Isolation of High-Purity Betanin from Red Beet and Elucidation of Its Antioxidant Activity against Peroxynitrite: An in vitro Study.

Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are damaging for many biomolecules. Peroxynitrite (ONOO) is the most toxic molecular species among RNS. Betalains are known to possess ONOO scavenging ability.

Accumulation of squalene in filamentous fungi Trichoderma virens PS1-7 in the presence of butenafine hydrochloride, squalene epoxidase inhibitor: biosynthesis of 13C-enriched squalene.

Squalene is a triterpenoid compound and widely used in various industries such as medicine and cosmetics due to its strong antioxidant and anticancer properties. The purpose of this study is to increase the accumulation of squalene in filamentous fungi using exogeneous butenafine hydrochloride, which is an inhibitor for squalene epoxidase. The detailed settings achieved that the filamentous fungi, Trichoderma virens PS1-7, produced squalene up to 429.

Effect of mixed light emitting diode spectrum on antioxidants content and antioxidant activity of red lettuce grown in a closed soilless system.

Background: Light spectra have been demonstrated to result in different levels of comfort or stress, which affect plant growth and the availability of health-promoting compounds in ways that sometimes contradict one another. To determine the optimal light conditions, it is necessary to weigh the vegetable's mass against the amount of nutrients it contains, as vegetables tend to grow poorly in environments where nutrient synthesis is optimal. This study investigates the effects of varying light conditions on the growth of red lettuce and its occurring nutrients in terms of productivities, which were determined by multiplying the total weight of the harvested vegetables by their nutrient content, particularly phenolics.

Influence of acute beetroot juice supplementation on cold-induced vasodilation and fingertip rewarming.

Purpose: Vasoactive ingredients in beetroot (BR) such as nitrate are known to induce vasodilation in temperate conditions. This study investigated the effect of BR ingestion on cold induced vasodilation (CIVD) and rewarming of finger skin temperature (T) during and after hand immersion in cold water.

Methods: Twenty healthy males (mean ± SD; age 22.

Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) produced by Paraburkholderia phenazinium CK-PC1 aids postgermination growth of Xyris complanata seedlings with germination induced by Penicillium rolfsii Y-1.

Symbiosis of Penicillium rolfsii Y-1 is essential for the seed germination of Hawaii yellow-eyed grass (Xyris complanata). However, the local soil where the plants grow naturally often suppresses the radicle growth of the seedlings. This radicle growth was drastically restored by coinoculation of Paraburkholderia phenazinium isolate CK-PC1, which is a rhizobacterium of X.

pH Stability and Antioxidant Power of CycloDOPA and Its Derivatives.

CycloDOPA (leukodopachrome), a well known metabolite of tyrosine, is a precursor of melanine in mammalian organisms and of the pigment betalain in plants. However, the isolation of cycloDOPA from natural sources has not been widely reported. In the present work, the stabilities of cycloDOPA and cycloDOPA methyl ester at various pH levels were studied.

Synthesis of Chiral TFA-Protected α-Amino Aryl-Ketone Derivatives with Friedel-Crafts Acylation of α-Amino Acid N-Hydroxysuccinimide Ester.

Chiral -protected α-amino aryl-ketones are one of the useful precursors used in the synthesis of various biologically active compounds and can be constructed via Friedel-Crafts acylation of -protected α-amino acids. One of the drawbacks of this reaction is the utilization of toxic, corrosive and moisture-sensitive acylating reagents. In peptide construction via amide bond formation, -hydroxysuccinimide ester (OSu), which has high storage stability, can react rapidly with amino components and produces fewer side reactions, including racemization.

Base-Mediated One-Pot Synthesis of Aliphatic Diazirines for Photoaffinity Labeling.

Aliphatic diazirines have been widely used as prominent photophores for photoaffinity labeling owing to their relatively small size which can reduce the steric effect on the natural interaction between ligands and proteins. Based on our continuous efforts to develop efficient methods for the synthesis of aliphatic diazirines, we present here a comprehensive study about base-mediated one-pot synthesis of aliphatic diazirines. It was found that potassium hydroxide (KOH) can also promote the construction of aliphatic diazirine with good efficiency.

