Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. Biomacromolecules. 2023 Nov 13;24(11):4939-4957. doi: 
10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00623. Epub 2023 Oct 11.

Comprehensive Biodegradation Analysis of Chemically Modified 
Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Materials with Different Crystal Structures.

Julinová M(1), Šašinková D(1), Minařík A(2), Kaszonyiová M(3), Kalendová A(3), 
Kadlečková M(2), Fayyazbakhsh A(1), Koutný M(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Environmental Protection Engineering, Faculty of Technology, 
Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Nad Ovčírnou 3685, 760 01, Zlín, Czech Republic.
(2)Department of Physics and Material Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Tomas 
Bata University in Zlín, Vavrečkova 5669, 760 01, Zlin, Czech Republic.
(3)Department of Polymer Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Tomas Bata 
University in Zlín, Vavrečkova 5669, 760 01, Zlín, Czech Republic.

This work presents a comprehensive analysis of the biodegradation of 
polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and chemically modified PHB with different chemical 
and crystal structures in a soil environment. A polymer modification reaction 
was performed during preparation of the chemically modified PHB films, utilizing 
2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butylperoxy)-hexane as a free-radical initiator and 
maleic anhydride. Films of neat PHB and chemically modified PHB were prepared by 
extrusion and thermocompression. The biological agent employed was natural mixed 
microflora in the form of garden soil. The course and extent of biodegradation 
of the films was investigated by applying various techniques, as follows: a 
respirometry test to determine the production of carbon dioxide through 
microbial degradation; scanning electron microscopy (SEM); optical microscopy; 
fluorescence microscopy; differential scanning calorimetry (DSC); and X-ray 
diffraction (XRD). Next-generation sequencing was carried out to study the 
microbial community involved in biodegradation of the films. Findings from the 
respirometry test indicated that biodegradation of the extruded and chemically 
modified PHB followed a multistage (2-3) course, which varied according to the 
spatial distribution of amorphous and crystalline regions and their spherulitic 
morphology. SEM and polarized optical microscopy (POM) confirmed that the rate 
of biodegradation depended on the availability of the amorphous phase in the 
interspherulitic region and the width of the interlamellar region in the first 
stage, while dependence on the size of spherulites and thickness of spherulitic 
lamellae was evident in the second stage. X-ray diffraction revealed that 
orthorhombic α-form crystals with helical chain conformation degraded 
concurrently with β-form crystals with planar zigzag conformation. The 
nucleation of PHB crystals after 90 days of biodegradation was identified by DSC 
and POM, a phenomenon which impeded biodegradation. Fluorescence microscopy 
evidenced that the crystal structure of PHB affected the physiological behavior 
of soil microorganisms in contact with the surfaces of the films.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00623
PMCID: PMC10646986
PMID: 37819211 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing financial 
interest.


2. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Jul 20;20(14):3553. doi: 10.3390/ijms20143553.

Purification, Characterization of Two Polysaccharides from Pinelliae Rhizoma 
Praeparatum Cum Alumine and Their Anti-Inflammatory Effects on Mucus Secretion 
of Airway Epithelium.

Hu M(1), Liu Y(2), Wang L(1), Wang J(1), Li L(1), Wu C(3).

Author information:
(1)School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 
Chengdu 611137, China.
(2)School of Pharmacy, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500, China.
(3)School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 
Chengdu 611137, China. wucjcdtcm@163.com.

Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Alumine (PRPCA) is an important traditional 
processed herbal medicine mainly used for treating phlegm in China for more than 
2000 years. In our previous studies, extraction optimization, characterization, 
and bioactivities of total polysaccharides from PRPCA were investigated. In this 
study, further purification of these polysaccharides was performed. Two 
polysaccharides named neutral fraction of total polysaccharides-II (TPN-II) and 
acidic fraction of total polysaccharides-II (TPA-II) were obtained by gradient 
ion-exchange chromatography followed by gel-permeation chromatography. Results 
of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis in the present study showed that 
TPN-II had a tight structure with a rough and uneven surface, while TPA-II had a 
relative homogeneous surface and a loose structure. Further studies indicated 
that TPN-II was a homosaccharide mainly composed by glucose with a molecular 
weight of 8.0 kDa. TPA-II was mainly composed of mannose, rhamnose, glucuronic 
acid, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose and arabinose in a molar ratio of 
2.1, 2.3, 1.7, 10.6, 2.6, 14.2, and 2.5, with a molecular weight of 1250 kDa. 
The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) results indicated that α and β form 
glycoside bonds existed in TPN-II and TPA-II, and TPN-II was composed of 
α-glucopyranose. In addition, both purified polysaccharides have significant 
anti-inflammatory effects on mucus secretion of human airway epithelial NCI-H292 
cells without cytotoxicity. Compared with TPN-II, TPA-II exhibited more 
significant anti-inflammatory effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced airway 
inflammation by regulating levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ 
(IFN-γ) and inhibiting mucus secretion. The results suggest that polysaccharides 
from PRPCA could be explored as therapeutic agents in treating inflammation and 
over secretion of mucus in asthma.

DOI: 10.3390/ijms20143553
PMCID: PMC6678706
PMID: 31330806 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.


3. J Am Chem Soc. 2018 Nov 21;140(46):15572-15576. doi: 10.1021/jacs.8b08642.
Epub  2018 Nov 9.

Coordination Network That Reversibly Switches between Two Nonporous Polymorphs 
and a High Surface Area Porous Phase.

