Prof. Dr. Andreas HenselWestphalian Wilhelm's University of Münster Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry Hittorfstraße 56 48149 Münster Germany |  |
| Email: Net: | ahensel@uni-muenster.de www.uni-muenster.de/Chemie.pb/ |
The research group of Prof. Dr. Andreas Hensel, located within the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy (School of Pharmacy) is working on functional aspects of natural products, especially of polyphenols and plant-derived polysaccharides. Special focus is made on glycosylated natural products from medicinal plants.
The overall aim of the work is to identify innovative physiological and pharmacological effects of oligo- and polysaccharides. These effects are to be characterized on physiological, biochemical and molecular level to get exact information on the respective mode of actions. Distinct structure-relationships are to be evaluated in order to identify the active substructures of complex glycans.
Functionality of the glycans isolated and characterized is based mainly on
- skin-cell activity (differentiation, proliferation, signal cascades of keratinocytes)
- stimulation of immune cells (T-lymphocytes, monocytes)
- antiadhesive properties against pathogenic bacteria and virus (Helicobacter pylori, Herpes simplex virus 1, Porphyromonas gingivalis).
Similar activities were found for stimulation of immune cells by polysaccharides. The underlying mechanisms and the relevant structural features of the glycans are under investigation, in order to pinpoint the cellular processes, which are influenced by the carbohydrates. Developments towards immunstimulating preparations are ongoing.
Acidic glycans were shown to interact specifically with outer membrane proteins from H. pylori, leading to an inhibition of adhesion to host cells. This finding can be a key mechanism for development of a new class of anti-infective drugs, the so called adhesion blockers.
Beside the effective isolation and fractionation of polysaccharides and glycoproteins from plant material or plant cell cultures the structure elucidation by monomer analysis (TLC, GLC, GLC-MS, IEC-HPLC), linkage analysis (methylation procedure), enzymatic or acid-catalyzed degradation to distinct oligomers, NMR, advanced MS studies etc. will give a good insight into the molecular structures of the polymers.
The working group consists of about 10 PhD students, being mostly pharmacists, biotechnologists and food chemists. The group is strongly interdisciplinary orientated and strong and efficient cooperations with industrial partners from all over the world create a climate of innovation, internationality and intellectual personalities.
