1,2-Dehydropyrrolizidine Alkaloids: Their Potential as a Dietary Cause of Sporadic Motor Neuron Diseases.

Sporadic motor neuron diseases (MNDs), such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), can be caused by spontaneous genetic mutations. However, many sporadic cases of ALS and other debilitating neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are believed to be caused by environmental factors, subject to considerable debate and requiring intensive research. A common pathology associated with MND development involves progressive mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in motor neurons and glial cells of the central nervous system (CNS), leading to apoptosis.

Use of Herbarium Voucher Specimens To Investigate Phytochemical Composition in Poisonous Plant Research.

Poisonous plants cause large losses to the livestock industry through death, reduced production efficiency, reproductive dysfunction, and compromised harvesting of rangeland and pasture forages. Research investigating poisonous plants is complex because there are hundreds of genera of toxic plants representing thousands of species. To investigate the effects of poisonous plants on livestock, a clear understanding of the taxonomic identity of the plant and the ability to collect the plant in sufficient quantities for scientific studies is required.

Isolation and SAR studies of bicyclic iminosugars from Castanospermum australe as glycosidase inhibitors.

We report the isolation and structural determination of fourteen iminosugars, containing five pyrrolizidines and five indolizidines, from Castanospermum australe. The structure of a new alkaloid was elucidated by spectroscopic methods as 6,8-diepi-castanospermine (13). Our side-by-side comparison between bicyclic and corresponding monocyclic iminosugars revealed that inhibition potency and spectrum against each enzyme are clearly changed by their core structures.

Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids: Potential Role in the Etiology of Cancers, Pulmonary Hypertension, Congenital Anomalies, and Liver Disease.

Large outbreaks of acute food-related poisoning, characterized by hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, hemorrhagic necrosis, and rapid liver failure, occur on a regular basis in some countries. They are caused by 1,2-dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids contaminating locally grown grain. Similar acute poisoning can also result from deliberate or accidental consumption of 1,2-dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloid-containing herbal medicines, teas, and spices.

Global perspectives on poisonous plants: the 9th international symposium on poisonous plants.

The 9th International Symposium on Poisonous Plants (ISOPP9) was held July 15-21, 2013, at the Inner Mongolia Agricultural University in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. The symposium consisted of three days of oral and poster presentations, followed by a tour of the Xilinhot Region of the Mongolian Grasslands, encompassing grazing conditions consisting of desert, grassland, and steppes. This was the first time that an ISOPP meeting has been held in Asia and provided an opportunity for visitors from outside China to become aware of livestock poisonings caused by plant species with which they were previously not familiar while at the same time demonstrating that many of the problems experienced around the world have a common etiology.

Quantitation of sensory-active and bioactive constituents of food: A Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry perspective.

The proper procedures for the measurement of amounts of compounds that may occur in a food or other matrices are presented in this perspective. Factors dealt with include sampling, use of standards, advantages and limitations of chromatographic and other techniques for quantitation, and proper presentation and reporting of data. Such factors must be considered at the initial stages of an investigation and incorporated completely into the overall experimental design.

Loss of msnA, a putative stress regulatory gene, in Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus increased production of conidia, aflatoxins and kojic acid.

Production of the harmful carcinogenic aflatoxins by Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus has been postulated to be a mechanism to relieve oxidative stress. The msnA gene of A. parasiticus and A.

Detection of high levels of pyrrolizidine-N-oxides in the endangered plant Cryptantha crassipes (Terlingua Creek cat's-eye) using HPLC-ESI-MS.

Introduction: A previous investigation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids produced by nine species of Cryptantha identified at least two chemotypes within the genus. Other research has postulated that pyrrolizidine-N-oxide concentrations increase as the growing conditions become harsher, particularly with respect to water availability. Cryptantha crassipes is an endangered plant with a very limited distribution range within a dry, harsh Texan ecosystem.

Augmenting the activity of antifungal agents against aspergilli using structural analogues of benzoic acid as chemosensitizing agents.

A number of benzoic acid analogues showed antifungal activity against strains of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus terreus, causative agents of human aspergillosis, in in vitro bioassays. Structure-activity analysis revealed that antifungal activities of benzoic and gallic acids were increased by addition of a methyl, methoxyl or chloro group at position 4 of the aromatic ring, or by esterification of the carboxylic acid with an alkyl group, respectively. Thymol, a natural phenolic compound, was a potent chemosensitizing agent when co-applied with the antifungal azole drugs fluconazole and ketoconazole.

