[Analysis of chemical components of volatile oil from Paris polyphylla and their antibacterial activities].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the chemical components of volatile oil from Paris polyphylla by GC-MS, and to investigate their antimicrobial activities. METHODS: The chemical compositions of essential oil, which from Paris polyphylla obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide, were analyzed by GC-MS, and their antibacterial properties for five common pathogens were screened by filter paper method. RESULTS: The components in the volatile oils were analyzed by GC-MS, and 75 compounds comprising for 98.46% of the essential oil were identified. The major components of essential oil were phthalic acid-isobutyl-hex-3-enyl ester, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, 2 (1H)-naphthalenone, octahydro-4alpha-methyl-7-(1-methylethyl)-, glycerin, 9-octadecenoic acid-methyl ester, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid-butyl-2-methylpropyl ester, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, 2-myristynoyl-glycinamide, ethanol, 2-(9,12) -octadecadienyloxy, hexadecanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethyl ester, dodecanoic acid, 10-methyl, methyl ester, diglycerol and 3,3-diethoxy-1-propanol; The bacteriostatic experiment results indicated that this volatile oil had strong inhibitory effects on Micrococcus, Aerobacter and Brevibacterium, whereas it had poor effects Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris. CONCLUSION: The experiment provides a scientific basis for further development and utilization of Paris polyphylla.

One new antitumour cassane-type diterpene from Caesalpinia crista.

1α-acetoxy-5α, 7ß-dihydroxycassa-11,13(15)-diene-16,12-lactone, a new cassane-type diterpene was isolated from Caesalpinia crista. The structure of this compound was elucidated by analysis of NMR spectra, and the relative configuration was established by NOE experiment. The new compound was evaluated for antitumour activity against T47D, DU145 and showed significant inhibitory activities.

[Bioaccumulation of heavy metals by the dominant plants growing in Huayuan manganese and lead/zinc mineland, Xiangxi].

Heavy metal pollution is a major environmental problem of mine wasteland. Finding out the tolerant plants, which can adapt to the local climate and the soil conditions, is the premise of vegetation restoration. An extensive vegetation survey and sampling were conducted in Huayuan Mn and Pb/Zn mineland, 76 species belonging to 69 genera and 39 families were recorded. The main dominant species and their associated soils were determined for heavy metal concentrations. The results showed that soil Pb, Zn and Cd levels exceeded the threshold levels of Class II of China Environmental Quality Standard for Soils, which suggested minesoils might be polluted by the three elements. The main dominant plants can adapt to the unfavorable edaphic conditions of mineland and were tolerant to heavy metals. There were great variations of metal uptake and accumulation among different plant species. They were classified into three types according to the metal concentrations in the plant shoots and roots: the accumulator, e. g. Camellia oleifera and Dicranopteris dichotoma, absorbed a large amount of heavy metals by the roots and transported to the shoots, which can be used to clean up the soils containing light to moderate toxic metal concentration and with high-value; the root compartment, e. g. Rubus tephrodes, R. corchorifolius, R. chroosepalus, Artemisia princeps and Pteridium aquilinum also absorbed a large amount of heavy metals but held in the roots; and the excluder, e. g. Miscanthus sinensis, Imperata cylindrica, Indocalamus tessellatus and Toddalia asiatica, absorbed less heavy metals than the accumulators. The root compartment and the excluder were more suitable for remediation of the mine wastelands with high heavy metal concentration, low-value and extensive area.

[Studies on phonological phases of cultivated Polygonatum].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the phonological phases of cultivated Polygonatum by investigating the dynamic pattern of its growth and development, which would provide the guides for normal planting in the field. METHODS: Fix-point and real-time observation combining with comprehensive survey were used in the field. RESULT: Cultivated Polygonatum had obvious processes of development including emergence of seedlings, extension of leaves, growth of stems and leaves, floral initiation, flowering, seed setting, death of plant-germinating-in-spring, plant shoot regeneration and hibernating shoot emergence, and hibernation with dead aerial part of plant. There were small differences in these processes of development among species and sites, but the whole phonological pattern hold relatively constant. CONCLUSION: The phonological phases of Polygonatum with eight stages, including seedlings emergence stage, plant extension stage, leaves extension stage, anthesis stage, seed stage, aerial part death stage, germination-in-autumn stage, and hibernation stage, were finally determined.

(Z)-2-Acetamido-3-(4-chloro-phen-yl)acrylic acid.

In the title compound, C(11)H(10)ClNO(3), the mol-ecule consists of a benzene ring and an acetamido-acrylic acid unit on opposite sides of the C=C double bond. In the crystal, inter-molecular O-H⋯O and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds assemble the mol-ecules into infinite two-dimensional ribbons. These ribbons are linked into a network by inter-molecular C-H⋯π contacts.

(Z)-2-Hydr-oxy-3-(4-methoxy-phen-yl)acrylic acid.

In the structure of the title compound, C(10)H(10)O(4), inversion dimers linked by pairs of O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the carboxylic acid groups. Further O-H⋯O links cross-link the dimers into sheets running along the b-axis direction.