[Effect of Erchen Decoction on liver mitochondrial function by inhibiting mTORC1/SREBP1/CAV1 pathway in mice with high-fat diet].

This study aims to investigate the effect of Erchen Decoction(ECD) on liver mitochondrial function in mice with a high-fat diet and its possible mechanism. A total of sixty C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a normal group, high-fat group, ECD group, mTORC1 activator(MHY) group, ECD+MHY group, and polyene phosphatidyl choline(PPC) group, with 10 rats in each group. The normal group was given a normal diet, and the other groups were fed a high-fat diet for 20 weeks. At the 17th week, the ECD group and ECD+MHY group were given ECD(8.7 g·kg~(-1)) daily, and the PPC group was given PPC(0.18 g·kg~(-1)) daily, while the remaining groups were given normal saline(0.01 mL·g~(-1)) daily for four weeks. In the 19th week, the MHY group and ECD+MHY group were injected intraperitoneally with MHY(5 mg·kg~(-1)) every other day for two weeks. During the experiment, the general conditions of the mice were observed. The contents of triglyceride(TG) and total cholesterol(TC) in serum were measured. Morphological changes in liver tissue were examined through HE and oil red O staining. The content of adenosine triphosphate(ATP) was determined using chemiluminescence, and mitochondrial membrane potential was assessed using a fluorescence probe(JC-1). Western blot was performed to detect the expression of rapamycin target protein complex 1(mTOR1), ribosomal protein S6 kinase B1(S6K), sterol regulatory element binding protein 1(SREBP1), and caveolin 1(CAV1). RESULTS:: revealed that compared with the normal group, the mice in the high-fat group exhibited significant increases in body weight and abdominal circumference(P<0.01). Additionally, there were significant increases in TG and TC levels(P<0.01). HE and oil red O staining showed that the boundaries of hepatic lobules were unclear; hepatocytes were enlarged, round, and irregularly arranged, with obvious lipid droplet deposition and inflammatory cell infiltration. The liver ATP content and mitochondrial membrane potential decreased significantly(P<0.01). The expression of p-mTOR, p-S6K, and n-SREBP1 increased significantly(P<0.01), while the expression of CAV1 decreased significantly(P<0.01). Compared with the high-fat group, the body weight and TG content of mice in the ECD group and PPC group decreased significantly(P<0.05). Improvements were observed in hepatocyte morphology, lipid deposition, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Furthermore, there were significant increases in ATP content and mitochondrial membrane potential(P<0.05 or P<0.01). The expression of p-mTOR, p-S6K, and n-SREBP1 decreased significantly in the ECD group(P<0.01), while CAV1 expression increased significantly(P<0.01). However, the indices mentioned above did not show improvement in the MHY group. When the ECD+MHY group was compared with the MHY group, there were significant reductions in body weight and TG contents(P<0.05). The morphological changes of hepatocytes, lipid deposition, and inflammatory cell infiltration were recovered. Moreover, there were significant increases in liver ATP content and mitochondrial membrane potential(P<0.05 or P<0.05). The expression of p-mTOR, p-S6K, and n-SREBP1 decreased significantly(P<0.01), while CAV1 expression increased significantly(P<0.01). In conclusion, ECD can improve mitochondrial function by regulating the mTORC1/SREBP1/CAV1 pathway. This mechanism may be involved in the resolution of phlegm syndrome and the regulation of lipid metabolism.

Ecological risk assessment under the PSR framework and its application to shallow urban lakes.

