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A high-optical-resolution artificial retina system that accurately communicates with the optic nerve is the main challenge in the modern biological science and bionic field. Here, we developed a bionic artificial retina possessing phototransduction "cells" with measurements even smaller than that of the neural cells. Using the technique of micrometer processing, we constructed a pyramid-shape periodic microarray of a photoreceptor. Each "sensing cell" took advantage of polythiophene derivative/fullerene derivative (PCBM) as a photoelectric converter. Because folic acid played an essential role in eye growth, we particularly modified the polythiophene derivatives with folic acid tags. Therefore, the artificial retina could enlarge the contact area and even recognize the nerve cells to improve the consequence of nerve stimulation. We implanted the artificial retina into blinded rats' eyes. Electrophysiological analysis revealed its recovery of photosensitive function 3 months after surgery. Our work provides an innovative idea for fabricating a high-resolution bionic artificial retina system. It shows great potential in artificial intelligence and biomedicine.

Three new macrocyclic trichothecenes possessing rare 6'-ketal moieties, roridoxins A-C ( 1-3 ), and five known compounds ( 4-8 ) were isolated from the insect-associated fungus Myrothecium roridum . Their structures were confirmed by a combination of NMR and HRESIMS data, while their absolute configurations were unambiguously determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis and electronic circular dichroism experiments. Trichothecenes 1 and 3 showed potent antifungal activities against four strains of phytopathogenic fungi. In addition, 1 , 3 , 5 , and 6 were found to significantly inhibit the cell growth of Candida albicans with minimal inhibitory concentration values from 8.8 to 18.5 μg/mL. Moreover, they were able to inhibit the biofilm formation of C. albicans better than the positive control.

A copper-catalyzed borylation/benzylic cyanation of vinylarenes whose regioselectivity is seemly common but scarcely achieved is reported. This unprecedented regioselectivity is realized through a structure-distinctive cyanating reagent, dimethylmalononitrile. This reaction can be applied to both π-extended and simple vinylarenes with various diboron reagents, and it exhibits good functional group compatibility. With the ample transformations of cyano and boronate groups, this reaction provides expedient access to complex organic structures.

An approach for discriminating the threo and erythro configurations of polyacetylene glycosides by 1 H NMR spectroscopy was developed. Using acetic acid-d 4 /D 2 O as the solvent, a relatively larger 3 J HH value (7.0 Hz) for the acyclic vicinal diol group was unambiguously assigned to the threo configuration, whereas the smaller value (3.5 Hz) was assigned to the erythro configuration. This convenient method requires no hydrolysis or derivatization and is suitable for micromolar concentrations of polyacetylene glycosides. The underlying mechanism is discussed via visualized conformations.

The absolute configurations of 2-oxygenated phenylethanoid glycosides were conveniently determined by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. A comparison of the chemical shift differences (Δδ) of the diastereotopic methylene protons (H-1) demonstrate that a large chemical shift difference corresponds to an R configuration and a small chemical shift difference indicates S for the 2-alkoxy form. However, the situation is contrary to that of the 2-hydroxy form. Furthermore, the mechanism underlying this result is discussed based on the visualized conformations of such compounds.

Aqueous amino acid salts are considered as an attractive alternative to alkanolamine solvents (e.g., MEA) for carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption. The kinetics of CO2 into unloaded aqueous solutions of potassium lysinate (LysK) was studied using a wetted wall column at concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 2.0 M and temperatures from 298 to 333 K. Physicochemical properties of aqueous LysK solutions such as density, viscosity, and physical solubility of CO2 were measured to evaluate the reaction rate constants. The reaction pathway is described using zwitterion mechanism taking into account the effect of ionic strength on the reaction rate. Under the fast pseudo-first-order regime, the reaction rate parameters were obtained and correlated in a power-law reaction rate expression. LysK shows higher chemical reactivity toward CO2 than the industrial standard MEA and most of amino acid salts. Its reaction rate constants increase considerably with concentration and temperature. The reaction order is found to be an average value of 1.58 with respect to LysK. The forward second-order kinetic rate constant, k2 0 , are obtained as 31615 and 84822 m3 kmol−1 s−1 at 298 and 313 K, respectively with activation energy of 51.0 kJ mol−1. The contribution of water to the zwitterion deprotonation seems to be more significant than that of LysK for the above-mentioned kinetic conditions

Arctiidilactone (1), a novel rare butyrolactone lignan with a 6-carboxyl-2-pyrone moiety, and 11 new butyrolactone lignans (2-12) were isolated from the fruits of Arctium lappa L., together with 5 known compounds (13-17). Their structures were elucidated by interpretation of their spectroscopic data (1D and 2D NMR, UV, IR, ORD, and HRESIMS) and comparison to literature data. The absolute configurations of compounds 1-12 were determined by a combination of rotating-frame nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY), circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and Rh2(OCOCF3)4-induced CD spectroscopy. All of the compounds were tested for their anti-inflammatory properties in terms of suppressing the production of NO in lipopolysaccharide-induced BV2 cells. Compounds 1, 6, 8, and 10 exhibited stronger anti-inflammatory effects than the positive control curcumin, particularly 1, which exhibited 75.51, 70.72, and 61.17% inhibition at 10, 1, and 0.1 μM, respectively.

Two new rearranged derivatives of flavonoid C-glycosides, saffloflavonesides A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the florets of Carthamus tinctorius. Their structures were determined using UV, IR, HRESIMS, and 1D and 2D NMR data and by comparing experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Compounds 1 and 2 were unprecedented chalcone and flavanone derivatives possessing a furan conjoining tetrahydrofuran ring. A potential biosynthetic pathway was proposed. At 10 μM, 1 and 2 both showed strong inhibitory activity against PC12 cell damage induced by rotenone.

