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Agarwood, derived from the Aquilaria genus, is widely utilized in perfumery, traditional medicine, and cultural practices throughout Asia. Agarwood is rich in terpenes, especially sesquiterpenes, which are considered to be the source of its rare and exquisite fragrance. This Review consolidates recent research on sesquiterpene biosynthesis in agarwood and the influence of fungi on these processes, alongside a discussion of the potential medicinal value of agarwood sesquiterpenes. This Review commences by elucidating the general biosynthesis of sesquiterpenes and identifying the main enzymes and transcription factors involved in the production of agarwood sesquiterpenes. This Review also summarizes the fungi associated with agarwood and highlights how commensal fungi stimulate agarwood and sesquiterpene production. We then scrutinize the pharmacological properties of sesquiterpenes, underscoring their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects, which are closely linked to cellular signaling pathways, such as the NF-κB and MAPK pathways. Additionally, we review the potential therapeutic benefits of agarwood essential oil for its antidepressant properties, which are linked to the regulation of stress-related neurochemical and hormonal pathways. This Review also addresses the challenges of sustainable agarwood production, highlighting issues such as overharvesting and habitat loss while discussing the potential strategy of harnessing microbes in agarwood production to support the ecological preservation of wild resources. By advancing our knowledge of agarwood and sesquiterpene characteristics, we propose potential directions for the future application and sustainable development of agarwood research.

Four new isocoumarin derivatives 12-O-acetyl-isocitreoisocoumarinol (1), (+)-(10R)-O-acetyl-diaportinol (2-a), (-)-(10S)-O-acetyl-diaportinol (2-b), peyroisocoumarin E (3) and new stereoconfigurations of three isocoumarin derivatives desmethyldichlorodiaportinol A (4), threo-monochlorodiaportinol A (5-a), erytheo-monochlorodiaportinol A (5-b), together with nine known ones (6-14), were separated from the rice fermentation of endophytic fungus Diaporthe arengae M2 isolated from Camellia oleifera. The structures of new compounds were determined by extensive spectroscopic analyses including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HR-ESI-MS). Compounds 4, 7, 8, 12, 13 exhibited definite inhibition against five strains of bacteria with the MIC values range from 16 μg/mL to 64 μg/mL., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

A new steroid named persteroid ( 1 ) and seven known compounds ( 2 - 8 ) were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Penicillium sp. ZYX-Z-143. The structure of 1 was determined by HRESIMS, NMR, and ECD calculations. Compound 1 showed inhibitory activity against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) with IC 50 value of 46.31 ± 0.52 μM. Moreover, compound 1 potently suppressed nitric oxide (NO) production on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. The cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity of all isolates were tested.

Two new indole-diterpenoids, penpaxilloids F and G (1 and 2), along with 11 known analogues (3-13), were isolated from the marine fungus Penicillium sp. ZYX-Z-718. The structures of the new compounds were identified by extensive spectroscopic analyses including HR-ESI-MS, UV, and NMR, as well as theoretical NMR chemical shifts and ECD calculations. Compounds 6 and 10 showed antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and MRSA with MIC values ranging from 16.0-32.0 μg/mL., (© 2024 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Rubber tree ( Hevea brasiliensis ) is reproduced by bud grafting for commercial planting, but significant intraclonal variations exist in bud-grafted clones. DNA methylation changes related to grafting may be partly responsible for intraclonal variations. In the current study, whole-genome DNA methylation profiles of grafted rubber tree plants (GPs) and their donor plants (DPs) were evaluated by whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. Data showed that DNA methylation was downregulated and DNA methylations in CG, CHG, and CHH sequences were reprogrammed in GPs, suggesting that grafting induced the reprogramming of DNA methylation. A total of 5,939 differentially methylated genes (DMGs) were identified by comparing fractional methylation levels between GPs and DPs. Transcriptional analysis revealed that there were 9,798 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the DP and GP comparison. A total of 1,698 overlapping genes between DEGs and DMGs were identified. These overlapping genes were markedly enriched in the metabolic pathway and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Global DNA methylation and transcriptional analyses revealed that reprogramming of DNA methylation is correlated with gene expression in grafted rubber trees. The study provides a whole-genome methylome of rubber trees and an insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the intraclonal variations existing in the commercial planting of grafted rubber trees., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Li, Wang, Guo, Zhu, Wang, Dai and Peng.)