Shallow urban lakes are naturally vulnerable to ecosystem degradation. Rapid urbanization in recent decades has led to a variety of aquatic problems such as eutrophication, algal blooms, and biodiversity loss, increasing the risk to lake-wide ecological sustainability. Instead of a simple binary assessment of ecological risk, holistic evaluation frameworks that consider multiple stressors and receptors can provide a more comprehensive assessment of overall ecological risk. In this study, we analyzed a combined dataset of government statistics, remote sensing images, and 1 year of field measurements to develop an index system for urban lake ecological risk assessment based on the pressure-state-response (PSR) framework. We used the developed ecological safety index (ESI) system to evaluate the ecological risk for three urban lakes in Jiangsu Province, China: Lake Yangcheng-LYC, Lake Changdang-LCD, and Lake Tashan-LTS. LYC and LTS were classified as "mostly safe" and "generally recognized as safe," respectively, while LCD was assessed as having "potential ecological risk." Our data suggest that socioeconomic pressure and aquatic health are the two main factors affecting the ecological risk in both LYC and LCD. The ecological risk of LTS could be improved more effectively if regional management plans are well implemented. Our study highlights the pressure of external wastewater loading, low forest-grassland coverage, and lake shoreline damage on the three selected urban lakes. The findings of this study can inform watershed management for lake ecosystem restoration and environmental sustainability.

Oxepine-containing pyrazinopyrimidine alkaloids and quinolinone derivatives produced by Aspergillus versicolor AS-212, a deep-sea-derived endozoic fungus.

Four new oxepine-containing pyrazinopyrimidine alkaloids, versicoxepines A - D (1-4), two quinolinone alkaloid analogs including 3-hydroxy-6-methoxy-4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one (5) and 3-methoxy-6-hydroxy-4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one (6) which were new naturally occurring compounds, together with two known compounds (7 and 8) were isolated from Aspergillus versicolor AS-212, an endozoic fungus isolated from the deep-sea coral Hemicorallium cf. imperiale, which was collected from the Magellan Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean. Their structures were determined by extensive analysis of the spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic data as well as by chiral HPLC analysis, ECD calculation, and DP4+ probability prediction. Structurally, versicoxepines B and C (2 and 3) represent the first example of a new oxepine-containing pyrazinopyrimidine alkaloid whose cyclic dipeptide moiety is composed of the same type of amino acid (Val or Ile). Compound 5 displayed antibacterial activity against aquatic pathogens, Vibrio harveyi and V. alginolyticus, with MICs of 8 µg/mL.

[Effect of miltirone on proliferation and apoptosis of leukemia THP-1 cells].

To investigate the toxicity and related mechanism of miltirone to human acute myeloid leukemia THP-1 cells. To be specific, the active components and targets of miltirone were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), and the target proteins were converted into standard gene names with UniProt. Acute leukemia-rela-ted target genes were screened from GeneCards and DisGeNET. Venn diagram was constructed with Venny 2.1 to yield the common targets of the disease and the drug. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed by STRING and Cytoscape 3.8.2. THP-1 cells in the logarithmic growth phase were treated with dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO), and 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20 µmol·L~(-1) miltirone for 24 h, respectively. The proliferation rate of cells was analyzed by carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester(CFSE), apoptosis rate by flow cytometry with Annexin V-PE/7 AAD staining, and cell morphology by acridine orange staining. Real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR) was employed to detect the mRNA levels of nuclear receptor coactivator 2(NCOA2), poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1(PARP1), B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2)-associated X protein(Bax), Bcl-2, and cysteine aspartyl protease-3(caspase-3). The effect of miltirone on apoptosis was detected in presence of caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. A total of 26 targets of miltirone, 1 046 genes related to acute leukemia, and 6 common targets of the two were screened out. Flow cytometry result showed miltirone at 10 µmol·L~(-1) can inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of THP-1 cells. The typical manifestations of apoptosis, such as cell shrinkage, nuclear rupture, and chromatin agglomerate were displayed by acridine orange staining. The decreased mRNA levels of NCOA2 and PARP1 and increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the activity of pro-apoptotic protein caspase-3 were observed. Z-VAD-FMK can attenuate the apoptosis-inducing effect of miltirone. This study indicates that miltirone can inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of THP-1 cells, by down-regulating NCOA2 and PARP1, raising Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and activating caspase-3.

