Light and carbon dioxide-driven synthesis of high-density fuel in Synechococcus elongates UTEX 2973 / 生物工程学报

Development of "liquid sunshine" could be a key technology to deal with the issue of fossil fuel depletion. β-caryophyllene is a terpene compound with high energy density and has attracted attention for its potential application as a jet fuel. The high temperature and high light-tolerant photosynthetic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 (hereafter Synechococcus 2973), whose doubling time is as short as 1.5 h, has great potential for synthesizing β-caryophyllene using sunlight and CO₂. In this study, a production of ~121.22 μg/L β-caryophyllene was achieved at 96 h via a combined strategy of pathway construction, key enzyme optimization and precursor supply enhancement. In addition, a final production of ~212.37 μg/L at 96 h was realized in a high-density cultivation. To our knowledge, this is the highest production reported for β-caryophyllene using cyanobacterial chassis and our study provide important basis for high-density fuel synthesis in cyanobacteria.

β-caryophyllene alleviates cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion injury in mice by activating autophagy / 中国中药杂志

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(I/R) injury is an important cause of acute ischemic stroke. Timely elimination of damaged proteins and organelles by regulating autophagy during cerebral ischemia-reperfusion plays an important role in relieving brain damage. In order to investigate whether β-caryophyllene(BCP) could protect neurons from cerebral I/R injury by regulating auto-phagy, C57 BL/6 J male mice were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group, and drug-administered group. After intra-gastric administration was given for 5 days, the middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) model was established by suture method. Twenty four hours after surgery, the infarct volume and neurological function were assessed; the pathological changes of cortical tissue were observed by HE staining; Western blot was used to detect the expression of autophagy-related proteins beclin1, p62, LC3 B and apoptosis-related protein Bcl-2; immunofluorescence was used to observe the expression of LC3 B in the ischemic cortex. The autophagy of cortical tissue in the ischemic area was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The experimental results showed that as compared with the model group, the BCP pretreatment significantly reduced the neurological deficit, decreased the percentage of cerebral infarction volume, reduced the death of brain tissue cells in the ischemic area, up-regulated the expression of beclin1, LC3 B and Bcl-2 protein, down-regulated p62 protein expression, and significantly increased the number of autophagosomes in the cortical tissue of the ischemic area. It was finally determined that BCP could protect neurons from cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by activating autophagy.

β-Caryophyllene causes remyelination and modifies cytokines expression in C57BL/6 mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of β-Caryophyllene (BCP) on the production of IL-17, transcription factors(T-bet and GATA-3), and remyellination in C57BL/6 mice induced for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis(EAE), the model for studying pathogenesis and new therapies for multiple sclerosis. EAE was induced in threegroups of C57BL/6, with administration of BCP in two groups (25 and 50 mg/kg/day) by gavage, after the 10th dayof induction. At 9 days of treatment, mice were euthanized and CNS was removed for the analysis. The profiles ofIL-17, T-bet, GATA-3, and the possible remyelination properties were investigated in the central nervous system(CNS) by immunohistochemistry and Weigert–Pal–Russel’s method, respectively. BCP group (50 mg/kg/day) showeda reduction of IL-17 in brain, cerebellum, and medulla (p < 0.05) and a decrease of T-bet (p < 0.05) in medullaand cerebellum, while GATA-3 was increased (p < 0.05) in cerebellum. In both BCP-treated groups were observedremyelination and better organization of myelin. In conclusion, BCP possesses markedly in vivo anti-inflammatoryand neuroprotective activities and remyelination properties in EAE-mice.

Inhibitory Effects of β-caryophyllene on Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Randomized Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections, which cause a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms, are common in South Korea. Recent reports have shown a decline in the H. pylori eradication rates. β-caryophyllene is a natural bicyclic sesquiterpene that occurs in a wide range of plant species, such as cloves, basil, and cinnamon. β-caryophyllene has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects. This study investigated the inhibitory effects of β-caryophyllene on H. pylori and its potential role as an alternative gastrointestinal drug.METHODS: This 8-week, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial categorized subjects into a β-caryophyllene group (33 patients who received 126 mg/day of β-caryophyllene) and a placebo group (33 patients who received a placebo preparation). The inflammation level of H. pylori infiltration and the eradication rates were evaluated endoscopically and with the urea breath test (UBT) in both groups before and after administering the medication. The serum cytokine levels (tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin [IL]-1β and IL-6) were compared in both groups before and after administering the medication.RESULTS: Complete eradication was not observed in either group. Moreover, there was no significant change in the UBT and updated Sydney score. On the other hand, the β-caryophyllene group showed significant improvement in nausea (p=0.025) and epigastric pain (p=0.018), as well as a decrease in the serum IL-1β levels (p=0.038).CONCLUSIONS: β-caryophyllene improves dyspepsia symptoms and can be considered a useful supplementary treatment for gastrointestinal disease.

