Synthesis, Structure-Property Evaluation and Biological Assessment of Supramolecular Assemblies of Bioactive Glass with Glycyrrhizic Acid and Its Monoammonium Salt.

Medical nutrients obtained from plants have been used in traditional medicine since ancient times, owning to the protective and therapeutic properties of plant extracts and products. Glycyrrhizic acid is one of those that, apart from its therapeutic effect, may contribute to stronger bones, inhibiting bone resorption and improving the bone structure and biomechanical strength. In the present study, we investigated the effect of a bioactive glass (BG) addition to the structure-property relationships of supramolecular assemblies formed by glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and its monoammonium salt (MSGA). FTIR spectra of supramolecular assemblies evidenced an interaction between BG components and hydroxyl groups of MSGA and GA. Moreover, it was revealed that BG components may interact and bond to the carboxyl groups of MSGA. In order to assess their biological effects, BG, MSGA, and their supramolecular assemblies were introduced to a culture of human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs). Both the BG and MSGA had positive influence on BMSC growth, viability, and osteogenic differentiation-these positive effects were most pronounced when BG1d-BG and MSGA were introduced together into cell culture in the form of MSGA:BG assemblies. In conclusion, MSGA:BG assemblies revealed a promising potential as a candidate material intended for application in bone defect reconstruction and bone tissue engineering approaches.

Effects of prodigiosin family compounds from Pseudoalteromonas sp. 1020R on the activities of protein phosphatases and protein kinases.

Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain 1020R produces prodigiosin and its closely related congeners, which differ in the length of their alkyl side chains. These red-pigmented compounds were found to exhibit cytotoxicity against human leukemia cell lines. The compounds also showed dose-dependent inhibitory effects on protein phosphatase 2A and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), while remaining relatively inactive against protein kinases, including protein tyrosine kinase, Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase and protein kinases A and C. Comparative studies of the individual pigmented compounds on PTP1B inhibition showed that as the chain length of the alkyl group at the C-3 position of the compound increased, the inhibitory effect on PTP1B decreased. These results suggest that protein phosphatases but not protein kinases might be involved in the cytotoxicity of the prodigiosin family of compounds against malignant cells.

Cytotoxic prodigiosin family pigments from Pseudoalteromonas sp. 1020R isolated from the Pacific coast of Japan.

Pseudoalteromonas sp. 1020R, isolated from the Pacific coast of Japan, produces prodigiosin family pigments. Structural analysis indicated that these are prodigiosin (2-methyl-3-pentyl-prodiginine) and three other prodigiosin congeners which differ only in the lengths of the alkyl side chains. These compounds exhibited different extents of cytotoxicity against U937 leukemia cells, and cell death was accompanied by typical features of apoptosis.

Bioactive pigments from marine bacteria: applications and physiological roles.

Research into natural products from the marine environment, including microorganisms, has rapidly increased over the past two decades. Despite the enormous difficulty in isolating and harvesting marine bacteria, microbial metabolites are increasingly attractive to science because of their broad-ranging pharmacological activities, especially those with unique color pigments. This current review paper gives an overview of the pigmented natural compounds isolated from bacteria of marine origin, based on accumulated data in the literature. We review the biological activities of marine compounds, including recent advances in the study of pharmacological effects and other commercial applications, in addition to the biosynthesis and physiological roles of associated pigments. Chemical structures of the bioactive compounds discussed are also presented.

Retention prediction modeling of ginsenosides on a polyvinyl alcohol-bonded stationary phase at subambient temperatures using multiple linear regression and artificial neural network.

The development of retention prediction models for the seven ginsenosides (Rf, Rg1, Rd, Re, Rc, Rb2 and Rb1) on a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-bonded stationary phase at subambient temperatures is presented. The models were derived using multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) using the logarithm of the retention factor (log k) as the dependent variable. Using stepwise MLR, the retention of the analytes under all temperature conditions was satisfactorily described by a three-predictor model; the predictors being the percentage of acetonitrile (%MeCN) in the mobile phase, the number of hydrogen bond donors (HBD) and the ovality (Ov) of the compounds. These predictors account for the contribution of the solute-related variables (HBD and Ov) and the influence of the mobile phase composition (%MeCN) on the retention behavior of the ginsenosides. The MLR models produced adequate fits, as proven by the high calibration R2 values of the predicted versus the observed log k (> 0.95) and good predictive properties, as indicated by the high cross-validated q2 (> 0.93) and high R2 (> 0.95) values obtained from the test set. ANN modeling was also conducted using the predictors that were derived from MLR as inputs and log k as the output. A comparison of the models derived from both MLR and ANN revealed that the trained ANNs showed better predictive abilities than the MLR models in all temperature conditions as demonstrated by their higher R2 values for both training and test sets and lower average percentage deviation of the predicted log k from the observed log k of the test compounds. The ANN models also showed excellent performance when applied to the prediction of the seven ginsenosides in different sample matrices.

Retention behavior of ginsenosides on a poly(vinyl alcohol)-bonded stationary phase in hydrophilic interaction chromatography.

The influences of the organic component of the mobile phase and the column temperature on the retention of ginsenosides on a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) bonded stationary phase operated under hydrophilic interaction chromatographic mode were investigated. The retention of the ginsenosides was found to increase with increasing amount of acetonitrile (MeCN) in the mobile phase, which is typical of hydrophilic interaction chromatographic behavior. It was also found that the retention of the analytes was highly affected by the type of the organic modifier used. Aqueous MeCN (75-90%) gave the most satisfactory retention and separation of ginsenosides Rf, Rg1, Rd, Re, Rc, Rb2 and Rb1 compared with aqueous methanol, isopropyl alcohol or tetrahydrofuran at the same composition levels. The effects of the different types of organic modifiers on the retention of the analytes were attributed to their solvent strength and hydrogen-bond accepting/donating properties. The effect of temperature on the retention of ginsenoside on the PVA-bonded phase was assessed by constructing van't Hoff plots for two temperature ranges: subambient (273-293 K) and ambient-elevated (298-333 K) temperatures. van't Hoff plots for all analytes were linear at the two temperature intervals; however, the slopes of the lines corresponding to ginsenosides Rg1 and Re were completely different from those for the rest of the analytes especially in the subambient temperature range. Enthalpy-entropy compensation (EEC) studies were conducted to verify the difference in thermodynamics observed for ginsenosides Rg1 and Re compared with the other analytes. EEC plots showed that Rf, Rd, Rc, Rb2 and Rb1 were possibly retained by the same retention mechanism, which was completely different from that of Rg1 and Re at subambient temperatures. Retention prediction models were derived using multiple linear regression to identify solute attributes that affected the retention of the analytes on the PVA-bonded phase. The mathematical models derived revealed that the number of hydrogen-bond donors and the ovality of the molecules are important molecular properties that govern the retention of the compounds on the chromatographic system.