Base-promoted thioannulation of o-alkynyl oxime ethers with sodium sulfide for the general synthesis of isothiocoumarins.

A general and efficient strategy for the one-pot synthesis of isothiocoumarin-1-ones has been developed via the base-promoted 6-endo-dig thioannulation of o-alkynyl oxime ethers using the cheap and readily available Na2S as the sulfur source. Mechanistic studies disclosed that the reaction proceeded through two C-S bond formations, N-O bond cleavage and the final hydrolysis of imines.

Chemical profiling and the potential active constituents responsible for wound healing in Periploca forrestii Schltr.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Periploca forrestii Schltr. is a popular folk medicine in china, commonly prescribed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and wounds. The present research aimed to evaluate the effects of HLG on wound healing and reveal the potential active constituents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The wound healing activity was assessed by proliferation of fibroblast, migration and collagen production using L929 cells. A reliable HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS method was constructed for the systematic identification and characterization of main components in HLG. For further clarifying the potential active ingredients responsible for wound healing, total extract was separated by D101 macroporous resin. The fraction with strongest potency on wound healing was screened out by comparing with total extract. Finally, a new quantitative method was developed for determination of four typical cardiac glycosides in HLG by LC-MS. RESULTS: The results showed that the total extract significantly promoted proliferation of fibroblast L929 up to 168% at 50 µg/ml. It also notably enhanced L929 migration on day 2 up to 56% and stimulated collagen release (96.1 µg/ml) at 50 µg/ml. A total of 38 compounds were identified or tentatively characterized by HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS based on reference substances or literatures. The separation by D101 macroporous adsorption resin led to the identification of 65 ethanol eluate as the most effective fraction. The data suggested that it could markedly promote L929 growth (174% of control), accelerate wound contraction (63% on day 2) and stimulate collagen generation (103.7 µg/ml) at 50 µg/ml, all of which were comparable to those of total extract. Interestingly, the HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis revealed that the 65 ethanol fraction was mainly composed of cardiac glycosides. Finally, the new quantitative method was successfully utilized for detection of four typical cardiac glycosides in HLG, showing good performance in terms of analytical methodology. CONCLUSION: The present study identified the cardiac glycosides as potential active constituents associated with wound healing and might afford a chemical foundation for preparation development of crude drug and quality evaluation of relevant products.

Melanogenesis-Inhibitory and Antioxidant Activities of Phenolics from Periploca forrestii.

Two new tetrahydrofuran-type lignans, (-)-gentioluteol 9-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside (1), (-)-berchemol 9-O-ß-d-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside (2), along with sixteen known compounds 3 - 18 were isolated from the 95% EtOH extract of the stems of Periploca forrestii. The structures of the new tetrahydrofuran-type lignans were determined by HR-ESI-MS and various NMR techniques in combination with CD method. Then, their antioxidant abilities were evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Meanwhile, a similar trend was obtained in tripartite antioxidant assays, which compounds 7 - 9 and 11 exhibited potent abilities. Subsequently, the evaluation of all compounds against the α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) induced melanogenesis on the B16F10 cell line, compounds 5 - 11, 15, and 16 exhibited inhibitory effects with no or weak toxicity at low concentration. Of these, compound 8 exhibited the strongest inhibition melanogenesis ability. Furthermore, Western blot analysis suggested that compound 8 could inhibit melanogenesis by suppressing the protein expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and tyrosinase.

Genetic dissection reveals effects of interaction between high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits and waxy alleles on dough-mixing properties in common wheat.

The glutenin and waxy loci of wheat are important determinants of dough quality. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of high-molecular-weight glutenin (HMW-GS) and waxy alleles on dough-mixing properties. Molecular mapping was used to investigate these effects on Mixograph properties in a population of 290 (Nuomai1 x Gaocheng8901) recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from three environments in the harvest years 2008, 2009 and 2011. The results indicated the following: (i) the Glu-A1 and Glu-D1 loci have greater impacts on Mixograph properties compared to the Wx-1 loci and the effects of Glu-D1d and Glu-D1h on dough mixing are better than those of Glu-D1f and Glu-D1new1 in this population; (ii) the interactions between the Glu-1 and Wx-1 loci affected some traits, especially the midline peak value (MPV), and the lack of Wx-B1 or Wx-D1 led to increased MPV for all types of Glu-1 loci; and (iii) 30 quantitative-trait loci (QTL) over nine wheat chromosomes were identified with ICIM analysis based on the genetic map of 498 loci. Eight major QTL and 16 QTL in the Glu-1 loci from the three environments were found. The major QTL clusters were associated with the Glu-1 loci, and also were found in two regions on chromosome 3B and one region on chromosome 6A, which is one of the novel chromosome regions influencing dough-mixing strength. The two QTL for MPV are located around Wx-B1 on chromosome 4A. QMPT-1D.1, QMPI-1D.1 and Q8MW-1D.1 were stable in different environments and could potentially be used in molecular marker-assisted breeding.

[Observation on therapeutic effect of acupuncture on restless legs syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To compare therapeutic effects of acupuncture combined with TDP radiation and western medicine on restless legs syndrome. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-eight cases of restless legs syndrome were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 79 cases in each group. The treatment group were treated with acupuncture at Shenshu (BL 23), Dachangshu (BL 25), Guanyuanshu (BL 26), Zhibian (BL 54), Taixi (KI 3), etc., and TDP radiation. The control group were treated with L-Dopa. Clinical observation was made for 30 days. RESULTS: In the observation group, 42 cases were cured, 30 cases were effective and 7 cases were ineffective with a total effective rate of 91.1%; in the control group no case was cured, 24 cases were effective and 55 cases were ineffective with a total effective rate of 30.4%, with a significant difference between the two groups in the total effective rate. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture combined with TDP radiation has a better therapeutic effect on restless legs syndrome.