Six new dimeric 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones (1-6) were successfully isolated from the ethanol extract of agarwood of Aquilaria filaria from Philippines under HPLC-MS guidance. Compounds 1-6 are all dimers formed by linking 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone and flindersia 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone via a single ether bond, and the linkage site (C5-O-C8'') of compound 2 is extremely rare. A variety of spectroscopic methods were used to ascertain their structures, including extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis, HRESIMS, and comparison with literature. The in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory and anti-inflammatory activities of each isolate were assessed. Among these compounds, compound 2 had a tyrosinase inhibition effect with an IC 50 value of 27.71 ± 2.60 μM, and compound 4 exhibited moderate inhibition of nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells with an IC 50 value of 35.40 ± 1.04 μM., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that this article has no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Five new cytochalasins, diaporchalasins A-E (1-5), together with 14 known congeners (6-19) were isolated from the endophytic fungus Diaporthe sp. BMX12, which was isolated from the branches of Aquilaria sinensis. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses including high-resolution electron spray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Their absolute configurations were assigned by theoretical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compounds 11 and 12 featuring a keto carbonyl at C-21 displayed cytotoxicity toward K562, BEL-7402, SGC-7901, A549, and HeLa cell lines with IC 50 values ranging from 4.4 to 47.4 μM., (© 2024 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Twelve undescribed 2-(2-phenethyl)chromone dimers (1-12) were isolated from EtOAc extract of agarwood originating from Aquilaria filaria in the Philippines, guided by a UHPLC-MS analysis. Their structures were elucidated by 1D NMR, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS spectra. The absolute configuration of 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone dimers was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and comparison of the experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Compounds 1, 2, 5 and 9-12 exhibited potent to moderate anti-inflammatory activity with IC 50 values in the range of 22.43 ± 0.86 to 53.88 ± 4.06 μM., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A novel actinobacterium, strain ZYX-F-186 T , was isolated from marine sediment sampled on Yongxing Island, Hainan Province, PR China. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain ZYX-F-186 T belongs to the genus Phytohabitans , with high similarity to Phytohabitans kaempferiae KK1-3 T (98.3 %), Phytohabitans rumicis K11-0047 T (98.1 %), Phytohabitans flavus K09-0627 T (98.1 %), Phytohabitans houttuyneae K11-0057 T (97.9 %), Phytohabitans suffuscus K07-0523 T (97.7 %), and Phytohabitans aurantiacus RD004123 T (97.7 %). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the strain formed a single subclade in the genus Phytohabitans . The novel isolate contained meso -diaminopimelic acid, d-glutamic acid, glycine, d-alanine, and l-lysine in the cell wall. The whole-cell sugars were xylose, arabinose, ribose, and rhamnose. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H 8 ), MK-9(H 6 ), and MK-9(H 4 ). The characteristic phospholipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, and an unknown phospholipid. The major fatty acids (>5 %) were iso-C 16 : 0 , anteiso-C 17 : 0 , and iso-C 18 : 0 . Genome sequencing showed a DNA G+C content of 71.9 mol%. Low average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization, and average amino acid identity values demonstrated that strain ZYX-F-186 T could be readily distinguished from its closely related species. Based on its phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic, and physiological characteristics, strain ZYX-F-186 T represents a novel species of the genus Phytohabitans , for which the name Phytohabitans maris sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZYX-F-186 T (=CGMCC 4.8025 T =CCTCC AA 2023025 T =JCM 36507 T ).

In this study, analysis of the chemical constituents and bioactivities of the unpolar fractions [petroleum ether (PE) and chloroform (C)] of fruits and leaves of Alpinia oxyphylla Miq. were carried out, as well as the bioactivities of the main compounds nootkatone and valencene. From PE and C fractions of the fruits, and PE fraction of the leaves, 95.80%, 59.30%, and 82.11% of the chemical constituents respectively were identified by GC-MS. Among these identified compounds, nootkatone was the main compound in all of three fractions, while valencene was the second main compound in the PE fractions of the fruits and leaves. The bioactivities results showed that all of the fractions and the major compound nootkatone showed tyrosinase inhibitory, as well as inhibitory effect on NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. While valencene only presented inhibitory activity on NO production in RAW264.7 cells. The critical genes involved in nootkatone biosynthesis in A. oxyphylla were identified from the public transcriptome datasets, and protein sequences were preliminarily analyzed. Our studies develop the usage of the unpolar fractions of A. oxyphylla , especially its leaves as the waste during its production, and meanwhile provide the gene resources for nootkatone biosynthesis.

