Product Research Research Articles

In-vitro studies based on Natural compounds with Antitumor properties used for Ameliorating/ Preventing Cancer

Despite recent advances in the field of chemically synthesized pharmaceutical agents, nature remains the primary source of bioactive molecules. Natural product research is a valuable approach for the discovery and development of novel biologically active compounds with unique structures and mechanisms of action. Despite their use in traditional treatment regimes, plant-derived compounds still account for a significant portion of today's pharmaceutical agents. Their medical significance is widely acknowledged in the field of oncology, particularly as an alternative to the limitations of conventional chemotherapy (severe side effects and inefficacy due to the occurrence of multi-drug resistance). Furthermore, the preclinical to clinical evaluation of the most recently studied natural compounds with potent antitumor activity (e.g., resveratrol, curcumin, betulinic acid, etc.) in terms of anticancer mechanisms of action and potential indications as chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agents and sensitizers is depicted. Finally, this review describes several effective platforms for the encapsulation and targeted delivery of natural compounds in cancer treatment. This review uses representation to provide a comprehensive view of the mechanism of action of the agents of natural origin.

EMNPD: a comprehensive endophytic microorganism natural products database for prompt the discovery of new bioactive substances

The discovery and utilization of natural products derived from endophytic microorganisms have garnered significant attention in pharmaceutical research. While remarkable progress has been made in this field each year, the absence of dedicated open-access databases for endophytic microorganism natural products research is evident. To address the increasing demand for mining and sharing of data resources related to endophytic microorganism natural products, this study introduces EMNPD, a comprehensive endophytic microorganism natural products database comprising manually curated data. Currently, EMNPD offers 6632 natural products from 1017 endophytic microorganisms, targeting 1286 entities (including 94 proteins, 282 cell lines, and 910 species) with 91 diverse bioactivities. It encompasses the physico-chemical properties of natural products, ADMET information, quantitative activity data with their potency, natural products contents with diverse fermentation conditions, systematic taxonomy, and links to various well-established databases. EMNPD aims to function as an open-access knowledge repository for the study of endophytic microorganisms and their natural products, thereby facilitating drug discovery research and exploration of bioactive substances. The database can be accessed at http://emnpd.idrblab.cn/ without the need for registration, enabling researchers to freely download the data. EMNPD is expected to become a valuable resource in the field of endophytic microorganism natural products and contribute to future drug development endeavors.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF RICINUS COMMUNIS AND THE NEED FOR NOVEL FORMULATION OF THE EXTRACTS: A REVIEW

Some drugs from plant and animal sources have proven to be efficacious, safe, and effective therapeutically. They are potential alternatives to synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs in treating diseases, especially the chronic types. Ricinus communis is one such plant that has been used traditionally for centuries as a medicinal plant in the treatment of a wide range of ailments and disorders like stomach aches, flatulence, constipation, and gallbladder pain. Others include dysmenorrhea, rheumatism, arthritis, backache, muscle aches, and toothache. In addition, other uses include chronic headaches, insomnia, placenta expulsion, and anti-fertility. However, there is a deficiency of novel formulations of the extracts to maximize their therapeutic benefits. The phytochemicals in Ricinus communis are extracted via direct expression of the seed and solvent of both the seed and the different plant parts. Some solvents used for extraction include ethanol, petroleum ether, methanol, ethyl acetate, toluene, benzene, hexane, and chloroform. The constituents of the extracts depend on the plant part used, the solvent employed, and contact time. The phytochemicals found in the various extracts include tannins, saponins, phenols, alkaloids, glycosides, phytate, fatty acids, steroids, oxalate, and volatile constituents. These extracts are found to elicit a wide range of pharmacological activities against bacteria, fungi, cancer cells, worms, conception, constipation, pain, and malaria. In addition, some of the pharmacodynamic activities are laxative, uterine contraction, antiasthmatic, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and anticonvulsant. The extracts are also useful in bone regeneration, wound healing, liver protection, and a host of other pharmacological actions. Novel products of Ricinus communis are not available. Subjecting the extracts to advanced drug delivery formulations such as lipid-based drug delivery technologies would accentuate the dissolution, absorption, and bioavailability of the extracts of Ricinus communis just like other herbal formulations currently in the market. Therefore, there is a crucial need for formulation scientists to explore novel nano-drug delivery technology to formulate extracts into medicines for the improvement of public healthcare. Peer Review History: Received: 19 August 2023; Revised: 21 September; Accepted: 24 October, Available online: 15 November 2023 Academic Editor: Dr. Tamer Elhabibi, Suez Canal University, Egypt, tamer_hassan@pharm.suez.edu.eg Received file: Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.0/10 Reviewers: Ali Jaber, Laboratory for Research and Development of Medicines and Natural Products, RDMPN, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon, ali.jaber.2@ul.edu.lb Prof. Ali Gamal Ahmed Al-kaf, Sana'a university, Yemen, alialkaf21@gmail.com

