Four new diterpenoids, including three secolathyrane diterpenoids (1-3) and one lathyrane diterpenoid (4), together with seven known diterpenoids, were obtained in the shelled seeds of Euphorbia lathyris. In particular, 1-3 possess a rare split ring structure, and currently only one compound with the same skeleton has been identified in E. lathyris. Compound 4 furnishes an unprecedented oxygen bridge structure. The structures were identified using various spectral techniques, including NMR, HR-ESI-MS, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). The biosynthetic pathway of 1-4 was inferred. Furthermore, the cytotoxic activities of all compounds (111) were measured on three human tumor cells. New compounds 2 and 3 showed moderate cytotoxic activities against U937 cells with IC50 values of 22.18 and 25.41 mu M, respectively.

Based on previous studies on Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC., this paper focuses on the chemical composition of fresh rhizome of Atractylodes lancea. And fifteen compounds were isolated, including six guaiane-type sesquiterpenoids (1–5), one eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoid (6), one monoterpene glycoside (7), one polyacetylene glycoside (8), one phenylpropanoid glycoside (9), two nucleosides (10–11), one alkaloid (12), one amino acid (13), one purine (14) and one fatty acid (15). The structures of the isolated compounds (1–15) were elucidated by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic analyses and comparisons with previously reported data. Compounds 7 and 12 were isolated from the Compositae family for the first time. Compound 11 was isolated from genus Atractylodes for the first time. Compound 14 was isolated from this plant for the first time. Furthermore, the chemotaxonomic significance of these isolates was discussed.

Secoatractylohexone A (1), an unprecedented secoguaiane lactone glycoside featuring 6/7 cores and dihydroxy-9-guaine-3-one 11-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), a 9,10-unsaturated guaiene-type glycoside possessing an uncommon scaffold, were isolated from the water-soluble portion of the ethanolic extract of Atractylodes lancea rhizomes together with five known compounds (3–7). The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data and application of the CD technique. The potential biological activities of secoatractylohexone A were predicted by network pharmacology in silico, the result of which indicated that secoatractylohexone A may be used to treat type II diabetes.

Suaeglaucin B (7-hydroxy-3-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-5,6-dimethoxy-4H-chromen-4-one, 1 ), an isoflavone, including seven other known compounds ( 2–8 ), was isolated for the first time from the herbs of Suaeda glauca (Bunge) Bunge. In this article, the extraction and isolation of these compounds is carried out, and the structures of eight compounds ( 1–8 ) were established using chemical methods including HR-ESI-MS and 1D, 2D NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the antioxidant activity of compound 1 , with IC 50 value of 1.63 mM, was evaluated by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) assay.

目的 研究海蓬子皂苷甲(bigelovii A,BA)诱导细胞凋亡的作用及其机制.方法 使用MTT实验检测BA对肿瘤细胞增殖的抑制作用;流式细胞仪分析BA对细胞凋亡的影响;Western blot分析p-STAT3、STAT3、p-STAT5、STAT5、SHP-1、SHP-2的表达.结果 20和40μmol·L-1 BA可诱导HepG2细胞发生凋亡,具有剂量依赖性.10、20和40μmol·L-1 BA可抑制IL6诱导的STAT3和STAT5磷酸化,但酪氨酸磷酸酶抑制剂过钒酸钠可逆转该抑制作用,且20μmol·L-1 BA能激活蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酶SHP-1和SHP-2.结论 BA可能通过SHP-1/SHP-2和STAT3/STAT5通路诱导HepG2细胞凋亡.

吴茱萸属(Evodia J. R. et G. Forst.)植物的提取物及单体化合物不仅具有镇痛抗炎[1]、改善胃肠道功能[2]、保护心血管[3]和治疗阿尔茨海默病[4]等作用,还具有抑制乳腺癌[5]、结肠癌[6]、肝癌[7]和黑色素瘤[8]等肿瘤相关疾病的药理活性.目前,对吴茱萸属植物的研究主要集中在《中华人民共和国药典》中收录的吴茱萸〔E. rutaecarpa ( Juss.) Benth.〕、石虎〔E. rutaecarpa var. officinalis ( Dode ) Huang〕和疏毛吴茱萸〔E. rutaecarpa var. bodinieri (Dode) Huang〕3种基源植物[9].本课题组前期对吴茱萸属植物的资源调查和化学成分动态分析等方面进行了研究[10-12].依据亲缘关系和生源合成途径,同属植物在化学成分和药理活性方面具有相似性[13].

