We describe gas chromatography-mass spectrometry studies of the metabolism of the antispasmodic drug mebeverine [Duspatal, (MB)]. MB is the veratric acid (VA) ester of 4-¿ethyl-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-methylethyl]amino¿butan-1-ol (MB-OH), which is an N-substituted ethylamphetamine derivative. The metabolites were first identified in rat liver microsome incubates and then detected in urine sample...

A collection of tannins extracted from various plant species was subjected to thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation (THM) using tetramethylammonium hydroxide. The products obtained included 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzenes, derived from A rings of condensed tannins (CTs), and 1,2-dimethoxybenzene, 1,2,3-trimethoxybenzene, and derivatives as major products from the B ring. 1,2,4-Tri- and two tet...

In India, family Bignoniaceae is represented by 21 genera and about 25 species including the non indigenous ornamental plants. The genera of Tecomella are a monotypic genus shrub/tree of the arid zone region in India. The natural stands of Tecomella undulata are restricted to the western parts and a few to southeastern parts of Pakistan. The species has been identified as an important for envir...

The expression of laccase in the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor is regulated at the level of gene transcription by copper and nitrogen. We used reverse transcription-PCR to demonstrate that as the concentration of copper or nitrogen in fungal cultures was increased, an increase in laccase activity, corresponding to increased laccase gene transcription levels, was observed. In addition, we...

Background and objectives: Paeonia daurica ssp. macrophylla, is an herbaceous and perennial plant which belongs to Paeoniaceae family. Two species of this plant grow in northern parts of Iran. The roots in powder form have been used in Persian traditional medicine for treatment of epilepsy, nightmares and gynecological diseases. Several biological activities s...

Laccase, an enzyme responsible for aerobic transformations of natural phenolics, in industrial applications requires the presence of low-molecular substances known as mediators, which accelerate oxidation processes. However, the use of mediators is limited by their toxicity and the high costs of exploitation. The activation of extracellular laccase in growing fungal culture with highly diluted ...

Thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are useful techniques that have been successfully applied in the pharmaceutical industry to reveal important information regarding the physicochemical properties of drug and excipient molecules such as polymorphism, stability, purity, formulation compatibility among others. Verapamil hydrochloride shows thermal stability up to 18...