Inflammatory corpuscle AIM2 facilitates macrophage foam cell formation by inhibiting cholesterol efflux protein ABCA1.

The inflammatory corpuscle recombinant absents in melanoma 2 (AIM2) and cholesterol efflux protein ATP binding cassette transporter A1(ABCA1) have been reported to play opposing roles in atherosclerosis (AS) plaques. However, the relationship between AIM2 and ABCA1 remains unclear. In this study, we explored the potential connection between AIM2 and ABCA1 in the modulation of AS by bioinformatic analysis combined with in vitro experiments. The GEO database was used to obtain AS transcriptional profiling data; screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and construct a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to obtain AS-related modules. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) was used to induce macrophage modelling in THP-1 cells, and ox-LDL was used to induce macrophage foam cell formation. The experiment was divided into Negative Control (NC) group, Model Control (MC) group, AIM2 overexpression + ox-LDL (OE AIM2 + ox-LDL) group, and AIM2 short hairpin RNA + ox-LDL (sh AIM2 + ox-LDL) group. The intracellular cholesterol efflux rate was detected by scintillation counting; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to detect intracellular cholesterol levels; apoptosis levels were detected by TUNEL kit; levels of inflammatory markers (IL-1ß, IL-18, ROS, and GSH) were detected by ELISA kits; and levels of AIM2 and ABCA1 proteins were detected by Western blot. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the turquoise module correlated most strongly with AS, and AIM2 and ABCA1 were co-expressed in the turquoise module with a trend towards negative correlation. In vitro experiments demonstrated that AIM2 inhibited macrophage cholesterol efflux, resulting in increased intracellular cholesterol levels and foam cell formation. Moreover, AIM2 had a synergistic effect with ox-LDL, exacerbating macrophage oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Silencing AIM2 ameliorated the above conditions. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of AIM2 and ABCA1 were consistent with the bioinformatic analysis, showing a negative correlation. AIM2 inhibits ABCA1 expression, causing abnormal cholesterol metabolism in macrophages and ultimately leading to foam cell formation. Inhibiting AIM2 may reverse this process. Overall, our study suggests that AIM2 is a reliable anti-inflammatory therapeutic target for AS. Inhibiting AIM2 expression may reduce foam cell formation and, consequently, inhibit the progression of AS plaques.

Recent advances in discovery and biosynthesis of natural products from myxobacteria: an overview from 2017 to 2023.

Covering: 2017.01 to 2023.11Natural products biosynthesized by myxobacteria are appealing due to their sophisticated chemical skeletons, remarkable biological activities, and intriguing biosynthetic enzymology. This review aims to systematically summarize the advances in the discovery methods, new structures, and bioactivities of myxobacterial NPs reported in the period of 2017-2023. In addition, the peculiar biosynthetic pathways of several structural families are also highlighted.

Pyrrole-Based Fully Non-fused Acceptor for Efficient and Stable Organic Solar Cells.

Organic solar cells (OSCs) are still suffering from the low light utilization and unstable under ultraviolet irradiation. To tackle these challenges, we design and synthesize a non-fused acceptor based on 1-(2-butyloctyl)-1H-pyrrole as π-bridge unit, denoted as GS70, which serves as active layer in the front-cell for constructing tandem OSCs with a parallel configuration. Benefiting from the well-complementary absorption spectra with the rear-cell, GS70-based parallel tandem OSCs exhibit an improved photoelectron response over the range between 600-700 nm, yielding a high short-circuit current density of 28.4 mA cm-2. The improvement in light utilization translates to a power conversion efficiency of 19.4 %, the highest value among all parallel tandem OSCs. Notably, owing to the intrinsic stability of GS70, the manufactured parallel tandem OSCs retain 84.9 % of their initial PCE after continuous illumination for 1000 hours. Overall, this work offers novel insight into the molecular design of low-cost and stability non-fused acceptors, emphasizing the importance of adopting a parallel tandem configuration for achieving efficient light harvesting and improved photostability in OSCs.

Genetic improvement of duration of fertility in chickens and its commercial application for extending insemination intervals.