Innovation and Thinking about Coffee + Internet: Luckin Coffee Case Study

In recent years, the Internet has driven the rapid expansion of the coffee industry. The organic integration of coffee and the Internet has also brought many benefits to the coffee industry and the coffee industry into the new retail era. Taking Luckin Coffee as an example, this article analyzes the three aspects that Luckin Coffee applies in the Internet and big data, including operations, marketing, and product research and development. In the end, it is discovered that the combination of coffee and the internet can improve the competitiveness and growth of the company in the coffee industry.

Research on AI-RPA-based Enterprise Empowerment and Cost Decision System Taking the Xiaomi Group as an Example

Since its establishment in 2010, Xiaomi Technology Co., Ltd. has been a global mobile Internet enterprise and innovative technology enterprise focusing on the research and development of intelligent hardware and electronic products, smartphones, smart electric vehicles, Internet TV, and smart home ecological chain construction. However, with the increasing industry competition, we should effectively use our own resources in internal management to occupy a larger market share. Therefore, from Xiaomi Technology Liability Co., LTD.'s perspective, it is particularly important to improve the cost decision and find a scientific cost decision to achieve a better strategic goal. Based on its existing cost decision analysis and operation, this paper puts forward the combination of "RPA + AI" technology in the cost decision structure. The first part of the paper determines the research background, significance, method, and background. The second part details the relevant concepts: cost decision, artificial intelligence, and "RPA + AI", the theoretical basis. In the third part, Xiaomi Technology Liability Co., Ltd. is taken as a case to analyze the specific application of the cost composition and cost decision of "RPA + AI", including technical advantages and specific applications. In the fourth part, based on the analysis of the third part, "RPA + AI" is optimized and integrated in Xiaomi Group, the current situation of cost management is compared, analyzed, and finally put forward the problems and challenges faced. The fifth part summarizes the research in this paper and summarizes them systematically.

The Impact of the Metaverse on the Economic Development of Manufacturing Industry

Since social media Facebook announced its renaming to Meta in October 2021, Metaverse has become a widely discussed topic. After Facebook, companies such as Nike and BMW announced plans to launch Metaverse. A large number of cases have shown that the Metaverse plays an important role in the development of the real economy. Based on existing research, the goal of this article is to study the important role of the Metaverse in the development of the manufacturing real economy and how to promote the development of the manufacturing industry. This article studies the characteristics of the virtual and real combination and decentralization of the Metaverse through qualitative analysis and case study. Meanwhile, it was further discovered how the Metaverse promotes the economic development of the manufacturing industry by influencing its research and development, production, and marketing processes. Research has shown that, the Metaverse can affect the entire process of manufacturing product research and development, production and manufacturing, and marketing. Therefore, through the Metaverse, enterprises can achieve digitalization, cross time and space, and collaborate with multiple departments for research and development, production, and marketing. Thus, enterprises can achieve the goal of improving production efficiency and efficiency while improving consumer experience. On this basis, feasible policy recommendations were proposed.

Research on financial risk management under asset-light operation mode

As the competition among enterprises becomes more and more fierce, the shortcomings of the traditional operation mode of enterprises begin to appear. They all begin to try the transformation of light assets to reduce the pressure brought by procurement cost or labor cost. Asset-light enterprises focus on product research and development and marketing, and the rest of the business will be completed by suppliers in the form of outsourcing, but the corresponding risks also appear. The capital structure of asset-light enterprises has particularity, which makes it difficult to identify financial risks. How to identify, prevent and control financial risks is the focus of current asset-light enterprises. Taking Li Ning as an example, this paper studies its financial risk management under the asset-light operation, and puts forward targeted measures such as dispersing financing risks, strengthening the control of investment activities in advance, and strengthening the management of operational activities, so as to improve the financial risk management mechanism formulated by the enterprise.

An Insight into the Functional Benefit of Phenolic Acids from Whole Grains: An Update

Abstract: Plant metabolites are known for their beneficial effects on human health. Whole grains are also called as a virtuous source of staple food and phenolic acids. These acids are present in whole grains abundantly in three forms, free, conjugated, and bound. From the entire content of phenolic acids in whole grains, an abundance of bound phenolic acids is about 70-95%. The bioavailability of phenolic acids varies from simple molecules to complex molecules. However, mechanical cooking influences phenolic acid's structural and functional composition. These natural phenolic acids exhibit several pharmacological activities such as antioxidant effect, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties within the physiological system. The present review covers the research and development of crucial whole grain products and nutraceuticals by providing insights to analytical methods, bioavailability, bioaccessibility and health benefits of phenolic acids. Additionally, this review encompasses recent information on the evaluation of complete grains, including contemporary strategies for assessing the bioavailability of phenolic acid.

Topical Mosquito Repellent Formulations for Enhanced Repellency Time and Reduced Toxicity.

Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika virus affect millions of people worldwide each year. Vector control and personal protection are very important to minimize the spread of diseases, and the use of repellent is an economic practice to prevent them. The application of repellent, which acts on the skin to form a vapor layer with a repellent odor to mosquitos, is recommended as an economic prevention and practice. The natural botanical product Citronella is an effective mosquito repellent due to the high concentrations of active chemical constituents present, notably terpenic alcohols. However, citronella tends to evaporate quickly from the skin surface, resulting in a rapid loss of activity. Strategies to increase repellency time, while at the same time minimizing toxicity, are major focuses of research and development in natural repellent products. Here we highlight the role of extended-release systems (ERS) of citronella oil in this approach.

Efficient information retrieval model: overcoming challenges in search engines-an overview

<span>Search engines play a vital role in information retrieval (IR) indexing and processing vast and diverse data, which now encompasses the ever-expanding wealth of multimedia content. However, search engine performance relies on the efficiency and effectiveness of their information retrieval systems (IRS). To enhance search engine performance, there is a need to develop more efficient and accurate IRS that retrieves relevant information quickly and accurately. To address this challenge, various approaches, including inverted indexing, query expansion, and relevance feedback, have been proposed for IR. Although these approaches have shown promising results, but their effectiveness and limitations require a comprehensive examination This research aims to investigate the challenges and opportunities in designing an efficient IRS for search engines and identify key areas for improvement and future research. The study involves a comprehensive literature review on information retrieval impacting academia, industry, healthcare, e-commerce, and other domains. Researchers rely on search engines to access relevant scientific papers, professionals use them to gather market intelligence, and consumers utilize them for product research and decision-making. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of more efficient and effective information retrieval systems, leading to improved search engine performance and user satisfaction.</span>

Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism Investigation of Oleocanthal.

Oleocanthal is a secoiridoid found in olive oil, which lately gained great scientific interest due to its important pharmacological spectrum and biological properties. However, limited data exist on the metabolic fate of oleocanthal in vivo, a commonly underestimated aspect in natural products research. Especially, its pharmacokinetic (PK) characteristics have never been described so far. Thus, in the current study, a mouse-based protocol was designed, and oleocanthal was administered intraperitoneally in a standard dose of 5 mg/kg. In order to determine the PK parameters of oleocanthal or its metabolites, plasma samples were collected at 10 time points. Extraction and analysis protocols were developed and applied for the recovery and detection of oleocanthal in plasma, as well as the identification of its metabolites, using LC-HRMS/MS. Oleocanthal was not detected, proving the short lifetime of the compound in vivo, and 13 metabolites were identified. Among them, oleocanthalic acid and tyrosol sulfate were proposed as oleocanthal's biomarkers, in vivo. This is the first report associating oleocanthalic acid with oleocanthal administration in vivo, while its PK parameters, Tmax (T0) and Cmax (926 μg/mL), were also determined. The current study enlightens bioavailability and metabolism aspects of oleocanthal and suggests the association of specific metabolites with the biological effects attributed to oleocanthal administration. More studies are needed to give better insights into the metabolism and the mechanism of action of secoiridoids as well as to respond to identification challenges related to secoiridoid in vivo setups.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration perspective on cannabis research and drug development

Since the early 1970s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received over 800 investigational new drug applications (INDs) for, and pre-INDs pertaining to, research of cannabis or cannabis-derived products. The current data show that applications for research of these products submitted by both academic researchers and commercial developers focus on four major clinical areas: addiction and pain medicine (53%), neurology (19%), immunology and inflammation (14%), and psychiatry (9%). The product types studied have expanded greatly in recent years and include a wide variety of topical, inhalable, injectable, and oral products. In this article, the authors present a breakdown of cannabis and cannabis-derived applications received by the FDA over the past 50 years. The authors also provide a summary of their experience and challenges in reviewing applications for research of cannabis and cannabis-derived products, as well as recommendations for those interested in studying cannabis and cannabis-derived products in human clinical trials. This perspective article includes a discussion on important IND criteria, the pre-IND consultation program, drug master files (DMFs), and various guidance documents and resources. Lastly, the authors provide their perspective for the future of cannabis drug development.

Artificial Intelligence: A Ray of Hope for a Sustainable Future

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) has a significant impact on the global economy. From eradicating hunger and poverty to establishing sustainable energy and gender equality, AI plays a crucial role in achieving environmental sustainability. Artificial intelligence is undeniably the best course of action for the protection and preservation of biodiversity. The rapid development of artificial intelligence and its wide-ranging effects on numerous industries call for an assessment of how these factors will affect the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The three subcategories of the SDGs are society, economics, and the environment. AI is used in a variety of environmental fields, including waste management, pollution control, agriculture, energy management, wildlife preservation, and natural resource conservation. In the long run, AI will assist energy systems that are more energy efficient and have a low carbon footprint, which is necessary to combat climate change. AI can assist in properly regulating the intricate ecosystem's structure and activities. In addition to the aforementioned uses, it can aid in decision-making and environmental planning by spotting trends in desertification across vast areas. Due to the development of numerous new technologies, AI can now be used in nations with diverse cultural values and economic statuses. The technique has become more well-known as a result, worldwide. Advanced AI-based product design, technology, and research may need a lot of computer power, which can be provided by big data centres. Such facilities have a significant carbon footprint and a high energy need. Although this kind of resource abuse has not been extensively reported, AI-based ecosystem knowledge may lead to resource exploitation.

Inner- and Outer-Sphere Cross-Coupling of High Fsp3 Fragments.

Natural product research originates from a desire to explore, understand, and perturb biological function with atomic precision. To reach these goals at all, let alone efficiently, requires thoughtful and creative problem solving. Often this means bold disconnections that would simplify access to complex structures, if only the methods existed to bridge these theoretical gaps. Whereas biological interrogations provide long-term intellectual value and impetus, methods come as attractive fringe benefits of natural product synthesis. This Account describes strategic, methodological solutions to the syntheses of natural products [(-)-eugenial C, Galbulimima alkaloids GB18, GB22, GB13, and himgaline] featuring new, convergent disconnections as important problem-solving steps, which themselves were inspired by recent methods that arose from our group. Each target required the invention of first-row transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling procedures to satisfy the biological goals of the project. In these cases, synthetic strategy identified the methodological gap (the absence of stereo- and chemoselective couplings of appropriate fragments), but the tactical advantage conferred by first-row metals met the challenge. These methods were competent to handle the dense, sterically encumbered motifs common to natural products due to, in many cases, elementary steps that did not require bond formation between the hindered substrate and the metal center. Instead, these sterically lenient reactions appeared to involve metal-ligand-substrate reactions (i.e., outer-sphere steps), in contrast to the metal-substrate, coordinative reactions of precious metals (i.e., inner-sphere steps). Key observations from our previous studies, combined with the observations in seminal publications from other laboratories (Mattay, Weix, and MacMillan), led to the optimization of ligand-controlled, stereoselective reactions and the introduction of complementary catalytic cycles that revealed new modes of reactivity and generated novel structural motifs. Optimized access to bioactive natural product space accelerated our timeline of biological characterization, fulfilling a common premise of natural products research. The integration of methodology, complex natural product synthesis, diversification, and bioassay into a single Ph.D. dissertation would have been unmanageable in a prior era. The unique ability of first-row transition metals to effect Csp3-Csp3 cross-coupling with high chemo- and stereoselectivity has significantly lowered the barrier to reach the avowed goal of natural product synthesis and reduced the burden (real or perceived) of integrating natural products into functional campaigns.

A New Remote Sensing Service Mode for Agricultural Production and Management Based on Satellite–Air–Ground Spatiotemporal Monitoring

Remote sensing, the Internet, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and other technologies have become the core elements of modern agriculture and smart farming. Agricultural production and management modes guided by data and services have become a cutting-edge carrier of agricultural information monitoring, which promotes the transformation of the intelligent computing of remote sensing big data and agricultural intensive management from theory to practical applications. In this paper, the main research objective is to construct a new high-frequency agricultural production monitoring and intensive sharing service and management mode, based on the three dimensions of space, time, and attributes, that includes crop recognition, growth monitoring, yield estimation, crop disease or pest monitoring, variable-rate prescription, agricultural machinery operation, and other automatic agricultural intelligent computing applications. The platforms supported by this mode include a data management and agricultural information production subsystem, an agricultural monitoring and macro-management subsystem (province and county scales), and two mobile terminal applications (APPs). Taking Shandong as the study area of the application case, the technical framework of the system and its mobile terminals were systematically elaborated at the province and county levels, which represented macro-management and precise control of agricultural production, respectively. The automatic intelligent computing mode of satellite–air–ground spatiotemporal collaboration that we proposed fully couples data obtained from satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and IoT technologies, which can provide the accurate and timely monitoring of agricultural conditions and real-time guidance for agricultural machinery scheduling throughout the entire process of agricultural cultivation, planting, management, and harvest; the area accuracy of all obtained agricultural information products is above 90%. This paper demonstrates the necessity of customizable product and service research in agricultural intelligent computing, and the proposed practical mode can provide support for governments to participate in agricultural macro-management and decision making, which is of great significance for smart farming development and food security.

Audiovisual Presence of Women Researchers

This paper describes the participation of women researchers in higher education in Ecuador at the Catholic University of Cuenca. A three-step process was applied; the first a desk research of research processes and products; the second, design, validation and application of a qualitative instrument; and the third, design and application of a contrasting interview with senior management.

