Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases including stroke and may also have a role in the development of vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia [1, 2]. Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (EC 3.4.15.1; ACE) plays an important role in the rennin-angiotensin system and it is a carboxyl-terminal dipeptidyl exopeptidase that catalyzes the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II [3-6]. ACE converts an inactive form of decapeptide, angiotensin I, to a potent vasoconstrictor, octapeptide, angiotensin II, in addition; since the ACE is a multifunctional enzyme it also catalyzes the degradation of bradykinin, which is known as a vasodilator [4, 7]. Therefore, inhibition of ACE activity leads to decrease in the concentration of angiotensin II and increases the level of bradykinin; consequently reduce blood pressure [8]. The discovery of captopril as a potent inhibitor of ACE led to the recent development of many series of novel structures with similar biological activity [9]. To date a wide variety of ACE inhibitors from various land and marine food sources have been reported such as milk [10], cheese [11], egg white [12], canola [13], peanut [14], rapeseed [15], antler [16], fish muscle [17], seaweeds [18] and tuna [2]. Many academic, scientific, and regulatory organizations are considering ways to establish the scientific basis to support and further validate claims for functional components or the foods containing them. Consumer interest in the relationship between diet and health has increased the demand for information about functional foods. More recently, the food industry, the agricultural community, and now consumers have shown a growing interest in the field of... ... middle of paper ... ...dependent on the conversion of yellow tetrazolium bromide to its purple formazan derivative by mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase in viable cells [34]. In conclusion, E. cava is a very interesting resource, due to the presence of unique phlorotannin derivatives with special bioactivities including ACE inhibitory activity. Ethanol enhances the extraction of phlorotannins specially dieckol from the brown seaweed E. cava. By contrast, in this study phloroglucinol derivative dieckol exhibited the strongest activity against ACE. With the results of this study we can suggest that the brown seaweed E. cava could be used in development of promising and potential functional food products. Moreover, it is expected that these findings will contribute to developing interests in basic research and potential applications of the phlorotannins in the relevant fields.
The renin-angiotensin system (RAS), also known as renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is well-known for its role in regulating blood pressure, fluid volume, and capillary perfusion. It is one of the most important systems studied by those interested in the cardiovascular system and those involved in the pathogenesis of heart and renal diseases. The renin-angiotensin system exists in two frameworks: a circulating system and multiple local, tissue-specific systems. Local RAS have been found in the pancreas, heart, brain, vessels, adrenal glands, and reproductive tracts (1). In the classical RAS pathway, the crucial hormone angiotensin (Ang) II is formed by cleavage of angiotensin I. The effects of Ang II are mainly carried out by two receptors: angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1R) and angiotensin receptor type two (AT2R). The physiological attributes and regulations by Ang II vary based on tissues. For example, the brain RAS regulates thirst, salt appetite, sympathetic activation, and vasopressin release while kidney RAS regulates fibrosis and sodium retention.
A major physiological process that the human body implements to control blood pressure is through the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone regulatory pathway. The kidneys, which are a major location for water retention regulation (and through changes in blood volume regulate blood pressure), notice decreases in blood pressure and release renin, an enzyme that alters the conformation of proteins, which converts angiotensinogen into angiotensin I. Next, angiotensin I is altered into the conformation of angiotensin II by the action of angiotensin converting enzyme. Angiotensin II then causes many physiological effects that in turn increase blood pressure. These include causing cardiac hypertrophy, vasoconstriction throughout the body, stimulation of the adrenal cortex to release aldosterone and stimulation of the pituitary to release anti-diuretic hormone, each of which cause the retention of sodium and water in the kidneys. In an attempt to help regulate the blood pressure of those with hypertension, drugs have been designed that focus on the angiotensin converting enzyme. By decreasing the action of this enzyme from converting angiotensin I into angiotensin II, the physiological response to increase blood pressure that angiotensin II ensues can be greatly decreased. Through a decrease in salt and fluid retention and systemic vasodilation, blood pressure can be effectively decreased.
Vastag, Brian. "FDA Reviews Expanded Claims On Health Benefits Of Certain Foods." JNCI: Journal Of The National Cancer Institute 96.16 (2004): 1198-1199.
