Solalyratins A and B, new anti-inflammatory metabolites from Solanum lyratum.

A new coumestan (solalyratin A, 1) and a novel cyclic eight-membered α,ß-unsaturated ketone (solalyratin B, 3), together with three known compounds, puerariafuran (2), coumestrol (4) and 9-hydroxy-2',2'-dimethylpyrano[5',6':2,3]-coumestan (5), were isolated from the whole plant of Solanum lyratum. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses. In vitro, compounds 1-5 showed anti-inflammatory activities, with IC(50) values in the range 6.3-9.1 µM.

Two new cytotoxic ent-clerodane diterpenoids from Scutellaria barbata.

Two new ent-clerodane diterpenoids have been isolated from Scutellaria barbata, and their structures were established by detailed spectroscopic analyses as (13R)-6α,7ß-dihydroxy-8ß,13-epoxy-11ß-nicotinyloxy-ent-clerodan-3-en-15,16-olide (scutelinquanine D, 1) and (11E)-6α-acetoxy-7ß,8ß-dihydroxy-ent-clerodan-3,11,13-trien-15,16-olide (6-acetoxybarbatin C, 2). In vitro, the isolated two new compounds showed significant cytotoxic activities against three human cancer cell lines (HONE-1 nasopharyngeal, KB oral epidermoid carcinoma, and HT29 colorectal carcinoma cells), and gave IC(50) values in the range of 2.5-6.6 µM.

New anti-inflammatory 4-hydroxyisoflavans from Solanum lyratum.

Three new 4-hydroxyisoflavans, named lyratin A (1), lyratin B (2) and lyratin C (3), along with a known compound, 4,7,2'trihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavan (4), were isolated from the whole plant of Solanum lyratum. Their structures were established by means of detailed physical data analyses. In vitro, four compounds showed anti-inflammatory activities with inhibitory ratios of release of beta-glucuronidase from polymorphonuclear leukocytes of rats in the range of 30.3-38.6% at 10 microM.

New neo-clerodane diterpenoids from Scutellaria barbata with cytotoxic activities.

Two new neo-clerodane diterpenoids have been isolated from the whole plant of Scutellaria barbata D. Don, and their structures were established by detailed spectral analyses as scutehenanine H (1) and 6-(2,3-epoxy-2-isopropyl-n-propoxyl)barbatin C (2). In vitro, the isolated two new compounds showed significant cytotoxic activities against three human cancer lines, and gave IC(50) values in the range OF 2.0-4.2 µΜ.

[A specific PCR assay and a nested PCR assay for the screening of ovine pulmonary adenomatosis].

Ovine pulmonary adenomatosis (OPA) is a naturally occurring contagious lung tumor of sheep which was caused by an exogenous retrovirus of sheep, jaagsiekte retrovirus (JSRV). Although no specific circulating antibodies against the virus coud be detected in infected sheep, exogenous JSRV proviral DNA sequences (exJSRV) and JSRV RNA transcripts could be detected in lung tumors, lymphoreticular system and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from sheep affected by OPA. The sheep genome carried 15 to 20 copies of endogenous retrovirus loci (enJSRV) that were similar to JSRV in structural genes but the divergene in U3. Therefore, primers specific for the U3 sequences of exJSRV were designed for the specific PCR and nested PCR (n-PCR). Sensitivity between specific PCR assay and n-PCR assay was compared by using serial dilutions of positive plasmid pJSRV-LTR in a background of 700ng sheep genome DNA. Sensitivity of n-PCR was ten-fold higher than specific PCR. The n-PCR was only available in blood test for detection of JSRV infected sheep and might be useful in epidemiological studies and disease control of OPA.

[Contents of different soil fluorine forms in North Anhui and their affecting factors].

By the method of consecutive extraction, this paper studied the contents and vertical distribution of soil fluorine (F) forms in North Anhui, with their relations to the soil physical and chemical properties analyzed. The results showed that the soil total F (T-F) content in North Anhui was ranged from 265.8 mg . kg(-1) to 612.8 mg . kg(-1), with an average of 423.7 mg . kg(-1), and decreased in the sequence of vegetable soil > fluvo-aquic soil > paddy soil > shajiang black soil > yellow brown soil. Among the T-F, residual F (Res-F) was the main form, occupying > 95% of total F, followed by water soluble F (Ws-F), being about 1.5% of the total, and organic-F (Or-F), Fe and Mn oxide-F (Fe/Mn-F) and exchangeable-F (Ex-F) only had very small amount. The Ws-F content in test soils ranged from 1.35 mg . kg(-1) to 17.98 mg . kg(-1), with a mean value of 6.62 mg . kg(-1). Vegetable soil, fluvo-aquic soil and shajiang black soil had a relatively higher content of Ws-F, while yellow brown soil was in adverse. Soil pH and the contents of soil organic matter, total and available phosphorus, and physical clay were the main factors affecting the contents of various F forms. Soil Ws-F was significantly positively correlated with soil pH and soil total and available phosphorus, soil Ex-F was significantly positively correlated with soil clay ( < 0.01 mm and <0.001 mm), soil Fe/Mn-F was significantly positively correlated with soil total phosphorus, and soil Or-F had a significant positive correlation with soil organic matter. Soil Ws-F content also had a close connection to the parent material. The soil developed from shallow lacustrine and marsh sediments usually had the highest Ws-F content, followed by those developed from Huang River alluvial deposit, Q3 loess, Huaihe River alluvial deposit, and light-texture yellow brown soil, with the mean Ws-F content being 9.05, 8.12, 2.97, 2.05 and 1.91 mg . kg(-1), respectively. The contents of soil Or-F and Fe/Mn-F decreased with increasing soil depth, and those of T-F and Ws-F in vegetable soil were higher in upper than in deeper soil layers.