Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy Commons^™

Testing The Efficacy And Synergistic Components Of Sesamol And Black Rice Extract On Human Colon Cancer Cells, Sera Lim, Philip M. Gerk

Undergraduate Research Posters

Purpose: Systemic treatment of colorectal cancer involves chemotherapeutic agents which elicit serious and negative side effects from the toxicity of the drug. To address this issue, we are testing dietary supplements for their efficacy against human colon cancer cell lines and also their potential synergistic effects when combined with conventional chemotherapy. Dietary supplements (specifically sesamol and black rice extract) exhibit anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and chemo-preventive properties. Meanwhile, one of the cancer resistance mechanisms is the upregulation of drug elimination mechanisms, leading to multi-drug resistance. We hypothesize that dietary compounds will act as chemo-enhancers, thus enhancing potency of the chemotherapy drug(s) on …

Biowill - Characterising Willow Bark Bio-Actives For Skin Therapies, Arnold Marisa

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Willow bark is considered as a disposable by-product when processing willow for biomass. Willow (Salix) is known to contain high value bioactive compounds which include salicin and its derivatives, and other phytochemicals of interest such as polyphenols and flavonoids. The plant is historically known as the primary source of salicylates to which the well-known drug aspirin is derived from. The work forms part of the Interreg project BioWILL, which is focused on integrated “Zero Waste” biorefinery utilising all fractions of willow feedstock for the production of biochemicals and renewable energy. This project aims to investigate the crude and …

Apigenin And Structurally Related Flavonoids Allosterically Potentiate The Function Of Human Α7-Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Expressed In Sh-Ep1 Cells, Waheed Shabbir, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Bassem Sadek, Murat Oz

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Phytochemicals, such as monoterpenes, polyphenols, curcuminoids, and flavonoids, are known to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective, and procognitive effects. In this study, the effects of several polyhydroxy flavonoids, as derivatives of differently substituted 5,7-dihydroxy-4H-chromen-4-one including apigenin, genistein, luteolin, kaempferol, quercetin, gossypetin, and phloretin with different lipophilicities (cLogP), as well as topological polar surface area (TPSA), were tested for induction of Ca²⁺ transients by α7 human nicotinic acetylcholine (α7 nACh) receptors expressed in SH-EP1 cells. Apigenin (10 μM) caused a significant potentiation of ACh (30 μM)-induced Ca²⁺ transients, but did not affect Ca²⁺ transients induced by high K^{+ …}

The Treatment And Management Of Chronic Pain Using Cbd, Emily Davis

Honors College Theses

Chronic pain is a common debilitating condition in the United States. The treatment of chronic pain is complex and can sometimes lead to addiction of opioid medications. However, there is another, more natural option in the treatment of chronic pain—the use of CBD, cannabidiol which is a phytocannabinoid from hemp and marijuana, for the treatment and management of chronic pain. While CBD is labeled a schedule I drug by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, there is evidence that CBD can make an impact on the severity of pain, the amount of opioids in use, and the …

Correlating The Physicochemical Properties Of Magnesium Stearate With Tablet Dissolution And Lubrication, Julie L. Calahan

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Magnesium stearate (MgSt) is the most commonly used pharmaceutical excipient and is present in over half the tablet formulations on the market. In spite of its popularity as an effective lubricant, it has been repeatedly recognized that there is significant variability between MgSt samples, which can cause inconsistent lubrication between batches of MgSt. The hypothesis of this research is that the batch-to-batch variability in tablet lubrication and dissolution observed in tablet formulations containing different MgSt samples can be correlated with differences in MgSt physicochemical properties (fatty acid salt composition, crystal hydrate form, particle size and surface area). Developing correlations between …

