Inhibition of aldose reductase in vitro by constituents of Ganoderma lucidum

CHCl(3) extract of the fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum was found to show inhibitory activity on human aldose reductase in vitro. From the acidic fraction, potent human aldose reductase inhibitors, ganoderic acid C2 (1) and ganoderenic acid A (2), were isolated together with three related compounds. It was found that the free carboxyl group of ganoderic acid C2 and ganoderenic acid A is essential in eliciting the inhibitory activity considering the much lower activity of their methyl esters.

Occurrence and fate of rosuvastatin, rosuvastatin lactone, and atorvastatin in Canadian sewage and surface water samples

Rosuvastatin (RST) and atorvastatin (ATO) are prescription drugs and members in the statin family used for the treatment of elevated cholesterol levels. A method using solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the determination of ATO, RST and its metabolite rosuvastatin lactone (RSTL) in sewage and surface water samples has been developed. In the influent and effluent samples collected from 11 sewage treatment plants located in Ontario, Canada, ATO, RST, and RSTL were detected in all samples with median concentrations of 166 ng L(-1) (influent) and 77 ng L(-1) (effluent) for ATO, 448 ng L(-1) (influent) and 324 ng L(-1) (effluent) for RST, as well as 158 ng L(-1) (influent) and 41 ng L(-1) (effluent) for RSTL. Due to the inter-conversion between RST and RSTL, the total concentration of RST and RSTL in a sewage sample should be reported. The median removal rate by wastewater treatment was 66% for ATO and 22% for RST and RSTL combined. These statins were quite persistent in sewage. After a storage period of 21 and 62 days, there was only a slight decrease in ATO concentration and no change in the total RST concentrations. These three compounds were also detected in a number of surface water samples at low ng L(-1) concentrations. This is the first reported occurrence and fate of RST and RSTL in the Canadian aquatic environment.

[Chemical constituents of the spores of Ganoderma lucidum]

OBJECTIVE

To study the chemical constituents of the sporoderm-broken spores of Ganoderma lucidum.

METHODS

Chemical constituents were isolated and purified by silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. The structures were identified by means of physicochemical and spectral data.

RESULTS

From the ethyl acetate extract of the material, eight compounds were isolated. Their structures were identified as ganoderic acid A (I), methyl ganoderate A (II), methyl ganoderate B (III), ganoderic acid C2 (IV), ganoderic acid G(V), ergosta-7,22-diene-3beta, 5alpha, 6beta-triol (VI), ergosterol peroxide (VII) and ergosta-7,22-diene-3beta-yl pentadecanoate (VIII), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Compounds II, III, VII and VIII are isolated from the spores of G. lucidum for the first time.

Anti-hepatitis B activities of ganoderic acid from Ganoderma lucidum

Ganoderic acid, from Ganoderma lucidum, at 8 microg/ml inhibited replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in HepG2215 cells over 8 days. Production of HBV surface antigen and HBV e antigen were 20 and 44% of controls without ganoderic acid. Male KM mice were significantly protected from liver injury, induced with carbon tetrachloride, by treatment with ganoderic acid at 10 mg and 30 mg/kg x d (by intravenous injection) 7 days. Ganoderic acid at the same dosage also significantly protected the mice from liver injury induced by M. bovis BCG plus lipopolysaccharide (from Escherichia coli 0127:B8).

Semiochemicals of the Scarabaeinae: VI. Identification of EAD-active constituents of abdominal secretion of male dung beetle, Kheper nigroaeneus

Using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (FID) and electroantennographic detection (EAD) in parallel, and employing chiral and achiral capillary columns, three constituents of the abdominal sex-attracting secretion of male Kheper nigroaeneus dung beetles were found to elicit reproducible EAD responses in male and female K. nigroaeneus antennae. One of these constituents is present in the secretion in such a small quantity that it could not be detected by FID, and it was not identified. The other constituents were identified as 3-methylindole (skatole) and (R)-(+)-3-methylheptanoic acid.