The zygomycete Mortierella alpina is a well-known
producer of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the food industry. Two
series of its secondary metabolites are reported: Malpinins, a family
of amphiphilic acetylated hexapeptides, were chemically characterized
and serve as natural emulsifiers during lipid secretion. Additionally,
hydrophobic cyclopentapeptides, malpibaldins, were structurally elucidated
by NMR experiments, and their absolute stereochemistry was elucidated
through chemical derivatization and synthesis. This work highlights
lower fungi as a novel reservoir for natural products.
Aim: To simulate the stability and degradation of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNP) in vitro as part of their life cycle using complex simulated biological fluids. Materials & methods: A set of 13 MNP with different polymeric or inorganic shell materials was synthesized and characterized regarding stability and degradation of core and shell in simulated biological fluids. Results: All MNP formulations showed excellent stability during storage and in simulated body fluid. In endosomal/lysosomal media the degradation behavior depended on shell characteristics (e.g., charge, acid-base character) and temperature enabling the development of an accelerated stress test protocol. Conclusion: Kinetics of transformations depending on the MNP type could be established to define structure-activity relationships as prediction model for rational particle design.
Scope
Intake of flavonoids from the diet can be substantial, and epidemiological studies suggest that these compounds can decrease the incidence of cardiovascular diseases by involvement with increased platelet aggregation. Although parent flavonoids possess antiplatelet effects, the clinical importance is disputable due to their very low bioavailability. Most of them are metabolized by human colon bacteria to smaller phenolic compounds, which reach higher plasma concentrations than the parent flavonoids. In this study, a series of 29 known flavonoid metabolites is tested for antiplatelet potential.
Methods and results
Four compounds appear to have a biologically relevant antiplatelet effect using whole human blood. 4‐Methylcatechol (4‐MC) is clearly the most efficient being about 10× times more active than clinically used acetylsalicylic acid. This ex vivo effect is also confirmed using a potentially novel in‐vivo‐like ex ovo hen's egg model of thrombosis, where 4‐MC significantly increases the survival of the eggs. The mechanism of action is studied and it seems that it is mainly based on the influence on intracellular calcium signaling.
Conclusion
This study shows that some flavonoid metabolites formed by human microflora have a strong antiplatelet effect. This information can help to explain the antiplatelet potential of orally given flavonoids.
Aim: In this study, the influence of a serum albumin (SA) and human plasma (HP) derived protein- and lipid molecule corona on the toxicity and biodegradability of different iron oxide...
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