Label-free LC-HRMS-based enzymatic activity assay for the detection of DDC, MAO and COMT inhibitors.

Pharmacological treatment of Parkinson's disease consists of a combined chemotherapy that mostly relies on levodopa (L-DOPA) administration together with inhibitors of dopa-decarboxylase (DDC), monoamine oxidase (MAO) and catechol-methyltransferase (COMT). Identification of inhibitors specifically targeting these enzymes is still a significative part of the development of new alternative antiparkinsonian drugs. Most of the available methods use measurement of enzymatic reactions through radioactive labeling, antibody-recognized products or coupled enzymatic assays.

Cannabinoids vs. whole metabolome: Relevance of cannabinomics in analyzing Cannabis varieties.

Cannabis sativa has a long history of domestication both for its bioactive compounds and its fibers. This has produced hundreds of varieties, usually characterized in the literature by chemotypes, with Δ-THC and CBD content as the main markers. However, chemotyping could also be done based on minor compounds (phytocannabinoids and others).

Correlation study on methoxylation pattern of flavonoids and their heme-targeted antiplasmodial activity.

A library of 33 polymethoxylated flavones (PMF) was evaluated for heme-binding affinity by biomimetic MS assay and in vitro antiplasmodial activity on two strains of P. falciparum. Stability of heme adducts was discussed using the dissociation voltage at 50% (DV).

Metabolomic approach of the antiprotozoal activity of medicinal Piper species used in Peruvian Amazon.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: In the Peruvian Amazon as in the tropical countries of South America, the use of medicinal Piper species (cordoncillos) is common practice, particularly against symptoms of infection by protozoal parasites. However, there is few documented information about the practical aspects of their use and few scientific validation. The starting point of this work was a set of interviews of people living in six rural communities from the Peruvian Amazon (Alto Amazonas Province) about their uses of plants from Piper genus: one community of Amerindian native people (Shawi community) and five communities of mestizos.