Alzheimer's disease (AD) chiefly characterizes a progressively neurodegenerative disorder of the brain, and eventually leads to irreversible loss of intellectual abilities. The β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced neurodegeneration is believed to be the main pathological mechanism of AD, and Aβ production inhibition or its clearance promotion is one of the promising therapeutic strategies for anti-AD research. Here, we report that the natural product arctigenin from Arctium lappa (L.) can both inhibit Aβ production by suppressing β-site amyloid precursor protein cleavage enzyme 1 expression and promote Aβ clearance by enhancing autophagy through AKT/mTOR signaling inhibition and AMPK/Raptor pathway activation as investigated in cells and APP/PS1 transgenic AD model mice. Moreover, the results showing that treatment of arctigenin in mice highly decreased Aβ formation and senile plaques and efficiently ameliorated AD mouse memory impairment strongly highlight the potential of arctigenin in anti-AD drug discovery.

A visible-light-mediated radical Smiles rearrangement has been achieved using neutral eosin Y as a direct hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) photocatalyst. Novel N-heterocycles as single diastereomers featuring an isothiazolidin-3-one 1,1-dioxide moiety are directly accessed by this method. A wide range of functional groups can be incorporated in the products by employing diverse aldehydes and N-(hetero)­arylsulfonyl propiolamides. The transformation proceeds through a cascade of visible-light-induced HAT, 1,4-addition, Smiles rearrangement, 5-endo-trig cyclization, and a reverse HAT process. Preliminary biological studies of the highly functionalized heterocyclic compounds suggest potential anticancer activity with some of the synthesized compounds.

The first example of 1,4-chromium migration was observed in the addition of an aryl Grignard reagent to an unactivated alkyne.

A method for the efficient preparation of hydronaphthalene and -cinnoline derivatives by Au(I)-catalyzed cycloisomerzation of 1,6-diyne esters followed by a Diels-Alder reaction with alkenes or diazenes under mild conditions at room temperature with catalyst loadings as low as 1 mol % is described.