Chemosensitization of aflatoxigenic fungi to antimycin A and strobilurin using salicylaldehyde, a volatile natural compound targeting cellular antioxidation system.

Various species of fungi in the genus Aspergillus are the most common causative agents of invasive aspergillosis and/or producers of hepato-carcinogenic mycotoxins. Salicylaldehyde (SA), a volatile natural compound, exhibited potent antifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic activities to A. flavus and A.

Rapid analytical method for the determination of aflatoxins in plant-derived dietary supplement and cosmetic oils.

Consumption of edible oils derived from conventional crop plants is increasing because they are generally regarded as healthier alternatives to animal-based fats and oils. More recently, there has been increased interest in the use of alternative specialty plant-derived oils, including those from tree nuts (almonds, pistachios, and walnuts) and botanicals (borage, evening primrose, and perilla) both for direct human consumption (e.g.

Poisoning of sheep by seeds of Crotalaria retusa: acquired resistance by continuous administration of low doses.

Seeds of Crotalaria retusa containing 6.84% (dry weight) of monocrotaline (MCT) were administered experimentally to sheep. Three sheep that received 136.

Separation and measurement of plant alkaloid enantiomers by RP-HPLC analysis of their Fmoc-Alanine analogs.

Introduction: Ammodendrine (1), anabasine (2) and coniine (3) can cause congenital malformations in livestock. They appear naturally in both enantiomeric forms, and can cause variable physiological responses. A method to measure the enantiomeric ratio of these natural toxins is needed.

Chemosensitization of fungal pathogens to antimicrobial agents using benzo analogs.

Activities of conventional antifungal agents, fludioxonil, strobilurin and antimycin A, which target the oxidative and osmotic stress response systems, were elevated by coapplication of certain benzo analogs (aldehydes and acids). Fungal tolerance to 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde or 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid was found to rely upon mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (SOD2) or glutathione reductase (GLR1), genes regulated by the HOG1 signaling pathway, respectively. Thus, certain benzo analogs can be effective at targeting cellular oxidative stress response systems.

Elucidation of the functional genomics of antioxidant-based inhibition of aflatoxin biosynthesis.

Caffeic acid (3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid, 12 mM) added to a fat-based growth medium reduces >95% of aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3357, without affecting fungal growth. Microarray analysis of caffeic acid-treated A. flavus indicated expression of almost all genes in the aflatoxin biosynthetic cluster were down-regulated, ranging from a log2 ratio of caffeic acid treated and untreated of -1.

Toxic hepatopathy in sheep associated with the ingestion of the legume Tephrosia cinerea.

A disease known as water belly (barriga d'água), characterized by chronic progressive ascites, affects sheep in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil. The objectives of this investigation were to study the disease and to determine its cause. Only sheep grazing for long periods in pastures where Tephrosia cinerea represents 80% to 100% of the available forage are affected.

Phytochemicals: the good, the bad and the ugly?

Phytochemicals are constitutive metabolites that enable plants to overcome temporary or continuous threats integral to their environment, while also controlling essential functions of growth and reproduction. All of these roles are generally advantageous to the producing organisms but the inherent biological activity of such constituents often causes dramatic adverse consequences in other organisms that may be exposed to them. Nevertheless, such effects may be the essential indicator of desirable properties, such as therapeutic potential, especially when the mechanism of bioactivity can be delineated.

Mycotoxins in edible tree nuts.

Tree nuts (almonds, pistachios, and walnuts) are an exceptionally valuable crop, especially in California, with an aggregate value approaching $3.5 billion. Much of this economic value comes from overseas markets, with up to 60% of the crop being exported.

Compound identification: a Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry perspective.

This perspective is designed to summarize the standards that authors of manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry are expected to follow in establishing the structures of either new or unknown compounds identified in the course of a study. It is especially important that the molecular formulas of new compounds be determined by either high-resolution mass spectrometry or combustion analysis. All relevant physical, spectroscopic, and spectrometric data should also be reported, so that other research workers have criteria for comparison with compounds that may be isolated in the future.