Monomethyl lithospermate alleviates ischemic stroke injury in middle cerebral artery occlusion mice in vivo and protects oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation induced SHSY-5Y cells in vitro via activation of PI3K/Akt signaling.

Stroke is a fatal neurological disease, which seriously threatens human health and life. Ischemic stroke (IS) is the most common type of stroke in clinic. Its pathogenesis is very complex, mainly caused by nerve damage caused by brain blood supply disorder. Previous studies have confirmed that natural products play important roles in improving neurological disorders. Furthermore, our previous results also suggested that Shenxiong Tongmai granule, a clinically used herbal medicines' prescription, has a good ameliorating effect on IS. In the present study, we found that Monomethyl lithospermate (MOL), a constituent of Shenxiong Tongmai granule, significantly improved the neurological damage in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats. MOL can significantly improve the neurological deficit score of MCAO rats, and improve the damage of hippocampal neurons caused by ischemia-reperfusion (IR). At the same time, we also found that MOL could reduce the level of oxidative stress in the brain tissues of MCAO rats. Furthermore, the oxygen and glucose deprivation/Reoxygenation (OGD/R)-induced SHSY-5Y cell model was established in vitro to investigate the pharmacological activity and molecular mechanisms of MOL in improving the nerve injury of IS rats. The results showed that MOL could increase the cell viability of SHSY-5Y cells, inhibit the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMOP) collapse and suppress apoptosis. In addition, MOL also ameliorated the elevated oxidative stress level caused by OGR/R treatment in SHSY-5Y cells. Further mechanistic studies showed that MOL could activate the PI3K/AKT pathway via promoting the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT in MCAO rats and OGR/R-induced SHSY-5Y cells, which could be partially blocked by addition of PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitor of LY294002. Taken together, our current study suggested that MOL exerts a protective effect against neural damage caused by IS in vivo and in vitro by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Extraction of Keratin from Rabbit Hair by a Deep Eutectic Solvent and Its Characterization.

Keratin from a variety of sources is one of the most abundant biopolymers. In livestock and textile industries, a large amount of rabbit hair waste is produced every year, and therefore it is of great significance to extract keratin from waste rabbit hair in terms of the treatment and utilization of wastes. In this study, a novel, eco-friendly and benign choline chloride/oxalic acid deep eutectic solvent at a molar ratio of 1:2 was applied to dissolve waste rabbit hair, and after dissolution keratin was separated by dialysis, filtration, and freeze-drying. The dissolution temperature effect was discussed, and the resulting keratin powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, protein electrophoresis, thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry, and amino acid analysis. During the dissolution process, the α-helix structure of rabbit hair was deconstructed, and the disulfide bond linkages were broken. The solubility of rabbit hair was significantly enhanced by increasing dissolution temperature, and reached 88% at 120 °C. The keratin produced by dissolving at 120 °C displayed flaky powders after freeze-drying, and had a molecular weight ranging from 3.8 to 5.8 kDa with a high proportion of serine, glutamic acid, cysteine, leucine, and arginine. Such features of molecular weight and amino acid distribution provide more choices for the diverse applications of keratin materials.

Adsorption and Flame Retardant Properties of Bio-Based Phytic Acid on Wool Fabric.

Bio-based phytic acid (PA) as a nontoxic naturally occurring compound is a promising prospect for flame-retardant (FR) modifications to polymers. In this work, PA was applied to wool fabric using an exhaustion technique, and the adsorption and FR properties of PA on wool fabric were studied. The flame retardancy of the treated wool fabrics depended greatly on the adsorption quantity of PA, which was related to the pH of treatment solution, immersing temperature and initial PA concentration. The Langmuir adsorption of PA took place due to electrostatic interactions between PA and wool fiber. The limiting oxygen index, vertical burning and pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry tests revealed that the treated wool fabrics exhibited good flame retardancy. The measurements of the phosphorus content of the burned fabric residues and thermogravimetric analyses suggested that a significant condensed-phase FR action was applicable to the PA treated fabrics. PA treatment was found to have little adverse effect on the whiteness and mechanical performance of wool. Additionally, the washing resistance of the FR fabrics should be further improved.