The growth rate of chickens has made remarkable progress in recent decades through continuous breeding efforts. However, this advancement has also led to a decline in fertility among commercially bred chickens. Therefore, it is crucial to understand and improve factors that influence fertility to ensure the continued success of the industry. Here, we conduct a 3-generation selection experiment within 2 purebred female lines, with the aim of increasing the duration of fertility (DF). Duration of fertility refers to the length of time hens remain capable of producing fertilized eggs and is a crucial factor that directly impacts chick output. The results showed that significant genetic progress was achieved in embryo survival rates and the fertility duration day during both the peak and late laying periods. Moreover, after 3 generations of selective breeding, the disparities in embryo survival and chick health rates from setting eggs between 8-d and 5-d insemination intervals in the grandparent stock were significantly reduced. The rates decreased from 1.83% and 2.39 to 0.72% and 0.33%, respectively. Surprisingly, the hatching performances of hens with an 8-d interval were comparable to those hens that had not undergone genetic selection for DF and had a 5-d interval. We further discussed the possibility of extending the insemination interval to 8 d in parent stock for commercial practices. The parental populations exhibited remarkable performance in terms of percentages of embryo survival and healthy chicks from the setting eggs, with rates exceeding 94 and 90%, respectively. Thus, it can be inferred that an extended insemination interval is feasible by genetic selection for DF. These findings will provide valuable insights into the efficacy of genetic selection in enhancing DF and its practical application in commercial breeding programs.

Low-Cost Fully Non-fused Ring Acceptor Enables Efficient Organic Photovoltaic Modules for Multi-Scene Applications.

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells, with highly tunable light-response ranges, offer significant potential for use in driving low-power consumption off-grid electronics in multi-scenarios. However, development of photoactive layer materials that can meet simultaneously the requirements of diverse irradiation conditions is a still challenging task. Herein, a low-cost fully non-fused acceptor (denoted as GS60) featuring well-matched absorption spectra with solar, scattered light and artificial light radiation was designed and synthesized. Systematic characterizations revealed that GS60 possessed outstanding photoelectron properties and ideal morphology, which resulted in reduced voltage loss and suppressed charge recombination. By blending with a non-fused ring polymer PTVT-T, the as-obtained GS60 based OPV cells achieved a good power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.1 %, a high value for the cells based on non-fused ring bulk heterojunction. Besides, manufactured large-area OPV modules based on PTVT-T:GS60 yielded PCEs of 11.2 %, 11.8 %, 12.1 %, 23.1 %, and 20.3 % under irradiation of AM 1.5G, natural light of cloudy weather, natural light in shadow, laser and indoor, respectively. The PTVT-T:GS60 devices exhibited considerable potential in terms of improving photostability and reducing material cost. Overall, this work provides novel insight into the molecular design of low-cost non-fused ring acceptors, and extended potential of medium band gap acceptors based OPV cells used in various application scenarios.

Multifunctional Metal-Organic Framework (MOF)-Based Nanoplatforms for Crop Protection and Growth Promotion.

Phytopathogen, pest, weed, and nutrient deficiency cause severe losses to global crop yields every year. As the core engine, agrochemicals drive the continuous development of modern agriculture to meet the demand for agricultural productivity and increase the environmental burden due to inefficient use. With new advances in nanotechnology, introducing nanomaterials into agriculture to realize agrochemical accurate and targeted delivery has brought new opportunities to support the sustainable development of green agriculture. Metal-Organic frameworks (MOFs), which weave metal ions/clusters and organic ligands into porous frameworks, have exhibited significant advantages in constructing biotic/abiotic stimuli-responsive nanoplatforms for controlled agrochemical delivery. This review emphasizes the recent developments of MOF-based nanoplatforms for crop protection, including phytopathogen, pest, and weed control, and crop growth promotion, including fertilizer/plant hormone delivery. Finally, forward-looking perspectives and challenges on MOF-based nanoplatforms for future applications in crop protection and growth promotion are also discussed.

Constructing a Myxobacterial Natural Product Database to Facilitate NMR-Based Metabolomics Bioprospecting of Myxobacteria.

Myxobacteria are fascinating prokaryotes featuring a potent capacity for producing a wealth of bioactive molecules with intricate chemical topology as well as intriguing enzymology, and thus it is critical to developing an efficient pipeline for bioprospecting. Herein, we construct the database MyxoDB, the first public compendium solely dedicated to myxobacteria, which enabled us to provide an overview of the structural diversity and taxonomic distribution of known myxobacterial natural products. Moreover, we demonstrated that the cutting-edge NMR-based metabolomics was effective to differentiate the biosynthetic priority of myxobacteria, whereby MyxoDB could greatly streamline the dereplication of multifarious known compounds and accordingly speed up the discovery of new compounds. This led to the rapid identification of a class of linear di-lipopeptides (archangimins) and a rare rearranged sterol (corasterol) that were endowed with unique chemical architectures and/or biosynthetic enzymology. We also showcased that NMR-based metabolomics, MyxoDB, and genomics can also work concertedly to accelerate the targeted discovery of a polyketidic compound pyxipyrrolone C. All in all, this study sets the stage for the discovery of many more novel natural products from underexplored myxobacterial resources.

Not all engaged students are alike: patterns of engagement and burnout among elementary students using a person-centered approach.

Due to its potential to address low achievement, high dropout rates, and misbehavior among students, school engagement has become an important topic in contemporary developmental psychology and educational research. Although there is a wealth of literature on the causes and effects of student engagement, the current understanding of how student engagement varies in response to different teaching styles is limited. This study examined the engagement and burnout profiles of elementary school pupils (N = 798; 51% females; Mage = 11.54, SDage = 0.72) and the interactions between those profiles, students' characteristics and their perceptions of instructional behaviors (e.g., supporting criticism, suppressing criticism & independent viewpoints, intruding). Latent profile analysis revealed five types of profiles: moderately burned out, slightly burned out, moderately engaged, highly engaged, and highly burned out. Follow-up logistic regression analysis found that students clustered into engagement groups were likely to report higher autonomy support from teachers, especially when teachers permit criticism and independent thinking from students. In contrast, students clustered into burned out profiles were more likely to rate teacher strategies as autonomy suppressive. This became more obvious when instructors imposed meaningless and uninteresting activities. Taken together, this study indicated that autonomy-supportive teaching behaviors are pivotal in understanding student engagement and school burnout. The significance of the findings was addressed, along with implications and limitations.

2,5-Diketopiperazines From a Sponge-Derived Fungus Aspergillus sclerotiorum.

Three new 2,5-diketopiperazines, speramide C (1), 3,21-epi-taichunamide F (2), and 2-epi-amoenamide C (3), along with four known analogs (4-7), were obtained from the sponge-derived fungus Aspergillus sclerotiorum GDST-2013-0501 collected from the South China Sea. The chemical structures of new compounds were elucidated by analyzing NMR and MS spectroscopy data, and their absolute configurations were determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compound 1 represents the first prenylated indole alkaloid with an ethylene oxide ring at the isopentenyl side chain. Compound 4 displayed DNA topoisomerase I inhibitory activity and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis. The low cytotoxic or non-cytotoxic compound 4 displayed DNA topoisomerase I inhibitory activity, which could provide a starting point for the development of antitumor agents.

Covalent organic frameworks functionalized electrodes for simultaneous removal of UO22+ and ReO4- with fast kinetics and high capacities by electro-adsorption.

The recovery of radioactive ions from high salinity low-level radioactive wastewater (LLRW) is important for the sustainable utilization of nuclear energy. Previous work primarily focuses on developing adsorbents that remove individual types of ions via physicochemical adsorption. Here, we report a new strategy for the simultaneous recovery of uranium (UO22+) and rhenium (ReO4-) as a non-radioactive surrogate of technetium from LLRW via electro-adsorption. Carboxyl functionalized covalent organic frameworks (COF-1) and cationic covalent organic frameworks (COF-2) were prepared as cathode and anode materials, respectively. The adsorption capacities were 411 mg U/g for COF-1 and 984 mg Re/g for COF-2 under 1.2 direct-current (DC) volts, 2.5 and 2.1 times higher than the capacities of the same adsorbents obtained by physicochemical adsorption. We also found that the electro-adsorption of uranium and rhenium follows pseudo-second-order kinetics with the adsorption rates of 0.45 and 1.05 g/mg/h at pH 7.0 and 298.15 K, again two times faster than those measured in physicochemical adsorption. Therefore, electro-adsorption improves both adsorption capacity and kinetics by maximizing the utility of available active sites in adsorbents and facilitating ion migration towards the adsorbents. The adsorption efficiencies for uranium and rhenium reached 65.9% and 89.2%, respectively, after electro-adsorption for 2 h. The high efficiencies can be maintained after five adsorption-desorption cycles. Furthermore, the electrodes showed high selectivity for uranium(VI) and rhenium(VII) and excellent salt resistance even in 1 mol/L NaCl solution. XPS studies revealed that covalent bonds were formed between uranium(VI) and carboxyl groups on COF-1, and rhenium(VII) was bound to cationic COF-2 through electrostatic interaction. Our asymmetric electrodes design can be extended to simultaneously and efficiently remove other types of radioactive or heavy metal ions from wastewater.

A Lesion Microenvironment-Responsive Fungicide Nanoplatform for Crop Disease Prevention and Control.

Controlled fungicide delivery in response to the specific microenvironment produced by fungal pathogens is an advisable strategy to improve the efficacy of fungicides. Herein, the authors construct a smart fungicide nanoplatform, using mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) as nanocarriers loaded with eugenol (EU) and Ag+ coordinated polydopamine (Ag+ -PDA) as a coating to form Ag+ -PDA@MSNs-EU NPs for Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) control. As a botanical fungicide, EU offers an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fungicides and can upregulate several defense-related genes in the tomato plant. The Ag+ -PDA coating can lock the EU inside the nanocarriers and respond to the oxalic acid produced by B. cinerea to corelease the loaded EU and Ag+ . The results demonstrate that Ag+ -PDA@MSNs-EU NPs can effectively inhibit the mycelial growth of B. cinerea on detached and potted tomato leaves. The construction of such a smart fungicide nanoplatform provides new guidance to design controlled fungicides release systems, which can respond to the microenvironment associated with plant pathogen to realize fungus control.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals MFGE8-HAPLN3 Fusion as a Novel Biomarker in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. The lack of effective targeted therapies for TNBC remains a profound clinical challenge. Fusion transcripts play critical roles in carcinogenesis and serve as valuable diagnostic and therapeutic targets in cancer. The present study aimed to identify novel fusion transcripts in TNBC. METHODS: We analyzed the RNA sequencing data of 360 TNBC samples to identify and filter fusion candidates through SOAPfuse and ChimeraScan analysis. The characteristics, including recurrence, fusion type, chromosomal localization, TNBC subgroup distribution, and clinicopathological correlations, were analyzed in all candidates. Furthermore, we selected the promising fusion transcript and predicted its fusion type and protein coding capacity. RESULTS: Using the RNA sequencing data, we identified 189 fusion transcripts in TNBC, among which 22 were recurrent fusions. Compared to para-tumor tissues, TNBC tumor tissues accumulated more fusion events, especially in high-grade tumors. Interestingly, these events were enriched at specific chromosomal loci, and the distribution pattern varied in different TNBC subtypes. The vast majority of fusion partners were discovered on chromosomes 1p, 11q, 19p, and 19q. Besides, fusion events mainly clustered on chromosome 11 in the immunomodulatory subtype and chromosome 19 in the luminal androgen receptor subtype of TNBC. Considering the tumor specificity and frameshift mutation, we selected MFGE8-HAPLN3 as a novel biomarker and further validated it in TNBC samples using PCR and Sanger sequencing. Further, we successfully identified three types of MFGE8-HAPLN3 (E6-E2, E5-E3, and E6-E3) and predicted the ORF of E6-E2, which could encode a protein of 712 amino acids, suggesting its critical role in TNBC. CONCLUSIONS: Improved bioinformatic stratification and comprehensive analysis identified the fusion transcript MFGE8-HAPLN3 as a novel biomarker with promising clinical application in the future.

Supramolecular Nanoplatform Based on Mesoporous Silica Nanocarriers and Pillararene Nanogates for Fungus Control.

Synthetic fungicides have been widely used to protect crops from fungal diseases. However, excessive use of synthetic fungicides leads to the generation of fungicide resistance in fungal pathogens. Recently, smart cargo delivery systems have been introduced for the construction of a pesticide delivery nanoplatform, benefiting from their controlled release performance. Herein, a fungal pathogen microenvironment-responsive supramolecular fungicide nanoplatform has been designed and constructed, using quaternary ammonium salt (Q)-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN-Q NPs) as nanocarriers loaded with berberine hydrochloride (BH) and carboxylatopillar[5]arene (CP[5]A) as nanogates to form BH-loaded CP[5]A@MSN-Q NPs for effective inhibition of Botrytis cinerea. CP[5]A as nanogates can endow the fungicide nanoplatform with pH stimuli-responsive release features for the control of fungicide release. The loaded BH, as a natural plant fungicide, provides an ecofriendly alternative to synthetic fungicides for controlling B. cinerea. Interestingly, we use oxalic acid (OA) secreted by B. cinerea as a trigger so that BH can be released from the fungicide nanoplatform on demand under pathogen microenvironments for controlling B. cinerea. The experimental results indicate that the fabricated fungicide nanoplatform could effectively inhibit the mycelial growth and spore germination, providing a new way for the management of B. cinerea in actual application.

Eco-Friendly Nanoplatforms for Crop Quality Control, Protection, and Nutrition.

Agricultural chemicals have been widely utilized to manage pests, weeds, and plant pathogens for maximizing crop yields. However, the excessive use of these organic substances to compensate their instability in the environment has caused severe environmental consequences, threatened human health, and consumed enormous economic costs. In order to improve the utilization efficiency of these agricultural chemicals, one strategy that attracted researchers is to design novel eco-friendly nanoplatforms. To date, numerous advanced nanoplatforms with functional components have been applied in the agricultural field, such as silica-based materials for pesticides delivery, metal/metal oxide nanoparticles for pesticides/mycotoxins detection, and carbon nanoparticles for fertilizers delivery. In this review, the synthesis, applications, and mechanisms of recent eco-friendly nanoplatforms in the agricultural field, including pesticides and mycotoxins on-site detection, phytopathogen inactivation, pest control, and crops growth regulation for guaranteeing food security, enhancing the utilization efficiency of agricultural chemicals and increasing crop yields are highlighted. The review also stimulates new thinking for improving the existing agricultural technologies, protecting crops from biotic and abiotic stress, alleviating the global food crisis, and ensuring food security. In addition, the challenges to overcome the constrained applications of functional nanoplatforms in the agricultural field are also discussed.

Constraining maximum event magnitude during injection-triggered seismicity.

Understanding mechanisms controlling fluid injection-triggered seismicity is key in defining strategies to ameliorate it. Recent triggered events (e.g. Pohang, Mw 5.5) have exceeded predictions of average energy release by a factor of >1000x, necessitating robust methodologies to both define critical antecedent conditions and to thereby constrain anticipated event size. We define maximum event magnitudes resulting from triggering as a function of pre-existing critical stresses and fluid injection volume. Fluid injection experiments on prestressed laboratory faults confirm these estimates of triggered moment magnitudes for varied boundary conditions and injection rates. In addition, observed ratios of shear slip to dilation rates on individual faults signal triggering and may serve as a measurable proxy for impending rupture. This new framework provides a robust method of constraining maximum event size for preloaded faults and unifies prior laboratory and field observations that span sixteen decades in injection volume and four decades in length scale.

The influence of accuracy constraints on bimanual and unimanual sequence learning.

An experiment was designed to determine whether accuracy constraints can influence how unimanual and bimanual motor sequences are produced and learned. The accuracy requirements of the task were manipulated using principles derived from Fitts' Law to create relatively low (ID = 3) and high (ID = 5) accuracy demands. Right-limb dominant participants (N = 28, age = 21.9 yrs; 15 females and 13 males) were required to produce unimanual left, unimanual right or bimanual movement sequences using elbow extension and flexion movements to hit a series of illuminated targets. The targets were illuminated in a repeating sequence of 16 elements. Participants performed 20 practice trials. Thirty minutes following the practice trials participants performed a retention test. Element duration (time interval between target hits) and segment harmonicity (hesitations/adjustments in movement pattern) were calculated. The results indicate longer element duration and lower harmonicity values (more adjustments) when the task required higher accuracy demands (ID = 5) compared to low accuracy demands (ID = 3). Element duration was shorter and harmonicity was higher at ID = 5 for both unimanual groups than the bimanual group. However, element duration was shorter and harmonicity was higher at ID = 3 for the bimanual group than for both unimanual groups. These results indicate that the accuracy demands of the task can influence both performance and learning of motor sequences and suggest differences between unimanual and bimanual motor sequence learning. It appears there is a bimanual advantage for tasks with lower accuracy demands whereas performance is more accurate with unimanual performance, regardless of limb, with higher accuracy demands. These results are consistent with recent research indicating that accuracy requirements change the control processes for bimanual performance differently than for unimanual tasks.

A Novel Approach to Enhancing Upper Extremity Coordination in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Recent studies examining children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have revealed kinematic markers highlighting deficits in the preparatory and online phases of upper extremity movements. In the following study, 12 children with high functioning ASD were first assessed (pre-test) on 15 trials of a reciprocal upper extremity Fitts Law target task by flexing and extending their right arm in the horizontal plane between two targets as fast and accurately as possible. Following the initial assessment, the children either continued with 30 additional trials of the target task (control) or were asked to track a sine wave template (experimental). All participants were then assessed on 15 trials of the target test (post-test). Results reveal that tracking the sine wave template during training not only produced faster movements compared to the control but also produced these movements in a more harmonic way.

Adsorption of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol onto granular activated carbon in water: isotherms, thermodynamics, kinetics, and influencing factors.

Adsorption was found to be an acceptable treatment option to remove geosmin (GSM) and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB). It is meaningful to investigate the adsorption capacity of granular activated carbon (GAC) for the two algal odorants in water, and the influences of natural organic material (NOM) and particle size. The adsorption process was studied with the four isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and modified Freundlich), four kinetic models (pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order, Elovich, and intra-particle), and thermodynamics. The results showed that the adsorption of both compounds could be best described by the modified Freundlich isotherm and pseudo second-order model, and the obtained thermodynamic parameters (changes in heat of adsorption, entropy, and Gibbs free energy) revealed that the adsorption was endothermic and spontaneous. Downsizing the particle size of GAC was effective for improving the adsorption capacity and rate. The concentrations of the two odorants could be reduced from 500 ng L-1 to less than 10 ng L-1 with the presence of NOM (<20 mg L-1 total organic carbon, TOC).

Alternatone A, an Unusual Perylenequinone-Related Compound from a Soft-Coral-Derived Strain of the Fungus Alternaria alternata.

A novel perylenequinone-related compound, alternatone A (1), with an unprecedented tricyclo[6.3.1.02,7] dodecane skeleton, together with three known perylenequinones, altertoxin I (2), stemphyperylenol (3), and alterperylenol (4), was isolated from the soft-coral-derived fungus Alternaria alternata L3111'. Their structures including absolute configurations were elucidated on the basis of comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, electronic circular dichroism calculations, and X-ray diffraction data. Compound 4 showed cytotoxicity against A-549, HCT-116, and HeLa cell lines with IC50 values of 2.6, 2.4, and 3.1 µM, respectively. A possible biosynthetic pathway of 1 was proposed.

Potent Phytotoxic Harziane Diterpenes from a Soft Coral-Derived Strain of the Fungus Trichoderma harzianum XS-20090075.

Two new harziane diterpene lactones, possessing a 6/5/7/5-fused carbocyclic core containing a lactone ring system, harzianelactones A and B (1 and 2), and five new harziane diterpenes, harzianones A-D (3-6) and harziane (7), were isolated from the soft coral-derived fungus Trichoderma harzianum XS-20090075. Their structures were determined by extensive NMR spectroscopic data, ECD and OR calculations, as well as X-ray diffraction. The isolated compounds exhibited potent phytotoxicity against seedling growth of amaranth and lettuce. Harziane diterpenes were rarely reported for their remarkably bioactivities, and it was the first report to study the phytotoxicity of harziane diterpenes, which provide a new application of such compounds in agriculture for future research.