Unusual sesquiterpene glucosides from Amaranthus retroflexus

Abstract—Implementing the phytochemical study of the weed Amaranthus retroflexus, four new sesquiterpene glucosides were isolated from the methanolic extract of the plant. The structures of these metabolites are determined on the basis of the mass spectrometry, and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopies (DQ-COSY, TOCSY, HSQC, HSQC–TOCSY, HMBC, and NOESY). Two compounds are characterized by a new aglycone and differed from the site of glucosylation. The other two compounds are dimeric diastereoisomers. All the glucoside sesquiterpenes were tested on the wild species Taraxacum officinale to evaluate the role of this weed in the habitat and on the seed of A. retroflexus to verify the potential autotoxic effect of the plant

The Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST) Science White Paper

The Wide-field Spectroscopic Telescope (WST) is proposed as a new facility dedicated to the efficient delivery of spectroscopic surveys. This white paper summarises the initial concept as well as the corresponding science cases. WST will feature simultaneous operation of a large field-of-view (3 sq. degree), a high multiplex (20,000) multi-object spectrograph (MOS) and a giant 3x3 sq. arcmin integral field spectrograph (IFS). In scientific capability these requirements place WST far ahead of existing and planned facilities. Given the current investment in deep imaging surveys and noting the diagnostic power of spectroscopy, WST will fill a crucial gap in astronomical capability and work synergistically with future ground and space-based facilities. This white paper shows that WST can address outstanding scientific questions in the areas of cosmology; galaxy assembly, evolution, and enrichment, including our own Milky Way; origin of stars and planets; time domain and multi-messenger astrophysics. WST's uniquely rich dataset will deliver unforeseen discoveries in many of these areas. The WST Science Team (already including more than 500 scientists worldwide) is open to the all astronomical community. To register in the WST Science Team please visit https://www.wstelescope.com/for-scientists/participat

Isolation, characterization, and antioxidant activity of E- and Z-p-coumaryl fatty acid esters from cv. Annurca apple fruits

A total of 12 fatty acid esters of Z- and E-p-coumaryl alcohol were isolated from cv. Annurca apple fruit and characterized. This apple variety is widely cultivated in the south of Italy, and the fruits typically undergoe a reddening treatment after harvest. Structures of the p-coumaryl esters were elucidated by GC-MS and 1H and 13C NMR after purification of individual compounds by HPLC. It was found that the esters are localized in the fruit peel. During reddening of the fruit, there was a substantial increase in the amount of esters and particularly in molecular species with unsaturated fatty acids. The individual compounds were tested for antioxidant activity, and over half were shown to be at least as effective as α-tocopherol. © 2005 American Chemical Society

Structural elucidation and bioactivity of novel secondary metabolites from Carex distachya

Four new carexanes and a new seco-derivative metabolite have been isolated and characterized from the herbaceous plant Carex distachya Desf. All of the structures have been elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. These compounds derive from the cyclization of prenylate stylbenoid precursors. The seco-carexane is formed by a further oxidative cleavage of the C-7-C-8 bond. The absolute configurations have been determined by Mosher's method using appropriate chemical correlations. All of the carexanes A-H have been tested for their phytotoxicity against Lactuca sativa. The bioassays showed an inhibitory effect on seed germination for all compounds described in this report. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Beneficial effects of L-Arginine in patients hospitalized for COVID-19: New insights from a randomized clinical trial

We have recently demonstrated in a double-blind randomized trial the beneficial effects of L-Arginine in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. We hypothesize that one of the mechanisms underlying the favorable effects of L-Arginine is its action on inflammatory cytokines. To verify our hypothesis, we measured longitudinal plasma levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines implied in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 in patients randomized to receive oral L-Arginine or placebo. The study was successfully completed by 169 patients. Patients in the L-Arginine arm had a reduced respiratory support evaluated at 10 and 20 days; moreover, the time to hospital discharge was significantly shorter in the L-Arginine group. The assessment of circulating cytokines revealed that L-Arginine significantly reduced the circulating levels of pro-inflammatory IL-2, IL-6, and IFN-γ and increased the levels of the anti-inflammatory IL-10. Taken together, these findings indicate that adding L-Arginine to standard therapy in COVID-19 patients markedly reduces the need of respiratory support and the duration of in-hospital stay; moreover, L-Arginine significantly regulates circulating levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines

In vitro saprotrophic basidiomycetes tolerance to pendimethalin

Pendimethalin is a dinitroaniline herbicide classified among the persistent-bioaccumulative toxics. In this paper, the tolerance to this herbicide has been studied in isolates of basidiomycetes (10 species including 9 wood-rotting and 1 litter fungi), collected in different areas of the Campania region (South Italy). The isolates were grown on two different agar media, rich and poor for the presence/absence of dextrose and NH4NO3, and amended with 0, 100 and 500 ppm herbicide. The mycelial growth was recorded daily, and statistical analysis of fungal growth rates, determined via linear regression, allowed us to compare the hyphal extension of various macrofungi in presence of herbicide. These data represent the adaptation capacity of the fungal organisms to the peculiar environmental situation. In amended agar, all fungi exhibited a certain tolerance to pendimethalin and, normally, the fungal growth decreased with the increasing of pollutant concentration. Nevertheless, in some cases, the difference of ground reflected the different agar media. In fact, the growth of Agrocybe aegerita, in rich agar decreased with the increase of herbicide dose, while in poor agar it increased with the pollutant. Among the examined fungi, A. aegerita was the species which resulted the most tolerant to herbicide, showing growth to about 70% of the control to the highest concentrations of pollutant and for the two different agar media. Scientific relevance of the paper: No published report is available regarding pendimethalin herbicide biodegradation with basidiomycetes; therefore this work represented the first and preliminary investigation as regards. It's directed to determine the fungal tolerance to the pollutant. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved