Relationship between iron overload caused by abnormal hepcidin expression and liver disease: A review.

Iron is essential to organisms, the liver plays a vital role in its storage. Under pathological conditions, iron uptake by the intestine or hepatocytes increases, allowing excess iron to accumulate in liver cells. When the expression of hepcidin is abnormal, iron homeostasis in humans cannot be regulated, and resulting in iron overload. Hepcidin also regulates the release of iron from siderophores, thereby regulating the concentration of iron in plasma. Important factors related to hepcidin and systemic iron homeostasis include plasma iron concentration, body iron storage, infection, inflammation, and erythropoietin. This review summarizes the mechanism and regulation of iron overload caused by hepcidin, as well as related liver diseases caused by iron overload and treatment.

Progress of targeted and immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma and the application of next-generation sequencing.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), leading cancer worldwide, has a high degree of genetic heterogeneity; next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has contributed significantly to the discovery of driving genes as well as high-frequency mutations in HCC. The detection of gene alterations may allow us to predict prognosis and adverse drug reactions for individuals, paving the way for personalized medicine in HCC patients. In this review, we summarized the common systemic therapy regimens for HCC and the predictive efficacy of genetic biomarkers on the prognosis of patients under these treatments. Finally, we put forward a future perspective on the potential of NGS technology for the guidance of targeted therapy and immunotherapy in HCC.

Vanadium -mediated ultrafine Co/Co9S8 nanoparticles anchored on Co-N-doped porous carbon enable efficient hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions.

Developing cost-effective, highly-active and robust electrocatalysts is of vital importance to supersede noble-metal ones for both hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) and oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs). Herein, a unique vanadium-mediated space confined strategy is reported to construct a composite structure involving Co/Co9S8 nanoparticles anchored on Co-N-doped porous carbon (VCS@NC) as bifunctional electrocatalysts toward HER and ORR. Benefitting from the ultrafine nanostructure, abundant Co-Nx active sites, large specific surface area and defect-rich carbon framework, the resultant VCS@NC exhibits unexceptionable HER catalytic activity, needing extremely low HER overpotentials in pH-universal media (alkaline: 117 mV, acid: 178 mV, neutral: 210 mV) at a current density of 10 mA cm-2, paralleling at least 100 h catalytic durability. Notably, the VCS@NC catalyst delivers high-efficiency ORR performance in alkaline solution, accompanied with a quite high half wave potential of 0.901 V, far overmatching the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Our research opens up novel insight into engineering highly-efficient multifunctional non-precious metal electrocatalysts by a metal-mediated space-confined strategy in energy storage and conversion system.

Copper-catalyzed, silver-mediated formal [3+2] cycloaddition of simple alkynes with ß-ketoesters through propargylic C(sp3)-H functionalization.

A copper-catalyzed propargylic [3+2] cycloaddition of simple alkynes with ß-ketoesters through the propargylic C(sp3)-H functionalization has been realized. Under catalysis by CuI in combination with 1,10-phenanthroline hydrate as the ligand and Ag2CO3 as a bifunctional reagent (oxidant and base), the reaction proceeds smoothly with a broad substrate scope, thus providing a variety of highly functionalized furans in moderate to high yields. This represents the first successful example of the catalytic propargylic cycloaddition of simple alkynes with bisnucleophiles based on the propargylic C(sp3)-H functionalization strategy.

Copper-catalyzed propargylic [3+3] cycloaddition with 1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-ones: enantioselective access to optically active dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles.

A copper-catalyzed asymmetric propargylic [3+3] cycloaddition with 1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-ones as C,O-bisnucleophiles through the desilylation-activated strategy has been developed. With the catalysis of Cu(OAc)2·H2O in combination with a chiral tridentate P,N,N-ligand, the reaction displayed a broad substrate scope, and thus provided a variety of chiral dihydropyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles in high yields and with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee).

Decarboxylation-promoted Pd-catalyzed asymmetric propargylic [3 + 2] annulation for the enantioselective construction of a quaternary stereocenter in 2,3-dihydrofurans.

