Marine algae active compounds

Similarly, DPI-sensitive activation of H202 in marine algae and the concomitant formation of volatile and nonvolatile halogenated compounds are likely to play a... 

The enzyme from the red marine alga seaweed, purified 950-fold catalyzes the deamination of compounds noted in Table VII 2 -AMP, 3 -AMP, NADP, and adenine were not substrates. Although no evidence regarding homogeneity was presented the constant ratios of activity for AMP ADP ATP NAD adenosine throughout the purification and heat inactivation data are consistent with a single enzyme. The reaction was activated by divalent cations Ca2+, Mg2+, and Ba2+ Ca2+ was twice as effective as Mg2+ and Ba2+. The percent activation by Ca2 of NAD, ATP, ADP, 5 -AMP, and adenosine deamination was 81, 260, 200, 116, and 0, respectively (182). 

Many polyhalogenated monoterpenes have potent biological activity (7). In addition to cytotoxic activity, several compounds display insect repellent and antifeedant activity, and selective insect cell toxicity (480). To acquire sufficient quantities of these and other target metabolites for biological evaluation, the laboratory cultivation of marine algae - bioprocess engineering - is under intense exploration (481 483). 

Many peroxovanadates have potent insulin-mimetic properties [1,2]. Apparently, this functionality derives from the ability of these compounds to rapidly oxidize the active site thiols found in the group of protein tyrosine phosphatases that are involved in regulating the insulin receptor function [3], The discovery of vanadium-dependent haloperoxidases in marine algae and terrestrial lichens provided an additional stimulus in research toward obtaining functional models of peroxidase activity, and there is great interest in duplicating the function of these enzymes (see Section 10.4.2). 

Besides sulphated PS, reports on anti-HSV compounds isolated from marine algae are recorded in the literature. Specimens of the brown alga Dictyota pfaffii from Atol das Rocas, northeast Brazil, afforded the rare dolabellane diterpene 10,18-diacetoxy-8-hydroxy-2,6-dolabella-diene and the new 10-acetoxy-8,18-dihydroxy-2,6-dolabella-diene [46]. These substances showed strong anti-HSV-1 activity in vitro. Several antiviral diterpenes were isolated from other brown algae of the Dictyota genus. 

Reports on the anti-influenza virus effects of extracts from marine algae from all over the world have been found in the literature [115]. These results show that the blue-green algae (cyanobacterium) are able to produce compounds with anti-influenza activity that may be of potential clinical interest. For example, aqueous and methanolic extracts of cultured cyanobacteria of several genera. Microcystis, Nodularia, Oscillatoria, Scytonema, Lyngbya and Calothrix were evaluated for their in vitro antiviral activity against the influenza A virus in Madin Darby kidney cells [116,117]. The further analysis of methanolic extracts of cultured strains of genus Microcystis revealed a remarkable antiviral... 

Methionine in plants can be converted to the sulfonium compound S-methyl-L-methionine, also called vitamin U. It has strong osmoprotectant activity and accumulates in many marine algae and some flowering plants.Other organisms, including mammals, can use S-methylmethionine to methylate homocysteine, converting both reactants back to methionine enabling animals to meet some of their methionine need from this source. 

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