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Six new triterpenoid saponins (1–6) have been isolated from the roots of Gypsophila pacifica Kom. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive NMR (1H, 13C, TOCSY, HSQC, and HMBC) and ESIMS studies.

A novel supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) method has been developed for extracting essential oil from the aerial part of Coriandrum sativum . Various experimental conditions were investigated to optimise the SFE. It suggested that the extraction of 35 °C, 8 MPa, 2 h might be the optimisation to get the maximum of coriander essential oil. Then, high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successfully used in one step for the isolation and purification of coriandrone B, coriandrin, dihydrocoriandrin and coriandrone A from the coriander oil with a two-phase system composed of n -hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (3:7:5:5, v/v/v/v) for the first time. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed to analyse the HSCCC fractions and revealed that the purities of the isocoumarins were all above 90%, and the chemical structures were identified by spectroscopic analysis including ESIMS, 1 H NMR and UV.

Qualitative characterization and quantitative analysis of labdane diterpenoids from Coleus forskohlii have been achieved by liquid chromatography hyphenated with photodiode-array detection and tandem electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC–DAD–ESI-MS n ). By use of this method, thirteen forskolin-type diterpenoids were identified in the crude extract on the basis of their fragmentation mechanisms. Fragmentation rules were deduced from nine forskolin-type standards by ESI-MS in positive-ion mode. It was found that fragmentation behavior varied with the position and number of the substituents on the skeleton; this could be used for convenient identification of this type of compound. Six marker diterpenoids were also quantified, and the quality of both the cultivated and wild plants was evaluated.

Seven new tetranortriterpenoids (1-7), named chisonimbolinins A-G, were isolated from twigs of Chisocheton paniculatus. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses, and the structure of 1 was confirmed by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. Cytotoxic activity of compounds 1-7 was evaluated using HeLa and SMMC-7721 tumor cell lines.

A novel method for separation and on-line characterization of flavonoids from Asparagus officinalis by medium-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization multi-stage mass spectrometry (MPLC-ESI-MSn) was successfully established. The hyphenation between MPLC and ESI-MSn was designed to keep the split ratio exactly in the range from 1:100 to 1:300. The separation procedure was guided by the chromatogram of ion current of MSn and the structures of compounds were characterized by fragments information at the same time. Consequently, it was proved that MPLC coupled with ESI-MSn was an effective method for separation of compounds from multi-component mixtures with high purity and desired amounts and simultaneous elucidation of chemical structures.

Two new furostanol glycosides, torvosides O (1) and P (2), were isolated from leaves of Solanum torvum. Their structures were completely and unambiguously assigned by one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques (1H NMR, 13C NMR, TOCSY, HSQC, ROESY and HMBC), ESI-MS spectrometry and chemical methods. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was applied to the preparative isolation and purification of peonidin 3-O-(6-O-(E)-caffeoyl-2-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside)-5-O-beta-D-glucoside (1), cyanidin 3-O-(6-O-p-coumaroyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), peonidin 3-O-(2-O-(6-O-(E)-caffeoyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-6-O-(E)-caffeoyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside)-5-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), peonidin 3-O-(2-O-(6-O-(E)-feruloyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-6-O-(E)-caffeoyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside)-5-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4) from purple sweet potato. Separation of crude extracts (200 mg) from the roots of purple sweet potato using methyl tert-butyl ether/n-butanol/acetonitrile/water/trifluoroacetic acid (1:4:1:5:0.01, v/v) as the two-phase solvent system yielded 1 (15 mg), 2 (7 mg), 3 (10 mg), and 4 (12 mg). The purities of 1-4 were 95.5%, 95.0%, 97.8%, and 96.3%, respectively, as determined by HPLC. Compound 2 was isolated from purple sweet potato for the first time. The chemical structures of these components were identified by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and ESI-MS(n).

Chukvelutilides A–F (1-6), a new class of C-15-acyl phragmalin type limonoids, featuring a C-16/C-30 δ-lactone ring, were isolated from Chukrasia tabularis var. velutina. These compounds are suggested to possess a three- or four-carbon enolized acyl substituent at C-15 through a plausible biosynthetic origin. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic means, and that of 1 was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Seven new pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins, named dianversicosides A-G (1-7), together with nine known compounds, were isolated from the aerial parts of Dianthus versicolor. The structures of 1-7 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and chemical evidence. The absolute configuration of the 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl (HMG) group in 1-4 was ascertained by chemical analysis combined with a chiral HPLC method. Cytotoxic activities of the isolated compounds were evaluated against a small panel of cancer and other cell lines.

