ABSTRACT
Abstract: A non-fullerene molecule named Y6 was incorporated into a binary blend of PBDB-T and IT-M to further enhance photon harvesting in the near-infrared (near-IR) region. Compared with PBDB-T/IT-M binary blend devices, PBDB-T/IT-M/Y6 ternary blend devices exhibited an improved short-circuit current density (JSC) from 15.34 to 19.09 mA cm-2. As a result, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increased from 10.65% to 12.50%. With an increasing weight ratio of Y6, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) was enhanced at around 825 nm, which is ascribed to the absorption of Y6. At the same time, EQE was also enhanced at around 600-700 nm, which is ascribed to the absorption of IT-M, although the optical absorption intensity of IT-M decreased with increasing weight ratio of Y6. This is because of the efficient energy transfer from IT-M to Y6, which can collect the IT-M exciton lost in the PBDB-T/IT-M binary blend. Interestingly, the EQE spectra of PBDB-T/IT-M/Y6 ternary blend devices were not only increased but also red-shifted in the near-IR region with increasing weight ratio of Y6. This finding suggests that the absorption spectrum of Y6 is dependent on the weight ratio of Y6, which is probably due to different aggregation states depending on the weight ratio. This aggregate property of Y6 was also studied in terms of surface energy.
ABSTRACT
Caper (Capparis spinosa L.) fruits have been widely used as food and folk medicine in the Mediterranean basin and in central and west Asia. In this study, two biflavonoids, isoginkgetin, and ginkgetin, together with three other flavonoids, were isolated from caper fruits. Their chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses and comparison with literature. To our knowledge, isoginkgetin, ginkgetin and sakuranetin were identified in caper for the first time. Notably, it is also the first time that biflavonoids have ever been found in the Capparidaceae. Concentrations of the two biflavonoids were measured in caper fruits collected from four major growing areas in northwest China. The anti-inflammatory effects of the flavonoids from caper fruits were evaluated by secreted placental alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) reporter assay, which was designed to measure nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation. Isoginkgetin and ginkgetin showed inhibitory effects in initial screen at 20 µM, while the effect of ginkgetin was much greater than that of isoginkgetin. In a dose-response experiment, the IC(50) value of ginkgetin was estimated at 7.5 µM, suggesting it could be a strong NF-κB inhibitor and worthy of study in vivo.
Subject(s)
Biflavonoids/analysis , Biflavonoids/pharmacology , Capparis/chemistry , Fruit/chemistry , NF-kappa B/antagonists & inhibitors , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Biflavonoids/isolation & purification , China , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Flavonoids/analysis , Flavonoids/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Caper (Capparis spinosa L.) fruits have been used as food as well as folk medicine in the treatment of inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatism. The present study was carried out to study the anti-inflammatory activities of C. spinosa L. fruit (CSF) aqueous extract and to isolate main phytochemicals from its bioactive fractions. The CSF aqueous extract were separated into three fractions (CSF1-CSF3) by macroporous adsorption resins. The fractions CSF2 and CSF3 effectively inhibited the carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice. Systematic fractionation and isolation from CSF2+3 led to the identification of 13 compounds (1-13). Their chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) and literature comparisons. Major compounds found in the bioactive fraction CSF2+3 are flavonoids, indoles, and phenolic acids. To our knowledge, 8 of these 13 compounds (1-4, 6-7, 10, and 13) were identified from caper fruits for the first time. The anti-inflammatory effects of these purified compounds are currently under investigation.
Subject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Capparis/chemistry , Edema/drug therapy , Plant Extracts/isolation & purification , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/analysis , Capparis/immunology , Carrageenan/adverse effects , Disease Models, Animal , Edema/chemically induced , Edema/immunology , Fruit/chemistry , Fruit/immunology , Humans , Male , Mice , Plant Extracts/analysisABSTRACT
Total ethanol extract and saponins from Chinese herb radix Astragali (huangqi) have been previously shown to possess anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) activities in vitro. To identify the active ingredients, we isolated a triterpenoid saponin that was determined to be astragaloside IV. In the human HBV-transfected liver cell line HepG(2) 2.2.15, astragaloside IV effectively suppressed secretion of HBV antigens with inhibition rates of 23.6% for the secretion of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and 22.9% for that of Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) at 100 microg/ml after 9 d of treatment. The inhibitory activity of astragaloside IV on secretion of HBV antigens is more potent than that of 3TC without significant cytotoxicity. In duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV)-infected ducklings, astragaloside IV caused 64.0% inhibition at 120 mg/kg, 49.6% inhibition at 40 mg/kg, and 41.7% inhibition at 10 mg/kg to serum DHBVs after 10 d of treatment, and also reduced serum DHBV DNA levels. Together, our results demonstrate that astragaloside IV possesses potent anti-HBV activity.
