Characterization of newly developed pepper cultivars (Capsicum chinense) 'Dieta0011-0301', 'Dieta0011-0602', 'Dieta0041-0401', and 'Dieta0041-0601' containing high capsinoid concentrations and a strong fruity aroma.

Capsaicinoids are responsible for the pungent flavor of peppers (Capsicum sp.). The cultivar CH-19 Sweet is a non-pungent pepper mutant that biosynthesizes the low-pungent capsaicinoid analogs, capsinoids. Capsinoids possess important pharmaceutical properties. However, capsinoid concentrations are very low in CH-19 Sweet, and Capsicum cultivars with high content capsinoids are desirable for industrial applications of capsinoids. Habanero, Bhut Jolokia, and Infinity are species of Capsicum chinense, and have strong pungency and intense fruity flavors. In the present study, we report new cultivars with high concentrations of capsinoids (more than ten-fold higher than in CH-19 Sweet), and showed that these cultivars (Dieta0011-0301 and Dieta0011-0602 from Bhut Jolokia, Dieta0041-0401 and Dieta0041-0601 from Infinity) are of nutritional and medicinal value and have fruity aromas. We also obtained a vanilla bean flavor, vanillyl alcohol, and vanillyl ethyl ether from capsinoids in the fruit of these cultivars following the addition of ethanol at room temperature. ABBREVIATIONS: p-AMT: putative aminotransferase; C. annuum: Capsicum annuum; C. chinense: Capsicum chinense; dCAPS: derived Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences.

[A study of the pharmacist work changes associated with dispensing unit-of-use packaging in community pharmacies].

This study aimed to determine how much time can be saved with the use of unit-of-use packaging for prescription drugs as compared with bulk packaging in community pharmacies as well as to determine the number of errors. In a simulation, mock prescriptions were dispensed either in unit-of-use packages or by transferring medication from a bulk container, and a time study was conducted to measure the time spent on dispensing and prescription auditing by pharmacists. Pharmacists' and patients' degree of satisfaction was also surveyed. The time saved with unit-of-use packaging was 66.25 s per prescription. The sole dispensing error that was found in the study occurred with bulk dispensing. Among both pharmacists and patients, many were of the opinion that dispensing with unit-of-use packaging was preferable to bulk dispensing. Unit-of-use packaging shortens the time that pharmacists spend on dispensing activities and increases the efficiency of their work. Unit-of-use packaging is also thought to reduce the number of counting errors.

Effects of safflower seed extract supplementation on oxidation and cardiovascular risk markers in healthy human volunteers.

We previously demonstrated that safflower seed extract (SSE) and its major antioxidant constituents, serotonin hydroxycinnamic acid amides, suppressed LDL oxidation in vitro, decreased plasma autoantibody titres to oxidized LDL and attenuated atherosclerotic lesion formation in apoE-deficient mice. In this report, we examined whether SSE, rich in serotonin derivatives, could affect markers of oxidative stress, inflammation and aortic stiffness in healthy human subjects. Twenty Japanese male volunteers were studied at baseline, after 2.1 g SSE supplementation daily (providing 290 mg serotonin derivatives/d) for 4 weeks, and after a 4-week washout period. Significant reductions in circulating oxidized LDL, autoantibody titres to malondialdehyde-modified LDL, the soluble form of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), and urinary 8-isoprostane were observed after a 4-week intervention. Although there were no statistically significant differences in blood pressure or brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an index of arterial stiffness, baPWV was lower than baseline in eleven of twenty subjects and was accompanied by a reduction in blood pressure. Statistically significant negative correlations were observed between the extent of initial cardiovascular risk markers (autoantibody titres, 8-isoprostane, sVCAM-1 and baPWV) and the effect of intervention. This suggested that individuals with elevated oxidative stress, inflammation, and/or arterial stiffness may receive more benefit from SSE supplementation.

Serotonin derivatives, major safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seed antioxidants, inhibit low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation and atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

