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Two new dibenzocyclooctane lignans, schisanwilsonins H (1) and I (2), together with eight known compounds gomisin J (3), wulignan A1 (4), gomisin S (5), tigloylgomisin P (6), gomisin O (7), (-)-gomisin K1 (8), rubschisantherin (9) and wuweizisu C (10) were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of the fruits of Schisandra wilsoniana. 7 exhibited anti-HBV activity with potency against HBsAg and HBeAg secretion by 37.1% and 32.6%, respectively, at 50 μg/ml. 10 exhibited anti-HIV activity with EC50 and therapeutic index (TI) values of 2.10 μg/ml and 11.98, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ferroptosis is a new type of nonapoptotic cell death model that was closely related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Seawater drowning-induced acute lung injury (ALI) which is caused by severe oxidative stress injury, has been a major cause of accidental death worldwide. The latest evidences indicate nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) suppress ferroptosis and maintain cellular redox balance. Here, we test the hypothesis that activation of Nrf2 pathway attenuates seawater drowning-induced ALI via inhibiting ferroptosis.Methods: we performed studies using Nrf2-specific agonist (dimethyl fumarate), Nrf2 inhibitor (ML385), Nrf2-knockout mice and ferroptosis inhibitor (Ferrostatin-1) to investigate the potential roles of Nrf2 on seawater drowning-induced ALI and the underlying mechanisms.Results: Our data shows that Nrf2 activator dimethyl fumarate could increase cell viability, reduced the levels of intracellular ROS and lipid ROS, prevented glutathione depletion and lipid peroxide accumulation, increased FTH1 and GPX4 mRNA expression, and maintained mitochondrial membrane potential in MLE-12 cells. However, ML385 promoted cell death and lipid ROS production in MLE-12 cells. Furthermore, the lung injury became more aggravated in the Nrf2-knockout mice than that in WT mice after seawater drowning.Conclusions: These results suggested that Nrf2 can inhibit ferroptosis and therefore alleviate ALI induced by seawater drowning. The effectiveness of ferroptosis inhibition by Nrf2 provides a novel therapeutic target for seawater drowning-induced ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytochemical investigation on the stems ofKadsura renchangianaled to the isolation of two new sesquiterpenoids, renchangianins F and G (1and2). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including 2D NMR techniques. Thein vitrocytotoxic activities of the isolates were studied against HepG2, A549, and LN229 cancer cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Viola yedoensis is a component of traditional Chinese herb medicine for inflammatory diseases. Chemical constituents of V. yedoensis have been shown to possess antibacterial, anti-HIV, and anticoagulant effects in experimental research; however, their anti-inflammatory properties remain to be demonstrated. In this study, a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury was used to investigate the effect of petroleum ether fraction of V. yedoensis (PEVY) on inflammation in vivo. After being shown to have anti-complementary activity in vitro, PEVY was orally administered to the mice at doses of 2, 4, and 8 mg/kg. Treatment with PEVY significantly decreased the wet-to-dry weight ratio of the lung, total cells, red blood cells, protein concentration, and myeloperoxidase activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. PEVY markedly attenuated lung injury with improved lung morphology and reduced complement deposition. In addition, PEVY suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. Taken together, PEVY protects the lung from acute injury, potentially via inhibiting the activation of the complement system and excessive production of proinflammatory mediators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioactivity-guided fractionation resulted in the isolation of two new ent-labdane diterpenoids (1–2), along with eighteen known congeners (3−20) from the aerial parts of Andrographis paniculata. Except andrographolide (3) and isoandrographolide (4) , eighteen diterpenoids (1 – 2, 5–20) exhibited potent anticomplement activity with the CH 50 and AP 50 values of 23.1–638.3 μg/mL and 54.2–603.9 μg/mL, respectively. The structure-activity relationships of the isolates showed that 14-dehydroxylation, glycosidation and the opening of lactone were essential for anticomplement activity. Although inactive, andrographolide (3) was successfully transformed to anticomplement compounds (5 and 10) in vitro by human fecal bacteria, indicating that this major ent-labdane diterpenoid of A. paniculata might also exhibit anticomplement activity in vivo through their potential active metabolites. The targets of several bioactive ent-labdane diterpenoids in complement activation cascade were identified as well. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]