Danggui to Angelica sinensis root: are potential benefits to European women lost in translation? A review.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Danggui (Chinese Angelica root; Dong quai; Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels.) is a traditional Chinese herbal remedy with a long history of use in China, Korea and Japan.

Isolation, structure elucidation, and cytotoxic evaluation of furanonaphthoquinones from in vitro plantlets and cultures of Streptocarpus dunnii.

Two new furanonaphthoquinones, (3R)-7-methoxy-α-dunnione (5) and (3R)-6-hydroxy-7-methoxy-α-dunnione (6), along with the known (3R)-dunnione (1), (3R)-α-dunnione (2), (3R)-7-hydroxy-α-dunnione (3), and 1-hydroxy-2-methylanthraquinone (4), were isolated from in vitro cultures of Streptocarpus dunnii. The structures of compounds 5 and 6 were established by spectroscopic means. This is the first report of hydroxylated furanonaphthoquinones in a Streptocarpus species.

Inhibition of LFA-1 mediated T-cell motility by naphthoquinones.

An in vitro T-cell migration assay has been established that can be used to study the effects of compounds on the development of T-cell polarisation with HuT-78 T lymphocytes. This assay indicates the ability of compounds tested to inhibit the inflammatory response by decreasing LFA-1-mediated T-cell motility. The effect of a series of naturally occurring quinone isolates on motility has been evaluated in this assay.

Phylogenetics of Papaver and related genera based on DNA sequences from ITS nuclear ribosomal DNA and plastid trnL intron and trnL-F intergenic spacers.

Background And Aims: Representatives from Papaver, Roemeria, Stylomecon and Meconopsis were studied to elucidate phylogenetic relationships between Papaver and these closely allied genera.

Methods: Two molecular data sets were used individually and combined and included sequences from the internally transcribed spacer region (ITS) of 18S-26S nuclear ribosomal DNA and the trnL intron and the trnL-trnF intergenic spacer region of plastid DNA.

Key Results: Parsimony analysis demonstrated that the genus is not monophyletic unless the closely related Roemeria, Stylomecon and Meconopsis cambrica are included in a revised circumscription of Papaver.

Biotransformation of aliphatic and aromatic ketones, including several monoterpenoid ketones and their derivatives by five species of marine microalgae.

The biotransformation of a series of aliphatic and aromatic ketones by five cultures of photosynthetic microalgae is reported. The test substrates include the monoterpenoid ketones carvone and menthone and a series of aromatic ketones related to and including acetophenone. All of the test organisms show some degree of specificity and stereoselectivity in the biotransformation of substrates.