In the present study, the performance and separation characteristics on the column packed with MCI gel, D101 macroporous resin and ODS for the enrichment and separation of oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins with 3, 28-O-bidesmosides (OTSB) and oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins with 3-O-monoglucosides (OTSM) from the n-BuOH-soluble portion of Gypsophila pacifica Kom. extracts (GPE) have been evaluated. As a result, MCI gel not only showed the best separation efficiency of OTSB and OTSM, but also offered higher adsorption capacities, desorption capacities, and desorption ratios for oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins (OTS) than those of D101 macroporous resin and ODS. For further research, MCI gel was used to perform dynamic desorption tests to optimize the separation process of OTSB and OTSM from the n-BuOH-soluble portion of GPE. After the treatment with gradient elution on MCI gel, the OTSB and OTSM were separated successfully with 70% and 90% aqueous methanol solution (v/v), respectively. The contents of OTSB and OTSM were increased from 24.6% and 5.3% in the n-BuOH-soluble portion of GPE to 89.4% and 85.4% in the final products, respectively, and the recovery yield was 95.3%. The results indicated that MCI gel revealed a good ability to enrich and separate OTSB and OTSM, and could be referenced for the enrichment and separation of the OTS from herbal raw materials.

Two new coumarin glycosides (1 and 2), along with six known compounds (3-8), were isolated from the roots of Euphorbia soongarica. The structures of two new compounds were elucidated as aesculetin-6-O-(6'-O-galloyl)-beta-D-galactopyranoside (1) and fraxetin-8-O-(6'-O-galloyl)-beta-D-galactopyranoside (2) by spectral methods and chemical evidences.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks have emerged as one of the most promising approaches to improve the scalability of Video-on-Demand (VoD) service over Internet. However, despite a number of architectures and streaming protocols have been proposed in past years, there is few work to study the practical performance of P2P-based VoD service especially in consideration of real user behavior which actually has significant impact on system scalability. Therefore, in this paper, we first characterize the user behavior by analyzing a large amount of real traces from a popular VoD system supported by the biggest television station in China, cctv.com. Then we ex-amine the practical scalability of P2P-based VoD service through extensive trace-driven simula-tion under a general system framework. The results show that P2P networks scale well in provid-ing VoD service under real user behavior by obtaining a considerable good cache hit ratio. Moreover, it is observed that adopting hard cache at client side help achieves better system scal-ability than that with soft cache. We also identify the impact of various aspects of user behavior upon system scalability through detailed simulation. We believe that our study will shine insight-ful light on the understanding of practical scalability of P2P-based VoD service and be helpful to future system design and optimization.

Two novel C-22 steroidal lactone saponins, namely solanolactosides A, B ( 1 , 2 ) and two new spirostanol glycosides, namely torvosides M, N ( 3 , 4 ) were isolated from ethanol extract of aerial parts of Solanum torvum . Their structures were characterized as solanolide 6- O -[α- l -rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 3)- O -β- d -quinovopyranoside] ( 1 ), solanolide 6- O -[β- d -xylopyranosyl-(1 → 3)- O -β- d -quinovopyranoside] ( 2 ), yamogenin 3- O -[β- d -glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)- O -β- d -glucopyranoside] ( 3 ) and neochlorogenin 3- O -[β- d -glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)- O -β- d -glucopyranoside] ( 4 ) on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. The cytotoxicities of the saponins ( 1 – 4 ) were evaluated in vitro against a panel of human cancer cell lines. Compounds 3 and 4 showed significant cytotoxic activity with the cell lines.

Sumadains A (1) and B (2), a pair of unique isomeric sesquiterpene-chalcone conjugates with unprece- dented skeletons, were isolated from the seeds of Alpinia katsumadai. Their structures and relative con- figurations were established by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.

The three new pentacyclic triterpenes 1-3 were isolated and elucidated from the roots of Gypsophila oldhamiana, together with seven known triterpenes (4-10). These triterpenes were evaluated for their glycogen phosphorylase inhibitory activity and preliminary structure-activity trends are suggested.

