Chemical Constituents from Mycelia of Lepista sordida (Agaricomycetes) and Their ABTS Radical Scavenging Activity.

Lepista sordida is an edible mushroom possessing high nutritional value and high medicinal value. The artificial cultivation technology of L. sordida made a breakthrough and has been popularized in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan province with good economic benefits. The secondary metabolites were investigated from ethyl EtOAc (acetate extract) of solid cultures of L. sordida. Silica gel column chromatography, semi-preparation HPLC, recrystallization, and medium pressure column chromatography were applied to obtain 15 compounds. Nine compounds were first isolated from genus Lepista and 11 compounds were first isolated from species L. sordida. Moreover, compounds 13 and 14 exhibited strong scavenging activity of ABTS.

Noninvasive Ultrasonic Neuromodulation in Freely Moving Mice.

Neuromodulation is a fundamental method for obtaining basic information about neuronal circuits for use in treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Ultrasound stimulation has become a promising approach for noninvasively inducing neuromodulation in animals and humans. However, the previous investigations were subject to substantial limitations, due to most of them involving anesthetized and fixed small-animal models. Studies of awake and freely moving animals are needed, but the currently used ultrasound devices are too bulky to be applied to a freely moving animal. This study is the first time to design and fabricate a miniature and lightweight head-mounted ultrasound stimulator for inducing neuromodulation in freely moving mice. The main components of the stimulator include a miniature piezoelectric ceramic, a concave epoxy acoustic lens, and housing and connection components. The device was able to induce action potentials recorded in situ and evoke head-turning behaviors by stimulating the primary somatosensory cortex barrel field of the mouse. These findings indicate that the proposed method can be used to induce noninvasive neuromodulation in freely moving mice. This novel method could potentially lead to the application of ultrasonic neuromodulation in more-extensive neuroscience investigations.

Imaging-Guided Dual-Target Neuromodulation of the Mouse Brain Using Array Ultrasound.

Neuromodulation is an important method for investigating neural circuits and treating neurological and psychiatric disorders. Multiple-target neuromodulation is considered an advanced technology for the flexible optimization of modulation effects. However, traditional methods such as electrical and magnetic stimulations are not convenient for multiple-target applications due to their disadvantages of invasiveness or poor spatial resolution. Ultrasonic neuromodulation is a new noninvasive method that has gained wide attention in the field of neuroscience, and it is potentially able to support multiple-target stimulation by allocating multiple focal points in the brain using an array transducer. However, there are no reports in the literature of the efficacy of this technical concept, and an imaging tool for localizing the stimulation area for evaluating the neural effects in vivo has been lacking. In this study, we designed and fabricated a new system specifically for imaging-guided dual-target neuromodulation. The design of the array transducer and overall system is described in detail. The stimulation points were selectable on a B-mode image. In vivo experiments were carried out in mice, in which forelimbs shaking responses and electromyography outcomes were induced by changing the stimulation targets. The system could be a valuable tool for imaging-guided multiple-target stimulation in various neuroscience applications.

Traditional Uses, Origins, Chemistry and Pharmacology of Bombyx batryticatus: A Review.

Bombyx batryticatus (B. batryticatus), a well-known traditional animal Chinese medicine, has been commonly used in China for thousands of years. The present paper reviewed advances in traditional uses, origin, chemical constituents, pharmacology and toxicity studies of B. batryticatus. The aim of the paper is to provide more comprehensive references for modern B. batryticatus study and application. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) culture, drugs containing B. batryticatus have been used to treat convulsions, headaches, skin prurigo, scrofula, tonsillitis and fever. Many studies indicate B. batryticatus contains various compounds, including protein and peptides, fatty acids, flavonoids, nucleosides, steroids, coumarin, polysaccharide and others. Numerous investigations also have shown that extracts and compounds from B. batryticatus exert a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects both in vivo and in vitro, including effects on the nervous system, anticoagulant effects, antitumor effects, antibacterial and antifungal effects, antioxidant effects, hypoglycemic effects, as well as other effects. However, further studies should be undertaken to investigate bioactive compounds (especially proteins and peptides), toxic constituents, using forms and the quality evaluation and control of B. batryticatus. Furthermore, it will be interesting to study the mechanism of biological activities and structure-function relationships of bioactive constituents in B. batryticatus.