Seaweed as Source of Plant Growth Promoters and Bio-Fertilizers
Gokare A. Ravishankar, Ranga Rao Ambati in Handbook of Algal Technologies and Phytochemicals, 2019
The polyamines are a group of compounds that act a s plant growth regulators but are not classified as plant hormones. These are a class of compounds which have several amino groups replacing hydrogen usually in alkyl chain, e.g. putrescine, spermidine and spermine. Polyamines are known to have a significant effect on the stability of various conformational states of RNA and DNA and are often associated with important phases in the cell division cycle. They also impart membrane stability to different cellular membranes. Several polyamines have been determined in the unicellular thermoacidophilic red alga, Cyanidium caldarium (Hamana et al., 1990). As polyamines affect a wide range of physiological growth processes, the occurrence of these compounds in seaweed products could influence plant growth. At present they have not been recorded in commercial seaweed products.
Poly amines and Cell and Tissue Growth
Jean Morisset, Travis E. Solomon in Growth of the Gastrointestinal Tract: Gastrointestinal Hormones and Growth Factors, 2017
At least for small intestinal mucosa, the evidence appears extensive to support the critical role of ODC and the polyamines in adaptive hyperplastic growth. This area of polyamine research has grown rapidly. New and more potent inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis, including more potent inhibitors of ODC and new polyamine analogs, have been developed and are now being used.4 Studies are now available to document that these newer polyamine inhibitors and analogs may allow a more complete inhibition of ODC and a more complete depletion of intracellular polyamines, particularly of spermidine and spermine.4 These newer inhibitors may allow us to more clearly define the role of ODC and polyamines in tissue growth, particularly in the gastric mucosa and the pancreas, where the evidence supporting the critical role of polyamines is less definitive. New studies into the biochemical and molecular functions of the polyamines are also ongoing.3-4 This increased knowledge about the biology of polyamines will no doubt allow us to understand further the potential role of polyamines in cell growth, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract.
Postreceptor Mechanisms of Growth Factor Action
Enrique Pimentel in Handbook of Growth Factors, 2017
The mechanisms of action of polyamines in the regulation of DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis are little understood. There is evidence, however, that polyamines contribute to regulation of the phosphorylation of nonhistone proteins in organs such as the liver.59 Polyamines may have an important influence on membrane functions.60 They may have a role in the processes of cell differentiation involving phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of certain proteins.61 These processes are associated with the activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C and with increased synthesis of phosphatidylcholine and may depend, at least in part, on the activity of catalase and the generation of H2O2. Available evidence suggests that polyamines may increase cAMP levels through a catalase-sensitive mechanism with subsequent changes in protein phosphorylation and phosphoinositide turnover. Polyamines also stimulate the activity of tyrosine kinases.62 Because high concentrations of polyamines are present in many rapidly proliferating normal cells as well as in tumors, the regulation of tyrosine kinases by polyamines could be a mechanism for the stimulation of normal and tumor cell growth.
Drugs and nanoformulations for the management of Leishmania infection: a patent and literature review (2015-2022)
Published in Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, 2023
Mariana Verdan, Igor Taveira, Flávia Lima, Fernanda Abreu, Dirlei Nico
Polyamines play a fundamental role in cell growth and differentiation. Arginine is an amino acid necessary for Leishmania and host metabolism [76]. Arginase is an enzyme responsible for the cleavage of arginine, producing ornithine and urea. In Leishmania, arginase is one of the relevant enzymes in the polyamine biosynthesis pathway, which is responsible for converting arginine into ornithine [77]. In the Leishmania glycosome, arginase is also involved in trypanothione biosynthesis. Da Silva and colleagues demonstrated fundamental arginase activity in L. amazonensis, confirming arginase as an essential molecular target [78]. This study showed that Leishmania mutants for arginase decreased the power of infection in vitro. By the way, any other critical metabolic marks are under investigation. We will not extend our discussion on this issue so as not to deviate from the topic.
Polyamine biomarkers as indicators of human disease
Published in Biomarkers, 2021
Mohsin Amin, Shiying Tang, Liliana Shalamanova, Rebecca L. Taylor, Stephen Wylie, Badr M. Abdullah, Kathryn A. Whitehead
Putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine are the predominant polyamines that are found in bacteria (Guerra et al.2018). The role of bacterially derived polyamines has been shown to be associated with cell metabolism, cell–cell communication and bacterial cell differentiation, whilst also significantly contributing towards bacterial signalling, motility, and cell division (Igarashi and Kashiwagi 2000, Kurihara et al.2005, Miller-Fleming et al.2015). Putrescine has also been determined to constitute to the outer membrane walls of some Gram-negative bacteria such as Salmonella enterica and Proteus mirabilis, and cadaverine has been associated with the peptidoglycan of Veillonella spp. suggesting the importance of polyamines in maintaining the outer surface structures of bacteria (Kamio 1987, Vinogradov and Perry 2000, Shah and Swiatlo 2008). Their synthesis relies on the presence of functional precursor molecules, similar to humans and these are detected at millimolar concentrations in bacteria (Tofalo et al.2019). The intracellular concentrations of spermidine are determined to be the highest in bacteria at 1–3 mM, whilst putrescine demonstrates the lowest levels at 0.1–0.2 mM (Shah and Swiatlo 2008).
Spermidine improves gut barrier integrity and gut microbiota function in diet-induced obese mice
Published in Gut Microbes, 2020
Lingyan Ma, Yinhua Ni, Zhe Wang, Wenqing Tu, Liyang Ni, Fen Zhuge, Aqian Zheng, Luting Hu, Yufeng Zhao, Liujie Zheng, Zhengwei Fu
Polyamines are involved in various biological processes and therefore have important implications for human health, especially for intestinal maturation and immune system differentiation and development.22 The biosynthesis of polyamines tends to decrease with age,23,24 and this is the reason why dietary polyamines are of importance in aged populations. Consistently, spermidine content is decreased during aging in both humans and mice, and its supplementation extends the lifespan of mice and protects against cardiovascular diseases.25,26 In addition, cohort study indicated that higher spermidine intake is linked to lower mortality.27 Although several studies have demonstrated the role of spermidine in metabolic syndrome-related diseases, including liver diseases19,20 and obesity,21 the relationship between spermidine intake and the incidence of metabolic syndrome remains unclear. Here, we found that daily spermidine intake was negatively correlated with obesity phenotypes, which serves as a theoretical basis for the establishment of recommended levels of spermidine intake for individuals with obesity.