Seven new triterpenoid saponins (1–7), have been isolated and elucidated from the roots of Gypsophila oldhamiana together with five known triterpenoid saponins (8–12). These saponins which could be classified into three series: 3-O-monoglucosides (1, 8, 9), 28-O-monoglucosides (2–4, 12) and 3, 28-O-bidesmosides (5–7, 10, 11), have been evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibition activity. As a result, the preliminary structure–activity relationships were discussed based on the position of sugar linkage attached to the aglycone, and 28-O-monoglucosides 2–4 and 12 showed significant inhibitory activities on α-glucosidase.

An unusual new cyclic peptide with a pyrrolidine-2,5-dione unit, gypsophin (1), was isolated from Gypsophila oldhamiana. Its structure was elucidated by the spectroscopic evidences. The stereochemistry was determined by application of the Marfey's method and the single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 exhibited inhibitory activity against alpha-glucosidase with IC50 of 305 microM.

Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications. Trans-δ-viniferin (TVN), a polyphenolic compound, has recently attracted much attention as an antioxidant exhibiting a hypoglycemic potential. In the present study, we aimed at investigating the protective effect of TVN against high glucose-induced oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the potential mechanism involved. We found that TVN attenuated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, increased catalase (CAT) activity and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels to ameliorate cell survival induced by 35 mM glucose. Meanwhile, it inhibited high glucose-induced apoptosis by maintaining Ca(2+) and preserving mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) levels. The immunoblot analysis indicated that TVN efficiently regulated the cleavage of caspase family, p53, Bax and Bcl-2, all mediated by SIRT1. Furthermore, the increased level of SIRT1 induced by TVN was inhibited by nicotinamide and siRNA-medicated SIRT1 silencing (si-SIRT1), thereby confirming the significant role of SIRT1 in these events. In conclusion, our results indicated that TVN efficiently reduced oxidative stress and maintained mitochondrial function related with activating SIRT1 in high glucose-treated HUVECs. It suggested that TVN is pharmacologically promising for treating diabetic cardiovascular complications.

Four new 13,14-seco-withanolides, minisecolides A - D (1 - 4), together with three known analogues 5 - 7, were isolated from the whole plants of Physalis minima. The structures of new compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including (1) H-, (13) C-NMR, 2D-NMR (HMBC, HSQC, ROESY), and HR-ESI-MS. Evaluation of all isolates for their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production was conducted on lipopolysaccaride-activated RAW264.7 macrophages. Compounds 2, 3, 5, and 6 showed inhibitory activities, especially for compound 5 with IC50 value of 3.87 μm.

Two pairs of enantiomers of flavonoid oligomers (1a and 1b, 2a and 2b) along with one known chalcone (3) were isolated from the rhizomes of Alpinia platychilus. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data (MS and 1D/2D NMR). The absolute configurations of the flavonoid oligomers were established by their ECD spectra. Separation of the enantiomeric mixtures (1a and 1b, 2a and 2b) was achieved on a chiral column using hexane:isopropyl alcohol:ethanol (7:2:1) as eluents. The anticoagulant assay showed that 2a, 2b and 3 exhibited potent activities to prolong the prothrombin times (PT) and the thrombin times (TT).

A new sesquiterpenoid (I) and three new diterpenoids (II), (III) are isolated along with five known compounds.

Nine new tirucallane-type triterpenoids, ficutirucins A—I, are isolated and evaluated for their cytotoxicity.

A pair of 2,3-seco cafestol-type diterpenoid epimers, frutilactones A (1) and B (2) were isolated from twigs of Tricalysia fruticosa. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensively employing spectroscopic methods (MS and 1D/2D NMR) and ECD. Their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages were evaluated, and a possible biogenetic pathway was also proposed.

Eight new cafestol-type diterpenoids, tricalysins A–H (1–8), along with five known analogues (9–13), were isolated from the twigs of Tricalysia fruticosa. The structures of 1–8 were elucidated by the application of spectroscopic methods. Inhibitory effects of the isolates on nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccaride-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages were evaluated, and compound 8 exhibited the most potent bioactivity, with an IC50 value of 6.6 ± 0.4 μM. It was shown further that compound 8 inhibits inflammatory responses via suppression of the expression of iNOS and reduction of the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α, resulting from activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) and phosphorylation of MAPKs (ERK, JNK, and p38).