Neuregulin-4 (Nrg4) and melatonin play vital roles in endocrine diseases. However, there is little discussion about the function and potential mechanism of Nrg4 and melatonin in prolactin (PRL) regulation. The human normal pituitary data from Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database was used to explore the correlation between NRG4 and PRL. The expression and correlation of NRG4 and PRL were determined by Immunofluorescence staining (IF) and human normal pituitary tissue microarray. Western Blot (WB) was used to detect the expression of PRL, p-ErbB2/3/4, ErbB2/3/4, p-Erk1/2, Erk1/2, p-Akt and Akt in PRL-secreting pituitary GH3 and RC-4B/C cells treated by Nrg4, Nrg4-small interfering RNA, Erk1/2 inhibitor FR180204 and melatonin. The expression of NRG4 was significantly positively correlated with that of PRL in the GEPIA database and normal human pituitary tissues. Nrg4 significantly increased the expression and secretion of PRL and p-Erk1/2 expression in GH3 cells and RC-4B/C cells. Inhibition of Nrg4 significantly inhibited PRL expression. The increased levels of p-Erk1/2 and PRL induced by Nrg4 were abolished significantly in response to FR180204 in GH3 and RC-4B/C cells. Additionally, Melatonin promotes the expression of Nrg4, p-ErbB4, p-Erk1/2, and PRL and can further promote the expression of p-Erk1/2 and PRL in combination with Nrg4. Further investigation into the function of Nrg4 and melatonin on PRL expression and secretion may provide new clues to advance the clinical control of prolactinomas and hyperprolactinemia., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Seven new indole-diterpenoids, penpaxilloids A-E (1-5), 7-methoxypaxilline-13-ene (6), and 10-hydroxy-paspaline (7), along with 20 known ones (8-27), were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Penicillium sp. ZYX-Z-143. Among them, compound 1 was a spiro indole-diterpenoid bearing a 2,3,3a,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[d]pyrrolo[2,1-b][1,3]oxazin-1-one motif. Compound 2 was characterized by a unique heptacyclic system featuring a rare 3,6,8-trioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane unit. The structures of the new compounds were established by extensive spectroscopic analyses, NMR calculations coupled with the DP4 + analysis, and ECD calculations. The plausible biogenetic pathway of two unprecedented indole diterpenoids, penpaxilloids A and B (1 and 2), was postulated. Compound 1 acted as a noncompetitive inhibitor against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) with IC 50 value of 8.60 ± 0.53 μM. Compound 17 showed significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC 50 value of 19.96 ± 0.32 μM. Moreover, compounds 4, 8, and 22 potently suppressed nitric oxide production on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages., 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. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Two new compounds named 3( S )-hydroxy-1-(2,4,5-trihydroxy-3,6- dimethylphenyl)-hex-4 E -en-1-one ( 1 ) and acremonilactone ( 2 ), together with nine known compounds ( 3 - 11 ), were isolated from the fermentation broth of Acremonium sp . associated with marine sediments collected from South China Sea. NMR and HRESIMS spectroscopic analysis elucidated the structure of two new compounds. Compound 2 had characteristic rotary gate shape skeleton with a six-membered lactone. Compounds 1 and 9 showed DPPH radical scavenging activity with inhibition rates of 96.50 and 85.95% at the concentration of 0.5 mg/ml, respectively. Moreover, compounds 4 , 6 and 11 showed definite antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538.

Four new ansamycin derivatives, named 1,19-epithio-geldanamycin A (1), 17-demethoxylherbimycin H (2), herbimycin M (3), and seco-geldanamycin B (4), together with eight known ansamycin analogues (5-12) were isolated from the solid fermentation of marine-derived actinomycete Streptomyces sp. ZYX-F-97. The structures of new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis as well as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. All the compounds were assayed for their antibacterial activity. Among them, compounds 4, 8, and 12 exhibited remarkable inhibition against Listeria monocytogenes with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values ranging from 8 μg·mL -1 to 64 μg·mL -1 , and displayed moderate inhibition against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with MIC value of 64 μg·mL -1 . Compounds 4, 8, 9, and 12 showed moderate inhibition activities against both Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis with MIC values ranging from 32 μg·mL -1 to 128 μg·mL -1 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest in this work., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Two new rare trachylobane euphoratones A-B ( 1 - 2 ), together with five known diterpenoids (compounds 3-7 ), were isolated from the aerial parts of Euphorbia atoto . Their structures were unambiguously elucidated through HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectral analysis. Compounds 1 , 3 , 4 and 7 showed weak anti-inflammatory activities (IC 50 77.49 ± 6.34, 41.61 ± 14.49, 16.00 ± 1.71 and 33.41 ± 4.52  μ M, respectively), compared to the positive control quercetin (IC 50 15.23 ± 0.65  μ M).

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a transient disease, may lead to short- or long-term adverse influences on maternal and fetal health. Therefore, its potential functions, mechanisms and related molecular biomarkers must be comprehended for the control, diagnosis and treatment of GDM., Methods: The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using GSE49524 and GSE87295 associated with GDM from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, followed by function enrichment analysis, protein-protein interactions network construction, hub DEGs mining, diagnostic value evaluation and immune infiltration analysis. Finally, hub DEGs, the strongest related to immune infiltration, were screened as immune-related biomarkers., Results: A hundred and seven DEGs were identified between patients with GDM and healthy individuals. Six hub genes with high diagnostic values, including ALDH1A1 , BMP4 , EFNB2 , MME , PLAUR and SLIT2 , were identified. Among these, two immune-related genes ( PLAUR and SLIT2 ) with the highest absolute correlation coefficient were considered immune-related biomarkers in GDM., Conclusion: Our study provides a comprehensive analysis of GDM, which would provide a foundation for the development of diagnosis and treatment of GDM., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Chen, Dai, Kan, Wu and Chen.)

