Lipid Metabolites from the Mushroom Meripilus giganteus.

The phytochemical investigation of the methanolic extract of the white rot fungus Meripilus giganteus resulted in the isolation and identification of complex mixtures of free fatty acids (1), monoacylglycerols (2), cerebrosides (3), ergosterol (4) and ergosterol peroxide (5). The structures of the isolated lipid metabolites (1-5) were determined by chemical and spectroscopic methods. The antioxidant activity of the whole MeOH extract of the fungus was evaluated through in vitro model systems, such as 2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide anion.

Task-related increases in fatigue predict recovery time after academic stress.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the time course of recovery after an academic exam as a model of high workload and its association with stress-related fatigue.

Methods: Thirty-six medical students (17 females, 19 males) filled out diaries during an exam phase, starting 2 days prior to the exam, and a control phase 4 weeks after the exam for 14 days, respectively. Fatigue, distress, quality of sleep, and health complaints were assessed.

Lipid metabolites with free-radical scavenging activity from Euphorbia helioscopia L.

The methanolic extract of the plant Euphorbia helioscopia L. exhibited an interesting free-radical scavenging activity. From the aerial parts of Euphorbia helioscopia L.

Cerebrosides with antiproliferative activity from Euphorbia peplis L.

Two new cerebrosides have been isolated from the whole plants of Euphorbia peplis L. The structures were established by FT-IR spectroscopy, FAB MS, EI-MS, ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The structures of the cerebrosides were characterized as 1-O-beta-d-glycosides of phytosphingosines, which comprised a common long-chain base, (2S, 3S, 4R, 8Z)-2-amino-8 (Z)-octadecene-1,3,4-triol with 2-hydroxy fatty acids of varying chain lengths (C25, C22) linked to the amino group.

Glycerolipids as selective thrombin inhibitors from the fungus Stereum hirsutum.

A dry extract of Stereum hirsutum exhibited a significant inhibitory activity on thrombin (34%). A bioassay oriented fractionation of the extract of Stereum hirsutum has led to the isolation of two active fractions. On the basis of spectroscopic data, chemical reactions, and GC-MS analysis, complex mixtures of diacylglycerophospholipids (DAGPs) and diacylglycerols (DGs) have been isolated and identified.

Synthesis and biological properties of new alpha-methylene-gamma-butyrolactones and alpha,beta-unsaturated delta-lactones.

The synthesis of a series of alpha-methylene-gamma-butyrolactones (compounds 4a, 4b, 6-12, 16, 17) and alpha,beta-unsaturated-delta-lactones (compounds 19-23, 25, 26) starting from 4,4-dimethyldihydrofuran-2,3-dione (1) has been described. Their chemical structures were assigned by spectroscopic evidence. These new compounds exhibited significantly different antiproliferative properties against cultured human tumor cell lines with their IC(50) values ranging from 0.

New cerebrosides from Euphorbia peplis L.: antimicrobial activity evaluation.

The less polar fraction of the methanolic extract from the plant Euphorbia peplis L. exhibited interesting antifungal and antitubercular activity. A complex mixture of four glucocerebrosides was responsible for this activity.

Preliminary biological assay on cerebroside mixture from Euphorbia nicaeensis All. Isolation and structure determination of five glucocerebrosides.

Preliminary studies of in vitro cytostatic activity on less polar fraction of the MeOH extract of the plant Euphorbia nicaeensis All., carried out on KB cells, have evinced a relatively low ability of extract to inhibit cell growth. Successive, five glucocerebrosides were isolated from the cerebroside molecular species obtained from this extract using normal and reversed phase column 'flash-chromatography'.

Terpenoids and glycolipids from euphorbiaceae.

The family Euphorbiaceae is widely distributed throughout both hemispheres and ranges in morphological form from large desert succulents to trees and even small herbaceous types. Many species contain a milky juice which is more or less toxic, especially for cold-blooded animals, and can produce a dermatitis similar to that from poison ivy. Separation procedures and characterization of the less polar fractions of the plant extracts have been widely described in the literature for their content in diterpene derivatives.