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Ficus altissima, also known as lofty fig, is a monoecious plant from the Moraceae family commonly found in southern China. In this study, we isolated and identified one new isoflavone (1), three new hydroxycoumaronochromones (2a, 2b and 3a) and 12 known compounds from the fruits of F. altissima. Their chemical structures were determined using spectroscopic analysis methods. We also tested all the isolated compounds for their anti-proliferative activities against eight human tumour cell lines (A-549, AGS, K562, K562/ADR, HepG2, HeLa, SPC-A-1 and CNE2) using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Our experiments showed that compound 6 exhibited obvious anti-proliferative activity against the K562 cell line with an IC 50 value of 1.55 μM. Additionally, compounds 8 and 9 showed significant anti-proliferative activities against the AGS and K562 cell lines, respectively. Moreover, compound 6 induced apoptosis in K562 cells through the caspase family signalling pathway., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Xinyu tangerine is a citrus fruit that has enjoyed great popularity in China for its fewer dregs and abundant nutrients. However, it is considered an easily perishable fruit that is vulnerable to various pathogenic fungal infections, especially by Penicillium italicum , which reduces its storage life and commercial value. Normally, to reduce the losses caused by fungal deterioration of harvested fruit, polysaccharide-based edible coating, containing natural antimicrobial agents (e.g. plant extracts), have been applied. In current study, we evaluated the effects of Ficus hirta Vahl. fruits extract (FFE)⁻incorporated chitosan (CS) edible coating on Xinyu tangerines during cold storage at 5 °C. The results showed FFE has efficacy as an antifungal against P. italicum in a dose-dependent manner in vivo , with an EC 50 value of 12.543 mg·mL - ¹. It was found that the edible coating of FFE⁻CS exhibited a higher reduction of total soluble solid (TSS), titrable acid (TA), and ascorbic acid (AsA) content by reducing the fruit decay rate, weight loss, respiration rate, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content during cold storage at 5 °C. Moreover, the activities of protective enzyme such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), which have been linked with reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the phenylpropanoid pathway, were higher in the FFE⁻CS-coated fruits. On the basis of these study results, the FFE⁻CS edible coating could reduce postharvest loss and enhance the storability of Xinyu tangerines due to the in vivo antifungal activity of FFE., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

A common hypothesis to explain the effect of litter mixing is based on the difference in litter N content between mixed species. Although many studies have shown that litter of invasive non-native plants typically has higher N content than that of native plants in the communities they invade, there has been surprisingly little study of mixing effects during plant invasions. We address this question in south China where Mikania micrantha H.B.K., a non-native vine, with high litter N content, has invaded many forested ecosystems. We were specifically interested in whether this invader accelerated decomposition and how the strength of the litter mixing effect changes with the degree of invasion and over time during litter decomposition. Using litterbags, we evaluated the effect of mixing litter of M. micrantha with the litter of 7 native resident plants, at 3 ratios: M1 (1∶4, = exotic:native litter), M2 (1∶1) and M3 (4∶1, = exotic:native litter) over three incubation periods. We compared mixed litter with unmixed litter of the native species to identify if a non-additive effect of mixing litter existed. We found that there were positive significant non-additive effects of litter mixing on both mass loss and nutrient release. These effects changed with native species identity, mixture ratio and decay times. Overall the greatest accelerations of mixture decay and N release tended to be in the highest degree of invasion (mix ratio M3) and during the middle and final measured stages of decomposition. Contrary to expectations, the initial difference in litter N did not explain species differences in the effect of mixing but overall it appears that invasion by M. micrantha is accelerating the decomposition of native species litter. This effect on a fundamental ecosystem process could contribute to higher rates of nutrient turnover in invaded ecosystems.