topic will be the use of sponge toxins to deliver therapeutic materialacross cellmembranes in vitro and in vivo. This has allowedus to generatea rat phenotype of Alzheimer's disease without creating a genotype.

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.04.489

P2.13More than just green: Synergies and interactions between thecomponents of herbal medicines

E. Williamson (University of Reading)

Synergy (or synergism, from the Greek syn-ergo, meaning workingtogether), refers to the phenomenon where two or more agents acttogether to produce an effect greater than would have been predictedfrom a consideration of individual contributions. Synergy is generallyassumed to play a part in the effects of phytomedicines, and the useof whole plant extracts and combinations of herbs, is fundamentalto the philosophy of herbal medicine. This kind of application hasbeen described as a ‘herbal shotgun’, as opposed to the ‘silver bullet’method of conventional medicine, to distinguish the multi-targetedapproach of herbals from the single-target approach of syntheticdrugs.

The presentation will describe ways of measuring synergy andgive examples of herbal extracts for which synergy, potentiation orantagonism have been demonstrated, such as in ginkgo, berberis,cannabis, soya and green tea. The enhancement or reduction ofabsorption will also be discussed: Traditional Chinese Medicine andAyurvedic formulae often have herbs included specifically to reduce orincrease bioavailability of other ingredients, for example liquorice andpepper, and this may be considered a form of synergy. In other cases, aplant extract may have multiple actions which are not synergistic, aswith psyllium, but which complement each other and give a rationalefor a particular herb to be used for different disorders. If knownsynergistic interactions are taken into account, it could lead to thedevelopment of improved herbal products with increased efficacy atlower doses and correspondingly reduced toxicity.

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.04.490

P2.14The analysis and composition of glucomannans from corms ofthe Chinese medicinal herb Amorphophallus konjac

M. Chua, T. Hocking, T. Baldwin, K. Chan (University ofWolverhampton)

Amorphophallus konjac has been used for many hundreds ofyears in China (and other countries) as a food source andconstituent of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). The extractedsoluble fibre has been used as an appetite suppressant and as anagent to reduce serum lipids and blood sugar. The isolated,biologically-active constituents, such as glucomannans, can beused as new sources for development of pharmaceutical additives.There is a substantial potential to improve the production and useof these active ingredients to meet the needs of the health foodindustry through implementation of Good Agricultural Practice andGood Laboratory Practice with enhanced quality control processesfrom plantation to collection and supply of the pharmaceuticalproducts. The subsequent screening of activities relating to

prevention of obesity and diabetes and lowering of serum lipidswill be related to the promotion of good health.

Through collaboration with Yunnan Agricultural University,the research team at Wolverhampton have access to a range ofkonjac cultivars, collected from different regions of YunnanProvince, China, where the plant has been used as a source ofTCMs. Little work has been done to optimise the production andextraction of these cultivars for their active constituents. Thework presented in this poster will describe the analysis ofkonjac glucomannan (KGM) and explore some of the factorswhich affect the KGM composition in a range of corms fromdifferent cultivars grown under differing conditions. The resultswill be linked to strategies for improving KGM production fromthese plants.

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.04.491

P2.15The rocky road from natural product to biomedical research tools

A. Ganesan (University of Southampton)

Abstract not available.

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.04.492

P2.16Recombinant medicines—Recent progress and future prospects

J.K.-C. Ma (University of London)

Abstract not available.

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.04.493

P2.17Transgenic plants: Commercial opportunities and challenges forpharmaceutical and industrial products

Z. Nikolov, S. Woodard, L. Wilken, G. Barros (Texas A&M University)

Plant biotechnologists have amply demonstrated that transgenicplants could be suitable hosts for expressing recombinant bio-molecules. Now, it is on bioprocess engineers to translate plant bio-tech successes into commercially-viable and safe products. Becauseevery plant host has a unique makeup, there are number of challengesfor bioprocess developers. Each plant host contains a different set ofextractable components that vary significantly between host systemsand applied extraction conditions. In some cases, process variablessuch as solid-to-liquid ratio, pH, ionic strength, and homogenization/disintegration method could be used to reduce the amount of host-derived impurities and maximize product release. In other situations,specific impurities (e.g. protease, phenolics) may dictate the choice ofprocesses conditions. Irrespectively of the host system, target proteinaccumulation is a critical variable in the process economics—more sofor industrial enzymes than pharmaceuticals. This presentation willreview strategies used in downstream processing of seed and green

S183Abstracts / Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 150 (2008) S180–S185