Effect of miltirone on proliferation and apoptosis of leukemia THP-1 cells / 中国中药杂志

To investigate the toxicity and related mechanism of miltirone to human acute myeloid leukemia THP-1 cells. To be specific, the active components and targets of miltirone were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), and the target proteins were converted into standard gene names with UniProt. Acute leukemia-rela-ted target genes were screened from GeneCards and DisGeNET. Venn diagram was constructed with Venny 2.1 to yield the common targets of the disease and the drug. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed by STRING and Cytoscape 3.8.2. THP-1 cells in the logarithmic growth phase were treated with dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO), and 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20 μmol·L~(-1) miltirone for 24 h, respectively. The proliferation rate of cells was analyzed by carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester(CFSE), apoptosis rate by flow cytometry with Annexin V-PE/7 AAD staining, and cell morphology by acridine orange staining. Real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR) was employed to detect the mRNA levels of nuclear receptor coactivator 2(NCOA2), poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1(PARP1), B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2)-associated X protein(Bax), Bcl-2, and cysteine aspartyl protease-3(caspase-3). The effect of miltirone on apoptosis was detected in presence of caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. A total of 26 targets of miltirone, 1 046 genes related to acute leukemia, and 6 common targets of the two were screened out. Flow cytometry result showed miltirone at 10 μmol·L~(-1) can inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of THP-1 cells. The typical manifestations of apoptosis, such as cell shrinkage, nuclear rupture, and chromatin agglomerate were displayed by acridine orange staining. The decreased mRNA levels of NCOA2 and PARP1 and increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the activity of pro-apoptotic protein caspase-3 were observed. Z-VAD-FMK can attenuate the apoptosis-inducing effect of miltirone. This study indicates that miltirone can inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of THP-1 cells, by down-regulating NCOA2 and PARP1, raising Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and activating caspase-3.

Isolation and Characterization of Antibacterial Carotane Sesquiterpenes from Artemisia argyi Associated Endophytic Trichoderma virens QA-8.

Carotane sesquiterpenes are commonly found in plants but are infrequently reported in the fungal kingdom. Chemical investigation of Trichoderma virens QA-8, an endophytic fungus associated with the inner root tissue of the grown medicinal herb Artemisia argyi H. Lév. and Vaniot, resulted in the isolation and characterization of five new carotane sesquiterpenes trichocarotins I-M (1-5), which have diverse substitution patterns, and seven known related analogues (6-12). The structures of these compounds were established on the basis of a detailed interpretation of their NMR and mass spectroscopic data, and the structures including the relative and absolute configurations of compounds 1-3, 5, 9, and 10 were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. In the antibacterial assays, all isolates exhibited potent activity against Escherichia coli EMBLC-1, with MIC values ranging from 0.5 to 32 µg/mL, while 7ß-hydroxy CAF-603 (7) strongly inhibited Micrococcus luteus QDIO-3 (MIC = 0.5 µg/mL). Structure-activity relationships of these compounds were discussed. The results from this study demonstrate that the endophytic fungus T. virens QA-8 from the planted medicinal herb A. argyi is a rich source of antibacterial carotane sesquiterpenes, and some of them might be interesting for further study to be developed as novel antibacterial agents.

Polyketides and Terpenoids with Potent Antibacterial Activities from the Artemisia argyi-Derived Fungus Trichoderma koningiopsis QA-3.

The AcOEt extract of Artemisia argyi-derived fungus Trichoderma koningiopsis QA-3 showed potent inhibitory activity against pathogenic bacteria. Fractionation of the extract resulted in the isolation of three new polyketides (1-3) and two new terpenoids (4 and 5), together with three known metabolites (6-8). Their chemical structures were analyzed by NMR spectra, ECD, HR-ESI-MS or HR-EI-MS, optical rotation, and X-ray crystallographic data, as well as by comparison with literature reports. In the antibacterial assays, 3-hydroxyharziandione (4) showed potent activity against human pathogen Escherichia coli with an MIC value of 0.5 µg/mL, while 6-(3-hydroxypent-1-en-1-yl)-2H-pyran-2-one exhibited strong activity against marine-derived aquatic pathogen Micrococcus luteus with an MIC value of 1.0 µg/mL.

