Phytochemical characterization and comparative analysis of cycloartane-type triterpenes in Astragalus adsurgens and Astragalus membranaceus.

Astragalus adsurgens, a significant forage plant cultivated in arid regions of northwest China, remains underexplored for its triterpenoid saponins and medicinal properties compared to the extensively studied Astragalus membranaceus. To explore the phytochemical profile of A. adsurgens for its potential application in the medical field, we employed ultra-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry-based method to identify cycloartane-type triterpenes.

Total biosynthesis of the medicinal triterpenoid saponin astragalosides.

Astragalus membranaceus has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. Its major active triterpenoid saponins, astragalosides, have attracted great attention due to their multiple health benefits and applications in medicine. Despite this, the biosynthetic machinery for astragalosides remains enigmatic.

Altitude-related features and prognosis in patients with reversible splenial lesion syndrome.

Introduction: RESLES (Reversible splenial lesion syndrome) can be observed secondary to various diseases, and intramyelinic edema may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of SCC (Splenium of the corpus callosum). Some studies have suggested that hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy may constitute a risk factor for SCC lesions. However, the potential impact of high-altitude environments on SCC, especially during chronic exposure, remain obscure.

Efficacy and safety of Tianqi Pingchan Granule, a compound Chinese herbal medicine, for levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) undergoing long-term levodopa therapy are prone to develop levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID). Amantadine is the main drug recommended for the treatment of LID by current guidelines, but it is far from meeting clinical needs. Tianqi Pingchan Granule (TPG), a compound Chinese herbal medicine, has been developed to relieve symptom of LID.

Identification and characterization of camptothecin tailoring enzymes in Nothapodytes tomentosa.

Camptothecin is a complex monoterpenoid indole alkaloid with remarkable antitumor activity. Given that two C-10 modified camptothecin derivatives, topotecan and irinotecan, have been approved as potent anticancer agents, there is a critical need for methods to access other aromatic ring-functionalized congeners (e.g.

Four unreported aporphine alkaloids with antifungal activities from Artabotrys hexapetalus.

In this study, the extract from Artabotrys hexapetalus showed strong antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi in vitro. Four unreported aporphine alkaloids, hexapetalusine A-D (1-4), were isolated from stems and roots of Artabotrys hexapetalus (L.f.

Chromosome level genome assembly of endangered medicinal plant Anisodus tanguticus.

Anisodus tanguticus is a medicinal herb that belongs to the Anisodus genus of the Solanaceae family. This endangered herb is mainly distributed in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In this study, we combined the Illumina short-read, Nanopore long-read and high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) sequencing technologies to de novo assemble the A.

Development of an amplicon-based sequencing approach in response to the global emergence of mpox.

The 2022 multicountry mpox outbreak concurrent with the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic further highlighted the need for genomic surveillance and rapid pathogen whole-genome sequencing. While metagenomic sequencing approaches have been used to sequence many of the early mpox infections, these methods are resource intensive and require samples with high viral DNA concentrations. Given the atypical clinical presentation of cases associated with the outbreak and uncertainty regarding viral load across both the course of infection and anatomical body sites, there was an urgent need for a more sensitive and broadly applicable sequencing approach.

Genomic and structural basis for evolution of tropane alkaloid biosynthesis.

The tropane alkaloids (TAs) cocaine and hyoscyamine have been used medicinally for thousands of years. To understand the evolutionary origins and trajectories of serial biosynthetic enzymes of TAs and especially the characteristic tropane skeletons, we generated the chromosome-level genome assemblies of cocaine-producing (Erythroxylaceae, rosids clade) and hyoscyamine-producing (Solanaceae, asterids clade). Comparative genomic and phylogenetic analysis suggested that the lack of spermidine synthase/-methyltransferase (SPMT1) in ancestral asterids species contributed to the divergence of polyamine (spermidine or putrescine) methylation in cocaine and hyoscyamine biosynthesis.

Phytochemical Analysis of Nothapodytes tomentosa and Distribution and Content of Camptothecin and its Analogues in Four Plants.

Camptothecin (CPT) and its derivatives have attracted worldwide attention because of their notable anticancer activity. However, the growing demand for CPT in the global pharmaceutical industry has caused a severe shortage of CPT-producing plant resources. In this study, phytochemical analysis of results in the isolation and identification of CPT (13: ) and 16 analogues (1:  - 12, 14:  - 17: ), including a new (1: ) and five known (9, 10, 12, 15: , and 17: ) CPT analogues with an open E-ring.

