[Reviews on natural naphthoquinones and their bioactivities].

The naphthaquinones are widely distributed in plants. They are usually in higher plants, but a few of them were also found in microorganisms. There is a lot of research showing that they had multiple pharmaco-activities such as cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities, etc. In recent years, they have attracted extensive attention at home and abroad especially in terms of the anti-tumor activity. For further research, 69 new natural naphthoquinones reported in the last five years (2013-2017) were reviewed. They were divided into five major types: simple 1,4-naphthoquinones, furan and pyran naphthoquinones, 1,2-naphthoquinones, naphthohydroquinones and naphthoquinone polymers, which showed cytotoxic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial biological activities, et al. The research of these compounds in the future was also proposed.

[Constituents isolated from n-butanol extract of leaves of Moringa oleifera].

Seventeen compounds were isolated from n-butanol extract of the leaves of Moringa oleifera, using column chromatography over macroporous resin HP-20,Sephadex LH-20, and ODS. Their structures were identified as two carboline,tangutorid E(1) and tangutorid F(2); three phenolic glycosides,niazirin(3)，benzaldehyde 4-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside(4) and 4-O-ß-D-glucopyranosidebenzoic acid(5); four chlorogenic acid and derivatives,4-caffeoylquinic acid(6),methyl 4-caffeoylquinate(7),caffeoylquinic acid(8) and methyl caffeoylquinate(9); two nucleosids,uridine(10) and adenosine(11); one flavone,quercetin 3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(12); five other types of compounds,phthalimidineacetic acid(13),3-pyridinecarboxamide(14),3,4-dihydroxy-benzoic acid(15),5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid(16) and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde(17) by the spectral data of ¹H, ¹³C-NMR and MS. Among them,compounds 1-2,7,9-10,16 and 17 were isolated from M. oleifera for the first time.

[Effect and mechanism of Danhong injection on isolated mesenteric arterial rings in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect and mechanism of Danhong injection on isolated mesenteric arterial rings in rats. METHOD: An isolated vascular ring experiment was conducted to determine the changes in tension of vascular rings with a biological signal collection and analytical system. RESULT: Danhong injection had no impact on the tension of vascular rings. Danhong injection showed a significant vasodilatation effect on treated arteria rings of norepinephrine, and no remarkable impact was made on the effect without endothium. It showed notable effect on blood vessels treated with Ca(2+) and no significant impact on those treated with caffeine. It could inhibit NE-induced intracellular calcium from releasing and external calcium from inflowing. No effects of potassium channel blockers on aorta ring tensile force were found. CONCLUSION: Danhong injection shows significant vasodilation effect, which mainly works through vascular smooth muscle. Its vasodilation effect may be related to inhibitory receptor, voltage-dependent Ca(2+)-release and IP3 receptor-mediated Ca(2 +)-influx.

[Single nucleotide polymorphisms of genes associated with high density lipoprotein metabolism in Chinese population].

OBJECTIVE: To study the single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes associated with the high density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism in Chinese population. METHODS: Two hundred and nine normal Han ethnic subjects, aged 59+/-10 years, were recruited from 5 medical centers in western part of China. DNA was extracted by proteinase K digestion, phenol and chloroform extraction as well as isopropanol precipitation. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) in conjunction with sequencing were employed to test the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA1), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) genes. RESULTS: The allelic frequencies of A and G of ABCA1 gene are 53.4% and 46.6%; of B2 and B1 allele of CETP, 41.0% and 59.0%; of HindIII (-) and (+) allele of LPL, 18.9% and 81.1%; and of PvuII(+) and (-) allele of LPL, 66.0% and 34.0%, respectively. All genotype frequencies fit well with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium; the significant linkage disequilibrium exists between LPL HindIII(+)and PvuII(+) polymorphisms. All of the RFLP in these genes result from the single nucleic substitution in fragment recognized by corresponding restriction enzymes. CONCLUSION: The genetic polymorphisms of ABCA1, LPL-HindIII and LPL-PvuII in Chinese Han ethnic population are significantly different from Caucasians residing in USA or Europe.

