Steroidal Glycosides from Allium tuberosum Seeds and Their Roles in Promoting Testosterone Production of Rat Leydig Cells.

A systematic phytochemical study on the components in the seeds of Allium tuberosum was performed, leading to the isolation of 27 steroidal glycosides (SGs 1-27). The structures of SGs were identified mainly by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometries as well as the necessary chemical evidence. In the SGs, 1-10 and 22-26 are new steroidal saponin analogues. An in vitro bioassay indicates that 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 13-15, 20, 23, and 26 display promotional roles in testosterone production of rat Leydig cells with the EC50 values of 1.0 to 4.5 µM, respectively.

Optimization of Ultrasonic-Microwave Assisted Extraction and Hepatoprotective Activities of Polysaccharides from Trametes orientalis.

Ultrasonic-microwave assisted extraction (UMAE) of Trametes orientalis polysaccharides was optimized by response surface methodology. Hepatoprotective effects of a purified T. orientalis polysaccharide (TOP-2) were evaluated by alcohol-induced liver injury model mice. The optimal UMAE parameters were indicated as below: ratio of water to raw material 28 mL/g, microwave power 114 W, extraction time 11 min. The polysaccharides yield was 7.52 ± 0.12%, which was well consistent with the predicted value of 7.54%. Pre-treatment with TOP-2 effectively increased the liver index and spleen index in alcohol-treated mice. The elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels of mice after alcohol exposure were inhibited by TOP-2 administration. The liver tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) levels have decreased significantly as a result of alcohol exposure, while pre-treatment with TOP-2 could mitigate these consequences. Furthermore, pre-treatment with TOP-2 could efficiently boost the superoxidase dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, and observably constrain the malondialdehyde (MDA) level. The findings suggest that TOP-2 might be useful for alleviating the alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity via its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential.

Characterization of a bio-oil from pyrolysis of rice husk by detailed compositional analysis and structural investigation of lignin.

Detailed compositional analysis of a bio-oil (BO) from pyrolysis of rice husk was carried out. The BO was extracted sequentially with n-hexane, CCl(4), CS(2), benzene and CH(2)Cl(2). In total, 167 organic species were identified with GC/MS in the extracts and classified into alkanes, alcohols, hydroxybenzenes, alkoxybenzenes, dioxolanes, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, nitrogen-containing organic compounds and other species. The benzene ring-containing species (BRCCs) were attributed to the degradation of lignin while most of the rests were derived from the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose. Along with guaiacyl and p-hydroxyphenyl units as the main components, a new type of linkage was suggested, i.e., C(ar)-CH(2)-C(ar) in 4,4'-methylenebis(2,6-dimethoxyphenol). Based on the species identified, a possible macromolecular structure of the lignin and the mechanism for its pyrolysis are proposed. The BO was also extracted with petroleum ether in ca. 17.8% of the extract yield and about 82.1% of the extracted components are BRCCs.