β-Glucan fragmentation by microfluidization and TNF-α-immunostimulating activity of fragmented β-glucans.

Fragmentation of β-glucans secreted by the fungus BCC 2073 achieved by microfluidization was investigated. The degree of β-glucan fragmentation was evaluated based on the average number of chain scissions (α). The effects on the α value of experimental variables like solid concentration of the β-glucan suspension, interaction chamber pressure, and number of passes through the microfluidizer were examined.

Mass spectral analysis of secondary metabolites from Zingiber montanum rhizome extract using UHPLC-HR-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS.

Introduction: Zingiber montanum (J.Koenig) Link ex A.Dietr.

Inhibitory effects of Gymnema inodorum (Lour.) Decne leaf extracts and its triterpene saponin on carbohydrate digestion and intestinal glucose absorption.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Chiang-Da, Gymnema inodorum (Lour.) Decne. (GI), is an ethnomedicinal plant that has been used for diabetic treatment since ancient times.

Coumarin-Caged Compounds of 1-Naphthaleneacetic Acid as Light-Responsive Controlled-Release Plant Root Stimulators.

Six coumarin-caged compounds of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) comprising different substituents on the coumarin moiety were synthesized and evaluated for their photophysical and chemical properties as light-responsive controlled-release plant root stimulators. The H NMR and HPLC techniques were used to verify the release of NAA from the caged compounds. After irradiation at 365 nm, the caged compounds exhibited the fastest release rate at of 6.

Anti-EpCAM scFv gadolinium chelate: a novel targeted MRI contrast agent for imaging of colorectal cancer.

Objectives: The development of targeted contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facilitates enhanced cancer imaging and more accurate diagnosis. In the present study, a novel contrast agent was developed by conjugating anti-EpCAM humanized scFv with gadolinium chelate to achieve target specificity.

Materials And Methods: The material design strategy involved site-specific conjugation of the chelating agent to scFv.

Controllable encapsulation of α-mangostin with quaternized β-cyclodextrin grafted chitosan using high shear mixing.

In this study, the inclusion complex formation between α-mangostin and water-soluble quaternized β-CD grafted-chitosan (QCD-g-CS) was investigated. Inclusion complex formation with encapsulation efficiency (%EE) of 5, 15 and 75% can be varied using high speed homogenizer. Tuning %EE plays a role on physicochemical and biological properties of α-mangostin/QCD-g-CS complex.

Development of an in Vitro System to Simulate the Adsorption of Self-Emulsifying Tea (Camellia oleifera) Seed Oil.

In this study, tea (Camellia oleifera) seed oil was formulated into self-emulsifying oil formulations (SEOF) to enhance the aqueous dispersibility and intestinal retention to achieve higher bioavailability. Self-emulsifying tea seed oils were developed by using different concentrations of lecithin in combination with surfactant blends (Span(®)80 and Tween(®)80). The lecithin/surfactant systems were able to provide clear and stable liquid formulations.

A comparison of eugenol and menthol on encapsulation characteristics with water-soluble quaternized β-cyclodextrin grafted chitosan.

Two guest molecules (eugenol and (-)-menthol) were investigated on inclusion complex formation with water-soluble quaternized β-CD grafted with chitosan (QCD-g-CS). The inclusion complexes were prepared at varying mole ratios between eugenol or (-)-menthol and β-CD (substituted on QCD-g-CS) by a conventional shaking method and obtained as solid powder by freeze-drying process. The results showed that encapsulation efficiency %EE decreased with increasing of initial eugenol or (-)-menthol loading whereas %loading increased with increasing of initial eugenol or (-)-menthol loading.

A minocycline derivative reduces nerve injury-induced allodynia, LPS-induced prostaglandin E2 microglial production and signaling via toll-like receptors 2 and 4.

Many studies have shown that minocycline, an antibacterial tetracycline, suppresses experimental pain. While minocycline's positive effects on pain resolution suggest that clinical use of such drugs may prove beneficial, minocycline's antibiotic actions and divalent cation (Ca(2+); Mg(2+)) chelating effects detract from its potential utility. Thus, we tested the antiallodynic effect induced by a non-antibacterial, non-chelating minocycline derivative in a model of neuropathic pain and performed an initial investigation of its anti-inflammatory effects in vitro.

Antifungal activity of alkaloids from the seeds of Chimonanthus praecox.

Two alkaloids, D-calycanthine (1) and L-folicanthine (2), were isolated from the active MeOH extract of the seeds of Chimonanthus praecox LINK. The structures of the two compounds were established by (1)H- and (13)C-NMR, and MS (FAB, ESI) analyses. In the in vitro tests, compounds 1 and 2 showed significant inhibitory activities against five plant pathogenic fungi Exserohilum turcicum, Bipolaris maydis, Alternaria solani, Sclerotinia sderotiorum, and Fusarium oxysportium, among which B.

Automated molecular formula determination by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS).

Automated software was developed to analyze the molecular formula of organic molecules and peptides based on high-resolution MS/MS spectroscopic data. The software was validated with 96 compounds including a few small peptides in the mass range of 138-1569 Da containing the elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. A Micromass Waters Q-TOF Ultima Global mass spectrometer was used to measure the molecular masses of precursor and fragment ions.

One-step purification of palmatine and its derivative dl-tetrahydropalmatine from Enantia chlorantha using high-performance displacement chromatography.

Palmatine and its reduced form, dl-tetrahydropalmatine are a group of isoquinoline alkaloids that have been reported to display a variety of biological and pharmacological activities. Both drugs are hydrophilic and are difficult to be purified by conventional purification methods of natural products. A high-performance displacement chromatography (HPDC) method successfully purified palmatine and its semi-synthetic derivative dl-tetrahydropalmatine from crude extract of the African medicinal plant Enantia chlorantha.

A novel non-antibacterial, non-chelating hydroxypyrazoline derivative of minocycline inhibits nociception and oedema in mice.

Background And Purpose: Many in vitro and fewer in vivo studies have shown that tetracyclines present anti-inflammatory activity. We investigated if a novel non-antibacterial, non-chelating hydroxypyrazoline derivative of minocycline, 12S-hydroxy-1,12-pyrazolinominocycline (PMIN), also induced antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects.

Experimental Approach: Antibacterial effects against a minocycline-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus strain were evaluated by applying a cylinder-plate agar diffusion technique.

Molecular formula analysis by an MS/MS/MS technique to expedite dereplication of natural products.

A facile and sensitive mass spectrometric method has been developed for the dereplication of natural products. The method provides information about the molecular formula and substructure of a precursor molecule and its fragments, which are invaluable aids in dereplication of natural products at their early stages of purification and characterization. Collision-induced MS/MS technique is used to fragment a precursor ion into several product ions, and individual product ions are selected and subjected to collision-induced MS/MS/MS analysis.