A new 3,4-dihydroisocoumarin and an antiinflammatory coumarin from the roots of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk.

Phytochemical investigation of the roots of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk resulted in the isolation of twelve coumarin derivatives including one new 3,4-dihydroisocoumarin (1) and eleven known 3,4-unsubstituted coumarins (2-12). Structural elucidation of compounds 1-12 was established by 1D and 2D NMR spectra referring to the literature, together with high-resolution mass spectrometric analysis. LPS-induced RAW264.7 inflammatory cell model was used to determine the potential antiinflammation activity of all the isolated compounds in vitro. The results showed that compound 3 significantly inhibited the production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO in macrophages (IC50 = 4.54 ± 1.71 µM), more active than the positive control (L-NMMA).

Polyacetylenes from Saposhnikovia divaricata and their anticancer activity.

Nine polyacetylenes, including five new compounds named sadivaethynes E-I (1-5), were isolated from the roots of Saposhnikovia divaricata. Structural elucidation of compounds 1-5 was established by extensive spectroscopic analysis, quantum chemical calculations and DP4+ probability analysis. Among them, the absolute configuration of compound 1-2, 4-5 was unambiguous determined by ECD. Also, all compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity against two human cancer cell lines (A549, HEPG2) in vitro, compound 9 showed moderate inhibitory effect with an IC50 value of 11.66 µM against HEPG2.

Protective effect of phenylpropionamides in the seed of Cannabis Sativa L. on Parkinson's disease through autophagy.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. As one of the major degradation pathways, autophagy plays a pivotal role in maintaining the effective turnover of proteins and damaged organelles in cells. Lewy bodies composed of α-synuclein (α-syn) abnormally aggregated in the substantia nigra are important pathological features of PD, and autophagy dysfunction is considered to be an important factor leading to abnormal aggregation of α-syn. Phenylpropionamides (PHS) in the seed of Cannabis sativa L. have a protective effect on neuroinflammation and antioxidant activity. However, the therapeutic role of PHS in PD is unclear. In this study, the seeds of Cannabis sativa L. were extracted under reflux with 60% EtOH-H2O, and the 60% EtOH-H2O elution fraction was identified as PHS with the UPLC-QTOF-MS. The 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-pyridine (MPTP)-induced PD model in C57BL/6 J mice was used for behavioral and pharmacodynamic experiments. Behavioral symptoms were improved, Nissl-stained and TH-positive neurons in the substantia nigra were significantly increased in PHS-treated MPTP-induced PD model mice. Compared with the model group, PHS treatment reduced the expression level of α-syn, and the expression of TH increased significantly by western blotting, compared with the model group, the PHS group suppressed Caspase 3 and Bax expression and promoted Bcl-2 expression and levels of p62 decreased significantly, the ratio of LC3-II/I and p-mTOR/mTOR in the PHS group had a downward trend, suggesting that the therapeutic effect of PHS on MPTP-induced PD model mice may be triggered by the regulation of autophagy.

Five new sesquiterpenoids isolated from Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz.

Five new sesquiterpenoids, dictamtrinorguaianols E and F (1-2), and dictameudesmnosides F, G, and H (3-5), along with seven known sesquiterpenoids (6-12) were isolated from Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz. The structures of all new compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods, including UV, IR, HR-ESI-MS, and 1D and 2D NMR. The In-vitro anti-proliferative activities of all the compounds against two human cancer cell lines (SW982 and A549) were evaluated by CCK-8 assay. Compounds 1 and 4 showed medium anti-proliferative activity against SW982 cells, with IC50 values of 3.49 ± 0.10 and 6.42 ± 1.23 µM, respectively. Additionally, compounds 2, 7, and 8 exhibited medium anti-proliferative activity against A549 cells, with IC50 values ranging from 0.80 ± 0.05 to 6.60 ± 0.46 µM.

Influence on the fermentation quality, microbial diversity, and metabolomics in the ensiling of sunflower stalks and alfalfa.

With the rapid development of the livestock industry, finding new sources of feed has become a critical issue that needs to be addressed urgently. China is one of the top five sunflower producers in the world and generates a massive amount of sunflower stalks annually, yet this resource has not been effectively utilized. Therefore, in order to tap into the potential of sunflower stalks for animal feed, it is essential to explore and develop efficient methods for their utilization.In this study, various proportions of alfalfa and sunflower straw were co-ensiled with the following mixing ratios: 0:10, 2:8, 4:6, 5:5, 6:4, and 8:2, denoted as A0S10, A2S8, A4S6, A5S5, A6S4, and A8S2, respectively. The nutrient composition, fermentation quality, microbial quantity, microbial diversity, and broad-spectrum metabolomics on the 60th day were assessed. The results showed that the treatment groups with more sunflower straw added (A2S8, A4S6) could start fermentation earlier. On the first day of fermentation, Weissella spp.dominated overwhelmingly in these two groups. At the same time, in the early stage of fermentation, the pH in these two groups dropped rapidly, which could effectively reduce the loss of nutrients in the early stage of fermentation.In the later fermentation period, a declining trend in acetic acid levels was observed in A0S10, A2S8, and A4S6, while no butyric acid production was detected in A0S10 and A2S8 throughout the process. In A4S6, butyric acid production was observed only after 30 days of fermentation. From the perspective of metabolites, compared with sunflower ensiling alone, many bioactive substances such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenes are upregulated in mixed ensiling.

Two new alkaloids isolated from Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz.

Two new quinoline alkaloids (1-2) together with twenty-two known alkaloids (3-24) were isolated and identified from Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz. Compounds 6-7, 9, 11, 15-16, 19 and 24 were isolated from D. dasycarpus for the first time. The structures of all compounds were characterised by spectroscopic methods (1D, 2D NMR and HRESIMS). The anti-proliferative activity was mediated by the arrest of three human cancer cell lines (SW982, HepG2 and A549) of all the compounds that were evaluated by CCK-8 assay.

Cytotoxic withanolides from the leaves of Datura stramonium L.

Six novel withanolides, along with nine known related compounds were isolated from the leaves of Datura stramonium L. The structures and absolute configurations of the new withanolides were elucidated by employing various spectral techniques and comparing them with those previously reported in the literature. In addition, four withanlides demonstrated interesting cytotoxic activity on LN229 cells with IC50 <20 µM.

Steroidal saponins from the roots of Paris verticillata and their anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activities.

Thirteen previously undescribed steroidal saponins, named parisverticilloside A-M (1-13) and twenty known steroidal saponins (14-33) were isolated from ethanol extract of the roots of Paris verticillata. Their structures were identified by a series of spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, optical rotatory dispersion and chemical processes. The anti-proliferative activities of all compounds against LN229, HepG2, MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cell lines were evaluated using the CCK8 assay with cisplatin or capecitabine as the positive control. The anti-inflammatory activities of all compounds were measured by inhibition of LPS-induced NO release from BV2 cell lines, with dexamethasone as the positive control.

Terpenoid compounds from the fruits of Solanum virginianum.

Eleven compounds were isolated and identified from ethanolic extracts of Solanum virginianum fruits, including two new compounds (1-2) and nine known compounds (3-11). Their structures were determined to be melongenaterpene C15-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1), (9Z)-3,7,11,15-tetramethyl -hexadeca-1,6,10-triene-3,5,14,15-tetraol-5-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), actini-dioionoside A (3), byzantionoside B (4), citroside A (5), 7Z-roseoside (6), matenoside A (7), megastigmane (8), dihydrophaseic acid 3'-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (9), taraxerol (10), and huzhangoside C (11). In this paper, NMR spectroscopy was used to study the structures of the compounds, comparing their data with those in the literature. In addition, the potential anti-inflammatory activity of the compounds was also evaluated using the RAW264.7 cell inflammation model induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The terpenoids showed no significant anti-inflammatory activity.

[Analysis and Simulation of the Spatiotemporal Evolution of Habitat Quality and Carbon Storage in the Weibei Dry Plateau Region of Shaanxi].

Exploring the spatial and temporal pattern evolution of habitat quality and carbon storage has a positive feedback effect on establishing an ecological security barrier and optimizing the spatial pattern of national land in the WeiBei Arid Plateau Region of Shaanxi. This study took the Weibei Plateau Region as a case study, simulated the spatial pattern of land use for different development scenarios of 2035 based on the PLUS model, and used the InVEST model to analyze the characteristics of habitat quality and carbon storage distribution in the study area from 1980 to 2020 and under multi-scenarios in the future. The results showed that:①the area of the low-grade habitat quality area in the study area expanded by 462.55 km2, and the carbon stock decreased by 7.85×106 t over the past 40 years, both of which showed an overall decreasing trend yearly. ②During the study period, the degraded habitat quality areas were concentrated in the northeastern part of the study area within Yan'an City, and the upgraded areas were distributed in strips near water sources or at higher elevations. The high carbon stock areas were concentrated in the complex terrain and sparsely populated areas in the study area, and the decreasing carbon stocked areas were scattered throughout the study area in a dotted pattern without obvious aggregation. ③In 2035, carbon stock decreased to different degrees in all states except for the natural development scenario. In the economic priority development scenario, the habitat quality low grade area covered 20787.41 km2, which was the simulated scenario of the fastest growth rate of low-grade area and the largest reduction of high-grade area compared with the early stage of the simulation. The results of this study can provide decision references and data support for low carbon green development and ecological restoration in the study area.