Salvianolic Acid B Improves Postresuscitation Myocardial and Cerebral Outcomes in a Murine Model of Cardiac Arrest: Involvement of Nrf2 Signaling Pathway.

Survival and outcome of cardiac arrest (CA) are dismal despite improvements in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Salvianolic acid B (Sal B), extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza, has been investigated for its cardioprotective properties in cardiac remodeling and ischemic heart disease, but less is known about its role in CA. The aim of this study was to learn whether Sal B improves cardiac and neurologic outcomes after CA/CPR in mice. Female C57BL/6 mice were subjected to eight minutes of CA induced by an intravenous injection of potassium chloride (KCl), followed by CPR. After 30 seconds of CPR, mice were blindly randomized to receive either Sal B (20 mg/kg) or vehicle (normal saline) intravenously. Hemodynamic variables and indices of left ventricular function were determined before CA and within three hours after CPR, the early postresuscitation period. Sal B administration resulted in a remarkable decrease in the time required for the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in animals that successfully resuscitated compared to the vehicle-treated mice. Myocardial performance, including cardiac output and left ventricular systolic (dp/dtmax) and diastolic (dp/dtmin) function, was clearly ameliorated within three hours of ROSC in the Sal B-treated mice. Moreover, Sal B inhibited CA/CPR-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and preserved mitochondrial morphology and function. Mechanistically, Sal B dramatically promoted Nrf2 nuclear translocation through the downregulation of Keap1, which resulted in the expression of antioxidant enzymes, including HO-1 and NQO1, thereby counteracted the oxidative damage in response to CA/CPR. The aforementioned antiapoptotic and antioxidant effects of Sal B were impaired in the setting of gene silencing of Nrf2 with siRNA in vitro model. These improvements were associated with better neurological function and increased survival rate (75% vs. 40%, p < 0.05) up to 72 hours postresuscitation. Our findings suggest that the administration of Sal B improved cardiac function and neurological outcomes in a murine model of CA via activating the Nrf2 antioxidant signaling pathway, which may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of CA.

Glutamate synthase 1 is involved in iron-deficiency response and long-distance transportation in Arabidopsis.

Iron is an essential microelement for plant growth. After uptake from the soil, iron is chelated by ligands and translocated from roots to shoots for subsequent utilization. However, the number of ligands involved in iron chelation is unclear. In this study, we identified and demonstrated that GLU1, which encodes a ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase, was involved in iron homeostasis. First, the expression of GLU1 was strongly induced by iron deficiency condition. Second, lesion of GLU1 results in reduced transcription of many iron-deficiency-responsive genes in roots and shoots. The mutant plants revealed a decreased iron concentration in the shoots, and displayed severe leaf chlorosis under the condition of Fe limitation, compared to wild-type. Third, the product of GLU1, glutamate, could chelate iron in vivo and promote iron transportation. Last, we also found that supplementation of glutamate in the medium can alleviate cadmium toxicity in plants. Overall, our results provide evidence that GLU1 is involved in iron homeostasis through affecting glutamate synthesis under iron deficiency conditions in Arabidopsis.

Seaweed Porphyra yezoensis polysaccharides with different molecular weights inhibit hydroxyapatite damage and osteoblast differentiation of A7R5 cells.