Discovery and biosynthesis of karnamicins as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are widely used for treatment of hypertension and related diseases. Here, six karnamicins E-E (1-6), which bear fully substituted hydroxypyridine and thiazole moieties are characterized from the rare actinobacterium Lechevalieria rhizosphaerae NEAU-A2. Through a combination of isotopic labeling, genome mining, and enzymatic characterization studies, the programmed assembly of the fully substituted hydroxypyridine moiety in karnamicin is proposed to be due to sequential operation of a hybrid polyketide synthase-nonribosomal peptide synthetase, two regioselective pyridine ring flavoprotein hydroxylases, and a methyltransferase.

-Alkylazoxymycins A-F, Naturally Occurring Azoxy-Aromatic Compounds from sp. Py50.

Six new azoxy-aromatic compounds (-alkylazoxymycins A-F, -) and two new nitrogen-bearing phenylvaleric/phenylheptanoic acid derivatives (-alkylphemycins A and B, and ) were isolated from sp. Py50. Their structures were elucidated based on HRESIMS, NMR, UV spectroscopic analyses, and X-ray crystallographic data.

Discovery and Engineering of the Cocaine Biosynthetic Pathway.

Cocaine, the archetypal tropane alkaloid from the plant genus , has recently been used clinically as a topical anesthesia of the mucous membranes. Despite this, the key biosynthetic step of the requisite tropane skeleton (methylecgonone) from the identified intermediate 4-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)-3-oxobutanoic acid (MPOA) has remained, until this point, unknown. Herein, we identify two missing enzymes (CYP81AN15 and MT4) necessary for the biosynthesis of the tropane skeleton in cocaine by transient expression of the candidate genes in .

Catalytic innovation underlies independent recruitment of polyketide synthases in cocaine and hyoscyamine biosynthesis.

Tropane alkaloids such as hyoscyamine and cocaine are of importance in medicinal uses. Only recently has the hyoscyamine biosynthetic machinery become complete. However, the cocaine biosynthesis pathway remains only partially elucidated.

Advances in chemistry and bioactivity of the genus Erythroxylum.

Erythroxylum P. Browne is the largest and most representative genus of Erythroxylaceae family. It contains approximately 230 species that are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions.

Mono-/Bis-Alkenoic Acid Derivatives From an Endophytic Fungus and Their Antifungal Activity.

During a screening for antifungal secondary metabolites, six new mono-/bis-alkenoic acid derivatives (-) and one known alkenoic acid derivative () were isolated from an endophytic fungi . Their chemical structures were identified by H-NMR, C-NMR, 2D NMR, and high-resolution mass spectrometry, as well as comparisons with previously reported literatures. Among them, fusariumesters C‒F (-) are bis-alkenoic acid derivatives dimerized by an ester bond, while acetylfusaridioic acid A () and fusaridioic acid D () are alkenoic acid monomers.

[Effects of miR-335-5p targeting G6PD on proliferation and apoptosis of colon cancer cells].

To investigate the effects of miR-335-5p targeting glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) on the proliferation and apoptosis of colon cancer cells. Normal colon cell group, blank control group, NC group and miRNA-335-5p mimic group were set up. Colonic epithelial cells (IEC) and human colon cancer cells SW480 were cultured in vitro, and the cells in the NC group and miRNA-335-5p mimic group cells were transfected.

Bisaspochalasins D and E: Two Heterocycle-Fused Cytochalasan Homodimers from an Endophytic .

Two heterocycle-fused cytochalasan homodimers, bisaspochalasins D () and E (), were isolated from an endophytic . Their chemical structures were elucidated using a combination of HRESIMS, NMR, theoretical calculations, and crystallographic techniques. Bisaspochalasin D () is dimerized by the first reported naturally occurring triple heterobridged 3,8-dioxa-6-azabicyclo[3.

Tropane alkaloid biosynthesis: a centennial review.

Covering: 1917 to 2020Tropane alkaloids (TAs) are a remarkable class of plant secondary metabolites, which are characterized by an 8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane (nortropane) ring.

Bisaspochalasins A-C: Three Cytochalasan Homodimers with Highly Fused Ring System from an Endophytic .

Three unprecedented cytochalasan homodimers, bisaspochalasins A-C (-), and two known monomers, aspochalasins B and D ( and ), were isolated from an endophytic . Bisaspochalasin A () contains a 13-hydroxy-3,24-dioxatricyclo[11.10.

Corrigendum: Dimeric Pimprinine Alkaloids From Soil-Derived sp. NEAU-C99.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.

Antibacterial Pentacyclic Polyketides from a Soil-Derived .

Nine new pentacyclic polyketides, fasamycins G-K (-) and formicamycins N-Q (-), along with 10 known analogues (-), were isolated from a rhizospheric soil-derived sp. KIB-1414. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by interpretation of NMR and HRMS data and comparisons of CD data.