Two pairs of bisabolane sesquiterpenoid stereoisomers, bisacurone D-G, from the rhizome of Curcuma longa L.

Phytochemical investigation of an extract of the rhizome of Curcuma longa L., resulted in the identification of four undescribed bisabolane sesquiterpenoids, namely as bisacurone D-G (1-4). With the aid of comprehensive spectroscopic techniques (NMR, IR, UV, MS), the structures of all isolated compounds were elucidated and subsequently screened for both anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic biological activities, Compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate inhibitory activity toward LPS-induced NO production on RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Time Window Is Important for Adenosine Preventing Cold-induced Injury to the Endothelium.

Cold cardioplegia is used to induce heart arrest during cardiac surgery. However, endothelial function may be compromised after this procedure. Accordingly, interventions such as adenosine, that mimic the effects of preconditioning, may minimize endothelial injury. Herein, we investigated whether adenosine prevents cold-induced injury to the endothelium. Cultured human cardiac microvascular endothelial cells were treated with adenosine for different durations. Phosphorylation and expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), p38MAPK, ERK1/2, and p70S6K6 were measured along with nitric oxide (NO) production using diaminofluorescein-2 diacetate (DAF-2DA) probe. Cold-induced injury by hypothermia to 4°C for 45 minutes to mimic conditions of cold cardioplegia during open heart surgery was induced in human cardiac microvascular endothelial cells. Under basal conditions, adenosine stimulated NO production, eNOS phosphorylation at serine 1177 from 5 minutes to 4 hours and inhibited eNOS phosphorylation at threonine 495 from 5 minutes to 6 hours, but increased phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38MAPK, and p70S6K only after exposure for 5 minutes. Cold-induced injury inhibited NO production and the phosphorylation of the different enzymes. Importantly, adenosine prevented these effects of hypothermic injury. Our data demonstrated that adenosine prevents hypothermic injury to the endothelium by activating ERK1/2, eNOS, p70S6K, and p38MAPK signaling pathways at early time points. These findings also indicated that 5 minutes after administration of adenosine or release of adenosine is an important time window for cardioprotection during cardiac surgery.

[A new biflavone from Dysosma versipellis].

This study was conducted to investigate the chemical constituents in the root of Dysosma versipellis(Hance) M. Cheng. The constituents were isolated by silica gel, lichroprep RP-C(18) and pharmadex LH-20 column chromatography and the IR, MS, NMR, 2D-NMR spectroscopic analysis were employed for the structural elucidation. Ten compounds were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of Dysosma versipellis, their structures were elucidated as dysoverine D (1), dysoverine F (2), dysoverine A (3), podoverine A (4), α-peltatin (5), rutin (6), kaempferol-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (7), quercetin-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (8), kaempferol (9) and quercetin (10). Compound 2 is a new compound, and compounds 1 and 3-6 were isolated from this plant for the first time.

[High glucose promotes vascular smooth muscle cell calcification by activating WNT signaling pathway].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether high glucose-induced vascular calcification is associated with WNT signaling pathway. METHODS: An in vitro model of human vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) calcification was induced by exposure of the cells to high glucose. The expressions of WNT signal molecules and bone-related proteins including Cbfa1, Osx, OCN and BMP2 were analyzed with qRT-PCR, and the cell calcification was assessed by alizarin red staining. The effect of Dkk1, a WNT signaling inhibitor, on high glucose-induced cell calcification was tested with alizarin red staining and calcium content analysis. RESULTS: High glucose activated WNT signaling pathway in human VSMCs by up-regulating the expressions of WNT signal molecules including Wnt3a, Wnt7a, Fzd4 and Wisp1 mRNA by 1.86, 1.68, 2.1, and 2.3 folds, respectively, and by promoting the phosphorylation of ß-catenin (2.70∓0.22, P<0.05), a key mediator of WNT signaling pathway. Inhibition of WNT signaling pathway by Dkk1 attenuated high glucose-induced VSMC calcification and down-regulated the expression of bone-related proteins Cbfa1, Osx, OCN, and BMP2 by (51∓9)%, (58∓11)%, (56∓10)%, and (62∓10)% (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: WNT signaling pathway is involved in high glucose-induced VSMC calcification.

DB-02, a C-6-cyclohexylmethyl substituted pyrimidinone HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor with nanomolar activity, displays an improved sensitivity against K103N or Y181C than S-DABOs.

6-(cyclohexylmethyl)-5-ethyl-2-((2-oxo-2-phenylethyl)thio)pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (DB-02) is a member of the newly reported synthetic anti-HIV-1 compounds dihydro-aryl/alkylsulfanyl-cyclohexylmethyl-oxopyrimidines, S-DACOs. In vitro anti-HIV-1 activity and resistance profile studies have suggested that DB-02 has very low cytotoxicity (CC50>1mM) to cell lines and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). It displays potent anti-HIV-1 activity against laboratory adapted strains and primary isolated strains including different subtypes and tropism strains (EC50s range from 2.40 to 41.8 nM). Studies on site-directed mutagenesis, genotypic resistance profiles revealed that V106A was the major resistance contributor for the compound. Molecular docking analysis showed that DB-02 located in the hydrophobic pocket with interactions of Lys101, Val106, Leu234, His235. DB-02 also showed non-antagonistic effects to four approved antiretroviral drugs. All studies indicated that DB-02 would be a potential NNRTI with low cytotoxicity and improved activity.