Vascular calcification (VC) is a common pathological manifestation in patients with cardiovascular diseases, leading to high mortality in patients with chronic kidney diseases. The deposition of hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals on vascular smooth muscle cells leads to cell damage, which promotes osteogenic transformation. In this study, four different molecular weights (MWs ) of Porphyra yezoensis polysaccharides (PYP1, PYP2, PYP3, and PYP4 with MWs of 576, 49.5, 12.6, and 4.02 kDa, respectively) were used to coat HAP, and the differences in toxicity and calcification of HAP on A7R5 cells before and after coating were studied. The results showed that PYPs could effectively reduce HAP damage to the A7R5 cells. Under the protection of PYPs, cell viability increased and lactate dehydrogenase release, active oxygen level, and cell necrosis rate decreased; also, the amount of the HAP crystals adhering to cell surfaces and entering cells decreased. PYPs with low molecular weights presented better protective effects than high-molecular-weight PYPs. PYPs also inhibited the osteogenic transformation of the A7R5 cells induced by HAP and decreased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and expressions of bone/chondrocyte phenotype genes (runt-related factor 2, ALP, osteopontin, and osteocalcin). In the adenine-induced chronic renal failure (CRF) mouse VC model, PYP4 was found to obviously inhibit the aortic calcium level, and it also inhibited the serum creatinine, serum phosphorus and serum BUN levels. PYP4 (least molecular weight) showed the best inhibitory effect on calcification and may be considered as a candidate drug with therapeutic potential for inhibiting cellular damage and osteoblast differentiation induced by the HAP crystals.

Less is more: Silver-AIE core@shell nanoparticles for multimodality cancer imaging and synergistic therapy.

Nanomaterials with integrated multiple imaging and therapeutic modalities possess great potentials in accurate cancer diagnostics and enhanced therapeutic efficacy. Traditional strategies for achieving multimodality nanoplatform through one by one combination of different modalities are challenged by the complicated structural design and fabrication as well as inherent incompatibility between different modalities. Herein, a novel strategy is presented to realize multimodal imaging and synergistic therapy using a class of simple silver core/AIE (aggregation-induced emission) shell nanoparticles. In addition to the intrinsic AIE fluorescence (FL) and metal-based computed tomography (CT) and radiation therapy (RT) properties, an extra functionality at the core/shell interface was identified to enable excellent photothermal (PT) and photoacoustic (PA) performance. As a result, five imaging and therapy modalities (FL, CT, PA, photothermal therapy (PTT), and RT) were achieved with a single structural unit for sensitive tumor imaging and effective therapy.

Highly oxygenated polyketides produced by Trichoderma koningiopsis QA-3, an endophytic fungus obtained from the fresh roots of the medicinal plant Artemisia argyi.

Eight new highly oxygenated fungal polyketides, namely, 15-hydroxy-1,4,5,6-tetra-epi-koninginin G (1), 14-hydroxykoninginin E (2), koninginin U (3), 4'-hydroxykoninginin U (4), koninginin V (5), 14-ketokoninginin B (6), 14-hydroxykoninginin B (7), and 7-O-methylkoninginin B (8), together with six known related analogues (9-14), were isolated from Trichoderma koningiopsis QA-3, a fungus obtained from the inner root tissue of the well known medicinal plant Artemisia argyi. All these compounds are bicyclic polyketides, with compound 1 contains unusual hemiketal moiety at C-5 and compounds 2-14 having ketone group at C-1 and double bond at C-5(6). The structures and absolute configurations of the new compounds were established by spectroscopic analysis, X-ray crystal diffraction, modified Mosher's method, and ECD calculation. The absolute configurations of the known compounds 9, 10, and 12 were determined by X-ray crystal diffractions for the first time. The antimicrobial activities against human pathogen, marine-derived aquatic bacteria, and plant-pathogenic fungi of compounds 1-14 were evaluated, and compound 1 showed remarkable activity against aquatic pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus with MIC value 1 µg/mL, which is as active as that of the positive control.

High-phosphorus environment promotes calcification of A7R5 cells induced by hydroxyapatite nanoparticles.

This study simulated the high-phosphorus (Pi) environment in patients with chronic kidney disease. Nano-hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals were used to damage rat aortic smooth muscle cells (A7R5) pre-damaged with different concentrations of Pi solution to compare the differences in HAP-induced calcification in A7R5 cells before and after injury by high-Pi condition. After the A7R5 cells were damaged by high-Pi environment, the following were observed. HAP resulted in declined cell viability and lysosomal integrity, release of lactate dehydrogenase, and increased reactive oxygen species production. The ability of high-Pi damaged cells to internalize HAP crystals declined; crystal adhesion and calcium deposition on the cell surface and alkaline phosphatase activities increased. Osteopontin expression and level of Runt-related transcription factor 2 were increased, and HAP-induced osteogenic transformation was enhanced. High-Pi condition promoted the adhesion of A7R5 cells to nano-HAP crystals and inhibited HAP endocytosis, increasing the risk of calcification.