Euphorbia factor L1 (EFL1), a lathyrane-type diterpenoid, is one of the important components of traditional Chinese medicine caper spurge. The aim of this work is to have a deep understanding of molecular structure, properties and potential biological activities of EFL1. Firstly, the molecular structure of EFL1 was studies by a combination of Cu-K alpha radiation X-ray diffraction and quantum chemistry calculation. The absolute configuration of EFL1 was elucidated and the geometrical structure optimized by DFT was consistent with the crystal structure determined by X-ray diffraction. Meanwhile, crystal packing, IR and Hirshfeld methods were performed to analyze the crystal packing system, which demonstrated intermolecular hydrogen bonding was the mainly force to stabilize this system. Molecular electrostatic potentials further confirmed the possibilities of such interactions. Furthermore, the electronic transition and energy gap of frontier molecular orbitals revealed the chemical stability and well kinetic stableness of EFL1. Finally, the potential biological activities, targets, diseases and mechanism were also predicted by network pharmacology in silico. This work provides a comprehensive structural analysis and a detailed biological activity analysis of Euphorbia factor L1 which are beneficial to the quality control, structural modification and biological activity studies. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Castanea sativa Mill. is mainly grown in the temperate regions of continental Europe, and it has a considerable economic value. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Castanea sativa was characterized. Leaves were collected from the National Botanical Garden of Latvia. The chloroplast genome was determined to be 160,938 bp in length. It contained large single-copy (LSC) and small single-copy (SSC) regions of 90,519 and 18,967 bp, respectively, which were separated by a pair of 25,726 bp inverted repeat (IR) regions. The genome is predicted to contain 130 genes, including 83 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, eight rRNA genes, and two pseudo genes. The overall GC content of the genome is 36.8%. A phylogenetic tree reconstructed by 34 chloroplast genomes reveals that C. sativa is most closely related to the clade including C. henryi, C. seguinii and C. mollissima.

Two novel lathyrane-type diterpenoids, the Euphorbia factors L2a (1) and L2b (2), and their stereoisomer Euphorbia factor L2 (3) were obtained from seeds of Euphorbia lathyris. Both Euphorbia factors L2a and L2b possess an unprecedented trans-gem-dimethylcyclopropane as structural feature. Also, the Euphorbia factor L2a is the first example of a lathyrane diterpenoid with an endocyclic 12(Z)-double bond. The structures of the molecules and their absolute configurations were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, Cu-Kα radiation X-ray diffraction, and comparison with calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data. The Euphorbia factor L2b exhibited an inhibitory effect against U937 cell line with an IC50 value of 0.87 μM.

酪氨酸酶广布生物体内,为催化黑色素合成的关键限速酶[1],可催化L-酪氨酸(L-Tyr)生成L-多巴(L-DOPA),并氧化L-DOPA形成多巴醌,该酶在上述反应中分别被称为酪氨酸酶单酚酶和酪氨酸酶二酚酶[2].酪氨酸酶抑制剂是美白产品的重要成分,目前主要为曲酸和对苯二酚等,对人体有一定的副作用[3].植物体内天然的多酚类成分可安全、有效地抑制酪氨酸酶活性[4-6],为近年来美白产品研发的重点.

Acori Tatarinowii Rhizome (ATR, the dried rhizome of Acorus tatarinowii Schott), a well-recognized traditional Chinese herbal medicine, is prescribed to treat neurological disorders. The essential oil is considered as the active fraction of ATR, and the neuroprotection of ATR essential oil (ATEO) is proven, including the protection against oxidative stress. However, the cellular mechanism of ATEO against oxidative stress has not been fully illustrated. In this study, to investigate the cellular mechanism of ATEO, the cytoprotective effect of ATEO against H2O2-induced injury was revealed in PC12 cells. ATEO treatment increased the viability of cells affected by H2O2-mediated injury, inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and induced the expression of several antioxidant proteins (SODs, GPx, and UCPs). The cytoprotective effect of ATEO was related to upregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) expression, which was counteracted by PGC-1α specific knockdown. Using inhibitor of protein kinase A (PKA), we found that cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) activation was involved in ATEO-induced PGC-1α expression. Taken together, we suggest that ATEO effectively prevents H2O2-induced cell injury possibly through the activation of CREB/PGC-1α signaling in PC12 cells. The results provide a molecular insight into the effect of ATEO on cytoprotection against oxidative stress.