Zhu AX(1)(2), Yang QY(2)(3), Kumar A(2), Crowley C(2), Mukherjee S(2), Chen 
KJ(2), Wang SQ(2), O Nolan D(2), Shivanna M(2), Zaworotko MJ(2).

Author information:
(1)Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Yunnan Normal University , 
Kunming 650500 , China.
(2)Department of Chemical Sciences and Bernal Institute , University of Limerick 
, Limerick V94 T9PX , Republic of Ireland.
(3)School of Chemical Engineering and Technology , Xi'an Jiaotong University , 
Xi'an 710049 , China.

We report a 2-fold interpenetrated primitive cubic (pcu) network X-pcu-5-Zn, 
[Zn2(DMTDC)2(dpe)] (H2DMTDC = 3,4-dimethylthieno[2,3- 
b]thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, dpe = 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene), that 
exhibits reversible switching between an as-synthesized "open" phase, 
X-pcu-5-Zn-α, and two nonporous or "closed" polymorphs, X-pcu-5-Zn-β and 
X-pcu-5-Zn-γ. There are two unusual features of X-pcu-5-Zn. The first relates to 
its sorption properties, which reveal that the α form exhibits high CO2 uptake 
(ca. 255 cm3/g at 195 K) via reversible closed-to-open switching (type F-IV 
isotherm) of the type desirable for gas and vapor storage; there are only three 
other reports of porous materials that combine these two features. Second, we 
could only isolate the β form by activation of the CO2 loaded α form and it 
persists through multiple CO2 adsorption/desorption cycles. We are unaware of a 
new polymorph having been isolated in such a manner. That the observed phase 
changes of X-pcu-5-Zn-α occur in single-crystal-to-single-crystal fashion 
enabled structural characterization of the three forms; γ is a coordination 
isomer of α and β, both of which are based upon "paddlewheel" clusters.

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b08642
PMID: 30395458


4. J Am Chem Soc. 2013 Mar 20;135(11):4492-500. doi: 10.1021/ja400318v. Epub 2013
 Mar 11.

High-temperature and pressure-induced ferroelectricity in hydrogen-bonded 
supramolecular crystals of anilic acids and 2,3-di(2-pyridinyl)pyrazine.

Horiuchi S(1), Kumai R, Tokura Y.

Author information:
(1)National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 
305-8562, Japan. s-horiuchi@aist.go.jp

Cocrystallization of anilic acids (H2xa) and 2,3-di(2-pyridinyl)pyrazine (dppz) 
affords a variety of molecular geometries, including hydrogen-bonding and 
supramolecular structures. Proton-transferred 1:1 salts of [H-dppz][Hca] and 
[H-dppz][Hba] (H2ca = chloranilic acid, H2ba = bromanilic acid) were found to 
host room-temperature ferroelectricity with a spontaneous polarization of 3-4 
μC/cm(2) along the hydrogen-bonded chains. Compared with the Curie points of 
other supramolecular ferroelectrics, those of the salts are relatively high (402 
K and >420 K, respectively) because of the elongated hydrogen bonds, which 
stabilize the proton-ordered state against thermal agitation. In addition to the 
ferroelectric black (α) form, dppz and H2ba gave two different crystal forms 
with a 2:3 ratio: the brown β form of [H(1.5)-dppz]2[Hba]3 and the brownish-red 
γ form of [H-dppz]2[Hba]2[H2ba]. Mixed solutions of dppz with the less acidic 
fluoranilic acid (H2fa) exhibit valence instability; the H2fa molecules remain 
mostly neutral in absolute ethanol, whereas methanol (MeOH) solution apparently 
increases the deprotonated Hfa(-) content. Crystallizations of these solutions 
gave a neutral [dppz][H2fa] cocrystal and ionic [H-dppz(+)][Hfa(-)]·MeOH salt, 
respectively. The ferroelectricity induced by a modest hydrostatic pressure 
corroborates the conclusion that the ionic state with a dipolar 
[H-dppz(+)][Hfa(-)] chain is energetically close to the nonpolar neutral ground 
state of the [dppz][H2fa] crystal.

DOI: 10.1021/ja400318v
PMID: 23448384


5. Cell. 1995 Dec 15;83(6):1047-58. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(95)90220-1.

The structure of the G protein heterotrimer Gi alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2.

Wall MA(1), Coleman DE, Lee E, Iñiguez-Lluhi JA, Posner BA, Gilman AG, Sprang 
SR.

Author information:
(1)Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 
Dallas 75235, USA.

The crystallographic structure of the G protein heterotrimer Gi alpha 1(GDP)beta 
1 gamma 2 (at 2.3 A) reveals two nonoverlapping regions of contact between alpha 
and beta, an extended interface between beta and nearly all of gamma, and 
limited interaction of alpha with gamma. The major alpha/beta interface covers 
switch II of alpha, and GTP-induced rearrangement of switch II causes subunit 
dissociation during signaling. Alterations in GDP binding in the heterotrimer 
(compared with alpha-GDP) explain stabilization of the inactive conformation of 
alpha by beta gamma. Repeated WD motifs in beta form a circularized sevenfold 
beta propeller. The conserved cores of these motifs are a scaffold for display 
of their more variable linkers on the exterior face of each propeller blade.

DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(95)90220-1
PMID: 8521505 [Indexed for MEDLINE]