Development and characterization of rigid packaging material using cellulose/sugarcane bagasse and natural resins.

Composites developed from cellulose and natural resins have received much attention due to their low cost and positive environmental impact. Knowledge of the mechanical and degradation characteristics of cellulose based composite boards is essential to obtain indications of the strength and degradability of the resulting rigid packaging material. The composite was prepared with sugarcane bagasse and hybrid resin (a combination of epoxy and natural resin such as dammar, pine, and cashew nut shell liquid) with the mixing ratios (Bagasse fibers: Epoxy resin: Natural resin) 1:1:1.5, 1:1:1.75, and 1:1:2 using compression moulding method. Tensile strength, young's modulus, flexural strength, soil burial weight loss, microbial degradation, and CO2 evolution was determined. Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) resin-incorporated composite boards in the mixing ratio of 1:1:2 gave maximum flexural strength (5.10 MPa), tensile strength (3.10 MPa), and tensile modulus (0.97 MPa). The maximum degradation in soil burial test and CO2 evolution between the boards made using natural resin was found in the composite boards incorporated with CNSL resin with a mixing ratio of 1:1:1.5 were 8.30 % and 12.8 % respectively. The maximum weight loss percentage (3.49) in microbial degradation analysis was found in the composite board made using dammar resin in the mixing ratio of 1:1:1.5.

Determination of Dammar-20(22)E,24-Diene-3ß,6α,12ß-Triol in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS and its application in a pharmacokinetic study.

Dammar-20(22)E,24-Diene-3ß,6α,12ß-Triol (YNPT2), as one of the main pharmacological and active components of Panax ginseng, promotes ubiquitination and degradation of hypoxia inducible factor Ia through proteasome, which reduces the content of hypoxia inducible factor Ia in tumor cells. Therefore, it is widely used in tumor inhibition. A sensitive and specific bioanalytical method of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the quantification of YNPT2 rat plasma has been developed. Buspirone was used as the internal standard (IS). A 50 µl aliquot of rat plasma sample was deproteinized by 150 µl methanol-acetonitrile (1:1,v:v), vortex-mixed for 1 min and centrifuged at 15,000 r/min for 10 min at 4 °C. Then, 120 µl of supernatant was pipetted out into the autosampler vials and analyzed by LC-MS/MS with 10 µl injection volume. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent ZORBAX XDB-C18 column (2.1 × 50 mm, 3.5 µm) with mobile phases consisting of water containing 5 mM ammonium acetate (mobile phase A) and acetonitrile (mobile phase B) at a flow rate of 0.6 ml/min over a total run time of 4.0 min. YNPT2 and buspirone (IS) were detected and quantified using positive electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with transitions of m/z 441.4 â†’ 109.1 for YNPT2 and m/z 386.3 â†’ 122.1 for IS. The linear range was 5-2000 ng/ml with the square regression coefficient (r2) of 0.9972, and the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 5 ng/ml. The intra-day and inter-day precision deviations of YNPT2 ranged from 3.8 to 6.9% and 3.5-5.8%, and accuracy error ranged from -7.4-5.9% and -9.2-11.9%. The average extraction recovery of YNPT2 in rat plasma was between the range of 98.5%-102.7%. This method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of YNPT2 in rats after intragastric administration at a single dose of 10.0 mg/kg and after intravenous injection at a single dose of 2.0 mg/kg.

Organogel Coupled with Microstructured Electrospun Polymeric Nonwovens for the Effective Cleaning of Sensitive Surfaces.

Hydrogels and organogels are widely used as cleaning materials, especially when a controlled solvent release is necessary to prevent substrate damage. This situation is often encountered in the personal care and electronic components fields and represents a challenge in restoration, where the removal of a thin layer of aged varnish from a painting may compromise the integrity of the painting itself. There is an urgent need for new and effective cleaning materials capable of controlling and limiting the use of solvents, achieving at the same time high cleaning efficacy. In this paper, new sandwich-like composites that fully address these requirements are developed by using an organogel (poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) + γ-valerolactone) in the core and two external layers of electrospun nonwovens made of continuous submicrometric fibers produced by electrospinning (either poly(vinyl alcohol) or polyamide 6,6). The new composite materials exhibit an extremely efficient cleaning action that results in the complete elimination of the varnish layer with a minimal amount of solvent adsorbed by the painting layer after the treatment. This demonstrates that the combined materials exert a superficial action that is of utmost importance to safeguard the painting. Moreover, we found that the electrospun nonwoven layers act as mechanically reinforcement components, greatly improving the bending resistance of organogels and their handling. The characterization of these innovative cleaning materials allowed us to propose a mechanism to explain their action: electrospun fibers play the leading role by slowing down the diffusion of the solvent and by conferring to the entire composite a microstructured rough superficial morphology, enabling to achieve outstanding cleaning performance.

