Brunonianines D-F, three new C19-diterpenoid alkaloids from the Delphinium brunonianum, with therapeutic effect on ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo.

The current standard treatment for ovarian cancer consists of surgery to reduce the size of the tumor, followed by treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs, which have major side effects. Therefore, finding a new natural product drug with fewer side effects is a strategy. Delphinium brunonianum (D. brunonianum) is a traditional Tibetan medicine, mainly from southern Tibet, China, whereas the chemical constituents in this plant remain elusive. The major metabolites in the dichloromethane fraction of D. brunonianum were analyzed and purified by HPLC and various column chromatography techniques. Nine diterpenoid alkaloids (1-9) and one amide alkaloid (10) were isolated from D. brunonianum, including three novel C19-type diterpenoid alkaloids (Brunonianines D-F) (1-3). Their structures were elucidated by 1D/2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. All compounds were evaluated for toxicity in four tumor cell lines. Most of the compounds exhibited potent inhibitory effects on Skov-3 cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 2.57 to 8.05 µM. The western blotting experiment was used to further analyze the expression levels of molecules in the Bax/Bcl-2/Caspase-3 signaling pathway for compound 1. Molecular docking was performed to predict the binding modes of Brunonianine D with target proteins. In vivo experiments were also performed and evaluated in real time by monitoring the size of the Skov-3 tumor. Additionally, tumor H&E staining and the TUNEL assay used to evaluate anti-tumor effects.

[Effects of soil warming and nitrogen addition on the length distributions of different diameter class fine roots of Chinese fir seedlings.] / åœŸå£¤å¢žæ¸©ä¸Žæ°®æ·»åŠ å¯¹æ‰æœ¨å¹¼è‹—ç»†æ ¹å¾„çº§æ ¹é•¿åˆ†å¸ƒçš„å½±å“.

In order to determine how the diameter class length distribution (DCLD) of fine roots of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) would be affected by soil warming, nitrogen addition and their interaction, a factorial experiment of soil warming (ambient, +5 ℃) and nitrogen addition (ambient, +4 and +8 g N·m-2·a-1) was carried out in the Chenda State-owned Forest Farm in Sanming, Fujian Province. An expanded extreme value model fitted the DCLD of roots of all the six treatments very well (R2=0.97). The model parameters showed that soil warming reduced the total root length, but its effect on root diameter was not significant. Nitrogen addition decreased both total root length and root diameter. The interaction of soil warming and nitrogen addition had significant effects on total root length, but had no significant effects on root diameter. DCLD of fine roots under the six treatments could be fitted well by the extreme value function (R2>0.98). The correlation analysis showed that specific root length for roots of 0-1 mm diameter was significantly negatively correlated with the parameter c, and the actual total root length was significantly positively correlated with the parameter b. It was concluded that the root morphology of Chinese fir seedlings would respond to both soil warming, nitrogen addition and their interaction, and these responses could be reflected by the changes in parameters of the extreme value model.

[Effects of precipitation exclusion on fine-root biomass and functional traits of Cunninghamia lanceolata seedlings.] / éš”ç¦»é™æ°´å¯¹æ‰æœ¨å¹¼è‹—ç»†æ ¹ç”Ÿç‰©é‡å’ŒåŠŸèƒ½ç‰¹å¾çš„å½±å“.

A precipitation exclusion experiment was set up in Cunninghamia lanceolata seedling plots in Chenda State-Owned Forest Farm, Sanming, Fujian Province, which included 50% precipi-tation reduction and ambient precipitation (control). Using soil coring and in-growth core me-thods, changes in fine-root functional traits of C. lanceolata seedlings, including fine-root biomass, morphology, stoichiometry, specific root respiration, and nonstructural carbohydrates, were exa-mined after 1 year's precipitation exclusion. The results showed that precipitation exclusion significantly decreased biomass of 0-1 mm diameter roots but had no effect on 1-2 mm diameter roots. However, adaptive morphological changes occurred in the precipitation exclusion treatment. The specific root length (SRL) of the 0-1 and 1-2 mm diameter roots increased by 21.1% and 30.5%, respectively, and root tissue density (RTD) significantly decreased and specific root surface area (SRA) significantly increased in the 0-1 mm diameter roots. Precipitation exclusion led to increase in nitrogen concentration in fine roots, but the absorption capacity for phosphorus was impeded, resulting in increased root N:P, which implied a nutritional imbalance in fine roots. Precipitation exclusion did not significantly change fine root specific respiration rate and nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) content. However, the soluble sugar content and the ratio of soluble sugar to starch were significantly decreased, and the starch content was increased by 33.3% in the 1-2 mm diameter roots, indicating an adaptation response of C. lanceolata seedlings to reduced precipitation by increasing the storage of nonstructural carbohydrate in fine roots.