Six undescribed derivatives of stilbene isolated from Lindera reflexa Hemsl. and their anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activities.

Six undescribed stilbene derivatives Reflexanbene DH (1-4, 6) and Reflexanbene J (5), as well as one known stilbene 3,5-dimethoxystilbene (7), were isolated from the dried roots of Lindera reflexa Hemsl. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated using spectroscopy and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analysis. In cytotoxic assays, moderately inhibitory activities of Reflexanbene F (3) against MGC80-3 and A549 cell lines were observed, with IC50 values of 15.42 and 5.09 µM, respectively. The IC50 value of Reflexanbene E (2) on A549 cell lines was 19.78 µM. The isolated compounds were also tested for their inhibitory effect against LPS-induced NO and IL-6 production in RAW 264.7 cells. In particular, Reflexanbene J (5) and Reflexanbene H (6) showed significant inhibition of NO production in LPS-stimulated macrophage RAW 264.7 cells at the concentration of 20 µM. Furthermore, the expression of IL-6 protein in the LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells can also be significantly inhibited by different concentrations (5, 10 and 20 µM, p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) of compounds 1-7.

Gastroprotective effect of an active ingredients group of Lindera reflexa Hemsl. On Ethanol-Induced gastric ulcers in Rats: Involvement of VEGFR2/ERK and TLR-2/Myd88 signaling pathway.

Lindera reflexa Hemsl. (LR) has been used for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. The present study was carried out to investigate the gastroprotective effect of an active ingredients group of Lindera reflexa Hemsl. (LRG) on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in rats and its possible mechanisms. The ulcer area was measured, and samples of gastric tissue were taken for histochemical, pathological, and biochemical analyses. Pretreatment with LRG protected the gastric mucosa as seen by reduction the GUI and gastric juice volume, regulated gastric acid secretion. LRG counteracted the ethanol-induced oxidative stress by increasing the levels of depleted SOD and CAT as well as significantly attenuating the lipid peroxidation by reducing the levels of MDA and MPO. LRG also reduced release of inflammatory mediator TNF-α, increased the content of PGE2 and inhibited MTL secretion. Immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses confirmed that the co-localization of TLR-2 and MyD88 protein in the gastric mucosa of LRG-treated rats was significantly lower than that of rats with gastric ulcers. Furthermore, LRG also modulated the expression of Ki-67 antigens. LRG markedly increased the expression of phosphorylated form of extracellular signal-regulated kinaseVEGFR2, ERK1/2, AKT and p38, thereby protecting the gastric mucosa. These findings indicated that the gastroprotective effect of LRG is attributable to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antisecretory properties. In addition, LRG can ameliorate ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats by regulating the VEGFR2/ERK and TLR-2/MyD88 signaling pathways.

rs9390123 and rs9399451 influence the DNA repair capacity of lung cancer by regulating PEX3 and PHACTR2­AS1 expression instead of PHACTR2.

Lung cancer is a common cancer type, and has the highest mortality rate in the world. A genome­wide association study suggests that the genetic marker rs9390123 is significantly associated with DNA repair capacity (DRC) in lung cancer. Analysis of the data derived from the 1000 Genomes Project indicated that there is another single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs9399451, in strong linkage disequilibrium with rs9390123 in Caucasian individuals, thus suggesting that this SNP could be associated with DRC. However, the causal SNP and mechanism of DRC remain unclear. In the present study, dual luciferase assay results indicated that both SNPs are functional in lung cells. Through chromosome conformation capture, an enhancer containing the two functional SNPs was observed to bind the promoter of peroxisomal biogenesis factor 3 and phosphatase and actin regulator 2 antisense RNA 1 (PHACTR2­AS1). Knockdown of PHACTR2­AS1 could significantly influence lung cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and wound healing, which verified that PHACTR2­AS1 is a novel oncogene for lung cancer. Through chromatin immunoprecipitation, the transcription factor POU class 2 homeobox 1 (POU2F1) was identified to bind to the surrounding segments of these two SNPs, and their interaction was investigated. The present study identified the mechanism via which rs9390123 and rs9399451 could influence DRC.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of halogenated furanone derivatives as quorum sensing inhibitors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is regulated by a phenomenon of quorum sensing (QS). With 5-hydroxyl-3,4-halogenated-5H-furan-2-ones as beginning, analogs bearing alkyl chains, vinyl bromide, or aromatic rings were designed and synthesized. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the compounds against P. aeruginosa was assayed and the biofilm inhibition ratio was determined at different concentrations lower than the MIC. C-5 aromatic substituted furanones showed remarkable biofilm formation as well as inhibition of virulence factor production in P. aeruginosa. Fluorescence report analysis identified the QS regulatory mechanism of the most active compound 29. This study provides us a novel candidate for combating drug resistant bacteria strains by merely inhibiting biofilm formation. Without suppressing the regular life cycle of the bacteria, bacterial resistance mechanisms may not be activated.

