Acaricidal activity against Tetranychus urticae and essential oil composition of four Croton species from Caatinga biome in northeastern Brazil

Volatile components of essential oils from the leaves and stems of Croton jacobinensis, C. rhamnifolius, C. muscicapa and C. micans, which are medicinal plants found in the Caatinga biome of northeastern Brazil, were analyzed using GC and GC/MS. The acaricidal activity of these oils against Tetranychus urticae was evaluated using the fumigation method. Oil yields from the Croton species ranged from 1.1 +/- 0.0 to 0.6 +/- 0.0%, w/w, for leaves and 0.7 +/- 0.0 to 0.1 +/- 0.0% for stems. Sesquiterpenoids were dominant in all oils, except the stem oil from C. rhamnifolius, which exhibited a high monoterpene content, and the leaf and stem oils from C. muscicapa, which were rich in phenylpropanoids. The major volatile components of the leaf and stem oils from C. jacobinensis were (Z)-alpha-atlantone (24.3 +/- 0.4%) and trans-isolongifolanone (22.8 +/- 0.5%), respectively. The most abundant constituents detected in C. rhamnifolius were alpha-cedrene epoxide (23.3 +/- 0.1%) and caryophyllene oxide (21.9 +/- 0.0%) in the leaf oil, and camphor (16.6 +/- 0.5%) and tricyclene (12.8 +/- 0.1%) in the stem oil. Foenicolin was the main compound identified in the leaf (50.6 +/- 0.2%) and stem (72.7 +/- 0.6%) oils of C. muscicapa, while alpha-bulnesene (32.9 +/- 0.2%) and guaiol (17.9 +/- 0.7%) were the principal components of C. micans oils. These oils exhibited a high degree of toxicity in the fumigation assay. The stem oils from C. jacobinensis and C. rhamnifolius exhibited high lethality rates, with LC50 values of 0.3 and 0.2 microL/L of air after 24 h, respectively. The results suggest the potential use of stem essential oil, especially from C. rhamnifolius and C. jacobinensis, for the integrated control of Tetranychus urticae.     

Essential oil composition and acaricidal activity of Schinus terebinthifolius from Atlantic Forest of Pernambuco, Brazil against Tetranychus urticae

The compositions of the essential oils from unripe (UFr) and ripe (RFr) fruits of Schinus terebinthifolius were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The major compound identified in both oils was limonene (UFr = 44.1 +/- 1.3%; RFr = 31.8 +/- 1.2%), followed by alpha-phellandrene (15.7 +/- 0.4%) in the UFr oil and thujene (21.7 +/- 0.9%) in the RFr oil. Repellent and toxicity activities of the two oils were also evaluated, and the results compared with eugenol. The UFr oil was more active in the fumigation tests (LC50 = 1.46 microL/L of air), whereas the RFr oil was more active in the sealed dishes (SD) than open dishes (OD) contact assay (LC50 = 3.04 microL/cm2) and not significantly different from eugenol. Both oils exhibited significant repellent activity comparable with that of eugenol. The results suggest that the repellent activity of these oils in association with its toxicity could be a great advantage for the integrated management of T. urticae.     

Mechanistic studies on the alkyltransferase activity of serotonin N-acetyltransferase

