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J. G. Hengstler
Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors
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I. Ishibashi, Tokyo, Japan
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A. Winterpacht, Erlangen, Germany
B. C. Behera, Pune, India

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Redox status, DNA and HSA binding study of naturally occurring naphthoquinone derivatives
(2020-01-03) Vukic, Milena D.; Vukovic, Nenad L.; Obradovic, Ana; Matic, Milos; Djukic, Maja; Avdovic, Edina
In the present work we modified the procedure for isolation of naphthoquinones α-methylbutyrylshikon (1), acetylshikonin (2) and β-hydroxyisovalerylshikonin (3) from Onosma visianii Clem. We also investigated possible mechanisms of 1, 2 and 3 as antitumor agents. Accordingly, we estimated concentrations of superoxide anion radical (O2.-), nitrite (NO2 -) and glutathione in HCT-116 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Compounds 1 and 3 expressed significant prooxidative activity, while all tested compounds exhibited significant increase in nitrite levels. Also, all examined compounds significantly increased the concentration of oxidized glutathione (GSSG), suggesting significant prooxidative disbalance. The levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) were also elevated as a part of antioxidative cell response. The data indicate that induced oxidative imbalance could be one of the triggers for previously recorded decreased viability of HCT-116 and MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to tested naphthoquinone derivatives. Moreover, we examined interactions mode of compounds 1, 2 and 3 with CT-DNA as one of the crucial targets of many molecules that express cytotoxic activity. The results obtained by UV-visible, fluorescence and molecular docking study revealed that 1, 2 and 3 bound to CT-DNA through minor groove binding. Furthermore, the interactions between HSA and 1, 2 and 3 were examined employing the same methods as for the CT-DNA interaction study. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that naphthoquinones 1, 2 and 3 could be effectively transported by human serum albumin. As a conclusion, this study provides further insight of antitumor activity of selected naphthoquinones.
Differential vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression and superoxide production in simulated microgravity rat vasculature
(2011-05-17) Bai, Yun-gang; Gao, Yu-ling; Huang, Ya; Lin, Le-jian; Ma, Jin; Ran, Hai-hong; Zhang, Ran
Exposure to microgravity leads to orthostatic intolerance in astronauts and differential vascular structural and functional adaptations have been implicated in its occurrence. The present study tended to clarify the characteristics of vascular inflammation and oxidative stress in hindlimb unweighting (HU) rat vasculature. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control (CON) and hindlimb unweighting (HU) groups. Three weeks later, immunohistochemistry was used to localize the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and laser scanning confocal microscope were used to detect superoxide production. Immunohistochemical results revealed positive staining of VCAM-1 on endothelial cells in HU rat basilar and carotid arteries compared with CON, but not in abdominal aorta and femoral arteries. Meanwhile, HU increased O2·- levels in all the layers of basilar and carotid arteries from HU rat but not in abdominal aorta and femoral arteries from HU rat. These data suggested that differential expression of VCAM-1 and O2- production were concomitant with the vascular adaptations to simulated microgravity and whether they participate in vascular structure and function remodeling merits further investigation.
Hepatoprotective effects of methanolic extract and fractions of African mistletoe Tapinanthus bangwensis (Engl. & K. Krause) from Nigeria
(2011-05-17) Onyeike, Eugene N.; Patrick-Iwuanyanwu, Kingsley C.; Wegwu, Mathew O.
Methanolic extract and fractions, ethylacetate (EtF) and butanol (BuF) of leaves of African mistletoe (Tapinanthus bangwensis, Engl. & K. Krause) were evaluated for their hepatoprotective potential using CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar albino rats. The activities of the marker enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin were highest in rats treated with CCl4 alone. Oral administration at a fixed dose of 400 mg/kg body weight (BW) of the extract and fractions of T. bangwensis for seven days significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased the activity of marker enzymes and bilirubin. Total protein concentration increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05). These extracts also decreased the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) which indicated a reduction in lipid peroxidation. Histopathological examination of hepatocytes of rats administered methanolic extract (MeE) and fractions (EtF and BuF) showed normal architecture whereas rats treated with CCl4 alone was characterized by necrosis of the liver. Generally, among the three extracts, the BuF and EtF showed more hepatoprotective effect. The crude methanolic extract did not show any mortality up to a dose of 2000 g/kg BW. These findings suggest that T. bangwensis possesses strong antioxidant properties and hepatoprotective potentials against CCl4–induced hepatotoxicity in rats.
