color and plays an important role in the prevention of suninduced skin injury. Melanin biosynthesis proceeds through a complex series of enzymatic and chemical reactions in melanocytes. Synthesis of melanin starts from the conversion of the amino acid L-tyrosine to dopaquinone by tyrosinase, the enzyme catalyzing the rate-limiting step for melanin biosynthesis. This tyrosinase process is involv...

To study the chemical constituents and the effect of petroleum ether extracts on P-gp in Vitro. Compounds were isolated by methods of phase silica gel column chromatography, gel column chromatography, preparation of thin layer chromatography and various chromatographic techniques, and identified by the physicochemical data of spectral analysis. We measured P-glycoprotein(P-gp) mediated ATP hydr...

Dietary lipids may influence breast cancer progression and prognosis. The MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line was used to examine the direct effects of the various classes of free fatty acids (FAs) on growth in serum-free medium and the involvement of eicosanoid biosynthesis. Linoleic acid, an u>6FA, stimulated MDA-MB-231 cell growth with an optimal effect at a concentration of 0.75 Mg/ml,...

SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) encodes a main protease, 3CLpro, which plays an essential role in the viral life cycle and is currently the prime target for discovering new anti-coronavirus agents. In this article, we report our success in developing a novel red-shifted (RS) fluorescence-based assay for 3CLpro and its application for identifying small-molecule anti-SARS agents from marine organisms...

Using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, the influence of selected multidrug resistance modulators, both plant-derived compounds and derivatives on the activity of voltage-gated potassium channels Kv1.3 was investigated. Twelve compounds with phenolic and terpenic structures were tested: the stilbenes piceatannol (1) and its tetramethoxy (2) and tetracetoxy (3) derivatives, the flavonoids na...

Inhibitors of cyclooxygenases prevent fever. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that selective and dual inhibitors of the other enzyme systems of arachidonic acid oxygenation (i.e., lipoxygenase and epoxygenase) affect the time course or magnitude of fever in mice. Swiss Webster mice kept at 30 degreesC ambient temperature were implanted with biotelemeters to monitor body temp...

Two new flavonoids, takakin 7-O-glucoside (1) and (2) bucegin 7-O-glucoside, and six other known compounds (3-8), takakin, isosctullarien, its 7-O-glucoside, takakin 8-O-glucoside, xanthotoxin and esculetin, were separated and identified from Glossostemon bruguieri. The new compounds were characterized using modern spectroscopic techniques, including UV spectroscopy, proton nuclear resonance (1...

The enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) catalyzes the oxidation of phenolic compounds into highly reactive quinones. Polymerization of PPO-derived quinones causes the postharvest browning of cut or bruised fruit, but the native physiological functions of PPOs in undamaged, intact plant cells are not well understood. Walnut (Juglans regia) produces a rich array of phenolic compounds and possesses a ...

The role of calcium-independent phospholipase A(2) (iPLA(2))-produced arachidonic acid (AA) in acetylcholine (ACh)-mediated, endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation was investigated. ACh-induced relaxation of phenylephrine-constricted isolated rat mesenteric resistance arteries was attenuated following pretreatment with (E)-6-(bromomethylene)tetrahydro-3-(1-naphthalenyl)-2H-pyran-2-one (BEL; ...