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Artemisia calcicola (Asteraceae, Anthemideae), a new species from karst region in Shibing county, Guizhou province, southwestern China, is described and illustrated. The species can be readily assigned to A. subg. Artemisia in having fertile disk florets and glabrous receptacles. Within this subgenus, A. calcicola is distinguished by having (2- or) 3-pinnatipartite leaves and narrowly ellipsoid involucres 0.9-1.3 mm in diameter. It resembles A. annua to some extent, but differs immediately by the plant duration, stem and leaf indumentum, and involucre shape and size. A detailed description and distribution map of this species are also provided herein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though the karst regions in south and southwest China are plant diversity hotspots, our understanding of the phylogeography and evolutionary history of the plants there remains limited. The genus Heteroplexis (Asteraceae) is one of the typical representative plants isolated by karst habitat islands, and is also an endangered and endemic plant to China. In this study, species-level phylogeographic analysis of the genus Heteroplexis was conducted using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq). The genetic structure showed a clear phylogeographic structure consistent with the current species boundaries in the H. microcephala, H. incana, H. vernonioides, H. sericophylla, and H. impressinervia. The significant global (R = 0.37, P < 0.01) and regional (R = 0.650.95, P < 0.05) isolation by distance (IBD) signals among species indicate strong geographic isolation in the karst mountains, which may result in chronically restricted gene flow and increased genetic drift and differentiation. Furthermore, the phylogeographic structure of Heteroplexis suggested a southward migration since the last glacial period. Demographic analysis revealed the karst mountains as a refuge for Heteroplexis species. Finally, both Treemix and ABBA-BABA statistic detected significant historical gene flow between species. Significant historical gene flow and long-term stability of effective population size (Ne) together explain the high genomewide genetic diversity among species (p = 0.05370.0838). However, the recent collapse of Ne, widespread inbreeding within populations, and restricted contemporary gene flow suggest that Heteroplexis species are probably facing a high risk of genetic diversity loss. Our results help to understand the evolutionary history of karst plants and guide conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternaria is a ubiquitous fungal genus including saprobic, endophytic, and pathogenic species associated with a wide variety of substrates. It has been separated into 29 sections and seven monotypic lineages based on molecular and morphological data. Alternaria sect. Porri is the largest section, containing the majority of large-spored Alternaria species, most of which are important plant pathogens. Since 2015, of the investigations for large-spored Alternaria species in China, 13 species were found associated with Compositae plants based on morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses. There were eight known species and five new species (A. anhuiensis sp. nov., A. coreopsidis sp. nov., A. nanningensis sp. nov., A. neimengguensis sp. nov., and A. sulphureus sp. nov.) distributed in the four sections of Helianthiinficientes, Porri, Sonchi, and Teretispora, and one monotypic lineage (A. argyranthemi). The multi-locus sequence analyses encompassing the internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA (ITS), glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), Alternaria major allergen gene (Alt a 1), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1), and RNA polymerase second largest subunit (RPB2), revealed that the new species fell into sect. Porri. Morphologically, the new species were illustrated and compared with other relevant large-spored Alternaria species in the study. Furthermore, A. calendulae, A. leucanthemi, and A. tagetica were firstly detected in Brachyactis ciliate, Carthamus tinctorius, and Calendula officinalis in China, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Duhaldea lachnocephala Huan C. Wang & Feng Yang (Asteraceae: Inuleae) is described and illustrated as a new species. The new species is only known from the Luzhijiang valley, Yunnan Province, southwest China. It is characterized prominently by having dense arachnoid-lanate hairs on stems, leaves and phyllaries, and white marginal florets usually 2-3-seriate. Morphological comparisons with its closest relatives D. nervosa, D. revoluta and D. simonsii are presented. A preliminary conservation assessment of D. lachnocephala is also made under the IUCN criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies to elucidate the systematic position of two Chinese species described originally as Lactuca hirsuta and L. scandens, of which only historical specimens from the late 19th and early 20th centuries were known, revealed the occurrence of three different species. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of these species based on sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) region and three plastid DNA markers (trnL-F, psbA-trnH, matK) uncovered a hitherto unknown lineage in a first comprehensive phylogenetic backbone of the subtribe Crepidinae (Asteraceae, tribe Cichorieae). Substantiated by comparative morphological studies, this lineage is described as a new genus, named Sinoseris, endemic to the Chinese provinces Sichuan and Yunnan. One of its three species is new to science, while another is conspecific with both L. hirsuta and L. scandens. The third was meanwhile described by other authors as Nabalus muliensis and is now transferred to Sinoseris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new nordammarane-type triterpenoids, 3β-acetoxy-20-oxo-21-nordammaran-23-carboxylic acid methyl ester (1) and 3β-acetoxy-17β-dammaranic acid (2), along with two known cycloartane-type triterpenoids (3–4), were isolated from the petroleum ether-soluble extract of Artemisia argyi. Their structures were elucidated based on 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data analysis. All compounds were evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in vitro. Compounds 1–4 exhibited significant inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase with IC50 values ranging from 38.34 ± 0.23 to 105.54 ± 0.33 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies to elucidate the systematic position of two Chinese species described originally as Lactuca hirsuta and L. scandens, of which only historical specimens from the late 19th and early 20th centuries were known, revealed the occurrence of three different species. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of these species based on sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) region and three plastid DNA markers (trnL-F, psbA-trnH, matK) uncovered a hitherto unknown lineage in a first comprehensive phylogenetic backbone of the subtribe Crepidinae (Asteraceae, tribe Cichorieae). Substantiated by comparative morphological studies, this lineage is described as a new genus, named Sinoseris, endemic to the Chinese provinces Sichuan and Yunnan. One of its three species is new to science, while another is conspecific with both L. hirsuta and L. scandens. The third was meanwhile described by other authors as Nabalus muliensis and is now transferred to Sinoseris. Citation: Wang Z.-H., Kilian N., Chen Y.-P. & Peng H. 2020: Sinoseris (Crepidinae, Cichorieae, Asteraceae), a new genus of three species endemic to China, one of them new to science. – Willdenowia 50: 91–110. Version of record first published online on 12 March 2020 ahead of inclusion in April 2020 issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the metabolic glycosylation grid of steviol glycosides, UGT76G1 was shown to catalyze at least eight different glucosylation steps, including the formation of rebaudioside B (Reb B) and rebaudioside A (Reb A) (Olsson et al., 2016). In this study, the accumulation of steviolbioside, Reb B, stevioside (ST) and Reb A in more than 140 samples of stevia leaves collected from different regions in China were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and five genotypes, 'N01-N05', with significantly different levels of the abovementioned glycosides were discovered. Mutations in the UGT76G1 gene cloned from cDNAs from these five genotypes were identified, and the functions of the recombinant UGT76G1 variants were ascertained by adding steviolbioside and ST substrates. In addition, homology modeling and molecular docking were used to elucidate the functional differences between variants and UGT76G1. Comparing the sequences of the five variants ' N01-N05 ' with UGT76G1 (AY345974.1) revealed that base substitutions were not observed in ' N01 '. By contrast, ' N02 ' exhibited 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 9 associated amino acid substitutions or insertions with notable variations in the protein structure; however, an enzyme assay showed similar functionalities between the variant and UGT76G1. In ' N03 ', 49 SNPs and 29 associated amino acid substitutions or insertions were identified and shown to induce significant variations in the protein structure, especially in the binding pocket, resulting in the lack of functionality of this variant in the enzyme assay. These results were in agreement with the docking profiles. Moreover, a nonsense mutation of p.1090T > G in ' N04 ' and an insertion of a 68 base fragment in ' N05 ' were found, and both produced a premature protein without any catalytic activity. Therefore, UGT76G1 , which is vital to the content of main steviol glycosides, should be a key gene marker for the molecular breeding of Stevia rebaudiana. Our investigations also revealed the location and orientation of active groups of the receptors and donors in the UGT76G1 enzyme, which play key roles in determining whether the enzyme has any enzymatic activity. Image 1 • Five stevia genotypes with significantly different concentration of steviol glycosides were found by a broad screening. • Five variants of UGT76G1 were finally detected and three of them were discovered for the first time. • Insertion of a fragment containing 68 bases in the UGT76G1 leds to production of premature protein. • UGT76G1 should be a key marker gene for molecular breeding of S. rebaudiana. • The location and orientation of active groups of receptor and donor play a key role to the enzyme activity of UGT76G1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new diterpenoid glycosides, fructusnoids D (1) and E (2), and two new monoterpenoid glycosides (3, 4), together with three known diterpenoid glycosides (5-7) and three known monoterpenoid glycosides (8-10), were isolated from the fruits of Xanthium chinense. Their structures were elucidated by spectrometric analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala is one of the most commonly used herbs in China. In this paper, we presented the complete chloroplast genome of A. macrocephala. The chloroplast genome of A. macrocephala is 153,256 bp in length as the circular, which harbors a large single-copy (LSC) region 84,291 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,675 bp and separated by a pair of inverted-repeat (IR) regions of 25,145 bp for each one. The overall nucleotide content of the chloroplast genome is 37.7% GC content. This chloroplast genome contains 125 genes, which includes 88 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 29 transfer RNA (tRNAs) and 8 ribosome RNA (rRNAs). Phylogenetic implications based on chloroplast genomes of 16 the family Compositae plant species indicated that Atractylodes macrocephala was closely related to Atractylodes lancea in the family Compositae by the Maximum-Likelihood (ML) method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new biflavonone compounds, sikokianin D (1) and sikokianin E (2), were isolated from the capitulum ofCoreopsis tinctoria. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques including NMR, HRESIMS and circular dichroism (CD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Developing effective drugs to treat myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury is imperative. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have had considerable success in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Elucidating the mechanisms by which TCMs improve MI/R injury can supplement the literature on MI/R prevention and treatment., Objective: To summarise TCMs and their main protective mechanisms against MI/R injury reported over the past 40 years., Methods: Relevant literature published between 1980 and 2020 in Chinese and English was retrieved from the Web of Science, PubMed, SpringerLink, PubMed Central, Scopus, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. Search terms included 'medicinal plants', 'myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury', 'Chinese medicine prescriptions', 'mechanisms', 'prevention', 'treatment' and 'protection'. For inclusion in the analysis, medicinal plants had to be searchable in the China Medical Information Platform and Plant Database., Results: We found 71 medicinal species (from 40 families) that have been used to prevent MI/R injury, of which Compositae species (8 species) and Leguminosae species (7 species) made up the majority. Most of the effects associated with these plants are described as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Furthermore, we summarised 18 kinds of Chinese compound prescriptions, including the compound Danshen tablet and Baoxin pill, which mainly reduce oxidative stress and regulate mitochondrial energy metabolism., Discussion and Conclusions: We summarised TCMs that protect against MI/R injury and their pharmacological mechanisms. This in-depth explanation of the roles of TCMs in MI/R injury protection provides a theoretical basis for the research and development of TCM-based treatment drugs.

Two novel constituents, named erigeronones A (1) and B (2), together with apigenin-7-O-β-galacturonide (3), quercetin-7-O-β-glucuronide (4), quercetin-3-O-β-galacturonide (5), and eriodictyol-7-O-β-glucuronide (6), were isolated from the whole grass of Erigeron breviscapus (Vant) Hand.-Mazz (Compositae). Their structures were established on the basis of spectral analyses and comparison with the literature data. Both new compounds 1 and 2 possess a γ-pyrone moiety that is rare in nature. Compound 1 showed significant protective effect on H2O2-injured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new acyclic diterpenoids were isolated from the whole plant of Eupatorium lindleyanum DC. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by means of 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic analyses, including 2D NMR experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new eudesmane-type sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from the roots of Inula racemosa and their structures were elucidated as 3β-hydroxy-11α,13-dihydroalantolactone (1) and 11α-hydroxy-eudesm-5-en-8β,12-olide (2). Their cytotoxic activities against five human cancer cell lines had been tested and compound 2 exhibited weak cytotoxic activity against BEL-7402 and HCT-8 cell lines. The anti-inflammatory activities were also tested, but neither of them showed any activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new acylated flavone C-glycosides, 6''-O-(2'''-methylbutyryl)isoswertisin (1) and 6''-O-(2'''-methylbutyryl)isoswertiajaponin (2), together with four known acylated flavone C-glycosides, were isolated for the first time from the whole plants of Hemistepta lyrata (Compositae). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic methods including HR-ESI-MS, ESI-MS, UV, IR, and 1D and 2D NMR spectral techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new phenolic glycosides, syringic acid-4-O-α-L-rhamnoside (1) and ( - )-hydnocarpin-7-O-β-D-glucoside (2), were isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Inula cappa. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods such as 1D, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive pollen morphological diversity of the Cichorieae has been widely demonstrated, and previous studies have shown that in some cases pollen characters can contribute to our understanding of inter-generic relationships. This paper extends the range of genera for which pollen morphological information is available in two predominantly Old World sub-tribes, Crepidinae and Lactucinae. All the genera discussed were found to produce pollen belonging to previously described types. However, the inclusion of certain, previously under studied Asian genera and species, especially those from China, provides useful new information about the extent of pollen morphological diversity within and between genera in these subtribes, and may contribute to a better understanding of the systematics of these groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new ent-kaurenoids,19-acetoxyl-ent-3β,17-dihydroxykaur-15-ene (1), 19-acetoxyl-ent-3β-hydroxykaur-15-en-17-al (2), together with seven known ent-kaurenoids: ent-kaur-16-en-19-al (3), ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (4), ent-kauran-16β,17-diol (5), ent-15β, 16β-epoxy-17-hydroxykauran-19-oic acid (6),19-acetyl-ent-3β-hydroxyl-kaur-16-ene (7), ent-3β,19-dihydroxykaur-16-ene (8), ent-17-hydroxykaur-15-ene (9), were isolated from Cacalia pilgeriana. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including 2D NMR spectral analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To search for new and bioactive constituents from traditional Chinese medicines, a new steroidal saponin, named vernonioside G ( 1), was isolated from the roots of Vernonia cumingiana Benth. (Compositae). The structure of vernonioside G was elucidated using spectral methods, particularly two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Together with the new compound, eight known compounds were also isolated and identified from the roots of V. cumingiana, among which, VE-1 ( 2) and 24-methylenelanost-9(11)-en-3β-ol acetate ( 3) were assigned NMR data for the first time and compound 3 was obtained as a natural product from a plant for the first time. (Managing editor: Wei WANG) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of Sinosenecio oldhamianus, a common medicinal plant is widely distributed in South China. The plastome is 150,926 bp in length, with one large single-copy region of 94,588 bp, one small single-copy region of 18,130 bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 24,852 bp. It contains 134 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 8 ribosomal RNA, and 37 transfer RNA. The phylogenetic tree shows that this species is a sister to the genus Ligularia. The published plastome within Sinosenecio provides significant insight for elucidating the phylogenetic relationship of taxa within tribe Compositae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artemisia capillaris is an endemic annual herb of Artemisia (Asteraceae Bercht) in China. The seedlings in early spring, removed old stems and impurities to dry, as a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, has been listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The A. capillaris methanol (MeOH) extracts showed antioxidative activity and anticancer activity. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome was assembled by Illumina paired-end reads data. The circular cp genome is 151,074 bp in size, including a large single copy (LSC) region of 82,837 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 18,309 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat (IRs) regions of 24,964 bp. Besides, 11 genes possess a single intron, while another three genes ycf3, rps12, and clp have a couple of introns. The GC content of the entire A. capillaris cp genome, LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 37.58, 30.7, 32.3, and 43.1%, respectively. Based on the concatenated coding sequences of cp PCGs, the phylogenetic analysis showed that A. capillaris and A. selengensis are closely related to each other within the family Compositae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opisthopappus taihangensis (Ling) Shih is a monotypic species (Anthemideae, Asteraceae) and an endemic endangered plant of China. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of O. taihangensis using Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform. The total length of O. taihangensis chloroplast genome is 151,089 bp, including a large single-copy region of length 82,877 bp, a small single-copy region of length 18304 bp, and a pair of 24,954-bp inverted repeat regions. The chloroplast genome of O. taihangensis has 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding, eight ribosomal RNA, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The overall GC content of the whole genome was 37.5%. The phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between O. taihangensis and Chrysanthemum boreale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new phenylpropanoid glycosides, named 1- O-[3- O-acetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-3-hydroxycinnamaldehyde ( 1), 1- O-[2,3- O-diacetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-3-methoxycinnamaldehyde ( 2), and 1- O-[3- O-acetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol ( 3), were isolated from the 95% EtOH extract of the dry fronds of Conyza japonica. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectral methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential oil was obtained at yield of 0.37% by hydrodistillation from fresh leaf tissue of Solidago (decurrens Lour collected from Zhejiang Province, China. GC and GC/MS analysis identified 33 components, representing 90.4% of the leaf oil. The main components were δ-elemene (30.8%), β-elemene (6.4%), β-caryophyllene (15.4%), α-humulene (3.2%), 6-selinene (2.4%), gemacrene D (4.5%), and ledene oxide-(II) (13.1%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six new lignanoids, Glalignin A-E (1-5) and Glaneolignin A (6), together with four analogues, (+)-isolariciresinol (7), (+)-syringaresinol (8), dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (9) and tribulusamide A (10), were obtained from the aerial parts of Sigesbeckia glabrescens Makino and also isolated for the first time from the Sigesbeckia genus. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by the interpretation of HRESIMS, 1D NMR, 2D NMR data and chemical evidence. The cytotoxic activities of the compounds were evaluated by testing their inhibition in several tumor cells using the MTT assay. New compound 2 and 5 displayed cytotoxicity against the human cancer cell lines human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549) with IC 50 values of 32.89 ± 6.83 and 35.86 ± 6.83 μM., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Seven rare oxylipins, siegesbeckins A-G (1-7) representing further bioactive constituents different from the general terpenyl compounds found in Siegesbeckia species, have been obtained from the aerial parts of Siegesbeckia glabrescens. These isolates were identified to be a series of methyl 4-methylpentanoates incorporating fatty acid moieties of different chain lengths, based on spectroscopic techniques, and their absolute configurations were determined via chemical degradation and comparison of experimental and theoretically calculated ECD spectra. With respect to bioactivity, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties of selected compounds were evaluated. Compounds 1 and 5 showed moderate antibacterial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria with MIC values of 4.3 μg/mL, while 3 showed no pronounced activity in these assays., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Ligularia dalaolingensis, a new species from Hubei and Hunan, China, is described and illustrated. It belongs to L. sect. Ligularia ser. Speciosae on the basis of its palmate leaf venation, racemose synflorescence and pappus which is slightly shorter than the tube of the tubular corolla. In the series, its closest relatives are assumed to be L. fischeri and L. stenocephala. From L. fischeri, L. dalaolingensis is readily distinguished by smaller basal leaves, shorter synflorescence, narrower involucres and fewer phyllaries and florets; from L. stenocephala, L. dalaolingensis differs by smaller basal leaves, shorter synflorescence as well as broader bracts. A diagnostic key to Chinese species of L. ser. Speciosae with broadly ovate, ovate or ovate‐lanceolate bracts is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saussurea balangshanensis, based on populations from Balang Mountain in the Hengduan Mountains region, SW China, is described and illustrated as a new species of Asteraceae. It can be distinguished from other species in Saussurea by its concolorous leaves, swollen and hollow upper stems, articulate hairs and stipitate glandular hairs, laciniate margins of uppermost stem leaves, numerous and sessile capitula, and narrow involucre. Based on nucleotide sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), phylogenetic analyses also support the recognition of these populations as representing a new species. The new species is known only from a single location in Balang Mountain, at elevations of 4500–4700 m. Its habitat can be easily disturbed or destroyed by a tourist arterial highway and the over grazing. We propose that the species should be listed as Critically Endangered based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Categories and Criteria B2a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new sesquiterpene lactones, named artemargyinolides A-D (1-4), and seven known sesquiterpenoids (5-11) were isolated from Artemisia argyi. Their structures were elucidated based on the extensive analysis of spectroscopic data. The absolute configuration of 1 was assigned by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compound 1 is an unprecedented sesquiterpene dimer-monoterpene lactone. The cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) inhibitory activities of all isolated compounds were evaluated. Compounds 1, 2, 4, and 6-11 showed inhibitory activity against COX-2 with IC 50 values ranging from 35.78 ± 0.39 to 256.07 ± 0.38 μM. However, compounds 7, 9, and 10 exhibited weak inhibitory activity against COX-1 with IC 50 values of 465.70 ± 1.53, 281.43 ± 3.56, and 490.45 ± 6.07 μM, respectively. Other compounds are inactive against COX-1. Therefore, compounds 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 11 displayed selective COX-2 inhibitory activity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A new norsesquiterpenoid, (4aS,5S)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-3-hydroxy-4a,5-dimethylnaphthalen-2(4aH)-one, along with three known compounds were isolated from the roots of Ligularia fischeri. Their structures were identified by IR, EI-MS, HR-ESI-MS, 1D NMR and 2D NMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical constituent of the essential oil from Anaphalis lacteal was determined; 31 compounds, representing 93.91% of the total oil, were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Three Gram-positive bacteria species, three Gram-negative bacteria species and four fungi were used to determine antimicrobial activity; the results revealed that the essential oil had a remarkable antimicrobial effect against bacteria and a susceptive effect against fungus. The oil also possessed more efficient free-radical scavenging activities than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) value 31 μg/mL (40 μg/mL for BHT). MTT assay illustrated that the oil expressed certain effect in inhibiting the growth of HeLa and Hep-6 cancer cells.