The action of Aspergillus niger on mono- and sesqui-terpenic hydrocarbons, such as carane, 3-carene, alpha-santalene, and humulene was studied in shake cultures. Carane, Delta3-carene, and humulene proved to be rather resistant to oxygenation by the experimental strain of A. niger. Carene yielded a hydroxyketone, C(10)H(14)O(2), in poor yields after prolonged fermentation. The sesqui-terpene hy...

Schinortriterpenoids, such as pre-schisanartanin A and arisanlactone C, are complex highly oxygenated polycyclic terpenes. In this study, the left-hand fragment of class terpenes, which possesses oxygen-functionality at C19, was synthesized through [3+2] cycloaddition with excellent diastereoselectivity. This stereoselectivity investigated by computational studies. Further selective transformat...

During the past two decades, studies of xenobiotic detoxifi cation by molecular biology in diverse organisms have identifi ed many novel environmental adaptations, providing valuable insight into habitat, dietary preferences and general physiology. While xenobiotic detoxifi cation has been extensively studied in eutherian mammals, metabolic data concerning detoxifi cation in Australian marsupia...

BACKGROUND Fundamental in traditional postpartum recovery in Lao PDR is the use of hotbeds, mother roasting, steam sauna and steam baths. During these treatments medicinal plants play a crucial role, but little has been published about how the treatments are carried out precisely, which species are used, the medicinal properties of these species, and the medicinal efficacy of their chemical con...

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a significant pest of lodgepole pine in British Columbia (BC), where it has recently reached an unprecedented outbreak level. Although it is native to western North America, the beetle can now be viewed as a native invasive because for the first time in recorded history it has begun to reproduce in native jack pine stands within the North Am...

Although many terpenes have shown antitumor, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic activity, the mechanism of action is not well established. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of the spin-labeled 5-doxyl stearic acid revealed remarkable fluidity increases in the plasma membrane of terpene-treated Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes. For an antiproliferative activity ass...