The tetradecapeptide somatostatin (SRIF) is a hormone release-inhibiting substance that mediates diverse effects in brain and peripheral organs via specific receptors. A cDNA encoding a rat SRIF receptor was identified by use of degenerate oligonucleotide primers and polymerase chain reaction amplification of cDNA prepared from transcripts expressed in rat brain. The complete cDNA encodes a pro...

The active medicinal constituents in Hypericum perforatum, used to treat depression and skin irritation, include flavonoids and xanthones. The carbon skeletons of these compounds are formed by chalcone synthase (CHS) and benzophenone synthase (BPS), respectively. Polyclonal antisera were raised against the polyketide synthases from Hypericum androsaemum and their IgG fractions were isolated. Im...

Hypericum japonicum (Guttiferae), a type of annual or perennial herb, has been historically applied to cure infectious hepatitis, acute and chronic hepatitis, gastrointestinal disorder, and internal hemorrhage. In our successive studies on the genus Hypericum, two new α-pyrones termed japopyrones A and B (1 and 2) were isolated from H. japonicum. Their structures and absolute configurations wer...

The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Hypericum perforatum L. and Hypericum scabrum L. from plants growing wild in Tajikistan were analyzed by GC-MS. Sixty-six compounds were identified in the essential oils of H. perforatum with germacrene D (13.7%), α-pinene (5.1%), (E)-caryophyllene (4.7%), n-dodecanol (4.5%), caryophyllene oxide (4.2%), bicyclogermacrene ...

In this study, plant oils of Hypericum perforatum, Sesamum indicum, Nigella sative were investigated for their in vitro antibacterial activity against Vibrio anguillarum and Lactococcus garvieae. Antibacterial activity was found to show with oil of Nigella sative. It was determined formed on the diameter of inhibition (inhibition zone: 18 mm) of the oil against Vibrio anguillarum and Lactococcu...

Biological control agents may have unintended effects on native biota, particularly species that are closely related to the target invader. Here, we explored how Chrysolina quadrigemina, a beetle introduced to control the invasive weed Hypericum perforatum, impacts native H. punctatum in Tompkins County, New York, USA. Using a suite of complementary field surveys and experimental manipulations,...