Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “bioactive compound”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,621 records · Page 90Linked to original sources

Intrinsic activity: partial agonists and partial antagonists.

The effect of bioactive agents in many, if not most, cases should be considered as the result of an interaction among molecules of the active agent, the drug, and particular molecular sites of action, receptors (sometimes enzymes), in the biological object. In those cases in which a drug-receptor interaction is involved, two essential parameters should be distinguished, namely, the affinity of the active agent to its receptor, and the intrinsic activity of the active agent, i.e., the capacity to activate the receptors in the process of the drug-receptor interaction. Compounds that have only an affinity to particular types of receptors without an intrinsic activity will behave as blocking agents. Compounds may greatly differ in their affinity. Also, the capacity of bioactive agents to activate their specific receptors, the intrinsic activity, may differ for different compounds. These variations result in a differentiation among full agonists, partial agonists, partial antagonists, and full antagonists, which, besides, their affinity to the receptors, display a high, intermediate, low, and zero intrinsic activity, respectively, for the receptors. Examples of partial antagonists are the adrenergic blockers with intrinsic sympathomimetic activity. Various aspects of partial agonists and partial antagonists are discussed and elucidated.

Enzymes↗

Carbon monoxide-releasing molecules: characterization of biochemical and vascular activities.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is generated in living organisms during the degradation of heme by the enzyme heme oxygenase, which exists in constitutive (HO-2 and HO-3) and inducible (HO-1) isoforms. Carbon monoxide gas is known to dilate blood vessels in a manner similar to nitric oxide and has been recently shown to possess antiinflammatory and antiapoptotic properties. We report that a series of transition metal carbonyls, termed here carbon monoxide-releasing molecules (CO-RMs), liberate CO to elicit direct biological activities. Specifically, spectrophotometric and NMR analysis revealed that dimanganese decacarbonyl and tricarbonyldichlororuthenium (II) dimer release CO in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, CO-RMs caused sustained vasodilation in precontracted rat aortic rings, attenuated coronary vasoconstriction in hearts ex vivo, and significantly reduced acute hypertension in vivo. These vascular effects were mimicked by induction of HO-1 after treatment of animals with hemin, which increases endogenously generated CO. Thus, we have identified a novel class of compounds that are useful as prototypes for studying the bioactivity of CO. In the long term, transition metal carbonyls could be utilized for the therapeutic delivery of CO to alleviate vascular- and immuno-related dysfunctions. The full text of this article is available at http://www.circresaha.org.

Animals↗

Clustering of sex hormone disruptors in Singapore's marine environment.

Abnormal sexual differentiation and other reproductive abnormalities in marine animals indicate the presence in seawater of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) that perturb the function of the sex hormone signaling pathways. However, most studies to date have reported on EDC effects in freshwater and sewage samples, and there is a paucity of bioassay data on the effects of EDCs in marine waters. Our aims in this study were to devise robust methodologies suitable for extracting potential EDCs and to measure their summated effects on activities of androgen receptors (ARs) and estrogen receptors (ER-alpha and ER-beta) in marine samples from Singapore's coastal waters. In this study, we examined the ability of C18, hydrophilic and lipophilic balance, and diol cartridges to extract potential EDCs from seawater samples. Extracts from C18 cartridges exhibited the highest sex hormone bioactivities in reporter gene assays based on a human cell line expressing AR, ER-alpha, and ER-beta. Examination of extracts from 20 coastal locations showed high androgenic and estrogenic agonist activities in confined clusters closest to the main island of Singapore. Sex hormone activity declined rapidly in clusters farther from the main coastline and in more open waters. Unexpectedly, surface and mid-depth samples from the confined high-activity clusters, in the presence of hormone, exhibited AR and ER-alpha activities that were 200-900% higher than those observed for the cognate hormone alone. This enhanced sex hormone activity suggests that analyses of complex seawater mixtures may uncover unusual bioactivities that may not be obvious by studying individual compounds. Our data present a "snapshot" of the sex hormone disruptor activity in Singapore's marine environment and indicate that C18 extraction for EDCs used in conjunction with reporter gene bioassays represents a robust and sensitive methodology for measuring summated androgenic and estrogenic activities in seawater.

Animals↗

Isolation of 6-methoxy gossypol and 6,6'-dimethoxy gossypol from Gossypium barbadense Sea Island cotton.