Involucratustones A-C (1-3), three cadinane dimers containing multiple contiguous quaternary carbons, were isolated from the rhizomes of Stahlianthus involucratus. Their structures were determined by a combination of NMR spectroscopy, chemical conversion, and X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 are rearranged homodimers of cadinane sesquiterpene fused with a unique fully substituted 1-oxaspiro[4.4]nonane core observed for the first time in natural products, and 3 is a novel 3',4'-seco-cadinane-dimer. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited potent cytotoxic activities, and 3 showed notable anti-inflammatory effect.

Ten new calyxins such as (I), (II), and (III) are isolated from the seeds of Alpinia katsumadai.

Nine new tirucallane-type triterpenoids, ficutirucins A-I (1-9), were isolated from the fruit of Ficus carica. Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic data and chemical methods. All isolates were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against three human cancer cell lines, MCF-7, HepG-2, and U2OS. Compounds 1-3, 6, 7, and 9 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities with IC50 values of 11.67-45.61 µM against one or more of the three cancer cell lines.

by Jian-Guang Luo, Hong Yin, Bo-Yi Fan, and Ling-Yi Kong*State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry,China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tong Jia Xiang, Nanjing 210009, P. R. China(phone/fax: þ86-25-83271405; e-mail: cpu_lykong@126.com)A rare labdane diterpene g-lactam, 1, and two new labdane diterpenoids, 2 and 3, along with twoknown diterpenes, 4 and 5, were isolated from the roots of Amomum maximum. Their structures wereestablished on the basis of spectroscopic data. All of the isolates were evaluated for their cytotoxicactivities, and compound 3 was found to exhibit an inhibitory activity against MG-63 cell lines with anIC

Four new flavonoids, mortatarins A-D (1-4, resp.), along with eight known flavonoids (5-12) were isolated from the root bark of Morus alba var. tatarica. Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic data analysis, and the absolute configuration of 4 was determined by analysis of its CD spectrum. All isolates were tested for inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase. Compounds 4, 7, and 8 exhibited a significant degree of inhibition with IC50 values of 5.0 ± 0.3, 7.5 ± 0.5, and 5.9 ± 0.2 μM, respectively.

Phytochemical investigation of the roots of Gypsophila oldhamiana afforded two new β-carboline alkaloids, oldhamiaines A and B (1 and 2), along with a known analogue (3). Their structures were elucidated by using spectroscopic and chemical methods. This is the first report of β-carboline alkaloids in the genus Gypsophila.

A pair of new oleanane-type nortriterpene saponin epimers, neogypsoside A (1) and B (2) (Fig. 1) with neogypsogenin A (3) and neogypsogenin B (4) as the two new aglycons, as well as the two known triterpene saponins 5 and 6(Fig. 1), were isolated from the roots of Gypsophila oldhamiana. Their structures were determined by analysis of their NMR data. A possible biogenetic pathway to the nortriterpene saponins 1 and 2 is proposed (Scheme 2).

Aim To investigate the chemical constituents of Solanum torvum Swartz. Methods The compounds were isolated by silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and Rp-C 18 column chromatography. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral analysis of ESI-MS and NMR. Results Nine known compounds including neochlorogenin 6- O -β-D-quinovopyranoside ( 1 ), neochlorogenin 6- O -β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)β-D-quinovopyranoside ( 2 ), neochlorogenin 6- O -α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-β-D-quinovopyranoside ( 3 ), solagenin 6- O -β-D-quinovopyranoside ( 4 ), solagenin 6- O -α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-β-D-quinovopyranoside ( 5 ), isoquercetin ( 6 ), rutin ( 7 ), kaempferol ( 8 ) and quercetin ( 9 ) were isolated from S. torvum . Conclusion All compounds were isolated from S. torvum for the first time.

