dioclea grandiflora/arginine

L-canavanine is a highly toxic L-arginine analog found in some leguminous seeds. Larvae of the bruchid beetle Caryedes brasiliensis, collected in Costa Rica, subsist solely on tissues of the mature seed of Dioclea megacarpa, which contains more than 8 percent L-canavanine by dry weight. The

Larvae of the bruchid beetle Caryedes brasiliensis (Bruchidae) develop entirely within the seed of the neotropical legume Dioclea megacarpa. The seed contains an appreciable concentration of L-canavanine, a potent antimetabolite and structural analog of L-arginine. This bruchid beetle uses the

Larvae of the bruchid beetle Caryedes brasiliensis feed exclusively on seeds of the Neotropical legume Dioclea megacarpa, which contains 13 percent L-canavanine by dry weight. L-Canavanine, a nonprotein amino acid analog of L-arginine, exhibits potent insecticidal properties. Most of the seed

In the present work, the vasorelaxant effect of dioclein, a new flavonoid isolated from Dioclea grandiflora (Leguminoseae), was investigated in the rat aorta. Dioclein induced a concentration-dependent relaxation in vessels pre-contracted with phenylephrine (IC(50)=1.3+/-0.3 microM), a response

BACKGROUND The potential edematogenic effect and the pharmacological characterization of a glucose-mannose-binding lectin from Dioclea violacea (DvL) were investigated. METHODS Paw edema was induced with DvL in control animals, and in animals pretreated with glucocorticoid or with blockers of

ractText>Plant lectins has shown promising biological activities in the central nervous system (CNS).ractText>ractText>This study evaluated the effect of DAL, a lectin isolated from the seeds of the Dioclea altissima species, has binding affinity to D-glucose or D-mannose residues,

L-canavanine, the toxic guanidinooxy analogue of L-arginine, is the product of plant secondary metabolism. The need for a detoxifying mechanism for the producer plant is self-evident but the larvae of the bruchid beetle Caryedes brasiliensis, that is itself a non-producer, have specialized in