Управління інноваційним розвитком будівельних підприємств : реалії та перспективи

The article examines the role of innovative development in ensuring the effective functioning and development of domestic enterprises in the construction industry in modern conditions. The key factors affecting the success of the implementation of innovations in construction enterprises are systematized and the principles of managing their innovative development are defined. Features and challenges faced by construction enterprises in the field of innovative development in the conditions of martial law in Ukraine are outlined. The main trends in the management of innovative development of construction enterprises were analyzed, which currently include: green construction and carbon-free production as elements of a circular (closed loop) economy; 3D printing technology in construction; digitization of processes/services, use of augmented reality technology; predictive analysis involving artificial intelligence technologies; mobile access technologies and integration of disparate data in processes; robotization of certain works and use of drones; development of the “smart cities” concept. Recommendations and proposals for improving the management of innovative development of construction enterprises to achieve sustainable growth and competitiveness in this field have been developed. The strategy of innovative development of construction enterprises is proposed. The strategy of managing the innovative development of construction enterprises may include the following steps and stages: analysis of the needs and capabilities of enterprises; definition of strategic goals; resource planning; research and development of new technologies, products or services that can be implemented in the enterprise of the construction industry; financing of innovative projects; implementation and commercialization of innovations in practice; monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of implemented innovations; ensure establishment of an innovative culture at the enterprise; development of partnership relations with other enterprises; attraction of customers and clients; provision of training and dissemination of knowledge about innovations among the company's employees; establishment of cooperation with state bodies, institutions.

4.C. Round table: The role of EU bodies and European Health Union policies, and implications for the Pandemic Treaty

Abstract As the CoViD-19 pandemic unfolded, policy- and decision-makers within and beyond European borders became acutely aware of the urgent need to revisit policies and cross-border collaboration to increase preparedness. CoViD-19 lessons, regional autonomy, the way EU bodies functioned at times of crisis but also at times of peace, and EU's role in global health were all considered. In 2022, a new EU body, the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA) Authority became operational “to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to health emergencies, through intelligence gathering and building the necessary response capacities.” In March 2022, the Council of the EU adopted the decision to authorise the opening of negotiations for an international agreement on these topics, i.e., ‘The Pandemic Treaty’. Upon ratification, the treaty will become a legally binding instrument to determine coordination of public-private partnerships, towards discovery, and research and development (R&D) for vaccines, diagnostic and medicinal products. Negotiations started in the summer of 2022, with the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB4) drafting the treaty in the WHO framework, the ‘Zero Draft’ presented in Nov 2022, progress to be reported to the World Health Assembly (WHA76) (May 2023), and a final draft agreement to be delivered in May 2024. In March 2023, HERA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and HERA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) formalised agreements to clearly delineate working arrangements “to strengthen cooperation and to coordinate their work in support of health emergency preparedness and response in the area of medical countermeasures”. The increasing level of complexity, with rapid policy developments necessitates better understanding of the role of EU bodies and policies play, equipping public health professionals and of the tools to participate in these exchanges at national and cross-border levels, ultimately ensuring public health priorities and interests are served. This RT aims to provide an overview of recent developments for these bodies (HERA, EMA, ECDC), how they interact with WHO, and implications of the recently presented EU Global Health Strategy (EUGHS) (Nov 2022) and EU General Pharmaceutical Legislation (EUGPL) (Apr 2023). Panellists and Chairs include representatives to these bodies and legal experts to help elucidate key aspects. Brief interventions followed by discussion will explore: • The role of EU bodies in relation to the treaty • EU priorities, incl. regional autonomy, and related legislation, i.e., EUGPL and EUGHS • Key treaty articles and implications for European public health and global public health • The relevance of existing instruments, e.g., International Health Regulations, the Nagoya Protocol, the UN Biodiversity Convention • The guiding principles and rights in the Zero Draft Active audience interaction is envisioned via polls to prioritise topics and submit questions. Key messages • The global and European public health landscapes are rapidly being transformed. Comprehensive understanding of bodies and policies at interplay by public health professionals is key. • Current developments involve key deliberation and consultation steps at national, EU-wide and global levels. The public health community must be informed and engaged to safeguard public health. Speakers/Panelists Ricardo Mexia INSA - National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal Debjani Muller HTAi, Edmonton, Canada Sujitha Subramanian UK Dimitra Lingri National Organization for Health Care Services Provision, Athens, Greece

The Use of Shells of Marine Molluscs in Spanish Ethnomedicine: A Historical Approach and Present and Future Perspectives.

