A supplement to Prof. Shoji Shibata's achievements: the history of "Shoso-in Medicines" and the reason why Magnolia obovata (old name: Hoogashiwa) was not given a Chinese herbal name in Japan's oldest anthology "Man'yoshu".

Prof. Shoji Shibata (1916-2016) left behind remarkable achievements in the field of the history of pharmacy. Among those, the scientific survey on medicines preserved in Shoso-in, globally known as the World Cultural Heritage, is of particular interest, drawing wide attention from scholars to the general public. Its most spectacular and also shocking study in the field of pharmacognosy will be the one on the true origin of Koboku (Houpu) that seems quite ordinary from its name. Prof. Shibata revealed that it is of juglandaceous origin that is completely different from what is known today under the same name. Juglandaceous Koboku, which came into wide use in China at that time, was neither a homonym nor adulteration according to the pertinent description on this medicine in Chinese herbal books, and, furthermore, was regarded as authentic even at the Song Dynasty. In the Nara period of Japan, the name of Koboku is not found except for the archives preserved in Shoso-in, while the name of Hoogashiwa, an old name of Hoonoki (Magnolia obovata), appears only in "Man'yoshu", Japan's oldest anthology. Therefore, Hoonoki was not recognized as Koboku at that time. Interestingly, this fact is also reflected in "Man'yoshu". In the epigraph of two poems including Hoonoki, the Japanese name is used instead of the Chinese name that should be employed in principle. The historical circumstances of "Shoso-in Medicines" will also be outlined with elaborate and reliable evidence.

Coumarins from Murraya paniculata var. zollingeri endemic to the Timor Islands.

Four new coumarins, murrangatin-1'-senecioate (1), 5-methoxypanial (2), mexoticin-2'-senecioate (3) and murralongic acid (4), were isolated from the leaves of Murraya paniculata var. zollingeri, together with 23 known coumarins. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated based on spectroscopic data. The taxonomic status of M. paniculata var. zollingeri is briefly discussed, along with its similarity to M. paniculata.

NLRP3 mediates NF-κB activation and cytokine induction in microbially induced and sterile inflammation.

Nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat-containing family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) has recently emerged as a central regulator of innate immunity and inflammation in response to both sterile inflammatory and microbial invasion signals. Although its ability to drive proteolytic procaspase-1 processing has drawn more attention, NLPR3 can also activate NF-κB. To clarify the physiological relevance of this latter function, we examined the effect of NLRP3 on NF-κB activation and cytokine induction in RNA-interference-based NLRP3-knockdown cell lines generated from the human monocytic cell line THP-1. Knocking down NLRP3 reduced NF-κB activation and cytokine induction in the early stages of Staphylococcus aureus infection. Expression of cytokine genes induced by Staphylococcus aureus was not inhibited by a caspase-1 inhibitor, and did not occur through an autocrine mechanism in response to newly synthesized cytokines. We also demonstrated that NLRP3 could activate NF-κB and induce cytokines in response to sterile signals, monosodium urate crystals and aluminum adjuvant. Thus, NLRP3 mediates NF-κB activation in both sterile and microbially induced inflammation. Our findings show that not only does NLRP3 activate caspase-1 post-translationally, but it also induces multiple cytokine genes in the innate immune system.

Tricalysiamides A-D, diterpenoid alkaloids from Tricalysia dubia.

Four rearranged ent-kaurane diterpenoid alkaloids, tricalysiamides A-D (1-4), having a cafestol-type carbon framework were isolated from the wood of Tricalysia dubia. Their absolute structures were determined on the basis of 2D NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallographic analysis, and chemical methods.

The isolation and structure elucidation of new cassane diterpene-acids from Caesalpinia crista L. (Fabaceae), and review on the nomenclature of some Caesalpinia species.

New cassane diterpene-acids, neocaesalpins H and I, were isolated from the leaves of Caesalpinia crista (Fabaceae), and their structures were deduced on the basis of the spectroscopic and chemical basis. These compounds were characterized as having an alpha,beta-butenolide hemiacetal ring that is rare in nature. The lacking of 5-hydroxy group also distinguished neocaesalpins H and I from cassane diterpenes (caesalpins) occurring in other Caesalpinia species from the phytochemical viewpoint. The nomenclature of three Caesalpinia species was also reviewed, and it was found that some species belonging to the genus Caesalpinia are improperly named and should be changed to valid names.

Isolation and structure elucidation of a new prenylcoumarin from Murraya paniculata var. omphalocarpa (Rutaceae).

A new C-8 prenylated 5,7-dimethoxycoumarin named omphamurrayin was isolated from the leaves of Murraya paniculata var. omphalocarpa, and its structure was established as 5,7-dimethoxy-8-(1-oxo-2-senecioyl-3-methyl-3-butenyl)-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one on the basis of the spectroscopic evidence. The taxonomic status of M. paniculata var. omphalocarpa is briefly discussed, along with its synonymity to M. paniculata from the chemosystematic viewpoint.