Cytosporinols A-C,new caryophyllene sesquiterpenoids from Cytospora sp.

Three new caryophyllene sesquiterpenoids,cytosporinols A-C(1-3),have been isolated from solid cultures of Cytospora sp.The structures of 1-3 were elucidated primarily by NMR spectroscopy,and 3 was further confirmed by X-ray crystallography.The absolute configurations of the C-11 secondary alcohol in 1 and the 6,8-diol moiety in 3 were deduced using the modified Mosher and Snatzke’s method,respectively.Compounds 2 and 3 showed moderate cytotoxicity against HeLa cells.

SNARE-RNAi Results in Higher Terpene Emission from Ectopically Expressed Caryophyllene Synthase in Nicotiana benthamiana

Plants produce numerous terpenes and much effort has been dedicated to the identification and charac- terization of the terpene biosynthetic genes. However, little is known about how terpenes are transported within the cell and from the cell into the apoplast. To investigate a putative role of vesicle fusion in this pro- cess, we used Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient coexpression in Nicotiana benthamiana of an MtVAMP721e-RNAi construct （Vi） with either a caryophyllene synthase or a linalool synthase, respec- tively. Headspace analysis of the leaves showed that caryophyllene or linalool emission increased about five-fold when N. benthamiana VAMP72 function was blocked. RNA sequencing and protein ubiquitination analysis of the agroinflltrated N. benthamiana leaf extracts suggested that increased terpene emissions may be attributed to proteasome malfunction based on three observations： leaves with TPS＋Vi showed （1） a higher level of a DsRed marker protein, （2） a higher level of ubiquitinated proteins, and （3） coordinated induced expression of multiple proteasome genes, presumably caused by the lack of proteasome- mediated feedback regulation. However, caryophyllene or linalool did not inhibit proteasome-related pro- tease activity in the in vitro assays. While the results are not conclusive for a role of vesicle fusion in terpene transport, they do show a strong interaction between inhibition of vesicle fusion and ectopic expression of certain terpenes. The results have potential applications in metabolic engineering.

Studies of the Volatile Compounds Present in Leaves, Stems and Flowers of <i>Vernonanthura patens</i>(Kunth) H. Rob

The study of the volatile components of the leaves, stems and flowers of Vernonanthura patens is discussed. A micro solid-phase extraction at constant temperature with a dimethylsiloxane fiber of 100 μm was performed. The compounds extracted were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). 7 monoterpenes structures were assigned to leaves, and three to stems, these compounds were not detected in the flowers with the configuration of the system used. 17 sesquiterpenes were identified in the leaves;6 in stems and 2 in flowers, finding coincidence in some of them. The major components were α-humulene in leaves, bergamotene in stems and caryophyllene in flowers.

Chemical Composition,Anticancer,Anti-neuroinflammatory,and Antioxidant Activities of the Essential Oil of Patrinia scabiosaefolia

Objective：To study the chemical composition,anticancer,anti-neuroinflammatory,and antioxidant activities of the essential oil of Patrinia scabiosaefolia（EO-PS）.Methods：Patrinia scabiosaefolia was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.Eight human carcinoma cell lines,including SGC-7901,AGS,Hep G2,HT-29,HCT-8,5-FU/HCT-8,He La,and MDA-MB-231,were assessed by methylthiazolyldiphenyltetrazolium bromide（MTT） assay.Anti-neuroinflammatory activity was assessed by production of interleukin（IL）-1β and IL-6 induced by lipopolysaccharide in BV-2 cells（microglia from mice）.The antioxidant activity was evaluated with a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl（DPPH） scavenging assay.Results：Forty-four components,representing 83.919% of the total oil,were identified in the EO-PS.The major constituents were caryophyllene oxide（12.802%）,caryophyllene（6.909%）,α-caryophyllene（2.927%）,β-damascenone（3.435%）,calarene（5.621%）,and phenol（3.044%）.The MTT assay showed that the EO-PS exhibited significant dose-dependent growth inhibition in the 50–200 μg/m L dilution range.The EO-PS exhibited a dose-dependent scavenging activity against the DPPH radical,with an half of maximal inhibitory concentration 1.455 mg/m L.Conclusion：The EO-PS possesses a wide range of antitumor,anti-neuroinflammatory and antioxidant activities,suggesting that it may be a good candidate for further investigations of new bioactive substances.