Clinical trials using dental stem cells: 2022 update.

For nearly 20 years, dental stem cells (DSCs) have been successfully isolated from mature/immature teeth and surrounding tissue, including dental pulp of permanent teeth and exfoliated deciduous teeth, periodontal ligaments, dental follicles, and gingival and apical papilla. They have several properties (such as self-renewal, multidirectional differentiation, and immunomodulation) and exhibit enormous potential for clinical applications. To date, many clinical articles and clinical trials using DSCs have reported the treatment of pulpitis, periapical lesions, periodontitis, cleft lip and palate, acute ischemic stroke, and so on, and DSC-based therapies obtained satisfactory effects in most clinical trials. In these studies, no adverse events were reported, which suggested the safety of DSC-based therapy. In this review, we outline the characteristics of DSCs and summarize clinical trials and their safety as DSC-based therapies. Meanwhile, we also present the current limitations and perspectives of DSC-based therapy (such as harvesting DSCs from inflamed tissue, applying DSC-conditioned medium/DSC-derived extracellular vesicles, and expanding-free strategies) to provide a theoretical basis for their clinical applications.

Phytochemistry and pharmacology of natural prenylated flavonoids.

Prenylated flavonoids are a special kind of flavonoid derivative possessing one or more prenyl groups in the parent nucleus of the flavonoid. The presence of the prenyl side chain enriched the structural diversity of flavonoids and increased their bioactivity and bioavailability. Prenylated flavonoids show a wide range of biological activities, such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, cardioprotective effects, and anti-osteoclastogenic activities. In recent years, many compounds with significant activity have been discovered with the continuous excavation of the medicinal value of prenylated flavonoids, and have attracted the extensive attention of pharmacologists. This review summarizes recent progress on research into natural active prenylated flavonoids to promote new discoveries of their medicinal value.

Cucurbitane-type triterpenoids from the fruits of Citrullus colocynthis.

A phytochemical investigation of the fruits of Citrullus colocynthis resulted in the isolation of 21 structurally diverse cucurbitane triterpenoids, including 9 previously undescribed ones, colocynins A-I (1-9). Their absolute configurations were elucidated by means of quantum chemical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, CD exciton chirality method, and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Colocynins A-C (1-3) represent the first examples of nonanorcucurbitane-type triterpenoids. An anti-acetylcholinesterase activity assay showed that 6, 10, 13, 18, and 20 exhibited inhibitory activities, with IC50 values ranging from 5.0 to 21.7 µM. In addition, 18 and 21 showed significant cytotoxicity against PACA, A431, and HepG2 cells, with IC50 values ranging from 0.042 to 0.60 and 3.6-14.4 µM, respectively.

A new one-dimensional CuII complex with a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture incorporating benzene-1,3-dicarboxylate and 1-[(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)methyl]-1H-imidazole.

Subtle modifications of N-donor ligands can result in complexes with very different compositions and architectures. In the complex catena-poly[[bis{1-[(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)methyl]-1H-imidazole-κN3}copper(II)]-µ-benzene-1,3-dicarboxylato-κ3O1,O1':O3], {[Cu(C8H4O4)(C10H9N5)2(H2O)]·2H2O}n, each CuII ion is six-coordinated by two N atoms from two crystallographically independent 1-[(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)methyl]-1H-imidazole (bmi) ligands, by three O atoms from two symmetry-related benzene-1,3-dicarboxylate (bdic2-) ligands and by one water molecule, leading to a distorted CuN2O4 octahedral coordination environment. The CuII ions are connected by bridging bdic2- anions to generate a one-dimensional chain. The bmi ligands coordinate to the CuII ions in monodentate modes and are pendant on opposite sides of the main chain. In the crystal, the chains are linked by O-H...O and O-H...N hydrogen bonds, as well as by π-π interactions, into a three-dimensional network. A thermogravimetric analysis was carried out and the fluorescence behaviour of the complex was also investigated.

neo-Clerodane diterpenoids from the aerial parts of Teucrium fruticans cultivated in China.

Seven neo-clerodane diterpenes, teufruintins A-G (1-7), together with eight known compounds (8-15) were isolated from the CHCl3-soluble fraction of the aerial parts of Teucrium fruticans cultivated in China. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated using different spectroscopic methods. All of the isolated diterpenes were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities on three human cancer cell lines, and for their ability to inhibit LPS-induced nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. None of the compounds displayed cytotoxic activities on the cancer cell lines, and only 15 showed weak NO inhibitory activity.

Hypermongones A-J, Rare Methylated Polycyclic Polyprenylated Acylphloroglucinols from the Flowers of Hypericum monogynum.

Hypermongones A-J (1-10), rare methylated polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinol derivatives, together with three known simple acylphloroglucinols (11-13) as their plausible biogenetic precursors, were identified from the flowers of Hypericum monogynum. The structures of 1-10 were elucidated by analysis of their 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data; the absolute configuration of their polycyclic skeleton was determined by the electronic circular dichroism exciton chirality method and was subsequently confirmed by an X-ray diffraction study of 1. The evaluation of their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells revealed that compound 7 exhibited significant NO inhibition activity, with an IC50 value of 9.5 µM.

Teucvisins A-E, five new neo-clerodane diterpenes from Teucrium viscidum.

Two new neo-clerodane diterpenoids, teucvisins A and B (1, 2), and three new 19-nor-neoclerodane diterpenoids, teucvisins C-E (3-5), together with ten known constituents (6-15) were isolated from the whole plants of Teucrium viscidum. All the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory activities of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 macrophages. The results indicated that compounds 11 and 15 showed moderate inhibition with an IC50 value of 21.9 and 22.4 µM, respectively.

Antihyperglycemic glucosylated coumaroyltyramine derivatives from Teucrium viscidum.

Eight new glucosylated coumaroyltyramine derivatives, teuvissides A-H (1-8), were isolated from whole plants of Teucrium viscidum. Their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic data and chemical methods. The antihyperglycemic activities of these compounds were evaluated in HepG2 cells and 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and all of the isolates elicited different levels of glucose consumption at a concentration of 2.0 µM. Teuvissides A (1), B (2), and F (6) induced 2.2-, 2.1-, and 2.2-fold changes, respectively, in the levels of glucose consumption in HepG2 cells and 2.5-, 2.1-, and 2.3-fold changes, respectively, in 3T3-L1 adipocytes relative to the basal levels.