• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.89-92
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• 2017

Aconitum Heterophyllum (A. Heterophyllum) is an indigenous medicinal plant of India and belongs to the family Ranunculaceae. A. Heterophyllum is known to possess a number of therapeutic effects. For very ancient times, this plant has been used in some formulations in the traditional healing system of India, i.e., Ayurveda. It is reported to have use in treating patients with urinary infections, diarrhea, and inflammation. It also has been used as an expectorant and for the promotion of hepatoprotective activity. The chemical studies of the plant have revealed that various parts of the plant contain alkaloids, carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids, saponins, glycosides, quinones, flavonoids, terpenoids, etc. In the present study, a comprehensive phytochemistry and pharmacognosy, as well as the medicinal properties, of A. Heterophyllum are discussed. Scientific information on the plant was collected from various sources, such as electronic sources (Google scholar, Pubmed) and some old classical text books of Ayurveda and Ethnopharmacology. The study also presents a review of the literature on A. Heterophyllum, as well as the primary pharmacological and other important findings on this medicine. This review article should provide useful information to and be a valuable tool for new researchers who are initiating studies on the plant A. Heterophyllum.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 1994

Substituted anthrasemiquinone radical anions, which were formed by laser flash photoreduction of the substituted anthraquinone (1,4-DHAQ, 1,5-DHAQ, 1,8-DHAQ, 1,8-DCAQ), were studied by the electron spin resonance spectroscopy in the mixed solvents of the 2-propanol and the triethylamine. Hyperfine splitting constants (hfsc) were determined by simulating the ESR spectra. Extended Huckel Molecular Orbital (EHMO) calculations were performed to obtain $\pi$ spin densities for these quinones. The hyperfine splitting constants could be assigned to specific protons on the basis of $\pi$ spin densities.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.685-690
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• 2006

The differences in microbial community structures between planktonic microorganism and biofilm in rivers were investigated using respiratory quinone profiles. The compositions of microbial quinone for 4 tributaries of the Kyongan Stream located in/flowing through Yongin City, Gyeonggi-Do were analyzed. Ubiquinone(UQ)-8, UQ-9, menaquinone(MK)-6 and Plastoquinone(PQ)-9 were observed in all samples of planktonic microorganism and biofilm for the sites investigated, Most planktonic microorganism and biofilm had UQ-8(15 to 30%) and PQ-9(over 30%) as the dominant quinone type. These results indicated that oxygenic phototrophic microbes(cyanobacteria and/or eukaryotic phytoplankton) and UQ-8 containing proteobacteria constituted major microbial populations in the river. The quinone concentration in the river waters tested, which reflects the concentration of planktonic microorganisms, increases with increasing DOC. Further research into this is required. The microbial diversities of planktonic microorganism and biofilm calculated based on the composition of all quinones were in the range from 4.2 to 7.5, which was lower than those for activated sludge(ranging from 11 to 14.8) and soils(ranging from 13.4 to 16.8). The use of quinone profile appears to be a useful tool for the analysis of microbial community structure in river.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.175-192
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• 2006

Screening for the cytotoxicity from plant origin is the first stage for anti-cancer drug development. A variety of terpenoids with exomethylene, epoxide, allyl, $\alpha,\beta-unsaturated$ carbonyl, acetylenes, and $\alpha-methylene-\gamma-lactone$ induces apoptosis and/or differentiation as well as cytotoxicity through the ROS signal transduction pathways. These are found among monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, flavonoids, coumarins, diarylheptanoids, and even organosulfuric compounds. The most essential characteristics of natural cytotoxic substances is to possess the strong electrophilicity that is susceptible to nucleophilic biomolecules in the cell. Thiol-reductants and superoxide dismutase can block or delay apoptosis. Thus, ROS and the resulting cellular redox-potential changes can be parts of the signal transduction pathway during apoptosis. Disturbance of the balance of oxireduction by the pigment of natural quinones also caused the induction of the differentiation and apoptosis. Saponins with the cytotoxicity are restricted to their monodesmosides, rather than to bisdesmosides. Those saponins exhibited calcium ion-mediated apoptosis in addition to cytotoxicity whereas they showed also differentiation without extracellular calcium ion. The properties on cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and differentiation were assumed to depend on resultant oxidative stress to the cells. In this review, we describe a spectrum of cytotoxic compounds with various action mechanisms.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.206-213
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• 1996

NADH-quinone reductase was purified 22-fold from the cytosolic fraction of Streptomyces sp. Imsnu-1 to apparent hemogenity, with an overall yield of 9%, by the purification procedure consisting of ammonium, sulfate precipitation and DEAE Sephacryl S-200 and DEAE 5 PW chromatographies. Thes molecular mass of the enzyme determined by gel filtration chromatography was found to be 110 kDa. SDS-PAGE revealed that the enzyme consists of two sugunits with a molecular mass of 54 kDa. The enzyme contained 1 mol of FMN per subunit as a cofactor. The $A_{272}$ A$_{457}$ ratio was 6.14 and the molar extinction coefficients were calculated to be 20, 800 and 25, 400M$^{-1}$ $cm^{-1}$ / AT 349 AND 457 nm, respectively. The N-terminal sequence of the enzyme contained the highly conserved fingerprint of ADP-binding domain. The enzyme used NADH as an electron donor and various quinones as electron acceptors. Cytochrome c was practically inactive. Air-stable flavin semiquinone was produced by the addition of NADH to the enzyme. Also, naphthosemiquinone was detected in the reaction mixture containing the enzyme.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.142-146
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• 1988

Metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene, the most thoroughly studied PAH, was studied in mouse placental microsomes incubated with $^3$H-labeled B(a)P. B(a)P metabolites were separated using HPLC fitted with a C18- $\mu$ Bondapak column. The single major metabolite by mouse placental microsomes induced by B(a)P was 7, 8-diol B(a)P, while 4, 5-diol B(a)P, 3-OH and quinones constituted minor metabolites. Treatment with 3-methyl-cholanthrene to mice resulted in indudion of hydroxy B(a)P and quinone compounds. Phenobarbital treated mouse placental microsomes also showed elevated level of B(a)P metabolism with 7, 8-diol B(a)P as a major metabolite.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.599-609
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• 1998

In search for new antitumor agents, twelve 6-aziridinylbenzimidazole derivatives were synthesized and their cytotoxicities were tested against three cancer cell lines (mouse lymphocytic leukemia P388 and B16, and human gastric carcinoma SNU-16). From 4-amino-3-nitrotoluene as the starting material, 2-(acetoxymethyl)benzimidazoles (5a-d) were obtained by Phillips reaction. These benzimidazoles were then reacted with Fremy's salt to give a mixture of three 2-(acetoxymethyl) (8a-c) and four 2-(hydroxymethyl)benzimidazole-4,7-diones (9a-d). Addition of these quinones with aziridine afforded 6-aziridinyl-2-(acetoxymethyl) (10a-c) and 6-aziridinyl-2-(hydroxymethyl)benzimidazole-4,7-diones (11a-d). Utilizing 2-(hydroxymethyl)benzimidazole-4,7-diones (9b,d), esters 10d and 13e-h were prepared by the sequential reactions of esterification and addition. The synthesized compounds show potent cytotoxicity against all of three cell lines tested. The cytotoxicities of 10a-d or 11a-d against SNU-16 were wuperior to those of 13e-h, and were equal to or slightly higher than that of mitomycin C. compounds 11a-d were slightly more cytotoxic than 10a-d in all cell lines tested.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.679-685
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• 2002

The objective of this study was investigated for the microbial community structure and treatment performance of domestic wastewater in lab-scale submerged membrane bioreactor operated with anoxic-oxic cycles. Respiratory quinone profiles were applied as tools for identifying different bacterial populations. The cycle time program of bioreactor was control under anoxic/oxic of 60/90 minutes with an hydraulic retention time of 8.4 hrs. The average $COD_{Cr}$ removal efficiency of domestic wastewater was as high as 93%. The results showed complete nitrification of $NH_4^+$-N generated during oxic period and up to 50% of the total nitrogen could be denitrified. The dominant quinone types of suspended microorganisms in bioreactor were ubiquinone (UQ)-8, -10, followed by menaquinone (MK)-6, and MK-7 for anoxic period, but those for oxic period were UQ-8, MK-6, followed by UQ-10 and MK-7. The microbial diversities of bioreactor at anoxic and oxic periods, calculated based on the composition of all quinones were 10.4 and 12.2-11.8, respectively. The experimental results showed that the microbial community structure in the submerged membrane bioreactor treating domestic wastewater was slightly affected by intermittent aeration.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.135-145
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• 2020

Infections caused by Trichomonas vaginalis in humans are one of the main public health problems caused by sexually transmitted diseases. Objective of this study was to evaluate potential biological activity of the medicinal plant Argemone mexicana (Mexican poppy) on T. vaginalis. Methanolic extracts of the stems and leaves of A. mexicana, and different fractions were prepared with solvents of different polarities. The extracts and functional groups were detected containing sterols, triterpenes, quinones, flavonoids and, alkaloids. Extracts from both the stems and leaves of A. mexicana inhibited the growth of T. vaginalis with half-maximal inhibitory concentration value of 70.6 and 67.2 ㎍/ml, respectively. In the active fractions, the most abundant compounds were berberine and jatrorrhizine, with presumed antiparasitic activity.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.890-895
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• 1997

The approximate rates and stoichiometry of the reaction of excess lithium tripiperidinoaluminum hydride (LTPDA), an alicyclic aminoaluminum hydride, with selected organic compounds containing representative functional groups under the standardized conditions (tetrahydrofuran, 25°) were examined in order to define the reducing characteristics of the reagent for selective reductions. The reducing ability of LTPDA was also compared with those of the parent lithium aluminum hydride (LAH) and lithium tris(diethylamino)aluminum hydride (LTDEA), a representative aliphatic aminoaluminum hydride. In general, the reactivity of LTPDA toward organic functionalities is weaker than LTDEA and much weaker than LAH. LTPDA shows a unique reducing characteristics. Thus, benzyl alcohol, phenol and thiols evolve a quantitative amount of hydrogen rapidly. The rate of hydrogen evolution of primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols is distinctive. LTPDA reduces aldehydes, ketones, esters, acid chlorides and epoxides readily to the corresponding alcohols. Quinones, such as p-benzoquinone and anthraquinone, are reduced to the corresponding diols without hydrogen evolution. Tertiary amides and nitriles are also reduced readily to the corresponding amines. The reagent reduces nitro compounds and azobenzene to the amine stages. Disulfides are reduced to thiols, and sulfoxides and sulfones are converted to sulfides. Additionally, the reagent appears to be a good partial reducing agent to convert primary carboxamides into the corresponding aldehydes.