对芸香科(Rutaceae)吴茱萸属(Evodia J.R.et G.Forst.)植物中喹唑啉生物碱的分布、骨架类型、生物活性和化学合成的相关研究结果进行了总结和归纳.结果显示:从吴茱萸属植物中分离出51个喹唑啉生物碱,主要集中在吴茱萸〔E.rutaecarpa(Juss.)Benth.〕,其后依次为石虎〔E.rutaecarpa var.officinalis(Dode)Huang〕、丽江吴萸(E.delavayi Dode)、波氏吴萸〔E.rutaecarpa var.bodinieri(Dode)Huang〕、牛紏吴萸〔E.trichotoma(Lour.)Pierre〕、云南吴萸(E.ailanthifolia Pierre)和楝叶吴萸〔E.glabrifolia(Champ.ex Benth.)Huang〕.骨架类型属于Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ和Ⅴ型的喹唑啉生物碱分别有31、13、3、3和3个.吴茱萸属植物及其提取物不仅对消化系统、神经系统和心血管系统有作用,而且也具有抗菌消炎和抗肿瘤等作用.吴茱萸碱和吴茱萸次碱是吴茱萸属植物的主要活性成分.从植物化学分类学角度看,《Flora of China》对原吴茱萸属植物的划分与归并有一定的合理性.目前,吴茱萸属植物的药理活性和化学合成研究主要集中于吴茱萸碱和吴茱萸次碱,对其他喹唑啉生物碱的相关研究却较少,建议对其中应用前景良好的化合物及其药理活性和化学合成进行深入研究.

Bigelovii A is a 30-nortriterpenoid glycoside, isolated from Salicornia bigelovii Torr. Until now, the effect of Bigelovii A on breast cancer treatment was unknown. The present research indicated that Bigelovii A significantly inhibited the proliferation of human breast cancer cells (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468) in a concentration-dependent manner. It was particularly effective in MCF7 cells, with an IC50 value of 4.10±1.19 µM. The anti-proliferative effect of Bigelovii A was ascribed to the induction of apoptosis, which was characterized by chromatin condensation, externalization of phosphatidylserine on the plasma membrane, hypodiploid DNA, activation of caspases and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. Furthermore, Bigelovii A reduced B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xl) expression and caused disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, which are indicative features of mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signals. It was also identified that Bigelovii A downregulated the constitutive activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB, as indicated by the electrophoretic mobility gel shift assay and immunocytochemistry. Furthermore, Bigelovii A suppressed constitutive IκBα phosphorylation via inhibition of IκB kinase activity. In addition to the effects on Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl, Bigelovii A also downregulated the expression of the NF-κB-regulated gene products, Cyclin D1 and cyclooxygenase-2. This led to the induction of apoptosis and arrest of cells at the G1 phase of the cell cycle.

A new isoflavane, 6,2′-dihydroxy-5,7-dimethoxyisoavanone (1), was isolated from the herb Suaeda glauca (Bunge) Bunge (Chenopodiaceae), in addition to six known compounds (2–7). The structures of the compounds were determined using chemical and spectral methods.

Aim To investigate the effects of Bigelovii A on autophagy and its mechanism.Methods Fluorescence microscope,flow cytometry and Western blot were employed to analyze autophagy.Western blot was used to detect the protein expressions of mTOR pathway.MTT colorimetry was used to assay cell viability after treatment with 3-MA and Bigelovii A or Bigelovii A alone.Results Bigelovii A-treated MCF7 cells displayed a dramatic increase in the number of MDC-labeled vesicles and the expressions of LC3-Ⅱ,indicating cell autophagy.Ⅰt was proved that in MCF7 cells,Bigelovii A inhibited mTOR signaling by decreasing Akt and p-ERK.Consistently,Bigelovii A decreased phosphorylation levels of mTOR,p70S6K (Ser371,Thr389) and 4EBP1 proteins.Inhibiting Bigelovii Ainduced autophagy with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine significantly decreased cell viability,which suggested that Bigelovii A-induced autophagy played a pro-survival role.Conclusion Bigelovii A is likely to induce autophagy through inhibiting mTOR pathway.

In the present research, we report the isolation of five 30-noroleanane triterpenoid saponins (1-5), nine oleanane triterpenoid saponins (6-14), and twenty-one other compounds (15-35) from the whole plants of Salicornia europaea Linn. Compound 1, 3-O-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)-[beta-xylopyranosyl-(1 -> 3)-beta-glucuronopyranosyl 30-noroleanolic acid 28-O-beta-glucopyranosyl ester, is a previously undescribed nortriterpenoid saponin. The chemical structures were established by detailed analysis of the MS and NMR spectroscopic data or comparison with literature data. Furthermore, the chemotaxonomic significance of 30-noroleanane triterpenoids was discussed in the family Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae.