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Toona sinensis is a medicinal and edible plant that belongs to the genus Toona of family Meliaceae. Phytochemical investigations carried out on this plant, seven apotirucallane-type triterpenoids (1–7), two cycloartane-type triterpenoids (8–9), four sterols (10–13), two sesquiterpenes (14–15), four phenols (16–19), and one lignin (20) were isolated from the pericarp of T. sinensis by silica gel column and preparative middle pressure liquid chromatography. Their structures were identified by interpretation of NMR and comparison with those reported in the literature. Compounds 11–12, 15–16, and 18 were isolated from the family Meliaceae, compounds 13–14 were obtained from the genus Toona, and compound 19 was obtained from T. sinensis for the first time. Additionally, the cytotoxicity and polyol pathway (PP) inhibitory activities of active constituents were evaluated in rat glomerular mesangial cells cultured under high glucose conditions, suggesting their potential application for a PP inhibitor.

Yuzhen Wang,1 Hong Li,2 Fakun Dong,3 Fang Yan,3 Min Cheng,4 Wanzhong Li,3 Qi Chang,3 Tianzi Song,3 Aoying Liu,3 Bo Song3 1Medical Imaging Specialty, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 2Basic Medical School, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 4Clinical Medical College, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Bo SongWeifang Medical University, Baotong Street, No. 7166, Weifang, Shandong 261053, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-536-8462490Email songsbob@163.comPurpose: Many exopolysaccharides (EPS) have significant emulsifying activity. Some EPS produced by the marine bacterial strain FYS have stronger emulsifying activity in the form of nanoparticles, suggesting that they could potentially form Pickering emulsions. We prepared novel EPS/CT Pickering nanoemulsions (ECPN) with EPS as emulsifiers and assessed their ability to ameliorate the poor permeability of calcipotriol (CT) in skin affected by psoriasis vulgaris.Methods: A strain of marine bacterium FYS was identified. Molecular weight, monosaccharide composition and microstructure of EPS were determined by gel permeation chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography and scanning electron microscopy. EPS nanoparticles were prepared by adjusting the pH, and the emulsifying activity was studied at different pH. ECPN were prepared by ultrasound and optimized by the response surface method. The size distribution, microstructure, stability and in vitro drug release of ECPN were studied. The therapeutic effect of ECPN on psoriasis vulgaris was explored by animal experiments and characterizing histomorphology in vivo.Results: A phylogenetic tree revealed that FYS was a Bacillus halodurans strain. EPS produced by the strain were heteropolysaccharides with a three-dimensional network composed of glucose, galactose, glucuronic acid, rhamnose, galacturonic acid and mannose (32.0:34.3:9.7:7.4:10.3:6.3). The EPS can form nanoparticles at pH = 4– 6 with enhanced emulsifying ability. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that EPS nanoparticles adhered to the surface of oil droplets to stabilize the emulsions via a Pickering emulsification mechanism. The prepared ECPN have high stability with a sustained-release effect. Finally, animal experiments showed that ECPN effectively shortened the treatment course of psoriasis vulgaris.Conclusion: EPS is highly possible to have the potential Pickering emulsification mechanism. The stability of the nanoemulsion was high. ECPN also showed potential for use in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. This study provides new insight into the medical applications of EPS and the treatment of psoriasis.Keywords: Bacillus halotolerans, exopolysaccharides, response surface method, psoriasis

