Biological properties and

Many alkaloids have pronounced biological properties, and a substantial number of the pharmaceutical agents used today are derived from naturally occurring amines. As a few examples, morphine, an analgesic agent, is obtained from the opium poppy Papaver somnifemm. Cocaine, both an anesthetic and a central nervous system stimulant, is obtained front the coca bush Erythroxylon coca, endemic to upland rain forest areas of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and western Brazil. Reserpine, a tranquilizer and antihypertensive, comes from powdered roots of the semitropical plant Rauwolfia serpentina. Ephedrine, a bronchodilator and decongestant, is obtained front the Chinese plant Ephedra sinica. 

Other applications of the previously described optimization techniques are beginning to appear regularly in the pharmaceutical literature. A literature search in Chemical Abstracts on process optimization in pharmaceuticals yielded 17 articles in the 1990-1993 time-frame. An additional 18 articles were found between 1985 and 1990 for the same narrow subject. This simple literature search indicates a resurgence in the use of optimization techniques in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, these same techniques have been applied not only to the physical properties of a tablet formulation, but also to the biological properties and the in-vivo performance of the product [30,31]. In addition to the usual tablet properties the authors studied the following pharmacokinetic parameters (a) time of the peak plasma concentration, (b) lag time, (c) absorption rate constant, and (d) elimination rate constant. The graphs in Fig. 15 show that for the drug hydrochlorothiazide, the time of the plasma peak and the absorption rate constant could, indeed, be... 

The protein Ras, an important intracellular signal transducer, is crucially involved in the development of tumor growth. The farnesylation of Ras, catalyzed by the enzyme Ras-farnesyl-transferase, is essential to its proper functioning in the normal and in the transformed state. Therefore, the inhibition of Ras lipidation has become a promising target for the development of new classes of anti-tumor agents. This review focuses on the different classes of Ras-farnesyl-transferase inhibitors and compares their biological properties and modes of action in vitro as well as in vivo. 

These reviews cover the chemical properties, biological properties and medical use of gramicidin. 

The concept of aromaticity is important in the rationalization of chemical reactivity and, by extension, in the understanding of biological properties and the prediction of technological behavior. In heteroaromatic chemistry, the degree of aromaticity is of particular importance in guiding our understanding of aromaticity. 

Hydroxylamines and oximes Biological properties and potential uses as therapeutic agents... 

In the final part of this chapter, we will look at stndies where endoperoxides have been investigated for their antitnmour potential. There have been a large number of endoperoxide-containing namral products isolated and this has been the focus of some excellent review articles. Countless peroxy natural products have been assayed for various biological properties and many have been found to be cytotoxic to tumour cell lines. 

A number of volatile phenylpropanoid compounds have pronounced biological properties and are also found in essential... 

ITABLE 10.1. Biological properties and localization of the five classes of antibodies... 

Nagai, N., Nakayama, Y., Zhou, Y. M., Takamizawa, K., Mori, K., and Munekata, M. (2008). Development of salmon collagen vascular graft Mechanical and biological properties and preliminary implantation study. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 87B, 432-439. 

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