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It is well-known that magnetic moments are very harmful to superconductivity. A typical example is the element Mn, whose compounds usually exhibit strong magnetism. Thus, it is very difficult to achieve superconductivity in materials containing Mn. Here, we report enhanced superconductivity with a superconducting transition temperature ( T c ) up to a record-high value of about 26 K in a beta-phase Ti 1- x Mn x alloy containing the rich magnetic element Mn under high pressures. This is contrary to the intuition that magnetic moments always suppress superconductivity. Under high pressures, we also found that in the middle-pressure regime, the Pauli limit of the upper critical field is surpassed. The synchrotron X-ray diffraction data show an unchanged beta-phase with a continuous contraction of the cell volume, which is well-supported by the first-principles calculations. Although the theoretical results based on electron-phonon coupling can interpret the T c value in a certain pressure region, the monotonic enhancement of superconductivity by pressure cannot seek support from the theory. Our results show a surprising enhancement of superconductivity in the Ti 1- x Mn x alloy with a considerable Mn content.

Xiaokeyinshui extract combination (XEC), originating from a traditional Chinese formula Xiaokeyinshui (XKYS) recorded in ancient Bencao, has been reported to exert significant hypoglycemic effects. However, the chemical profiles, metabolic transformation and pharmacokinetic behavior of XEC in vivo were unclear. The research was to investigate the chemical constituents, metabolic profiles and pharmacokinetic behavior of XEC. A UPLC-QE-Orbitrap-HRMS qualification method was developed to identify the chemical constituents in XEC and xenobiotics of XEC in plasma, urine, feces and bile of rats after oral administration. A LC-MS quantification method was established and applied for the pharmacokinetic studies of major active compounds of XEC in normal and T 2 DM rats and Coptidis Rhizoma extracts (CRE) in T 2 DM rats. Fifty eight compounds in XEC and a total of 152 xenobiotics were identified in T 2 DM rats, including 28 prototypes and 124 metabolites. The metabolic pathways were demethylation, demethyleneization, reduction, hydroxylation, hydrolysis and subsequent binding reactions, including glucuronidation, sulfation and methylation. According to the results of chemical constituents and metabolites, 7 ingredients, including berberine, palmatine, coptisine, epiberberine, berberrubine, magnoflorine and aurantio-obtusin were suggested for markers to comparative pharmacokinetics study in normal rats and T 2 DM rats. Compared with normal rats, the T max of berberine, palmatine, coptisine, epiberberine, berberrubine and magnoflorine was significantly longer. The value of C max for palmatine, coptisine, epiberberine and berberrubine was significantly decreased in XEC T 2 DM group. The value of AUC for alkaloids was higher in diabetic rats. After oral CRE, alkaloids including berberine, palmatine, coptisine, epiberberine, berberrubine and magnoflorine could be detected in vivo. Compared with T 2 DM rats after oral administration of CRE, the value of T max and C max for berberine, palmatine, coptisine, epiberberine, berberrubine and magnoflorine exhibited significant differences in XEC T 2 DM group. This research provided an overview of the chemical profiles and metabolic profiling of XEC and elucidated the effect of diabetic state and compatibility on pharmacokinetic behaviors of active components in XEC. This research also can provide the material basis of XEC for subsequent quality control research., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

Chemical investigation of bioactive components from the whole plant of Euphorbia helioscopia resulted in the isolation and identification of 17 new jatrophane diterpenoids, namely, heliojatrone D ( 1 ) and helioscopids A-P ( 2 - 17 ), along with 11 known analogues ( 18 - 28 ). The structural elucidation of the new diterpenoids was achieved by the comprehensive analysis of HRESIMS, NMR, and X-ray crystallographic data, as well as using electronic circular dichroism. Structurally, heliojatone D ( 1 ) is the fourth natural diterpenoid with a rare bicyclo[8.3.0]tridecane skeleton. The inhibitory effect of the isolated diterpenoids against Kv1.3 ion channels was evaluated in a human embryonic kidney 293 cell model transfected with plasmid encoding Kv1.3, resulting in the identification of a series of potent Kv1.3 ion channel inhibitors, with the most active ones ( 2 and 15 ) showing IC 50 values of 0.9 μM.

