Antibacterial -trachyloban-19-oic acid and other constituents from G.W. Hu, Ngumbau & Q.F. Wang.

Phytochemical analysis of the twigs and leaves of , endemic to Kenya, yielded known compounds 3-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)-prop-1-ene (, 3-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)-propenal (), lupeol () and -trachyloban-19-oic acid (), and a tentatively new -clerodane diterpenoid, crotokinondoenolide (). -Trachy-loban-19-oic acid () showed good activity against a panel of drug-resistant strains of and spp with MIC -values of 25 g/mL.

Critical Insights on Preparation of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Tubes With a Thixotropic Gel Separator.

Thixotropic gels are the preferred choice in the collection of platelet-rich plasma as an easy solution to operator variability. One often unnoticed shortcoming is the entrapment of platelets in the gel layer's uppermost surface. We provide instructions to optimize platelet yield, ie, agitation to re-suspend platelets, setting the optimal G-force and time of centrifugation, and the essential use of a horizontal swing bucket centrifuge.

Insecticidal activity of essential oils from Piper aduncum against Ctenocephalides felis felis: a promising approach for flea control.

Piper aduncum L., a Brazilian medicinal plant, is known for its bioactive properties, including repellent and insecticidal effects. This study investigated the insecticidal potential of essential oils (EOs) from P.

Mining the chemical diversity of the hemp seed ( L.) metabolome: discovery of a new molecular family widely distributed across hemp.

Hemp ( L.) is a widely researched industrial crop with a variety of applications in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, cosmetic, textile, and materials industries. Although many of these applications are related to its chemical composition, the chemical diversity of the hemp metabolome has not been explored in detail and new metabolites with unknown properties are likely to be discovered.

Real-World, Open-Label Study of the Efficacy and Safety of a Novel Serum in Androgenetic Alopecia.

Pattern-type hair loss is a highly prevalent condition affecting the majority of men and women at some point in their lifetime. Although genetics and androgens are instrumental in the pathogenesis of this type of hair loss, it is increasingly recognized that inflammation, stress, and environmental factors play a central role. The few and widely used monotherapies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, such as minoxidil or finasteride, are not efficacious in all people and cause adverse events that prevent patient compliance.

Medicinal plants used by rural Thai people to treat non-communicable diseases and related symptoms.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are becoming more common in remote regions, whereas previously they were more common in middle-class to wealthy societies. The rising prevalence and severity of NCDs has increased the demand for medical innovation in this space. In this regard, knowledge of traditional medicines used in the treatment of NCDs, by people in the remote communities of Thailand, represents an innovation opportunity.

Comment on Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids and Terpenes from (Asteraceae): Chemistry and Research Gaps in Africa.

The genus is one of the largest in Asteraceae. There are thousands of species across the globe, either confirmed or awaiting taxonomic delimitation. While the species are best known for the toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids that contaminate honeys (as bees select pollen from the species) and teas via lateral transfer and accumulation from adjacent roots of in the rhizosphere, they are also associated with more serious cases leading to fatality of grazing ruminants or people by contamination or accidental harvesting for medicine.

Rumors of Psychedelics, Psychotropics and Related Derivatives in and in Contrast with Verified Records in Australian .

There are almost 1000 species of in Australia, while the 44 species and 4 subspecies in southern Africa were taxonomically revised in the year 2011 to and . There are rumors of a chemical similarity between the Australian and their southern African sister genera. Chemical analysis has unequivocally demonstrated the presence of tryptamines (i.

Phenoplasticity of Essential Oils from Two Species of (Piperaceae): Comparing Wild Specimens and Bi-Generational Monoclonal Cultivars.

This study tested the hypothesis that "clonal chemical heritability is a crucial factor for the conservation of chemical uniformity of essential oils in controlled monoclonal cultivation". We asexually propagated first and second-generation clones of two medicinal and aromatic species, Kunth and Kunth (Piperaceae), for use as experimental models since they show high chemical plasticity in the wild. Leaves from wild specimens of both species, and their respective cultivated specimens, were hydrodistilled in a Clevenger-type apparatus to produce essential oils (EOs).

Constituents of with Potential Anti-HIV Activity.

Reported herein is an anti-HIV monochlorinated compound, 1β-acetoxy-3β-chloro-5α,6α-dihydroxycrotocascarin L (), of the rare crotofolane diterpenoid class. Compound , a suspected artifact of extraction, along with the previously undescribed 11β-acetoxycrotocascarin L () and a known compound, crotocascarin K (), were isolated from the bark of , a Kenyan oil-producing seed crop. Compounds and inhibited HIV-1 replication with IC values of 28 and 5.

Chemical Diversity of Flavan-3-Ols in Grape Seeds: Modulating Factors and Quality Requirements.

Grape seeds are a rich source of flavan-3-ol monomers, oligomers, and polymers. The diverse profile of compounds includes mainly B-type procyanidins (especially C4→C8 linked molecules) and the key monomers, catechin, and epicatechin that are positively implicated in the 'French Paradox'. Today grape seed nutraceuticals have become a multi-million-dollar industry.

Fundamental Chemistry of Essential Oils and Volatile Organic Compounds, Methods of Analysis and Authentication.

The current text provides a comprehensive introduction to essential oils, their biosynthesis, naming, analysis, and chemistry. Importantly, this text quickly brings the reader up to a level of competence in the authentication of essential oils and their components. It gives detailed descriptions of enantiomers and other forms of stereoisomers relevant to the study of natural volatiles and essential oils.

HIV-1 Integrase Inhibitory Effects of Major Compounds Present in CareVid™: An Anti-HIV Multi-Herbal Remedy.

