Botanical insecticides have long been touted as attractive alternatives to synthetic chemical insecticides for pest management because botanicals reputedly pose little threat to the environment or to human health. The body of scientific literature documenting bioactivity of plant derivatives to arthropod pests continues to expand, yet only a handful of botanicals are currently used in agriculture in the industrialized world, and there are few prospects for commercial development of new botanical products. Pyrethrum and neem are well established commercially, pesticides based on plant essential oils have recently entered the marketplace, and the use of rotenone appears to be waning. A number of plant substances have been considered for use as insect antifeedants or repellents, but apart from some natural mosquito repellents, little commercial success has ensued for plant substances that modify arthropod behavior. Several factors appear to limit the success of botanicals, most notably regulatory barriers and the availability of competing products (newer synthetics, fermentation products, microbials) that are cost-effective and relatively safe compared with their predecessors. In the context of agricultural pest management, botanical insecticides are best suited for use in organic food production in industrialized countries but can play a much greater role in the production and postharvest protection of food in developing countries.

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Botanical insecticides, deterrents, and repellents in modern agriculture and an increasingly regulated world

Privileged substructures are of potentially great importance in medicinal chemistry. These scaffolds are characterized by their ability to promiscuously bind to a multitude of receptors through a variety of favorable characteristics. This may include presentation of their substituents in a spatially defined manner and perhaps also the ability to directly bind to the receptor itself, as well as exhibiting promising characteristics to aid bioavailability of the overall molecule. It is believed that some privileged substructures achieve this through the mimicry of common protein surface elements that are responsible for binding, such as β- and gamma;-turns. As a result, these structures represent a promising means by which new lead compounds may be identified.

The combinatorial synthesis of bicyclic privileged structures or privileged substructures

The biochemistry and medical significance of the flavonoids.

Continued growth and intensi¢cation of aquaculture production depends upon the development of sustainable protein sources to replace ¢sh meal in aquafeeds. This document reviews various plant feedstuis, which currently are or potentially may be incorporated into aquafeeds to support the sustainable production of various ¢sh species in aquaculture. The plant feedstuis considered include oilseeds, legumes and cereal grains, which traditionally have been used as protein or energy concentrates as well as novel products developed through various processing technologies. The nutritional composition of these various feedstuis are considered along with the presence of any bioactive compounds that may positively or negatively aiect the target organism. Lipid composition of these feedstuis is not speci¢cally considered although it is recognized that incorporating lipid supplements in aquafeeds to achieve proper fatty acid pro¢les to meet the metabolic requirements of ¢sh and maximize human health bene¢ts are important aspects. Speci¢c strategies and techniques to optimize the nutritional composition of plant feedstuis and limit potentially adverse eiects of bioactive compounds are also described. Such information will provide a foundation for developing strategic research plans for increasing the use of plant feedstuis in aquaculture to reduce dependence of animal feedstuis and thereby enhance the sustainability of aquaculture.

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Expanding the utilization of sustainable plant products in aquafeeds: a review

Dietary phenolics: chemistry, bioavailability and effects on health.

Six 2′-hydroxyflavonols from Gutierrezia microcephala

Moutan cortex (MC) is a traditional Chinese medicine with diverse biological effects. The present study was performed to investigate the effects of MC on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rats and to explore its possible mechanisms. Sprague-Dawley rats were administered MC extract (1.98 g/kg, i.g.) for 14 days and underwent a subsequent open-chest procedure involving 30 min of myocardial ischemia and 60 min of reperfusion. The cardioprotective effect of MC was demonstrated by reduced infarct size and marked improvement in the histopathological examination. The increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) as well as the reduction of malondialdehyde (MDA) indicated that MC effectively promoted the anti-oxidative defense system. Increased anti-oxidative defense was accompanied by decreased release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK). The reduction in TUNEL-positive myocytes demonstrated that MC decreased myocardial apoptosis. The mRNA expression of B cell leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) was upregulated by MC and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) mRNA expression was increased. MC pretreatment decreased the mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The data from this study suggest that MC exerted protective effects on acute myocardial I/R injury via anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic activities.

/pdf/moutan-cortex-extract-exerts-protective-effects-in-a-rat-40j6id95xa.pdf

Moutan cortex extract exerts protective effects in a rat model of cardiac ischemia/reperfusion.

Rice protein isolate (RPI) has been reported to reduce the incidence of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced mammary tumors in rats. To determine the potential role of phytochemicals associated with the RPI, we studied in vitro antitumor activities of an ether fraction from RPI using human tumor cell lines, including two human breast carcinoma cell lines (MDA-MB-453 and MCF-7) and two myeloma cell lines (RPMI-8226 and IM-9). Concentration-dependent antiproliferative effects of the ether fraction were observed in all cell lines using the standard 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Fraction-induced apoptosis (P < 0.05) was detected in all cell lines, and this was associated with the induction of proapoptotic bax protein and cdk inhibitors (p21) and the suppression of cdk4 and cyclin D1 activity. Liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with both positive and negative modes was used to analyze the phytochemicals in the ether fraction from RPI. Fi...

In vitro actions on human cancer cells and the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry fingerprint of phytochemicals in rice protein isolate

Nianbai Fang

Papers

Six 2′-hydroxyflavonols from Gutierrezia microcephala

Moutan cortex extract exerts protective effects in a rat model of cardiac ischemia/reperfusion.

In vitro actions on human cancer cells and the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry fingerprint of phytochemicals in rice protein isolate

Chromenes from Ageratina arsenii and revised structures of two epimeric chromene dimers

The integral role of triacyl glycerols in the biosynthesis of the aldehydic sex pheromones of Manduca sexta (L.)