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Novel natural products (NPs) and their derivatives are important sources for drug discovery, which have been broadly applied in the fields of agriculture, livestock, and medicine, making the synthesis of NPs and their derivatives necessarily important. In recent years, biosynthesis technology has received increasing attention due to its high efficiency in the synthesis of high value-added novel products and its advantages of green, environmental protection, and controllability. In this review, the technological advances of biosynthesis strategies in the discovery of novel NPs and their derivatives are outlined, with an emphasis on two areas of host engineering and in vitro enzymatic synthesis. In terms of hosts engineering, multiple microorganisms, including Streptomyces, Aspergillus, and Penicillium, have been used as the biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) provider and host strain for the expression of BGCs to discover new compounds over the past years. In addition, the use of in vitro enzymatic synthesis strategy to generate novel compounds such as triterpenoid saponins and flavonoids is also hereby described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw burning is a significant source of atmospheric pollutants, releasing particulate matter and trace gases. Capturing the characteristics of straw burning and understanding its influencing factors are important prerequisites for regulating straw burning. Based on the fire points detected by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in Hunan province, China, from 2010 to 2020, this study analyzed the spatiotemporal variations of straw burning and employed Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) models to investigate the underlying forces driving straw burning. The results show that the spatiotemporal characteristics of straw burning in Hunan Province can be categorized into two distinct periods: 2010 to 2014 and 2015 to 2020. The period from 2010 to 2014 witnessed a rapid increase, while the period from 2015 to 2020 experienced fluctuating decreases. The shift is closely linked to the implementation of the straw burning ban policy in 2015. Spatially, the areas with a high number of fire points are primarily located in the southern regions, especially in the border regions between Chenzhou, Yongzhou, Hengyang, and Shaoyang cities. A significant change was found in the impact of economic development and human activity factors on straw burning before and after 2015. These factors include crop yield, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and road network development. From the implementation of the straw burning ban policy, increases in GDP and settlement density will have a dampening effect on straw burning in a region. Straw burning locations may shift towards regions with relatively slow economic development. The results could serve as a foundation for decision-making to address the issue of straw burning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Abnormal lipid metabolism, one of the hallmarks in cancer, has gradually emerged as a novel target for cancer treatment. As organelles that store and release excess lipids, lipid droplets (LDs) resemble "gears" and facilitate cancer development in the body. Aim: This review discusses the life cycle of LDs, the relationship between abnormal LDs and cancer hallmarks, and the application of LDs in theragnostic and clinical contexts to provide a contemporary understanding of the role of LDs in cancer. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and SPORTDiscus. Retrieve and summarize clinical trials of drugs that target proteins associated with LD formation using the Clinical Trials website. Create a schematic diagram of lipid droplets in the tumor microenvironment using Adobe Illustrator. Conclusion: As one of the top ten hallmarks of cancer, abnormal lipid metabolism caused by excessive generation of LDs interrelates with other hallmarks. The crosstalk between excessive LDs and intracellular free fatty acids (FFAs) promotes an inflammatory environment that supports tumor growth. Moreover, LDs contribute to cancer metastasis and cell death resistance in vivo. Statins, as HMGCR inhibitors, are promising to be the pioneering commercially available anti‐cancer drugs that target LD formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. is the most widely distributed species of Aconitum plants in China and has a long history of medicinal use. Because of its toxicity, A. carmichaelii is classified as lower class in the Shennong Bencao Jing (Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica). According to the theory of Chinese medicine, the roots can be used to revive yang for resuscitation, dispel wind, remove dampness, and relieve pain., Aims of the Review: This review focuses on summarizing the latest reports on the components, pharmacology, toxicity, detoxification mechanism and application of A. carmichaelii. It aims to provide ideas for in-depth research on activity mechanism of A. carmichaelii and expanding the value of exploitation and utilization., Materials and Methods: Information was collected from the following online scientific databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, SciFinder, Scopus, PubChem, China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), etc. Additional data were obtained from other Chinese medicine books., Results: In this review, 224 compounds were categorized and new compounds discovered in the last five years were highlighted. The main components of A. carmichaelii are C 19 -diterpene alkaloids(C 19 -DAs), among which diester-type aconitine is the most toxic and also the main active ingredient, while monoester diterpene alkaloids (MDAs) and aminol diterpene alkaloids (ADAs) are greatly toxicity reduced due to the loss of ester bond. Heating and compatibility are the means to increase the efficiency and reduce the toxicity of A. carmichaelii. In addition, it also contains abundant C 20 -diterpene alkaloids (C 20 -DAs). Like C 19 -DAs, these compounds also have cardiotonic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and analgesic pharmacological effects, but their toxicity is weaker. The above-ground part contains not only a variety of MDAs and ADAs, but also contains abundant non-diterpenoid alkaloids and active polysaccharides. In addition to pharmacological effects, we further summarized the mechanisms of cardiotoxicity, neurotoxicity and other toxicity of A. carmichaelii. What's more, the application prospects are also discussed. Polysaccharides and diterpenoid alkaloids in A. carmichaelii and related traditional prescriptions have great promising prospects for the development of new drugs., Conclusion: A. carmichaelii has rich alkaloids and polysaccharides, but the new compounds discovered in recent years are only in the activity screening stage. The toxic differences between C 19 - and C 20 - DAs and the dose that affect toxicity of A. carmichaelii are still not clear. The non-traditional medicinal parts, such as stems and leaves, show great potential for development and utilization. More extensive and in-depth exploration of low-toxic active compounds, as well as the mechanism of efficacy-enhancement and toxicity-attenuation, will help A. carmichaelii to be better and safer used for clinical., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Steatotic liver diseases (SLD) are the principal worldwide cause of cirrhosis and end-stage liver cancer, affecting nearly a quarter of the global population. SLD includes metabolic dysfunction-associated alcoholic liver disease (MetALD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), resulting in asymptomatic liver steatosis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and associated complications. The immune processes include gut dysbiosis, adipose-liver organ crosstalk, hepatocyte death and immune cell-mediated inflammatory processes. Notably, various immune cells such as B cells, plasma cells, dendritic cells, conventional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, innate-like T cells, platelets, neutrophils and macrophages play vital roles in the development of MetALD and MASLD. Immunological modulations targeting hepatocyte death, inflammatory reactions and gut microbiome include N-acetylcysteine, selonsertib, F-652, prednisone, pentoxifylline, anakinra, JKB-121, HA35, obeticholic acid, probiotics, prebiotics, antibiotics and FMT. Understanding the immunological mechanisms underlying in SLD is crucial for advancing clinical therapeutic strategies.