Trichocadinins B-G: Antimicrobial Cadinane Sesquiterpenes from Trichoderma virens QA-8, an Endophytic Fungus Obtained from the Medicinal Plant Artemisia argyi.

Trichocadinins B-G (1-6), six new cadinane-type sesquiterpene derivatives, each with C-14 carboxyl functionality, were isolated from the culture extract of Trichoderma virens QA-8, an endophytic fungus obtained from the fresh inner tissue of the medicinal plant Artemisia argyi. Their structures were elucidated by interpretation of the NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric data. The structures and absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 3 were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 1-3 showed antibacterial and antifungal activity.

Revealing proteins associated with symbiotic germination of Gastrodia elata by proteomic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Gastrodia elata, a mycoheterotrophic orchid, is a well-known medicinal herb. In nature, the seed germination of G. elata requires proper fungal association, because of the absence of endosperm. To germinate successfully, G. elata obtains nutrition from mycorrhizal fungi such as Mycena. However, Mycena is not able to supply nutrition for the further development and enlargement of protocorms into tubers, flowering and fruit setting of G. elata. To date, current genomic studies on this topic are limited. Here we used the proteomic approach to explore changes in G. elata at different stages of symbiotic germination. RESULTS: Using mass spectrometry, 3787 unique proteins were identified, of which 599 were classified as differentially accumulated proteins. Most of these differentially accumulated proteins were putatively involved in energy metabolism, plant defense, molecular signaling, and secondary metabolism. Among them, the defense genes (e.g., pathogenesis-/wound-related proteins, peroxidases, and serine/threonine-protein kinase) were highly expressed in late-stage protocorms, suggesting that fungal colonization triggered the significant defense responses of G. elata. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated the metabolic change and defensive reaction could disrupt the balance between Mycena and G. elata during mycorrhizal symbiotic germination.

[Ameliorative effects and the mechanism of lyceum barbarum polysaccharide on insulin resistance of HepG2 cell].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of lyceum barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on insulin resistance of HepG2 cells and investigate its possible mechanism. METHODS: IR-HepG2 cell model was induced with high glucose and high insulin in combination for 24 hours,with 104/vaccination in the 96-well plates, hole density after adherent cells (30 µg/ml、100 µg/ml、300 µg/ml) LBP cultivate 48 h, 200 µl/hole, each all had four holes. The effects of LBP at different concentrations on HepG2 cell activity and insulin resistance were tested. Intracellular malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were detected. The expressions of related proteins in insulin signal transduction pathways such as insulin receptor substrate-2(IRS-2), phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase(PI3-K), protein kinase B(Akt) and glucose transport-2(GLUT2) were determined. RESULTS: Compared with normal control group, the content of MDA was increased significantly and the activity of SOD and the expression levels of IRS-2,PI-3K,Akt and GLUT2 were decreased significantly in the IR model group. Compared with IR model group, medium and high concentrations of LBP decreased the content of MDA and increased the activity of SOD and the expression levels of IRS-2, PI-3K, Akt and GLUT2 in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells. MTT showed that at the same time, the OD value gradually decreased with the increase of LBP's concentration; under the same concentration of LBP, the OD value also gradually decreased with the extension of time, which indicated that LBP inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells with time and concentration-dependent manner. Glucose consumption experiment indicated that medium and high concentration of LBP could increase the glucose consumption of insulin-resistant HepG2 cells significantly, but low concentration of LBP had no significant impacted on glucose consumption of insulin-resistant HepG2 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Medium and high concentration of LBP can improve insulin resistance of HepG2 cell, its mechanisns may be associated with decreasing the level of oxidative stress and increasing the protein expressions of insulin signaling pathway.

