Triptolide, a key ingredient from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant thunder god vine, which has been used to treat inflammation and autoimmune diseases for centuries, has been shown to be an irreversible inhibitor of the XPB subunit of the transcription factor TFIIH and initiation of RNA polymerase II mediated transcription. The clinical development of triptolide over the past two decades has been limited by its toxicity and low water solubility. Herein, we report the development of a glucose conjugate of triptolide, named glutriptolide, which was intended to target tumor cells overexpressing glucose transporters selectively. Glutriptolide did not inhibit XPB activity in vitro but demonstrated significantly higher cytotoxicity against tumor cells over normal cells with greater water solubility than triptolide. Furthermore, it exhibited remarkable tumor control in vivo, which is likely due to sustained stepwise release of active triptolide within cancer cells. These findings indicate that glutriptolide may serve as a promising lead for developing a new mechanistic class of anticancer drugs.

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Cadmium (Cd) toxicity is a worldwide problem for crop production. The present work used hydroponic experiments to investigate the ameliorating effects and physiological mechanisms of glutathione (GSH) mitigation of Cd toxicity in cucumber seedlings. The results revealed that Cd was mainly accumulated in roots of cucumber, 100 µM GSH pretreatment in 50 µM Cd solution significantly recovered Cd-induced growth inhibition, improved photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence performance. Moreover, external GSH obviously depressed hydroxyl free radical (·OH) and malondialdehyde accumulation, increased the total antioxidant capacity in cucumber exposed to Cd. Results indicated that pre-treatment of GSH can alleviate Cd toxicity by reducing Cd uptake and ROS accumulation, reduce the negative consequences of oxidative stress caused by Cd toxicity, moreover protect photosynthetic machinery from damaging, balance nutrients and antioxidants in cucumber.

Cervical cancer is a typical cancer characterized by abnormal cell growth in the cervical area. Ginkgo biloba L. is a deciduous tree of the genus Ginkgo, possessing anti-cancer effects. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of strain J1 from Ginkgo biloba L. on apoptosis of cervical cancer cells. Bacteriostatic activity test, MTT assay and Flow cytometry were used in this study. Crude extract of J1 fermentation reduced cell growth in cervical cancer. The crude extract of the fermentation broth of strain J1 had a good inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus. The crude extract of the J1 fermentation had no toxic effect on normal WISH cells in the range of anti-cervical cancer concentration. Crude extract of J1 fermentation induced apoptosis and regulated cell cycle in cervical cancer. The active compounds were separated and identified by preparative chromatography, and more than ten compounds were obtained. Our study suggests that the crude extract of J1 fermentation from Endophytic fungi of Ginkgo biloba reduced cell growth, and promoted apoptosis of cervical cancer, and is a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cervical carcinoma.

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