Search

Senkyunolide H (SNH) is a phthalide isolated from the rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. that has been reported to have several pharmacological activities, including anti-atherosclerotic, antiproliferative, and cytoprotective effects. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects and potential mechanisms of SNH against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP + )-induced oxidative stress. We demonstrated that SNH pretreatment significantly attenuated MPP + -induced neurotoxicity and apoptosis in PC12 cells. In addition, SNH attenuated the effect of MPP + on the expression of the pro-apoptotic factors Bax and caspase-3. Meanwhile, SNH prevented oxidative stress by reducing reactive oxygen species generation, mitochondrial membrane potential loss, cytochrome C release, and malondialdehyde levels while increasing antioxidant enzyme activity (e.g., superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase). In addition, SNH inhibited nuclear accumulation of nuclear factor-κB and c-Jun N-terminal kinase and phosphorylation p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Overall, this investigation provides novel evidence that SNH exerts neuroprotective effects via the ROS-mediated MAPK pathway and represents a potential preventive or therapeutic agent for neuronal disorders., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The enzymatic hydrolysis of the bagasse pulp prepared from the treatment process with active oxygen and MgO-based solid alkali was studied. The hydrolysates were tested by IC (ionic chromatography) for the analysis of monosaccharide. Additionally, the changes of pulp before and after hydrolysis were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Kajaani cellulose automatic analyzer and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The results showed that an optimized sugar yield of 82.38% was obtained at the substrate concentration of 5% for 72h with the enzyme dosage of 15IU/g. Furthermore, as the length of the cellulose fiber decreased, the crystallinity of cellulose increased, and more depressions appeared on the surface of pulp after enzymatic hydrolysis., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The cooking with solid alkali and active oxygen has a high selectivity for delignification. In the present work, the O(2) and H(2)O(2) were separately combined with MgO used in cornstalk cooking for investigating their effects on delignification. After cooking, the lignins in raw material, pulp, and yellow liquor were all characterized by HSQC NMR. The results showed that the syringyl (S/S'/S″) units and β-O-4' (A/A'/A″) structures had different reactivity in the cooking with MgO and H(2)O(2) due to their different structures on side-chains. Whereas the syringyl (S/S'/S″) units could be completely decomposed when the MgO and O(2) were used, and the β-O-4' (A/A'/A″) structures could be partly degraded. A novel structure G' unit with a carbonyl group was only generated in the cooking with MgO and O(2). In addition, the H unit, non-phenolic β-β' (B) and β-5' (C) structures were all stable in both of the two cooking processes., (Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A novel, efficient, and environmentally friendly technology is used in cornstalk cooking, active oxygen (O₂ and H₂O₂) cooking with solid alkali (MgO). After the cooking, the milled wood lignin in the raw material and pulp and the water-soluble and insoluble lignin in the yellow liquor were all characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and two-dimensional heteronuclear single-quantum coherence NMR. The results showed that the cooking procedure with solid alkali and active oxygen had a high selectivity for delignification, which could remove 85.5% of the lignin from the raw material. The syringyl (S/S'/S') units could be dissolved preferentially because of their high reactivity, and a novel guaiacyl unit with a carbonyl group (G') was generated in the cooking process. Moreover, during the cooking, the β-O-4' (A/A'/A″) structures as the main side-chain linkages in all the lignins could be partly broken and the β-O-4' (A') with a ring-conjugated structure was readily attacked by oxygen, whereas the H unit and β-5' and β-β' structures were found to stay stable without characteristic reaction.

This study presents a novel, efficient and environmentally friendly process for the cooking of corn stalk that uses active oxygen (O2 and H2O2) and a recoverable solid alkali (MgO). The structural changes on the surface of corn stalk before and after cooking were characterized by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The results showed that lignin and extractives were effectively removed, especially those on the surface of corn stalk. Additionally, the changes included becoming fibrillar, the exposure of cellulose and hemi-cellulose and the pitting corrosion on the surface, etc. The results also showed that the removal reaction is from outside to inside, but the main reaction is possibly on the surface. Furthermore, the results of active oxygen cooking with a solid alkali are compared with those of alkaline cooking in the paper., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)