Eleven new resin glycosides, aquaterins I-XI (1-11), were isolated from the whole plants of Ipomoea aquatica. The structures of 1-11 were elucidated by a combination of spectroscopic and chemical methods. They were found to be partially acylated tetra- or pentasaccharides derived from simonic acid B and operculinic acids A and C. The site of the aglycone macrolactonization was placed at C-2 or C-3 of the second saccharide moiety, while the two acylating residues could be located at C-2 (or C-3) of the second rhamnose unit and at C-4 (or C-3) on the third rhamnose moiety. All compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity against a small panel of human cancer cell lines. Compound 4 exhibited the most potent activity against HepG2 cells with an IC50 value of 2.4 μM. Cell cycle analysis revealed 4 to inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells via G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis induction. In addition, compounds 1-4, 7, 9, and 10 were found to elevate Ca(2+) in HepG2 cells, which might be involved in the regulation of the cytotoxic activities observed.

Two new neo-clerodane diterpenoids, teucvisins A and B (1, 2), and three new 19-nor-neoclerodane diterpenoids, teucvisins C-E (3-5), together with ten known constituents (6-15) were isolated from the whole plants of Teucrium viscidum. All the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory activities of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 macrophages. The results indicated that compounds 11 and 15 showed moderate inhibition with an IC50 value of 21.9 and 22.4 µM, respectively.

An efficient, feasible enrichment and separation method of epimedins A, B, C and icariin from Herba Epimedii was developed by the combination of microwave-assisted extraction, macroporous resins and preparative HPLC. WDX-5 macroporous resin shows better recoveries at 96.2%, 97.0%, 98.2% and 97.1% for epimedins A, B, C and icariin than other macroporous resins used in the experiments. As a result, epimedins A (5.1 mg), B (15.3 mg), C (7.6 mg) and icariin (14.3 mg) were obtained from 6.0 g crude Herba Epimedii with the recoveries at 70.8%, 68.9%, 66.7% and 95.3%, respectively. The method developed in this study may provide scientific references for the enrichment and separation of flavonoids from Herba Epimedii.

Five flavonostilbenes (alopecurones H, I, J, K and L) and five known ones were isolated from roots of Sophora alopecuroides, in addition to ten other phenolic compounds. A non-enzymatic interconversion of the lavandulyl-substituted flavonostilbenes was observed among alopecurones A, H, I, and K through a Wessely-Moser rearrangement reaction; this was proven by 1D and 2D NMR, HPLC-CD-PDA and HRMS analyses. Bioassay results suggested that flavonostilbenes exhibit significant antibacterial and anti-biofilm formation activities against Staphylococcus epidermidis with MIC values ranging from 3.1 to 12.5μg/mL.

A new strategy of the convergence of high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and bioactive assay technique was developed for rapidly screening and separating the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors from the aerial parts of Desmodium styracifolium. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the crude extract was first established to target the bioactive fractions based on HSCCC coupled with in vitro ACE inhibitory assay. Subsequently, the bioactive fractions were further separated by the recycling complexation HSCCC respectively, using 0.10 mol/L copper sulfate in the lower phase of two-phase solvent system composed of n-butanol/water (1:1, v/v). Five C-glycosylflavones, vicenin 2 (1), carlinoside (2), vicenin 1 (3), schaftoside (4) and vicenin 3 (5), were successfully obtained. Their chemical structures were identified using ESI-MS and NMR. All the isolates showed in vitro ACE inhibitory activity with the IC50 values between 33.62 and 58.37 μM. The results demonstrated that the established method was proposed as an excellent strategy to systematically screen and purify active compounds from traditional Chinese medicines.

Two new neo-clerodane diterpenoids, teucvisins A and B (1, 2), and three new 19-nor-neoclerodane diterpenoids, teucvisins C-E (3-5), together with ten known constituents (6-15) were isolated from the whole plants of Teucrium viscidum. All the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory activities of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 macrophages. The results indicated that compounds 11 and 15 showed moderate inhibition with an IC50 value of 21.9 and 22.4 µM, respectively.

The title compounds show significant inhibition on NO production on LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells.

A new sesquiterpenoid, 1, and three new diterpenoids, 3-5, along with five known compounds, 2 and 6-9, were isolated from rhizomes of Alpinia japonica. The structures of the new compounds were determined as (1R,4R,6S,7S,9S)-4α-hydroxy-1,9-peroxybisabola-2,10-diene (1), methyl (12E)-16-oxolabda-8(17),12-dien-15-oate (3), (12R)-15-ethoxy-12-hydroxylabda-8(17),13(14)-dien-16,15-olide (4), and methyl (11E)-14,15,16-trinorlabda-8(17),11-dien-13-oate (5) by means of spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations at C(4) in 1 and C(12) in 4 were deduced from the circular dichroism (CD) data of the in situ-formed [Rh2 (CF3 COO)4 ] complexes. Inhibitory effects of the isolates on NO production in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 macrophages were evaluated, and 2-4, 6, and 7 were found to exhibit inhibitory activities with IC50 values between 14.6 and 34.3 μM.