Hyperglycemia is a strong risk factor for chronic complications of diabetes. Hyperglycemic conditions foster not only the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but also the consumption of antioxidants, leading to oxidative stress and promoting the occurrence and progression of complications. During our continuous search for antioxidant constituents from the pericarp of Toona sinensis (A. Juss.) Roem, we isolated two previously unreported apotirucallane-type triterpenoids, toonasinensin A (1) and toonasinensin B (2), together with five known apotirucallane-type triterpenoids (3&ndash, 7) and two known cycloartane-type triterpenoids (8&ndash, 9) from the pericarp. Compounds 8&ndash, 9 were obtained from T. sinensis for the first time. Their structures were characterized based on interpretation of spectroscopic data (1D, 2D NMR, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectra, HR-ESI-MS) and comparison to previous reports. Compounds (2, 4, 6, 7, and 9) were able to inhibit proliferation against rat glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs) cultured under high-glucose conditions within a concentration of 80 &mu, M. Compounds (2, 6, and 7) were tested for antioxidant activity attributable to superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and ROS in vitro, and the results showed that compounds (2, 6, and 7) could significantly increase the levels of SOD and reduce the levels of MDA and ROS. The current studies showed that apotirucallane-type triterpenoids (2, 6, and 7) might have the antioxidant effects against diabetic nephropathy.

The polysaccharides were acquired from the seeds of T. sinensis by hot water extraction, ethanol precipitation, decoloration with macroporous 900 resin, and deproteinization with sevag reagent, which possessed significantly immunomodulatory activity on the levels of IgA, IgG, and IgM, the relative indices of thymus and spleen, and the phagocytosis index of mice in vivo. T. sinensis seeds polysaccharides (TSP) were separated and purified using DEAE-52 cellulose and Sephacryl S-300 column chromatography to obtain TSP-3a characterized of molecular weight, monosaccharides composition, and other preliminary structural features. TSP-3a (758.6 kDa) mainly contained Man, GalN, GlcA, Rha, Glc, Gal, Ara, and Fuc in a molar ratio of 0.26:0.24:0.19:1.80:0.45:12.56:1.09:0.21. FT-IR analysis suggested TSP-3a was an acid polysaccharide and the presence of β configuration within the TSP-3a was discovered. Combining 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and comparison with those reported in the literature, the backbone of TSP-3a might contain →6)-α-D-Glc-(1→, →3)-β-D-GlcA-(1→, →6)-α-D-Gal-(1→, α-D-Glc-(1→, and →6)-β-D-Gal-(1→.

Background: The seeds of Toona sinensis (Juss.) M. Roem (T. sinensis) have long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of different polyphenols fractions from Toona sinensis Roem (T. sinensis) seeds (PTSS) and the inhibition of aldose reductase (AR).Methods: Macroporous resin was used to purify PTSS, and the antioxidant activities were evaluated with total antioxidant capacity and free-radical scavenging. AR inhibitory activities were investigated by employing various established systems.Results: The polyphenol eluted by 60% alcohol (PTSS3) exhibit the highest antioxidant activity and AR inhibition, with an r value of 0.9924 ± 0.0066 in correlation analysis. The inhibition mechanism of PTSS3 on AR is uncompetitive inhibition.Conclusion: This research demonstrates that PTSS offers potential for intervening diabetes mellitus and its complications.Key words: Toona sinensis seeds, polyphenol, antioxidization, aldose reductase, diabetes mellitus

Both the whole cells and protoplasts of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and Bacillus cereus, two biofilm-forming bacteria, were disrupted by the lipopeptide 6-2 produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens anti-CA. The lipopeptide 6-2 could also effectively inhibit the formation of biofilms and disperse pre-formed biofilms. Live/dead staining of the biofilms grown in the absence or presence of the lipopeptide 6-2 showed that more dead bacterial cells in the presence of the lipopeptide than those in the absence of the lipopeptide and biofilm formation was greatly reduced by the lipopeptide 6-2. Expression of the PslC gene related to exopolysaccharides in P. aeruginosa PAO1 was also inhibited. All these results demonstrated that the lipopeptide 6-2 produced by B. amyloliquefaciens anti-CA had a high activity against biofilm-forming bacteria. The lipopeptide 6-2 also killed the larvae of Balanus amphitrite and inhibit the germination of Laminaria japonica spore and growth of protozoa, all of which were the fouling organisms in marine environments.