Chemical constituents and anti-inflammatory activity of leaf essential oil of Nigerian grown Chenopodium album L.
(2011-05-17) Edewor, T. I.; Hamid, A. A.; Muhammad, N. O.; Olawore, N. O.; Saliu, B. K.; Usman, L. A.
Hydrodistilled leaves of Chenopodium album yielded 0.64 % v/w of essential oil. GC and GC/MS analyses of the oil revealed that the bulk of the oil was constituted by aromatic compounds (60.1 %). The abundant constituents of the oil were: p- cymene (40.9 %), ascaridole (15.5 %), pinane-2-ol (9.9 %), α-pinene (7.0 %), β-pinene (6.2 %) and α-terpineol (6.2 %). The oil displayed strong anti-inflammatory activity against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) – induced ear edema in mice.
Isolation of 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)methylpropenoate and bioactivity evaluation of Gomphrena celosioides extracts
(2011-05-17) Dosumu, O. O.; Ekundayo, O.; Idowu, P. A.; Onocha, P. A.
The efficacy of Gomphrena celosioides extracts in traditional medicine in the treatment of infectious diseases was evaluated by biological assays. The bioactivities of the extracts of this plant were tested against organisms. The ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the plant displayed inhibition activities on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. Methanol extract was active against Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger and Trichophyton species with diameter zones of inhibition between 14 and 20 mm. Fractionation of the methanol extract produced 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) ethylpropenoate with mild antimicrobial activity against the test microorganisms. The anthelmintic assay showed ethyl acetate and methanol extracts to be active against Fasciola gigantica, Taenia solium and Pheretima pasthuma. Ethyl acetate was the most toxic of the extracts causing paralysis of Taenia solium within 15 minutes and the death of Fasciola gigantica within 20 minutes of application. The brine shrimp assay gave an LC50 of 52.15 and 77.98 μg/ml on hexane and methanol extracts respectively. The result of this work corroborated the folkloric use of Gomphrena celosioides in the treatment of infectious diseases.
Fast protein classification by using the most significant pairs
(2010-11-17) Al-Daoud, Essam
This study introduces a new approach to speed up the protein classification process. The basic idea is rewriting the sequences of each family by using the most significant pairs, where the total number of the pairs that can be appeared in the protein sequences is 400 different pairs. The sequence length could be reduced to 0.86, 0.91 and 0.95 by using the most 100, 200 and 300 significant pairs, respectively. The average time reduction is 0.53 %, 0.33 % and 0.22 % for 100, 200, and 300 pairs, respectively. In the three cases the suggested procedure can be adopted to speed up the testing time. However to get identical classification rate to the previous profile HMM, 300 pairs at least must be used.
Melatonin protects against alterations in hippocampal cholinergic system, trace metals and oxidative stress induced by gestational and lactational exposure to cadmium
(2010-11-17) Baxi, D. B.; Bhatnagar, M.; Desai, F.; Gajaria, T.; Mukherjee, R.; Ramachandran, A. V.; Sharma, D.; Singh, P. K.; Singh, S.
Dietary exposure to cadmium, even at lower doses, can lead to free radical induced neurotoxicity, neurobehavioral changes and alteration in neurotransmitters. Such changes are likely to be more pronounced in the developing brain due to incompleteness of blood brain barrier (BBB). Hippocampus being the seat of intelligence has a role in learning and cognitive behavior and any damage to hippocampus during developmental stage is likely to result in neurodegenerative changes in later life. To this end, fetal and neonatal exposure to cadmium was induced by exposing pregnant dams of Swiss albino strain throughout the period of gestation and following parturition up till 5th day post partum (pp) through drinking water (3ppm/animal/day). The neonates were sacrificed on day 6 pp and indices of oxidative stress, levels of trace elements and changes in cholinergic system were evaluated in the hippocampus. Increased lipid peroxidation, surge in reactive oxygen species (ROS), depressed antioxidant defense, increased accumulation of cadmium, differential alterations in trace elements and decreased activity of AChE were the features of cadmium toxicity. Simultaneous administration of melatonin to cadmium challenged animals offset these detrimental changes. The results suggest that melatonin co-administration can effectively protect against the adverse effects of cadmium on endogenous antioxidant status, changes in trace metal concentrations and compromised hippocampal cholinergic system.