Lanostane-type triterpenoids are the main characteristic constituents in Ganoderma mushrooms. Phytochemical analysis on the ethanol extract of the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma amboinense led to isolation and identification of twelve previously undescribed lanostane triterpenoids (1-12). Their chemical structures were determined by HR-ESI-MS, IR, and NMR spectroscopic analysis, NMR calculation, as well as X-ray crystallography. All isolates were evaluated for the α-glucosidase inhibitory and anti-inflammatory activities. Compounds 1, 5, 6, and 11 showed significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC 50 values ranging from 33.5 μM to 96.0 μM. Moreover, compound 12 showed anti-inflammatory activity with IC 50 value of 21.7 ± 2.1 μM., 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 © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Three new sesquiterpenoids, dendrohercoglin A - C (1-3), and one new bibenzyl derivative, dendronbiline D (4), together with nine known sesquiterpenoids (5-13) were isolated from Dendrobium hercoglossum. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis as well as NMR and ECD calculations. All the compounds were evaluated for their neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory activities. Compounds 2 and 3 increased the H 2 O 2 -damaged SH-SY5Y cell viabilities from 43.3% to 58.6% and 68.4%, respectively. Compound 4 exhibited pronounced anti-inflammatory activity with IC 50 value of 9.5 ± 0.45 μM which was superior to the reference compound quercetin (IC 50 : 15.7 ± 0.89 μM)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interest that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Eight previously undescribed indole-diterpenoids named penerpenes O-V (1-8), together with seven known analogues (9-14), were isolated from the marine soft coral-derived fungus Aspergillus sp. ZF-104. Their structures including the absolute configurations of these compounds were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic data and ECD analysis along with quantum ECD and NMR calculations. Compounds 4 and 5 bear rare indolin-2-one units in their structures and 6 bears a reconstructed novel skeleton in which the indole ring and the terpenoid substructure are cleaved before they are reconnected through the nitrogen atom. Compounds 1, 2, 7, and 10 showed protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory activities comparable to that of the positive control NaVO 3 ., 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 © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Twelve previously undescribed and four known lanostane triterpenoids were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma calidophilum. The structures of undescribed compounds, ganodecalones H-S (1-12), were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis as well as ECD and NMR calculations. Compound 4 showed significant inhibitory activity against human leukaemia cell line K562, gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901, and cervical cancer cell line HeLa with IC 50 values of 13.10 ± 0.19, 17.26 ± 4.75, and 4.36 ± 0.58 μM, respectively. Compound 16 exhibited inhibitory potency against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and α-glucosidase with IC 50 values of 30.2 ± 0.13 μM and 120.6 ± 0.14 μM, respectively. The binding sites and interactions of 16 with PTP1B and α-glucosidase were revealed using molecular docking simulations., 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 © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Alpinia oxyphylla is a homology of medicine and food. This study aims to investigate the dominant chemical composition and explore the antioxidant properties of the ethanol extract of the leaves and stems of A. oxyphylla (AOE) on juvenile shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei . An in vitro test showed that AOE and its dominant chemical composition procyanidin B-2 ( 1 ) and epicatechin ( 2 ) presented DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities. A shrimp feeding supplement experiment revealed that shrimp growth parameters and muscle composition were improved significantly when fed with a 200 mg/Kg AOE additive. Meanwhile, the activities of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, GSH-Px, SOD, and T-AOC) in serum and the liver and the expression of related genes ( LvMn-SOD , LvCAT , LvproPo , and LvGSH-Px ) were enhanced with various degrees in different AOE additive groups while the content of MDA was significantly decreased. Moreover, the antioxidative effect of AOE additive groups on shrimp was also observed in an acute ammonia nitrogen stress test.

Four new compounds ((±)-1-3), including one pair of enantiomers ((±)-1), along with 11 known bibenzyls (4-14) were isolated from Dendrobium nobile. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D NMR as well as HRESIMS. The configurations of (±)-1 were established via the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compounds (+)-1 and 13 displayed pronounced α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC 50 values of 16.7 ± 2.3 and 13.4 ± 0.2 μM, respectively, which were comparable to that of genistein (IC 50 , 8.54 ± 0.69 μM). Kinetic studies revealed that (+)-1 and 13 were non-competitive inhibitors against α-glucosidase and molecular docking simulations illuminated their interactions with α-glucosidase. All the isolates were also evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities. Compounds 4, 5, and 11 exhibited superior inhibition activity with IC 50 values ranging from 9.2 to 13.8 μM to that of quercetin (IC 50 , 16.3 ± 1.1 μM)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interest that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Clonostachys rosea is a fungus widely distributed on Earth and has a high capacity to adapt to complex environments in soil, plants, or sea. It is an endophyte that can be used as a potential biocontrol agent to protect plants from pathogenic fungi, nematodes, and insects. However, the spectrum of secondary metabolites produced by C. rosea has only scarcely been studied. In the present study, eight new phenalenones, asperphenalenones F-M ( 1 - 8 ), together with two known derivatives, asperphenalenones E and B ( 9 and 10 ), were isolated from the axenic rice culture of this fungus. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, electronic circular dichroism, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses. Asperphenalenones J-M ( 5 - 8 ) are unusual phenalenone adducts that are conjugated to diterpenoid glycosides. Asperphenalenones F and H showed moderate antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 12.5 and 25 μM, respectively. Asperphenalenone B exhibited low antiviral activity against the human immunodeficiency virus replication. Furthermore, asperphenalenones F and H exhibited low cytotoxicity against Jurkat cells, while all other compounds were devoid of cytotoxicity.

A new oxygenated lanostane-type triterpenoid, 20 S ,24 S -epoxy-lanosta-7,9(11)-dien-3 β ,15 α ,25 R ,26-tetraol ( 1 ), together with three known compounds ( 2 - 4 ) were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma weberianum . Extensive NMR spectrometry and HRESIMS analysis, as well as NMR and ECD calculations elucidated the structure of the new compound. 27-nor-3 β -hydroxylanosta-7,9(11),23 E -trien-25-one ( 2 ) showed superior α -glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC 50 value of 122.1 μM to that of positive control acarbose (304.6 μM).

