Biomedical subjects

Paul Cos

Publications and source records attributed to Paul Cos.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Phytoestrogens: recent developments.

Phytoestrogens are polyphenolic non-steroidal plant compounds with estrogen-like biological activity. Based on their chemical structure, phytoestrogens can be classified into four main groups, i. e., isoflavonoids, flavonoids, stilbenes, and lignans. For each group, the chemistry, dietary sources and biotransformation of the most interesting compounds will be discussed. Since phytoestrogens are structurally very similar to the estrogen 17beta-estradiol, they may exhibit selective estrogen receptor modulating activities. Therefore, special attention will be given to the hormonal effects of various isoflavonoids, including genistein, daidzein, coumestrol and equol, several prenylated flavonoids, especially 8-prenylnaringenin, and the stilbene resveratrol. Furthermore, their non-hormonal effects will be discussed briefly. Finally, the latest developments on the potential protective properties of phytoestrogens and phytoestrogen-containing foods against hormone-dependent breast and prostate cancers and cardiovascular diseases, and as estrogen replacement therapy for postmenopausal women will be discussed.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗

PubMed2002

Antiviral and antioxidant activity of flavonoids and proanthocyanidins from Crataegus sinaica.

The antiviral and antioxidant activity of some fractions and of a series of flavonoids and proanthocyanidins obtained from Crataegus sinaica (Rosaceae) was evaluated. The O-glycosidic flavonoids and the oligomeric proanthocyanidins exhibited significant inhibitory activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), which was shown to be due to an extracellular mechanism for procyanidin C-1. Procyanidin C-1 also had the highest antioxidant activity in both the microsomal lipid peroxidation and the hydroxyl radical scavenging assay. In addition to the previously reported phenolic compounds, the pentacyclic triterpenoid ursolic acid (1) and a tetrameric (2) and pentameric procyanidin (3) are reported for the first time.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

In vitro antioxidant profile of phenolic acid derivatives.

Several caffeic acid esters isolated from propolis exhibit interesting antioxidant properties, but their in vivo use is compromised by hydrolysis of the ester bond in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, a series of caffeic acid amides were synthesized and their in vitro antioxidant profile was determined. A series of hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and the synthesized caffeic acid amides were tested for both their 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and microsomal lipid peroxidation-inhibiting activity. Some of the highly active antioxidants were further tested by means of electron paramagnetic resonance for their hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. Since a promising antioxidant compound should show a lipid peroxidation-inhibiting activity at micromolar level and a low cytotoxicity, the cytotoxicity of the phenolic compounds was also studied. In all the assays used, the caffeic acid anilides and the caffeic acid dopamine amide showed an interesting antioxidant activity.

Antioxidants↗