Eight new glucosylated coumaroyltyramine derivatives, teuvissides A–H (1–8), were isolated from whole plants of Teucrium viscidum. Their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic data and chemical methods. The antihyperglycemic activities of these compounds were evaluated in HepG2 cells and 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and all of the isolates elicited different levels of glucose consumption at a concentration of 2.0 μM. Teuvissides A (1), B (2), and F (6) induced 2.2-, 2.1-, and 2.2-fold changes, respectively, in the levels of glucose consumption in HepG2 cells and 2.5-, 2.1-, and 2.3-fold changes, respectively, in 3T3-L1 adipocytes relative to the basal levels.

A new alkaloid glycoside named fordianoside (1), together with three known compounds arabinothalictoside (2), 6-O-p-coumaroyl-β-fructofuranosyl-(2 → 1)-α-d-glucopyranoside (3) and 4-[formyl-5-(hydroxymethyl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl] butanoic acid (4), was isolated from the rhizomes of Aristolochia fordiana. The structure of 1 was established as (1S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-7-hydroxy-1-[(4-hydroxybenzyl) methyl]-2,2-dimethyl-8-O-isoquinolinyl β-d-glucopyranoside by using chemical and spectroscopic methods including HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR.

A new neo-clerodane diterpene, named ajugacumbin J (1), together with 13 known compounds (2–14) was isolated from Ajuga decumbens. The structure of ajugacumbin J (1) was elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectra and MS. Ajugacumbin J (1) and ajugacumbin D (5) exhibited inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophages with an IC50 value of 46.2 and 35.9 μM, respectively.

A new steroidal alkaloid, beaumontamine ( 1 ), was isolated from the stems of Beaumontia grandiflora . The structure was elucidated on the basis of spectral analysis.

In recent years, the inherent effectiveness of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks has been advocated to address scalability issues in large scale Internet-based on-Demand streaming services. Most of existing works adopt Cache-and-Relay (CR) scheme to exploit a cooperative paradigm among peers. In this paper, we mainly present our practical evaluation study of the scalability of the CR scheme by taking into account of more than 20,000,000 collected real traces. Based on trace-driven simulations, we conclude that the CR scheme is not as effective as previously reported in terms of saving server bandwidth.

Six new polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols, attenuatumiones A–F ( 1 – 6 ), together with twelve known analogs ( 7–18 ) were isolated from the whole plant of Hypericum attenuatum . Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configuration of C-13 in attenuatumione C ( 3 ) was deduced via the circular dichroism datum of the in situ formed [Rh 2 (OCOCF 3 ) 4 ] complexes. All isolates were evaluated for the cytotoxic activities on three human cancer cell lines. Compound 3 showed moderate cytotoxic activities with IC 50 values of 10.12 and 10.56 μM against SMMC7721 and U2OS, respectively.

Ten new geranylated 2-arylbenzofuran derivatives, including two monoterpenoid 2-arylbenzofurans (1 and 2), two geranylated 2-arylbenzofuran enantiomers (3a and 3b), and six geranylated 2-arylbenzofurans (4-9), along with four known 2-arylbenzofurans (10-13) were isolated from the root bark of Morus alba var. tatarica. Their structures and relative configurations were established on the basis of spectroscopic data analysis. Compounds 3-7 with one asymmetric carbon at C-7″ were supposed to be enantiomeric mixtures confirmed by chiral HPLC analysis, and the absolute configurations of each enantiomer in 3-7 were determined by Rh2(OCOCF3)4-induced CD and Snatzke's method. The enantiomers with the substituting group at C-2' exhibited better resolutions on a Chiralpak AD-H column than those with the substituting group at C-4'. Compounds 1-7, 10, 11 and 13, showed α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 11.9-131.9 μM, and compounds 1 and 9-13 inhibited protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) with IC50 values of 7.9-38.1 μM.