Rosiglitazone via PPARγ-dependent suppression of oxidative stress attenuates endothelial dysfunction in rats fed homocysteine thiolactone.

To explore whether rosiglitazone (RSG), a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist, exerts beneficial effects on endothelial dysfunction induced by homocysteine thiolactone (HTL) and to investigate the potential mechanisms. Incubation of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells with HTL (1 mM) for 24 hrs significantly reduced cell viabilities assayed by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide, as well as enhanced productions of reactive oxygen species, activation of nuclear factor kappa B, and increased intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 secretion. Pre-treatment of cells with RSG (0.001-0.1 mM), pyrollidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC, 0.1 mM) or apocynin (0.1 mM) for 1 hr reversed these effects induced by HTL. Furthermore, co-incubation with GW9662 (0.01 mM) abolished the protective effects of RSG on HTL-treated cells. In ex vivo experiments, exposure of isolated aortic rings from. rats to HTL (1 mM) for 1 hr dramatically impaired acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation, reduced release of nitric oxide and activity of superoxide dismutase, and increased malondialdehyde content in aortic tissues. Preincubation of aortic rings with RSG (0.1, 0.3, 1 mM), PDTC or apocynin normalized the disorders induced by HTL. In vivo analysis indicated that administration of RSG (20 mg/kg/d) remarkably suppressed oxidative stress and prevented endothelial dysfunction in rats fed HTL (50 mg/kg/d) for 8 weeks. RSG improves endothelial functions in rats fed HTL, which is related to PPARγ-dependent suppression of oxidative stress.

2-Anilino-3-(2-hy-droxy-phen-yl)quinazolin-4(3H)-one-triphenyl-phosphine oxide (1/1).

In the title compound, C(20)H(15)N(3)O(2)·C(18)H(15)OP, the pyrimidinone heterocycle and the fused phenyl ring are inclined at 1.92 (7)°. Only the hy-droxy group is involved in hydrogen bonding, whereas the amino group is shielded from potential acceptors.

3-(2-Amino-eth-yl)-2-[4-(trifluoro-meth-oxy)anilino]quinazolin-4(3H)-one.

In the title compound, C(17)H(15)F(3)N(4)O(2), the dihedral angle between the trifluoro-meth-oxy-substituted benzene ring and the pyrimidinone ring is 45.1 (5)°, while that between the fused benzene ring and the pyrimidinone ring is 0.67 (1)°. Part of one of the benzene rings and its trifluoro-meth-oxy substituent are disordered over two positions of approximately equal occupancy (0.51:0.49). Inter-molecular N-H⋯O and N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds contribute to the stability of the crystal structure. A weak intra-molecular C-H⋯F contact is also found. In addition, π-π stacking inter-actions, with centroid-centroid distances in the range 3.673 (6)-3.780 (8) Å, and weak C-H⋯π inter-actions are also observed.

2-[2-(2-Anilino-4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-quinazolin-3-yl)phen-oxy]-3-phenyl-quinazolin-4(3H)-one methanol hemisolvate.

In the title compound, C(34)H(23)N(5)O(3)·0.5CH(3)OH, each pyrimid-in-one heterocycle and its adjacent benzene ring are almost coplanar, making dihedral angles of 0.69 (13) and 1.87 (13)°. The lower pyrimidinone ring makes a dihedral angle of 40.41 (15)° with the -NH- bonded phenyl ring. O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and weak C-H⋯π inter-actions are observed in the crystal structure. The methanol solvent molecule is disordered over two positions of equal occupancy.

2-Anilino-3-(2-hy-droxy-phen-yl)quinazolin-4(3H)-one methanol monosolvate.

In the title compound, C(20)H(15)N(3)O(2)·CH(3)OH, the quinazolin-one ring system is approximately planar, the dihedral angle between the pyrimidinone ring and the adjacent benzene ring being 1.73 (6)°. The pyrimidinone ring makes dihedral angles of 77.58 (6) and 29.62 (6)°, respectively, with the hy-droxy-phenyl and phenyl rings. In the crystal, the components are connected by O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a zigzag chain along the b axis.

[Chemical constituents in the leave of Rhizophora stylosa L and their biological activities].

