A new bacterial alcohol dehydrogenase active on degraded lignin and several low molecular weight aromatic compounds

A new intracellular bacterial dehydrogenase has been purified. It was active in the reversible reduction by NADH of conjugated carbonyl groups in partially degraded lignin. It was also active on various aromatic aldehydes such as vanillin, syringaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde, but had no effect on acetovanillone and lignin models carrying a conjugated ketone. It is proposed that this enzyme functions as a broadly specific lignin dehydrogenase at the level of aldehydic groups that are present in the lignin preparations.     

Cinnamaldehyde—A potential antidiabetic agent

Cinnamonum zeylanicum (cinnamon) is widely used in traditional system of medicine to treat diabetes in India. The present study was carried out to isolate and identify the putative antidiabetic compounds based on bioassay-guided fractionation; the compound identified decreased the plasma glucose levels. The active compound was purified by repeat column and structure of cinnamaldehyde was determined on the basis of chemical and physiochemical evidence. The LD(50) value of cinnamaldehyde was determined as 1850+/-37 mg/kg bw. Cinnamaldehyde was administered at different doses (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg bw) for 45 days to streptozotocin (STZ) (60 mg/kg bw)-induced male diabetic wistar rats. It was found that plasma glucose concentration was significantly (p<0.05) decreased in a dose-dependent manner (63.29%) compared to the control. In addition, oral administration of cinnamaldehyde (20 mg/kg bw) significantly decreased glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1C)), serum total cholesterol, triglyceride levels and at the same time markedly increased plasma insulin, hepatic glycogen and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels. Also cinnamaldehyde restored the altered plasma enzyme (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase) levels to near normal. Administration of glibenclamide, a reference drug (0.6 mg/kg bw) also produced a significant (p<0.05) reduction in blood glucose concentration in STZ-induced diabetic rats. The results of this experimental study indicate that cinnamaldehyde possesses hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects in STZ-induced diabetic rats.     

肉桂醛抗人宫颈癌相关机制的研究

目的探讨不同浓度的肉桂醛对HeLa细胞P21、CDK4蛋白表达的影响及意义。方法不同浓度的经过纯度鉴定的肉桂醛处理体外培养的HeLa细胞,培养24 h后免疫组织化学和Western blotting法检测HeLa细胞P21、CDK4蛋白表达的变化。结果肉桂醛纯度〉96.24%;肉桂醛能显著增高P21和降低CDK4蛋白在HeLa细胞中的表达,各浓度肉桂醛处理组的P21、CDK4蛋白表达与溶剂对照组相比差异均有统计学意义（P〈0.01,P〈0.05）。结论肉桂醛能上调宫颈癌HeLa细胞P21蛋白表达和下调CDK4蛋白表达,可能是促进HeLa细胞凋亡的机制之一。     

Inhibition of spontaneous mutagenesis by vanillin and cinnamaldehyde in Escherichia coli: Dependence on recombinational repair

Vanillin (VAN) and cinnamaldehyde (CIN) are dietary antimutagens that effectively inhibit both induced and spontaneous mutations. We have shown previously that VAN and CIN reduced the spontaneous mutant frequency in Salmonella TA104 (hisG428, rfa, ΔuvrB, pKM101) by approximately 50% and that both compounds significantly reduced mutations at GC sites but not at AT sites. Previous studies have suggested that VAN and CIN may reduce mutations in bacterial model systems by modulating DNA repair pathways, particularly by enhancing recombinational repair. To further explore the basis for inhibition of spontaneous mutation by VAN and CIN, we have determined the effects of these compounds on survival and mutant frequency in five Escherichia coli strains derived from the wild-type strain NR9102 with different DNA repair backgrounds. At nontoxic doses, both VAN and CIN significantly reduced mutant frequency in the wild-type strain NR9102, in the nucleotide excision repair-deficient strain NR11634 (uvrB), and in the recombination-proficient but SOS-deficient strain NR11475 (recA430). In contrast, in the recombination-deficient and SOS-deficient strain NR11317 (recA56), both VAN and CIN not only failed to inhibit the spontaneous mutant frequency but actually increased the mutant frequency. In the mismatch repair-defective strain NR9319 (mutL), only CIN was antimutagenic. Our results show that the antimutagenicity of VAN and CIN against spontaneous mutation required the RecA recombination function but was independent of the SOS and nucleotide excision repair pathways. Thus, we propose the counterintuitive notion that these antimutagens actually produce a type of DNA damage that elicits recombinational repair (but not mismatch, SOS, or nucleotide excision repair), which then repairs not only the damage induced by VAN and CIN but also other DNA damage—resulting in an antimutagenic effect on spontaneous mutation.     

