, which tends to contaminate the groundwater at a local and regional scale. Although As enrichment in Quaternary deposits has been linked to primary provenances (Himalayan orogeny), limited studies have reported As enrichment in bedrock aquifers. In the present study, the hard rock and groundwater samples were collected across the upper Indus river basin (UIRB), Ladakh to assess the hydrogeochemical processes and environments responsible for As mobilization and release.