Proteomic alterations of Escherichia coli by paraquat
(2010-11-17) Isarankura-Na-Ayudhya, Chartchalerm; Isarankura-Na-Ayudhya, Patcharee; Polprachum, Wilaiwan; Prachayasittikul, Virapong; Roytrakul, Sittiruk; Singhagamol, Watsarach; Thippakorn, Chadinee; Yainoy, Sakda
Paraquat (PQ; a widely used herbicide) exerts its harmful effect to human, mammals and microorganisms upon intracellular conversion to superoxide radical. Cellular responses against toxic paraquat remain not fully understood, especially on the adaptive metabolic changes as a consequence of oxidative burden. In this study, alterations of metabolic processes of Escherichia coli (E. coli) by paraquat were systematically investigated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) in conjunction with peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF). In host cells, the first line mechanism was scrutinized by a remarkable induction of endogenous superoxide dismutase (E. coli SOD). The second line involved in the metabolic adaptation and compensation for energy production by up- or down-regulation of the enzymes implicated in glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle. Notably, down-regulation of aconitase enzyme and changes of enzyme isoform from the acidic (pI~5.29) to the higher basidic form (pI~5.59) were detected. Meanwhile, up-regulation of fumarase approximately 4-5 folds were observed. Importantly, overexpression of human manganese superoxide dismutase (human Mn-SOD) in E. coli cells could in turn down-regulate the expression of fumarase enzyme. This observation was not found when the cells expressing human catalase were tested. Other mechanisms such as changes of purine nucleoside phosphorylase and protein transporters (D-ribose-binding protein and oligopeptide binding protein) were also accounted. However, among all the differentially expressed proteins, the fumarase enzyme is evidenced to be a major target responsible for superoxide-generating paraquat, which may further be applied as a potential biomarker for paraquat toxicity in the future.
A new sulfoxide analog of 1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophenylpyridine and antimicrobial activity
(2010-11-17) Pingaew, Ratchanok; Prachayasittikul, Supaluk; Prachayasittikul, Virapong; Ruchirawat, Somsak; Worachartcheewan, Apilak
Bioactivities of thiotetrahydropyridines were previously described. Herein, a novel bioactive sulfoxide analog; N-acetyl-2-(1-adamantylsulfoxo)-3-acetoxy-4-phenyl-6-hydroxy-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (3) from the deoxydative substitution of 4-phenylpyridine 1-oxide is reported. Its structure was elucidated using spectral data including 2D-NMR, MS, IR and UV. The sulfoxide 3 exhibited antibacterial activity against Moraxella catarrhalis and Streptococcus pyogenes with minimum inhibitory concentration of 128 and 256 μg/mL, respectively.
Impact of various lecture delivery methods in pharmacology
(2010-11-17) Ahmad, Mushtaq; Kumar, Virendra; Seth, Vikas; Upadhyaya, Prerna
The aim of the study was to assess the impact of three common lecture delivery methods viz. the lectures using chalkboard, the lectures using PowerPoint presentations and the lectures utilizing transparencies with an overhead projector. By filling in a questionnaire, the second year MBBS students were asked to assess the impact of three pharmacology lectures given by three different methods of lecture delivery. Also after each lecture an objective test was given to compare the impact of the lecture delivered by different methods. The results of the study show that as per the subjective assessment of the lectures, students preferred PowerPoint teaching the most. As far as the students’ performance is concerned the impact of traditional Chalkboard and PowerPoint teaching was much more than the lectures using transparency and overhead projector (OHP).