Higenamine Combined with [6]-Gingerol Suppresses Doxorubicin-Triggered Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Cardiomyocytes via Upregulation of PI3K/Akt Pathway.

Sini decoction is a well-known formula of traditional Chinese medicine, which has been used to treat cardiovascular disease for many years. Previously, we demonstrated that Sini decoction prevented doxorubicin-induced heart failure in vivo. However, its active components are still unclear. Thus, we investigated the active components of Sini decoction and their cardioprotective mechanisms in the in vitro neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and H9c2 cell line models of doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity. Our results demonstrated that treatment with higenamine or [6]-gingerol increased viability of doxorubicine-injured cardiomyocytes. Moreover, combined use of higenamine and [6]-gingerol exerted more profound protective effects than either drug as a single agent, with effects similar to those of dexrazoxane, a clinically approved cardiac protective agent. In addition, we found that treatment with doxorubicin reduced SOD activity, increased ROS generation, enhanced MDA formation, induced release of LDH, and triggered the intrinsic mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway in cardiomyocytes, which was inhibited by cotreatment of higenamine and [6]-gingerol. Most importantly, the cytoprotection of higenamine plus [6]-gingerol could be abrogated by LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor. In conclusion, combination of higenamine and [6]-gingerol exerts cardioprotective effect against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity through activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Higenamine and [6]-gingerol may be the active components of Sini decoction.

Polysaccharide from Fuzi likely protects against starvation-induced cytotoxicity in H9c2 cells by increasing autophagy through activation of the AMPK/mTOR pathway.

There is increasing evidence that starvation induces autophagy, which may be protective during starvation, in an AMPK-dependent manner. Polysaccharides from Fuzi (FPS) reportedly have protective effects on nutrition-limited livers. The present study was designed to determine whether FPS protected H9c2 cells against starvation-induced cytotoxicity using an AMPK/mTOR-dependent mechanism. H9c2 cells were incubated in serum and glucose starvation media for 12 hours to establish a cell injury model. 3-Methyladenine (3MA, an autophagy inhibitor) was used to identify the exact role of autophagy in starvation. Cells were incubated with different FPS concentrations, and the cell injury levels, autophagy activity and AMPK/mTOR phosphorylation were measured. Adenine 9-ß-D-arabinofuranoside (Ara-A, an AMPK inhibitor) and 5-amino-4-imidazole-carboxamide riboside (AICAR, an AMPK activator) were used to identify whether the AMPK/mTOR pathway was involved in FPS-mediated cardioprotection. We demonstrated that starvation decreased cell viability in a time-dependent manner, and 3MA-induced autophagy inhibition aggravated the reduced cell viability. FPS treatment attenuated the cell viability decrement and the starvation-induced decline in the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and autophagy; also, the AMPK/mTOR pathways were activated during treatment. Ara-A treatment abolished the protective effect of FPS, while AICAR treatment had a similar effect to FPS. We conclude that autophagy attenuates starvation-induced cardiomyocyte death, and FPS increases autophagy activity to protect against starvation-induced cytotoxicity in H9c2 cells, likely through AMPK/mTOR pathway activation.

[Clinical and genetic characteristics of a Chinese family of primary pulmonary hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical and genetic characteristics of familial primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) in Han nationality. METHODS: The clinical and laboratory features of patients of familial PPH in a family of Han nationality in Zhumadian, Henan Province, including the propositus, female, aged 37, her 29-years-old brother, and her 14-years-old daughter, were summarized. Samples of peripheral blood were collected from all family members and 100 healthy volunteers. Genomic DNA of the peripheral white blood cells was extracted from the samples. Primers for the exon 1 - 13 including the lateral intron of bone morphogenetic protein receptor-II (BMPR2) gene were designed. Then the genomic DNA was amplified by PCR. The PCR products were purified, sequenced, and compared with the sequence of normal BMPR2 gene. RESULTS: The 3 patients in this family, coming down with the illness at the ages of 35, 23, and 13 respectively, suffered from severe pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale with the clinical manifestations of cough, hemoptysis, heart enlargement, and cardiac function of class III. The propositus' mother came down with PPH in the age of 42 and died 1 year later. Sequence analysis showed codon 491 C-->T conversion in exon 11 in all three patients (heterozygote), which induces arginine to change to tryptophan (R491W). None BMPR2 mutation was identified in the 100 normal controls and other family members without PPH. CONCLUSION: As in the white people, the missense mutation of R491W in BMPR2 gene is also one crucial pathogenetic gene of familial PPH in Han nationality. There is no normal carrier of such genotype.