Disease protection, natural

In addition to the soHd form of natural mbber it is available as a soHd suspended in water, known as latex. Synthetic mbbers are also available in latex form. Latex has become an important commodity used in the manufacture of dipped goods for health and disease protection. The principal uses of natural mbber are as follows tires and retreading, 70% latex (gloves, balloons), 12% mechanical goods, 9% load-bearing components, 4% and other, 5%. 

FIGURE 20.1 The thick line depicts the natural course ("natural history") of disease progress without therapeutic intervention (Equation 20.2). The thin line describes an offset pattern ("symptomatic") as a consequence of treatment (Equation 20.3). The dotted line reflects a slope pattern with a change in the rate of progress of the disease ("protective") (Equation 20.4). The dashed line shows the combination of both offset and slope patterns (Equation 20.5). 

Kearney, J.F. and Frei, B. Antioxidant protection of low-density lipoprotein and its role in the prevention of atherosclerotic vascular disease, in Natural Antioxidants in Human Health and Disease, pp. 303-350 (1994) (edited by B. Frei) Academic Press, San Diego,... 

The function of the essential oil in the plant is not fully understood. Microscopic examination of plant parts that contain the oil sacs readily shows their presence. The odors of flowers are said to act as attractants for insects involved in pollination and thus may aid in preservation and natural selection. Essential oils are almost always bacteriostats and often bacteriocides. Many components of essential oils are chemically active and thus could participate readily in metaboHc reactions. They are sources of plant metaboHc energy, although some chemists have referred to them as waste products of plant metaboHsm. Exudates, which contain essential oils, eg, balsams and resins, act as protective seals against disease or parasites, prevent loss of sap, and are formed readily when the tree tmnks are damaged. 

Replacement of heterocyclic rings in nucleosides by ring systems which do not occur in nature represents another approach to compounds which may have activity against viral and neoplastic diseases. One of the early successes in this category involves replacement of a pyrimidine ring by a triazine. The synthesis starts with a now classical glycosidation of a heterocycle as its silylated derivative (146) with a protected halosugar (145), in this case a derivative of arabinose... 

Chan CS, Guzman JN, Ihij ic E, Mercer JN, Rick C, Tkatch T, Meredith GE, Sunneier DJ (2007) Rejuvenation protects neurons in mouse models of Parkinson s disease. Nature 447 1081-1086... 

The ideal of any vaccine is to provide life-long protection to the individual against disease. Immunological memory (Chapter 14) depends upon the survival of cloned populations of small B and T lymphocytes (memory cells). These small lymphocytes have a lifespan in the body of ca. 15-20 years. Thus, if the immune system is not boosted, either by natural exposure to the organism or by re-immunization, then immunity gained in childhood will be attenuated or lost completely by the age of 30. Those vaccines which provide only poor protection against disease have proportionately reduced time-spans of effectiveness. Yellow fever vaccination, which is highly effective, must therefore be repeated at 10-year intervals, whilst typhoid vaccines are only effective for 1-3 years. Whether or not immunization in childhood is boosted at adolescence or in adult life depends on the relative risks associated with the infection as a function of age. 

Vitamin C occurs as L-ascorbic acid and dihydroascorbic acid in fruits, vegetables and potatoes, as well as in processed foods to which it has been added as an antioxidant. The only wholly undisputed function of vitamin C is the prevention of scurvy. Although this is the physiological rationale for the currently recommended intake levels, there is growing evidence that vitamin C may provide additional protective effects against other diseases including cancer, and the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) may be increased in the near future. Scurvy develops in adults whose habitual intake of vitamin C falls below 1 mg/d, and under experimental conditions 10 mg/d is sufficient to prevent or alleviate symptoms (Bartley et al., 1953). The RDA is 60 mg per day in the USA, but plasma levels of ascorbate do not achieve saturation until daily intakes reach around 100 mg (Bates et al., 1979). Most of the ascorbate in human diets is derived from natural sources, and consumers who eat five portions, or about 400-500 g, of fruits and vegetables per day could obtain as much as 200 mg of ascorbate. 

In the Unites States, the daily intake of 3-carotene is around 2 mg/day Several epidemiological studies have reported that consumption of carotenoid-rich foods is associated with reduced risks of certain chronic diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, and age-related macular degeneration. These preventive effects of carotenoids may be related to their major function as vitamin A precursors and/or their actions as antioxidants, modulators of the immune response, and inducers of gap-junction communications. Not all carotenoids exert similar protective effects against specific diseases. By reason of the potential use of carotenoids as natural food colorants and/or for their health-promoting effects, research has focused on better understanding how they are absorbed by and metabolized in the human body. 

Park, S.Y. and Kim, D.S., Discovery of natural products from Curcuma longa that protect cells from beta-amyloid insult a drug discovery effort against Alzheimer s disease, J. Nat. Prod., 65, 1227, 2002. 

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