Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) Inhibitors from <i>Morinda citrifolia</i> (Noni) and Their Insulin Mimetic Activity

As part of our ongoing search for new antidiabetic agents from medicinal plants, we found that a methanol extract of <i>Morinda citrifolia</i> showed potential stimulatory effects on glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells. Bioassay-guided fractionation of this active extract yielded two new lignans (<b>1</b> and <b>2</b>) and three new neolignans (<b>9</b>, <b>10</b>, and <b>14</b>), as well as 10 known compounds (<b>3</b>–<b>8</b>, <b>11</b>–<b>13</b>, and <b>15</b>). The absolute configurations of compounds <b>9</b>, <b>10</b>, and <b>14</b> were determined by ECD spectra analysis. Compounds <b>3</b>, <b>6</b>, <b>7</b>, and <b>15</b> showed inhibitory effects on PTP1B enzyme with IC₅₀ values of 21.86 ± 0.48, 15.01 ± 0.20, 16.82 ± 0.42, and 4.12 ± 0.09 μM, respectively. Furthermore, compounds <b>3</b>, <b>6</b>, <b>7</b>, and <b>15</b> showed strong stimulatory effects on 2-NBDG uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells. This study indicated the potential of compounds <b>3</b>, <b>6</b>, <b>7</b>, and <b>15</b> as lead molecules for antidiabetic agents

Laser Acceleration of Highly Energetic Carbon Ions Using a Double-Layer Target Composed of Slightly Underdense Plasma and Ultrathin Foil

We report the experimental generation of highly energetic carbon ions up to 48 MeV per nucleon by shooting double-layer targets composed of well-controlled slightly underdense plasma (SUP) and ultrathin foils with ultra-intense femtosecond laser pulses. Particle-in-cell simulations reveal that carbon ions residing in the ultrathin foils undergo radiation pressure acceleration and long-time sheath field acceleration in sequence due to the existence of the SUP in front of the foils. Such an acceleration scheme is especially suited for heavy ion acceleration with femtosecond laser pulses. The breakthrough of heavy ion energy up to multi-tens of MeV/u at high-repetition-rate would be able to trigger significant advances in nuclear physics, high energy density physics, and medical physics