High impact information on Luffa

• This is consistent with LcIMS1 encoding isomultiflorenol synthase, an oxidosqualene cyclase involved in bryonolic acid biosynthesis in cultured Luffa cells [1].
• An oxidosqualene cyclase cDNA, LcIMS1, was isolated from cultured cells of Luffa cylindrica Roem. by heterologous hybridization with cDNA of Glycyrrhiza glabra beta-amyrin synthase [1].
• Competitive inhibition studies indicate no immunological crossreactivity between the inhibitory protein from Luffa aegyptiaca, pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP) and recombinant ricin A chain [2].
• However, there was a small degree of resemblance to cyclophilins and a considerable extent of identity to the 6.5 kDa arginine/glutamate-rich polypeptide from Luffa cylindrica seeds [3].
• The dried alcoholic (50%) extract of the plant Luffa echinata was investigated for inhibition of lipid peroxidation, for hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and interaction with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl stable free radical (DPPH) [4].

Biological context of Luffa

• Identification of lysine residue at or near active site of luffin-a, a ribosome-inactivating protein from seeds of Luffa cylindrica [5].

Anatomical context of Luffa

• The anti-allergic activity of bryonolic acid (1) isolated from the cultured cells of Luffa cylindrica L [6].
• Oleanolic acid is a naturally occurring compound, isolated from Luffa cylindrica, which inhibits the in-vitro immunohaemolysis of antibody-coated sheep erythrocytes by guinea-pig serum [7].
• Furthermore, cell fractionation and electron microscopic studies on subcellular structures of luffa cells suggested that minute vesicles originating from elongated, rough endoplasmic reticulum probably play an important role in the transport of bryonolic acid which largely accumulates in the cell wall of cultured cells [8].

Associations of Luffa with chemical compounds

• Anti-allergic effect of bryonolic acid from Luffa cylindrica cell suspension cultures [6].
• High fidelity calcium carbonate and hydroxyapatite (bio) inorganic replicas of the fibrous network of the dried fruit of Luffa cylindrica are described, utilizing a facile synthetic route [9].
• Chlorella sorokiniana immobilized on the biomatrix of vegetable sponge of Luffa cylindrica: a new system to remove cadmium from contaminated aqueous medium [10].
• The homeopathic remedy (Luffa comp.-Heel trade mark Nasal Spray, dosage: 0.14 ml per application, 4 times per a day / naris) consisted of a fixed combination made up of Luffa operculata, Galphimia glauca, histamine, and sulfur [11].
• Luffin from Luffa cylindrica seeds has been successfully incorporated into lecithin/cholesterol and lecithin/cholesterol/dicetylphosphate negatively charged liposomes [12].

Gene context of Luffa

• About 80% isolation was achieved from pollen tetrads of Cajanus cajan and Zea mays and about 60% from Luffa cylindrica and Lycopersicon esculentum after 4 h of treatment with 5% cellulase [13].
• Continuous methane fermentation and the production of vitamin B12 in a fixed-bed reactor packed with loofah [14].
• Primary structure of 6.5k-arginine/glutamate-rich polypeptide from the seeds of sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica) [15].
• A randomized equivalence trial comparing the efficacy and safety of Luffa comp.-Heel nasal spray with cromolyn sodium spray in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis [11].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Luffa

• Molecular cloning and characterization of isomultiflorenol synthase, a new triterpene synthase from Luffa cylindrica, involved in biosynthesis of bryonolic acid [1].
• The levels of isomultiflorenol synthase and cycloartenol synthase mRNAs, which were measured with gene-specific probes, correlated with the accumulation of bryonolic acid and phytosterols over a growth cycle of the Luffa cell cultures [1].
• A glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 28,000 as estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was isolated from seeds of Luffa acutangula using a procedure that involved acetone precipitation, ion exchange chromatography on CM Sepharose CL-6B and gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 [16].

References