Secondary metabolites of endophyte fungi Xylaria sp. from Coptis chinensis / 中国中药杂志

Two new polyketides, lasobutone A(1) and lasobutone B(2), along with three known compounds, guignardianone C(3), guignardic acid(4), and 4-hydroxy-17R-methylincisterol(5), were isolated from the endophytic fungi Xylaria sp. by silica gel, MCI, and preparative HPLC, which was separated from the Chinese medicinal material Coptis chinensis and cultivated through solid fermentation with rice. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods, such as MS, NMR, IR, UV, and ECD. Compounds 2 and 4 showed inhibitory activities against the nitric oxide(NO) production in the LPS-induced macrophage RAW264.7 with IC_(50) values of 58.7 and 42.5 μmol·L~(-1) respectively, while compound 5 exhibited cytotoxic activities against HT-29 with IC_(50) value of 14.3 μmol·L~(-1).

A new polyketide of endophytic fungi Aspergillus sp. ZJ-58 from Coptis chinensis / 中国中药杂志

A new polyketide, coptaspin A(1), along with two known compounds 4-acetyl-3,4-dihydro-6,8-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-5-methylisocoumarin(2), and cytochalasin Z_(12)(3), was isolated from the endophytic fungi Aspergillus sp. ZJ-58, which was isolated from the genuine medicinal plant Coptis chinensis in Chongqing after solid-state fermentation on rice and silica gel, MCI, and HPLC-based separation. Their structures were elucidated by MS, NMR, IR, UV, and ECD. The newly isolated compound 1 showed moderate inhibitory activities against LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages with the IC_(50) value of 58.7 μmol·L~(-1), suggesting its potential anti-inflammatory activity.

Biotransformation and enzymatic mechanism of protoberberine alkaloids / 中国中药杂志

Protoberberine alkaloids belong to the quaternary ammonium isoquinoline alkaloids, and are the main active ingredients in traditional Chinese herbal medicines, like Coptis chinensis. They have been widely used to treat such diseases as gastroenteritis, intestinal infections, and conjunctivitis. Studies have shown that structural modification of the protoberberine alkaloids could produce derivative compounds with new pharmacological effects and biological activities, but the transformation mechanism is not clear yet. This article mainly summarizes the researches on the biotransformation and structure modification of protoberberine alkaloids mainly based on berberine, so as to provide background basis and new ideas for studies relating to the mechanism of protoberberine alkaloids and the pharmacological activity and application of new compounds.

Current status and future perspectives of daptomycin development / 药学学报

Due to the potent bactericidal activity and low incidence of drug resistance, the novel cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic - daptomycin has emerged as one of the first line antimicrobial agents in the treatment of serious infections caused by gram-positive resistant pathogens. This review summarizes the research advances of daptomycin in recent years, mainly including spectrum of antimicrobial activity, biosynthesis, mode of action, mechanism of drug resistance, structure-activity relationships, surotomycin and siderophore-daptomycin conjugate to kill multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. The findings summarized in this review highlight the directions of next-generation of daptomycin derivatives.

Effects of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection on the transcriptional expression of human macrophage gene encoding ion channels and related regulatory elements / 生理学报

Expression microarray was employed in this study to investigate whether the ion channels and their regulatory elements encoding genes participate in the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. The results of a virulent strain were compared with those of the clinically isolated strains. The data demonstrate that K(+), Na(+), Ca(2+) and Cl(-) channels and their regulatory elements, such as the G protein, receptor and second messenger, protein kinase and protein phosphatase were involved in the immune reaction. The clinical strain affected more types of ion channels and respective regulatory elements. The data provides clues for further scrutiny into the role of ion channels and related elements in the interaction between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and host macrophage.

The Isolation and Identification of Strain Streptomyces xanthocidicus IMB-14 / 微生物学通报

The strain Streptomyces sp.,nominated IMB-14,was isolated from the soil sample of WuDang Mountain by the method of cellulose ester membrane filter.The studies on antibiotic activities,morphological characteristics,cultural characteristics,physiological characteristics,16S rDNA sequence analysis and the metabolite of strain IMB-14 showed that the strain IMB-14 was accordance with Streptomyces xanthoci-dicus.The study on the isolation and identification of strain Streptomyces xanthocidicus establishes a foundation on screening of novel antibacterial and antitumor agents.