Quality Assessment of Medicinal Product and Dietary Supplements Containing Vitex agnus-castus by HPLC Fingerprint and Quantitative Analyses.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the quality of 11 products sold in Japan (one medicinal product and 10 dietary supplements) containing/claiming to contain chasteberry extract (fruit of Vitex agnus-castus L.) using HPLC fingerprint (15 characteristic peaks), quantitative determination of chemical marker compounds, and a disintegration test. The HPLC profile of the medicinal product was similar to that of the reference standard of V.

Collimonins A-D, Unstable Polyynes with Antifungal or Pigmentation Activities from the Fungus-Feeding Bacterium Collimonas fungivorans Ter331.

The isolation and structure elucidation of collimonins A-D (1-4) from the fungus-feeding bacterium Collimonas fungivorans Ter331 are reported. Collimonins are new derivatives of polyoxygenated hexadecanoic acid, including an ene-triyne moiety. Their absolute configurations were fully determined by combining spectroscopic, chemical, and crystalline sponge methods.

13-Methylberberine, a berberine analogue with stronger anti-adipogenic effects on mouse 3T3-L1 cells.

Lipid metabolism modulation is a main focus of metabolic syndrome research, an area in which many natural and synthetic chemicals are constantly being screened for in vitro and in vivo activity. Berberine, a benzylisoquinoline plant alkaloid, has been extensively investigated for its anti-obesity effects and as a potential cholesterol and triglyceride-lowering drug. We screened 11 protoberberine and 2 benzophenanthridine alkaloids for their anti-adipogenic effects on 3T3-L1 adipocytes and found that 13-methylberberine exhibited the most potent activity.

Dysfunction of Arabidopsis MACPF domain protein activates programmed cell death via tryptophan metabolism in MAMP-triggered immunity.

Plant immune responses triggered upon recognition of microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) typically restrict pathogen growth without a host cell death response. We isolated two Arabidopsis mutants, derived from accession Col-0, that activated cell death upon inoculation with nonadapted fungal pathogens. Notably, the mutants triggered cell death also when treated with bacterial MAMPs such as flg22.

Malignant Brenner tumors of the ovary and tumor markers: case reports.

We investigated the tumor marker for malignant Brenner tumors, which had not been established because of the rarity and variable histological criteria. Representative areas of two cases of malignant Brenner tumor were investigated by means of the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method using monoclonal antibody to CA125 and CA72-4 antigen and the streptavidin-biotin immunoperoxidase complex method using monoclonal antibody to SCC antigen. Based on clinical course and immunohistochemical studies, serum CA125 and CA72-4 for Case 1 and SCC and CA72-4 for Case 2 were appropriate tumor markers for the establishment of the extent of tumor burden before treatment and to monitor the response to therapy.