The effects of defatted safflower seed extract and its phenolic constituents, serotonin derivatives, on atherosclerosis were studied. Ethanol-ethyl acetate extract of safflower seeds (SSE) inhibited low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation induced in vitro by an azo-containing free-radical initiator V70 or copper ions. Two serotonin derivatives [N-(p-coumaroyl)serotonin, CS; N-feruloylserotonin, FS] and their glucosides were identified as the major phenolic constituents of the extract. The study with chemically synthesized materials revealed that a majority of the antioxidative activity of SSE was attributable to the aglycones of these two serotonin derivatives. Orally administered CS and FS suppressed CuSO(4)-induced plasma oxidation ex vivo. Long-term (15 week) dietary supplementation of SSE (1.0 wt %/wt) and synthetic serotonin derivatives (0.2-0.4%) significantly reduced the atherosclerotic lesion area in the aortic sinus of apolipoprotein E-deficient mice (29.2-79.7% reduction). The plasma level of both lipid peroxides and anti-oxidized LDL autoantibody titers decreased concomitantly with the reduction of lesion formation. Serotonin derivatives were detected as both intact and conjugated metabolites in the plasma of C57BL/6J mice fed on 1.0% SSE diet. These findings demonstrate that serotonin derivatives of SSE are absorbed into circulation and attenuate atherosclerotic lesion development possibly because of the inhibition of oxidized LDL formation through their strong antioxidative activity.

Identification and preliminary SAR studies of (+)-Geodin as a glucose uptake stimulator for rat adipocytes.

(+)-Geodin (1) was isolated from Penicillium glabrum AJ117540 with activity that stimulates glucose uptake by rat adipocytes. Unlike insulin it is active in the presence of wortmannin. Dihydrogeodin (2) and sulochrin (3) which are the precursors of (+)-geodin biosynthesis were also isolated from the same fungus. Preliminary SAR studies of 1 showed some analogues had enhanced activity. Especially, the activities of racemic geodin and dibromo analogue (7a) were comparable to that of the natural product. Geodin (1), a known fungal metabolite, was isolated from Penicillium glabrum AJ117540 as an active substance (Fig. 1). Dihydrogeodin (2) and sulochrin (3), the precursors of 1, were also isolated from the same fungal extract. In this study, preliminary mechanistic insight and SAR are reported.

Growth-inhibitory effect of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor on human pancreatic cancer cells and expression of Bcl-2 family.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating malignant tumors in humans and novel modalities for treatment need to be developed. We studied the mechanism of the growth-inhibitory effect of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) inhibitor on human pancreatic cancer cells from the point of view of expression of the Bcl-2 family proteins. Growth of AsPC-1 and COLO-357 human pancreatic cancer cells was inhibited by a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) inhibitor, wortmannin, and this growth-inhibitory effect was more marked in medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) than in serum-free medium. In these cells, DNA fragmentation increased with the concentration of wortmannin in a dose-dependent manner. In Panc-1 human pancreatic cancer cells, cell growth and induction of DNA fragmentation were not influenced by treatment with wortmannin at concentrations up to 25 microM. Western blot analysis showed a decrease in expression of BclXL protein in AsPC-1 and COLO-357 cells by treatment with 25 microM wortmannin and this decrease was especially prominent in AsPC-1 cells. On the other hand, the expression of BclXL protein in Panc-1 cells was not influenced by treatment with wortmannin. The expression of BclXS protein was not detected by conventional Western blotting and the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax protein was not altered by wortmannin in all three cell lines. Decrease in expression of BclXL protein could be partly involved in the growth-inhibitory effect of the PI 3-K inhibitor, wortmannin, on pancreatic cancer cells. Although the growth of Panc-1 cells was not inhibited by wortmannin, PI 3-K inhibitor could still be one of the candidates for treatment of pancreatic cancer and BclXL could be a target for gene therapy.

A case of autoimmune pancreatitis responding to steroid therapy. Evidence of histologic recovery.

We report a case of autoimmune pancreatitis without obvious evidence of autoimmunological participation, which responded well to steroid treatment and provided histologic and radiographic evidence for this improvement. A 68-year-old woman presented abdominal fullness, diffuse pancreatic swelling on abdominal computed tomography and ultrasonography, and diffuse narrowing of the main pancreatic duct on endoscopic retrograde pancreatography. Transgastric aspiration needle biopsy of the body of the pancreas performed under endoscopic ultrasonography showed severe atrophy of acinar cells, infiltration of T lymphocytes. She was diagnosed as having autoimmune pancreatitis without obvious evidence of autoimmunological participation. Administration of 30 mg/day of predonisolone was started. Computed tomography showed marked improvement of the diffuse swelling of the pancreas, and endoscopic retrograde pancreatograpy showed amelioration of the narrowing of the main pancreatic duct after the start of treatment. Pancreatic tissue obtained by needle biopsy after the start of treatment with predonisolone revealed marked histologic improvement, including amelioration of the fibrosis, and infiltration of inflammatory lymphocytes, and a substantial increase in the number of pancreatic acinar cells. The present report is the first to demonstrate histologic recovery of autoimmune pancreatitis after steroid therapy.