Two novel aromatic polyketides, penicanesins J and K (1, 2), were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Didymella aeria, along with the known compound integrastatin B (3). The structures of the new compounds were determined by NMR spectroscopy and synthetic methods. The isolated compounds were tested for monoamine oxidase (MAO) B inhibition, anti-amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation, and protective activity against HO-induced cell death in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia worldwide. Nattokinase is a serine protease extracellularly produced by natto, a fermented product of Bacillus subtilis var. natto.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study proposes a sequential liquid dispensing method using a centrifugal microfluidic device operating at a constant rotational speed for the multiplexed genetic detection of nucleic acid targets across multiple samples in a single operation. A pair of passive valves integrated into each microchamber enabled the liquid to fill towards the center of rotation against the centrifugal force, facilitating the complete removal of air inside the microchamber. Liquid manipulation can be achievable without any surface coating of the device by exploiting the inherent hydrophobicity of the polymer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel identified pneumonia resulting from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, has significantly impacted and posed significant challenges to human society. The papain-like protease (PLpro) found in the nonstructural protein 3 of SARS-CoV-2 plays a vital role in viral replication. Moreover, PLpro disrupts the host immune response by cleaving ubiquitin and interferon-stimulated gene 15 from host proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPapain-like protease (PLpro) enzyme plays a vital role in viral replication as it breaks down polyproteins and disrupts the host's immune response. There are few reports on Kampo formulas that focus on PLpro activity. In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of senkyuchachosan, a traditional Japanese medicine, on PLpro of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for causing COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA novel tricyclic polyketide, curvulanone (1), was isolated from the marine-derived fungus Curvularia aeria. The structure of 1 was determined by NMR and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. 1 had a cyclopentabenzopyranone with 3-acetic acid structure that is rarely found in natural compounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), spread as a pandemic and caused damage to people's lives and countries' economies. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 contains a cleavage motif, Arg-X-X-Arg, for furin and furin-like enzymes at the boundary of the S1/S2 subunits. Given that cleavage plays a crucial role in S protein activation and viral entry, the cleavage motif was selected as the target.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMonoclon Antib Immunodiagn Immunother
October 2023
Nattokinase is a protease produced by var. that exhibits various beneficial biological effects. Thus, a reliable assay to determine nattokinase levels is needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Biophys Res Commun
September 2023
Human norovirus (HuNoV) is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis and foodborne diseases worldwide with public health concern, yet no antiviral therapies have been developed. In this study, we aimed to screen crude drugs, which are components of Japanese traditional medicine, ''Kampo'' to see their effects on HuNoV infection using a reproducible HuNoV cultivation system, stem-cell derived human intestinal organoids/enteroids (HIOs). Among the 22 crude drugs tested, Ephedra herba significantly inhibited HuNoV infection in HIOs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: The inflammatory response plays an important role in the activation and progression of many inflammation-related diseases. Cannabis sativa and Morinda citrifolia have long been used in folk medicine to treat inflammation. Cannabidiol is the most abundant non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid in C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall interfering RNAs (siRNAs) knockdown the expression of target genes by causing mRNA degradation and are a promising therapeutic modality. In clinical practice, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are used to deliver RNAs, such as siRNA and mRNA, into cells. However, these artificial nanoparticles are toxic and immunogenic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe root of Paeonia lactiflora (PAEONIAE RADIX) is a constituent of the traditional Japanese medicines (Kampo) and is known to have various effects. Peony roots cultivated in Japan and China are available in the Japanese market for medicinal use. In this study, the chemical diversity of ten available peony roots in the market that differed in their cultivation area was investigated using H-NMR metabolomics techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn Ayurveda, a traditional Indian medicine system, clarified butter is called ghee and is used for food and medicinal purposes. Since butter is subjected to heat to prepare ghee, the heating process affects the ghee quality, such as oxidation, flavor, nutritional value, and biological activity. Therefore, this study focused on the Maillard reaction progress and free-radical scavenging activity with temperature and time during ghee preparation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged as a pandemic and has inflicted enormous damage on the lives of the people and economy of many countries worldwide. However, therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2 remain unclear. SARS-CoV-2 has a spike protein (S protein), and cleavage of the S protein is essential for viral entry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe identification of accidental allergen contamination in processed foods is crucial for risk management strategies in the food processing industry to effectively prevent food allergy incidents. Here, we propose a newly designed passive stop valve with high pressure resistance performance termed an "air plug-in valve" to further improve microfluidic devices for the detection of target nucleic acids. By implementing the air plug-in valve as a permanent stop valve, a maximal allowable flow rate of 70 µL/min could be achieved for sequential liquid dispensing into an array of 10 microchambers, which is 14 times higher than that achieved with the previous valve arrangement using single-faced stop valves.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell adhesion plays a crucial role in candidiasis through invasion of the human body and obtaining resistance to drugs by forming biofilms. Cell adhesion thus is a critical target for combating candidiasis by preventing the entry of fungal hyphae into the epithelium. We report here that dehydrocurvularin (1), isolated from the marine-derived fungus Curvularia aeria, exhibited anti-fungal activities for Candida albicans and Candida auris.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPoria, the dried sclerotium of Wolfiporia cocos, is a medicinal mushroom that is widely used in traditional Japanese medicine. The fruit body of W. cocos is rarely found in the natural environment in Japan, therefore an optimized technique for fruit body formation is essential for producing new strains through crossbreeding and for biological research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: The cannabinoid 2 (CB2) receptor is an important regulator of immunoinflammatory responses. Crude drugs commonly used in Japanese traditional Kampo medicine have displayed anti-inflammatory effects; however, few studies have reported that these effects are mediated via CB2 receptor signaling. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate CB2 receptor-related anti-inflammatory regulation in crude drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Tradit Complement Med
January 2022
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as a pandemic and has caused damage to the lives of the people and economy of countries. However, the therapeutic reagents against SARS-CoV-2 remain unclear. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 contains a cleavage motif at the S1/S2 boundary, known to be cleaved by furin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeaves of (noni) have been used in Polynesian folk medicine for the treatment of pain and inflammation, and their juice is very popular worldwide as a functional food supplement. This study aimed to demonstrate that seed extract exerts anti-inflammatory effects on RAW264 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide. To confirm the inhibitory effect of seed extract, we assessed the production of nitric oxide (NO) and inflammatory cytokines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCinnamon bark is an important spice worldwide. In this study, the chemical diversity of various commercially available cinnamon barks that differed in their production areas and utility applications (culinary spice or medicines) were investigated by the use of H NMR metabolomics. Our results indicated that principle component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of the H NMR spectra of the cinnamon bark methanolic extracts including the deduction of their species by nucleotide sequence analysis enabled differentiation of the cinnamon barks according to their species, production areas and utility applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) contains a cleavage motif R-X-X-R for furin-like enzymes at the boundary of the S1/S2 subunits. The cleavage of the site by cellular proteases is essential for S protein activation and virus entry. We screened the inhibitory effects of crude drugs on in vitro furin-like enzymatic activities using a fluorogenic substrate with whole-cell lysates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHemp ( L.) seed contains high contents of various nutrients, including fatty acids and proteins. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound that can be extracted from and used for treating epilepsy and pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe tuberous roots of Pueraria candollei Grah. ex Benth. (Fabaceae), commonly known as white Kwao Krua, are used to relieve menopausal symptoms in Thai traditional medicine because they contain phytoestrogens.
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