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Moronic Acid
Moronic acid (3-oxoolean-18-en-28-oic acid) is a natural triterpene. Moronic acid can be extracted from '' Rhus javanica'', a sumac plant traditionally believed to hold medicinal applications. The molecule has also been extracted from mistletoe ('' Phoradendron reichenbachianum''). Bevirimat, a derivative of the related triterpenoid betulinic acid, is under development as an anti-HIV drug; however, moronic acid has shown better antiviral profiles ''in vitro'' than bevirimat. A particular moronic acid derivative showed potent anti-HIV activity with EC50 values of 0.0085 μM against NL4-3, 0.021 μM against PI-R (a multiple protease inhibitor resistant strain), and 0.13 μM against FHR-2 (an HIV strain resistant to (bevirimat). This derivative has become a new lead for clinical trials and is also active against herpes simplex virus 1. References {{reflist External links CTD's Moronic acid pagefrom the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triterpene
Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squalene, the precursor to all steroids. Structures Triterpenes exist in a great variety of structures. Nearly 200 different skeletons have been identified. These skeletons may be broadly divided according to the number of rings present. In general pentacyclic structures (5 rings) tend to dominate. Squalene is biosynthesized through the head-to-head condensation of two farnesyl pyrophosphate units. This coupling converts a pair of C15 components into a C30 product. Squalene serves as precursor for the formation of many triterpenoids, including bacterial hopanoids and eukaryotic sterols. Triterpenoids By definition triterpenoids are triterpenes that possess heteroatoms, usually oxygen. The terms ''triterpene'' and ''triterpenoid'' oft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhus Javanica
''Brucea javanica'' (also known as Macassar kernels) is a shrub in the family Simaroubaceae. The specific epithet ' is from the Latin, meaning "of Java". Other common names in English include Java brucea and kosam. Description ''Brucea javanica'' grows up as a shrub or small tree to tall. The tiny flowers (1.5--2 mm in diameter) are greenish white to greenish red or purple and occur in panicles. There are separate male and female flowers on each shrub, making it a monoecious species. The flower anthers are typically red. It typically flowers in June and July and sets fruit in July and August. Each fruit, which are a drupe, measures up to long. When ripe they are a black-gray color that becomes wrinkled when dry. The seed is whitish yellow and covered with an oily membrane. It has compound leaves with typically 7--9 (but range from 3--15) ovate to ovate-lanceolate leaflets with serrate margins. Each leaflet is 20–40 cm long at maturity and comes to a point at the apex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they extract water and nutrients from the host plant. The name mistletoe originally referred to the species ''Viscum album'' (European mistletoe, of the family Santalaceae in the order Santalales); it is the only species native to the British Isles and much of Europe. A related species with red rather than white fruits, ''Viscum cruciatum'', occurs in Southwest Spain and Southern Portugal, as well as in Morocco in North Africa and in southern Africa. The genus ''Viscum'' is not native to North America, but ''Viscum album'' was introduced to Northern California in 1900. The eastern mistletoe native to North America, ''Phoradendron leucarpum'', belongs to a distinct genus of the family Santalaceae. European mistletoe has smooth-edged, oval, evergreen leaves borne in pairs along the woody st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phoradendron
''Phoradendron'' is a genus of mistletoe, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Americas. The center of diversity is the Amazon rainforest.Coder, K. DAmerican mistletoe (''Phoradendron serotinum'' var. ''serotinum'') infection in trees.WSFNR08-25. Tree Health Series. University of Georgia. 2008. ''Phoradendron'' is the largest genus of mistletoe in the Americas, and possibly the largest genus of mistletoes in the world. Traditionally, the genus has been placed in the family Viscaceae, but recent genetic research acknowledged by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group shows this family to be correctly placed within a larger circumscription of the sandalwood family, Santalaceae. They are woody hemi-parasitic shrubs with branches long, which grow on other trees. The foliage is dichotomously branching, with opposite pairs of leaves; these are fairly large, long, green and photosynthetic in some species (e.g. ''P. leucarpum''), but minimal in some others (e.g. ''P. c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bevirimat
Bevirimat (research code MPC-4326) is an anti-HIV drug derived from a betulinic acid-like compound, first isolated from ''Syzygium claviflorum,'' a Chinese herb. It is believed to inhibit HIV by a novel mechanism, so-called maturation inhibition. It is not currently U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved. It was originally developed by the pharmaceutical company Panacos and reached Phase IIb clinical trials. Myriad Genetics announced on January 21, 2009 the acquisition of all rights to bevirimat for $7M USD. On June 8, 2010 Myriad Genetics announced that it was halting the development of maturation inhibitors, including bevirimat, to focus more on their oncology portfolio. Pharmacokinetics According to the only currently available study, "the mean terminal elimination half-life of bevirimat ranged from 56.3 to 69.5 hours, and the mean clearance ranged from 173.9 to 185.8 mL/hour." Mechanism of action Like protease inhibitors, bevirimat and other maturation inhibito ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triterpenoid
Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squalene, the precursor to all steroids. Structures Triterpenes exist in a great variety of structures. Nearly 200 different skeletons have been identified. These skeletons may be broadly divided according to the number of rings present. In general pentacyclic structures (5 rings) tend to dominate. Squalene is biosynthesized through the head-to-head condensation of two farnesyl pyrophosphate units. This coupling converts a pair of C15 components into a C30 product. Squalene serves as precursor for the formation of many triterpenoids, including bacterial hopanoids and eukaryotic sterols. Triterpenoids By definition triterpenoids are triterpenes that possess heteroatoms, usually oxygen. The terms ''triterpene'' and ''triterpenoid'' ofte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Betulinic Acid
Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid which has antiretroviral, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as a more recently discovered potential as an anticancer agent, by inhibition of topoisomerase. It is found in the bark of several species of plants, principally the white birch (''Betula pubescens'') from which it gets its name, but also the ber tree (''Ziziphus mauritiana''), selfheal (''Prunella vulgaris''), the tropical carnivorous plants '' Triphyophyllum peltatum'' and ''Ancistrocladus heyneanus'', '' Diospyros leucomelas'', a member of the persimmon family, '' Tetracera boiviniana'', the jambul (''Syzygium formosanum''), flowering quince (''Pseudocydonia sinensis'', former ''Chaenomeles sinensis KOEHNE''), (''Chaenomeles sinensis KOEHNE'' is now named ''Pseudocydonia sinensis'') rosemary, and ''Pulsatilla chinensis''. Antitumor activity In 1995, betulinic acid was reported as a selective inhibitor of human melanoma. Then i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
In Vitro
''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in biology and its subdisciplines are traditionally done in labware such as test tubes, flasks, Petri dishes, and microtiter plates. Studies conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological surroundings permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms; however, results obtained from ''in vitro'' experiments may not fully or accurately predict the effects on a whole organism. In contrast to ''in vitro'' experiments, ''in vivo'' studies are those conducted in living organisms, including humans, and whole plants. Definition ''In vitro'' ( la, in glass; often not italicized in English usage) studies are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derivative (chemistry)
In chemistry, a derivative is a compound that is derived from a similar compound by a chemical reaction. In the past, derivative also meant a compound that ''can be imagined to'' arise from another compound, if one atom or group of atoms is replaced with another atom or group of atoms, but modern chemical language now uses the term structural analog for this meaning, thus eliminating ambiguity. The term "structural analogue" is common in organic chemistry. In biochemistry, the word is used for compounds that at least theoretically can be formed from the precursor compound. Chemical derivatives may be used to facilitate analysis. For example, melting point (MP) analysis can assist in identification of many organic compounds. A crystalline derivative may be prepared, such as a semicarbazone or 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone (derived from aldehydes or ketones), as a simple way of verifying the identity of the original compound, assuming that a table of derivative MP values is available ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EC50
] Half maximal effective concentration (EC50) is a measure of the concentration of a drug, antibody or toxicant which induces a Stimulus%E2%80%93response_model, response halfway between the baseline and maximum after a specified exposure time. More simply, EC50 can be defined as the ''concentration required to obtain a 50% ..effect'' and may be also written as sub>50. It is commonly used as a measure of a drug's potency, although the use of EC50 is preferred over that of 'potency', which has been criticised for its vagueness. EC50 is a measure of concentration, expressed in molar units (M), where 1 M is equivalent to 1 mol/ L. The EC50 of a ''graded'' dose response curve therefore represents the concentration of a compound where 50% of its maximal effect is observed. The EC50 of a ''quantal'' dose response curve represents the concentration of a compound where 50% of the population exhibit a response, after a specified exposure duration. For clarification, a grade ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herpes Simplex Virus 1
Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), also known by their taxonomical names ''Human alphaherpesvirus 1'' and '' Human alphaherpesvirus 2'', are two members of the human ''Herpesviridae'' family, a set of viruses that produce viral infections in the majority of humans. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 are very common and contagious. They can be spread when an infected person begins shedding the virus. As of 2016, about 67% of the world population under the age of 50 had HSV-1. In the United States, about 47.8% and 11.9% are estimated to have HSV-1 and HSV-2, respectively, though actual prevalence may be much higher. Because it can be transmitted through any intimate contact, it is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Symptoms Many of those who are infected ''never'' develop symptoms. Symptoms, when they occur, may include watery blisters in the skin or mucous membranes of the mouth, lips, nose, genitals, or eyes (herpes simplex keratitis). Lesions heal with a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comparative Toxicogenomics Database
The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) is a public website and research tool launched in November 2004 that curates scientific data describing relationships between chemicals/drugs, genes/proteins, diseases, taxa, phenotypes, GO annotations, pathways, and interaction modules. The database is maintained by the Department of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. Background The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) is a public website and research tool that curates scientific data describing relationships between chemicals, genes/proteins, diseases, taxa, phenotypes, GO annotations, pathways, and interaction modules, launched on November 12, 2004. The database is maintained by the Department of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. Goals and objectives One of the primary goals of CTD is to advance the understanding of the effects of environmental chemicals on human health on the genetic level, a field called toxicogenomics. The etiol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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