As the largest class of natural products, terpenes have a variety of roles in mediating antagonistic and beneficial interactions among organisms. They defend many species of plants, animals and microorganisms against predators, pathogens and competitors, and they are involved in conveying messages to conspecifics and mutualists regarding the presence of food, mates and enemies. Despite the diversity of terpenes known, it is striking how phylogenetically distant organisms have come to use similar structures for common purposes. New natural roles undoubtedly remain to be discovered for this large class of compounds, given that such a small percentage of terpenes has been investigated so far.

The function of terpene natural products in the natural world.

One of the initial steps in the development of therapeutic agents is the identification of lead compounds that bind to the receptor or enzyme target of interest. Many analogs of these lead compounds are then synthesized to define the key recognition elements for maximal activity. In general, many compounds must be evaluated in both the lead identification and optimization steps. Increasing burdens have been placed on these efforts due to the large number of new therapeutic targets that continue to be identified thorough modern molecular biology methods.1 To address this demand, very powerful chemical and biological methods have been developed for the generation of large combinatorial libraries of peptides2 and oligonucleotides3 that are then screened against a receptor or enzyme to identify high-affinity ligands or potent inhibitors, respectively. While these studies have clearly demonstrated the power of library synthesis and screening strategies, peptides and oligonucleotides generally have poor oral activities and rapid in vivo clearance;4 therefore their utility as bioavailable therapeutic agents is often limited. Due to the favorable pharmacokinetic properties of many small organic molecules (<600-700 molecular weight),5 the design, synthesis, and evaluation of libraries of these compounds6 has rapidly become a major frontier in organic chemistry. Lorin A. Thompson was born in Lexington, KY, in 1970. He received the Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 1992 where he worked under the guidance of Joseph Desimone. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in the laboratory of Jonathan Ellman at UC Berkeley where he is the 1994 Glaxo-Wellcome fellow. His research interests include the development of synthetic methodology for organic library construction.

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Synthesis and Applications of Small Molecule Libraries.

A status review on the medicinal properties of essential oils

An oral care implement is provided having a handle and a head with tooth cleaning elements extending from fixed pods. Additional tooth cleaning elements extend from one or more central pods suspended between the fixed pods via a bridge. The bridge may be formed from an elastomer and permit the one or more central pods to move from an initial position toward the head during use. The central pods, the bridge and outer portions of the fixed pods may be formed as a unitary structure. When a single central pod is employed, a flexible section may be disposed in the middle of the central pod so that cleaning elements extending from either end of the central pod can move toward one another during use.

Oral care implement

Combinatorial synthesis : the design of compound libraries and their application to drug discovery

The present invention is directed to a sensate composition including at least one cooling sensate, warming sensate and tingling sensate. The tingling sensate is at least one of Jambu Oleoresin and Spilanthol. The present invention is further directed to a method of using the sensate composition in a food, pharmaceutical or personal care product.

Sensate composition imparting initial sensation upon contact

Recent work in the field of biologically active, essential oils is reviewed Essential oil extraction methods that are covered include cold pressing, extraction with other essential oils, steam distillation, solvent extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, and solid phase extraction Separation methods for the isolation of individual constituents that are covered include GC, LC, and distillation Biological activities of essential oils and their components, including antiallergic, enzyme inhibitory, psychological, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, antiviral, insect repellent, molluscicidal, and antimicrobial are also reviewed In particular, several examples of our own and others' work in this area that are discussed include, 1) the structure and antimutagenic activity of new sesquiterpenoid eudesmol derivatives, 2) the biological activity and odor perception of optically active rose oxides, 3) the polyphenol oxidase inhibitory activity of acyclic terpene alcohols, commonly found in essential oils, that are used in cosmetic applications, 4) the effects of the diterpene phenol, totarol, in combination with known antibiotics, on a methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) strain, and 5) the synergistic antimicrobial activity of the combination of perillaldehyde and polygodial, constituents of two herbs found in traditional Japanese foods Also reviewed are the various uses and applications of essential oils that have been reported recently; examples included in the discussion are insect and animal repellents, oral care products, pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems, topical applications, cosmetics, food preservatives, antioxidants, industrial applications, and the uses in packaging and consumer household products

Biological activity of essential oils and their constituents

The steam distillate of the green leaves of Perilla frutescens has broad antimicrobial activity assumed from its use as food and food additives. The steam distillate mainly consists of perillaldehyde, limonene, β-caryophyllene, α-bergamotene, and linalool. The most abundant, perillaldehyde, inhibits moderately a broad range of both bacteria and fungi. Perillaldehyde work in synergy with polygodial not only against fungi but also against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Synergistic effects are evaluated by the fractional inhibition concentration method

Antimicrobial activity of the volatile constituents of Perilla frutescens and its synergistic effects with polygodial

Library-Based Lead Compound Discovery: Antioxidants by an Analogous Synthesis/Deconvolutive Assay Strategy

4-(1-menthoxymethyl)-2-phenyl-1,3-dioxolane or a derivative thereof represented by formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group or a lower alkoxy group; R 2 and R 3 , which may be the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group, a lower alkoxy group, or, when taken together, R 2 and R 3 represent a methylene dioxy group; useful in flavor compositions.

Tetsuo Nakatsu

Papers

Sensate composition imparting initial sensation upon contact

Biological activity of essential oils and their constituents

Antimicrobial activity of the volatile constituents of Perilla frutescens and its synergistic effects with polygodial

Library-Based Lead Compound Discovery: Antioxidants by an Analogous Synthesis/Deconvolutive Assay Strategy

4-(1-menthoxymethyl)-2-phenyl-1,3-dioxolane or its derivatives and flavor composition containing the same