BACKGROUND: Serotonin N-acetyltransferase (arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase, AANAT) catalyzes the first, rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of the circadian hormone melatonin (5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine) from serotonin. Our recent discovery that, in addition to catalyzing the acetyl transfer from acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoASH) to serotonin, AANAT is also a robust catalyst for the alkyl transfer reaction between CoASH and N-bromoacetyltryptamine has not only opened up a new way to develop cell-permeable AANAT acetyltransferase inhibitors that are valuable in vivo tools in helping elucidate melatonin's (patho)physiological roles, but has also raised a question - how does AANAT accelerate the alkyl transfer reaction? In this study, mechanistic aspects of the AANAT-catalyzed alkyl transfer reaction were explored by employing CoASH and a series of N-haloacetyltryptamines that were also evaluated for their AANAT acetyltransferase inhibitory activities. RESULTS: Investigation of various N-haloacetyltryptamine analogs showed a similar leaving group effect on the enzymatic and non-enzymatic reaction rates. Steady-state kinetic analyses demonstrated that AANAT alkyltransferase obeys a sequential, ternary complex mechanism, with random substrate binding. Rate versus pH profiles revealed the catalytic importance of an ionizable group with pK(a) of approximately 7. All those N-haloacetyltryptamines that serve as substrates of AANAT alkyltransferase are also potent (low micromolar) in vitro inhibitors against AANAT acetyltransferase activity. In particular, N-chloroacetyltryptamine was also shown to be a potent inhibitor of intracellular melatonin production in a pineal cell culture assay. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first detailed investigation of the alkyltransferase activity associated with an acetyltransferase. Our results indicate that AANAT does not accelerate the alkyl transfer reaction by simple approximation effect as previously proposed for the similar alkyl transfer reaction catalyzed by other acyltransferases. This study has general implications for developing novel inhibitors by taking advantage of the promiscuous alkyltransferase activity associated with several acyltransferases.     

Vibronic activity in the two-photon spectrum of pyrene

A CNDO/S Cl calculation of the two-photon vibronic activity of some b_1u and b_2u vibrational modes of pyrene is presented. The two-photon amplitude tensor is discussed in terms of vibronic coupling coefficients calculated by means of the orbital-following method. The results are in good agreement with the experimental data taken from a recently observed two-photon spectrum of pyrene in a Shpolskii matrix. The role of the ground-state coupling with the first excited B_1u state has been investigated and is shown to be responsible for most of the vibronically induced two-photon intensity of the spectrum. The calculations also show that the 1310 cm^?1 (b_1u; observed ground-state value) mode is associated with the largest vibronic coupling coefficients and the strongest two-photon amplitude tensor and therefore must be correlated with the most intense B_1u X b_1u false origin ≈ 1496 cm^?1 from the pure (0-0) line.     

Vibronic activity in the two-photon spectrum of pyrimidine

The vibronic activity revealed by the TPE spectrum of pyrimidine has been examined and calculated in detail through a set of semi-empirical calculations. The results confirm previous interpretations of the experimental data and contribute to assign the symmetry of the lowest excited singlet states. Moreover, the most active modes have been individuated and the mechanisms of vibronic borrowing have been compared in the case of one-photon and two-photon spectra.     

Vibronic activity in the fluorescence and absorption spectrum of pyrene

The vibronic coupling terms responsible for the intensity of the b_3g modes in the absorption and emission spectra of pyrene and pyrene-d₁₀ have been calculated taking into account both the Herzberg-Teller (HT) mechanism and the Born-Op-penheimer (BO) breakdown mechanism. The calculations have been carried out in the orbital-following scheme, implemented by the INDO/S Hamiltonian. The results, reproducing the main spectral features, such as the large difference observed in the intensity patterns of the two spectra, are discussed in terms of interference between HT and BO mechanisms, isotopic redistribution and the Duschinsky effect.     

Action of cottonplant glycoproteins on the proliferative activity of cells

A mitogenic action of the total (LLPs) and lactose-specific (LLPs-1) lectin-like proteins on the proliferation of lymphocytes and of myeloma cells in culture has been found. A dose-dependent influence of the LLPs and extensin-like proteins (ELPs) on the inclusion of³H proteins in the myeloma cells, including an antimitotic effect of the ELPs with an increase in the protein dose, has been shown; the ELPs exert an analogous action on K–562 tumor cells of human erythroblasts. The nature of the biological action of the LLPs and ELPs is discussed in connection with features of the structure of the carbohydrate fragments of the composition of the glycoproteins.A. S. Sadykov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences, Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, fax (3712) 62 70 71. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 912–915, November–December, 1996. Original article submitted May 20, 1996.     

Action spectrum and quantum yield for the photoinactivation of mnemiopsin, a bioluminescent photoprotein from the Ctenophore mnemiopsis SP.

