Interleukin-6 and pulmonary hypertension: from physiopathology to therapy.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive, pulmonary vascular disease with high morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of PH is complex and remains unclear. Existing studies have suggested that inflammatory factors are key factors in PH.

Metabolites from the plant endophytic fungus sp. CPCC 401423 and their cytotoxic activity against MIA PaCa-2 cells.

Twenty-two metabolites were isolated from sp. CPCC 401423 cultured on rice. The structures of all compounds were elucidated mainly by MS and NMR analysis as well as the necessary CD experimental evidence, of which penicillidione A (), penicillidione B (), ()-4-[(4-acetoxy-3-methyl-2-butenyl)oxy]phenylacetic acid (), ()-2-hydroxy-2-{4-[(3-methyl-2-butenyl)oxy]phenyl} (), ()-4-(2,3-dihydroxy-3-methyl-butoxy)phenylacetic acid (), ()-4-[(3-carboxy-2-butenyl)oxy]benzoic acid (), ()-4-[(4-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butenyl)oxy]benzoic acid (), open-cycled N-demethylmelearoride A (), and penostatin M () were identified as new compounds.

Ornithinimicrobium cerasi sp. nov., isolated from the fruit of and emended description of the genus .

Strain CPCC 203383, isolated from the surface-sterilized fruit of (Lindl.) G. Don, was taxonomically characterized based on a polyphasic investigation.

Biotransformation of 20(R)-panaxadiol by the fungus Rhizopus chinensis.

Microbial transformation of 20(R)-panaxadiol by the fungus Rhizopus chinensis CICC 3043 yielded seven metabolites. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses. R.

Two new oxidation products obtained from the biotransformation of asiatic acid by the fungus Fusarium avenaceum AS 3.4594.

Asiatic acid (AA) is a natural triterpenoid possessing anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective activities. Structural modification of AA may provide valuable information for further structure-activity relationship analysis. Biotransformation is an efficient, specific, and environment friendly technology for structural modification of complicated natural products.

Qualitative and quantitative analyses of flavonoids in Spirodela polyrrhiza by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Introduction: Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleid. is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of influenza.

Two new lignan glycosides from the seeds of Cuscuta chinensis.

Two new lignan glycosides, 2'-hydroxyl asarinin 2'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (cuscutoside C, 1) and 2'-hydroxyl asarinin 2'-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 2)-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (cuscutoside D, 2), were isolated from the seeds of Cuscuta chinensis Lam., along with six known compounds, 2'-hydroxyl asarinin 2'-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), 2'-hydroxyl asarinin 2'-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (cuscutoside A, 4), kaempferol 3,7-di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5), 5-caffeoyl quinic acid (6), 4-caffeoyl quinic acid (7), and cinnamic acid (8). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses including HR-ESI-MS, ESI-MS/MS, (1)H and (13)C NMR, HSQC, HMBC, and TOCSY.

Microbial transformation of asiatic acid by Alternaria longipes.

Asiatic acid is a major pentacyclic triterpene isolated from Centella asiatica. It shows a variety of bioactivities. In order to obtain its derivatives, potentially useful for detailed pharmacological studies, the substrate was subjected to incubations with selected micro-organisms.

Chemical fingerprint of commercial Radix Echinopsis and quantitative analysis of alpha-terthienyl.

New TLC, HPLC and LC/MS methods were developed for the rapid separation, characterization and quantitation of thiophenes in Radix Echinopsis, a herbal medicine, which has been used in China for long history. Nineteen commercial batches of this herb were analyzed by TLC and HPLC. Only five batches were derived from correct species.