A new phenolic glycoside, chinenside A ( 1 ), and a new megastigmane glycoside, chinenionside A ( 2 ), together with twelve known compounds ( 3-14 ), were isolated from the roots of Alangium chinense . Their structures were deduced on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses and comparison with data reported in the literature. The anti-inflammatory activity in vitro of all 13 phenolic glycosides was evaluated against lipopolysaccharide-induced mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells. The compounds 1 , 9 , and 10 potentially inhibited the productions of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin (PEG 2 ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Compound 1 (50 μM) showed stronger anti-inflammatory activity than Triptolide (TPL, 20 nm).

Two novel diterpenoids, one with a rearranged trans , trans -fused tricyclo[10.3.0.0 4,6 ]pentadecane framework ( 1 ) and the other with an unprecedented 15 S configuration ( 2 ), were isolated from Euphorbia helioscopia . Their structures were elucidated by extensive analysis of HR-ESI-MS, NMR, quantum-chemical calculation, and X-ray crystallographic data. Biosynthetically, 1 has a unique "cyclopropane-shift-like" biogenesis involving an oxa-di-π-methane (ODPM) rearrangement, which inspired us to accomplish the biomimetic conversion of 3 to 1 . Moreover, compound 1 displayed a potent immunosuppressive effect by inhibiting Kv1.3 voltage-gated channels.

Extensive phytochemical study of the methanol extract of twigs and leaves of Buxus sempervirens resulted in the identification of 17 Buxus alkaloids, including 12 new ones, namely buxusemines A-L (1-12). Their structures were delineated by detailed analysis of the HRESIMS and NMR data, as well as quantum chemical NMR calculations. Buxusemine A (1) represents the second Buxus alkaloid with a unique spiro[4.6]undecatriene moiety, buxusemines B-C (2-3) are a rarely occurring class of Buxus alkaloids featured with an additional five-membered ring through the ether or lactone linkage between C-10 and C-23, and buxusemines D-F (4-6) are another rare type of Buxus alkaloids with an epoxy motif. In the assessment of their bioactivities, buxusemine F (6) and buxanoldine (17) displayed more potent protective effects than the positive control cyclovirobuxinum D in the doxorubicin-induced cardiac injury model., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, C57BL/6J mice with high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced hyperlipidemia were treated with total Liriope spicata var. prolifera polysaccharides (TLSP: 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg body weight), simvastatin (3 mg/kg body weight), or saline for 8 weeks, respectively. The results showed that TLSP had strong lipid-lowering and hepatoprotective effects on C57BL/6J mice with HFD-induced hyperlipidemia. TLSP administration significantly reduced serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and downregulated the expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ and fatty acid synthase (FAS) in the adipose and liver tissues of the mice. TLSP exerted hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effects by activating lipid/bile acid metabolism via the FXH-SHP/CYP7A1 and SEBP-1c/FAC/ACC signaling pathways. Thus, TLPS is a promising natural polymer with hepatoprotective and hypolipidemic properties., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Yi-Hui Liu et al.)

Buxaustroines A-N ( 1 - 14 ), a series of triterpenoidal alkaloids featuring a novel 17(13→18) abeo motif, were obtained from the extract of Buxus austro-yunnanensis . Their structures were assigned based on NMR data analysis and X-ray diffraction crystallography. A putative biosynthetic pathway for one of the alkaloids from a co-isolate 15 is proposed. In the assessment of their bioactivities, some of the compounds displayed protective effects against doxorubicin-induced injury of myocardial cells. Preliminary structure-activity relationship studies of 1 - 14 , which are based on the same skeleton, were conducted.