Abstract— Ctenophores are bioluminescent marine invertebrates closely related to the coelenterates. The isolated bioluminescent systems of the ctenophores Mnemiopsis and Beroë and the hydrozoan jellyfish Aequorea are protein-luciferin complexes (photoproteins) which flash upon the addition of Ca²⁺ ions. The photoprotein mnemiopsin has an oxygen-independent quantum yield for photoinactivation of bioluminescence as high as 0.5, placing it among the most light-sensitive proteins known. We have measured the action spectrum for this photoinactivation at 107 narrow (3.4 nm) wavelength bands between 230 nm and 570 nm, covering a range of four decade units in the action. The action spectrum in the visible region is identical with the absorption spectrum of native photoprotein, implicating bound luciferin. The UV action spectrum implies that absorption by aromatic amino acid residues also leads to extremely efficient photoinactivation. Although photoinactivation is a rapid first-order reaction, destruction of the luciferin is a slower, multiple-order process. Therefore, protein-bound luciferin is not the ultimate target of the photoinactivation. Absorption of light results in the dissociation of “active oxygen” from the photoprotein. Therefore, the ctenophore photoprotein is a precharged enzyme already containing bound luciferin and oxygen.     

Investigating the spectrum of biological activity of ring-substituted salicylanilides and carbamoylphenylcarbamates

In this study, a series of twelve ring-substituted salicylanilides and carbamoylphenylcarbamates were prepared and characterized. The compounds were analyzed using RP-HPLC to determine lipophilicity. They were tested for their activity related to the inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport (PET) in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) chloroplasts. Moreover, their site of action in the photosynthetic apparatus was determined. Primary in vitro screening of the synthesized compounds was also performed against mycobacterial, bacterial and fungal strains. Several compounds showed biological activity comparable with or higher than the standards 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea, isoniazid, penicillin G, ciprofloxacin or fluconazole. The most active compounds showed minimal anti-proliferative activity against human cells in culture, indicating they would have low cytotoxicity. For all compounds, the relationships between lipophilicity and the chemical structure are discussed.     

Action of light on the relative activity of peroxidase in the aerobic oxidation of lignin

It has been established that the activity of peroxidase depends to a considerable degree on the radiation dose and the spectral composition of the light. A special sensitivity of the enzyme to the action of the blue and red regions of the spectrum has been shown. In the investigation it was found that light with a wavelength greater than 520 nm promotes the liberation, and short wave light the consumption, of oxygen during the aerobic oxidation of lignin in the presence of peroxidase.Siberian-Research Institute of Cellulose and Cardboard, Bratsk. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 375–378, May–June, 1984.     

PASS biological activity spectrum predictions in the enhanced open NCI database browser

The application of the program PASS (Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances) to about 250 000 compounds of the NCI Open Database and the incorporation of over 64 million PASS predictions in the Enhanced NCI Database Browser are described. A total of 565 different types of activity are included, encompassing general pharmacological effects, specific mechanisms of action, known toxicities, and others. Application of this Web-based service to prediction of activities of the kinds "Angiogenesis inhibitor," "Antiviral (HIV)", and a set of activities that can be associated with antineoplastic action are reported. For this latter data set, a very substantial enrichment over random selection was found in the PASS predictions. It is shown how the user can conduct complex searches by combining ranges of PASS-predicted probabilities of compounds to be active or to be inactive, respectively, with, e.g., value ranges of physicochemical parameters, presence or absence of particular substructural fragment, and other search criteria.     

Action of the transferase activity of phospholipase D on rat liver mitochondria

The action of phospholipase D on rat liver mitochondria in the presence of methanol, glycerol, and ethanolamine has been studied. The phospholipid compositions of the modified and native mitochondria have been determined. Incubation of the mitochondria with phospholipase D led to a considerable decrease in the activities of cytochrome c oxidase and NADH-cytochrome reductase.     

Action of the transferase activity of phospholipase D on rat liver mitochondria

The action of phospholipase D on rat liver mitochondria in the presence of methanol, glycerol, and ethanolamine has been studied. The phospholipid compositions of the modified and native mitochondria have been determined. Incubation of the mitochondria with phospholipase D led to a considerable decrease in the activities of cytochrome c oxidase and NADH-cytochrome reductase.Institute of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Scientific Center, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Vladivostok. Far Eastern State University, Vladivostok. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 364–369, May–June, 1982.     

Wavelet based spectrum processing for reduction of counting duration for quantitative estimation of ultra-trace activity in environmental matrices

A simple wavelet transformation based pre-processing method is employed to minimize the duration of counting for gamma spectrometric measurements of samples from environmental matrices. Among the various forms of analyzing wavelets, a suitable one is chosen for this purpose. Measurements with 55 different counting durations were subjected to the wavelet based processing and results were compared with long duration counting time measurements of ⁴⁰K, ¹³⁷Cs, radionuclide from ²³⁸U series (²¹⁴Bi, ²¹⁴Pb) and ²³²Th series (²²⁸Ac, ²¹²Bi, ²¹²Pb, ²⁰⁸Tl). It is observed that with a proper choice of the wavelet function a tenfold reduction in counting duration can be achieved with errors <5 %.     

Action spectra for photoreactivation of mutation of prototrophy in strains of Escherichia coli possessing and lacking photoreactivating-enzyme activity

Abstract— The action spectrum and dose-rate dependence for photoreactivation of mutation to prototrophy in late-lag-phase cultures of Escherichia coli H³r30 (which lacks active photo-reactivating enzyme) are roughly similar to those for photoprotection from killing in other strains. It is suggested that photoreactivation of this mutation in H/r30 is an indirect effect, similar in mechanism to photoprotection. The action spectrum and dose-rate dependence for photoreactivation of mutation to prototrophy in late-lag-phase cultures of E. coli H³r30-R (which possesses active photoreactivating enzyme) are roughly similar to those for photoreactivation of killing in most other strains. It is suggested that photoreactivation of this mutation in H/r30-R is a direct effect at long wavelengths, but that there is an indirect component at short wavelengths. A quite different interpretation of these data is noted. Finally, it is found that, under the conditions of these experiments, indirect photoreactivation of killing in H/r30 and H/r30-R is weak or nonexistent.     

Investigating the spectrum of biological activity of substituted quinoline-2-carboxamides and their isosteres

In this study, a series of thirty-five substituted quinoline-2-carboxamides and thirty-three substituted naphthalene-2-carboxamides were prepared and characterized. They were tested for their activity related to the inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport (PET) in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) chloroplasts. Primary in vitro screening of the synthesized compounds was also performed against four mycobacterial species. N-Cycloheptylquinoline-2-carboxamide, N-cyclohexylquinoline-2-carboxamide and N-(2-phenylethyl)quinoline-2-carboxamide showed higher activity against M. tuberculosis than the standards isoniazid or pyrazinamide and 2-(pyrrolidin-1-ylcarbonyl)quinoline and 1-(2-naphthoyl)pyrrolidine expressed higher activity against M. kansasii and M. avium paratuberculosis than the standards isoniazid or pyrazinamide. The most effective antimycobacterial compounds demonstrated insignificant toxicity against the human monocytic leukemia THP-1 cell line. The PET-inhibiting activity expressed by IC(50) value of the most active compound N-benzyl-2-naphthamide was 7.5 μmol/L. For all compounds, the structure-activity relationships are discussed.     

Temperature dependence of the general spectrum for water

Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 89–97, January–February, 1990.     

Angular distribution of the photoelectron spectrum for benzene

The angular distribution of photoelectrons ejected from benzene using 21.22 eV radiation has been measured and the results applied to the analysis of the ionization bands.     

Molecular orientation of spider silks in the natural and supercontracted states

Two theoretical models are presented to predict average molecular orientation properties of spider silk which has unknown molecular orientation and chemical structure. Birefringence and elongation (or shrinkage) data are required for two distinct lengths of a sample in order to fit the data. The first model is based on the assumptions that each molecule behaves as the average and that the deformations are affine. The second model is based on a random distribution of the molecules as the fiber is first formed and that the molecular deformations are affine when the fiber is elongated to any length. Data were taken from spider silks in the natural state and in a shrunken state (due to water). The second model gives a much better fit of the data. The models are applicable to other systems.