Anoectochiluszhongshanensis (Orchidaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China.

A new species of Anoectochilus (Orchidaceae) from Guangxi, China, A.zhongshanensis, is described here, which was identified based on phylogenetic studies adopting combined plastid markers (rbcL-matK-trnL-F), morphological observation and chemical analysis. Molecular phylogenetic results support the systematic status of A.zhongshanensis as a new species in Anoectochilus genus. Morphologically, this new species is similar to A.zhejiangensis and A.malipoensis, but differs by its characteristic labellum and column, including the hastate or scalpel-shaped lobes of epichile, forward curved and pinnately divided cristate lobes at both sides of the mesochile and inverted triangle column wings. Furthermore, HPLC-ELSD analysis of these three species revealed the interesting chemotaxonomic difference that the principle and characteristic lactone glycoside in this new species was kinsenoside, rather than its diastereoisomer, goodyeroside A, a major glycoside in A.zhejiangensis and A.malipoensis.

Influence of slope angle on deposit morphology and propagation of laboratory landslides.

Landslide deposits often exhibit surface features, such as transverse ridges and X-shaped conjugate troughs, whose physical formation origins are not well understood. To study the deposit morphology, laboratory studies typically focus on the simplest landslide geometry: an inclined plane accelerating the sliding mass immediately followed by its deceleration on a horizontal plane. However, existing experiments have been conducted only for a limited range of the slope angle θ. Here, we study the effect of θ on the kinematics and deposit morphology of laboratory landslides along a low-friction base, measured using an advanced 3D scanner. At low θ (30°-35°), we find transverse ridges formed by overthrusting on the landslide deposits. At moderate θ (40°-55°), conjugate troughs form. A Mohr-Coulomb failure model predicts the angle enclosed by the X-shaped troughs as 90° - φ, with φ the internal friction angle, in agreement with our experiments and a natural landslide. This supports the speculation that conjugate troughs form due to failure associated with a triaxial shear stress. At high θ (60°-85°), a double-upheaval morphology forms because the rear of the sliding mass impacts the front during the transition from the slope to the horizontal plane. The overall surface area of the landslides increases during their downslope motion and then decreases during their runout.

Corrigendum to "Quantitative determination of multi-class bioactive constituents for quality assessment of ten Anoectochilus, four Goodyera and one Ludisia species in China" [Chinese Herbal Medicines 12 (2020) 430-439].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.chmed.2020.07.002.].

Quantitative determination of multi-class bioactive constituents for quality assessment of ten Anoectochilus, four Goodyera and one Ludisia species in China.

Objective: To establish multi-class bioactive constituents' determination of ten Anoectochilus, four Goodyera and one Ludisia species, and provide reference for the improvement of their quality control. Methods: HPLC-ELSD and phenol-sulphuric acid methods were used for the quantitative determination of lactone glycosides (kinsenoside and its diastereoisomer, goodyeroside A) and polysaccharides, respectively, while an efficient iHPLC-MS/MS method was established for rapid determination of other minor constituents in ten Anoectochilus species and five related species. Results: The contents of kinsenoside, goodyeroside A, polysaccharides and flavonoids varied notably almost in all tested samples, including both wild plants and tissue cultures. In particular, kinsenoside was the major lactone glycoside in A. roxburghii, A. formosanus, A. xingrenensis, A. nandanensis, A. brevilabris and A. burmannicus, whereas goodyeroside A was the predominant constituent in A. lylei, A. longilobus, A. elatus, A. zhejiangensis, G. schlechtendaliana, G. biflora, G. yangmeishanensi, G. repens and Ludisia discolor. Conclusion: Our present study suggested that A. lylei, A. longilobus, A. elatus, A. zhejiangensis, Ludisia discolor and Goodyera species cannot be used as alternatives for A. roxburghii, and goodyeroside A may be reasonably used as a diagnostic marker for distinguishing A. roxburghii from A. lylei, A. longilobus, A. elatus and A. zhejiangensis, Goodyera and Ludisia species. The established method thus could be potentially used for the quality evaluation and control of Anoectochilus and some related species.

Berberine inhibits adipocyte differentiation, proliferation and adiposity through down-regulating galectin-3.

This study is designed to investigate the effects of berberine (BBR) on galectin-3 (Gal-3) and the relationships to its suppressive activities on adipocyte differentiation, proliferation and adiposity. Our results showed that BBR greatly suppressed the differentiation and proliferation of mouse primary preadipocytes isolated from epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), during which the expression level of Gal-3 was down-regulated significantly. Overexpression of Gal-3 totally abolished the suppressive activities of BBR on Gal-3 expression, preadipocyte differentiation and proliferation. BBR reduced Gal-3 promoter activity, destabilized its mRNA and inhibited firefly luciferase activity of a recombinant plasmid containing the Gal-3 3' untranslated region (UTR). Furthermore, BBR up-regulated microRNA (miRNA) let-7d expression and the suppressive activity on Gal-3 3'UTR was abolished by point mutation on the let-7d binding site. In mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), BBR up-regulated let-7d and down-regulated Gal-3 expression in eWAT; it also suppressed adipocyte differentiation and proliferation and reduced adiposity greatly. In summary, our study proves that BBR inhibits the differentiation and proliferation of adipocytes through down-regulating Gal-3, which is closely associated with its anti-obesity effect. Our results may support the future clinical application of BBR for the treatment of obesity or related diseases.

