Anti-inflammatory Lathyrane Diterpenoids from <i>Euphorbia lathyris</i>

Six new lathyrane diterpenoids (1–6) and 10 known analogues (7–16), were separated from the seeds of Euphorbia lathyris. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by X-ray crystallography, and the C-2′ configuration of 5 was elucidated by comparing experimental and calculated ECD data. These compounds were studied for their inhibition against nitric oxide (NO) generation induced by lipopolysaccharide in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Compounds 1–3, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, and 16 displayed inhibitory effects on NO production, with IC50 values of 2.6–26.0 μM. The new compound 1 (IC50 3.0 ± 1.1 μM), with no obvious cytotoxicity, was selected for further experiments. The production of cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-1β, as well as the protein expression of iNOS, NF-κB, and phosphorylated IκBα, was reduced by 1 dose-dependently. These results suggested that lathyrane diterpenoids may be used as potential anti-inflammatory agents and are worth being further researched

Anti-inflammatory Lathyrane Diterpenoids from <i>Euphorbia lathyris</i>

Six new lathyrane diterpenoids (1–6) and 10 known analogues (7–16), were separated from the seeds of Euphorbia lathyris. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by X-ray crystallography, and the C-2′ configuration of 5 was elucidated by comparing experimental and calculated ECD data. These compounds were studied for their inhibition against nitric oxide (NO) generation induced by lipopolysaccharide in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Compounds 1–3, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, and 16 displayed inhibitory effects on NO production, with IC50 values of 2.6–26.0 μM. The new compound 1 (IC50 3.0 ± 1.1 μM), with no obvious cytotoxicity, was selected for further experiments. The production of cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-1β, as well as the protein expression of iNOS, NF-κB, and phosphorylated IκBα, was reduced by 1 dose-dependently. These results suggested that lathyrane diterpenoids may be used as potential anti-inflammatory agents and are worth being further researched

A new flavonoid from the aerial parts of <i>Andrographis paniculata</i>

<div><p>A new flavonoid, 7,8-dimethoxy-2′-hydroxy-5-<i>O</i>-β-d-glucopyranosyloxyflavone (<b>1</b>), along with 15 known flavonoids (<b>2–16</b>), was isolated from the aerial parts of <i>Andrographis paniculata</i> Nees. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic analyses. Most of them have uncommon <i>O</i>-substitution patterns involving 5-, 7-, 8-, 2′-, 3′-, 4′- and 5′-<i>O</i>-substituents. The antiproliferative effects of these flavonoids against human leukaemia HL-60 cells were investigated. Among them, <b>13</b> was the most active, displaying potent antiproliferative activity with IC₅₀ of 3.50 μM. The structure–activity relationships of these isolated compounds were discussed.</p></div

Coumarins and flavones with anti-inflammatory activity isolated from the branches and leaves of <i>Daphne retusa</i>

In this study, two new (1, 13) and fourteen known (2–12, 14–16) compounds were isolated from the branches and leaves of Daphne retusa. On the basis of chemical evidence and spectral data analysis (UV, ECD NMR, and HR-ESI-MS), the structures of new compounds were elucidated. Furthermore, all compounds have been tested for their inhibitory effects on NO production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells, and compound 3 showed obvious inhibitory effect. Through target screening and molecular docking technology, potential binding targets for compound 3 to exert anti-inflammatory effects have been predicted.</p

DataSheet1_Direct Numerical Simulation of Heat Transfer of Lead–Bismuth Eutectic Flow Over a Circular Cylinder at Re = 500.pdf

The flow and heat transfer characteristics of the lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE) (Prandtl number Pr = 0.025) passing over a circular cylinder at Re = 500 are studied by direct numerical simulation and compared with the case of the air (Pr = 0.71). This article makes two major contributions: (1) heat transfer characteristics for the LBE flowing past a circular cylinder. For the case of air, the results show that a similarity exists among the wake structure of instantaneous temperature, fluctuating temperature, and velocity. However, these fields differ severely for the case of LBE. The local time-averaged Nusselt number (Nu¯) and circumferentially averaged Nu¯ are smaller in the LBE than that in the air. The circumferential and spanwise distributions of Nu¯ in the LBE show a greater uniformity. The regions with larger circumferential or spanwise inhomogeneity appear in the flow separation zone. Besides, a resemblance between the distribution of the root mean square of fluctuation temperature and the turbulence kinetic energy can be recognized in the air; however, the similarity disappears for the case of LBE and in which the temperature fluctuation is smaller than that in the air. (2) Study on the temperature and velocity defect laws in the wake. By introducing the defect scales, it is concluded that the velocity field has not entered the self-preserving state yet, while the self-preserving state starts at the location of five times the diameter of the cylinder downstream of the cylinder for the temperature in the LBE and that of 21 times for the temperature in the air. In summary, even if without taking the buoyancy force into consideration, this article provides a fruitful description of the flow and heat transfer characteristics when the LBE flows past a cylinder, which is a typical flow in a helical coil steam generator of lead–bismuth alloy-cooled fast reactors. These highly resolved data on velocity and temperature are valuable for turbulence and heat fluxes modeling in the future and may facilitate the in-depth understanding of such flow and heat transfer characteristics within a limited variation range of operating temperature.</p