桂皮醛亚微乳注射剂中桂皮醛的含量测定研究

目的:建立桂皮醛亚微乳注射剂中桂皮醛含量的测定方法。方法:采用高效液相色谱法,按照固定相为色谱柱Diamonsil C18柱(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm);流动相为乙腈:0.5%冰乙酸水溶液(60:40),检测波长为288 nm,流速为1.0 m L·min~(-1),柱温为25℃,进样量为10μL的进样条件,测定桂皮醛亚微乳注射剂中桂皮醛的含量。结果:桂皮醛在5~100μg·mL~(-1)浓度范围内呈良好的线性关系,标准曲线方程为Y=1703 X-1996(r~2=0.999,n=6)。在低、中、高三个浓度下,一天内连续3次和连续3天测定样品,测定的RSD值均小于2.0%,精密度良好。加速试验中,在温度30℃,相对湿度60%的条件下放置6个月,样品测定结果与0天相比无变化。本实验中3批桂皮醛亚微乳注射剂中桂皮醛含量的均值为19.89μg·mL~(-1),平均回收率为100.98%,RSD为1.45%。结论:本方法操作简便、快速准确,稳定性高,系统重现性良好可有效控制桂皮醛亚微乳注射剂中有效成分含量。     

Polyphenols bearing cinnamaldehyde scaffold showing cell growth inhibitory effects on the cisplatin-resistant A2780/Cis ovarian cancer cells

Ovarian carcinoma remains the most lethal among gynecological cancers. Chemoresistance is a clinical problem that severely limits treatment success. To identify potent anticancer agents against the cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line A2780/Cis, 26 polyphenols bearing a cinnamaldehyde scaffold were synthesized. Structural differences in their inhibitory effect on clonogenicity of A2780/Cis cells were elucidated using comparative molecular field analysis and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis. Structural conditions required for increased inhibitory activity can be derived based on the analysis of their contour maps. The two most active compounds (16 and 19) were selected and further characterized their biological activities. We found that compounds 16 and 19 trigger cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and apoptotic cell death in cisplatin-resistant A2780/Cis human ovarian cancer cells. The molecular mechanism of compound 16 was elucidated using in vitro aurora A kinase assay, and the binding mode between the compound 16 and aurora A kinase was interpreted using in silico docking experiments. The findings obtained here may help us develop novel plant-derived polyphenols used for potent chemotherapeutic agents. In conclusion, compounds 16 and 19 could be used as promising lead compounds for the development of novel anticancer therapies in the treatment of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancers.     

肉桂醛、柠檬醛抑制黑曲霉生长的比较研究

黑曲霉是一类极易通过饲料、食品、粮油霉变而具致病性的有害真菌。与物理和化学方法抑制黑曲霉生长相比,生物抑菌剂抗黑曲霉生长具有药效久、无抗药性并安全健康的优点。本实验采用天然肉桂醛、柠檬醛作为抑菌剂,以正常生长的黑曲霉为对照,分别采用牛津杯法、气体扩散法比较对黑曲霉生长效果的影响。结果表明,柠檬醛作用所形成的抑菌圈显著大于肉桂醛作用所形成的抑菌圈,且在同一浓度下柠檬醛对菌丝体形态和孢子囊形态的抑制比肉桂醛显著,而气体扩散法抗黑曲霉效果优于牛津杯法。     

Effect of Neem and Selected Fungicides on Viability and Virulence of the Entomopathogenic Nematode Steinernema feltiae

Entomopathogenic nematodes are often used in conjunction with other pest management tactics and the lack of compatibility information is a major impediment in further expansion of their use. We evaluated the effects of different formulations of neem and selected fungicides commonly used in greenhouses on Steinernema feltiae which is used for the control of fungus gnats. Neem as pure oil at the field recommended concentrations (5- 10 mL L -1 ) had no effect on the viability and virulence of S. feltiae up to 120 h incubation. However the neem formulation, Nimbecidine and neem oil when mixed with a bactericidal soap (commonly used as a surfactant with neem oil) caused 13- 25% mortality of S. feltiae. This toxic effect was entirely due to the soap that alone caused about 24% mortality. Neither neem oil, Nimbecidine or soap had any effect on nematode virulence. The fungicide cinnamaldehyde (Cinnamate) was highly toxic, resulting in 100% nematode mortality after 4 h of incubation, followed by hydrogen dioxide/peroxyacetic acid mixture (ZeroTol) that caused 100% mortality after 120 h of incubation. Another fungicide, azoxystrobin (Abound) caused no nematode mortality. This investigation concludes that neem and the fungicide azoxystrobin (Abound) can be safely tank mixed at the field recommended concentrations with the infective juveniles of S. feltiae for application, but cinnamaldehyde (Cinnamate) and hydrogen dioxide/peroxyacetic mixture (ZeroTol), are incompatible. Also the surfactants that are usually recommended as 'tank-mix' applications can be toxic to the nematodes and should therefore be evaluated for compatibility prior to use.     

Comparative Study of the Possible Protective Effects of Cinnamic Acid and Cinnamaldehyde on Cisplatin‐Induced Nephrotoxicity in Rats

This study aimed to assess the protective effect of cinnamic acid (CA) and cinnamaldehyde (CD) against cisplatin‐induced nephrotoxicity. A single dose of cisplatin (5 mg/kg), injected intraperitoneally to male rats, caused significant increases in serum urea, creatinine levels, and lipid peroxides measured as the malondialdehyde content of kidney, with significant decreases in serum albumin, reduced glutathione, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase) of kidney as compared with the control group. On the other hand, administration of CA (50 mg/kg, p.o.) or CD (40 mg/kg, p.o.) for 7 days before cisplatin ameliorated the cisplatin‐induced nephrotoxicity as indicated by the restoration of kidney function and oxidative stress parameters. Furthermore, they reduced the histopathological changes induced by cisplatin. In conclusion, CA and CD showed protective effects against cisplatin‐induced nephrotoxicity where CD was more effective than CA; affects that might be attributed to their antioxidant activities.     

TRP-independent inhibition of the phospholipase C pathway by natural sensory ligands

Menthol, cinnamaldehyde, and camphor are activators for temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential ion channels (thermoTRPs). Here we found that these three compounds inhibit the phospholipase C (PLC) signaling. P2Y purinoceptor-mediated or histamine receptor-mediated cytosolic calcium mobilization through the PLC pathway was significantly suppressed by menthol, cinnamaldehyde, and camphor. Experiments using a fluorescent pleckstrin homology domain of PLCδ1 and IP1 accumulation assays demonstrated that direct inhibition of PLC activity occurred upon the addition of the sensory compounds. P2Y receptor-mediated PLC activation is part of the mechanism of platelet aggregation. The three compounds inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation. Calcium influx studies showed that thermoTRPs do not function in platelets, suggesting that the anti-aggregation effect is independent of thermoTRP activity. These results suggest that menthol, cinnamaldehyde, and camphor are able to modify PLC signaling and that those effects may lead to changes in cellular functions. This study also identifies new types of compounds that could potentially modulate platelet-related pathological events.