Data mining of magnetocardiograms for prediction of ischemic heart disease
(2010-11-17) Kangwanariyakul, Yosawin; Naenna, Thanakorn; Nantasenamat, Chanin; Tantimongcolwat, Tanawut
Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) is a major cause of death. Early and accurate detection of IHD along with rapid diagnosis are important for reducing the mortality rate. Magnetocardiogram (MCG) is a tool for detecting electro-physiological activity of the myocardium. MCG is a fully non-contact method, which avoids the problems of skin-electrode contact in the Electrocardiogram (ECG) method. However, the interpretation of MCG recordings is time-consuming and requires analysis by an expert. Therefore, we propose the use of machine learning for identification of IHD patients. Back-propagation neural network (BPNN), the Bayesian neural network (BNN), the probabilistic neural network (PNN) and the support vector machine (SVM) were applied to develop classification models for identifying IHD patients. MCG data was acquired by sequential measurement, above the torso, of the magnetic field emitted by the myocardium using a J-T interval of 125 cases. The training and validation data of 74 cases employed 10-fold cross-validation methods to optimize support vector machine and neural network parameters. The predictive performance was assessed on the testing data of 51 cases using the following metrics: accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The results demonstrated that both BPNN and BNN displayed the highest and the same level of accuracy at 78.43 %. Furthermore, the decision threshold and the area under the ROC curve was -0.2774 and 0.9059, respectively, for BPNN and 0.0470 and 0.8495, respectively, for BNN. This indicated that BPNN was the best classification model, BNN was the best performing model with sensitivity of 96.65 %, and SVM employing the radial basis function kernel displayed the highest specificity of 86.36 %.
Offspring sex ratio at birth and maternal breast cancer risk
(2010-11-12) Saadat, Mostafa
To investigate whether offspring sex ratio at birth (SRB) was associated with maternal breast cancer risk, the present case-control study and a meta-analysis of literature were done. A total of 389 female breast cancer patients who had at least one offspring participated in the study. From general population 356 healthy female were selected as a control group. Control subjects were frequency matched with patients according to age and number of offspring. Among control group, 1324 offspring (666 males, 658 females) and within families of the breast cancer patients 1326 offspring (648 males, 678 females) were identified. There was no difference for SRB between breast cancer patients and control subjects (P>0.05). Metaanalysis was performed using 7 eligible studies. There was significant heterogeneity between studies (P<0.05). In overall the SRB was negatively associated with the maternal breast cancer risk (OR=0.95; 95 % CI: 0.92-0.99, P=0.02). Menopausal status of the patients was not associated with offspring SRB (P=0.07). Further researches are needed to determine the possible association between gender of offspring and maternal breast cancer risk.
G-CSF mobilized PBMCs contribute to the liver function of cirrhotic rats
(2010-07-26) Wang, Su zhen; Wu, Benyan; Xu, Shiping; Yan, Li
On the basis of the recently recognized potential of bone marrow stem cells to give rise to hepatocytes, we here investigated the role of G-CSF priming PBMCs played in the liver of cirrhotic rats. The animal model of liver cirrhosis was induced by injecting CCl4 in SD rats, and G-CSF was administered in hematopoietic stem cell mobilization doses. After the liver cirrhosis model was established, the female cirrhotic rats were divided into two groups. Group I only received G-CSF mobilization, group II received G-CSF mobilized PBMCs transplanted from the male cirrhotic rats. PKH26 staining and sex-determining region for the Y-chromosome gene were used to trace the transplanted cells. Liver function related factors were assayed under the animal automatic biochemistry analyzer, and the liver pathological changes were evaluated by HE staining. The comparative liver functions of the two groups were investigated by analysis of two sample t-tests. A P value of <0.05 was considered as significant in all analyses. Our results showed that the transplanted PBMCs could locate in the livers of the female rats. In addition, compared with the group I, rats in group II displayed significant liver improvement in serum ALB, ALT, AST and TBIL (p<0.05). However, the semi-quantitative classification of the liver pathological changes in both groups did not indicate a significant difference (p>0.05). The results indicated that mobilized PBMC transplant could contribute to liver function in cirrhotic livers, which might be an alternative therapy for liver cirrhosis.
Evaluation of CD4+ T cells in HIV patients presenting with malaria at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital Nigeria
(2010-07-26) Agbede, Olajide O.; Ajiboye, Temitope O.; Babatunde, Samuel A.; Kolawole, Olatunji M.; Odeigha, Louis O.