Most naturally occurring indole diterpenes share a 6/5/5/6/6/6 hexacyclic ring system, while a 6/8/6/6/6 pentacyclic skeleton is occasionally observed. In this study, we demonstrate the formation of an eight-membered C-N heteroring via nonenzymatic flavin-catalyzed oxidative indole ring opening. More interestingly, 18 O-labeled experiments proved that the two incorporated oxygen atoms are predominantly originated from water instead of molecular oxygen. In this process, the oxidized form of flavin catalyzes two successive oxidations of amines to imines with involvement of hydrolysis for the ring expansion. The reduced flavin is then regenerated by oxidation with molecular oxygen to form H 2 O 2 .

Phytochemical investigation on the stems of Strophanthus divaricatus led to the isolation of four undescribed cardiac glycosides and one undescribed C 21 pregnane, together with eleven known steroids. Their structures were elucidated by a comprehensive analysis of HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectra. The absolute configuration of 16 was determined by comparison of the experimental and computed ECD spectra. Compounds 1-13 and 15 displayed potent to significant cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines K562, SGC-7901, A549 and HeLa with IC 50 values of 0.02-16.08, 0.04-23.13, 0.06-22.31 and 0.06-15.13 μM, respectively., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Dai HaoFu reports financial support was provided by Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China. Mei Wenli reports financial support was provided by Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund for Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences. Dai Haofu reports a relationship with Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China that includes: funding grants. Mei Wenli reports a relationship with Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund for Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences that includes: funding grants., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A novel actinobacterium strain (M4I6 T ) was isolated from marine sediment collected in Megas Gialos, Syros, Greece. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain M4I6 T was indicated as belonging to the genus Actinoplanes , with high similarity to ' Actinoplanes solisilvae ' LAM7112 T (97.9 %), Actinoplanes ferrugineus IFO 15555 T (97.6 %), Actinoplanes cibodasensis LIPI11-2-Ac042 T (97.2 %) and Actinoplanes bogorensis LIPI11-2-Ac043 T (97.2 %). Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain M4I6 T showed that the strain formed a stable subclade with ' A. solisilvae ' LAM7112 T . The cell wall of the novel isolate contained meso -diaminopimelic acid and the whole-cell sugars were xylose, glucose and ribose. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H 4 ), MK-9(H 2 ) and MK-9(H 8 ). The phospholipid profile comprised phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol mannosides and an unknown phospholipid. The major fatty acids (>5 %) were anteiso-C 16 : 0 , iso-C 17 : 0 , 10-methyl-C 16 : 0 , C 15 : 0 , iso-C 16 : 0 and C 17 : 0 . Genome sequencing showed a DNA G+C content of 70.9 mol%. However, the low average nucleotide identity value, digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values demonstrated that strain M4I6 T could be readily distinguished from its closest related species. Based on data from this polyphasic study, strain M4I6 T represents a novel species of the genus Actinoplanes , for which the name Actinoplanes maris sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is M4I6 T (=DSM 101017 T =CGMCC 4.7854 T ).

Four new 2-(2-phenethyl)chromone dimers (1-4) were isolated from EtOAc extract of agarwood originating from Aquilaria filaria from Philippines. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis (1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS) and comparison of the experimental and computed ECD curves. Compounds 1-4 exhibited inhibition of nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells with IC 50 values in the range from 33.94 to 57.53 μM., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationship that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Chemical constituents in soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum were separated and purified by various chromatographic methods. Based on the spectral data, physicochemical properties, and comparison with the data reported in the literature, nine cembranoids, including a new cembranoid named sefsarcophinolide(1) together with eight known cembranoids, namely(+)-isosarcophine(2), sarcomilitatin D(3), sarcophytonolide J(4),(1S,3E,7E,13S)-11,12-epoxycembra-3,7,15-triene-13-ol(5), sarcophytonin B(6),(-)-eunicenone(7), lobophytin B(8), and arbolide C(9), were identified. As revealed by biological activity experiment results, compounds 2-6 had weak acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity, and compound 5 displayed weak cytotoxicity against K562 tumor cell line.

Self-incompatibility (SI) is a major issue in dragon fruit ( Selenicereus spp. ) breeding and production. Therefore, a better understanding of the dragon fruit SI mechanism is needed to improve breeding efficiency and ultimate production costs. To reveal the underlying mechanisms of SI in dragon fruit, plant anatomy, de novo RNA sequencing-based transcriptomic analysis, and multiple bioinformatic approaches were used to analyze gene expression in the pistils of the self-pollinated and cross-pollinated dragon fruit flowers at different intervals of time after pollination. Using fluorescence microscopy, we observed that the pollen of 'Hongshuijing', a self-incompatible dragon fruit variety ( S. monacanthus ), germinated on its own stigma. However, the pollen tube elongation has ceased at 1/2 of the style, confirming that dragon fruit experiences gametophyte self-incompatibility (GSI). We found that the pollen tube elongation in vitro was inhibited by self-style glycoproteins in the SI variety, indicating that glycoproteins were involved in SI. That is to say the female S factor should be homologous of S-RNase or PrsS ( P. rhoeas stigma S factor), both of which are glycoproteins and are the female S factors of the two known GSI mechanism respectively. Bioinformatics analyses indicated that among the 43,954 assembled unigenes from pistil, there were six S-RNase genes, while 158 F-box genes were identified from a pollen transcriptomic dataset. There were no P. rhoeas type S genes discovered. Thus, the identified S-RNase and F-box represent the candidate female and male S genes, respectively. Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the self and cross-pollinated pistils at different time intervals led to the identification of 6,353 genes. We then used a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to find some non-S locus genes in SI responses in dragon fruit. Additionally, 13 transcription factors (TFs) ( YABBY4, ANL2, ERF43, ARF2, BLH7, KNAT6, PIF3 , two OBF1 , two HY5 and two LHY/CCA ) were identified to be involved in dragon fruit GSI. Thus, we uncovered candidate S and non-S genes and predicted more SI-related genes for a more detailed investigation of the molecular mechanism of dragon fruit SI. Our findings suggest that dragon fruit possesses a GSI system and involves some unique regulators. This study lays the groundwork for future research into SI mechanisms in dragon fruit and other plant species., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2022 Li et al.)