The enantioselective construction of a quaternary stereocenter in 2,3-dihydrofuran frameworks has been realized via the palladium-catalyzed asymmetric [3 + 2] cycloaddition of tertiary propargylic carbonates with ß-ketoesters enabled by a chiral ferrocene/benzimidazole-based bidentate P,N-ligand. The reaction was significantly promoted by loss of CO2 to irreversibly form π-propargylpalladium or allenylpalladium intermediates. This protocol features a good tolerance of functional groups in both tertiary propargylic carbonates and ß-ketoesters, thereby delivering a variety of highly functionalized chiral 2,3-dihydrofurans bearing a quaternary stereocenter at the 2-position and an exocyclic double bond at the 3-position in good chemical yields and high enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee).

Chiral Ferrocenyl P,N-Ligands for Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Formal [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of Propargylic Esters with ß-Ketoesters: Access to Functionalized Chiral 2,3-Dihydrofurans.

A highly enantioselective palladium-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of propargylic esters with ß-ketoesters has been realized by employing a newly developed chiral ferrocene/benzimidazole-based P,N-ligand. This protocol features a good tolerance of functional groups in both propargylic esters and ß-ketoesters, thereby delivering a variety of highly functionalized chiral 2,3-dihydrofurans bearing an exocyclic double bond at the 3-position in good yields and with high enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee).

Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed Formal [4 + 2] Cycloaddition of o-Aminophenol Derivatives with Propargylic Esters for Synthesis of Optically Active 3,4-Dihydro-2H-1,4-benzoxazines.

The first copper-catalyzed asymmetric formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition of o-aminophenol derivatives with propargylic esters as the bis-electrophilic C2 synthons for the stereoselective construction of chiral 2,3,4-trisubstituted 2H-1,4-benzoxazines bearing an exocyclic double bond has been developed. By using a structurally modified chiral ketimine P,N,N-ligand, a wide range of optically active 2H-1,4-benzoxazines were prepared in high yields and with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee).

Two new isoaurones derivatives from Callistephus chinensis flower.

Two new isoaurones derivatives were obtained from Callistephus chinensis flower. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses. Both of the new compounds were evaluated cytotoxic activity. Phytochemical investigation of Callistephus chinensis flower led to the isolation of two new isoaurones derivatives (Z)-4',4,10-trihydroxy-siamaurone (1) and (E)-4',4,10-trihydroxy-siamaurone (2). The structures of these new compounds were identified by the interpretation of spectroscopic data (mainly 1D and 2D NMR) and by comparison with data reported in the literature. Both of the new compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity.

Flavonoids and its derivatives from Callistephus chinensis flowers and their inhibitory activities against alpha-glucosidase.

Inhibitors of carbohydrate-hydrolysing enzymes play an important role for the treatment of diabetes. One of the therapeutic methods for decreasing of postprandial hyperglycemia is to retard absorption of glucose by the inhibition of carbohydrate- hydrolysing enzymes, such as α-glucosidase, in the digestive organs. To investigate the therapeutic potential of compounds from natural sources, Callistephus chinensis flowers (CCF) were tested for inhibition of α-glucosidase, and acarboes was used as the positive control. The 70 % ethanol extract of CCF exhibited significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC50 value of 8.14 µg/ml. The stepwise polarity fractions of CCF were tested further for in vitro inhibition of α-glucosidase. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction exhibited the most significant inhibitory activity. Eight pure compounds, apigenin, apigenin-7-O-ß-D- glucoside, kaempferol, hyperin, naringenin, quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol-7-O-ß-D- glucoside, were isolated (using enzyme assay-guide fractionation method) from the EtOAc fraction. Among these, quercetin was the most active one (IC50 values 2.04 µg/ml), and it appears that the inhibiting percentages are close to acarbose (IC50 values 2.24 µg/ml), the positive control, on α-glucosidase inhibition. HPLC/UV analysis indicated that the major components of CCF are kaempferol, hyperin and quercetin. The presented results revealed that CCF containing these eight flavonoids could be a useful natural source in the development of a novel α-glucosidase inhibitory agent against diabetic complications.