Simultaneous Determination of Contents of 6 Components in the Oil of Blumea balsamifera by GC / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE： To establish a method for simultaneous determination of contents of β-pinene， linalool， L-camphor， L-borneol， β-caryophyllene and xanthoxylin in the oil of Blumea balsamifera. METHODS： GC method was adopted. The determination was performed on RTX-1701 capillary column （programmed temperature）. The FID detector was controlled at 240 ℃. The inlet temperature was set at 240 ℃. The carrier gas was high-purity nitrogen 3 mL/min. The the sample size was 0.5 μL， and split ratio was 50 ∶ 1. RESULTS： The linear range of β-pinene， linalool， L-camphor， L-borneol， β-caryophyllene and xanthoxylin were 0.029 7-0.267 1 mg/mL （r＝0.999 9）， 0.024 3-0.218 9 mg/mL （r＝0.999 9）， 0.126 0-1.134 0 mg/mL （r＝0.999 9）， 0.217 2-1.954 8 mg/mL （r＝0.999 9）， 0.136 3-1.226 9 mg/mL （r＝0.999 9）， 0.044 5-0.400 3 mg/mL（r＝0.999 5）， respectively. The limits of quantitation were 0.028 5， 0.008 7， 0.018 6， 0.016 8， 0.014 5， 0.042 1 mg/mL； the limits of detection were 0.009 4， 0.002 9， 0.006 1， 0.005 5， 0.004 8， 0.013 9 mg/mL， respectively. RSDs of precision， stability， reproducibility and durability tests were all lower than 3％. The average recoveries were 98.13％-101.30％（RSD＝1.20％，n＝9），98.44％-101.81％（RSD＝1.28％，n＝9），98.26％-101.05％（RSD＝1.19％，n＝9），99.08％-101.58％（RSD＝0.89％，n＝9），98.66％-101.66％（RSD＝1.17％，n＝9），98.84％-103.60％（RSD＝0.96％，n＝9）， respectively. The contents of 6 components in the sample were 14.552-46.766， 16.951-22.096， 80.597-113.115， 205.224-242.537， 47.761-135.697， 26.493-45.771 mg/g， respectively. CONCLUSIONS： The established method is simple， accurate， precise and reproducible， which can be used for simultaneous determination of contents of 6 components in the oil of B. balsamifera. It can provide reference for comprehensive evaluation and extraction technology study of the oil of B. balsamifera.

Inhibitory Effects of β-caryophyllene on Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Randomized Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections, which cause a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms, are common in South Korea. Recent reports have shown a decline in the H. pylori eradication rates. β-caryophyllene is a natural bicyclic sesquiterpene that occurs in a wide range of plant species, such as cloves, basil, and cinnamon. β-caryophyllene has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects. This study investigated the inhibitory effects of β-caryophyllene on H. pylori and its potential role as an alternative gastrointestinal drug. METHODS: This 8-week, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial categorized subjects into a β-caryophyllene group (33 patients who received 126 mg/day of β-caryophyllene) and a placebo group (33 patients who received a placebo preparation). The inflammation level of H. pylori infiltration and the eradication rates were evaluated endoscopically and with the urea breath test (UBT) in both groups before and after administering the medication. The serum cytokine levels (tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin [IL]-1β and IL-6) were compared in both groups before and after administering the medication. RESULTS: Complete eradication was not observed in either group. Moreover, there was no significant change in the UBT and updated Sydney score. On the other hand, the β-caryophyllene group showed significant improvement in nausea (p=0.025) and epigastric pain (p=0.018), as well as a decrease in the serum IL-1β levels (p=0.038). CONCLUSIONS: β-caryophyllene improves dyspepsia symptoms and can be considered a useful supplementary treatment for gastrointestinal disease.

Advance in main functional ingredients and mechanism of anticancer plant essential oils / 中草药

Cancer is a serious threat to human health with a high fatality rate. Modern anticancer methods, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, commonly have more serious side effects. Anticancer plant essential oils which now attach great importance to cancer treatment, have many advantages such as multi-target, multi-effect, low adverse reaction, improving the body immunity, not easy to produce drug resistance, etc. The main active ingredients and the anticancer mechanism of essential oils were reviewed in this paper. Nineteen kinds of plant essential oils, including Cymbopogon flexuosus, Salvia officinalis, Lycopus lucidus, Lavandula angustifolia, Smyrnium olusatrum, peel of Citrus reticulate, leaves of Myrica rubra, and so on, displayed their prominent anti-cancer activities. Specifically, limonene, β-elemene, menthol, patchouli alcohol, thymol, eugenol, citral, β-caryophyllene, and their oxide may be the main anticancer composition of plant essential oils.