Two new dimeric 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones, aquilasinenones L and M ( 1 and 2 ), and one new monomer analogue, 5 S , 6  R , 7 S , 8  R -tetrahydroxy-[2-(3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]- 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrochromone ( 3 ), together with two known compounds, were isolated from the artificial agarwood originating from Aquilaria sinensis . Compound 1 was the first structure found with C8-O-C4"' linkage among 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone dimers. Their structures were unambiguously elucidated based on 1 D and 2 D NMR spectroscopy, as well as by comparison with the literature. The absolute configuration was determined by ECD calculation. None of the compounds exhibited acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity.

Eight previously undescribed lanostane triterpenoids, ganodeweberiols A ∼ H (1-8), together with eighteen known compounds (9-26), were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma weberianum. The structures and absolute configurations of the new compounds were determined by extensive spectroscopic analysis, as well as NMR chemical shifts and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compounds 2, 7, 12, and 14 showed significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC 50 values ranging from 35.3 μM ∼ 223.4 μM compared to the positive control acarbose (IC 50 , 304.6 μM). Kinetic study indicated that the most potent compound 12 was a mixed type inhibitor for α-glucosidase. Molecular docking simulation revealed the interactions of 12 with α-glucosidase. Additionally, Compounds 3 and 6 inhibited glucagon-induced hepatic glucose production in HepG2 cells with EC 50 values of 42.0 and 85.9 μM, respectively. Further study revealed that compounds 3 and 6 inhibited hepatic glucose production by suppression glucagon-induced cAMP accumulation. Moreover, compounds 3 and 26 were active against HeLa cell line with IC 50 values of 17.0 and 6.8 μM, respectively., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Inonotus obliquus, an edible and medicinal mushroom parasitic on birches, has been used in human diet and for traditional therapies in the high latitude regions of Europe and Asia for a long time. Our phytochemical study of this fungus led to the identification of fourteen triterpenoids including four undescribed ones, and two pairs of undescribed phenolic enantiomers. The undescribed compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS, quantum chemical NMR and ECD calculations, as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Bioassays revealed that eight compounds showed dual inhibition against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) with IC 50 values ranging from 2.40 ± 0.05 to 28.72 ± 0.46 μM, while 3β-hydroxy-lanosra-8,24-dien-21-al and trametenolic acid only presented BuChE inhibitory activities with IC 50 values of 22.21 ± 1.01 and 7.68 ± 0.13 μM, respectively. In the kinetic studies, the most active three compounds acted as non-competitive inhibitors for both cholinesterases. Furthermore, molecular docking simulations revealed that three compounds demonstrated dual-sites bounding to AChE/BuChE. These triterpenoids emerged as bivalent and dual inhibitors of AChE/BuChE and could be effective drug candidates to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease in the future., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Elephantopus scaber extract on the GIFT (genetic improvement of farmed tilapia) strain of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. A total of 800 tilapia with an initial body weight of 1.34 ± 0.09 g each were randomly divided into five groups. The tilapia in the control group (E0 group) were fed on a basal diet only. Meanwhile, tilapia in the four experimental groups were fed on a basal diet supplemented with 1 g/kg (E1 group), 3 g/kg (E2 group), 5 g/kg (E3 group), and 7 g/kg (E4 group) of E. scaber extract for 10 weeks. Results showed that the survival rate was higher in the experimental groups than in the control group. Compared with the control group, some growth parameters (FW, WGR, SGR, VSI, and HSI) were significantly improved in the E1 group and E2 group. The crude lipid content in the dorsal muscle and liver was lower in the E1 group than in the control group. After E. scaber extract supplementation, activities of immunity-related enzymes (ACP, AKP, T-AOC, SOD, CAT, GSH-Px and LZM) in plasma, liver, spleen and head kidney, and expressions of immunity-related genes (IL-1β, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and CCL-3) in liver, spleen and head kidney showed various degrees of improvement, while MDA content and Hsp70 expression level were decreased. The survival rate of tilapia increased in all the supplementation groups after Streptococcus agalactiae treatment. E. scaber extract addition changed the species composition, abundance, and diversity of intestinal microbiota in tilapia. These results demonstrate that E. scaber extract supplementation in diet can improve the growth, immunity, and disease resistance of GIFT against S. agalactiae. E. scaber extract supplementation can also change intestinal microbiota and reduce crude lipid content in dorsal muscle and liver. The above indicators show that the optimal dose of E. scaber extract for GIFT is 1 g/kg., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Eight new phenethoxy derivatives, trichoasperellins A-H ( 1 - 8 ), were isolated from the endophytic fungus Trichoderma asperellum G10 isolated from the medicinal plant Areca catechu L. The structures of these compounds were elucidated from spectroscopic data, J -based configurational analysis, and Mosher's methods. Compounds 1 - 4 and 6 - 8 bear one or two multioxidized C 7 moieties with the same carbon skeleton. The carbon skeletons of compounds 6 - 8 are new, all containing three moieties connected via two acetal carbons similar to those of disaccharide glycosides. Compound 4 inhibited nitric oxide production with an IC 50 value of 48.3 μM, comparable to that of the positive control indomethacin (IC 50 , 42.3 μM).

