New alkaloids from Polygonatum zanlanscianense Pamp.

Sixteen alkaloid compounds were isolated from the dried rhizomes of P. zanlanscianense, including a pair of new enantiomers (R/S)-7'-ethoxy-trans-p-couma-royltyramine (1a/1b) and 14 known compounds (2-14) isolated from this plant for the first time. The structures of new compounds were identified by IR, NMR and MS spectroscopic analysis, and their absolute configurations were determined by comparison of the experimental and calculated ECD data.

High-resolution 3D demonstration of regional heterogeneity in the glymphatic system.

Accumulating evidence indicates that the glymphatic system has a critical role in maintaining brain homeostasis. However, the detailed anatomy of the glymphatic pathway is not well understood, mostly due to a lack of high spatial resolution 3D visualization. In this study, a fluorescence micro-optical sectioning tomography (fMOST) was used to characterize the glymphatic architecture in the mouse brain. At 30 and 120 min after intracisternal infusion with fluorescent dextran (Dex-3), lectin was injected to stain the cerebral vasculature. Using fMOST, a high-resolution 3D dataset of the brain-wide distribution of Dex-3 was acquired. Combined with fluorescence microscopy and microplate array, the heterogeneous glymphatic flow and the preferential irrigated regions were identified. These cerebral regions containing large-caliber penetrating arteries and/or adjacent to the subarachnoid space had more robust CSF flow compared to other regions. Moreover, the major glymphatic vessels for CSF influx and fluid efflux in the entire brain were shown in 3D. This study demonstrates the regional heterogeneity in the glymphatic system and provides an anatomical resource for further investigation of the glymphatic function.

[Quantitative changes of anti-cancer active components in Taxus chinensis var. mairei branches and leaves].

The quantitative changes of anti-cancer ingredients such as taxol, cephalomannine, baccatin III and 10-deacetylbaccatin III in the branches and leaves of Taxus chinensis var. mairei during one growth season were measured by HPLC. The results showed that the contents of these anticancer ingredients had an obvious change from April when the new branches began to germinate to November when the branches basically stopped growing. The contents of taxol and cephalomannine in the branches and leaves of T. chinensis had the same change pattern, with the peaks appeared in May, and those of Baccatin III and 10-deacetylbaccatin III had the same change trend, with the highest values appeared in September and April, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between the contents of taxol and cephalomannine (P <0.05), and a negative correlation between the contents of cephalomannine and 10-deacetylbaccatin III (P <0.05).