Catalytic Asymmetric Formal Total Synthesis of(-)-Triptophenolide and(+)-Triptolide

Catalytic asymmetric formal synthesis of(-)-Triptophenolide and(+)-Triptolide have been achieved.Key reaction involves Palladium catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of aryl boronic acid to 3-methyl cyclohexe-1-none to form quaternary carbon.Claisen rearrangement and subsequent aldol reaction furnished trans-decaline key intermediate,which assured a formal total synthesis of(-)-Triptophenolide and(+)-Triptolide.

Purification and Characterization of a New Ribosome Inactivating Protein from Cinchonaglycoside C-treated Tobacco Leaves

A new ribosome-inactivating protein （RIP） with a molecular weight of 31 kDa induced by Cinchonaglycoside C （1） designated CIP31, was isolated from tobacco leaves. Analysis of this protein sequence indicated that it belongs to the RIP family and it was distinct from the other plant RIPs reported previously at its N-terminal amino acid sequence. CIP31 can directly impair synthesis of coat protein （CP） of tobacco mosaic virus （TMV）, which resulted in inhibition of TMV long distance movement and multiplication in tobacco plants at concentrations of ng/mL. Furthermore, no toxicity was shown to the growth and fertility of the plants. CIP31 was synthesized only in the presence of Cinchonaglycoside C （1） and was independent of the salicylic acid （SA） signal pathway. We provided evidence for the SA-independent biological induction of resistance.

Hypnotic Effects of A Novel Anti-Insomnia Formula on Drosophila Insomnia Model

Objective： To assess the biological effects of the six-herb mixture Anti-lnsomia Formula （AIF） extract using caffeine-induced insomnia Drosophila model and short-sleep mutants. Methods： Caffeine- induced insomnia wild-type Drosophila and short-sleep mutant flies minisleep （runs） and Hyperkinetic Y（Hk Y） were used to assess the hypnotic effects of the AIF in vivo. The night time activity, the amount of night time sleep and the number of sleep bouts were determined using Drosophila activity monitoring system. Sleep was defined as any period of uninterrupted behavioral immobility （0 count per minute） lasting 〉 5 min. Night time sleep was calculated by summing up the sleep time in the dark period. Number of sleep bouts was calculated by counting the number of sleep episodes in the dark period. Results： AIF at the dosage of 50 mg/mL, effectively attenuated caffeine-induced wakefulness （P〈0.01） in wild-type Canton-S flies as indicated by the reduction of the sleep bouts, night time activities and increase of the amount of night time sleep. AIF also significantly reduced sleeping time of short-sleep Hk y mutant flies （P〈0.01）. However, AIF did not produce similar effect in mns mutants. Conclusion： AIF might be able to rescue the abnormal condition caused by mutated modulatory subunit of the tetrameric potassium channel, but not rescuing the abnormal nerve firing caused by Shaker gene mutation. This study provides the scientific evidence to support the use of AIF in Chinese medicine for promoting sleep quality in insomnia.