Search

Four new cembrane diterpenes, 1,13-di-epi-13-acetoxy launine P (1), 13-oxo-thunbergol (2), isocrassumol B (3) and 7α, 8α-sarcophine (4), together with two known launine P (5) and sarcophytonin B (6), were isolated from the extract of the South China Sea soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, ECD analysis and comparison with literature data. All compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activity and antiviral activity. Compounds 1, 2 and 5 were found to exhibit weak antibacterial activity, while 6 showed strong inhibition activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis (MIC＜0.5 µg/mL). Compounds 2 showed moderate inhibitory effect against influenza A viruses H1N1 with IC50 of 17.8 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main aim of this study was to introduce and explore plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) indigenous to ginseng, and to evaluate their ability to improve production and quality, and effect on rhizosphere niche in ginseng. Materials and methods: Endophytic bacteria were isolated from root, stem, and leaf of ginseng from different sites and genotype in China and Korea, screened based on their beneficial properties as PGPB. Nine bacterial isolates were selected according to their plant growth properties including soluble phosphate and potassium, ammonia, auxin and siderophore producing, ACC deaminase, and antagonistic pathogen as well. Changes in ginseng after PGPB inoculation were evaluated with respect to the non-inoculated control. Results and Conclusions: The PGPB isolates were identified as genera Bacillus, Lysinibacillus, Rhizobium, Stenotrophomonas, Erwinia, Ochrobactrum, Enterobacter and Pantoea based on 16S rRNA sequences. Inoculation of G209 and G119 increased not only plant height, root length, fresh weight, and dry weight, but also root activity and the amount of ginsenosides significantly. In particular, using the Illumina Miseq platform, the native bacterial community of rhizospheric soil maintained high community diversity and increased abundance of specific bacteria. Therefore, they may be play a crucial role in sustainable ginseng cultivating in farmland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We tested whether the a simple injection known as the patch assay could reconstitute mature hair follicles by culture-expanded human cells and explored whether the assay could reflect the trichogenicity of cultured cells. Materials & methods: Dissociated culture-expanded fetal or adult scalp dermal cells combined with foreskin keratinocytes were subcutaneously injected into the back skin of immunosuppressive mice to form the patch skin. The patches were collected and characterized and were analyzed for hair formation efficiency. Results: Using culture-expanded human fetal cells, the patch assay can efficiently reconstitute mature hair follicles and the efficiency of hair formation in the patch assay correlates with cell trichogenicity. Conclusion: The patch assay has the potential for testing the trichogenicity of human cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow fields and heat transfer characteristics in a parallel-plate channel with a transversely placed spiral coil insert were investigated by three-dimensional numerical simulation. The structure of multi-longitudinal-vortices (MLVs) induced by the spiral coil and the effects of MLVs on velocity and temperature fields were studied. The three-dimensional spiral coil induces a series of longitudinal vortices in the channel including leading longitudinal vortex, mainstream longitudinal vortices, near-wall longitudinal vortices, and rear central longitudinal vortex. Transport by the longitudinal vortices can increase the mass exchange between the boundary layer and the mainstream, which speeds up the heat migration from the channel walls and enhances the heat diffusion in the mainstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was performed to observe the changes in Raf-1 kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways in cultured hippocampal neurons and its correlation with neurons apoptosis induced by intracellular zinc depletion. Cultured hippocampal neurons were exposed to a cell membrane-permeant zinc chelator TPEN (2 µM), and to TPEN plus zinc sulfate (5 µM) for 24 h. Cultures were then processed to detect neuronal viability by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay, while apoptosis rate was simultaneously observed by the flow cytometric analysis. Caspase-3, Raf-1, pMEK, pERK1/2, and pCREB protein levels were examined by Western blot assays. The viability in TPEN-incubated neurons was notably decreased, apoptosis rate and expression of caspase-3 significantly increased compared to untreated controls. The significant down-regulation of Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and expression of pCREB were decreased in TPEN-treated neurons. Co-addition of zinc almost completely reversed TPEN-induced alterations described. The results demonstrated zinc-modulated apoptosis and the expression of Raf/MEK/ERK at the protein level in hippocampal neurons. It is possible that zinc depletion-induced apoptosis in cultured hippocampal neurons may be relevant to the changes of Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of ferrocenylacetylide compounds with Co 2 (CO) 8 at room temperature affords four complexes bearing ferrocenyl units with approximately tetrahedral (μ-alkyne)dicobalt moieties [R-(C≡⃥C) n -R′] [Co 2 (CO) 6 ] n ′ [R = C 5 H 5 FeC 5 H 4 -C(CH 3 ) 2 -C 5 H 4 FeC 5 H 4 , R′ = H, n = 1, n ′ = 1 ( 1 ); R = C 5 H 5 FeC 5 H 4 [ferrocenyl (Fc)], R′ = -CH=CHCl, n = 1, n′ = 1 ( 2 ); R = Fc, R′ = Fc, n = 2, n ′ = 1 ( 3 ), n ′ = 2 ( 4 )]. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1 H( 13 C) NMR, MS and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The X-ray analyses show that coordination of the carbon-carbon triple bond and the dicobalt unit result in the formation of a Co 2 C 2 tetrahedral core, and the substituents on the acetylenic units show a distortion from linearity that reflects this coordination mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]