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Eleven flavonoids including one new flavonol glycoside, quercetin-3-O-(2-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-β-D-glucuronopyranosyl methyl ester (1), were isolated for the first time from the fruits of Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels (Phyllanthaceae). Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic data. The known flavonoids, quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucuronide methyl ester (3), quercetin-3-O-(2''-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-6''-O-α-L-rhamno pyranosyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (5), myricetin (9), and 6-methoxy-naringenin (11) were isolated for the first time from the genus Phyllanthus. Flavonoids 4, 6 and 9 (IC50 = 6.01, 6.32, and 7.84 μM, respectively) showed stronger α-glucosidase inhibitory activities than the positive control, acarbose (IC50 = 306.45 μM). The fruits of P. acidus might be further developed as an anti-diabetic food supplement.

Two new sphingofungins G (1) and H (2) with a five-membered lactone ring were identified from the solid-state fermentation of Aspergillus penicilliodes Speg., a dominant microorganism isolated previously from the post-fermentation of ripe Pu-er tea, together with six known metabolites. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods. All of them were isolated from the mycelia culture of A. penicilliodes for the first time. The known compound, trypacidin, exhibited potent cytotoxities against five human cancer cell lines, e.g. myeloid leukemia HL-60, lung cancer A-549, hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC7721, breast cancer MCF-7, and colon cancer SW480, with IC50 values of 0.55, 11.45, 10.95, 3.58, and 3.49 μM, resp., while cisplatin as the positive control, with IC50 values of 8.63, 24.15, 21.99, 27.29, and 23.61 μM, resp.

Dasiphora fruticosa L. (Rosaceae), also known as Potentilla fruticosa L. (syn.), is a hardy deciduous shrub widely distributed in the north temperate regions of the world. Three methylene bisflavan-3-ols (1-3), together with a procyanidin dimer, (-)-afzelechin-(4α→8)-(-)-afzelechin (4) were isolated for the first time from the branches and leaves of the titled plant, in addition to 11 known compounds (5-15). Their structures were elucidated by means of extensive spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with data reported in the literatures. Methylene 6,8-bis(7-O-glucosyl) catechin (1) was determined to be a new dimeric flavan-3-ol glycoside through a methylene linkage between C-8 and C-8 of two units. At a concentration of 128 μg/mL, the known compounds 9 – 13 exhibited antibacterial activities on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Compound 12 also showed certain glucose uptake stimulating activity.

Zhejiang is a major province of energy consumption, but poor in energy resources. The inherent and complete dependence on importing energy makes energy security extremely difficult, which draws more attention to the energy conservation in Zhejiang. A great many factors of which the relations are complex affect the energy conservation. By introducing System Dynamics analysis, which has a unique advantage of analyzing the multiple and complex feedback system, this paper aims to analyze energy conservation in Zhejiang, and finally comes to some conclusions of values towards governments’ policies.

Objective: To investigate the effect of RNA interference of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 on atherosclerosis on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-/- mouse. Methods: ApoE-/- mouse strain and three cell lines (293T, NIH3T3 and Raw264.7) were used in the present study to investigate the effect of MMP-9 silencing by RNA interference. Thirty 10-week-old ApoE-/- mice were randomly assigned to a control group, lentiviruses with naked vector group and Lentiviruses-MMP-9 intervention group (n = 10). Aortic atherosclerotic plaques of the mice were stained with immunohistochemical techniques, the MMP-9 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels of three groups were detected simultaneously. Expression of MMP-9 was significantly down-regulated in interference group. MMP-9 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in MMP-9 interference group were significantly lower than that of the control group. Conclusion: The expression of MMP-9 is closely related to vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques. Silencing of MMP-9 expression acts as a positive role in maintenance of atherosclerotic plaque stability. The present study provides novel experimental insight for the treatment of vulnerable plaques in atherosclerosis.

Arbutin (1), chlorogenic acid (2) and 6′-O-caffeoylarbutin (3) are three major components in Vaccinium dunalianum Wight with various promising bioactivities. A reliable, reproducible and accurate method for simultaneous and quantitative determination of 1–3 is developed by RP-HPLC analysis. This method should be appropriate for the quality assurance of unprocessed and processed materials of V. dunalianum. The contents of 1–3 in different parts of V. dunalianum from different origins were analysed. The content of 3 was much higher than those of 1 and 2, accounting for up to 31.76% in the dried leaf buds. Moreover, the leaf buds, flower buds and leaves showed a tendency towards higher contents of 1–3 than the other plant parts.

Fifteen known compounds including four triterpenoids (1–4), one sterol (5), one diketopiperazine alkaloid (6) and nine phenolics (7–15) were isolated from the stems of Piper wallichii. Their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic analysis, and acidic hydrolysis in case of the 2-oxo-3β,19α,23-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (1). The structure of compound 1 was fully assigned by 1D and 2D NMR experiments for the first time. All isolates were tested for their antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antiplatelet aggregation bioactivities.

Chemical investigation of the whole plants of Phyllanthus cochinchinensis (Euphorbiaceae) led to the isolation of three new phenolic glycosides, phyllanthuosides A-C, together with 12 known compounds. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods. Among them, phyllanthuosides A and B are two of the rare phenolic glycosides, featuring with a C6-C3-C6 skeleton. The absolute configurations of phyllanthuosides A and B were established by calculated electric circular dichroism (ECD) using time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The isolates were also tested for their cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity. A investigação química das plantas Phyllanthus cochinchinensis (Euphorbiaceae) levou ao isolamento de três novos glicosídeos fenólicos, filantuosídeos A-C, juntamente com 12 compostos conhecidos. Suas estruturas foram determinadas com base em extensivas análises espectroscópicas e métodos químicos. Dentre eles, filantuosídeos A e B são dois glicosídeos fenólicos raros, com um esqueleto C6-C3-C6. A configuração absoluta dos filantuosídeos A e B foi estabelecida por dicroísmo circular elétrico calculado (ECD) usando teoria do funcional da densidade e a sua abordagem dependente do tempo (TDDFT). Os compostos isolados também tiveram sua citotoxicidade e atividade antimicrobial testadas.