Lanicepines A and B, Sesquiterpenes with Amino Acid-Derived Substituents from the Flowering Aerial Parts of .

Two new guaianolide sesquiterpenes, lanicepines A () and B (), possessing unusual amino acid-derived substituents at C-13, were isolated from the flowering aerial parts of , a traditional herbal medicine also known as "snow lotus". The structures of and were elucidated based on spectroscopic analysis including applications of the modified Mosher's method and Marfey's method as well as ECD calculations. Lanicepine A () contains a dihydropyridinone moiety with a carbamoyl and a hydroxymethyl group.

[Quantitative Analysis of Piperine and the Derivatives in Long Pepper Extract by HPLC Using Relative Molar Sensitivity].

A novel method was developed for quantification of five major piperine derivatives (piperanine, piperine, chavicine, isopiperine, and isochavicine) in a hot water extract of long pepper fruit (LPE) using the relative molar sensitivity (RMS) based on the combination of HPLC/UV and H- quantitative NMR (H-qNMR). The RMSs of piperanine, chavicine, isopiperine, and isochavicine to piperine of which the absolute purity was determined by H-qNMR were calculated to be 0.3693, 1.

New ellagitannins from Tiencha and their inhibitory activity against dental plaque.

Four new galloyl-oxygen-diphenyl (GOD)-type ellagitannins, brambliins A-D (1-4), were isolated from the leaves of Rubus suavissimus. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses and the absolute configurations of 1-4 were determined by chemical and phytochemical evidence. These GOD-type ellagitannins inhibited the formation of dental plaque, which is beneficial for oral hygiene.

Fermented Ginseng Contains an Agonist of Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptors α and γ.

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) is a nuclear receptor that is one of the transcription factors regulating lipid and glucose metabolism. Fermented ginseng (FG) is a ginseng fermented by Lactobacillus paracasei A221 containing minor ginsenosides and metabolites of fermentation. DNA microarray analysis of rat liver treated with FG indicated that FG affects on lipid metabolism are mediated by PPAR-α.