Novel 2, 8-bit derivatives of quinolines attenuate Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence and biofilm formation.

Signal molecules are stimulators of multiple quroum-sensing virulence and biofilm formation. Small molecule analogues have been suspected as a potent inhibitor in therapeutic strategy. Herein, we synthesized a series of small molecule compounds from the 2, 8-bit derivatives of quinoline by Suzuki coupling reaction. We found that these compounds have the biofilm inhibitory effect in normal condition instead of phosphate limitation state. Furthermore, lacZ reporter strain assay and rhamnolipids as well as pyocyanin experiments showed that these compounds did not affect las and pqs system but reduced the expression of rhl. All these results suggest that quinoline derivatives can be treated as potent inhibitors against biofilm and reduce virulence through the rhl system. This research will be useful in designing new quorum sensing inhibitors to attenuate the infection of bacteria.

Modeling mass transfer and reaction of dilute solutes in a ternary phase system by the lattice Boltzmann method.

In this work, we propose a general approach for modeling mass transfer and reaction of dilute solute(s) in incompressible three-phase flows by introducing a collision operator in lattice Boltzmann (LB) method. An LB equation was used to simulate the solute dynamics among three different fluids, in which the newly expanded collision operator was used to depict the interface behavior of dilute solute(s). The multiscale analysis showed that the presented model can recover the macroscopic transport equations derived from the Maxwell-Stefan equation for dilute solutes in three-phase systems. Compared with the analytical equation of state of solute and dynamic behavior, these results are proven to constitute a generalized framework to simulate solute distributions in three-phase flows, including compound soluble in one phase, compound adsorbed on single-interface, compound in two phases, and solute soluble in three phases. Moreover, numerical simulations of benchmark cases, such as phase decomposition, multilayered planar interfaces, and liquid lens, were performed to test the stability and efficiency of the model. Finally, the multiphase mass transfer and reaction in Janus droplet transport in a straight microchannel were well reproduced.

Antibacterial Biphenanthrenes from the Fibrous Roots of Bletilla striata.

Four new 9',10'-dihydro-biphenanthrenes, including an unprecedented 1,2'-linked biphenanthrene, 4,7,3',5'-tetramethoxy-9',10'-dihydro(1,2'-biphenanthrene)-2,7'-diol (1), a new 1,3'-linked biphenanthrene, 4,7,7'-trimethoxy-9',10'-dihydro(1,3'-biphenanthrene)-2,2',5'-triol (2), and two new 1,1'-linked biphenanthrenes, 4,7,4'-trimethoxy-9',10'-dihydro(1,1'-biphenanthrene)-2,2',7'-triol (3) and 4,7,3',5'-tetramethoxy-9',10'-dihydro(1,1'-biphenanthrene)-2,2',7'-triol (4), as well as two known biphenanthrenes (5, 6), were isolated from a 95% ethanol extract of the fibrous roots of Bletilla striata. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic and spectrometric methods. Atropisomerism of these compounds was considered based on their chiral optical properties and potential energy surface scans at the ab initio HF/3-21G level, which revealed their racemic mixture form. Compounds 2-6 showed potent antibacterial activities against six Gram-positive bacterial strains.

Lasiodiplodia sp. ME4-2, an endophytic fungus from the floral parts of Viscum coloratum, produces indole-3-carboxylic acid and other aromatic metabolites.

BACKGROUND: Studies on endophytes, a relatively under-explored group of microorganisms, are currently popular amongst biologists and natural product researchers. A fungal strain (ME4-2) was isolated from flower samples of mistletoe (Viscum coloratum) during a screening program for endophytes. As limited information on floral endophytes is available, the aim of the present study is to characterise fungal endophytes using their secondary metabolites. RESULTS: ME4-2 grew well in both natural and basic synthetic media but produced no conidia. Sequence analysis of its internal transcribed spacer rDNA demonstrated that ME4-2 forms a distinct branch within the genus Lasiodiplodia and is closely related to L. pseudotheobromae. This floral endophyte was thus identified as Lasiodiplodia sp. based on its molecular biological characteristics. Five aromatic compounds, including cyclo-(Trp-Ala), indole-3-carboxylic acid (ICA), indole-3-carbaldehyde, mellein and 2-phenylethanol, were found in the culture. The structures of these compounds were determined using spectroscopic methods combined with gas chromatography. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first to report isolation of these aromatic metabolites from a floral endophyte. Interestingly, ICA, a major secondary metabolite produced by ME4-2, seemed to be biosynthesized via an unusual pathway. Furthermore, our results indicate that the fungus ME4-2 is a potent producer of 2-phenylethanol, which is a common component of floral essential oils. CONCLUSIONS: This study introduces a fungal strain producing several important aromatic metabolites with pharmaceutical or food applications and suggests that endophytic fungi isolated from plant flowers are promising natural sources of aromatic compounds.