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Oxidative stress has been considered as a major cause of cell damage in various neurodegenerative disorders. One of the reasonable strategies for delaying the disease's progression is to prevent reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated cellular injury by dietary or pharmaceutical augmentation of free radical scavengers. Isocampneoside II (ICD) is an active phenylethanoid glycoside isolated from the medicinal hardwood genus Paulownia. This study was designed to explore free radical scavenging potential of ICD in different in vitro systems and its protective role in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced oxidative stress and apoptotic death in cultured rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. The results showed ICD eliminated approximately 80.75% superoxide radical at the concentration of 0.1mg/ml and inhibited metal chelating by 22.07% at 8 mg/ml. Additionally, ICD showed a strong ability on reducing power and provided protection against oxidative protein damage induced by hydroxyl radicals. Pretreatment of PC12 cells with ICD prior to H₂O₂ exposure elevated cell viability, enhanced activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase, and decreased levels of malondialdehyde and intracellular ROS. Furthermore, ICD inhibited cell apoptosis and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio induced by H₂O₂. These findings suggested ICD may be considered as a potential antioxidant agent and should encourage for further research in neurodegenerative diseases., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Four epimeric phenylethanoid glycosides, including a new one, R,S-beta-ethoxy-beta-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-ethyl-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->3)-beta-D-(6-O-E-caffeoyl)-glucopyranoside named isoilicifolioside A (1), and three known compounds, ilicifolioside A (2), campneoside II (3), and isocampneoside II (4), were isolated from Paulownia tomentosa var. tomentosa wood. The structures of the four compounds were elucidated by the interpretation of 1D and 2D NMR and MS spectra. This is the first report of the chemical profile of this tree. Compounds 1-4 exhibited excellent anti-complement activity with IC(50) values less than 74 microM, compared with tiliroside (IC(50) = 104 microM) and rosmarinic acid (IC(50) = 182 microM) that were used as positive controls.

Added Al2SO4 greatly accelerates the hydrolysis at 150.0 degrees C of 1,5-anhydrocellobiitol, a model for the beta(1 --> 4) linkages in cellulose, in succinate buffers of room temperature pH 3.05 and 3.35; E(a) values for 20 mM Al(III)- and H+-catalysed hydrolyses are 109 +/- 3 and 140 +/- 1 kJ mol(-1), respectively.