ABSTRACT
Two new (1 and 2) meroterpenoids were isolated from the bark of Cinnamomum cassia. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses and chemical methods. Antioxidant activities of 1 and 2 were evaluated by the ORAC and DPPH radical scavenging assays, and the results revealed that compound 2 displayed oxygen radical absorbance capacity. The discovery of compounds 1 and 2 added new members of this kind of natural product.
Subject(s)
Cassia , Cinnamomum aromaticum , Cinnamomum aromaticum/chemistry , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Plant Bark/chemistry , Plant Extracts/chemistryABSTRACT
Streptochlorin, first isolated as a new antibiotic in 1988 from the lipophilic extracts of the mycelium of a Streptomyces sp, is an indole natural products with a variety of biological activities. Based on the methods developed for the synthesis of pimprinine in our laboratory, we have synthesized a series of indole-modified streptochlorin analogues and measured their activities against seven phytopathogenic fungi. Some of the analogues displayed good activity in the primary assays, and the seven compounds 10b, 10c, 11e, 13e, 21, 22c and 22e (shown in Figure 1) were identified as the most promising candidates for further study. Structural optimization is still ongoing with the aim of discovering synthetic analogues with improved antifungal activity.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/chemical synthesis , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Fungi/drug effects , Indoles/chemical synthesis , Indoles/pharmacology , Oxazoles/chemical synthesis , Oxazoles/pharmacology , Antifungal Agents/chemistry , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Indoles/chemistry , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Molecular Structure , Oxazoles/chemistry , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To determine the effects of hypercholesterolemia in pregnant mice on the susceptibility to atherosclerosis in adult life through a new animal modeling approach. METHODS: Male offspring from apoE-/- mice fed with regular (R) or high (H) cholesterol chow during pregnancy were randomly subjected to regular (Groups R-R and H-R, n = 10) or high cholesterol diet (Groups R-H and H-H, n = 10) for 14 weeks. Plasma lipid profiles were determined in all rats. The abdominal aorta was examined for the severity of atherosclerotic lesions in offspring. RESULTS: Lipids significantly increased while high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol/low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased in mothers fed high cholesterol chow after delivery compared with before pregnancy (p < 0.01). Groups R-H and H-R indicated dyslipidemia and significant atherosclerotic lesions. Group H-H demonstrated the highest lipids, lowest high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol/low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, highest incidence (90%), plaque area to luminal area ratio (0.78 ± 0.02) and intima to media ratio (1.57 ± 0.05). CONCLUSION: Hypercholesterolemia in pregnant mice may increase susceptibility to atherosclerosis in their adult offspring.