β-caryophyllene mitigates cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in mice by inhibiting HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:investigate the effect of β-caryophyllene(BCP)on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(CIR)injury in mice.Methods: Mice were subjected to CIR with or without BCP(62,124,248 mg/kg).At 24 h of reperfusion,ischemic degrees were determined according to neurologic dysfunction score and cerebral infarct volume.The protein expression of Toll-like receptor(TLR)4 was measured by Western blot.Nuclear factor κB(NF-κB)p65 were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.IL-1β,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and serum high-mobility group box 1(HMGB1)levels were measured by ELISA kit.Results: Compared to the CIR group,BCP(248 mg/kg)reduced the neurological score and cerebral infarct volume.BCP reduced neuronal death in mice brain subjected to cerebral I/R.In addition,BCP also inhibited the activation of NF-κB pathway and decreased increases in TLR4,HMGB1,TNF-α,IL-1β levels by CIR(P<0.01).Conclusion: BCP protects mice brain against CIR injury,its neuroprotective mechanisms may involves HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

Simultaneous determination of camphor, isoborneol, L-borneol, β-caryophyllene and xanthoxylin in aifen by GC and hierarchical cluster analysis / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To establish a GC method for simultaneous determination of camphor, isoborneol, L-borneol, β-caryo-phyllene and xanthoxylin in aifen, combined with hierarchical cluster analysis. METHODS: The GC analysis was carried out on HP-5 capillary column (30 m × 0.32 mm, 0.25 μm). Temperature programs; 90℃ (hold 2 min) programmed to 100℃ at 4℃ · min-1, then programmed to 160℃ (hold 6 min) at 20℃ · min-1. The detector was FID with 240℃. The inlet temperature was set at 240℃. The carrying gas was high-purity nitrogen (3.0 mL · min-1), split ratio was 50:1, injection volume was 0.5 μL. Cluster analysis was performed by SPSS16.0 software. RESULTS: The methodology validation for the assay of camphor, isoborneol, l-horneol, β-caryophyllene and xanthoxylin presented that they were in good liner correlation in the ranges of 0.02-0.32 (r=1.000 0), 0.01-0.08(r=1.000 0), 0.20-7.95(r=1.000 0), 0.01-0.40(r=1.0000), 0.08-0.67 mg · mL-1 (r=0.999 8), with the average recoveries (n=9) of 101.04% (RSD=1.04%), 99.08% (RSD=1.50%), 98.76% (RSD=1.67%), 99.85% (RSD=1.97%), 97.74% ( RSD=1.65%), respectively. The 24 batches of sample analyzed can be clustered into three classes according to the content of the five components. CONCLUSION: The developed method is simple, quick and accurate, which provides reference for the quality control of aifen.

Chemical Composition of the Leaf Essential Oils of Croton zambesicus Müll.-Arg. Grown in Lagos, South-West Nigeria.

The chemical composition of the leaf essential oil of Croton zambesicus Müll.-Arg., collected from Agbara-Lagos, Nigeria, was analysed by means of Gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and Gas chromatography coupled with Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sixty constituents accounting for 98.9% of the total oil contents were identified from the oil sample. The classes of compounds identified in the oil were monoterpene hydrocarbons (35.3%), oxygenated monoterpenes (22.9%), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (32.4%) and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (5.6%). The oil was dominated by β-pinene (15.1%), β-caryophyllene (12.6%), germacrene D (10.9%), camphor (7.3%), linalool (7.0%), sabinene (6.4%) and α-pinene (5.2%). Aims: The aim of the research is to investigate the volatile constituents from C. zambesicus harvested in Lagos, Nigeria. Study Design: Extraction of essential oil from the air-dried leaf samples of C. zambesicus and investigation of its chemical constituents. Place and Duration of Study: Leaf samples of C. zambesicus were collected from Agbara, Lagos, on April 2011. Methodology: Air-dried and pulverized leaves were hydrodistilled in a Clevenger-type apparatus to obtained pale yellow volatile oil whose chemical constituents was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Results: A total of sixty compounds were identified, amounting to 98.9%of the total oil contents. The major were compounds β-pinene (15.1%), β-caryophyllene (12.6%), germacrene D (10.9%) and camphor (7.3%). Variations in compositional pattern were observed between this result and the previous studies. Conclusion: The literature about the C. zambesicus indicates a high variability in the chemical composition of the essential oils.