Anticonvulsant drugs and brain glucose

γ-Lactam-Based Antifungal Compounds against the Wheat Pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici

As new environmentally friendly and effective antifungal agents are deeply needed, efficient ecofriendly strategies were designed to access two series of compounds inspired from natural γ-lactams. Designed compounds were fully characterized and evaluated as antifungal candidates against Zymoseptoria tritici, the main pathogen on wheat crops. The targeted derivatives were prepared from natural resources using green solvents, simple procedures, and limited purification steps. These bio-inspired compounds revealed as good candidates for further development of efficient crop protection products. Indeed, the HIT compounds exhibited IC₅₀ around 1 μg/mL and were more active than the references tebuconazole and bixafen towards some multidrug-resistant strains. Two dozen of derivatives have been obtained for each series and allowed to establish early structure-activity relationships useful for the development of next generation of γ-lactam derivatives with improved efficacy.

Stimulation of p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity of mung bean shoot extracts. Preliminary observations as a possible screening test for anticonvulsant drugs

The p-nitrophenylphosphatase (pNPPase) activity of mung bean shoot extracts has similar characteristics to that of animal tissue. Mung bean shoot pNPPase activity is maximal between pH 7.8 and 8.2 and at a substrate concentration between 10 and 20 mM and is inhibited by sodium ions. Mung bean shoot pNPPase activity is competitively inhibited by ATP with a Ki value of 2.8 mM. A wide range of anticonvulsant drugs tested all stimulated the pNPPase activity of the mung bean shoot extracts. The nonanticonvulsant drugs tested did not have this effect, with the exception of pemoline, which, although not acknowledged to be an anticonvulsant drug, did show anticonvulsant activity when tested using conventional methods involving animals. In double-blind trials, 12 out of 15 compounds were correctly classified as anticonvulsants or nonanticonvulsants. It is proposed that the pNPPase activity of mung bean shoot extracts may be useful as a preliminary screen for anticonvulsant drugs.

Effects of anticonvulsant and convulsant drugs on the ATPase activities of synaptosomes and their components

1. The effects of anticonvulsants, and other drugs on the Na+, K+-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) (ouabain-sensitive) and Mg++-ATPase activities of synaptosomes and their components have been determined. 2. The Mg++-ATPase activity of synaptosomes was not affected by the drugs but the Na+, K+-ATPase activity was inhibited by phenytoin (diphenylhydantoin), ethosuximide and diazepam. 3. Fractions containing mainly membranes, mitochondria or synaptic vesicles, were prepared from synaptosomes by osmotic shock and subsequent density gradient centrifugation. Inhibition of Na+, K+-ATPase activity by phenytoin, ethosuximide and diazepam was apparent only in the membrane fraction. 4. The fraction containing synaptic vesicles exhibited pronounced Md++-ATPase but no Na+, K+-ATPase activity. In contrast to the enzymes of the membranes and mitochondria, the Mg++-ATPase of the vesicles was inhibited by diazepam and all of the anticonvulsants tested.