Publications by authors named "Wenbao Wang"

Background: Climate change significantly impacts global maize production via yield reduction, posing a threat to global food security. Disease-related crop damage reduces quality and yield and results in economic losses. However, the occurrence of diseases caused by climate change, and thus crop yield loss, has not been given much attention.

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Hecogenin (HCG), a steroidal sapogenin, possesses good antitumor properties. However, the application of HCG for cancer treatment has been hindered primarily by its moderate potency. In this study, we incorporated triphenylphosphonium cation (TPP) at the C-3 and C-12 positions through different lengths of alkyl chains to target mitochondria and enhance the efficacy and selectivity of the parent compound.

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Article Synopsis
  • Anti-tumor drugs often face challenges like side effects and ineffective delivery to tumors, reducing chemotherapy's effectiveness.
  • Researchers developed an innovative drug delivery system (MCN-SS-GQDs) using mesoporous carbon nanoparticles for better drug loading and graphene quantum dots for controlled release based on the tumor environment.
  • This system utilizes photothermal properties to increase local temperatures in tumors, promoting drug release and sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapy, while also ensuring deeper penetration into tumor tissues.
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Oxidative stress is a pivotal stimulating factor in neurocyte apoptosis and has been involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we have demonstrated that the improvement in the motor disorder of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)/Pro-induced mice caused by b-Ecdysterone (b-Ecd) treatment is due to its antioxidant properties. Using open field, rotarod, and pole climbing tests, we have found that b-Ecd alleviates motor disorder in MPTP/Pro-induced mice and ultimately reduces the impairment of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN).

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  • * A rat model with DSS-induced colitis was used to study how GPR35 and KA sensing contribute to maintaining gut health, showing it is vital for gut barrier integrity and microbiota balance.
  • * Specific bacterial taxa were identified as being influenced by GPR35-mediated KA sensing, suggesting it plays a key role in gut microbiota regulation and may alleviate symptoms of colitis.
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The outbreak of COVID-19 at the beginning of 2020 had a significant impact on China's economy, society, and citizens; it also had a negative impact on the development of the construction industry. In particular, small and medium-sized construction enterprises with low ability to withstand risk have been strongly impacted, aggravating a crisis of survival among these firms. The focus of this study is to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the growth of small and medium-sized construction companies.

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To discover new lead compounds with anti-tumour activities, in the present study, natural diosgenin was hybridised with the reported benzoic acid mustard pharmacophore. The cytotoxicity of the resulting newly synthesised hybrids (-, -, and -) was then evaluated in three tumour cells (HepG2, MCF-7, and HeLa) as well as normal GES-1 cells. Among them, possessed the most potential anti-proliferative activity against HepG2 cells, with an IC value of 2.

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Celastrol, a quinone methide triterpenoid, possesses potential anti-glioma activity. However, its relatively low activity limit its application as an effective agent for glioma treatment. In search for effective anti-glioma agents, this work designed and synthesized two series of celastrol C-3 OH and C-20 COOH derivatives 4a-4o and 6a-6o containing 1, 2, 3-triazole moiety.

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In discovering new powerful antitumor agents, two series of novel diosgenin-amino acid-benzoic acid mustard trihybrids (7a-7 g and 12a-12 g) were designed and synthesized. The antiproliferative activities were tested against five human tumor cell lines and one normal cell line using CCK-8 assays. Among the trihybrids, 12e was the most promising compound, which inhibited T24 cells with IC value of 6.

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Unlabelled: Lung neoplasm has a relatively poor prognosis, and the clinical efficacy of targeted medicine remains unsatisfactory. Therefore, the development of novel efficient anti-lung cancer drugs is urgently needed. In our previous study, we showed that a novel diosgenin derivative 8d (DG-8d), which contained 5-(3-pyridyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole moiety, had significant cytotoxic activity on human tumor cells, especially the A549 cells.

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Diosgenin (DSG) has attracted attention recently as a potential anticancer therapeutic agent due to its profound antitumor activity. To better utilize DSG as an antitumor compound, two series of DSG-amino acid ester derivatives (3a-3g and 7a-7g) were designed and synthesized, and their cytotoxic activities against six human cancer cell lines (K562, T24, MNK45, HepG2, A549, and MCF-7) were evaluated. The results obtained showed that a majority of derivatives exhibited cytotoxic activities against these six human tumor cells.

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Two new alkaloids, phranisines AB (), along with two known compounds, N-p-Coumaroyl serotonin () and N-p-coumaroyl-tryptamine (), were isolated from the roots of . The structures of were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic. The absolute configuration of compounds were identified through quantum-chemical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation compared with their experimental CD.