A new triterpenoid saponin from leaves of Panax japonicas var. major / 中草药

Objective: To study the chemical composition from the leaves of Panax japonicus var. major. Methods: Column chromatographies (including macroporous resin, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and ODS) and semi-preparative HPLC were used to separate the constituents. The structures were elucidated by the analysis of spectral data and chemical properties. Results: Three compounds were isolated and elucidated as dammar-20(21),24-diene-3β,6α,12β-triol (1), dammar-20(22) Z,24-diene-3β,6α,12β-triol (2), and 3-O-[-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-20-O-[-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-23E,25-diene- 20(S)-protopanoxadiol (3). Conclusion: Compound 1 and 2 was obtained from the plant for the first time. And compound 3 named as majoroside Z is a new triterpenoid saponin.

Study on chemical constituents in acid hydrolysates of Panax notoginseng saponins / 中草药

Objective: To study the chemical constituents in acid hydrolysates of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS). Methods: These compounds were separated and purified by column chromatography, and their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses (HR-ESI-MS, ESI-MS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, HSQC and HMBC). Results: Eighteen compounds were obtained from the acid hydrolysates of PNS and characterized as dammar-25-ene-24-hydroperoxyl-3β,6α,12β,20S-tetraol (1), 6α,12β,20S-trihydroxy- dammarane-24-ene-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), 6α,12β,20R-trihydroxy-dammarane-24-ene-3-O-β-D- glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), vina-ginsenoside-R8 (4), 24(S)-pseudo-ginsenoside-GQ (5), ginsenoside Rg5 (6), 20 (R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (7), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rk2 (8), 3β,12β-dihydroxy-dammar-(E)-20(22),24-diene-6-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl- (1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (9), 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg2 (10), ginsenoside SL1 (11), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh1 (12), 20(22) E-ginsenoside Rh4 (13), 25-hydroxy-20(R) ginsenoside-Rh1 (14),3β,6α,12β,20(S)-20,25-epoxy-3,12-dihydroxy-dammarane-6-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (15), 20(R)-protopanaxadiol (16), 20(R)-protopanaxatriol (17), and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (18). Conclusion: Compound 1 is a new triterpen saponin, and compounds 2-5 are isolated from P. notoginseng and acid dydrolysates of PNS for the first time.

Chronic dietary toxicity and carcinogenicity studies of dammar resin in F344 rats.

Dammar resin is a natural food additive and flavoring substance present in many foods and drinks. The present study evaluates the chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity of dietary dammar resin in F344 rats. Dietary concentrations in the 52-week chronic toxicity study were 0, 0.03, 0.125, 0.5, or 2%. The major treatment-related deleterious effects were body weight suppression, increased relative liver weight, and low hemoglobin levels in males and females. Foci of cellular alteration in the liver were observed in the male 2% group, but not in any other group. The no-observed-adverse-effect level for chronic toxicity was 0.125% for males (200.4 mg/kg b.w./day) and females (241.9 mg/kg b.w./day). Dietary concentrations in the 104-week carcinogenicity study were 0, 0.03, 0.5, or 2%. Dammar resin induced hemorrhagic diathesis in males and females, possibly via the inhibition of extrinsic and intrinsic coagulation pathways. Incidences of hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas were significantly increased in the male 2% group, but not in any other group. In the 4-week subacute toxicity study, the livers of male rat-fed diet-containing 2% dammar resin had increased levels of protein oxidation and increased the expression of two anti-apoptotic and seven cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes. There was also an increased tendency of oxidative DNA damage. These findings demonstrate that dammar resin is hepatocarcinogenic in male F344 rats and underlines the roles of inhibition of apoptosis, induction of CYP enzymes, and oxidative stress in dammar resin-induced hepatocarcinogenesis.