Capture and Release of [PdCl₄]^2– by TMeQ[6]-Based Supramolecular Frameworks Assembled via the Outer Surface Interaction of Q[<i>n</i>]s

TMeQ­[6] exhibits high selectivity for [PdCl4]2– anion in an HCl solution to form supramolecular frameworks via the anion-induced outer-surface interactions of cucurbit­[n]­urils. However, in an HNO3 solution, TMeQ[6] can only form metal free supramolecular frameworks via the self-induced outer-surface interactions of cucurbit­[n]­urils. Using these properties, a process for collecting and recovering precious palladium could be established

A new phenol glycoside from <i>Physalis angulata</i>

<p>A new phenol glycoside, physanguloside A (<b>1</b>), was isolated from <i>Physalis angulata</i> together with four known compounds. We report herein, for the first time, the presence of compounds <b>2</b>–<b>5</b> in the genus <i>Physalis</i>. The structures of all the compounds were established by NMR, IR, UV and HRESIMS spectroscopic analyses, and comparison with the literature data. All isolated compounds were assayed for inhibitory activity on nitric oxide production by LPS-induced in RAW 264.7 macrophages.</p

Unique Topology Analysis by ToposPro for a Metal–Organic Framework with Multiple Coordination Centers

The reactions of 2-(4-pyridyl) thiazole-4-carboxylic acid (Hptca) and CuCl2·6H2O have led to a novel 3D mixed-valence, four-copper-center, metal–organic framework (MOF) [Cu8Cl2(ptca)10·17H2O]n (1). The topology analysis using ToposPro software package for 1 resulted in three chain-based topology types of sra (42, 63, 8), pcu (412, 63), and dia (66) via choosing corresponding connection atoms as central atoms. The study indicates that connection atoms associated directly with multiple coordination centers are applicable to act as central atoms. This unique topology analysis approach is conceptually different from the current analytical methods which use node atoms as central atoms. In addition, complex 1 exhibits significant selective adsorption of CO2 over N2. This study provides a great example of the topological analysis of MOFs with multiple coordination centers

CD44-Targeted Photoactivatable Polymeric Nanosystem with On-Demand Drug Release as a “Photoactivatable Bomb” for Combined Photodynamic Therapy–Chemotherapy of Cancer

Nowadays, the combined use of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT) remains the most popular strategy for cancer treatment with high theraprutic efficacy. However, targeted therapy with the on-demand release of drugs is what most clinical treatments lack, leading to heavy side effects. Herein, a new CD44-targeted and red-light-activatable nanosystem, Ru-HA@DOX nanoparticles (NPs), was developed by conjugating hydrophilic biodegradable hyaluronic acid (HA) and hydrophobic photoresponsive ruthenium (Ru) complexes, which could encapsulate the chemotherapeutic drug doxrubicin (DOX). Ru-HA@DOX NPs can selectively accumulate at the tumor through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and CD44-mediated endocytosis, thus avoiding off-target toxicity during circulation. After 660 nm of irradiation at the tumor site, Ru-HA@DOX NPs, as a “photoactivatable bomb”, was split via the photocleavable Ru–N coordination bond to fast release DOX and produce singlet oxygen (1O2) for PDT. In general, Ru-HA@DOX NPs retained its integrity before irradiation and possessed minimal cytotoxicity, while under red-light irradiation, Ru-HA@DOX NPs showed significant cytotoxicity due to the release of DOX and production of 1O2 at the tumor. Chemotherapy–PDT of Ru-HA@DOX NPs resulted in a significant inhibition of tumor growth in A549-tumor-bearing mice and reduced the cardiotoxicity of DOX. Therefore, this study offers a novel CD44-targeted drug-delivery system with on-demand drug release for synergistic chemotherapy–PDT