Complete assembly of the chloroplast genome of Amorphophallus coaetaneus S. Y. Liu & S. J. Wei 1986 (Araceae) from southwestern China.

Amorphophallus coaetaneus S. Y. Liu & S. J. Wei 1986 is a perennial herb belonging to the Araceae family in southwestern China (Guangxi and Yunnan provinces). Although this species have not been list in the red list of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the populations are declining due to human over exploitation. To help to genetic diversity studies, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of A. coaetaneus (GenBank accession number of national center for biotechnology information (NCBI): OQ404947). The assembled genome revealed 175,465 bp in length with a GC content of 34.90%, including a large single-copy (LSC) region (98,561 bp), a small single-copy (SSC) region (16,504 bp) and two inverted repeat regions (IRs) (30,200 bp each). A total of 133 genes were annotated, of which 85 are protein-coding genes, 40 are tRNA genes and 8 are rRNA genes. As an output of this study, a maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic inference of 16 Araceae species clustered all four Amorphophallus species in one clade, and showed a relatively close relationship between the tribes Pythonieae and Colocasieae. The cp genome will serve as a basis in a more extensive molecular works covering all possible extant population of Amorphophallus, as well as conservation, breeding, and other ethnobotanical utilization of this species.

Antinociceptive C19-diterpenoid alkaloids from the roots of Aconitum nagarum.

Three new C19-diterpenoid alkaloids, nagarumines A-C (1-3), together two known alkaloids, deoxyaconitine (4) and N-deethyldeoxyaconitine (5), were isolated from the roots of Aconitum nagarum. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectral methods such as 1D and 2D (1H-1H COSY, HMQC, and HMBC) NMR spectroscopy, as well as high resolution mass spectrometry. The in vivo pharmacological studies revealed that nagarumine C (3) possessed comparable antinociceptive activity (ED50 = 76.0 µmol/kg) with the positive control drugs aspirin and acetaminophen.

Rare cytochalasans isolated from the mangrove endophytic fungus Xylaria arbuscula.

Four new cytochalasans, arbuschalasins A-D (1-4), along with thirteen known analogues (5-17), were isolated from the solid rice medium of endophytic fungus Xylaria arbuscula. Arbuschalasins A-B feature a rare 5/6/6/6 fused ring system while arbuschalasin D was characterized as the first example of natural cytochalasans that possesses a 5/5/11 fused scaffold. The structures of 1-4 were assigned by spectroscopic data, with their absolute structures being determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. All of the isolates were evaluated against the human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines (HCT15). Compounds 6 and 7 showed significant inhibitory effects (IC50 values were 13.5 and 13.4 µM, respectively), being more active than those of the positive control, fluorouracil (103.1 µM).

Aqueous extract of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza leaves protects against dextran sulfate sodium induced ulcerative colitis in mice via suppressing NF-κB activation and modulating intestinal microbiota.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is tightly associated with inflammation response and oxidative stress. As a folk medicine applied in treatment of diarrhea, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza also possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities, which indicated that B. gymnorrhiza may exert anti-colitis effect. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate effect and mechanism of B. gymnorrhiza on experimental UC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aqueous extract of B. gymnorrhiza leaves (ABL) was used for investigation in the present study. Murine UC was established through access to 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 7 days. Meanwhile, mice accepted treatment with ABL (25, 50, 100 mg/kg) or sulfasalazine (200 mg/kg) once daily. On the last day, disease activity index (DAI) including body weight loss, fecal character and degree of bloody diarrhea was evaluated, colon segments were obtained for length measurement and further analysis and feces were collected for intestinal microbiota analysis. RESULTS: ABL ameliorated DAI scores, colon length shortening and histopathological damage in DSS-induced colitis mice obviously. SOD activity, levels of MDA and GSH altered by colitis were restored remarkably after ABL treatment. ABL inhibited increases in levels of colonic COX-2, iNOS, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-11 in colitis mice. Moreover, ABL prominently suppressed NF-κB p65 and IκB phosphorylation and down-regulated mRNA levels of COX-2, iNOS, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß elevated by colitis. As shown in microbiota analysis, ABL modulated composition of intestinal microbiota of colitis mice. CONCLUSION: ABL exhibited protective effect against DSS-induced ulcerative colitis through suppressing NF-κB activation and modulating intestinal microbiota.

[Utilization and growth response of Chrysosporum ovalisporum to different phosphorus compounds]. / 卵孢金孢藻对不同磷化合物的利用及生长响应.