CD4 count is an important immunological marker of disease progression in HIV seropositive patients. This study was carried out to determine the effect of malaria or fever of unknown origin on the population of CD4+ T lymphocytes of HIV seropositive patients attending the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) clinic of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria. 36 subjects were selected for this study. Ongoing history of fever was used as a case definition for malaria and malaria was confirmed from microscopic examination of thick and thin film of blood sample obtained from the patients during presentation with fever. The CD4 count was evaluated during presentation of fever and post-fever using flow cytometry. There was significant decrease in CD4 count of the patients. However, upon classifying the patients into 2 groups – those that returned to the clinic after a week and those that returned after a month; a significant increase in CD4 count was noticed in the group that returned after a week, while a significant decrease was noticed in the group that returned after a month (at p value of 95 %). Further classification of the patients based on presence of malaria parasite, and body temperature resulted in varying effects on CD4 count post-fever (in the general group, 27 were positive for malaria parasites). Of these 27, there was an increase in CD4 count in 9 (33.3 %). However in the group that returned after a week, all 6 (100 %) that were positive for malaria parasites showed increase in CD4 count. Five (26.3 %) of the 19 patients that had body temperature within the range of 35.5-37.4 °C showed an increase in CD4 count, while 7 (41.2 %) of the 17 patients that had body temperature of 37.5 °C and above showed an increase in CD4 count. The results led to the conclusion that while some components of the immune response to malaria could strengthen the immune system of HIV seropositive patients by increasing their CD4 count, other components will suppress their immunity by decreasing their CD4 count, accelerating the progression to AIDS.
Effect of spironolactone on pain responses in mice
(2010-07-26) Abdel-Salam, Omar M.E.; Baiuomy, Ayman R.; Nada, Somaia A.
The effects of spironolactone, a non-selective aldosterone antagonist, were examined on thermally-induced pain using the hot-plate and tail-flick tests, on hemogenic pain induced by intraplantar capsaicin, on electrically-induced pain, on visceral nociception induced by intraperitoneal acetic acid injection and on haloperidol-induced catalepsy in mice. Spironolactone significantly shortened response latency in the mouse tail-flick test but produced modest decreases in response latencies in the mouse hot plate test. The drug reduced the antinociceptive effect of tramadol in the hot plate test. Spironolactone in addition decreased nociceptive thresholds of electrically-induced pain in mice. In contrast, spironolactone elicited significant antinociceptive actions in the mouse acetic-acid-induced writhing assay and at doses of 20-160 mg/kg decreased capsaicin-induced chemogenic pain. Spironolactone at doses of 40 or 80 mg/kg reduced spontaneous activity and produced a significant impairment on the rotarod test in mice. The drug (10-80 mg/kg) increased the duration of catalepsy induced by haloperidol by 56.3-188.5 %. In conclusion, spironolactone increased pain behavior in a dosedependent manner in models of thermal and electrical pain, but decreased inflammatory visceral pain due to intraperitoneal acetic acid and chemogenic pain due to intraplantar capsaicin. The effect of spironolactone on various types of pain needs further evaluation.
Changes in haematological indices and protein concentrations in Trypanosoma brucei infected rats treated with homidium chloride and diminazene aceturate
(2010-07-26) Adeyemi, Oluyomi Stephen; Sulaiman, Faoziyat Adenike
Anaemia and immunosuppresion have been shown to be a cardinal feature in African trypanosomosis. In this study, we have evaluated and compared the capacity of two registered veterinary trypanocides Novidium® (homidium chloride) and Berenil® (diminazene aceturate) to reduce haematological and biochemical lesions in rats experimentally infected with T. brucei. Packed cell volume (PCV), lymphocyte and eosinophil values in infected negative control group were significantly different and lower compared to positive control group as well as infected animals treated with homidium chloride and diminazene aceturate (P<0.05). Also the white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil counts in the negative control group were lower and significantly different from the other groups indicating evidence of infection-induced immunosuppresion. Haematological indices in infected rats treated with homidium chloride and diminazene aceturate were higher (P<0.05) than obtained in infected negative control group and significantly different from positive control (P<0.05). Total protein and albumin concentrations in infected negative control group were higher and significantly different from control and treated animals (P<0.05). In contrast, significantly lower values were obtained for albumin concentrations in treated animals compared to both negative and positive control groups (P<0.05). Results suggest that drugs administered have capacity to improved blood components as well as reverse immunosuppressive action of infecting trypanosomes.
Prediction of relative solvent accessibility by support vector regression and best-first method
(2010-02-09T16:01:20Z) Ghafuri, Hossein; Meshkin, Alireza
Since, it is believed that the native structure of most proteins is defined by their sequences, utilizing data mining methods to extract hidden knowledge from protein sequences, are unavoidable. A major difficulty in mining bioinformatics data is due to the size of the datasets which contain frequently large numbers of variables. In this study, a two-step procedure for prediction of relative solvent accessibility of proteins is presented. In a first “feature selection” step, a small subset of evolutionary information is identified on the basis of selected physicochemical properties. In the second step, support vector regression is used to real value prediction of protein solvent accessibility with these custom selected features of evolutionary information. The experiment results show that the proposed method is an improvement in average prediction accuracy and training time.
