A base-promoted cascade reaction of α,ß-unsaturated N-tosylhydrazones with o-hydroxybenzyl alcohols: highly regioselective synthesis of N-sec-alkylpyrazoles.

An efficient method for the synthesis of N-sec-alkylpyrazoles through a base-promoted cascade cyclization/Michael addition reaction of α,ß-unsaturated N-tosylhydrazones with ortho-hydroxybenzyl alcohols has been developed. The desired products containing di- or triaryl groups at the same carbon atom were afforded in good to excellent yields with excellent regioselectivities (>20 : 1). Moreover, a three-component reaction of ortho-hydroxybenzyl alcohols, α,ß-unsaturated N-tosylhydrazones and saturated N-tosylhydrazones also took place to afford pyrazoles in good yields. This reaction offers a new route to triarylmethanes with a simple operation and is applicable for large-scale synthesis.

Modulation of Gene Expression in Liver of Hibernating Asiatic Toads (Bufo gargarizans).

Hibernation is an effective energy conservation strategy that has been widely adopted by animals to cope with unpredictable environmental conditions. The liver, in particular, plays an important role in adaptive metabolic adjustment during hibernation. Mammalian studies have revealed that many genes involved in metabolism are differentially expressed during the hibernation period. However, the differentiation in global gene expression between active and torpid states in amphibians remains largely unknown. We analyzed gene expression in the liver of active and torpid Asiatic toads (Bufo gargarizans) using RNA-sequencing. In addition, we evaluated the differential expression of genes between females and males. A total of 1399 genes were identified as differentially expressed between active and torpid females. Of these, the expressions of 395 genes were significantly elevated in torpid females and involved genes responding to stresses, as well as contractile proteins. The expression of 1004 genes were significantly down-regulated in torpid females, most which were involved in metabolic depression and shifts in the energy utilization. Of the 715 differentially expressed genes between active and torpid males, 337 were up-regulated and 378 down-regulated. A total of 695 genes were differentially expressed between active females and males, of which 655 genes were significantly down-regulated in males. Similarly, 374 differentially expressed genes were identified between torpid females and males, with the expression of 252 genes (mostly contractile proteins) being significantly down-regulated in males. Our findings suggest that expression of many genes in the liver of B. gargarizans are down-regulated during hibernation. Furthermore, there are marked sex differences in the levels of gene expression, with females showing elevated levels of gene expression as compared to males, as well as more marked down-regulation of gene-expression in torpid males than females.

[Principal component and cluster analysis of trace elements in Chinese herb Salvia miltiorrhiza and its relative species].

The contents of trace elements, including copper, zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium, chromium, lead, molybdenum, manganese, and cadmium in Chinese traditional herb S. miltiorrhiza and its relative species such as S. miltiorrhiza f. alba, S. evansiana, S. yunnanensis, S. przewarlskii, S. cavaleriei, S. cavaleriei var. simplicifolia, S. roborowskii, S. omeiana, S. tricuspis, S. brevilabra and S. cynica were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The principal components analysis of SPSS was applied to the study of characteristic elements in S. miltiorrhiza and its relative species. Three principal components which accounted for 79.3% of total variance were extracted from the original data. The first factor accounted for 49.6% of the total variance, which means that iron, manganese, copper, zinc, cadmium and lead are the characteristic elements in S. miltiorrhiza and its relative species. The results of cluster analysis show that the samples could cluster reasonably into two groups. The samples of S. miltiorrhiza from different regions were classified into one group except S. miltiorrhiza from Zhejiang and S. miltiorrhiza f. alba. The other Salvia species were classified into another group except S. cavaleriei. The S. miltiorrhiza and other Salvia species can be distinguished by this method, whose accuracy of classification is 90%. The cluster analysis based on the contents of trace element in S. miltiorrhiza and its relative species provided a quick, accurate and simple method for authentication of herb Salvia miltiorrhiza.