Characterization of the AtSPX3 Promoter Elucidates its Complex Regulation in Response to Phosphorus Deficiency.

AtSPX3, responding to phosphate (Pi) deficiency by its expression, is an important gene involved in Pi homeostasis in Arabidopsis. To understand its transcriptional regulation, we characterized the AtSPX3 promoter by distal truncation, internal deletion and mutation of the predicted cis-elements, and identified multiple cis-elements responsive to Pi status. The P1BS (AtPHR-binding site) and AtMyb4 (putative MYB4-binding site) elements were two main cis-elements in the AtSPX3 promoter. P1BS is essential and has a dosage effect for activating expression of the gene under Pi deficiency, while the element AtMyb4 possesses a dual function: one is to enhance AtSPX3 expression in roots under Pi deficiency, and the other one is to repress AtSPX3 expression in shoots under both Pi deficiency and sufficiency. Moreover, we confirmed that AtPHR1, a key transcription factor in Pi homeostasis of plants, was required for the negative regulation function of the AtMyb4 element in shoots. Additionally, we also found that the AtSPX3 promoter had a length limitation for activating gene expression. Generally, our findings in this work are useful for understanding the molecular regulation mechanism of genes involved in Pi uptake and homeostasis.

Isolation, Stereochemical Study, and Antioxidant Activity of Benzofuranone Derivatives from a Mangrove-derived Fungus Eurotium rubrum MA-150.

Enantiomers of a 2-benzofuran-1(3H)-one derivative [(-)- and (+)-] and four known analogs () were isolated and identified from the culture extract of Eurotium rubrum MA-150, a fungus obtained from the mangrove-derived rizospheric soil. Their structures were established by detailed interpretation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data and the structure of (±)- was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The absolute configuration of the enantiomers (-)- and (+)- was determined by means of online high-performance liquid chromatography - electronic circular dichroism (HPLC-ECD) measurements and time-dependent Density Functional Theory - electronic circular dichroism (TDDFT-ECD) calculations. Compounds (±)- as well as and exhibited potent DPPH radical scavenging activities with IC50 values of 1.23, 2.26, and 3.99 µg/mL, respectively. Chirality 28:581-584, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tetranorlabdane Diterpenoids from the Deep Sea Sediment-Derived Fungus Aspergillus wentii SD-310.

Two new tetranorlabdane diterpenoids, asperolides D (1) and E (2), along with six related known congeners (3-8), were isolated and identified from the culture extract of the deep sea sediment-derived fungus Aspergillus wentii SD-310. The structures of these compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic interpretation, and the skeleton and absolute configurations of asperolides D (1) and E (2) were determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against seven tumor cell lines and antibacterial activity against two human and eight aquatic pathogens.

New Chromone, Isocoumarin, and Indole Alkaloid Derivatives from three Sponge-derived Fungal Strains.

Two new chromone derivatives, 2-hydroxymethyl-3-methyl-7-methoxychromone (1) and 2-hydroxymethyl-3-tert-butyl-7-methoxychromone (2), together with a related known compound, 2,3-dimethyl-7-methoxychromone (3), were isolated from Rhinocladiella sp. (102), a fungus obtained from the sponge Ircinia oros. Furthermore, a new isocoumarin derivative, 3-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl)-8-hydroxy-6-methoxy-isochromen-I-one (4) and a known analogue 3-[(R)- 3,3-dichloro-2-hydroxypropyl]-8-hydroxy-6-methoxy-IH-isochromen-I -one (dichlorodiaportin, 5), were identified from sponge-derived fungal strain Clonostachys sp. (AP4.1), while a new indole alkaloid 1-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)indole-3-carbaldehyde (6) was obtained from the sponge-derived fungus Engyodontium album (IVB lb). The structures of these compounds were established by NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric data analysis, as well as by comparison with literature reports. Compounds 4 and 6 were examined for cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities, respectively. None of them showed potent activity.