Integerrima A-E, phenylethanoid glycosides from the stem of Callicarpa integerrima.

Five new phenylethanoid glycosides integerrima A-E (1-5) were isolated from the stem of Callicarpa integerrima for the first time. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses. In addition, cytotoxicity, anti-adipogenic and antioxidant activities were evaluated. All the phenylethanoid glycosides would be nontoxic to the normal human hepatocytes LO-2 and pre-adipocytes 3T3-L1 cell lines, significantly promote the proliferation of normal hepatocytes, thus displaying the potential for hepatoprotective. Integerrima A (1), C (3) and D (4) exhibited selectively moderate cytotoxic activity against the hepatoma cell lines Bel-7402, with the IC50 value at 72.66, 80.43 and 84.88 µmol/L, respectively. Moreover, integerrima D (4) had significant activities on reducing lipid droplet formation, with the inhibition rate of 48.02% on the concentration of 200 µg/mL. Finally, the result of FRAP assays exhibited remarkable antioxidant activity in integerrima E (5), which was close to the positive control ascorbic acid with the concentration of 100 µg/mL.

Effect of Vitamin D and/or Calcium Supplementation on Pancreatic ß-Cell Function in Subjects with Prediabetes: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

So far, the potential role of vitamin D in ß-cell function remains a matter of debate. Therefore, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to evaluate the effect of a vitamin D supplement with or without calcium on ß-cell function in a Chinese population with prediabetes. Two hundred and forty-three subjects were randomly assigned in a 2-by-2 factorial-design RCT to receive either 1600 IU/day vitamin D3 with/or 500 mg/day calcium for 24 weeks. The results showed that oral administration of vitamin D and calcium could increase the secretion of insulin. Vitamin D-insufficient individuals displayed an increment in the disposition index (adjusted change = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.07, 0.56) after treatment by vitamin D + calcium. It illustrated that supplementation with vitamin D and calcium might improve the function of pancreatic ß-cell in prediabetes with low serum 25(OH)D levels. However, further studies are needed to confirm the findings. Given the low vitamin D content in natural foods, it is necessary to fortify processed foods with vitamin D.

Quassilactones A and B, structural characterization of a new class of norquassinoids from Brucea javanica.

Two novel norquassinoids possessing a unique ketal skeleton, designated quassilactones A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the fruits of Brucea javanica (Simaroubaceae). Their structures were established by extensive NMR and HR-ESI-MS spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined through single-crystal X-ray crystallography, and that of 2 was assigned by comparing the calculated electronic and experimental circular dichroism with compound 1. In addition, their cytotoxic activities against three human cancer cell lines and their antimicrobial activities were evaluated.

[Quality improvement on acupuncture intervention report: application and perfection of STRICTA].

ABSTRACT Clinical application of standards for reporting interventions in clinical trials of acupuncture (STRICTA) is introduced in this article, and improving opinions are proposed as well. STRICTA has already been extensively applied in designation of acupuncture clinical trials, composition of articles and quality assessment of acupuncture literature. According to the present version of STRICTA, it is suggested that items such as "standards and methods on acupoint selection and location", "angle and direction of needle insertion" and "whether the subjects ever have been acupunctured" should be further perfected. Individuated treat protocols which is highlighted on treatment according to differentiation of syndromes according to different opportunities and stages of diseases should be promoted so as to give better expression to the characteristics of Chinese medicine and enhance the clinical value of the relative literature.

[Analysis on characteristics of meridians and acupoints of acupuncture and moxibustion for diarrhea in ancient based on data mining].

The data in literature of acupuncture and moxibustion on treatment of diarrhea from pre-Qin period to Qing dynasty was collected to establish prescription database and characteristics and rules of ancient acupuncture and moxibustion for diarrhea were analyzed with data mining technology. Totally 235 papers were collected and 76 acupoints were involved with 439 times of selection. The number and times of special acupoints were 72.37% (55/76) and 76.99% (338/439), respectively, which was more seen in front-mu acupoint and back-shu acupoint. The acupoints were distributed among 11 meridians. Moxibustion was applied in 53 papers while combination of acupuncture and moxibustion was used in 1 literature. As a result, acupuncture and moxibustion for diarrhea in ancient pay much attention on acupoint in back and abdomen, in which Tianshu (ST 25), Shen-que (CV 8), Guanyuan (CV 4) and Dachangshu (BL 25) were the most frequently used. The compatibility of front-mu acupoint and back-shu acupoint was very common. Selection of special acupoint was dominant. Besides crossing points that has the most intersection of meridian qi in the back and abdomen, acupoints below the elbow and knee joints, such as five-shu points, source point, luo-connecting point, eight confluence point and lower he-sea point were also taken into account. As for compatibility of special acupoints, the supportive degree between back-shu acupoint and confluence points or front-mu acupoint was the highest; the selections of meridians mainly were Bladder Meridian, Conception Vessel and Spleen Meridian; and application of moxibustion was highly valued. In conclusion, it is feasible to apply data mining technology to the clinical literature research of ancient acupuncture and moxibustion, which can provide evidence for summary of the traditional classical theory.

A new flavanocoumarin from the root of Flemingia philippinensis.

One new flavanocoumarin, flemicoumarin A (1) was isolated from the EtOAc-soluble partition of the root of Flemingia philippinensis, along with three known compounds, namely 4,2'-epoxy-4',5-dihydroxy-7,5'-dimethoxy-3-phenylcoumarin (2), kaempferol 6-C-glucoside (3) and dracocephaloside (4). The structure of compound 1 was elucidated on the basis of its 1D, 2D NMR, CD and MS data. The structures of the known compounds were identified by comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature. Compounds 1-4 exhibited inactivity against MCF-7, A549 and Hep-G2 human cancer cell lines in vitro by MTT colorimetric assay.