Twelve novel 7'-hydroxy lignan glucosides (1-12), including two benzofuran-type neolignans, two 8-O-4' neolignans, two dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans, and six tetrahydrofuranoid lignans, together with six known lignan glucosides (13-18), were isolated from the fruit of Arctium lappa L. (Asteraceae), commonly known as Arctii Fructus. Their structures were elucidated using spectroscopy (1D and 2D NMR, MS, IR, ORD, and UV) and on the basis of chemical evidence. The absolute configurations of compounds 1-12 were confirmed using rotating frame nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY), the circular dichroic (CD) exciton chirality method, and Rh2(OCOCF3)4-induced CD spectrum analysis. All of the isolated compounds were tested for hepatoprotective effects against D-galactosamine-induced cytotoxicity in HL-7702 hepatic cells. Compounds 1, 2, 7-12, and 17 showed significantly stronger hepatoprotective activity than the positive control bicyclol at a concentration of 1 × 10(-5) M.

Plants are proven effective bioreactors for the production of heterologous proteins including those desired by the biopharmaceutical industry. However, the potential of plants as bioreactors is limited by the availability of characterized plant promoters that can drive target gene expression in relatively distant plant species. Seeds are ideal for protein storage because seed proteins can be kept stably for several months. Hence, a strong promoter that can direct the expression and accumulation of target proteins within seeds represents a powerful tool in plant biotechnology. Toward this end, an effort was made to identify such a promoter from Vigna radiata (mung bean) to drive expression in dicot seeds. A 784-bp 5'-flanking sequence of the gene encoding the 8S globulin α' subunit (8SGα') of the V. radiata seed storage protein was isolated by genome walking. When the 5'-flanking region was analyzed with bioinformatics tools, numerous putative cis-elements were identified. The Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) regulated by this promoter was observed to be transiently expressed in protoplasts derived from V. radiata cotyledons. Finally, transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene driven from the 8S globulin α' promoter showed strong GUS expression in transgenic embryos in both histochemical and quantitative GUS assays, confirming high expression within seeds. Therefore, the V. radiata 8S α' promoter has shown potential in directing expression in seeds for bioreactor applications.

Caulis Bambusae in Taenia is a medicinal preparation from Bambusa tuldoides Munro consisting of skinless slices of the stem (bamboo shavings) and used as a traditional health food in tea, wine, and soup in Asia. Three novel lignans, (-)-7'-epi-lyoniresinol 4,9'-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7), (-)-lyoniresinol 4,9'-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (8), bambulignan A (10), and seven known lignan compounds (1-6 and 9) were isolated from Caulis Bambusae in Taenia. The structures of the lignans were determined by detailed spectroscopic analysis (HRESIMS, HSQC, HMBC, NOE). All the isolated lignans were tested for antioxidant activities by DPPH and FARP assays. The results showed that the compounds (+)-lyoniresinol 9'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) and (-)-7'-epi-lyoniresinol 9'-O-β-D- glucopyranoside (9) have strong free radical scavenging activity and reducing power.

Rhodiola crenulata L. is an important species in genus Rhodiola widely used as a health food to reinforce immunity, improve memory and learning, scavenge active-oxygen species, and relieve altitude sickness. Eleven new lignans and a new benzonitrile compound, crenulatanoside A, were isolated from the roots of R. crenulata L. along with 25 known compounds, including 12 lignans. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic data and chemical evidence. Among them, compounds 1-4 and 5-7 were determined to be optical isomers of two 8-O-4' neolignan glycosides. Compounds 8-11 were aryl tetralin type lignans, and compounds 12 and 13 were dihydrobenzofuran neolignans. All of the isolated compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase. From the data obtained, compound 37 showed strong inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase with an IC(50) value of 96.8 μM.

The synthesis and study of the structure-activity relationships of two new classes of synthetic antitubulin compounds based on 1-aroylindole and 3-aroylindole skeletons are described. Lead compounds 3, 10, and 14 displayed potent cytotoxicities with IC50 = 0.9-26 nM against human NUGC3 stomach, MKN45 stomach, MESSA uterine, A549 lung, and MCF-7 breast carcinoma cell lines. The inhibition of proliferation correlated with in vitro polymerization inhibitory activities. Structure-activity relationships revealed that 6-methoxy substitution of 3-aroylindoles and 5-methoxy substitution of 1-aroylindoles contribute to a significant extent for maximal activity by mimicking the para substitution of the methoxy group to the carbonyl group in the case of aminobenzophenones. Addition of a methyl group at the C-2 position on the indole ring exerts an increased potency. The 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoyl moiety was necessary for better activity but not essential and can be replaced by 3,5-dimethoxybenzoyl and 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl moieties. We conclude that 1- and 3-aroylindoles constitute an interesting new class of antitubulin agents with the potential to be clinically developed for cancer treatment., (Copyright 2004 American Chemical Society)

A new type of inhibitor of tubulin polymerization was discovered on the basis of the combretastatin molecular skeleton. The lead compounds in this series, compounds 6 and 7, strongly inhibited tubulin polymerization in vitro and significantly arrested cells at the G(2)/M phase. Compounds 6 and 7 yielded 50- to 100-fold lower IC(50) values than did combretastatin A-4 against Colo 205, NUGC3, and HA22T human cancer cell lines as well as similar or greater growth inhibitory activities than did combretastain A-4 against DLD-1, HR, MCF-7, DU145, HONE-1, and MES-SA/DX5 human cancer cell lines. Structure-activity relationship information revealed that introduction of an amino group at the ortho position of the benzophenone ring plays an integral role for increased growth inhibition.