Dihydroisocoumarins of Hydrangea macrophylla var. thunbergia inhibit binding of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to ACE2.

Binding of the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to the cognate angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is the initial step in the viral infection process. In this study, we screened an in-house extract library to identify food materials with inhibitory activity against this binding using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and attempted to ascertain their active constituents. Hydrangea macrophylla var.

Golden berry leaf extract containing withanolides suppresses TNF-α and IL-17 induced IL-6 expression in HeLa Cells.

Inflammation, characterized by the overexpression of IL-6 in various tissues, has been reported as a symptom of coronavirus disease 2019. In this study, we established an experimental system for overexpression of IL-6 in HeLa cells stimulated by TNF-α and IL-17, along with identification of anti-inflammatory materials and components from local agricultural, forestry, and fishery resources. We constructed a library of extracts from natural sources, of which 111 samples were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities.

Identification of a novel enzyme from E. pacifica that acts as an eicosapentaenoic 8R-LOX and docosahexaenoic 10R-LOX.

North Pacific krill (Euphausia pacifica) contain 8R-hydroxy-eicosapentaenoic acid (8R-HEPE), 8R-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (8R-HETE) and 10R-hydroxy-docosahexaenoic acid (10R-HDHA). These findings indicate that E. pacifica must possess an R type lipoxygenase, although no such enzyme has been identified in krill.

as a source of 8()-hydroxy-eicosapentaenoic acid (8-HEPE), 8()-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (8-HETE) and 10()-hydroxy-docosahexaenoic acid (10-HDHA).

Although not fully investigated, 8-HEPE, 8-HETE, and 10-HDHA have potentially beneficial effects for human health. (North Pacific krill) is unique in containing several ppm level of 8-HEPE, and sub-ppm levels of 8-HETE and 10-HDHA. Obtaining sufficient quantities of these compounds is a major bottleneck for conducting experiments to evaluate their biological activities.

Lipids, fatty acids and hydroxy-fatty acids of Euphausia pacifica.

Euphausia pacifica is a good candidate for a resource of marine n-3 PUFA. However, few reports exist of the lipid and fatty acid composition of E. pacifica.