Ten compounds were isolated from the leaves of Rhizophora stylosa, one kind of mangrove plants distributed in the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Their structures were identified as taraxerone (1), taraxerol (2), beta-sitosterol (3), careaborin (4), cis-careaborin (5), beta-daucosterol (6), isovanillic acid (7), protocatechuic acid (8), astilbin (9) and rutin (10), among which compound 9 and 10 were reported in this plant for the first time. Of these compounds, Compound 2 has been confirmed to have the abilities to inhibit the growth of Hela and BGC-823 with IC50 of 73.4 micromol x L(-1) and 73.3 micromol x L(-1), respectively. Compound 5 could inhibit the growth of BGC-823 and MCF-7 with IC50 of 45.9 micromol x L(-1) and 116.0 micromol x L(-1), respectively. Compound 9 and 10 were firstly reported to stimulate the proliferation of mice splenic lymphocytes markedly in a dose-dependent manner.

3-(2-Amino-ethyl)-2-(4-fluoroanilino)-quinazolin-4(3H)-one.

In the title mol-ecule, C(16)H(15)FN(4)O, the dihedral angle between the fluoro-substituted benzene ring and the pyrimidinone ring is 52.34 (7)°, while the dihedral angle between the fused benzene ring and the pyrimidinone ring is 3.30 (6)°. An intra-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bond may, in part, influence the conformation of the mol-ecule. In the crystal structure, inter-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds and weak C-H⋯π(arene) inter-actions link pairs of mol-ecules into centrosymmetric dimers.

2-(4-Chloro-anilino)-3-(2-hydroxy-ethyl)quinazolin-4(3H)-one.

In the title mol-ecule, C(16)H(14)ClN(3)O(2), the dihedral angle between the chloro-phenyl and pyrimidinone rings is 14.8 (1)°, while the dihedral angle between the fused benzene ring and the pyrimidinone ring is 3.8 (1)°. In the crystal structure, intra-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, together with inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions, are present.

3-(2-Amino-ethyl)-2-(4-chloro-anilino)-quinazolin-4(3H)-one methanol 0.75-solvate.

In the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(16)H(15)ClN(4)O·0.75CH(3)OH, there are two independent quinazolin-4(3H)-one mol-ecules and one and a half methanol mol-ecules. One of the methanol mol-ecules is disordered over two positions with equal occupancies. The dihedral angles between the quinazoline ring system and the chloro-benzene ring in the two quinazolin-4(3H)-one mol-ecules are essentially the same, at 39.83 (1) and 39.84 (1)°. Intra-molecular N-H⋯N and O-H⋯O, and inter-molecular N-H⋯O and N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds are observed. In addition, π-π stacking inter-actions, with centroid-to-centroid distances of 3.654 (1), 3.766 (1) and 3.767 (1) Å, and weak C-H⋯π inter-actions, are observed.

3-(2-Hydroxy-ethyl)-2-(p-tolyl-amino)-quinazolin-4(3H)-one.

In the title compound, C(17)H(17)N(3)O(2), the quinazolinone ring system is essentially planar. The benzene ring is twisted with respect to it by a dihedral angle of 32.7 (5)°. The mol-ecular conformation is stabilized by an N-H⋯O hydrogen bond, and the crystal structure is stabilized by inter-molecular O-H⋯N inter-actions.

3,3'-Bis(4-chloro-phen-yl)-2,2'-(m-phenyl-enedi-oxy)diquinazolin-4(3H)-one.

In the title compound, C(34)H(20)Cl(2)N(4)O(4), the two quinazoline heterocyclic systems and the adjacent chloro-benzene rings are not coplanar, but oriented at dihedral angles of 66.66 (13) and 52.48 (12)°, respectively. The quinazoline ring systems are nearly planar, with dihedral angles between the planes of the two rings of 5.43 (16) and 3.40 (14)°, and are oriented at dihedral angles of 79.73 (13) and 83.52 (13)° with respect to the adjacent benzene ring between them. Inter-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds contribute to the stability of the structure. In addition, weak π-π stacking inter-actions [centroid-to-centroid distances = 3.872 (1) and 3.876 (1) Å] are observed in the crystal structure.