BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of multifactorial origin, which occurs in response to endothelial injury. The fungus Monascus ruber has hypocholesterolemic activity, and the polyphenols present in coffee residue have an antioxidant activity and can help prevent cardiovascular diseases. Coffee residue has a significant amount of fermentable sugars, being an adequate ...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSES Monascin (MS) and ankaflavin (AK) produced by Monascus purpureus NTU 568 were proven to show excellent hypolipidemic effects in our previous studies; however, the mechanism is still unclear. METHODS This study used MS, AK, and monacolin K as test substances and performed tests on rats fed high-fat and high-cholesterol diet for 8 weeks. The lipid levels and the related prot...

The effect of Monascus purpureus extract (MPE) on probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was investigated to ascertain its application in fermented foods. Viable count of LAB was not affected after 24 hours of incubation in Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) broth containing MPE. The agar well-diffusion assay did not show any inhibition zone. The biotransformation of isoflavone glycosides by LAB in culture ...

A new isolate from medicinal plant endophytes was identified as Penicillium sp. (HKUCC 8070). A water-soluble red pigment was produced by this strain in potato-dextrose broth, maltextract broth and a chemically defined medium containing glutamate as a nitrogen source. The red pigment produced was identified as heat-stable, polyketide Monascus red pigment. The highest yield of the red pigment wa...

Various N,N'-diaryl-1,3-thiazole-2,4-diamines (3a-w) were synthesized by a three steps process. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by spectral data and elemental analyses. All the synthesized compounds were tested against two bacterial strains and two fungal strains. Bacterial strains included Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram negativeve Escherichia coli and f...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Monascus Adlay (MA) prepared from fungal fermentation of Monascus purpureus inoculating with cooked adlay contains high content of monakolin K (MK) and phenolic compounds. We explored whether MA and MK improve FeCl3-induced arterial thrombosis in rats. METHODS The rats were divided into control, FeCl3-treated rat carotid artery occlusion (TTO), TTO determined with one-week MA,...

Angkak, a fermentation product of rice by Monascus sp., is used for natural food coloring, spices, and medicine by Indonesian people who believe in its pharmacological properties. However, Monascus sp. also produces a secondary metabolite, hepato-nephrotoxic mycotoxin citrinin. The biosynthesis of pigments and citrinin is generated from a tetraketide point in the polyketides pathway. This study...