Since ancient times, the shells of marine molluscs have been used as a therapeutic and/or prophylactic resource. In Spain, they were part of practical guides for doctors or pharmacists until the 19th century. In general, seashells were prepared by dissolving in vinegar and were part of plasters or powders used as toothpaste, or to treat dyspepsia, heartburn and leprosy. Thus, the nacre or mother-of-pearl of various molluscs was regularly used in the Royal Colleges of Surgery and in hospitals during the times of the Cortes of Cadiz, as a medicine in galenic preparations based on powders. In contemporary Spanish ethnomedicine, seashells, with a high symbolic value, have been used as an amulet to prevent cracks in the breasts and promote their development during lactation, to avoid teething pain in young children, to eliminate stains on the face or to cure erysipelas. But, as in other countries, products derived from seashells have also been empirically applied. The two resources used traditionally have been the cuttlebone, the internal shell of cuttlefish and the nacre obtained from the external shells of some species. Cuttlebone, dried and pulverised, has been applied externally to cure corneal leukoma and in dental hygiene. In the case of nacre, a distinction must be made between chemical and physical remedies. Certain seashells, macerated in lemon juice, were used in coastal areas to remove spots on the face during postpartum. However, the most common practice in Spain mainland was to dissolve mother-of-pearl buttons in lemon juice (or vinegar). The substance thus obtained has been used to treat different dermatological conditions of the face (chloasma, acne), as well as to eliminate freckles. For the extraction of foreign bodies in the eyes, a very widespread traditional remedy has been to introduce small mother-of-pearl buttons under the lid. These popular remedies and practices are compared with those collected in classic works of medicine throughout history, and data on the pharmacological activity and pharmaceutical applications of the products used are provided. The use of cuttlebone powders is supported by different works on anti-inflammatory, immune-modulatory and/or wound healing properties. Nacre powder has been used in traditional medicines to treat palpitations, convulsions or epilepsy. As sedation and a tranquilisation agent, nacre is an interesting source for further drug development. Likewise, nacre is a biomaterial for orthopaedic and other tissue bioengineering applications. This article is a historical, cultural and anthropological view that can open new epistemological paths in marine-derived product research.

Pseudomonassin, a New Bioactive Ribosomally Synthesised and Post-Translationally Modified Peptide from Pseudomonas sp. SST3.

Genome mining and metabolomics have become valuable tools in natural products research to evaluate and identify potential new chemistry from bacteria. In the search for new compounds from the deep-sea organism, Pseudomonas sp. SST3, from the South Shetland Trough, Antarctica, a co-cultivation with a second deep-sea Pseudomonas zhaodongensis SST2, was undertaken to isolate pseudomonassin, a ribosomally synthesised and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) that belongs to a class of RiPP called lasso peptides. Pseudomonassin was identified using a genome-mining approach and isolated by means of mass spectrometric guided isolation. Extensive metabolomics analysis of the co-cultivation of Pseudomonas sp. SST3 and P. zhaodongensis SST2, Pseudomonas sp. SST3 and Escherichia coli, and P. zhaodongensis SST2 and E. coli were performed using principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), which revealed potential new metabolites in the outlier regions of the co-cultivation, with other metabolites identified previously from other species of Pseudomonas. The sequence of pseudomonassin was completely deduced using high collision dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (HCD-MS/MS). Preliminary studies on its activity against the pathogenic P. aeruginosa and its biofilm formation have been assessed and produced a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 63 μg/mL and 28 μg/mL, respectively.