Biochemically specific compounds

The compounds that are identifiable in the sea represent a vast array of biochemicals attributable to the life and death of marine plants and animals. They are generally grouped into six classes based on structural similarities hydrocarbons, carbohydrates, lipids, fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleic acids. Because they represent compounds that can be quantified and understood for their chemical properties and known role in biological systems, a great deal of information has been accumulated over the years about these groups and the specific compounds found within them.7... 

OrganosuUur compounds have been shown to modulate the activity of glutathione -transferases (GST), a family of enzymes important in detoxification of carcinogens [24], and cytochromes P450 (CYP), a family of enzymes that activate many chemical carcinogens in experimental animals [25]. The effect of proteases inhibition is a new aspect of the biological activity of these plants and further research should be carried out to identify the specific compounds from Allium or Allium products that are responsible for this biochemical effect. 

Since the beginning of biochemical investigation enzymes have held a special fascination for chemists and biologists. How can these easily destroyed substances catalyze reactions with such speed and without formation of significant quantities of side products Some enzymes increase the velocity of a single chemical reaction of a specific compound by a factor of as much as 1010. How can a protein do this In this chapter we ll consider both ways of measuring enzymatic activity and basic mechanisms of catalysis. 

In Cu compounds of high covalence no precise decision can be reached regarding the oxidation state of the copper (53), while in ionic systems reference to the occupancy of the 3d subshell is sufficient. Thus, the oxidation states given in I—IY are of merely formal nature. The interesting phenomenon in this scheme is the redox mesomerism of Cu which implies that the chelated metal ion could have different biochemical actions. Type I would represent the reversible oxygenation as found in haemo-cyanin, type II would be the superoxide dismutation, provided OI-really is the substrate, and types III and IV are represented by the catalatic and oxidative action displayed by a considerable number of copper proteins (polyphenol oxidases, amine oxidases etc.). The biochemical specificity of each chelated copper is more of less given by the macromolecular ligands. 

Fig. 3. Selected examples of the calculations involved in the Durchschlag-Zipper approach [94D1, 95D1, 97D2] The calculation of the partial molar and partial specific volumes, and v, of small organic/biochemical compounds, monomeric and micellar surfactants, polymers, and inorganic electrolytes makes use of Eqs. (31-37) and the volume increments (in cm moF ) for atoms and ions (Table 1) and/or groups (Table 2) and/or the calculated (or experimental) volumes of organic and biochemical model compounds (Table 8), together with the structural formula (and the empirical formula and molar mass, M, which may be derived from it). For convenience, these three modes of calculation may be mixed. For illustration of the possible calculation procedures, different compounds and calculation schemes are presented.

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