Cross-pollination can improve the percentage of fruit set and fruit weight for most red flesh varieties in pitaya. The technology of pollen storage was very important for successful cross-pollination. However, till present, the technology of pollen storage is unsatisfactory in pitaya production. In this study, pitaya pollen stored at low temperature was taken as the research object, and its physicochemical indexes, metabolomics, and transcriptomics were studied. The results showed that in vitro pollen germination rate decreased significantly with the increase in storage time. Soluble sugar and soluble protein content of pollen peaked on the first day of storage, whereas its relative conductivity, and manlondialdehyde (MDA) and proline contents increased gradually during storage. At the same time, the antioxidant enzyme system of pollen was also affected. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity decreased, while the activities of catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) increased and superoxide anion generation rate increased gradually during storage. According to the metabolomics results, amino acid, peptide, nucleotide, plant hormone, terpene, alcohol, phenol, flavonoid, sterol, vitamin, ester, sphingolipid, and ketone contents increased significantly during storage, whereas flavonoid and pigment contents declined gradually. During pollen storage, the gene expressions related to carbohydrate metabolism, protein metabolism, acid and lipid metabolism, sterol metabolism, plant hormone metabolism, and signal transductions were significantly downregulated. With KEGG pathway analysis, isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis, tyrosine metabolism, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism of pollen were affected significantly during low-temperature storage. Correlation analysis showed that the gene expression patterns of HuRP2, HuUPL1 , and HuAAT2 had significant effects on pollen germination. D-arabinose 5-phosphate and myricetin were positively correlated with pollen germination rate, which was valuable for studying preservation agents. In this study, the changes in pollen during low-temperature storage were described from the level of metabolites and genes, which could provide theoretical support for the research and development of pollen long-term storage technology in pitaya., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Dai, Jiang, Zhao, Li and Sun.)

Three phenolic compounds (± 1 and 2 ) including a pair of new enantiomers were isolated from the sclerotia of Inonotus obliquus . Their structures were assigned by extensive spectroscopic analyses. All the compounds were evaluated for the neuroprotective activity against oxidative damage on human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells induced by H 2 O 2 . Compound 2 showed remarkable neuroprotective effect and significantly improved the cell viability of SH-SY5Y cells treated by H 2 O 2 .

A picrotoxane-type sesquiterpene, dendroterpene E ( 1 ), together with five benzene derivatives ( 2-6 ), were isolated from the stems of Dendrobium nobile Lindl. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis. Compound 1 was a new picrotoxane-type sesquiterpene with a C-9/C-1/O/C-11 oxetane ring, which was first encountered in this type of compounds. Compounds 1-3 exhibited inhibitory activities against α -glycosidase.

Six new 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone dimers (1-6) were isolated from ethyl ether extract of red soil agarwood of Aquilaria crassna from Vietnam by LC-MS-guided fractionation procedure. Their structures were unambiguously elucidated based on HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectra. The absolute configuration of 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone dimers was determined by comparison of the experimental and computed ECD spectra. Compound 6 displayed cytotoxicity against the human myeloid leukemia cell line (K562) with an IC 50 value of 39.49 μM., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Chemical investigation of an alcoholic extract from the stem of Daphne papyracea ("Xuehuagou") led to the isolation of the tetracyclic sesquiterpenoid daphnepapytone A ( 1 ), containing a unique caged skeleton with a cyclobutane ring having three tetrasubstituted chirality centers. Also isolated were new guaiane sesquiterpenoids, namely, daphnepapytones B-H ( 2 - 8 ), and one 1,5-diphenylpentanone 2-hydroxy-5-oxo-daphneone ( 9 ), together with 26 known compounds. The cyclic metabolites share a 5-isoprenyl-hexahydroazulene-2(1 H )-one skeleton with different substitution patterns and a bridged cyclobutane, oxetane, or tetrahydrofuran ring. The planar structures and relative configuration of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis aided by DFT 13 C NMR calculations. The absolute configurations of 1 - 7 were determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction or TDDFT-ECD calculations. Daphnepapytones A and C ( 1 and 3 ), 2-hydroxy-5-oxodaphneone ( 9 ), daphnenone ( 10 ), daphneone ( 11 ), and 3-methyldaphneolone ( 12 ) showed α-glycosidase inhibitory activity, with IC 50 values of 159.0, 102.3, 139.3, 43.3, 145.0, and 126.1 μM, respectively.