ABCA1 mRNA expression and cholesterol outflow in U937 cells.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) on U937 cell ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) mRNA expression and cholesterol efflux situation. METHODS: Human U937 cells were incubated with gradient concentrations of oxLDL (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 mg/L), and then dyed by oil red O to estimate the content of intracelluar lipid and detect the expressing quantity of ABCA1 mRNA by Real-time Fluorescence quantitative PCR simultaneously. Calculating the cholesterol efflux rates by using the scintillation counter to detect the amount of H(3)-cholesterol in each well cell culture plate and medium. RESULTS: Real-time Fluorescence quantitative PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of ABCA1 mRNA in monocytes were lower than basal line when not intervened with oxLDL, and increased drastically with oxLDL stimulation, significant difference compared with controls (P<0.01), and reached the highest level at oxLDL 50 mg/L, nevertheless, continuously increasing the concentration of oxLDL above 50 mg/L, the expression decreased. So is the outflowing rate of intracelluar lipid. Oil red O dyeing results also suggested that celluar lipid content was the highest when intervened with 125 mg/L oxLDL, and increased most obviously at 50 mg/L oxLDL. Cholesterol outflow result also demonstrated that cholesterol outflow rate related with the ABCA1 mRNA expressing quantity. CONCLUSION: With the increase of intervening concentration of oxLDL on U937cells, the exprssion of ABCAl mRNA represented that rising before 50 mg/L oxLDL, and then decreasing, reaching the top point at 50 mg/L oxLDL. So was the change in the outflowing rate of intracelluar lipid.

α-Klotho is an acute phase protein and altered by restraint stress in mice.

OBJECTIVE: To identify whether α-Klotho is a kind of acute phase protein and alternation in the level of protein and mRNA under restraint stress. METHOD: 48 mice were divided into three groups of 16: 1h, 10h and 20 h treat time group. Each group included restraint stress and control subgroup with same number animals (n = 8). ELISA was utilized in the assay of serum α-Klotho and corticosterone, RT-PCR was occupied in the detection of the expression of α-Klotho mRNA in renal tissue. RESULT: α-Klotho protein concentration of control group 1h, 10h and 20 h was 757.71 ± 333.93 pg/ml, 687.38 ± 342.79 pg/ml and 912.90 ± 337.8 pg/ml, respectively. While the concentration of restraint stress group 1h, 10h and 20 h was 726.40 ± 342.79 pg/ml, 1261.54 ± 442.71 pg/ml, and 1696.18 ± 404.11 pg/ml. There was no significant difference among 1h, 10h and 20 h control groups (P > 0.05) as well as 1h treat time subgroup. Compared with respective control group, the difference of restraint stress group in 10h and 20 h treat time group was significant (P < 0.05). The expression of α-Klotho mRNA was slightly downregulated even when the mice underwent a 1 hour restraint stress, though without significance (p > 0.05). Prominent fold change, 2.02 and 2.46, happened in 10h and 20 h restraint group with significance (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01), respectively. CONCLUSION: α-Klotho is a kind of acute phase protein. The serum α-Klotho protein is promoted while the α-Klotho mRNA is downregulated under the constraint stress.

Klotho protein lowered in elderly hypertension.

We intend to identify the relationship between Klotho protein and elderly hypertension. Serous Klotho protein and nitric oxide (NO) which gathered from 79 elderly hypertensive patients, 30 elderly non-hypertensive patients and 25 non-elderly hypertensive patients were detected by ELISA and nitro-reductase method, respectively; and the comparison came from the former group and the last two groups. The results were as follows: Klotho protein absorbance (0.303 ± 0.096) and NO concentrations (43.95 ± 21.85 µmol/L) in elderly hypertensive group were lower than the elderly non-hypertensive group (0.489 ± 0.216) and (62.63 ± 21.26 µmol/L). So it shows that there was significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). And the result suggested that, except of the contribution of Klotho protein to the calcification of vessel wall and reduction of vascular elasticity, elderly hypertension may partially attributes to the reduction of serous Klotho protein, which leads to the shrinkage of endothelial function companied with decrease of NO.

[Applications of GIS in biomass energy source research].

Biomass resources have the characteristics of widespread and dispersed distribution, which have close relations to the environment, climate, soil, and land use, etc. Geographic information system (GIS) has the functions of spatial analysis and the flexibility of integrating with other application models and algorithms, being of predominance to the biomass energy source research. This paper summarized the researches on the GIS applications in biomass energy source research, with the focus in the feasibility study of bioenergy development, assessment of biomass resources amount and distribution, layout of biomass exploitation and utilization, evaluation of gaseous emission from biomass burning, and biomass energy information system. Three perspectives of GIS applications in biomass energy source research were proposed, i. e., to enrich the data source, to improve the capacity on data processing and decision-support, and to generate the online proposal.