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Diosgenin, a naturally occurring steroidal saponin, has been confirmed to possess potent anticancer properties. In the current work, two series of novel diosgenin derivatives bearing 1,3,4-oxadiazole (6a-6e and 7a-7e) or 1,3,4-thiadiazole (8a-8e and 9a-9e) moieties were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxicities in four human cancer cell lines (HepG2, A549, MCF-7 and HCT-116) and normal human gastric epithelial cells (GES-1) using the MTT assay in vitro. The results showed that compounds 8d and 9d exhibited significant cytotoxic activities against the HepG2 and A549 cells, being more potent than their parent compound diosgenin.

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Benzbromarone (BBR), a uricosuric agent, has been known to induce hepatotoxicity, and its toxicity has a close relation to cytochrome P450-mediated metabolic activation. An oxidative debromination metabolite of BBR has been reported in microsomal incubations. The present study attempted to define the oxidative debromination pathway of BBR in vivo.

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Sarsasapogenin derivative 5n (SGD 5n) is a new compound with potent antitumor efficacy, but the low solubility severely affects its absorption and bioavailability. Therefore, the SGD 5n-loaded mPEG-PLGA block copolymer micelles were developed to improve the value of SGD 5n in clinical application. The polymeric micelles were prepared by an organic solvent evaporation method, and the encapsulation efficiency (EE), drug loading (DL), critical micelle concentrations (CMC), morphology, particle size, and zeta potential were determined.

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Sarsasapogenin, an active ingredient in Rhizoma anemarrhenae, is a promising bioactive lead compound in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. To search for more efficient anti-Alzheimer agents, a series of novel sarsasapogenin-triazolyl hybrids were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their Aβ aggregation inhibitory activities. Most of these new hybrids displayed potent Aβ aggregation inhibition.

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Oxysophoridine (OSR) is a major active alkaloid extracted from L. The aim of the present study was to investigate the induction of the apoptotic effects of OSR on colorectal cancer cells and . The results of the MTT and colony formation assays demonstrated that the proliferation of HCT116 cells was inhibited by OSR .

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Sarsasapogenin, a kind of mainly effective component of Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge, possesses good antitumor properties. Two series of new sarsasapogenin derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxicities against three human cancer cell lines (HepG2, A549, MCF-7) using the MTT assay. The structure-activity relationship revealed that the N, N-dimethylamino, pyrrolidinyl, and imidazolyl substituted at the C26 position could increase the antitumor efficacy of the 3-oxo sarsasapogenin series of compounds.

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Benzbromarone (BBR) is effective in the treatment of gout; however, clinical findings have shown it can also cause fatal hepatic failure. Our early studies demonstrated that CYP3A catalyzed the biotransformation of BBR to epoxide intermediate(s) that reacted with sulfur nucleophiles of protein to form protein covalent binding both in vitro and in vivo. The present study attempted to define the correlation between metabolic epoxidation and hepatotoxicity of BBR by manipulating the structure of BBR.

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Sarsasapogenin, extracted from Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge., has been reported to protect neurons from HO-induced damage. In the current study, four series of 26-amino acid methyl ester substituted sarsasapogenin derivatives (5a-5e, 5f-5j, 6a-6e and 7a-7e) were synthesized and tested for neuroprotective activity by evaluating their neuroprotective ratio against SH-SHY5Y cell lines.

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A series of structurally interesting coumarin-chalcone fibrates were synthesized and evaluated for their PPARα/γ agonist activities and antioxidant activities. Among these compounds, compounds 5a, 5d, and 7a were identified as potent PPARα and γ dual agonists, and their PPARα agonist activities were found to be more potent than that of Fenofibrate. Furthermore, the results of antioxidant investigations revealed that compounds 5d and 6a-6d had greater potency than Trolox with IC values ranging from 9.

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Based on the fact that Timosaponin A-III, a saponin isolated from the rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, is a promising bioactive lead compound in the treatment of cancer, structural modification at the C3 and C26 positions of sarsasapogenin has always been the focus of our structure-activity investigations. In this paper, we describe the synthesis of a range of new derivatives 5a-5o and the evaluation of their antitumor activities in a panel of six human cancer cell lines using the MTT assay in vitro. The results obtained showed that compounds 5h, 5i, and 5n exhibited significant cytotoxic activities against the six cell lines, being more potent than their parent compound sarsasapogenin.

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Locomotion is an essential character of animals, and excellent moving ability results from the delicate sensing of the substrate reaction forces (SRF) acting on body and modulating the behavior to adapt the motion requirement. The inclined substrates present in habitats pose a number of functional challenges to locomotion. In order to effectively overcome these challenges, climbing geckos execute complex and accurate movements that involve both the front and hind limbs.

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