A new sesquiterpene lactone and a new aromatic glycoside from Illicium difengpi

Structure elucidation and anti-inflammatory mechanism of difengpienol C, a new neolignan isolated from Illicium difengpi

Illicium difengpi is well-known as its stem barks that have been widely used in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for therapy rheumatoid arthritis and traumatic injury. To comprehensive utilization of resources, the phytochemical investigation on the branches and leaves of this plant was carried out, which led to the isolation of an undescribed neolignan along with three known lignans. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data and the new compound was elucidated as a neolignan possessing a dihydropyran ring formed by a unique conjugation way and named difengpienol C. Difengpienol C showed the strongest anti-inflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, which powerfully inhibited nitric oxide (NO), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) production and suppressed the mRNA transcription of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), IL-6 and TNF-α. Besides, difengpienol C blocked the activation of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. Therefore, difengpienol C might be a potent agent for anti-inflammatory drug development, and the non-traditional medicinal parts of Illicium difengpi can be identified as the source of natural anti-inflammatory molecules.

Novel Strategy for Engineering the Metal-Oxide@MOF Core@Shell Architecture and Its Applications in Cataluminescence Sensing

Cataluminescence is an attractive oxydic luminescence on the gas-solid interface, and metal-oxide@MOF core@shell architectures show great potential for cataluminescence sensing due to their integrated synergistic effect from core and shell components. However, restricting the direct nucleation and growth of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) on the topologically distinct surface of metal oxides is a great challenge, owing to the high interface energy from the topology mismatch. Herein, for the first time, a novel liquid-phase concentration-controlled nucleation strategy is exploited to induce the direct assembly of a ZIF-8 layer on the surface of CeO₂ nanospheres without any sacrificial templates or further surface modifications. The results show that the construction of the CeO₂@ZIF-8 core@shell architecture can be accomplished within 1 min under the mediation of boosted nucleation kinetics. Furthermore, the universality of this developed strategy is demonstrated by the encapsulation of other metal-oxide cores such as magnetic Fe₃O₄ and ZnCo₂O₄ core particles with a ZIF-8 shell. Notably, compared to the pure CeO₂ and ZIF-8, the obtained CeO₂@ZIF-8 nanocomposite exhibits enhanced analytical performance for the cataluminescence sensing of propanal, in which the shell acts as the major catalytic reaction center, while the core contributes to further improving the catalytic efficiency. The proposed facile synthesis strategy with excellent simplicity, rapidity, and universality brings new insights into the engineering of core@shell advanced functional materials with mismatched topologies for catering to the diverse application demands.

Crystal structure of the ethyl 2,4-dihydroxy-6-methylbenzoate from Illicium difengpi K.I.B et K.I.M

The title compound, C10H12O4, was isolated from Illicium difengpi K.I.B et K.I.M. An intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond stabilizes the molecular conformation. In the crystal, the compound forms offset slanted stacks of alternating inversion-related molecules along the a axis direction. Intermolecular O—H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into double strands parallel to the [101] direction.

Lignan Glucosides from the Stem Barks of Illicium difengpi

In this study, four new lignan glucosides, named difengpiosides A–D (1–4), were isolated from the stem barks of Illicium difengpi, together with seven known compounds 5–11. Their structures were identified on the basis of spectroscopic analyses (1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, CD) and a comparison with literature data. All the compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells.

Heterocyclic terpenes: linear furano- and pyrroloterpenoids

This review of furano- and pyrroloterpenoids covers the literature, 180 articles in all, published from January 2006 to December 2013.

Two New 3,4;9,10-seco-Cycloartane Type Triterpenoids from Illicium difengpi and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activities

A pair of new 3,4;9,10-seco-cycloartane type triterpenoid stereoisomerides: 24R,25-dihydroxy-3,4;9,10-seco-4(28)-cycloarten-10,3-olide (1) named Illiciumolide A and 24S,25-dihydroxy-3,4;9,10-seco-4(28)-cycloarten-10,3-olide (2) named Illiciumolide B were isolated from the stem bark of Illicium difengpi, as well as five known biogenetically related triterpenoids, including sootepin E (3), betulinic acid (4), lupeol (5), (all-Z)-1,5,9,13,17,21-hexamethyl-1,5,9,13,17,21-cyclotertracosahexaene (6), and (all-E)-2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyl-2,6,10,14,18,22-tetracosahexaene (7). The structures of two new compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis including 1D-, 2D-NMR, and MS techniques. Two assays were conducted: inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in RAW264. 7 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). It was observed that compounds 1, 2 and 7 showed significant inhibition of TNF-α production and NF-κB release. The molecule docking results showed that compounds 1 and 2 got high fitness scores with dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MPKK1), whose activation plays a pivotal role between TNF-α and activation of NF-κB. The anti-HIV-1 potency of compounds 1–5 was also discussed, in addition to the results of computer-aided screening for targets.