To explore the ability of bloom-forming cyanobacterium Chrysosporum ovalisporum to utilize different kinds of phosphorus compounds in the water column, we examined the growth response of C. ovalisporum in the laboratory by taking dipotassium hydrogen phosphate as the control and set different treatments of phosphorus substrates. The results showed that C. ovalisporum could utilize sodium tripolyphosphate and terasodium pyrophosphate decahydrate, with better utilization of sodium tripolyphosphate. After 15 days, it had the highest biomass and chlorophyll a concentrations under the treatment of sodium tripolyphosphate, with a value of (426.96±47.42) mg·L-1 and (1852.34±116.60) µg·L-1, respectively. Compared with the control, there was no significant difference in biomass of C. ovalisporum under both the (2-aminoethyl)-phosphonic acid and disodium ß-glycerol phosphate pentahydrate treatments. The change characteristics of dissolved inorganic phosphate were related to the alkaline phosphatase activity, indicating that C. ovalisporum was able to utilize these two organophosphorus compounds via enzyme hydrolysis. The concentration of dissolved inorganic phosphate reached 0 mg·L-1 during the whole experiment when the C. ovalisporum were fed with glyphosate. Biomass, specific growth rate, chlorophyll a concentration and photosynthetic activity of algal cells were significantly lower than those of the control, indicating that C. ova-lisporum could not uptake phosphorus compounds in the glyphosate substrate and thus their growth being inhibited. Our results present new insights to understand the diffusion mechanism of C. ovalisporum into different aquatic ecosystems and had theoretical reference value for the prevention and control of new cyanobacterial blooms.

[Effects of electroacupuncture on insulin resistance in patients with knee arthroplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of electroacupuncture on the improvement of insulin resistance after knee joint replacement based on the combined spinal and epidural anesthesia and postoperative epidural analgesia. METHODS: Eighty patients with insulin resistance but normal blood glucose were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, 40 cases in each group.Both groups of patients underwent combined spinal and epidural anesthesia and postoperative epidural analgesia for knee arthroplasty. On the basis of the treatment,electroacupuncture (EA) was applied during the operation and within 1 month after the operation in the observation group, and EA was used at Hegu (LI 4), Qihai (CV 6), Zhongwan (CV 12), Pishu (BL 20), Shenshu (BL 23), etc. once every other day. The control group was not treated with electroacupuncture. Fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin were recorded 30 min before surgery (T0), immediately (T1), 1 d (T2), 3 d (T3), 7 d (T4) and 1 month (T5) after surgery, and the insulin resistance (IR) index was calculated. RESULTS: Compared with those at T0 time point, the IR index of the control group at T1, T3, T4 and T5 time points and the observation group at T1, T4, T5 time points were lower (all P<0.05). Compared with the control group at the same time point, the IR index of the T1 and T5 time points in the observation group was significantly lower (both P<0.05), and it was lower than the insulin resistance standard. CONCLUSION: Combined spinal and epidural anesthesia and postoperative epidural analgesia can improve short-term insulin resistance. Combined with EA, the improvement of insulin resistance is more obviously and longer.

[Amaryllidaceae alkaloids from Lycoris radiata].

Three aporphine-type alkaloids (1-3), three lycorine-type alkaloids (4-6), two crinane type alkaloids (7, 8) and one phenanthridine-type alkaloid (9) were isolated from the chloroform soluble fraction of 70% ethanol extract of the bulbs of Lycoris radiata through various column chromatographies over silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 and MCI. Their structures were elucidated as (+)-N-methoxylcarbonyl-1,2-methylenedioxyl-isocorydione (1), isocorydione (2), 8-demethyl-dehydrocrebanine (3), (+)-3-hydroxy-anhydrolycorine N-oxide (4), vasconine (5), pancratinine D (6), yemenine A (7), 11-O-acetylhaemanthamine (8), and 5,6-dihydro-5-methyl-2-hydroxyphenanthridine (9) based on their chemical and physicochemical properlies and spectroscopic data. Compound 1 was a new compound and alkaloids 2-9 were isolated and identified from this plant for the first time.

Acanthopanax senticosus: Photochemistry and Anticancer Potential.

Acanthopanax senticosus (previously classified as Eleutherococcus senticosus), commonly known as Ciwujia or Siberian Ginseng, is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), widely used for its high medicinal value, such as antifatigue, anti-inflammation, antistress, anti-ulcer and cardiovascular functions, in China, Korea, Japan and Russia. In the past decades, researchers worldwide have conducted systematic investigations on this herb, from chemistry to pharmacology, and a large number of chemical components have been characterized for their significant pharmacological effects. However, reports about the anticancer effects of this plant had been rare until recently, when considerable pharmacological experiments both in vitro and in vivo were conducted to study the anticancer effects of this herb. A. senticosus has been found to have inhibitory effects on malignant tumors, such as those in the lung and liver, suggesting that A. senticosus has potential to be developed as an effective anticancer drug. This paper reviews recent findings on the pharmacological properties of A. senticosus, with a focus on its anticancer effects.