b-Lactones are important intermediates for ring-opening polymerization to form poly(b-hydroxyalkanoates), a naturally occurring biodegradable and thermoplastic polyester. Many synthetic methods are available for preparing b-lactones, among which catalytic ring-opening carbonylation of epoxides has received considerable attention because of its ability to produce enantiopure b-lactones. Over the...

Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas' disease, which is a major endemic disease in Latin America and is recognized by the WHO as one of the 17 neglected tropical diseases in the world. Psilostachyin and psilostachyin C, two sesquiterpene lactones isolated from Ambrosia spp., have been demonstrated to have trypanocidal activity. Considering both the potential therapeutic targets pr...

Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp.) H. Rob., Asteraceae, known as yacon, is an herb that is traditionally used for the treatment of diabetes in folk medicine. However, recent studies have demonstrated that this plant has other interesting properties such as anti-microbial and anti-infl ammatory actions. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the topical anti-infl ammatory property of dif...

Homocysteine thiolactone, selenohomocysteine lactone, and homoserine lactone were found to be competitive, irreversible inhibitors of lysyl oxidase, with KI values of 21 6 3 mM, 8.3 6 2.2 mM, and 420 6 56 mM, respectively. The first order rate constants for inactivation (k2) of the enzyme varied over a much smaller range, ranging from 0.12 to 0.18 to 0.28 min for the Se-, thio-, and O-lactones,...

Homocysteine thiolactone, selenohomocysteine lactone, and homoserine lactone were found to be competitive, irreversible inhibitors of lysyl oxidase, with KI values of 21 +/- 3 microM, 8.3 +/- 2.2 microM, and 420 +/- 56 microM, respectively. The first order rate constants for inactivation (k2) of the enzyme varied over a much smaller range, ranging from 0.12 to 0.18 to 0.28 min-1 for the Se-, th...

Eight new lactones (δ-chloro-, δ-bromo- and δ-iodo-γ-lactones), each with a methylcyclohexane ring, were obtained by chemical means from (4-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-yl) acetic acid or (6-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-yl) acetic acid. Whole cells of ten fungal strains (Fusarium species, Syncephalastrum racemosum and Botrytis cinerea) were tested on their ability to convert these lactones into other product...

Oxidized halogen antimicrobials, such as hypochlorous and hypobromous acids, have been used extensively for microbial control in industrial systems. Recent discoveries have shown that acylated homoserine lactone cell-to-cell signaling molecules are important for biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, suggesting that biofouling can be controlled by interfering with bacterial cell-to-cell c...

Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp.) H. Rob., Asteraceae, known as yacon, is an herb that is traditionally used for the treatment of diabetes in folk medicine. However, recent studies have demonstrated that this plant has other interesting properties such as anti-microbial and anti-infl ammatory actions. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the topical anti-infl ammatory property of dif...