6-methoxy gossypol and 6,6'-dimethoxy gossypol were isolated from the seeds and root bark of a St. Vincent Sea Island variety of cotton (AZK-267, GRIN# PI 528406). Crude mixtures of gossypol and the methoxy compounds were obtained by extraction of the tissue with acetone and precipitation with acetic acid. After recrystallization, the preparations were treated with 3-amino-1-propanol to form gossypol Schiff's bases, which were separated by preparative reverse phase chromatography. The separated Schiff's bases were then hydrolyzed with acid, extracted into diethyl ether, concentrated, and precipitated with acetic acid. From the above procedure, both methoxy gossypol compounds were obtained as 1:1 molar acetic acid solvates. Each compound was prepared in sufficient amounts to determine its physical properties and begin testing for bioactivity. Light absorbance differed significantly for the di-3-amino-1-propanol derivatives of gossypol and the methoxy gossypol compounds at 254 nm. Relative response factors were developed, which can be used for determining or correcting analytical measurements of these methylated gossypol forms.

Acetic Acid↗

Formaldehyde as a possible mutagenic metabolite of N-nitrodimethylamine and of other agents which are suggested to yield non-alkylating species in vitro.

N-Nitramines are biologically active compounds of environmental significance. In this study the suggested bioactivation of N- nitrodimethylamine via oxidation at the methyl-group was confirmed, as was indicated by formaldehyde liberation. N- Nitrodimethylamine and formaldehyde as well as the suggested metabolites, N- nitrohydroxymethylmethylamine and N- nitromethylamine were tested for mutagenicity in histidine auxotrophic Salmonella typhimurium strains in a variety of conditions. N- Nitrodimethylamine was mutagenic only in S. typhimurium TA 100 after pre-incubation with bacteria and a complete metabolizing mixture containing 9000 g liver supernatant and NADPH-regenerating cofactors. N- Nitrohydroxymethylmethylamine and formaldehyde were approximately equally mutagenic without the metabolizing mixture in TA 100 and TA 98, but not in TA 1535. The addition of the 9000 g supernatant of homogenized liver increased the yield of his+ revertants induced by the two compounds. N- Nitromethylamine was not mutagenic with or without the metabolic activation system. The results suggest that formaldehyde is possibly the mutagenically active intermediate formed during in vitro metabolism of N- nitrodimethylamine . Furthermore the participation of formaldehyde as the mutagenic intermediate of other non-alkylating N-nitro and N-nitroso compounds is demonstrated.

Animals↗

Isolation and bioactivities of constitutents of the roots of Garcinia atroviridis.

Two new prenylated compounds, the benzoquinone atrovirinone (1) and the depsidone atrovirisidone (2), were isolated from the roots of Garcinia atroviridis. Their structures were determined on the basis of the analysis of spectroscopic data. While compound 2 showed some cytotoxicity against HeLa cells, both compounds 1 and 2 were only mildly inhibitory toward Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus.

Adolescent↗

Bioactive coumarin derivatives from the fern Cyclosorus interruptus.

Three new coumarin derivatives, compounds 1-3, three new furanocoumarins, compounds 4-6, and a novel dioxocane derivative, compound 7, were isolated from the fern Cyclosorus interruptus (Willd.) H. Itô. Based on spectrometric and spectroscopic analysis (FAB or El mass spectrometry as well as 1D and 2D NMR experiments) their structures were characterised as 5,7-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4-phenyl-8-(3-phenylpropionyl)-1-benzopyran-2-one (1), 5,7-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4-phenyl-8-(3-phenyl-trans-acryloyl)-1- benzopyran-2-one (2), 5,7-dihydroxy-8-(2-hydroxy-3-phenylpropionyl)-6-methyl-4-phenyl-1- benzopyran-2-one (3), 8-benzyl-5,8-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4-phenylfuro[2,3-h]-1-benzopyran-2,9- dione (4), 8-benzyl-5,8 beta,9 beta-trihydroxy-6-methyl-4-phenyl-8,9-dihydro- furo[2,3-h]-1-benzopyran-2-one (5), 8-benzyl-5,8 beta,9 alpha-trihydroxy-6-methyl-4-phenyl-8,9-dihydro- furo[2,3-h]-1-benzopyran-2-one (6) and 5,11-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4-phenyl-11-(1-phenylmethyl)-7,10-dioxocane [5,6-h]-1-benzopyran-2,12-dione (7). For these compounds we propose the trivial names interruptins A-F. Compounds 1, 5/6 and 7 showed antibacterial activity while compounds 1 and 2 were cytotoxic to a KB cell line.