Identification of protein types in Bambara nut seeds: perspectives for dietary protein supply in developing countries
(2010-02-09T15:59:52Z) Ogbunugafor, H.A.; Okafor, U.; Okpuzor, J.; Sofidiya, M.O.
This study aims to identify the types of proteins in malted and dry Bambara groundnut seeds and through a comparative analysis, identify similarities and their known uses. Dry viable bambara seed was stored for five days to malt. The proteins in the dry and malted seed were subsequently extracted in potassium phosphate buffer pH 7.0 and precipitated with saturated ammonium sulphate. MudPit (multidimensional protein identification technology) and LC-MALDI TOF-TOF (liquid chromatography - matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem time-of-flight) mass spectrometry were thereafter used to identify the different types of proteins. A total of ten and twelve different types of proteins present in other legume species were identified in the malted and dry seeds respectively from the 214 peptides isolated after searching 586 proteins of the genus Vigna. Seed storage protein B and vicilin were observed to be the major proteins common to both malted and dry seeds and are similar to Vigna luteola. Some of the other proteins observed showed amino acid sequence homology with Vigna radiata and Vigna unguiculata species. The following proteins BV1, Heat shock and Bowman-Birk Inhibitor (a protease), were observed only in the malted state. This information may enhance the appreciation of the nutritional and health benefits of the seed.
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor NR1 subunit gene (GRIN1) G1001C polymorphism and susceptibility to schizophrenia: a meta-analysis
(2010-02-09T15:59:05Z) Saadat, Mostafa
A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify all case-control studies investigating the association between GRIN1 G1001C polymorphism and schizophrenia susceptibility (MIM: 138249; dbSNP: rs 11146020). A total of 6 eligible studies (including 1639 schizophrenia cases and 1489 controls) were identified for the meta-analysis. Including all studies, there was significant heterogeneity between studies. In overall the GC (OR=1.00, 95 % CI: 0.0.85-1.19) and CC (OR=1.09, 95 % CI: 0.67-1.79) genotypes were not associated with schizophrenia risk compared with the GG genotype. In one study patients were diagnosed using DSM-IIIR criteria and in another study the genotypic frequencies of control subjects showed significant deviation from the expected frequencies according to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. After excluding these studies from the meta-analysis, the heterogeneity between studies dramatically decreased. Statistical analysis showed that the GC genotype compared with the GG genotype significantly increased the risk of schizophrenia (OR=1.85, 95 % CI: 1.43-2.42, P<0.0001). The CC versus GG genotype significantly increased the schizophrenia risk (OR=2.46, 95% CI: 1.17-6.84, P=0.017). There was significant linear trend for presence of 0, 1, and 2 of the C allele and risk of schizophrenia (χ2=25.45, P<0.0001). In conclusion, the C variant allele may be associated with an increased risk for developing schizophrenia.
New bioactive triterpenoids and antimalarial activity of Diospyros rubra Lec.
(2010-02-09T15:58:09Z) Cherdtrakulkiat, R.; Prachayasittikul, S.; Prachayasittikul, V.; Ruchirawat, S.; Saraban, P.
The first investigation of the chemical constituents and bioactivities of Diospyros rubra Lec. is reported. D. rubra extracts were screened for antimicrobial, antimalarial and cytotoxic activities. They were only shown to be active antimalarials. The extracts with good antimalarial activity were isolated and extensively purified to give lupeol (1), lupenone (2), betulin (3), lupeol acetate (4), 28-O-acetylbetulin (5), β-sitosteryl-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (6) and a mixture of β-sitosterol and stigmasterol. Some of the isolates were tested for antimicrobial and cytotoxic actions. Betulin (3) displayed antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus pyogenes with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 85 μg/mL. Interestingly, bioactive fractions all selectively exerted some antimicrobial activity against Corynebacterium diphtheriae NCTC 10356 with the MIC range of 64–256 μg/mL. The study provides data to support the medicinal importance of the D. rubra.

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