Chemical constituents from fruit pedicels of Panax ginseng / 中草药

Objective To investigate the chemical constituents of the fruit pedicels of Panax ginseng. Methods The compounds were purified by silica gel column chromatography and preparative reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses. Results Twenty-eight compounds were isolated from the total extract of the fruit pedicels of P. ginseng. They were identified as 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (1), 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (2), 20(S)-dammar-24- ene-3-one-6α,12β,20-triol (3), (20S,23E)-dammar-23-ene-3β,6α,12β,20,25-pentol (4), (20S,24R)-dammar-26-ene-3β,6α,12β,20,24- tetrol (5), 20(R)-dammar-3-one-6α,12β,20,25-tetrol (6), ginsenoside Rk2 (7), 20(R)-dammar-24(25)-epoxy-3β,6α,12β,20- tetrol (8), ginsenoside CK (9), 20(S)-dammar-3β,6α,12β,20,25-pentol (10), ginsenoside Rh4 (11), 20(S)-dammar-3β,12β,20,25-tetrol (12), 20(S)-dammar-3β,6α,12β,20,24-pentol (13), 20(R)-dammar-3β,6α,12β,20,25-pentol (14), pseudoginsenoside RT5 (15), ginsenoside Rh1 (16), ginsenoside Rh3 (17), 20(S)-dammar-3β,12β,20,25-tetrol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (18), 20(S)-isoginsenoside Rh3 (19), ginsenoside Rg1 (20), ginsenoside Y (21), ginsenoside Rd (22), ginsenoside la (23), 20(S)-dammar-3β,12β,20,25-tetrol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (24), ginsenoside Rg2 (25), notoginsenoside Fe (26), ginsenoside Re (27), and ginsenoside Rb1 (28), respectively. Conclusion Among them, compounds 4-6, 8, 10, 12, 13, and 21 are isolated from P. ginseng for the first time.

Anti-proliferation effects of dammar-24-ene-3β-acetate-20S-ol on gastric cancer cells / 医学研究生学报

Objective Based on the previous research that the ethanolic extract from traditional Chinese medicine fructus forsythiae (Lianqiao) can obviously inhibit cancer cells in vitro, the article aimed to investigate the anti-proliferation effects of dammar-24-ene-3β-acetate-20S-ol (DM) extracted from fructus forsythiae on gastric cancer cells and its mechanism.Methods MTT assay was used to assess the anti-proliferation effects of DM on gastric cancer cells including SGC-7901, BGC-823, and MKN-45 in vitro.There were MKN-45 control group and its low dose and high dose groups, BGC-823 control group and its low dose and high dose groups, SGC-7901 control group and its low dose and high dose groups in the experiment.Flow cytometry was used to analyze the cell apoptosis rate.Cellquest software was used to analyze the results and record the ratio of cells at different cycles.DCFH-DA probe was applied to detect the ROS levels of blank control group, docetaxol group and DM group.The reaction system of microtubule assembly test was set with 10?mol/L docetaxol, 50 or 100 μmol/L DM final density and no medicine in blank control group.The readings of UV spectrophotometer were recorded.Microtubule assembly assay and microtubule immunofluorescence staining were applied to investigate the effects of DM on microtubule system.Results The inhibition ratio of 50 μg/L DM on the proliferation three gastric cell lines were all above 80%, with IC50s of MKN-45 11.72±1.35 μg/mL, BGC-823 17.19±0.82 μg/mL, SGC-7901 7.55±0.79 μg/mL.8 days′ low density culturing at 48 hours after 2 μg/mL DM treatment, compared with control group, the number of cell clones significantly reduced without much change in clone size, while 48 hours after 10 μg/mL DM treatment, besides a few clones of BGC-823, there were just several megascopic clones of SGC-7901 and MKN-45.In comparison with apoptotic cell ratio in MKN-45 control group[(21.1±2.5)%], its low dose group and high dose group resulted in significant rise of apoptotic cell ratio[(25.1±1.3)% and (55.2±2.3)%] (P0.05).In comparison with MKN-45 control group, the ratio of cells at S phase decreased in its low dose group[(14.5±2.7)% vs (12.3±3.3)%,P>0.05].In comparison with BGC-823 control group, the ratio of cells at S phase increased in its low dose group[(12.2±5.4)% vs (20.2±2.1)%,P<0.05].In comparison with SGC-7901 control group, the ratio of cells at S phase increased in its low dose group[(21.5±3.8)% vs (31.3±2.6)%,P<0.05].From the detection of intracellular active oxygen after DM treatment, dose-dependent ROS level increased in all three cell lines 48 hours after 10μg/mL and 50μg/mL DM treatment.From the results of microtubule immunofluorescence staining, 48 hours after the treatment of IC50 docetaxol and 10μg/mL DM, the fluorescence signals were in local concentration and disorder.Conclusion Dammar-24-ene-3β-acetate-20S-ol demonstrated anti-proliferation effects due to the apoptosis induced by cell cycle arrest at S phase.

A new triterpenoid compound from stems and leaves of American ginseng.

A new dammarane-type triterpenoid compound was isolated from stems and leaves of American ginseng. The structure of the new sapogenin was elucidated by the combined analysis of NMR and HR-ESI-MS as dammar-20S, 25S-epoxy-3ß, 12ß, 26-triol (1). Compound 1 showed cytotoxic effect on human SM7721 and human Hela cells in vitro.

20(R)-Ginsenoside-Rh19, a novel ginsenoside from alkaline hydrolysates of total saponins in stems-leaves of Panax ginseng / 中草药

Objective: To study the chemical constituents of alkaline hydrolysates of total saponins from the stems and leaves of Panax ginseng. Methods: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by various chromatographic methods, and the chemical structures were identified by NMR and MS spectra analyses. Results: A total of 30 compounds were isolated and identified. Among them, 28 were determined as 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (1), 20(R)-protopanaxadiol (2), dammar-20(21),24-diene-3β,6α,12β-triol (3), dammar-20(22)E,24-diene-3β,6α,12β-triol (4), 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (5), 20(R)-protopanaxatriol (6), 20(S)-ginsenoside Rh2 (7), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh2 (8), ginsenoside Rh16 (9), isoginsenoside Rh3 (10), 20(S)-dammar-3β,6α,12β,20,25-pentol (11), 20(R)-dammar-3β,6α,12β,20,25-pentol (12), ginsenoside Rk3 (13), 20(S)-ginsenoside Rh1 (14), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh1 (15), ginsenoside F1 (16), ginsenoside Rh19 (17), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh19 (18), dammar-20(22)E-ene-3β,6α,12β,25-tetrol (19), notoginsenoside T2 (20), ginsenoside Rg6 (21), 20(22)E-ginsenoside F4 (22), ginsenoside Rk1 (23), 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 (24), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (25), 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg2 (26), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg2 (27), and 3β,6α,12β,25-tetrahydroxy-dammar-20(22)E-ene-6-O-α-L-rhamno- pyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (28). Conclusion: Compound 18 is a new saponin. Compounds 3, 4, 11, 12, and 19 are rare dammarane-type triterpenes, and 7-10, 13-18, and 20-28 are rare ginsenosides.

A new triterpene natural product from stems and leaves of Panax ginseng / 中草药

Objective: To study the chemical constituents of saponins in the stems and leaves of Panax ginseng. Methods: The chemical constituents were isolated and purified by various chromatographic methods, and their structures were identified by NMR and MS data analysis. Results: Nine compounds were isolated and identified as 3β,6α,12β,25-tetrahydroxy-dammar-E-20(22)-ene-6-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), sanchinoside B1 (2), 3β,6α,12β-dammar-E-20(22)-ene-3,6,12,25-tetraol (3), ginsenoside Rk3 (4), ginsenoside Rh4 (5), notoginsenoside T2 (6), 3β,6α,12β-dammar-20(21),24-diene-3,6,12-triol (7), ginsenoside Rk1 (8), and ginsenoside Rg5 (9). Conclusion: Compound 1 is a new natural product and the other eight compounds are all isolated from the stems and leaves of P. ginseng for the first time.

Biodeterioration patterns found in dammar resin used as art material

Since the middle of the XIX century, when dammar became popular in Occident, this natural resin is one of the most used in art painting techniques as final protective coating (varnish) as well as a component of pictorial media. The present work is the first approach to the study of the microbiological biodeterioration of this artistic material, which can seriously affect the appearance and integrity of works of art when bad conservation conditions -especially high humidity levels- take place. 12 microorganisms, fungi and bacteria, came from collection and from oil paintings affected by biodeterioration patterns, were inoculated on test specimens prepared with varnish dammar. These were incubated and analyzed by GC-MS to determine both the microbiological capacity of growth and chemical alteration on the resin. Some of the studied microorganisms have shown patterns of deterioration similar to those found in works dedicated to natural or accelerated photochemical ageing of triterpenoid varnishes.