Anti-Infective Agents↗

Augmented bioavailability and cysticidal activity of albendazole reformulated in soybean emulsion in mice infected with Echinococcus granulosus or Echinococcus multilocularis.

The anthelminthic drug, albendazole (Abz), was reformulated in a soybean oil emulsion and evaluated as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis in mice. Abz emulsified with 30% soybean oil (AbzE-30) resulted in higher circulating plasma concentrations of the major bioactive Abz metabolite, Abz sulfoxide (AbzSOX), after oral administration, compared with an Abz suspension. The soybean oil-emulsified Abz compound was also noted to penetrate into the hydatid cyst wall and produced higher hydatid cyst concentrations of AbzSOX. The emulsion was superior to Abz suspension in reducing the size of hydatid cysts caused by E. granulosus protoscolices collected from naturally infected sheep in Urumchi, Xinjiang Uygar Autonomous Region. In contrast, the reformulated compound's ability to reduce E. multilocularis cyst masses was only marginally superior to Abz suspension. AbzE-30 exhibited increased bioavailability and bioactivity in the treatment of murine Echinococcus hydatid cyst infections. The compound has the potential for improving therapeutic outcomes for human echinococcosis.

Albendazole↗

Nephrotoxicity of the glutathione and cysteine S-conjugates of the sevoflurane degradation product 2-(fluoromethoxy)-1,1,3,3, 3-pentafluoro-1-propene (Compound A) in male Fischer 344 rats.

2-(Fluoromethoxy)-1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoro-1-propene (Compound A) is a halogenated alkene that is nephrotoxic in rats when administered by inhalation or intraperitoneally. Compound A undergoes glutathione-dependent metabolism: Compound A-derived glutathione S-conjugates and mercapturates are excreted in the bile and urine, respectively, of rats given Compound A. The present experiments were designed to study the nephrotoxicity of the Compound A-derived glutathione and cysteine S-conjugates, S-[2-(fluoromethoxy)-1,1,3,3, 3-pentafluoropropyl]glutathione , S-[2-(fluoromethoxy)-1,3,3, 3-tetrafluoro-1-propenyl]glutathione , S-[2-(fluoromethoxy)-1,1,3,3, 3-pentafluoropropyl]-L-cysteine and S-[2-(fluoromethoxy)-1,3,3, 3-tetrafluoro-1-propenyl]-L-cysteine . Conjugates , and given intraperitoneally produced dose-dependent nephrotoxicity that was characterized by diuresis, increased excretion of glucose and protein, elevated blood urea nitrogen concentrations and severe morphological changes in the kidneys, particularly in the proximal tubules. Glutathione S-conjugate , at a dose of 500 micromol/kg, was hepatotoxic. Cysteine S-conjugate was not nephrotoxic, apparently because of its facile cyclization to the thiazoline 2-[1-(fluoromethoxy)-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl]-4,5-dihydro-1, 3-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid, which is not a beta-lyase substrate. Also, the alpha-methyl analog of cysteine S-conjugate S-[2-(fluoromethoxy)-1,1,3,3, 3-pentafluoropropyl]-DL-alpha-methylcysteine, which cannot undergo beta-lyase-dependent bioactivation, was not nephrotoxic. These in vivo data show that Compound A-derived S-conjugates are nephrotoxic and that the toxicity is associated with beta-lyase-dependent bioactivation.

Anesthetics, Inhalation↗

A fast new approach to pharmacophore mapping and its application to dopaminergic and benzodiazepine agonists.