A V-To-F Substitution In Sk2 Channels Causes Ca2+ Hypersensitivity And Improves Locomotion In A C. Elegans Als Model, Young-Woo Nam, Sabia N. Baskoylu, Dimitris Gazgalis, Razan Orfali, Meng Cui, Anne C. Hart, Miao Zhang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels mediate medium afterhyperpolarization in the neurons and play a key role in the regulation of neuronal excitability. SK channels are potential drug targets for ataxia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). SK channels are activated exclusively by the Ca2+-bound calmodulin. Previously, we identified an intrinsically disordered fragment that is essential for the mechanical coupling between Ca2+/calmodulin binding and channel opening. Here, we report that substitution of a valine to phenylalanine (V407F) in the intrinsically disordered fragment caused a ~6 fold increase in the Ca2+ sensitivity of SK2-a channels. This substitution resulted in a novel interaction between …

Countercurrent Chromatography Fractions Of Plant Extracts With Anti-Tuberculosis Activity, Douglas Armstrong, Nathan C. Krause, Drew Frey, J. Brent Friesen, Baojie Wan, Jordan Gunn, Scott Franzblau

Faculty Scholarship – Chemistry

Samples of numerous plant species were received from the southwestern part of the USA, from Richard Spjut, and plant samples were collected here in Illinois. All were extracted with typical solvents, giving crude residues, some of which were subjected to chromatographic methods. Some of the crude residues and some of the fractions were tested for anti-tuberculosis activity and/or antibacterial activity.

In a general way, bioactive natural products are dealt with very well by Liang & Fang. More specifically, the southwestern part of the United States has a large variety of indigenous plants many of which have not been investigated for …

The Influence Of Safety, Efficacy, And Medical Condition Severity On Natural V. Synthetic Drug Preference, Brian P. Meier, Courtney M. Lappas

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research indicates that there is a preference for natural v. synthetic products, but the influence of this preference on drug choice in the medical domain is largely unknown. We present 5 studies in which participants were asked to consider a hypothetical situation in which they had a medical issue requiring pharmacological therapy. Participants ( N = 1223) were asked to select a natural, plant-derived, or synthetic drug. In studies 1a and 1b, approximately 79% of participants selected the natural v. synthetic drug, even though the safety and efficacy of the drugs were identical. Furthermore, participants rated the natural drug as …

Erectogenic Effects Of Clerodendron Capitatum: Involvement Of Phosphodiesterase Type-5 Inhibition, Dr Syam Mohan

Syam Mohan

No abstract provided.

Chemical Composition And Product Quality Control Of Turmeric (Curcuma Longa L.), Shiyou Li, Wei Yuan, Guangrui Deng, Ping Wang, Peiying Yang, Bharat Aggarwal

Faculty Publications

Chemical constituents of various tissues of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) have been extensively investigated. To date, at least 235 compounds, primarily phenolic compounds and terpenoids have been identified from the species, including 22 diarylheptanoids and diarylpentanoids, eight phenylpropene and other phenolic compounds, 68 monoterpenes, 109 sesquiterpenes, five diterpenes, three triterpenoids, four sterols, two alkaloids, and 14 other compounds. Curcuminoids (diarylheptanoids) and essential oils are major bioactive ingredients showing various bioactivities in in vitro and in vivo bioassays. Curcuminoids in turmeric are primarily accumulated in rhizomes. The essential oils from leaves and flowers are usually dominated by monoterpenes while those from …

Discovery Of Quinic Acid Derivatives As Oral Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Kui Zeng

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Quinic acid (QA) esters found in hot water extracts of Uncaria tomentosa (a.k.a. Cat’s claw) exert anti-inflammatory activity through mechanisms involving inhibition of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). Herein, we described the synthesis and biological testing of novel QA derivatives. Inhibition of NF-κB was assessed using A549 (Type II alveolar epithelial-like) cells that stably express a secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) reporter driven by an NF-κB response element. A549- NF-κB cells were stimulated with TNF-α (10 ng/mL) in the presence or absence of QA derivative for 18 hours followed by measurement of SEAP activity. Amide substitution at …