Secondary Metabolites of Biological Significance from Echinoderms

Abstract According to origin of species, both animals and plants come from a common ancestor, so they all possess similar/same metabolic activities. Plants adapt to stress conditions by eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS) partly with secondary metabolites, which are often the medicinal ingredients. With this, the mechanism of pharmacological action and biological action of secondary metabolites may be the same. Radix saposhnikoviae the root of Saposhnikovia divaricata, has antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. It was analyzed that the correlation between fever, analgesia and inflammation and the activities of POD, CAT, the H2O2 contents in serum before and after intravenous administration for cimicifugin, an active component. For the antipyretic, the correlation coefficient between the body temperature and the H2O2 contents was 0.9689 in the model group and 0.5221 in the treatment group, indicating that fever was closely related to the H2O2. In the presence of electron donor, POD can eliminate ROS, the correlation coefficient between POD activities and H2O2 content before and after administration were 0.8085 and -0.5070, respectively, indicating that cimicifugin can eliminate ROS through POD. At 39.5 ℃, POD activity was about 1.47 times that of normal body temperature, and the scavenging efficiency of POD was 2.94 times that of CAT, which indicated that cimicifugin enhanced the elimination of H2O2 mainly through POD. For the analgesic and anti-inflammatory, the correlation coefficients of POD activity with analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects were 0.6685 and 0.4466, respectively, indicating that they were closely related to the H2O2. In this paper, we found the ROS is an important factor of fever, pain and inflammation, the pharmacological actions of Radix Saposhnikoviae also is elimination of ROS through the synergistic action of chromone and POD, the mechanism of pharmacological action of Chromones being the same as the biological action of secondary metabolites.

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Evolution of ‘pollinator’- attracting signals in fungi

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2006.0479 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 401-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Florian P Schiestl ◽

Fabrizio Steinebrunner ◽

Claudia Schulz ◽

Stephan von Reuß ◽

Wittko Francke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Volatile Compound ◽

Floral Scent ◽

Biological Significance ◽

Interspecific Communication ◽

Communication Signals ◽

Primary Function ◽

Insect Attraction ◽

Evolutionary Pathways

Fungi produce a plethora of secondary metabolites yet their biological significance is often little understood. Some compounds show well-known antibiotic properties, others may serve as volatile signals for the attraction of insects that act as vectors of spores or gametes. Our investigations in an outcrossing, self-incompatible fungus show that a fungus-produced volatile compound with fungitoxic activities is also responsible for the attraction of specific insects that transfer gametes. We argue that insect attraction using this compound is likely to have evolved from its primary function of defence—as has been suggested for floral scent in the angiosperms. We, thus, propose that similar yet convergent evolutionary pathways have lead to interspecific communication signals in both fungi and plants.

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Microstructural morphology of sphingolipid dispersions as investigated by freeze-fracture EM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100141093 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 944-945

Author(s):

Vitthal S. Kulkarni ◽

Wayne H. Anderson ◽

Rhoderick E. Brown

Keyword(s):

Acyl Chain ◽

Biological Significance ◽

Freeze Fracture ◽

Fatty Acyl ◽

Fatty Acyl Moiety ◽

Aqueous Dispersions ◽

Head Groups ◽

Lipid Species ◽

Microstructural Morphology ◽

Layer Chromatography

The biological significance of the sphingomyelins (SM) and monoglycosylated sphingolipids like galactosylceramides (GalCer) are well documented Our recent investigation showed tubular bilayers in the aqueous dispersions of N-nervonoyl GalCer [N-(24:lΔ15,cls) GalCer] (a major fatty acyl moiety of natural GalCer). To determine the influence of lipid head groups on the resulting mesophasic morphology, we investigated microstructural self-assemblies of N-nervonoyl-SM [N-(24:1 Δ15,cls) SM; the second most abundant sphingomyelin in mammalian cell membranes], 1- palmitoyl-2-nervonoyl phosphatidylcholine [PNPC] (the lipid species with the same acyl chain configuration as in N-(24: 1) GalCer) and also compared it with egg-SM by freeze-fracture EM.Procedures for synthesizing and purifying N-(24:1) GalCer, N-(24:1) SM, and PNPC have been reported . Egg-SM was purchased from Avanti Polar Lipids, Alabaster AL. All lipids were >99% pure as checked by thin layer chromatography. Lipid dispersions were prepared by hydrating dry lipid with phosphate buffer (pH 6.6) at 80-90°C (3-5 min), vigorously vortexing (1 min) and repeating this procedure for three times prior to three freeze-thaw cycles.

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Ultrastructural Localization Study of Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) in Gastric Cancer: Immunoelectron Microscopic Observation

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100158807 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 252-253

Author(s):

Dong Yuming ◽

Yang Guanglin ◽

Wu Jifeng ◽

Chen Xiaolin

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Intestinal Metaplasia ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Microscopic Observation ◽

Biological Significance ◽

Ultrastructural Localization ◽

Mucinous Carcinoma ◽

Surface Glycoprotein ◽

Tubular Adenocarcinoma ◽

Pap Method

On the basis of light microscopic observation, the ultrastructural localization of CEA in gastric cancer was studied by immunoelectron microscopic technique. The distribution of CEA in gastric cancer and its biological significance and the mechanism of abnormal distribution of CEA were further discussed.Among 104 surgically resected specimens of gastric cancer with PAP method at light microscopic level, the incidence of CEA(+) was 85.58%. All of mucinous carcinoma exhibited CEA(+). In tubular adenocarcinoma the incidence of CEA(+) showed a tendency to rising with the increase of degree of differentiation. In normal epithelia and intestinal metaplasia CEA was faintly present and was found only in the luminal surface. The CEA staining patterns in cancer cells were of three types--- cytoplasmic, membranous and weak reactive type. The ultrastructural localization of CEA in 14 cases of gastric cancer was studied by immunoelectron microscopic technique.There was a little or no CEA in the microvilli of normal epithelia. In intestinal metaplasia CEA was found on the microvilli of absorptive cells and among the mucus particles of goblet cells. In gastric cancer CEA was also distributed on the lateral and basal surface or even over the entire surface of cancer cells and lost their polarity completely. Many studies had proved that the alterations in surface glycoprotein were characteristic changes of tumor cells. The antigenic determinant of CEA was glycoprotein, so the alterations of tumor-associated surface glycoprotein opened up a new way for the diagnosis of tumors.

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Lycopene alleviates sulfamethoxazole-induced hepatotoxicity in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) via suppression of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis

Food & Function ◽

10.1039/d0fo01638a ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 8547-8559

Author(s):

Hongjing Zhao ◽

Yu Wang ◽

Mengyao Mu ◽

Menghao Guo ◽

Hongxian Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Human Health ◽

Grass Carp ◽

Aquatic Environment ◽

Ctenopharyngodon Idellus

Antibiotics are used worldwide to treat diseases in humans and other animals; most of them and their secondary metabolites are discharged into the aquatic environment, posing a serious threat to human health.

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