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of monotropein and deacetyl asperulosidic acid after oral administration of extracts from Morinda officinalis root in rats.

BACKGROUND: Iridoid glycosides (IGs), including monotropein (MON) and deacetyl asperulosidic acid (DA) as the main ingredients, are the major chemical components in Morinda officinalis How. (MO) root, possessing various pharmacological properties including anti-osteoporosis, anti-inflammation and anti-rheumatism activities.The aim of the present study was to further elucidate the pharmacological actions of MO by investigating the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of IGs in MO. METHODS: An ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of MON and DA levels in plasma and various tissues of Wistar rats. MON, DA and acetaminophen (ACE) as the internal standard (IS) were extracted from rat plasma and tissue samples by direct deproteinization with methanol. The rats were administered orally at 1650 mg/kg MO and 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg MO iridoid glycosides (MOIGs) or intravenously at MOIG 25 mg/kg for pharmacokinetic study of MON and DA. In addition, 100 mg/kg MOIG was administered orally for tissue distribution study of MON and DA. Non-compartmental pharmacokinetic profiles were constructed. Tissue distributions were calculated according to the validated methods. RESULTS: Significant differences in the pharmacokinetic parameters were observed in male and female rats. The AUC0-t, Cmax and bioavailability of MON and DA in female rats were higher than those in male rats. MON and DA mainly distributed in the intestine and stomach after oral administration, and noteworthily high concentrations of MON and DA were detected in the rat hypothalamus. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study may shed new lights on the biological behavior of MOIGs in vivo, help explain their pharmacological actions, and provide experimental clues for rational clinical use of these IGs extracted from the MO root.

Spatial-temporal dynamics of carbon emissions and carbon sinks in economically developed areas of China: a case study of Guangdong Province.

This study analysed spatial-temporal dynamics of carbon emissions and carbon sinks in Guangdong Province, South China. The methodology was based on land use/land cover data interpreted from continuous high-resolution satellite images and energy consumption statistics, using carbon emission/sink factor method. The results indicated that: (1) From 2005 to 2013, different land use/land cover types in Guangdong experienced varying degrees of change in area, primarily the expansion of built-up land and shrinkage of forest land and grassland; (2) Total carbon emissions increased sharply, from 76.11 to 140.19 TgC yr-1 at the provincial level, with an average annual growth rate of 10.52%, while vegetation carbon sinks declined slightly, from 54.52 to 53.20 TgC yr-1. Both factors showed significant regional differences, with Pearl River Delta and North Guangdong contributing over 50% to provincial carbon emissions and carbon sinks, respectively; (3) Correlation analysis showed social-economic factors (GDP per capita and permanent resident population) have significant positive impacts on carbon emissions at the provincial and city levels; (4) The relationship between economic growth and carbon emission intensity suggests that carbon emission efficiency in Guangdong improves with economic growth. This study provides new insight for Guangdong to achieve carbon reduction goals and realize low-carbon development.

Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Activities of Crude Polysaccharide Extracts from Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes), by Ultrasonic-Circulating Extraction.

We recently proposed, and successfully applied, a novel and efficient technique-ultrasonic-circulating extraction (UCE) integrating superfine pulverization-to extract and prepare antioxidant crude polysaccharides other natural active substances from Ganoderma lucidum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities and active ingredients in the powder from UCE (UCEP) through comparison with powder from hot water extraction (HWEP). The DPPH radical, ABTS radical, superoxide anion, total antioxidant activity, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay results showed that the UCEP exhibited stronger (P < 0.01) in vitro antioxidant activity than the HWEP. The hepatoprotective activity of the extracts was evaluated against CCl4-induced oxidative damage in the liver. Measurements of reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and malondialdehyde in rat liver; measurements of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and lactate dehydrogenase in rat blood; and Western blotting for antioxidant proteins of transforming growth factor-ß1, heme-oxygenase 1, and glutathione per-oxidase showed that the UCEP had antioxidant activity in vivo either similar to or slightly stronger than (P < 0.1) the HWEP. Further analysis of the active ingredients revealed that the UCEP and HWEP have similar mean yield and total triterpenoid content, but the former has significantly higher (P < 0.05) mean yield and total polysaccharide content than the latter. Our results suggest that the UCEP displays stronger antioxidant activities because of the larger amount of total polysaccharides; the UCEP may be able to be used as an antioxidant and liver protectant.

Serum tumor-associated autoantibodies as diagnostic biomarkers for lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: We performed a comprehensive review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic values of serum single and multiplex tumor-associated autoantibodies (TAAbs) in patients with lung cancer (LC). METHODS: We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for relevant studies investigating serum TAAbs for the diagnosis of LC. The primary outcomes included sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the test. RESULTS: The systematic review and meta-analysis included 31 articles with single autoantibody and 39 with multiplex autoantibodies. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was the most common detection method. For the diagnosis of patients with all stages and early-stage LC, different single or combinations of TAAbs demonstrated different diagnostic values. Although individual TAAbs showed low diagnostic sensitivity, the combination of multiplex autoantibodies offered relatively high sensitivity. For the meta-analysis of a same panel of autoantibodies in patients at all stages of LC, the pooled results of the panel of 6 TAAbs (p53, NY-ESO-1, CAGE, GBU4-5, Annexin 1 and SOX2) were: sensitivity 38% (95% CI 0.35-0.40), specificity 89% (95% CI 0.86-0.91), diagnostic accuracy 65.9% (range 62.5-81.8%), AUC 0.52 (0.48-0.57), while the summary estimates of 7 TAAbs (p53, CAGE, NY-ESO-1, GBU4-5, SOX2, MAGE A4 and Hu-D) were: sensitivity 47% (95% CI 0.34-0.60), specificity 90% (95% CI 0.89-0.92), diagnostic accuracy 78.4% (range 67.5-88.8%), AUC 0.90 (0.87-0.93). For the meta-analysis of the same panel of autoantibodies in patients at early-stage of LC, the sensitivities of both panels of 7 TAAbs and 6 TAAbs were 40% and 29.7%, while their specificities were 91% and 87%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Serum single or combinations of multiplex autoantibodies can be used as a tool for the diagnosis of LC patients at all stages or early-stage, but the combination of multiplex autoantibodies shows a higher detection capacity; the diagnostic value of the panel of 7 TAAbs is higher than the panel of 6 TAAbs, which may be used as potential biomarkers for the early detection of LC.

Anticancer and anti-angiogenic activities of extract from Actinidia eriantha Benth root.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The roots of Actinidia eriantha Benth (AER) are commonly used traditional folk medicine for the treatment of gastric carcinoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and breast carcinoma. Besides, the anti-proliferative and immunomodulatory effects of AER polysaccharides on tumor-bearing mice have been reported previously. AIM OF THE STUDY: This work was carried out to investigate the anticancer and anti-angiogenic activities of AER. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The growth inhibitory effects of ethanol extracts from the leaves (EEL), stems (EES) and roots (EER) of A. eriantha on human gastric carcinoma SGC7901 cells, human nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE2 cells, human breast carcinoma MCF7 cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were evaluated by MTT assay. The ethyl acetate fraction from EER (EA-EER) was further investigated for the anticancer activity against SGC7901 cells and the anti-angiogenic activity in HUVECs in vitro. The apoptosis in SGC7901 cells and HUVECs was confirmed by DAPI nuclear staining and flow cytometry analysis, the effect on cellular DNA fragmentation was detected in SGC7901 cells. And the cell cycle-arresting activity in HUVECs was determined by flow cytometry. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of EA-EER on cell migration in HUVECs was observed by both wound-healing and Transwell migration assays. RT-PCR and Western-blotting were performed to determine the mRNA and protein expression levels, respectively, including Bax, Bcl-2 and caspase-3 in SGC7901 cells, as well as VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 in HUVECs. Furthermore, the in vivo anti-angiogenic activity of EA-EER was evaluated by using chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Ultimately, the chemical components in EA-EER were isolated and purified by repeated column chromatography followed by structure characterization using 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. RESULTS: Compared with EEL and EES, EER displayed the strongest growth inhibitory effect on SGC7901 cells, CNE2 cells and HUVECs. Among the EER fractions, EA-EER exhibited the most potent growth inhibitory activity against SGC7901 cells, CNE2 cells and HUVECs. Moreover, EA-EER induced obvious apoptosis in SGC7901 and HUVECs, and significantly inhibited the proliferation of HUVECs via blockade of cell cycle G1 to S progression. Furthermore, EA-EER suppressed the expression of Bcl-2 and improved the expression Bax and caspase-3 in SGC7901 cells. EA-EER not only inhibited migration of HUVECs, but also down-regulated the expression of VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 in HUVECs. In vivo, EA-EER exposure reduced the formation of blood vessels in chick embryos. A bio-guided isolation of EA-EER led to the isolation of three compounds for the first time, namely (6R, 7E, 9S)-6, 9-hydroxy-megastigman-4, 7-dien-3-one-9-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside, Oleanolic acid-23-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside, 3ß, 23, 24-trihydroxyl-12-oleanen-28-oic acid. CONCLUSION: The present research demonstrated that the significant anticancer and anti-angiogenic effects of AER, providing the supportive evidence for its traditional use in the treatment for cancer. It was suggested that AER could be use as a potential source of cancer therapeutic drug.