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Skin mucus has been demonstrated to provide stress biomarkers for evaluating the physiological status, providing new convenient and non‐invasive methods to detect stress response in fish. Here, we investigated the anaesthetic efficacy of tricaine methanesulphonate (MS‐222; 75–115 mg/L) for discus Symphysodon aequifasciata (34.27 ± 4.46 g; 8.10 ± 0.59 cm) using skin mucus stress biomarkers. The induction time, recovery time and respiratory frequency were also determined. According to the criteria for anaesthesia and recovery, discus fish to reach stage A3 (deep anaesthesia) within 3 min and to reach stage R4 (full recovery of normal behaviour) within 5 min were observed at 95–105 mg/L MS‐222. Respiratory frequency increased first and then decreased during MS‐222 exposure and increased after recovery. At 10 min after deep anaesthesia, a lower mucus glucose was only observed at 115 mg/L MS‐222. No change in mucus cortisol and increased lactate were observed in all treatments. Increased mucus protein was observed at 75, 85 and 95 mg/L MS‐222. At 10 min after recovery, increased mucus glucose and decreased mucus protein were observed at 85, 95 and 115 mg/L MS‐222, but increased mucus cortisol only at 115 mg/L and lactate only at 75 and 105 mg/L MS‐222. At 24 hr after recovery, mucus glucose returned to the initial level only at 75, 95 and 105 mg/L MS‐222, while cortisol at 75 and 85 mg/L and protein and lactate at 75 mg/L respectively. Overall, the effective dose of MS‐222 for discus fish has been suggested to be 95–105 mg/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dove tree, Davidia involucrata Baill. which is endemic in western China, is not only one of the best known relict species of the tertiary, but also a famous ornamental plant with dove-shaped flowers. A diverse array of secondary metabolites have been isolated and identified from Davidia involucrata. The 58 structures of the secondary metabolites were presented and classified as triterpenoids, tannins, phenolic compounds, lignans, flavonoids, alkaloids, and sterol. In addition, the biosynthetic route of some triterpenoids was proposed. Moreover, the advances in the discovery of unprecedented compounds and uncovering of notable bioactivities were highlighted in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolation of metabolites from Plumula nelumbinis led to the discovery of eleven compounds, including six flavonoids and five phenolderivatives. Their structures have been determined on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic data. Most of them, such as compounds 1, 4, 6, 8, and 10, have shown inhibitory activity against hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA). MICs of compound 8 against SA-200195 and SA-300150 were 2 μg/mL and 8 μg/mL, respectively. And the antioxidant activity of isolated compounds was determined by checking the scavenging activity against three different radicals: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrydrazyl (DPPH) radical, hydroxyl radical (OH∙), and superoxide anion (O2∙-), as well as xanthine oxidase inhibition. All flavonoids showed strong antioxidant activity. And compound 6 displayed the highest inhibitory effect against xanthine oxidase with IC50 value of 8.2 μg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]