Search results for "Hemiterpenes"
showing 10 items of 11 documents
Pharmacological research on natural substances in Latvia: Focus on lunasin, betulin, polyprenol and phlorizin
2016
In this concise review the current research in plant bioactive compound studies in Latvia is described. The paper summarizes recent studies on substances from edible plants (e.g., cereals and apples) or their synthetic analogues, such as peptide lunasin, as well as substances isolated from inedible plants (e.g., birch and conifer), such as pentacyclic triterpenes (e.g., betulin, betulinic acid, and lupeol) and polyprenols. Latvian researchers have been first to demonstrate the presence of lunasin in triticale and oats. Additionally, the impact of genotype on the levels of lunasin in cereals was shown. Pharmacological studies have revealed effects of lunasin and synthetic triterpenes on the …
Sex-specific phenotypical and functional differences in peripheral human Vγ9/Vδ2 T cells
2006
Abstract Vγ9/Vδ2 T cells constitute a minor proportion of human peripheral blood T cells that can expand rapidly upon infection with microbial pathogens. Vγ9/Vδ2 T cell numbers change characteristically with age, rising from birth to puberty and gradually decreasing again beyond 30 years of age. In adults, female blood donors have significantly higher levels than males, implying that circulating Vγ9/Vδ2 T cells in women remain elevated for a longer period in life and drop less strikingly than in men. This loss in men is accompanied by a substantial depletion of CD27−CD45RA− and CD27−CD45RA+ effector T cells and a parallel increase in CD27+CD45RA− central memory T cells while in women, the d…
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in the landscape of pigments.
2004
▪ Abstract This review focuses on the biosynthesis of pigments in the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and their physiological and regulatory functions in the context of information gathered from studies of other photosynthetic organisms. C. reinhardtii is serving as an important model organism for studies of photosynthesis and the pigments associated with the photosynthetic apparatus. Despite extensive information pertaining to the biosynthetic pathways critical for making chlorophylls and carotenoids, we are just beginning to understand the control of these pathways, the coordination between pigment and apoprotein synthesis, and the interactions between the activities of these…
Polar organic marker compounds in PM2.5 aerosol from a mixed forest site in western Germany
2008
The molecular composition of PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter2.5 microm) aerosol samples collected during a very warm and dry 2003 summer period at a mixed forest site in Jülich, Germany, was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in an effort to evaluate photooxidation products of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) and other markers for aerosol source characterization. Six major classes of compounds represented by twenty-four individual organic species were identified and measured, comprising tracers for biomass combustion, short-chain acids, fatty acids, sugars/sugar alcohols, and tracers for the photooxidation of isoprene and alpha-/beta-pinene.…
Cinema audiences reproducibly vary the chemical composition of air during films, by broadcasting scene specific emissions on breath
2016
AbstractHuman beings continuously emit chemicals into the air by breath and through the skin. In order to determine whether these emissions vary predictably in response to audiovisual stimuli, we have continuously monitored carbon dioxide and over one hundred volatile organic compounds in a cinema. It was found that many airborne chemicals in cinema air varied distinctively and reproducibly with time for a particular film, even in different screenings to different audiences. Application of scene labels and advanced data mining methods revealed that specific film events, namely “suspense” or “comedy” caused audiences to change their emission of specific chemicals. These event-type synchronou…
Drug-induced expansion and differentiation of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells in vivo: The role of exogenous IL-2
2005
Human Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells recognize nonpeptidic Ags generated by the 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate (many eubacteria, algae, plants, and Apicomplexa) and mevalonate (eukaryotes, archaebacteria, and certain eubacteria) pathways of isoprenoid synthesis. The potent Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell reactivity 1) against certain cancer cells or 2) induced by infectious agents indicates that therapeutic augmentations of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell activities may be clinically beneficial. The functional characteristics of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells from Macaca fascicularis (cynomolgus monkey) are very similar to those from Homo sapiens. We have found that the i.v. administration of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonat…
Enzymatic and pharmacokinetic studies on the metabolism of branched chain alpha-keto acids in the rat.
1983
Michaelis-constants and enzyme activities for dehydrogenation and transamination of the three branched chain alpha-keto acids in liver, kidney, skeletal muscle, and brain of rats are reported. After oral load only 11-22% of the keto acids pass the liver unchanged. Blood levels in pharmacokinetic and absorption studies are related to the Michaelis-constants. At the low keto-acid concentrations after oral application, dehydrogenation in the non-hepatic tissues is supposed to prevail over transamination. Data on feed efficiency of branched chain alpha-keto acids reported in the literature support this view. The chance for transamination is better after intravenous administration. The transfera…
EPR, ENDOR and TRIPLE Resonance and MO Studies on Ubiquinones (Q-n): Comparison of Radical Anions and Cations of Coenzymes Q-10 and Q-6 with the Mode…
1997
Radical anions and cations of the biologically important coenzymes Q-6 and Q-10, which have 6 and 10 unsaturated isoprene units in their side chains, respectively, have been generated in various solvents, and the results compared with those obtained for Q-0, a ubiquinone with no isoprene units, and for decylubiquinone Q-2 which has a saturated side chain. Hyperfine splitting constants (hfsc) of methyl and methoxy protons of the substituents in the quinone ring, and beta and gamma protons of the side chain were measured by EPR and ENDOR spectroscopy for both the radical anions and cations of Q-0, Q-6 and Q-10, and for the radical anion of Q-2. The relative signs of the hfsc were determined b…
Towards the determination of isoprene in human breath using substrate-integrated hollow waveguide mid-infrared sensors
2014
Selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath may be considered biomarkers if they are indicative of distinct diseases or disease states. Given the inherent molecular selectivity of vibrational spectroscopy, infrared sensing technologies appear ideally suitable for the determination of endogenous VOCs in breath. The aim of this study was to determine that mid-infrared (MIR; 3-20 µm) gas phase sensing is capable of determining isoprene in exhaled breath as an exemplary medically relevant VOC by hyphenating novel substrate-integrated hollow waveguides (iHWG) with a likewise miniaturized preconcentration system. A compact preconcentrator column for sampling isoprene from exhaled breath …
In vivo manipulation of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells with zoledronate and low-dose interleukin-2 for immunotherapy of advanced breast cancer patients.
2010
The potent anti-tumour activities of gamma delta T cells have prompted the development of protocols in which gamma delta-agonists are administered to cancer patients. Encouraging results from small Phase I trials have fuelled efforts to characterize more clearly the application of this approach to unmet clinical needs such as metastatic carcinoma. To examine this approach in breast cancer, a Phase I trial was conducted in which zoledronate, a V gamma 9V delta 2 T cell agonist, plus low-dose interleukin (IL)-2 were administered to 10 therapeutically terminal, advanced metastatic breast cancer patients. Treatment was well tolerated and promoted the effector maturation of V gamma 9V delta 2 T …