Activation of cryptic phthoxazolin A production in Streptomyces avermitilis by the disruption of autoregulator-receptor homologue AvaR3.

The genomes of actinomycetes encode many cryptic novel/useful bioactive compounds, but access to these cryptic secondary metabolites remains limited. Streptomyces avermitilis predominantly produces three polyketide antibiotics (avermectin, filipin, and oligomycin) but has the potential to produce more secondary metabolites based on the number of cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters. Here, we extensively investigated the metabolite profiles of a gene disruptant of AvaR3 (an autoregulator receptor homologue), which is involved in the pleiotropic regulation of antibiotic production and cell morphology.

An Overview of Methods in Plant Nitric Oxide (NO) Research: Why Do We Always Need to Use Multiple Methods?

The free radical nitric oxide (NO) is a universal signaling molecule among living organisms. To investigate versatile functions of NO in plants it is essential to analyze biologically produced NO with an appropriate method. Owing to the uniqueness of NO, plant researchers may encounter difficulties in applying methods that have been developed for mammalian study.

Chemical Promotion of Endogenous Amounts of ABA in Arabidopsis thaliana by a Natural Product, Theobroxide.

Plant hormones are a group of structurally diverse small compounds that orchestrate the cellular processes governing proper plant growth and environmental adaptation. To understand the details of hormonal activity, we must study not only their inherent activities but also the cross-talk among plant hormones. In addition to their use in agriculture, plant chemical activators, such as probenazole and uniconazole, have made great contributions to understand hormonal cross-talk.

Alternative one-pot synthesis of (trifluoromethyl)phenyldiazirines from tosyloxime derivatives: application for new synthesis of optically pure diazirinylphenylalanines for photoaffinity labeling.

Alternative one-pot synthesis of 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-phenyldiazirine derivatives from corresponding tosyloximes is developed. The deprotonation of intermediate diaziridine by NH2(-) is a new approach for construction of diazirine. Moreover, a novel synthesis of optically pure (trifluoromethyl)diazirinylphenylalanine derivatives was attempted involving these methods.

Hydrogen/deuterium exchange of cross-linkable α-amino acid derivatives in deuterated triflic acid.

In this paper we report here a hydrogen/deuterium exchange (H/D exchange) of cross-linkable α-amino acid derivatives with deuterated trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TfOD). H/D exchange with TfOD was easily applied to o-catechol containing phenylalanine (DOPA) within an hour. A partial H/D exchange was observed for trifluoromethyldiazirinyl (TFMD) phenylalanine derivatives.

Production of antioomycete compounds active against the phytopathogens Phytophthora sojae and Aphanomyces cochlioides by clavicipitoid entomopathogenic fungi.

A total of 412 strains belonging to 14 genera of clavicipitoid entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) were screened for activities against two economically important plant pathogenic oomycetes, Phytophthora sojae and Aphanomyces cochlioides. To identify the antioomycete compounds produced by EPF, the extracts of 13 highly active EPF strains were characterized in detail by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and high-resolution mass spectrometric detection and antioomycete assay. The antioomycete activity of several Metarhizium extracts was associated with previously isolated aurovertins, fungerin, N-(methyl-3-oxodec-6-enoyl)-2-pyrroline, and N-(methyl-3-oxodecanoyl)-2-pyrroline.

Distinct metabolites for photoreactive L-phenylalanine derivatives in Klebsiella sp. CK6 isolated from rhizosphere of a wild dipterocarp sapling.

Photoaffinity labeling is a reliable analytical method for biological functional analysis. Three major photophores--aryl azide, benzophenone and trifluoromethyldiazirine--are utilized in analysis. Photophore-bearing L-phenylalanine derivatives, which are used for biological functional analysis, were inoculated into a Klebsiella sp.

