Protective effects of Thai (L.) DC. var. pruriens seeds on sexual behaviors and essential reproductive markers in chronic unpredictable mild stress mice.

Background And Aims: Chronic stress is a major common cause of male infertility. Many species of velvet beans are shown to be rich in l-DOPA. In Thai folklore medicine, seeds of (L.

Active site binding modes of curcumin in HIV-1 protease and integrase.

Structure models for the interaction of curcumin with HIV-1 integrase (IN) and protease (PR) were investigated using computational docking. Curcumin was found to bind preferentially in similar ways to the active sites of both IN and PR. For IN, the binding site is formed by residues Asp64, His67, Thr66, Glu92, Thr93, Asp116, Ser119, Asn120, and Lys159.

Manganese complexes of curcumin analogues: evaluation of hydroxyl radical scavenging ability, superoxide dismutase activity and stability towards hydrolysis.

In order to improve the antioxidant property of curcumin and its analogue, diacetylcurcumin, manganese was incorporated into the structures in order to enhance superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Manganese (Mn) complexes of curcumin (CpCpx) and diacetylcurcumin (AcylCpCpx) were synthesized and firstly investigated for SOD activity and hydroxyl radical (HO*) scavenging ability. SOD activity was evaluated by both the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction assay and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) as a spin trapping agent.

NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1: role as a superoxide scavenger.

Experiments using purified recombinant human NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) revealed that the auto-oxidation of fully reduced protein resulted in a 1:1 stoichiometry of oxygen consumption to NADH oxidation with the production of hydrogen peroxide. The rate of auto-oxidation of fully reduced NQO1 was markedly accelerated in the presence of superoxide (O(2)(*)(-)), whereas the addition of superoxide dismutase greatly inhibited the rate of auto-oxidation. The ability of reduced NQO1 to react with O(2)(*)(-) suggested a role for NQO1 in scavenging O(2)(*)(-), and this hypothesis was tested using established methods for O(2)(*)(-) production and detection.

Manganese complexes of curcumin and its derivatives: evaluation for the radical scavenging ability and neuroprotective activity.

In this study, three manganese complexes of curcumin (Cp) and related compounds, diacetylcurcumin (AcylCp) and ethylenediamine derivative (CpED), were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for antilipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase activity. The manganese complexes exhibited a great capacity to protect brain lipids against peroxidation with IC50 of 6.3-26.