Mulberry moracins: scavengers of UV stress-generated free radicals.
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Mulberry leaves treated with UV-C were found to accumulate three different phytoalexins, moracin C, moracin N, and chalcomoracin. The increased level of malondialdehyde in UV-treated leaves along with moracins suggested their role as a free-radical scavenger in stressed plants. All the three moracins induced under UV stress were capable of scavenging the superoxide anion generated by the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system. Also, moracins were capable of inhibiting lipid peroxidation, which strongly indicates their role as a scavenger. (+info)
Studies on the constituents of Broussonetia species X. Six new alkaloids from Broussonetia kazinoki Sieb.
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Six new alkaloids, broussonetines W, X, M1, U1, J3, and J2 (1-6) were isolated from the branches of Broussonetia kazinoki SIEB. (Moraceae) as minor constituents. They were formulated as (2R,3R,4R,5R)-2-hydroxy-methyl-3,4-dihydroxy-5-17-(cyclohexy-2-on-1(6)-enyl)hepty llpyrrolidine (1), (2R,3S,4R,5R)-2-hydroxymethyl-3,4-dihydroxy-5-17-(cyclohexy-2-on-1(6)-enyl)heptyl ]pyrrolidine-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), (2R,3R,4R,5R)-2-hydroxymethyl-3,4-dihydroxy-5-[(9R)-9,13-dihydroxytridecyl]- pyrrolidine (3), (2S,3S,4S)-2-hydroxymethyl-3,4-dihydroxy-5-(10-oxo-13-hydroxytridecyl)-5- pyrroline (4), (2R)-2-[(IS,2S)-1,2-dihydroxy-8-1(2R,3R,4R,5R)-5-(2-hydroxymethyl-3,4-dihydroxy-1 -acetylpyrrolidinyl)loctyl]piperidine (5), (2R)-2-[(1S,2S)-1,2-dihydroxy-8-[(2R,3R, 4R,5R)-5-(2-hydroxymethy]-3,4-dihydroxypyrrolidinyl)]octyl]piperidine (6). (+info)
KM(+), a lectin from Artocarpus integrifolia, induces IL-12 p40 production by macrophages and switches from type 2 to type 1 cell-mediated immunity against Leishmania major antigens, resulting in BALB/c mice resistance to infection.
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The outcome and severity of some diseases correlate with the dominance of either the T helper 1 (Th1) or Th2 immune response, which is stimulated by IL-12 or IL-4, respectively. In the present study we demonstrate that gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) secretion by murine spleen cells stimulated with KM(+), a mannose-binding lectin from Artocarpus integrifolia, is due to IL-12 induction, because (1) macrophages from several sources (including cell lines) produced IL-12 p40 in response to KM(+), and (2) lectin-free supernatants from J774 cell line cultures stimulated with KM(+) induced the secretion of IFN-gamma by spleen cell cultures, an effect blocked by the supernatant pretreatment with anti-IL-12 antibody. The known pattern of susceptibility of BALB/c mice to infection with Leishmania major, attributed to high levels of IL-4 production leading to a Th2 nonprotective immune response, was modified by administration of KM(+). Draining lymph node cells from these immunized BALB/c mice (in contrast to cells from animals immunized only with soluble leishmanial antigen [SLA]) secreted high levels of IFN-gamma and low levels of IL-4, which characterized a Th1 rather than a Th2 response pattern. The footpad thickness of BALB/c mice immunized with SLA plus KM(+) and challenged with L. major was similar to that of uninfected mice. This beneficial effect against leishmanial infection was blocked by pretreatment of these mice with anti-IL-12 antibody. These observations indicate that KM(+) induces IL-12 p40 in vivo and has a protective effect against L. major infection. (+info)
Five new nortropane alkaloids and six new amino acids from the fruit of Morus alba LINNE growing in Turkey.
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Investigation of the constituents of the fruits of Morus alba LINNE (Moraceae) afforded five new nortropane alkaloids (1-5) along with nor-psi-tropine (6) and six new amino acids, morusimic acids A-F (7-12). The structures of the new compounds were determined to be 2alpha,3beta-dihydroxynortropane (1), 2beta,3beta-dihydroxynortropane (2), 2alpha,3beta,6exo-trihydroxynortropane (3), 2alpha,3beta,4alpha-rihydroxynortropane (4), 3beta,6exo-dihydroxynortropane (5), (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-[(1S,4S)-4-[(1S)-1-hydroxyethyl]-pyrrolidin-1-yll-dodecanoic acid-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (7), (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-[(1S,4S)-4-[(1S)-1-hydroxyethyl]-pyrrolidin-1-yll-dodecanoic acid (8), (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-1(1R,4R,5S)-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-piperidin-1-yll-dodecanoic acid-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (9), (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-[(1R,4R,5S)-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-piperidin-1-yll-dodecanoic acid (10), (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-[(1R,4R,5S)-4-hydroxy-5-hydroxymethyl-piperidin-1-yl]-dodecanoi c acid-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (11), and (3R)-3-hydroxy-12-[(1R,4S,5S)-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-piperidin-1-yl]-dodecanoic acid (12) on the basis of spectral and chemical data. (+info)
In vitro gas production measurements to evaluate interactions between untreated and chemically treated rice straws, grass hay, and mulberry leaves.
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In vitro gas production was measured to investigate associative effects of untreated and chemically treated rice straw (RS) and of RS and grass hay or mulberry leaves (ML). The RS was treated with NaOH, urea, or (NH4)HCO3. Cumulative gas production was recorded at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, and 96 h of incubation, and the Gompertz function was used to describe the kinetics of gas production. Treatment with NaOH, urea, and NH4HCO3 increased (P < 0.05) gas production at 48 h by 55, 52, and 37% and the maximum rate of gas production of RS from 0.64 to 1.51, 1.27, and 1.13 mL/h, respectively. The inclusion of treated straws, hay, and ML in a mixture with RS at increasing proportions (25, 50, 75, 100%) elevated cumulative gas production and its rate. Maximum gas production was not different between the RS and its mixtures with the treated straws, but inclusion of hay into RS or NH4HCO3-treated RS increased the maximum gas production. Associative effects were defined as the difference between the observed gas production for the mixtures and the sum of the individual component feeds. The NaOH-treated RS, included at higher proportions, had positive associative effects at all times of incubation < 96 h; effects were negative or absent at 96 h. No effects were observed with mixtures of RS with urea-treated RS. The NH4HCO3-treated RS mixture tended to have negative associative effects at all three levels. Positive associative effects (P < 0.05) were observed for both RS and NH4HCO3-treated RS at almost all inclusion levels of hay or ML after 12 to 96 h of incubation. The response was more pronounced with ML than with hay. Associative effects generally declined with duration of incubation. We conclude that positive associative effects on in vitro gas production occurred more consistently when RS was incubated in mixtures with hay or ML than when incubated in mixtures with chemically treated RS. (+info)
A new stilbene with tyrosinase inhibitory activity from Chlorophora excelsa.
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A new stilbene, 4-[(2"E)-7"-hydroxy-3",7"-dimethyloct-2"-enyl]-2',3,4',5-tetrahydroxy-trans-stilb ene (1), and the known compound chlorophorin (2) were isolated from the heartwood of Chlorophora excelsa. Both 1 and 2 showed tyrosinase inhibitory activity with IC(50) values of 96 and 1.3 microM, respectively. (+info)
Isolation and characterization of anti-HIV peptides from Dorstenia contrajerva and Treculia obovoidea.
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Using a high throughput screen based on the interaction of the HIV-1 gp41 ectodomain with the virucidal protein cyanovirin-N (CV-N), we isolated two new peptides which inhibited the binding of CV-N to gp41 and which subsequently showed anti-HIV activity in a whole cell assay. A 5-kDa (contrajervin) and 10 kDa (treculavirin) peptide were isolated from Dorstenia contrajerva and Treculia obovoidea, respectively. Treculavirin was composed of two subunits, each containing 50 amino acid residues, which are covalently linked by at least one disulfide bond between the subunits. Both peptides were shown to bind to gp41 and gp120 and to inhibit the cytopathic effects of HIV-1(RF) infection in a human T-lymphoblastoid cell line (CEM-SS). (+info)
Additions to the hyphomycete genus Veronaea as phytoparasitic species.
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Three new species of Veronaea, V. ficina on Ficus hispida L. (Moraceae), V. grewiicola on Grewia asiatica L. (Tiliaceae), and V. hippocratiae on Hippocratia arborea Willd. (Celastraceae), collected from forests of Nepal and the Terai belt of North-Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India, are described, illustrated and compared with related taxa. (+info)