Bioactive monoterpenoids and acetophenones from the aerial parts of Eupatorium fortunei

Thirty-nine thymol and acetophenone derivatives, including eight pairs of enantiomers, were isolated from the aerial parts of Eupatorium fortunei. Their structures were assigned by detailed analyses of spectroscopic data and NMR calculations based on density functional theory, with 18 ones (1a/1b-14) being previously undescribed compounds. While the absolute configurations of 1a/1b, 2a/2b, 4, 6a/6b, 7, 11a/11b and 15a/15b-18a/18b were established by calculations of electronic circular dichroism data, that of 14 was determined by modified Mosher's method. Compounds 1a/1b and 2a/2b represent a previously unreported type of monoterpenoid dimers via an amide linkage, and compound 3 is a monoterpene-phenylpropanoid hybrid connected through an ester bond. Among the known molecules, the formerly mis-assigned structures of 15a/15b and 22 were revised, and pure natural enantiomers of 16a/16b-18a/18b were reported for the first time. Selective compounds showed antiradical and NO production inhibitory activities in the preliminary biological screening. Compound 31 was further demonstrated to alleviate oxidative stress by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Bioactive neolignan, iridoid and flavonoid glycosides from the leaves of Vaccinium bracteatum

Two neolignan glycosides including a new one (1), along with seven iridoid glycosides (3 - 9) and nine flavonoid glycosides (10 - 18), were isolated from the leaves of Vaccinium bracteatum. Their structures were established mainly on the basis of 1D/2D NMR and ESIMS analyses, as well as comparison to known compounds in the literature. The structure of 1 with absolute stereochemistry was also confirmed by chemical degradation and ECD calculation. Selective compounds showed antiradical activity against ABTS and/or DPPH. Moreover, several isolates also suppressed the production of ROS in RAW264.7 cells and exerted neuroprotective effect toward PC12 cells.

Chemical constituents from Eupatorium fortunei and their anti-inflammatory evaluation by in silico and experimental approaches

The well-known aromatic and medicinal plant Eupatorium fortunei Turcz. is widely cultivated in China, and previous studies on its bioactive constituents mainly focus on the essential oil ingredients especially thymol derivatives. However, reports on other type of constituents and the potential application are lacking. In the present project, an intensive chemical fractionation on the aerial part extract of E. fortunei led to the isolation and identification of a series of fatty acid derivatives (lipids, 1a/1b-19) including seven pairs of previously undescribed enantiomers (1a/1b-7a/7b), as well as a lignan (brachangobinan A (BBA), 20) and two monoterpenes (8S/8R-9-hydroxythymol, 21a/21b). A preliminary biological evaluation of these compounds in a NO production inhibitory assay model demonstrated compound BBA as the most active one. Network pharmacology analysis was used to predict and explore the possible anti-inflammatory targets and mechanism of BBA, which revealed some potential inflammation-related proteins and signaling pathways. Further experimental investigations validated that the anti-inflammatory effect of BBA could be achieved by suppressing pro-inflammatory factors and blocking the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway. Taken together, our work shows that E. fortunei can serve as a potential resource of lipids and anti-inflammatory agents.

Monoterpene indole alkaloids from the roots of Alstonia rupestris and their anti-inflammatory activity

Four new monoterpene indole alkaloids (1-4) together with twelve known alkaloids (5-16) were isolated from the roots of Alstonia rupestris. Compound 1 was the first example of C2-symmetric heteroyohimbine-type indole alkaloid homodimer obtained from natural plant resource. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by comparison of its calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. All compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities by measuring their NO inhibitory effects in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Compound 2 showed strong NO inhibition with IC50 value of 4.2 ± 1.3 μM. Moreover, compound 2 could decrease the expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1).

Monoterpene indole alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans

Two new monoterpene indole alkaloids, Eleganine A (1) and Eleganine B (2), along with 11 known compounds (3-13) were isolated from the stems and leaves of Gelsemium elegans. Compound 1 is a gelsenicine-related monoterpenoid indole alkaloid possessing an iridoid unit. Their structures and absolute configurations of 1-2 were established by UV, IR, HR-ESI-MS, NMR spectroscopy, and electronic circular dichroism data analyses. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and inhibiting glucose-induced mesanginal cell proliferation activities. None of them showed activity with IC50 far beyond 50 μM.

Anti-inflammatory labdane diterpenoids from the aerial parts of Leonurus japonicus

Twenty-two labdane-type diterpenoids, including ten pairs of 15-epimers and a pair of 13,15-epimers, were obtained from the aerial parts of a well-known medicinal plant Leonurus japonicus Houtt. While these epimers were separated by chiral HPLC, their structures were established mainly via spectroscopic methods especially NMR, X-ray crystallography and ECD techniques. Among them, seventeen compounds, encompassing three pairs of solvolysis artefacts likely due to the use of ethanol as extracting solvent, were reported for the first time in the current work. Our preliminary anti-inflammatory screening demonstrated that seven diterpenoids displayed noteworthy inhibitory effect on the NO production in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. In addition, the release of pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, as well as the expression of iNOS and COX-2 proteins, was also suppressed by the unreported 15,16-epoxy-6β-hydroxy-15α-methoxy-7,16-dioxolabd-8,13-diene. Further investigation into the preliminary anti-inflammatory mechanism of this compound indicated that it could block the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway.

Methyl 2-naphthoates with anti-inflammatory activity from Morinda officinalis

Chemical fractionation of the EtOH extract of the roots of a traditional Chinese herb, Morinda officinalis, afforded an array of methyl 2-naphthoate derivatives (1-9) including four pairs of enantiomers (1-4), two pimarane diterpenes and two ursane triterpenoids. Among them, eight compounds (1a/1b-3a/3b, 11 and 13) were reported in the current work for the first time. The structures of the new compounds, including their absolute configurations, were defined by spectroscopic analyses in combination with quantum chemical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and gauge-independent atomic orbital (GIAO) NMR calculations. All the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in murine RAW264.7 macrophage cells, and the enantiomers 1a and 3b exhibited moderate activity with IC₅₀ values of 41.9 and 26.2 μM. Meanwhile, compound 3b also dose-dependently inhibited the secretion of two pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 in the same cell model.

[Real world research on the growth pattern of preterm children with different birth weight]

Objective: To investigate the physical indices and growth status of preterm children aged 0 to 4 years with different birth weight. Methods: Following the real world research approach, the current study retrospectively collected e-chart information of 8 496 preterm children from the child health care system of the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from December 2010 to December 2017, with 203 123 full-term children followed up during the same period as controls. Premature children were divided into normal birth weight (NBW) group, low birth weight (LBW) group, and very low birth weight (VLBW) group based on their birth weights. The weight and length development within 48 months of age of preterm boys and girls in each group were measured and recorded to establish a numerical table and analyze the growth levels, growth rate, and proportionality. The t-test or chi-square test was used for between-group comparison. Results: Of the 8 496 preterm children, 4 839 were girls and 3 657 boys, including 525 in the VLBW group, with an average birth weight of (1.28±0.14) kg, 3 862 in the LBW group, with an average birth weight of (2.07±0.28) kg, and 4 109 in the NBW group, with an average birth weight of (2.86±0.35) kg. The weight at the actual age of 2-<3 months ((5.61±0.96) vs. (5.64±0.78) kg in boys, (5.11±0.67) vs. (5.18±0.71) kg in girls) and the length at the actual age of 8-<10 months ((70.3±2.4) vs. (70.6±2.4) cm in boys, (68.9±2.2) vs. (68.9±2.4) cm in girls) in the NBW group reached the average weight and length of full-term children. The difference of physical growth before 24 months of age between LBW and control group decreased as children age, with that of LBW group approaches the average of full-term children after 24 months of age, with a weight difference of 0.64-0.95 kg and height difference of 1.3-1.7 cm. The weight and height of the VLBW group were lower than those of full-term infants (2.80-2.86 kg and 3.3-4.3 cm, respectively) at 48 months of age. During 2-12 months of age, the corresponding values of the VLBW group were higher than that of the LBW and NBW groups by 0.35 kg and 0.71 kg, respectively. However, the corresponding values of the VLBW group were lower than that of the LBW and NBW groups(0.64 kg and 0.76 kg at 0-2 months of age, 1.04 kg and 1.49 kg at 12-48 months of age, respectively). The rates of delayed development, underweight, and emaciation were the highest in the VLBW group (all P<0.01), while the rates of overweight and obesity were the highest in the NBW group, with that of the VLBW group being lower than LBW group (P<0.01) at the age of 24-<36 months. Conclusions: Prior to 4 years of age, the time for preterm children to reach the average physical indices of full-term children differ by birth weights, hence warranting further examination of the corrected gestational age for preterm children. Normal birth weight preterm children present with the highest incidence of overweight and obesity and very low birth weight preterm children present with the highest incidence of growth disorders, marking both groups at high risks of malnutrition.

Grain boundary dynamics under mechanical annealing in two-dimensional colloids

Two-dimensional (2D) colloids embedded in a soap film are employed to study the structures and dynamics of grain boundaries (GBs). While a soap film is drawn vertically from a concentrated bulk suspension, the colloidal particles self-assemble to form polycrystalline structures with a typical grain size of about 100 lattice spaces. Studies of these grain boundaries reveal that the GB lines are faceted at "atomic" scale, leading to a constant energy per unit length along each line. The measured GB energy as a function of misfit angle is in agreement with Reed-Shockley's theoretical predictions. When an external mechanical vibration is applied to the bulk suspension, the grain boundaries are observed to migrate and grains to rotate under the stress field induced by the vibration. The total length of the grain boundaries is found to diminish logarithmically with time, with the rate constant being a function of the excitation strength. This phenomenon, called "mechanical annealing," provides a robust means to grow large 2D single-domain crystals.

[Effect of fu-fang si-shen yin on cellular immunity in patients with viral myocarditis]

In order to study the effect of the Fu-Fang Si-Shen Yin (FFSSY) on cellular immunity, the natural killer (NK) cell activity of 60 patients with viral myocarditis, while the lymphocyte subsets consisted of OKT3, OKT4, OKT8, OKT4/OKT8 of other 20 patients were determined. The pretreatmental results were 25.25 +/- 0.46%, 59.11 +/- 8.72%, 30.72 +/- 6.94%, 29.72 +/- 5.35% and 1.04 +/- 0.24 respectively, which were significantly lower than that of the normal value (P < 0.01) except OKT8 However, after the treatment with FFSSY, NK cell activity and OKT3, OKT4, OKT4/OKT8 were elevated to 30.96 +/- 10.13% (P < 0.05), 62.33 +/- 7.78% (P < 0.05), 33.67 +/- 5.50% (P < 0.05) and 1.14 +/- 0.20 (P < 0.01) respectively. The Syndrome Differentiation of TCM indicated that NK cell activity decreased obviously in the Qi-Yin-Deficiency group, while T lymphocyte subsets changed significantly in the Qi-Deficiency group. There existed negative correlation between NK cell activity and OKT4/OKT8 (r = -0.60, P < 0.05). The patients with high NK cell activity in the early stage could have a favourable prognosis, while unfavourable with low NK cell activity.

[Pharmacognosy of Ranunculus chinensis Bge]

Ranunculus chinensis is a folk herb popular in some districts of Yunnan Province. The paper deals with the plant resources, macroscopic shape and microscopic characteristics of this herb so as to provide referential information for clinics, research institutes and herbal market.