In the absence of a 3D structure of the target biomolecule, to propose the 3D requirements for a small molecule to exhibit a particular bioactivity, one must supply both a bioactive conformation and a superposition rule for every active compound. Our strategy identifies both simultaneously. We first generate and optimize all low-energy conformations by any suitable method. For each conformation we then use ALADDIN to calculate the location of points to be considered as part of the superposition. These points include atoms in the molecule and projections from the molecule to hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors or charged groups in the binding site. These positions and the relative energy of each conformation are the input to our new program DISCO. It uses a clique-detection method to find superpositions that contain at least one conformation of each molecule and user-specified numbers of point types and chirality. DISCO is fast; for example, it takes about 1 min CPU to propose pharmacophores from 21 conformations of seven molecules. We typically run DISCO several times to compare alternative pharmacophore maps. For D2 dopamine agonists DISCO shows that the newer 2-aminothiazoles fit the traditional pharmacophore. Using site points correctly identifies the bioactive enantiomers of indoles to compare with catechols whereas using only ligand points leads to selecting the inactive enantiomer for the pharmacophore map. In addition, DISCO reproduces pharmacophore maps of benzodiazepines in the literature and proposes subtle improvements. Our experience suggests that clique-detection methods will find many applications in computational chemistry and computer-assisted molecular design.

Algorithms↗

Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of benzoxazinones, their degradation products, and analogues. Phytotoxicity on problematic weeds Avena fatua L. and Lolium rigidum Gaud.

Avena fatua L. (wild oat) and Lolium rigidum Gaud. (rigid ryegrass) are highly problematic weeds affecting a wide variety of cereal crops worldwide. The fact that both of these weeds have developed resistance to several herbicide groups made them optimal candidates as target organisms for ongoing research about the potential application of allelochemicals and analogue compounds as natural herbicide models. Benzoxazinones, a family of natural allelochemicals present in corn, wheat, and rye, including 2,4-dihydroxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one and 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one, together with some degradation products, found in crop soils as well as in other systems, and some synthetic analogues of them were tested on wild oat and rigid ryegrass seeds; the results were statistically treated, and some structure-activity relationships, useful in further development of natural herbicide models, were elucidated. The most active compounds were the synthetic benzoxazinone 2-acetoxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one and the degradation product 2-aminophenoxazin-3-one, with highly significant inhibition on the development of both weeds. The ecological role of these compounds is discussed by considering both degradability and phytotoxicity. The bioactivity of aminophenoxazines has been correlated by their aqueous solubility-lipophilicity predicted by means of computational methods.

Benzoxazines↗

Bioactivation of halogenated hydrocarbons.

Halogenated hydrocarbons are an economically and toxicologically important group of chemicals. These compounds may produce toxic effects after metabolism to stable, but toxic, products or to reactive, electrophilic intermediates. The biotransformation reaction may involve oxidative or reductive reactions or may proceed with no change in oxidation state. The bioactivation reactions are catalyzed most frequently by cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases, but glutathione S-transferases may also catalyze bioactivation reactions. Detailed reaction mechanism studies are useful in understanding the biotransformation and bioactivation pathways of halogenated hydrocarbons.

Biotransformation↗

Characterization of a novel gastropod toxin (6-bromo-2-mercaptotryptamine) that inhibits shaker K channel activity.

A novel potassium channel antagonist has been purified from the defensive mucus secreted by Calliostoma canaliculatum, a marine snail found in the temperate coastal waters of the western Pacific. The toxin is expelled from the hypobranchial gland as part of a defensive response and is contained within a viscous matrix that minimizes dilution and degradation. The active compound was isolated by multistage microbore HPLC separations followed by bioactivity assays. Nuclear magnetic resonance, combined with electrospray ionization Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance and electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry indicate that the active component is a heretofore unknown indole-derivative, a disulfide-linked dimer of 6-bromo-2-mercaptotryptamine (BrMT). Exudates from the hypobranchial glands of various marine mollusks have been sources for dye compounds such as 6-6 dibromoindigo, the ancient dye Tyrian purple. BrMT represents the first correlation of a hypobranchial gland exudate with a molecular response. Voltage clamp experiments with a number of K channel subtypes indicate that BrMT inhibits certain voltage-gated K channels of the Kv1 subfamily.

Animals↗

Enhancing marine natural product structural diversity and bioactivity through semisynthesis and biocatalysis.

In the last several decades the plants, animals and microbes from the marine environment have revealed a portion of what is clearly a tremendous resource for structurally diverse and bioactive secondary metabolites. Many of these extraordinarily sophisticated and bioactive natural products can be isolated in significant quantities without great difficulty. As a result these readily available bioactive natural products provide valuable starting materials for the rational generation of libraries of compounds prepared through semisynthesis and biocatalysis. A review of our work using marine natural products to generate rationally designed compound libraries and their biological activity against infectious diseases, cancer and neurological targets is presented. The marine natural products utilized to date as starting materials consist of compounds from a variety of structural classes and include: aureol, puupehenone, sarcophine, palinurin, and the manzamine alkaloids. The possibility to generate diverse bioactive products beginning with a marine natural product scaffold is a direct result of improvements made in the technologies to harvest samples from the ocean, purify and characterize complex natural products quickly and complete chemical reactions and biotransformations in parallel. As a result the vast resources of the ocean can now be utilized routinely to design and produce countless products to be evaluated as part of drug discovery and development programs.

Animals↗

[Synthesis and antiarrhythmic activity of some (erythro)-phenylpropanediolamine compounds].

For the purpose of searching for new drug with high potency and simple chemical structure, the dominant conformation and structural parameters of Guan-Fu base (GFA) molecule were modelled and calculated with a SGI-4D 25G computer. The propanediolamine chain in GFA might be considered to be a pharmacophore responsible for the bioactivity and the configuration of the chain seemed important. Thus, thirteen compounds of (erythro)-p-x-PhCHOHCHOHCH2NHR(x = H, I1-7; X = NO2, II1-6) were prepared. Among them, 10 compounds showed antiarrhythmic effect on aconitine-induced arrhythmia in rats. The ED50(to stop VT) of I2 and ED50(to stop VP) of I3 were shown to be comparable with those of GFA. In the synthesis, no stereoselectivity was found in the Prevost reaction with allylamine analogues (a1-7). After a1-7 were acetylated, the erythro type products(I1-7) were obtained.

Aconitine↗

Isolation and characterization of N7-guanyl adducts derived from 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane.

1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane is a potent renal and testicular toxicant and has been shown to induce tumor formation in laboratory animals. The toxic effects of the compound are thought to be a result of a bioactivation step in which a glutathione conjugate is formed and subsequently reacts with cellular DNA. The L-glutathione conjugate of 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane was chemically synthesized and used to alkylate DNA: following incubations of the conjugate with calf thymus DNA and neutral thermal hydrolysis (to release N7-guanyl adducts) four major fluorescent products were observed. Three of these were isolated and characterized, the structures being determined as S-[bis(N7-guanylmethyl)methyl]glutathione and the two diastereomers of S-[1-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(N7-guanyl)ethyl]glutathione. The fourth fluorescent product was unstable and formed in low yield and thus could not be characterized. The formation of these N7-guanyl adducts can be explained by a mechanism that includes the formation of two consecutive episulfonium ion intermediates followed by nucleophilic attack at the unsubstituted methylene carbon. These adducts bear structural and mechanistic similarities to the major adduct derived from 1,2-dibromoethane, S-[2-(N7-guanyl)ethyl]glutathione. The same adducts were also formed when DBCP was incubated with rat liver cytosol, GSH, and DNA. In vivo experiments with DBCP yielded very low levels of the N7-guanyl adducts formed in rat liver compared to the levels seen after treatments with 1,2-dibromoethane. The bis-guanyl adduct represents a cross-linked structure that may be important in the toxicity of this compound. The conjugate was not found to be mutagenic to Salmonella typhimurium TA100 but rather showed a toxic effect toward the bacteria.

Animals↗

Bioactive peptides from marine sources: pharmacological properties and isolation procedures.

Marine organisms represent a valuable source of new compounds. The biodiversity of the marine environment and the associated chemical diversity constitute a practically unlimited resource of new active substances in the field of the development of bioactive products. In this paper, the molecular diversity of different marine peptides is described as well as information about their biological properties and mechanisms of action is provided. Moreover, a short review about isolation procedures of selected bioactive marine peptides is offered. Novel peptides from sponges, ascidians, mollusks, sea anemones and seaweeds are presented in association with their pharmacological properties and obtainment methods.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Research opportunities for bioactive natural constituents in agriculture and food prepared for the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry recently introduced a new subject matter category titled "Bioactive Constituents" to cover investigations of the composition of natural compounds and their biological activity in crops and foods. It is recognized by the Editors that a number of other journals specialize in various aspects of the chemistry of natural products, but the intent of this classification is to emphasize and stimulate submission of manuscripts in such areas of agricultural and food chemistry that have so far been neglected or under-represented. Selected topics dealing with bioactive constituents are given as representative examples of the types of investigations that would be appropriate to the scope of the Journal.

Agriculture↗