A mini-review on pharmacological effects of ginsenoside Rb3,a marked saponin from Panax genus

Ginsenoside Rb3(G-Rb3)is one of the primary active compounds isolated from Panax ginseng Meyer,which belongs to protopanaxadiol ginsenosides(PPD).Based on the structure-activity relationship(SAR)of ginsenosides,the pentose structure of G-Rb3 limited itself to possess more pharmacological activity to a certain extent.However,pharmacokinetics show that G-Rb3 is processed through deglycosylation in the intestinal tract and converted into more active rare saponins,such as Compound K,F2,etc.A series of studies focused on neuroprotection and the cardiovascular system demonstrating its therapeutic potentials,which was achieved by diminishing oxidative stress and apoptosis.Therefore,more systematic and in-depth studies are needed to complete the pharmaceutical value and to promote its clinical applications.This article highlights the multiple pharmacological effects and mechanisms of G-Rb3 and prospects for its development.

Carbon dots anchored NiAl-LDH@In_(2)O_(3) hierarchical nanotubes for promoting selective CO_(2) photoreduction into CH_(4)

The efficient conversion of CO_(2) into hydrocarbon fuels(CH_(4))with high selectivity is considered as a great challenge in photocatalysis owing to the multiple-electron transfer pathway and competitive H_(2) generation.Herein,we developed carbon dots(CDs)-modulated S-scheme heterojunction of CDs/NiAl-LDH@In_(2)O_(3)(C-DH@IN)through a facile in-situ hydrothermal method.Thanks to the multi-shell nanotube structure,the C-DH@IN shows an enhanced CH_(4) evolution rate of 10.67μmol h^(-1)g^(-1)and higher selectivity of CH_(4)(85.70%)compared with In_(2)O_(3) and Ni Al-LDH@In_(2)O_(3) binary catalyst in the pure water without sacrificial agent.Electron spin resonance(ESR)and in situ Fourier transform infrared spectra verify that the constructed S-scheme heterojunction can possess the strong redox capability and the HCOOand CH_(3)O-as critical intermediates play an important role in selective CO_(2) reduction to generate CH_(4).Furthermore,CDs with superior photoabsorption can boost the electron transfer and absorb H^(+),thus improving the integration of H^(+)and CO_(2) molecule.Therefore,this work emphasizes a facile strategy to achieve efficient CO_(2)-to-CH_(4) conversion based on construction of CDs-based heterojunction catalysts.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance and Treatment:A Way to Reduce Cancer-related Mortality in Cirrhotic Patients

In the issue of Gastroenterology published October 2018,the article by Moon et al.1 demonstrated that screening patients with cirrhosis for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)by ultrasound scan(USS),measurement of serumα-fetoprotein(AFP),each alone or in combination,was not associated with the decreased HCC-related mortality.In this matched case control study,all the study patients were registered in detail in the U.S.Department of Veterans Affairs.The study included 238 cases who died of HCC with cirrhosis,and the same number of matched controls with cirrhosis who had been enrolled in U.S.Department of Veterans Affairs care for the 4 years before the index date and alive at the time of their matched case's death.The study retrospectively collected each case's USS and AFP screening data for 4 years before the date of HCC diagnosis or the equivalent index date in controls.Authors found that there was no significant difference of frequency of routine screening between the cases and controls.Therefore,the authors interpreted these results as indicating that the routine screening would not reduce cancer-related mortality.