In our continued study on the anti-HIV activity of compounds present in CareVid, we report the HIV-1 integrase ((HIV-1 IN) inhibitory effects of pellitorine (), oleuropein (), magnoflorine (), crotepoxide (), -kaurane-16β,17-diol (), crotocorylifuran (), lupeol (), betulin (), and ellagic acid () in an in vitro enzyme assay, and in an in silico study. Ellagic acid, pellitorine, lupeol, and betulin showed an in vitro percentage inhibition against HIV-1 IN of 21.1%, 19.

A New Antimicrobial Phenylpropanol from the Leaves of Stapf. (Apocynaceae) Inhibits Pathogenic Gram-Negative Bacteria.

A chemical investigation of the leaves of Stapf. led to the isolation of a new phenylpropanol derivative, namely irisdichototin G (), together with nine known compounds, including one polyol derivative, dambonitol (); three alkaloids, 10-hydroxycoronaridine (), voacristine () and vobasine (); two triterpenes lupeol (), betulinic acid () and three sterols, sitosterol (), sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside () and stigmasterol (). The structure of the new compound, as well as those of the known ones, was established by means of spectroscopic methods: NMR analysis ( and C NMR, 1H-1H-COSY, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY), high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) and comparisons with previously reported data.

Comparative Metabolomics of Reproductive Organs in the Genus (Sapindaceae) Reveals That Immature Fruits Are a Key Organ of Procyanidin Accumulation and Bioactivity.

Fruit from L. are used commercially for chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). The isomeric mixture of pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins (β-aescin) exert anti-inflammatory effects.

Pharmacology of Natural Volatiles and Essential Oils in Food, Therapy, and Disease Prophylaxis.

This commentary critically examines the modern paradigm of natural volatiles in 'medical aromatherapy', first by explaining the semantics of natural volatiles in health, then by addressing chemophenetic challenges to authenticity or reproducibility, and finally by elaborating on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in food, therapy, and disease prophylaxis. Research over the last 50 years has generated substantial knowledge of the chemical diversity of volatiles, and their strengths and weaknesses as antimicrobial agents. However, due to modest outcomes, the emphasis has shifted toward the ability to synergise or potentiate non-volatile natural or pharmaceutical drugs, and to modulate gene expression by binding to the lipophilic domain of mammalian cell receptors.

Advanced Chemophenetic Analysis of Essential Oil from Leaves of Kunth (Piperaceae) Using a New Reduction-Oxidation Index to Explore Seasonal and Circadian Rhythms.

The aromatic species Kunth (Piperaceae) is widely used in Brazil for medicinal and ritualistic applications. In the current study, chemophenetic patterns were realized across season and circadian rhythm based on the chemical profile of essential oils (EOs) from leaves. Hydrodistilled essential oils were analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID, and a new calculation of metabolite oxidation level, averaged for each individual molecule component of the EO, was used to explore the patterns of metabolism/biosynthesis.

HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Inhibition by Major Compounds in a Kenyan Multi-Herbal Composition (CareVid™): In Vitro and In Silico Contrast.

CareVid is a multi-herbal product used in southwest Kenya as an immune booster and health tonic and has been anecdotally described as improving the condition of HIV-positive patients. The product is made up of roots, barks and whole plant of 14 African medicinal plants: (L.) Willd.

Colour of floral styles in the Banksia spinulosa Sm complex (Proteaceae) relates to the anthocyanin and flavonol profile, not soil pH.

The cylindrical conflorescences of the Banksia spinulosa Sm complex have several different colour types, i.e., black, red, maroon, lemon, and yellow.

Ecdysteroids from the Stem Bark of Sweet (Lamiaceae; ex. Verbenaceae): A Geographically Variable African Medicinal Species.

Sweet is an African medicinal species that is prescribed as an aqueous bark extract to be applied topically or orally to achieve anti-infective outcomes. In select regions it is also taken orally as an antimalarial agent. The aim of the current study was to explore the biological properties of and isolated compounds in the context of pathogenic bacteria and the protozoan parasite .

Pharmacodynamics of Aloe vera and acemannan in therapeutic applications for skin, digestion, and immunomodulation.

Scientific studies of Aloe vera have tentatively explained therapeutic claims from a mechanistic perspective. Furthermore, in vitro outcomes demonstrate that the breakage of acemannan chains into smaller fragments enhances biological effects. These fragments can intravenously boost vaccine efficacy or entrain the immune system to attack cancer cells by mannose receptor agonism of macrophage or dendritic cells.

Cyanogenic Derivatives as Chemical Markers for the Authentication of Commercial Products of Bamboo Shoots.

The authentication of bamboo shoots found in the marketplace is complex because the chemical profile of processed and unprocessed material is different. During processing, heat derivatives of the potentially toxic cyanogenic glycoside taxiphyllin are produced. Here, we report the isolation and structure elucidation of the two major diarylbutenedinitrile derivatives, which are and isomers of the rare 2,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)but-2-enedinitrile from a commercial extract of bamboo shoots.

Topical and nutricosmetic products for healthy hair and dermal antiaging using "dual-acting" (2 for 1) plant-based peptides, hormones, and cannabinoids.

One of the side effects of oral antiaging retinoids is increased hair shedding. Retinoids promote the expression of TGF-β2 from fibroblasts, which stimulate collagen expression but silences keratinocytes. Since keratinocytes normally influence differentiation of dermal papilla cells at the base of the hair follicle, retinoids feasibly inhibit hair growth via the increased expression of TGF-β2, which inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling.