ABSTRACT
Objective This paper summarizes the research progress of biosynthesis and pharmacological effects of podophyllotoxin drugs,in order to provide reference for the wide application of these drugs.Methods The plant source,chemical structure,action mechanism and synthesis pathway of podophyllotoxin drugs were summarized.The pharmacological and toxicological characteristics and mechanisms of these drugs were discussed,and the research progress of new dosage forms of podophyllotoxin drugs was reviewed.Results Podophyllotoxin and its derivatives are important chemical constituents in the plants of the podophyllum,such as Dysosma versipellis,Diphylleia sinensis,Sinopodophyllum hexandrum.This kind of drug has few natural sources and can be artificially produced through chemical and biosynthetic pathways.Podophyllotoxin drugs have pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory,anti-tumor and anti-virus,but their toxic effects need to be paid attention to.Drugs can be transported by carriers to reduce toxicity and increase effect.Conclusion Podophyllotoxin drugs have broad clinical application prospects,and will be further studied and applied in the fields of anti-inflammatory,anti-tumor and anti-virus in the future.
ABSTRACT
Endangered animal medicine is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine， which is distinctive in the treatment of diseases. At present， the rare and endangered medicinal materials such as tiger bone， rhinoceros horn， pangolin， antelope horn， bear bile are listed as national key protected animals， so their clinical application is limited， the current solution is mainly based on the ideas and methods of similar pharmacological effects， close genetic relationships， artificial breeding， and artificial synthesis to find and develop alternatives for endangered animal medicinal materials. Although artificially cultured bear bile and musk， and artificially synthesized tiger bone， bezoar and musk can solve the shortage of endangered animal medicines to a certain extent， there are still some problems such as difficult breakthroughs in breeding technology and incomplete recognition in the substitute industry. According to this， based on summarizing the existing substitutes for endangered animal medicines， our group proposed the concept of homology， homogeneity and equivalent of substitutes， and constructed a new idea to develop and evaluate substitutes by combining frontier biotechnology with multi-omics detection， so as to provide some support for protecting rare and endangered animals and solving the shortage of endangered animal medicines.
ABSTRACT
Natural products are the main resource of leading compounds and new drugs because of their unique chemical structures and strong bioactivities. Through the primary and secondary metabolic processes, the plants synthesize various types of natural products only using carbon dioxide, water, and enzymes. Some of these structure-specific bioactive compounds have become the hot spots for organic synthetic chemists. To figure out the biosynthesis pathway of natural products is helpful for the artificial synthesis and structure elucidation of natural products; Meanwhile, the principle of biosynthesis, reaction classification, and reaction mechanism also provide inspiration for the research field of organic synthesis. Chemical biology and synthetic biology based on the development and integration of natural product chemistry and molecular biology also promot the birth of new disciplines.
ABSTRACT
Bufonis Venenum, as a precious Chinese materia medica, has complex chemical constituents and has been widely used in clinical treatment with significant effects. The chemical constituents in Bufonis Venenum mainly included bufadienolides, indole alkaloids, and steroids, etc. Modern pharmacological research has demonstrated its antitumor, cardiac, anti-inflammatory, and narcotic analgesic, etc. This paper reviewed the chemical constituents, pharmacological activity, and artificial synthesis of Bufonis Venenum, providing theoretical reference for material basic research, pharmacodynamic mechanism interpretation, development, and utilization.
ABSTRACT
Bovine Lactoferricin is a fragment of polypeptide which derives from N-terminal of bovine lactoferrin when it is digested by pepsin in acid condition. It has many biological functions. This study was designed to research the antibiosis spectrum of LfcinB and the key functional active site of the LfcinB by amino acid substitution and peptide sequence modification. Antimicrobial spectrum of the artificial synthesized LfcinB was determined by agar-well diffusion method. The antibacterial active sites were confirmed by minimal inhibitory concentration assays. After the Cysteine at the third site and the tryptophan at the eighth site of LfcinB were substituted by alanine, or two cysteine of LfcinB were respectively, the minimal inhibitory concentration of the three artificially modified LfcinBs was assayed. Results showed that LfcinB had a broad-spectrum of antibiosis, it could restrain various bacterials, such as Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungus and mycetes. LfcinB was stable to heat and pH, it could not be inactivated by many protease. The tryptophan at the eighth site and the intramolecular disulfide bond formed between two cysteins played a key role for antibiosis, as the functional active sites of LfcinB.