Effective Friedel-Crafts acylation of biotin acid chloride in trifluoromethanesulfonic acid.

Biotin is one of the most useful tags in (bio)analytical science due to its specific interaction with avidin, but is not easy to convert because of its low solubility in most solvents. Friedel-Crafts acylation of biotin acid chloride in triflic acid was examined, and the synthesized derivatives had stronger affinity to avidin than biotin in a binding assay using 2-(4'-hydroxyphenylazo)benzoic acid.

Comprehensive synthesis of photoreactive (3-trifluoromethyl)diazirinyl indole derivatives from 5- and 6- trifluoroacetylindoles for photoaffinity labeling.

5- and 6-trifluoromethyldiazirinyl indoles were synthesized from corresponding bromoindole derivatives for the first time. They acted as mother skeletons for the comprehensive synthesis of various bioactive indole metabolites. These can be used in biological functional analysis as diazirine-based photoaffinity labels.

Beetroot betalain inhibits peroxynitrite-mediated tyrosine nitration and DNA strand cleavage.

Two major betalains, red-purple betacyanins and yellow betaxanthins, were isolated from red beetroots (Beta vulgaris L.), and their peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) scavenging capacity was investigated. Apparent colours of the betalains were bleached by the addition of ONOO(-), and the absorbance decreases were suppressed in the presence of glutathione, a ONOO(-) scavenger.

Heterologous expression of a pleiotropic drug resistance transporter from Phytophthora sojae in yeast transporter mutants.

A system for the expression of an ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter from the soybean pathogen Phytophthora sojae is described. Pdr1, an ABC transporter with homology to the pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) family of transporters, was cloned by primer walking from a P. sojae genomic library.

A photoaffinity probe designed for host-specific signal flavonoid receptors in phytopathogenic Peronosporomycete zoospores of Aphanomyces cochlioides.

Aphanomyces cochlioides zoospores show chemotaxis to cochliophilin A (5-hydroxy-6,7-methylenedioxyflavone, 1), a host derived attractant, and also respond to 5,7-dihydroxyflavone (2) known as an equivalent chemoattractant. To investigate the chemotactic receptors in the zoospores, we designed photoaffinity probes 4'-azido-5,7-dihydroxyflavone (3) and 4'-azido-7-O-biotinyl-5-hydroxyflavone (4) considering chemical structure of 2. Both 3 and 4 had zoospore attractant activity which was competitive with that of 1.

Enzymatic nitration of phytophenolics: evidence for peroxynitrite-independent nitration of plant secondary metabolites.

Peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)), a reactive nitrogen species, is capable of nitrating tyrosine residue of proteins. Here we show in vitro evidence that plant phenolic compounds can also be nitrated by an ONOO(-)-independent mechanism. In the presence of NaNO(2), H(2)O(2), and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), monophenolic p-coumaric acid (p-CA, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid) was nitrated to form 4-hydroxy-3-nitrocinnamic acid.

Synergistic effect of deoxyanthocyanins from symbiotic fern Azolla spp. on hrmA gene induction in the cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme.

The hrmA gene of the N2-fixing cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme functions in repressing the formation of transitory motile filaments, termed hormogonia, by plant-associated vegetative filaments. Here, we report that anthocyanins can contribute to induction of hrmA expression. Aqueous extract from fronds of the fern Azolla pinnata, a host of symbiotic Nostoc spp.

Plant phenolic antioxidant and prooxidant activities: phenolics-induced oxidative damage mediated by metals in plants.

Plant phenolic compounds such as flavonoids and lignin precursors are important constituents of the human diet. These dietary phytophenolics have been recognized largely as beneficial antioxidants that can scavenge harmful active oxygen species including O(2)(.-), H(2)O(2), .

High-susceptibility of photosynthesis to photoinhibition in the tropical plant Ficus microcarpa L. f. cv. Golden Leaves.

Background: The tropical plant Ficus microcarpa L. f. cv.