Biologically Active Peptides: From Basic Science to Applications for Human Health stands as a comprehensive resource on bioactive peptide science and applications. With contributions from more than thirty global experts, topics discussed include bioactive peptide science, structure-activity relationships, best practices for their study and production, and their applications. In the interdisciplinary field of bioactive peptides, this book bridges the gap between basic peptide chemistry and human physiology, while reviewing recent advances in peptide analysis and characterization. Methods and technology-driven chapters offer step-by-step guidance in peptide preparation from different source materials, bioactivity assays, analysis and identification of bioactive peptides, encoding bioactive peptides. Later, applications across disease areas and medical specialties are examined in-depth, including the use of bioactive peptides in treating obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, mental health disorders, food allergies, and joint health, among other disorders, as well as bioactive peptides for sensory enhancement, sports and clinical nutrition, lowering cholesterol, improving cardiovascular health, and driving advances in biotechnology. - Discusses the latest advances in bioactive peptide chemistry, functionality and analysis - Offers step-by-step instruction in applying new technologies for peptide extraction, protection, production and encoding, as well as employing bioactive peptide sequencing and bioactivity assays in new research - Effectively links basic peptide chemistry, human biology and disease - Features chapter contributions from international experts across disciplines and applications

Bioassay Methods in Natural Product Research and Drug Development contains the proceedings from the Phytochemical Society of Europe's very successful symposium on this topic, held August 24-27, 1997 in Uppsala, Sweden. In this volume, leading academic and industrial scientists discuss novel methods for assaying natural products to find new structure-activity relationships. Of key importance in this process is the availability and reliability of specific bioassay methods, but chapters also discuss chemical and biological diversity and how to dereplicate natural product extracts to increase efficiency in lead discovery. Anti-tumor, HIV-inhibitory, antiprotozoal, anti-infective and immunomodulatory natural products are discussed. Various industrial projects are presented for the first time. This volume bridges the gap between academic and industrial research and scientists, and should be required reading in drug companies and faculties of pharmacy, as well as serving scientists in pharmacognosy, pharmacology, phytochemistry, natural products and drug discovery.

This new series, Methods in Plant Biochemistry, is an authoritative reference on current techniques in the various fields of plant biochemical research. Each volume in the series, under the expert guidance of a guest editor, addresses a particular group of plant compounds.**The most current and useful methods of analysis are described, with detailed discussions of the development, protocols, and suitability of each technique. Case treatments, diagrams, chemical structures, reference data, and properties are featured where appropriate, along with a full list of references to the specialist literature.**Conceived as a practical companion to the Biochemistry of Plants, edited by P.K. Stumpf and E.E. Conn, no plant biochemical laboratory can afford to be without this comprehensive and up-to-date reference. Addresses the laboratory analysis of all major plant compounds**Illustrates authoritative and detailed practical instructions and recipes for analytical methods**Describes assays suitable for showing biological or pharmacological properties in crude plant extracts

The goal of an activity-directed isolation process is to isolate bioactive compounds which may provide structural leads of therapeutic importance. Whereas the traditional process of drug development is long and expensive, simple and rapid bioassays can serve as the starting point for drug discovery. This book presents a range of "bench top" bioassa

This new series, Methods in Plant Biochemistry, is an authoritative reference on current techniques in the various fields of plant biochemical research. Each volume in the series, under the expert guidance of a guest editor, addresses a particular group of plant compounds.**The most current and useful methods of analysis are described, with detailed discussions of the development, protocols, and suitability of each technique. Case treatments, diagrams, chemical structures, reference data, and properties are featured where appropriate, along with a full list of references to the specialist literature.**Conceived as a practical companion to the Biochemistry of Plants, edited by P.K. Stumpf and E.E. Conn, no plant biochemical laboratory can afford to be without this comprehensive and up-to-date reference. Addresses the laboratory analysis of all major plant compounds**Illustrates authoritative and detailed practical instructions and recipes for analytical methods**Describes assays suitable for showing biological or pharmacological properties in crude plant extracts

“Infogest” (Improving Health Properties of Food by Sharing our Knowledge on the Digestive Process) is an EU COST action/network in the domain of Food and Agriculture that will last for 4 years from April 4, 2011. Infogest aims at building an open international network of institutes undertaking multidisciplinary basic research on food digestion gathering scientists from different origins (food scientists, gut physiologists, nutritionists...). The network gathers 70 partners from academia, corresponding to a total of 29 countries. The three main scientific goals are: Identify the beneficial food components released in the gut during digestion; Support the effect of beneficial food components on human health; Promote harmonization of currently used digestion models Infogest meetings highlighted the need for a publication that would provide researchers with an insight into the advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of respective in vitro and ex vivo assays to evaluate the effects of foods and food bioactives on health. Such assays are particularly important in situations where a large number of foods/bioactives need to be screened rapidly and in a cost effective manner in order to ultimately identify lead foods/bioactives that can be the subject of in vivo assays. The book is an asset to researchers wishing to study the health benefits of their foods and food bioactives of interest and highlights which in vitro/ex vivo assays are of greatest relevance to their goals, what sort of outputs/data can be generated and, as noted above, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the various assays. It is also an important resource for undergraduate students in the ‘food and health’ arena.

Vital information for discovering and optimizing new drugs "Understanding the data and the experimental details that support it has always been at the heart of good science and the assumption challenging process that leads from good science to drug discovery. This book helps medicinal chemists and pharmacologists to do exactly that in the realm of enzyme inhibitors." -Paul S. Anderson, PhD This publication provides readers with a thorough understanding of enzyme-inhibitor evaluation to assist them in their efforts to discover and optimize novel drug therapies. Key topics such as competitive, noncompetitive, and uncompetitive inhibition, slow binding, tight binding, and the use of Hill coefficients to study reaction stoichiometry are all presented. Examples of key concepts are presented with an emphasis on clinical relevance and practical applications. Targeted to medicinal chemists and pharmacologists, Evaluation of Enzyme Inhibitors in Drug Discovery focuses on the questions that they need to address: * What opportunities for inhibitor interactions with enzyme targets arise from consideration of the catalytic reaction mechanism? * How are inhibitors evaluated for potency, selectivity, and mode of action? * What are the advantages and disadvantages of specific inhibition modalities with respect to efficacy in vivo? * What information do medicinal chemists and pharmacologists need from their biochemistry and enzymology colleagues to effectively pursue lead optimization? Beginning with a discussion of the advantages of enzymes as targets for drug discovery, the publication then explores the reaction mechanisms of enzyme catalysis and the types of interactions that can occur between enzymes and inhibitory molecules that lend themselves to therapeutic use. Next are discussions of mechanistic issues that must be considered when designing enzyme assays for compound library screening and for lead optimization efforts. Finally, the publication delves into special forms of inhibition that are commonly encountered in drug discovery efforts, but can be easily overlooked or misinterpreted. This publication is designed to provide students with a solid foundation in enzymology and its role in drug discovery. Medicinal chemists and pharmacologists can refer to individual chapters as specific issues arise during the course of their ongoing drug discovery efforts.