In the 100 years after aspirin’s birth, although people appreciate its function of pain-curing, no one knew how aspirin actually works until the late 1990s. In the 1970s scientists learned that it is the release of prostaglandins, the molecules which are similar to hormone, after injuries that cause fever and inflammation. The analysis of PGHS (prostaglandin H2 synthase), the enzyme that produces prostaglandin finally reveals the working process of aspirin. The enzyme is surrounded by 2 protein subunit, arachidonic acid, a basic component of prostaglandin, travels through the channel in between the two protein subunits to the core of the PGHS enzyme. Aspirin molecule splits into two, saliucylic acid and acetytl group, after entering the channel of the PGHS enzyme. With the acetyl group blocking the entrance of the channel, arachidonic acid cannot get access to the core of the PGHS enzyme, hence stop the production of prostaglandin.
Sildenafil Citrate, more commonly known by the brand name Viagra, has become one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in America. Viagra is used to treat erectile dysfunction, also known as impotence. Erectile Dysfunction is best defined as the inability to maintain an erection necessary for sexual satisfaction. Sildenafil has been shown to be effective for a "broad range ED patients, including those with a history of mellitus, depression, … hypertension, diabetes, …and spinal chord injury" (Sildenafil Citrate, par. 29).
Anthocyanins, flavanols, flavanones,secoiridoids, phenolic acids, stilbenes, coumarins, and isoflavones form a large class of polyphenols, which are phenolic compounds. This study, however, focuses on one category of these phenolic compounds: phenolic acids. These particular compounds have been classified into two groups, namely hydroxycinnamic acids and hydroxybenzoic acids. The most common hydroxybenzoic acids are protocatechuic acid and gallic acid, while hydroxycinnamic acids include ferulic acid, coumaric acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and sinapic acid, (Nigdikar, Williams, Griffin, & Howard). Unlike hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids usually occur at very low levels in some black radish, red fruits, and onions, accounting for about 10 ppm on a fresh weight basis. Protocatechuic ac...
There are so many complex factors for high blood pressure. There are environmental factors. There are genetic factors. Even race plays a huge role in what type of blood pressure is natural for that specific race. You would be amazed of how many factors are in a human being having high or low blood pressure. The traits in having high blood pressure are so complex. And what is amazing about all of these traits and environmental factors is that they are all linked together in a way. And in this essay I will explain how these traits, environmental factors, and even race are all linked in a certain complex way.
Man's fascination with the many uses that can be found with the exploitation of natural substances has been demonstrated time and again throughout history, but the stage was set at the turn of the century for organic chemists to begin to focus on utilizing natural compounds for the benefit of medicinal and industrial uses. The discoveries of penicillin, aspirin, and other naturally occurring useful compounds in the earlier parts of the century set the stage for the utilization and exploitation of biologically active compounds as a molecular science. However, there are limits as to how much we can do with what nature provides us. This puts the role of the synthetic organic chemist at the forefront of synthetic compound synthesis technology. KC Nicolaou is one such leader. The main goal of Nicolaou's lab is the complete synthesis of naturally occurring compounds, along with solid phase chemistry, molecular design, combinatorial synthesis, and biological investigations; some of the results of Nicolaou's work include: the total synthesis of the anticancer agent Toxol, the marine neurotoxins brevetoxins A and B, the anititumor agents epothilones A and B, eleutherobin and sarcodictyins, the antibiotic vancomycin, the cholesterol-lowering CP-molecules, the immunosuppressant agent sanglifehrin A, the antibiotic everninomicin, and a number of bisorbicillinoids such as trichodimerol, bisorbicillinol, and bisorbibutenolide. Another example of Dr. Nicolaou's work is a paper published in Chemistry International entitled The Absolute Configuration and Asymmetric Total Synthesis of the CP Molecules (co-authored by Jae-Kyu Jung, Won Hyung Yoon, Yun He, Yong-Li Zhong, and Phil Baran.)
Other studies have attempted to measure the effect of distance on blood pressure response in order to find if there is any correlation between distance and a significant blood pressure reduction. One of these studies (see Moreau et al, 2001) involved 24 sedentary post-menopausal American women (15 in the intervention group ) with high blood pressure. The results found that, after a 2-year walking programme, that there was a statistically significant drop of 13 mmHg in the systolic blood pressure of those participants who were taking anti-hypertensive drugs and of 11 mmHg in those not receiving medication, whereas there was no difference found in their diastolic blood pressure and in the blood pressure of the control group. The participants in the intervention group were instructed to walk 3 kms per day in addition to their normal daily physical activity. After the first year the reduction in blood pressure was significant: 6 mm Hg in the systolic blood pressure of the participants who were taking anti-hypertensive medication and 7mmHg in the non-medication group.
