New Acorane-Type Sesquiterpene from Acorus calamus L.

A new sesquiterpene, named neo-acorane A (1), and two known ones, acoric acid (2) and calamusin D (3), were isolated from a 95% ethanol extract of the rhizome parts of Acorus calamus L. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configurations were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 are nonisoprenoid sesquiterpenoids, likely biosynthesized from an acorane-type sesquiterpene by oxidative fission of the six- or five-membered ring. Moreover, compounds 1 (10 µM), 2 (5 µM and 10 µM) and 3 (10 µM) showed cell proliferation activity on the SK-N-BE (2) cell line.

[Studies on identification of Phragmitis Rhizoma and its counterfeits].

The study aims to explore the main differential characteristics of Phragmites Rhizoma and its counterfeits (rhizomes of Arundo donax, Triarrhena lutarioriparia and Miscanthus sinensis) and provide experimental basis for the reasonable applications of gramineous plants through system research and comparison of plant morphogenesis, character, transverse organization characteristics and powder microscopic characteristics.

[Chemical Constituents from Fruit Dregs of Rhus chinensis( â ¡)].

Objective: To investigate the constituents from the fruit dregs of Rhus chinensis. Methods: The constituents were isolated and purified by chromatography on silica gel,Sephadex LH-20,RP-C18 and Pre-TLC and recrystalization. The structures were identified on the basis of the chemical evidence,spectroscopic data. Results: Ten compounds were obtained and elucidated as m-digalloyl acid( 1),ethyl-m-digallate( 2),apigenin( 3),kaempferol( 4),quercetin( 5),3,7-dimethoxy-5,3',4'-trihydroxy-flavone( 6),quercitrin( 7),kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside( 8),myricetrin( 9) and quercetin-3-O-( 4″-methoxy)-α-L-rahmnopyranosyl( 10),respectively. Conclusion: Compounds 1 ~ 3,6 ~ 10 are separated from the Rhus genus for the first time.

[Chemical constituents of Acori Calami Rhizoma from Hunan Province].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical components from the ethanol extract of Acori Calami Rhizoma from Hunan Province. METHODS: Components were isolated and purified through various chromatographic methods and recrystallization, and identified by spectroscopic data. RESULTS: Ten compounds were isolated and identified as follows: heptadecanoic acid(1), monopentadecanoin(2), syringic acid(3), aurantiamide acetate(4), monononadecanoin(5),tatarine A(6),tatanan C(7),cerevisterol(8),2 ,6-dioxopiperidin-3-yl acetate(9) and palmatine(10). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1-5 and 8-10 are isolated from Acorus genus for the first time, and compounds 1-5 and 7-10 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

Pulmonary blastoma with a good prognosis: a case report and review of the literature.

Pulmonary blastoma (PB) is a rare, highly malignant tumor prone to distant metastasis and recurrence, and the prognosis of these patients is often poor. We report a case of metastatic PB with a good prognosis with the aim of providing data to support a clinical diagnosis and treatment. In December 2015, a 43-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital because of a cough and blood-stained sputum. Positron emission-computed tomography showed massive high-density imaging in the lower lobe of the right lung, with a maximum cross-section of 76 × 58 mm. Thoracoscopic-assisted right lower lobectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. After 1 month, computed tomography showed a high possibility of metastasis. The patient then received docetaxel and cisplatin chemotherapy for a total of six courses. After chemotherapy, enhanced computed tomography showed considerable absorption of pleural effusion, and a left lobe pulmonary nodule was not detected. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was PB, and epithelial and mesenchymal differentiation components were observed. The patient continued to visit the hospital regularly for re-examination and imaging examinations. Currently, no signs of recurrence or distant metastasis have been detected.

Machine learning based age-authentication assisted by chemo-kinetics: Case study of strong-flavor Chinese Baijiu.

The aged Chinese liquor, Baijiu, is highly valued for its superior organoleptic qualities. However, since age-authentication method and aging-mechanism elucidation of Baijiu is still in the exploratory stage, high-quality aged Baijiu is often replaced by lower-quality, less-aged product with fraudulent mislabeling. Authentic high-quality strong-flavor Baijiu was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Total esters decreased with aging, while acids, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, terpenes, pyrazines increased. Although concentrations of partial compounds showed non-monotonic profiling during aging, a close positive linear correlation (R2 = 0.7012) of Baijiu Evenness index (0.55-0.59) with aging time was observed, indicating a more balanced composition in aged Baijiu. The reaction quotient (Qc) of each esterification, calculated by the corresponding reactant and product concentration, approached to the corresponding thermodynamic equilibrium constant Kc. This result demonstrated that the spontaneous transformation driven by thermodynamics explained part of the aging compositional profiling. Furthermore, an aging-related feature selection and an age-authentication method were established based on three models combined with five ranking algorithms. Forty-one key features, including thirty-six compound concentrations, four esterification Qc values and the Evenness index were selected out. The age-authentication based on neural network using forty-one input features accurately predicted the age group of Baijiu samples (F1 = 100 %). These findings have deepened understanding of the Baijiu aging mechanism and provided a novel, effective approach for age-authentication of Baijiu and other liquors.

Volatile Compound Abundance Correlations Provide a New Insight into Odor Balances in Sauce-Aroma Baijiu.

Sauce-aroma Baijiu (SAB) is one of the most famous Baijius in China; SAB has more than 500 aroma compounds in it. However, the key aroma compound in SAB flavor remains unclear. Volatiles play an important role in SAB aroma and are highly correlated to SAB quality. In the present study, 63 volatile compounds were quantified among 66 SAB samples using gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The authors analyzed odor contributions and volatile compound correlations in two quality groups of SAB samples. Moreover, an odor activity value (OAV) ratio-based random forest classifier was used to explain the volatile compound relationship differentiations between the two quality groups. Our results proved higher quality SABs had richer aromas and indicated a set of fruity-like ethyl valerate, green- and malt-like isobutyraldehyde and malt-like 3-methylbutyraldehyde and sweet-like furfural, had closer co-abundance correlations in higher quality SABs. These results indicated that the aroma and contributions of volatile compounds in SABs should be analyzed not only with compound odor activity values, but also the correlations between different aroma compounds.

Alkaloids and phenylpropanoid from Rhizomes of Arundo donax L.

A new bis-indole alkaloid, named arundaline (1), a new phenylpropanoid, named arundalcohol (2), and four known alkaloids, N-acetyltryptamine (3), trans-N-(p-coumaroyl)serotonin (4), trans-N-feruloylserotonin (5), and tuberosine B (6), were isolated from 70% aqueous ethanol extracts of the rhizomes of Arundo donax L. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and comparison of the data with literature values. Compounds 3-6 were isolated from the genus Arundo for the first time.

Effect of epigallocatechin gallate on the gelatinisation and retrogradation of wheat starch.

The effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on the gelatinisation and retrogradation characteristics of wheat starch (WS) were investigated using rapid viscosity analysis (RVA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Raman spectroscopy. The addition of EGCG resulted in decreased peak viscosity, trough viscosity, final viscosity and setback value of WS, as shown by RVA tests. After storage at 4 °C, observations by XRD and TGA revealed that the EGCG-WS complex had lower crystallinity and thermal stability than the control, indicating that EGCG retarded the retrogradation of WS. FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy results showed that EGCG formed hydrogen bonds with WS, through which EGCG could interfere with the reassociation of starch chains during storage, thereby delaying retrogradation. EGCG may therefore prove to be a useful additive in wheat products and in nutrition-related applications.

Endothelial cell protein C receptor promotes MGC803 gastric cancer cells proliferation and migration by activating ERK1/2.

The endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) has been reported to be involved in the development of several human cancers. However, the role of EPCR in gastric cancer progression has not been clarified. In this study, we show for the first time that EPCR is related to gastric cancer. Our results indicate that EPCR is highly expressed in clinical gastric cancer tissue. Knockdown of EPCR by small interference RNA suppressed the proliferation and migration of MGC803 gastric cancer cells dominantly. Blocking antibodies to protease-activated receptor-1(PAR1) also suppressed the proliferation and migration of MGC803 cells. Knockdown EPCR and blocking PAR1 inhibit activation of extracellular signaling-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2). Taken together, these results indicate that EPCR contributes to the proliferation and migration of MGC803 gastric cancer cells by activating ERK1/2, and this effect of EPCR may be dependent on PAR1. Therefore, EPCR may be act as a novel therapeutic target for inhibiting cell growth in gastric cancer.

Wls promotes the proliferation of breast cancer cells via Wnt signaling.

The Wnt secretion protein Wntless (Wls)/GPR177 has been reported to be involved in the development of several human cancers. However, the biological significance of Wls in breast cancer progression has not been clarified. In this study, we show for the first time that Wls is an important molecule related to breast cancer. We find that Wls expression is markedly increased in clinical breast tumors compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. Downregulation of Wls by short-hairpin RNA severely suppressed the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Wls is a core Wnt signaling component, and we show that knockdown of Wls is sufficient to inhibit Wnt secretion and its downstream signaling. Taken together, these results indicate that Wls contributes to the proliferation of breast cancer cells by regulating Wnt signaling. Therefore, Wls could be a novel therapeutic target for inhibiting cell growth in breast cancer.