Alkamid database: Chemistry, occurrence and functionality of plant N-alkylamides

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

N-Alkylamides (NAAs) are a promising group of bioactive compounds, which are anticipated to act as important lead compounds for plant protection and biocidal products, functional food, cosmeceuticals and drugs in the next decennia. These molecules, currently found in more than 25 plant families and with a wide structural diversity, exert a variety of biological-pharmacological effects and are of high ethnopharmacological importance. However, information is scattered in literature, with different, often unstandardized, pharmacological methodologies being used. Therefore, a comprehensive NAA database (acronym: Alkamid) was constructed to collect the available structural and functional NAA data, linked to their occurrence in plants (family, tribe, species, genus).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

For loading information in the database, literature data was gathered over the period 1950-2010, by using several search engines. In order to represent the collected information about NAAs, the plants in which they occur and the functionalities for which they have been examined, a relational database is constructed and implemented on a MySQL back-end.

RESULTS

The database is supported by describing the NAA plant-, functional- and chemical-space. The chemical space includes a NAA classification, according to their fatty acid and amine structures.

CONCLUSIONS

The Alkamid database (publicly available on the website http://alkamid.ugent.be/) is not only a central information point, but can also function as a useful tool to prioritize the NAA choice in the evaluation of their functionality, to perform data mining leading to quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPRs), functionality comparisons, clustering, plant biochemistry and taxonomic evaluations.

Prenylated sulfonyl amides from Glycosmis species

Nine new sulfur containing amides were isolated from the lipophilic leaf extracts of different varieties of Glycosmis chlorosperma and G. ex aff. pseudoracemosa mainly collected in Thailand. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. All amides were shown to be characterized by a methylsulfonylpropenoic acid moiety linked to a p-geranyloxy- or p-prenyloxy-phenethylamide rest. The compounds differ by different states of oxidation (i) at the 2-position of the ethylamine unit, (ii) at the aromatic m-position of phenethylamine, or (iii) at the terminal methyl group of the geranyloxy side chain.

[Clinical results of acute closing aortic dissection]

The therapeutic outcomes of 43 patients with acute closing aortic dissection treated during the past 10 years were evaluated. The patients consisted of 30 men and 13 women with a mean age of 65 +/- 9 years. Ten were classified as Stanford type A, and the remaining 33 as type B. During follow-up (6 to 120 months; average 55 months), recanalization and an enlarged ulcer-like projection (ULP) were observed in 5 and 2 type a patients. Although recanalization was not observed in type B patients, enlarged ULP was observed in 10 of them, in 6 of whom developed aneurysm. During the follow-up period, ULP was observed at 30 sites in 26 patients. Monitoring the change in ULP over time showed that the ascending and the proximal descending aorta frequently tended to be enlarged and progressed to aorta frequently tended to be enlarged and progressed to aneurysm. Surgery was performed in 3 patients with recanalization, 5 with enlarged ULP, and 3 with atheroscloerotic aortic aneurysm. Although one patient died of cerebral complications, the other 10 patients showed favorable postsurgical courses. Among 8 patients who died, the actuarial survival rate was favorable, being 96, 91 and 83% at 1, 3 and 5 years. However, the survival rate free from complications related to aortic dissection, defined as rupture, ercanalization, enlarged ULP and aneurysmal change, was 78, 58 and 54% at 1, 3 and 5 years, indicating that aortic dissection-related complications are likely to develop within 3 years. This being the case, conservative therapy may be selected for closing aortic dissection when there are no serious complications in the acute phase. However, closely following patients with diagnostic imaging techniques is essential as there may be complications such as recanalization or enlarged ULP. Such complications should be surgically treated because they may affect long-term prognosis.