Super-rational aspiration promotes cooperation in the asymmetric game with peer exit punishment and reward.

Super-rational aspiration induced strategy updating with exit rights has been considered in some previous studies, in which the players adjust strategies in line with their payoffs and aspirations, and they have access to exit the game. However, exit payoffs for exiting players are automatically allocated, which is clearly contrary to reality. In this study, evolutionary cooperation dynamics with super-rational aspiration and asymmetry in the Prisoner's Dilemma game is investigated, where exit payoffs are implemented by local peers. The results show that for different population structures, the asymmetry of the system is always contributive to the participation of the players. Furthermore, we show that under different exit payoffs, super-rationality and asymmetry are conductive to the evolution of cooperation.

How to Effectively Reduce Honey Adulteration in China: An Analysis Based on Evolutionary Game Theory.

Apiculture has been greatly developed in recent years in China. Beekeeping cooperatives and honey manufacturing enterprises have increased rapidly. As a result, a variety of honey products have entered the market, adding vitality to the food economy; however, the adulteration of honey products is on the rise in China. Previous attempts to control the adulteration of honey products mostly relied on technical, product-specific measures, and there was a lack of modeling research to guide the supervision of the honey product industry. In order to help local governments to better control the adulteration of honey products from a management perspective, this paper establishes an evolutionary game model composed of beekeeping cooperatives, honey product enterprises, and local governments. Through stability analysis and model simulation, we found that local government subsidies to cooperatives have little impact on the game system. Local government penalties to cooperatives and price adjustments of unadulterated raw honey by cooperatives are effective management tools to reduce the adulteration behavior of cooperatives. Local government penalties for enterprises are an effective management tool to reduce the adulteration behavior of enterprises. This research provides useful information for government agencies to design appropriate policies/business modes so as to promote sustainability and the healthy development of the honey product industry in China.

Phenylpropanoids from Solanum capsicoides and their anti-inflammatory activity.

Two new phenylpropanoids, 4-O-(1''-O-cis-caffeoyl)-ß-glucopyran osyl-1-allyl-3-methoxy-benzene (1), 4'-O-(1''-O-cis-caffeoyl)-ß-glucopyranosyl-hydroxymegastigm-4-en-3-one (2), together with nine known compounds were obtained from the leaves of Solanum capsicoides. Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic methods, and comparing spectral data with those in literature. Meanwhile, their anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated on (LPS)-induced RAW 246.7 cells, and 1, 9, and 10 showed better inhibitory effects with IC50 values of 17.19 ± 1.12, 18.15 ± 0.47, and 19.8 ± 0.95 µM, respectively.

New compounds from the stems of Fissistigma acuminatissimum Merr. and their in vitro anti-inflammatory activity.

Three new compounds, 4,5,6,7-tetramethoxy-3-benzoylbenzofuran (1), 4-hydroxy-3,5,6-trimethoxydihydrochalcone-2-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2) and 2-hydroxy-3,4,5,6-tetramethoxyphenylethyl benzoate (3) along with five known flavonoids were isolated from the dichloromethane fraction of the stems of Fissistigma acuminatissimum Merr.'s ethanol extracts. The compounds were obtained by chromatographic methods and the structure elucidation was completed primarily on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, all of these compounds were isolated from F. acuminatissimum for the first time. All the fractions and compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) production in RAW264.7 cells in vitro. The dichloromethane fraction showed the most potent inhibition(38.2%) at 60 µg/mL, compound 1 (70.2%) and 3 (65.2%) showed significant inhibition at 10 µM.

Circulating exosomal lncRNA contributes to the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury in rats.

Exosome-derived long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are extensively engaged in recovery and repair of the injured spinal cord, through different mechanisms. However, to date no study has systematically evaluated the differentially expressed lncRNAs involved in the development of spinal cord injury. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify key circulating exosome-derived lncRNAs in a rat model of spinal cord injury and investigate their potential actions. To this end, we established a rat model of spinal cord hemisection. Circulating exosomes were extracted from blood samples from spinal cord injury and control (sham) rats and further identified through Western blotting and electron microscopy. RNA was isolated from the exosomes and sequenced. The enrichment analysis demonstrated that there were distinctively different lncRNA and mRNA expression patterns between the two groups. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and Gene Ontology (GO) functional analysis were performed to determine the possible involvements of upregulated and downregulated lncRNAs in various pathways and different biological processes, as well as their cellular locations and molecular functions. Furthermore, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed that the expression of five lncRNAs--ENSRN0T00000067908, XR_590093, XR_591455, XR_360081, and XR_346933--was increased, whereas the expression of XR_351404, XR_591426, XR_353833, XR_590076, and XR_590719 was decreased. Of note, these 10 lncRNAs were at the center of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA coexpression network, which also included 198 mRNAs and 41 miRNAs. Taken together, our findings show that several circulating exosomal lncRNAs are differentially expressed after spinal cord injury, suggesting that they may be involved in spinal cord injury pathology and pathogenesis. These lncRNAs could potentially serve as targets for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of spinal cord injury.

Cytotoxic Sesquiterpenoids from Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz.

Four new sesquiterpenoids named atrchiterpenes A-D (1-4), a new natural product (5), and twelve known compounds (6-17) were isolated from Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz. Compound 1 was a rare N-containing eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoid. Structure elucidation was performed by spectroscopic techniques, including 1D, 2D NMR spectra, and HR-ESI-MS. Compounds 6-11, 14, and 17 were reported from Atractylodes for the first time. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity activity. Compound 16 showed moderate cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells with an IC50 value of 5.81±0.47.

Mantuoluosides A-H, new steroids isolated from the leaves of Datura stramonium L.

Eight new steroids, designated mantuoluosides A-H (1-8), were obtained from the enrichment of steroids of the Datura stramonium L. using HPD-BJQH macroporous resin. Their respective structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic methods and comparison data with literature. The anti-inflammatory activities of these compounds were evaluated on (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells with inhibition ratio. It was found that most isolates showed potential anti-inflammatory activity with varying degrees of inhibition rate in a concentration-dependent manner at non-cytotoxic concentrations.

Inositol Derivatives with Anti-Inflammatory Activity from Leaves of Solanum capsicoides Allioni

Eight new inositol derivatives, solsurinositols A-H (1-8), were isolated from the 70% EtOH extract of the leaves of Solanum capsicoides Allioni. Careful isolation by silica gel column chromatography followed by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) allowed us to obtain analytically pure compounds 1-8. They shared the same relative stereochemistry on the ring but have different acyl groups attached to various hydroxyl groups. This was the first time that inositol derivatives have been isolated from this plant. The chemical structures of compounds 1-8 were characterized by extensive 1D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and 2D NMR and mass analyses. Meanwhile, the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of all compounds was determined using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BV2 microglia, and among the isolates, compounds 5 (IC50 = 11.21 ± 0.14 µM) and 7 (IC50 = 14.5 ± 1.22 µM) were shown to have potential anti-inflammatory activity.

Datinolides E-I, five new withanolides with anti-inflammatory activity from the leaves of Datura inoxia Mill.

Five new withanolides, datinolides E-I (1-5), and three known withanolides (6-8) were separated from Datura inoxia Mill. leaves, and datinolide E (1) was the first withanolide with C-27 connected to a nitrogen-containing group. Their structures were clarified by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature. The anti-inflammatory of isolated compounds against RAW264.7 cells was investigated by the CCK8 assay.

Eight undescribed steroidal saponins including an unprecedented 16, 26-epoxy-furostanol saponin from Solanum xanthocarpum and their cytotoxic activities.

Eight undescribed steroidal saponins named solasaponins A-H were isolated from the fruits of Solanum xanthocarpum, including an unusual 16,26-epoxy-furostanol saponin, two furostanol saponins, three isospirostanol saponins, two pseudo-spirostanol saponins. The structures of all compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analyses (1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS) combined with physico-chemical analysis methods (acid hydrolysis, optical rotation, and IR). The cytotoxicities of all compounds in vitro against two human cancer cell lines (A-549 and HepG2) were evaluated by CCK-8 assay.