Chemistry of the true cedars

Four species of Cedus, designated as “True Cedars”, are widely distributed over the Asian subcontinent and are well known for their wood and medicinal properties. Consequently they have been investigated extensively over the last three decades. A review of the chemical constituents in various parts of these species and the biological activities reported in these investigations is presented.     

Chemistry and biochemistry of lipid peroxidation products

Abstract

Oxidative stress and resulting lipid peroxidation is involved in various and numerous pathological states including inflammation, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. This review is focused on recent advances concerning the formation, metabolism and reactivity towards macromolecules of lipid peroxidation breakdown products, some of which being considered as ‘second messengers’ of oxidative stress. This review relates also new advances regarding apoptosis induction, survival/proliferation processes and autophagy regulated by 4-hydroxynonenal, a major product of omega-6 fatty acid peroxidation, in relationship with detoxication mechanisms. The use of these lipid peroxidation products as oxidative stress/lipid peroxidation biomarkers is also addressed.     

Preparation of paraffin sections for the immunofluorescent analysis of antigens of differing chemical nature]

The author suggests a technique for preparation of paraffine sections from tissues fixed with acetone permitting to detect antigens of various chemical nature, including alpha-fetoprotein, antigens of mouse leukemia viruses, alcohol-soluble antigens of hepatocyte membranes, and some phospholipids.