Ace Inhibitors are used to treat hypertension and congestive heart failure (CHF). Most of the drugs that are Ace Inhibitors have the common ending –pril. It inhibits an enzyme; that decreases the tension of blood vessels and the blood volume, thus lowering blood pressure. Lotensin (benzapril) comes in tablets and is used for oral administration. It is one of the ace inhibitors that are indicated for treating hypertension. There is warning while using Lotensin when pregnant, it indicates to stop using immediately when pregnancy is detected. Vasotec (enalpril) comes in tablets and injection. It is indicated for the treatment of hypertension and is effective alone or in combination with other Ace Inhibitors agents, especially thiazide-type diuretics. There is a warning for fetal toxicity; when pregnancy is detected; stop using.
...mpounds in Dendrobium plants include a group of sesquiterpene alkaloids and phenols (Okomoto et al., 1966; Elander et al., 1973; Tang and Eisenbrand, 1992). Moscatilin (Fig. 1) is a bibenzyl phenol derived from Dendrobium species. It is also known as dendrophenol, Phenol, 4-(2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl) ethyl)-2,6-dimethoxy-. In the year 1987, moscatilin was first extracted from Dendrobium moscatum (Mazumdar and Sen, 1987) and it was later isolated from several other species such as Dendrobium loddigesii (Chen et al., 1994), Dendrobium amoenum (Mazumdar et al., 1999), Dendrobium nobile (Miyazawa et al., 1999), Dendrobium densiflorum (Fan et al., 2001), Cymbidium aloifolium (Juneja et al., 1987) and Agrostophyllum khasiyanum (Mazumdar et al., 1996). Studies have proved the anti-cancer activity of moscatilin in stomach and lung cancer cell lines (Ho et al., 2003).
...tioxidants and free radical scavenging. Different sample preparation techniques such as SFE extraction, pressurized hot water extraction and solid- phase extraction have also been utilized prior to analysis. High-speed counter-current Chromatography has been used for the preparative separation and purification of baicalin and wogonin from Scutellariae radix. Crude baicalin was obtained by extraction with methanol with water (70:30) from Scutellaria baicalensis. The separation was performed in two steps with a two phase solvent system composed of n-butanol with water (1:1). In which the lower phase was used as the mobile phase at a flowrate of 1.0 ml/min in the head to- tail elution mode. The simultaneous separation and purification of active components in Scutellaria baicalensis can be analysed by High-speed counter-current Chromatography (Sujuan Wu et al., 2005).
Recently 4á, 5á,6á-trihydroxygeranyl acetat; 6-(9,9-dimethylbutyl) phenol; 1-cyclohexyl-3, 4-dihydroxybenzene; 2, 3, 12, 13-tetrahydroxy-10, 15[a, f] – phenyl xanth-17-one; 2, 3, 13, 14- tetrahydroxy-15, 16-[a, f] – phynyl-7H-anthracen-18-one and 3- hydroxynaphthalenyl-6, 7-ã-lactone have been isolated (Indu, Ali & Onkar, 2006).
The heart is complex organ that can have many things go wrong with it. The heart plays a major role in the circulatory system, and when something goes wrong with the heart it effects the entire system. There are several causes to high blood pressure and there are many ways to prevent it. Hypertension or high blood pressure has its causes and effects and there are multiple treatments for it.
Such products may range from isolated nutrients, dietary supplements and specific diets to genetically engineered designer foods, herbal products, and processed foods such as cereals, soups and beverages. In the United States, the term nutraceutical is commonly used in marketing and has no regulatory definition. One of the most important growing trends in food industry today is the demand for all natural food ingredients free of chemical additives. Increase in health awareness caused major changes in food, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. The nutraceutical market has grown multifold both in developed and developing countries. People are becoming more concerned about their well being and are shifting to nutraceutical products to prevent the onset of any chronic disease like diabetes, heart ailments, hypertension,