The flavin analogue 5-deazariboflavin is a convenient catalyst for the photoreduction of low-potential redox compounds. In an anaerobic medium with Tricine buffer as the electron donor, 5-deazariboflavin is capable of photo-reducing both ferredoxin and methyl viologen. We have used this method to conduct a comparative study of the Photosystem I photophosphorylation activities supported by the r...

Cassia fistula is well known for its laxative and antifungal properties due to anthraquinone compounds in the pods. This study quantitatively analyzed rhein in the C. fistula pod pulp decoction extracts kept under various storage conditions using HPLC. The antifungal activity of the extracts and their hydrolyzed mixture was also evaluated against dermatophytes. The contents of rhein in all stor...

Madder (Rubia tinctorum L.) has been used as a dye for over 2000 years with alizarin and purpurin the major natural dyes analysed from extractions undertaken. The use of ethanol as the solvent in the extraction process produced an extract that yielded four anthraquinone compounds lucidin primeveroside, ruberythric acid, alizarin and lucidin-ω-ethyl ether. Gravitational separation of the extract...

Anthracene and related compounds function as lifetime-extending cofactors in the (meso-tetraphenylporphine)Mn(III) chloride-catalyzed epoxidation of olefins. An experiment with a chiral porphyrin catalyst shows that enantioselectivity is preserved in the presence of the cofactor. Additional experiments show that (a) turnover number enhancement is greatest for the least reactive substrates, (b) ...

It was demonstrated that anthraquinone-rich extracts, obtained from the phototoxic vegetal species Heterophyllaea pustulata Hook f. (Rubiaceae), exhibited bacteriostatic activity on Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341, selectively inhibiting both oxacillin-sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and antifungal activity against important opportunist microorganisms and against those involved in s...