Effect of Phlorotannins from Brown Algae on α--Acetylgalactosaminidase Produced by Duodenal Adenocarcinoma and Melanoma Cells.

The inhibitor of human α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (α-NaGalase) was isolated from a water-ethanol extract of the brown algae . Currently, tumor α-NaGalase is considered to be a therapeutic target in the treatment of cancer. According to NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometric analysis, it is a high-molecular-weight fraction of phlorethols with a degree of polymerization (DP) equaling 11-23 phloroglucinols (CcPh).

Application of molecular imprinting polymers in separation of active compounds from plants.

Molecular imprinting technique is becoming an appealing and prominent strategy to synthesize materials for target recognition and rapid separation. In recent years, it has been applied in separation of active compounds from various plants and has achieved satisfying results. This review aims to make a brief introduction of molecular imprinting polymers and their efficient application in the separation of various active components from plants, including flavonoids, organic acids, alkaloids, phenylpropanoids, anthraquinones, phenolics, terpenes, steroids, and diketones, which will provide some clues to help stimulating research into this fascinating and useful area.

Research Progress on Natural Diterpenoids in Reversing Multidrug Resistance.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is one of the main impediments in successful chemotherapy in cancer treatment. Overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins is one of the most important mechanisms of MDR. Natural products have their unique advantages in reversing MDR, among which diterpenoids have attracted great attention of the researchers around the world.

Deep-Sea Anemones Are Prospective Source of New Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Compounds.

The peculiarities of the survival and adaptation of deep-sea organisms raise interest in the study of their metabolites as promising drugs. In this work, the hemolytic, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and enzyme-inhibitory activities of tentacle extracts from five species of sea anemones (Cnidaria, orders Actiniaria and Corallimorpharia) collected near the Kuril and Commander Islands of the Far East of Russia were evaluated for the first time. The extracts of and demonstrated maximal hemolytic activity, while high cytotoxic activity against murine splenocytes and Ehrlich carcinoma cells was found in the extract of .

Effects of Sponge-Derived Alkaloids on Activities of the Bacterial α-D-Galactosidase and Human Cancer Cell α-N-Acetylgalactosaminidase.

During a search for glycosidase inhibitors among marine natural products, we applied an integrated in vitro and in silico approach to evaluate the potency of some aaptamines and makaluvamines isolated from marine sponges on the hydrolyzing activity of α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (α-NaGalase) from human cancer cells and the recombinant α-D-galactosidase (α-PsGal) from a marine bacterium sp. KMM 701. These alkaloids showed no direct inhibitory effect on the cancer α-NaGalase; but isoaaptamine (), 9-demethylaaptamine (), damirone B (), and makaluvamine H () reduced the expression of the enzyme in the human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line DLD-1 at 5 μM.