Caesalpinbondin A, a Novel Diterpenoid Lactone With an Unprecedented Carbon Skeleton from the Seeds of Caesalpinia bonduc.

One novel diterpenoid lactone named caesalpinbondin A (1) that possesses an unprecedented tetracyclic ring system in which a 6/6/5-fused tricyclic ring and a 4,5-dimethyldihydrofuran-2(3H)-one were connected by a C-C single bond comprising a 5-(naphtho [2,3-b]furan-7-yl)dihydrofuran-2(3H)-one moiety was isolated from the seeds of Caesalpinia bonduc. Its chemical structure was established by extensive spectroscopic methods, and its absolute configuration was further determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and electronic circular dichroism calculation. The biological evaluation suggested that compound 1 demonstrated potent anti-Alzheimer's disease (AD) bioactivity, which could delay paralysis of transgenic AD Caenorhabditis elegans. A possible biogenetic pathway of 1 was also proposed.

The first report of Cryptosporidium testudinis in Chinese alligators (Alligator sinensis) in China.

Several Cryptosporidium species that infect reptiles, especially squamates, are well described, but there is limited data about Cryptosporidium species infecting crocodilians. In this study, we assess the occurrence of intestinal parasites using traditional microscopic examination and describe the prevalence and Cryptosporidium species in the captive-bred Chinese alligators (Alligator sinensis) in eastern China using molecular methods. The results of microscopic examination showed that no intestinal parasites were detected among the 491 fecal samples examined from the Chinese alligators. The overall prevalence for Cryptosporidium was 0.41% (2/491) by PCR detection using the SSU rRNA locus. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the SSU rRNA, COWP, and actin genes revealed the presence of Cryptosporidium testudinis, which has been isolated primarily from chelonians. This is the first detection of the specific DNA of C. testudinis in the feces of the Chinese alligator. This study expands our knowledge of the Cryptosporidium species involved in crocodiles, and more extensive studies are necessary to confirm the validity of C. testudinis in crocodiles.

Curli fimbriae confer shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli a competitive trait in mixed biofilms.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is one of the most common causal agents of foodborne illness linked to fresh leafy vegetables. Here, we investigated the impact of spinach-associated microorganisms on proliferation and biofilm formation of STEC O157:H7 on stainless steel surfaces at temperatures related to produce production and postharvest processing environments. Although a proliferation of inoculated pathogen cells in spinach leaf wash water was detected at all temperatures examined, the impact of spinach-associated microorganisms on the proliferation of E. coli O157:H7 was observed at 10 °C and 26 °C, but not at 4 °C. The inhibition of E. coli O157:H7 growth by spinach-associated microorganisms indicated a competition between the pathogen and spinach indigenous microflora. A significant decrease of the pathogen population in mixed biofilms was observed only at 26 °C for curli-deficient strain MQC43, but not for curli-expressing strain MQC57. Deletion of curli genes in a curli-expressing strain resulted in a phenotype similar to that of MQC43 in mixed biofilms; however, this deficiency was rescued when curli biogenesis was restored in the curli-deletion mutant strain. Our data support that curli confer E. coli O157:H7 a competitive trait in mixed biofilms, presumably through the interaction between STEC and the biofilm-proficient microorganisms associated with spinach leaves.

Norcrassin A, a novel C16 tetranorditerpenoid, and bicrotonol A, an unusual dimeric labdane-type diterpenoid, from the roots of Croton crassifolius.

A novel C16 tetranorditerpenoid, norcrassin A (1), and an unusual dimeric labdane-type diterpenoid, bicrotonol A (2), were isolated from the roots of Croton crassifolius. Norcrassin A (1) featured a new carbon skeleton with an unprecedented 5/5/5/6 tetracyclic system. Bicrotonol A (2) possessed an unusual tetrahydroxypyran ring linkage connecting two labdane diterpenoid monomers. The structures of all compounds, including the absolute configuration, were elucidated by the interpretation of their NMR spectroscopic data, high resolution mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. A plausible biosynthetic pathway of 1 is proposed. The anti-Alzheimer's Disease (AD) activities of 1 and 2 are also evaluated using the AD pathological model.

Euphorikanin A, a Diterpenoid Lactone with a Fused 5/6/7/3 Ring System from Euphorbia kansui.

Euphorikanin A (1), an unprecedented diterpenoid lactone which possesses a novel 5/6/7/3-fused tetracyclic ring skeleton, was isolated from the roots of Euphorbia kansui. The chemical structure and absolute stereochemistry were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compound 1 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against two human tumor cell lines HeLa and NCI-446. A proposed biosynthetic pathway of compound 1 is also described.

A Novel Norclerodane Diterpenoid from the Roots of Croton crassifolius.

A chemical investigation of Croton crassifolius afforded a novel norclerodane diterpenoid (1) with an unprecedented six-membered oxygen ring between C-1 and C-12, together with three known compounds. The structure of the new compound was elucidated based on spectroscopic (IR, 1D, and 2D NMR) and HR-ESI-MS techniques. This report describes the first example of a natural norclerodane with a 4H-chromene ring system.

A new norsesquiterpenoid from Ligularia virgaurea.

A new eremophilane norsesquiterpenoid (1), together with a known eremophilane sesquiterpenoid (2), was isolated from the leaves of Ligularia virgaurea. The structure of 1 was elucidated by a combination of spectroscopic analysis (IR, 1D NMR, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS), and its absolute configuration was determined by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiment (with copper radiation). The known compound 2 was identified by comparison of its physical and spectral data with those reported in the literature. Compound 1 was assayed for its cytotoxic activities against human cervical carcinoma cell (HeLa) and human small cell lung cancer cell (NCI-446) lines.

8ß-Eth-oxy-eremophil-3,7(11)-diene-8α,12;6α,15-diolide.

The title compound, C17H20O5, an eremophilane sesquiternoid, was isolated from the roots of Ligularia lapathifolia. The mol-ecule contains four fused rings of which the six-membered ring A adopts a half-chair conformation, the six-membered ring B adopts a chair conformation, the five-membered ring C is almost planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.015 Å) and the five-membered ring D adopts an envelope conformation with the quaternary C atom as the flap. The methyl and the eth-oxy groups adopt a syn conformation and the A/B ring junction is cis-fused. No directional inter-molecular inter-actions could be identified in the crystal.