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Bombyx batryticatus (BB) is an anticonvulsant animal medicine in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and acts on the central nervous system. This research aimed to study the anticonvulsant effects of different polarity fractions of extracts from BB and to explore the components conferring anticonvulsant activity. Materials and methods: Crude extracts of BB at 20 g/kg were divided into different polarity fractions (petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, water) and were administered to groups of mice before injecting pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) to induce convulsions. The animals were placed in chambers, and their behaviors were recorded for 30 min following the injection. Latency time, percent of protection, convulsion, convulsion rate, and convulsion score were determined for these mice. The compounds present in the different fractions were analyzed, and those from the fraction that conferred anticonvulsant activity were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF MS) and molecular networking (MN). The chloroform extract fractions (B-C) clearly increased the seizure latency time and protection percentage and decreased the convulsion percentage compared to the control group. The anticonvulsant effect of other extract fractions was not significant. Our study shows that the chloroform extract fractions (B-C) of BB have a significant anticonvulsant effect. We also identified 17 compounds including lumichrome, pheophorbide A, and episyringaresinol 4′-O-beta-d-glucopyranose that were found for the first time. The results of this study may lay the groundwork for studying compounds derived from Bombyx batryticatus and their anticonvulsant effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-translational modifications regulate diverse activities of a colossal number of proteins. For example, various types of lipids can be covalently linked to proteins enzymatically or non-enzymatically. Protein lipidation is perhaps not as extensively studied as protein phosphorylation, ubiquitination, or glycosylation although it is no less significant than these modifications. Evidence suggests that proteins can be attached by at least seven types of lipids, including fatty acids, lipoic acids, isoprenoids, sterols, phospholipids, glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchors, and lipid-derived electrophiles. In this review, we summarize types of protein lipidation and methods used for their detection, with an emphasis on the conjugation of proteins with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). We discuss possible reasons for the scarcity of reports on PUFA-modified proteins, limitations in current methodology, and potential approaches in detecting PUFA modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperglycemia is a strong risk factor for chronic complications of diabetes. Hyperglycemic conditions foster not only the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but also the consumption of antioxidants, leading to oxidative stress and promoting the occurrence and progression of complications. During our continuous search for antioxidant constituents from the pericarp of Toona sinensis (A. Juss.) Roem, we isolated two previously unreported apotirucallane-type triterpenoids, toonasinensin A (1) and toonasinensin B (2), together with five known apotirucallane-type triterpenoids (3–7) and two known cycloartane-type triterpenoids (8–9) from the pericarp. Compounds 8–9 were obtained from T. sinensis for the first time. Their structures were characterized based on interpretation of spectroscopic data (1D, 2D NMR, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectra, HR-ESI-MS) and comparison to previous reports. Compounds (2, 4, 6, 7, and 9) were able to inhibit proliferation against rat glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs) cultured under high-glucose conditions within a concentration of 80 μM. Compounds (2, 6, and 7) were tested for antioxidant activity attributable to superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and ROS in vitro, and the results showed that compounds (2, 6, and 7) could significantly increase the levels of SOD and reduce the levels of MDA and ROS. The current studies showed that apotirucallane-type triterpenoids (2, 6, and 7) might have the antioxidant effects against diabetic nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]