The structural chemistry of proanthocyanidin molecules has been investigated in temperate zone plants, but few studies have been done with plants of the Amazonian lowland tropical wet forests where herbivore pressure is more extensive and diverse. Using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, we report unique properties of the proanthocyanidin structural chemistry in two neotropical Cecropia species, C. p...

Wet foams are used in many important technologies either as end or intermediate products. However, the thermodynamic instability of wet foams leads to undesired bubble coarsening over time. Foam stability can be drastically improved by using particles instead of surfactants as foam stabilizers, since particles tend to adsorb irreversibly at the air-water interface. Recently, we presented a nove...

One of the mysteries of man’s contact with nature concerns the question why shamanism and science so often lead to consistent results in the search for useful natural products. To find clues toward an answer via a coherent chemobiological language, structural and functional information is taken into account. The functional information, given by ethnobotanical codes based on traditional knowledg...

We present a series of efficient near-infrared (NIR) Cr3+-doped non-gallate long-persistence phosphors (Zn2SnO4: Cr and Zn(2-x) Al2xSn(1-x)O4: Cr) and highlight their special optical characteristics of broad emission band (650–1200 nm, peaking at 800 nm) and long afterglow duration (435 h). In the context of materials selection, these systems successfully avoid the existing ubiquitous reliance ...

Using [3H]resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) as radioligand, we investigated the possible existence of specific polyphenol binding sites at the level of the cellular plasma membrane in rat brain. Specific [3H]resveratrol binding sites were found to be enriched in the plasma membrane pellet with lower levels in the nuclear and cell debris fraction. Specific [3H]resveratrol binding to...

Witch hazel ( Hammamelis virginiana) bark is a rich source of both condensed and hydrolizable oligomeric tannins. From a polyphenolic extract soluble in both ethyl acetate and water, we have generated fractions rich in pyrogallol-containing polyphenols (proanthocyanidins, gallotannins, and gallates). The mixtures were highly active as free radical scavengers against ABTS, DPPH (hydrogen donatio...

BACKGROUND Antiviral compounds are needed in the control of many animal and human diseases. METHODS We analysed the effect of the antitumoural drug lauryl gallate on the infectivity of the African swine fever virus among other DNA (herpes simplex and vaccinia) and RNA (influenza, porcine transmissible gastroenteritis and Sindbis) viruses, paying attention to its effect on the viability of the...

The effects of ethanol concentration (0%-100%, v/v), solid-to-solvent ratio (1:10-1:60, w/v) and extraction time (30-180 min) on the extraction of polyphenols from agarwood (Aquilaria crassna) were examined. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and total flavanol (TF) assays and HPLC-DAD were used for the determination and quantification of polyphenols, flavanol gallates ...