A new polychiral bisabolane sesquiterpene, bisabolanoic acid A ( 1 ), was isolated from the mangrove-derived fungus Colletotrichum sp. SCSIO KcB3-2. Its planar structure was identified on the basis of spectroscopic data analysis (HRESIMS, 1D, and 2D NMR), and the absolute configurations of three chiral carbons were determined by experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and optical rotatory dispersion (ORD), together with Mo 2 (OAc) 4 -induced ECD methods. Bisabolanoic acid A ( 1 ) showed moderate inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) with IC 50 value of 2.2 μM, and the in silico molecular docking was also performed.

Nine new sesquiterpenoids ( 1 - 9 ) were isolated from ethyl ether extract of agarwood originated from Aquilaria sp., including three novel sesquiterpenoids ( 1 - 3 ) derived from zizaane, together with six zizaane-type sesquiterpenoids ( 4 - 9 ). All structures were unambiguously elucidated based on 1D and 2D NMR spectra as well as by HRESIMS data. The absolute configuration of sesquiterpenoids was determined by comparison of the experimental and computed ECD spectra. In vitro anti-inflammatory assessment showed that compound 9 exhibited inhibition of NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells with an IC 50 value of 62.22 ± 1.27 μM.

Three new humulane-type sesquiterpenoids, penirolide A ( 1 ), penirolide B ( 2 ), and 10-acetyl-phomanoxide ( 3 ), together with three known compounds aurasperone A ( 4 ), pughiinin A ( 5 ), and cyclo(l-Leu-l-Phe) ( 6 ) were isolated from the endophytic fungus Penicillium sp . derived from the leaves of Carica papaya L. Their structures including their absolute configurations were determined based on the analysis of NMR and HRESIMS spectra, NMR chemical shifts, and ECD calculations. Compounds 2 , 3 , 5 , and 6 significantly inhibited glucagon-induced hepatic glucose production, with EC 50 values of 33.3, 36.1, 18.8, and 32.1 μM, respectively. Further study revealed that compounds 2 , 3 , 5 , and 6 inhibited hepatic glucose production by suppression of glucagon-induced cAMP accumulation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wang, Yang, Kong, Ma, Xie, Wu, Dai, Chen, Xiao and Zhao.)

Macrofungi Ganoderma is a valuable medicinal fungus resource for human health and longevity in China. In this study, ten undescribed compounds including seven lostane-type triterpenoids, ganodaustralic acids A ∼ G (1-7), one pair of meroterpenoid enantiomers, (-)-6'-O-ethyllingzhiol (8) and (+)-6'-O-ethyllingzhiol (9), and one polyhydroxylated sterol, 3-O-acetyl-fomentarol C (10), together with eight known compounds (11-18), were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma australe. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis as well as NMR and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compounds 4, 8, 9, and 12 showed significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC 50 values in the range of 4.1-11.7 μM, which were superior to that of positive control acarbose (213 μM). Only compound 7 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against SGC-7901 cells., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Recent advances have been made in applying convolutional neural networks to achieve more precise prediction results for medical image segmentation problems. However, the success of existing methods has highly relied on huge computational complexity and massive storage, which is impractical in the real-world scenario. To deal with this problem, we propose an efficient architecture by distilling knowledge from well-trained medical image segmentation networks to train another lightweight network. This architecture empowers the lightweight network to get a significant improvement on segmentation capability while retaining its runtime efficiency. We further devise a novel distillation module tailored for medical image segmentation to transfer semantic region information from teacher to student network. It forces the student network to mimic the extent of difference of representations calculated from different tissue regions. This module avoids the ambiguous boundary problem encountered when dealing with medical imaging but instead encodes the internal information of each semantic region for transferring. Benefited from our module, the lightweight network could receive an improvement of up to 32.6% in our experiment while maintaining its portability in the inference phase. The entire structure has been verified on two widely accepted public CT datasets LiTS17 and KiTS19. We demonstrate that a lightweight network distilled by our method has non-negligible value in the scenario which requires relatively high operating speed and low storage usage.

Two new 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone derivatives ( 1 - 2 ) were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of artificial agarwood induced by holing method originating from Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg, and they were isolated from this genus for the first time. The structures of these two new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including UV, IR, one- and two-dimensional NMR and HRESIMS measurements. Bioassay tests of these two new compounds showed compounds 1 and 2 had weak inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase at a concentration of 50.0 μg/ml.

Two new compounds named epipaxilline ( 1 ) and penerpene J ( 2 ) were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Penicillium sp. KFD28. Their structures including absolute configurations were determined on the basis of spectroscopic methods and ECD analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 showed inhibitory activities against PTP1B with IC 50 values of 31.5 and 9.5 μM, respectively, and compound 2 also showed inhibitory activities against TCPTP with IC 50 value of 14.7 μM.

Three new dimeric 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones crassin I ∼ K ( 1 - 3 ), together with one known analogue ( 4 ), were isolated from the artificial holing agarwood originating from Aquilaria sinensis . Their structures including the absolute configuration were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques (UV, IR, 1D and 2D NMR, ECD), and HRESIMS analysis, as well as by comparison with the literature data. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited weak acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity.