Astragalus ernestii has been used as a substitute for Radix Astragali (Huang-Qi) in southwest China. To better understand the chemical rationale for the medicinal usage, the phytochemistry of A. ernestii was recently studied. As a result, a novel aurone-phenylpropanoid adduct astrernestin (1), together with five known phenoloids calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), 4,4'-dimethoxy-3'-hydroxy-7,9':7',9-diepoxylignan-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), syringaresinol-4-O-β-D-monoglucoside (4), hedyotol D 4''-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5) and trifolirhizin (6), were isolated from the roots of A. ernestii. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and optical rotation calculation.

Hispidanins A-D (1-4), four unprecedented asymmetric dimeric diterpenoids, were obtained from the rhizomes of Isodon hispida. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis (1D and 2D NMR, MS, UV, IR), as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Hispidanin B showed significant cytotoxicities against tumor cell lines SGC7901, SMMC7721, and K562, with IC50 values of 10.7, 9.8, and 13.7 μM, respectively.

Astragali Radix (Huangqi) is one of the well-known traditional Chinese medicines and has been used in China for more than two thousand years. As a close species, Astragalus dolichochaete Diels was found to possess cytotoxicity during our preliminary study of Astragalus plants from Yunnan Province, China. To better understand the chemical foundation of the cytotoxicity, the major constituents of A. dolichochaete were studied. As a result, two new 8-isopentenyl isoflavane derivatives, dolichochaeteins A and B (1 and 2), together with ten known constituents were isolated, and their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopy, mainly 1D and 2D NMR techniques. The cytotoxic activities were evaluated for the raw extract, ethyl acetate fraction, compound 2 and glyasperin H (3) against human gastric carcinoma cell line SGC-7901, human hepatoma cell line SMMC-7721 and human leukemic cell line K562. All the samples exhibited significant cytotoxicity.

BackgroundFormaldehyde (FA), a toxic aldehyde, has been shown to be associated with a variety of cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). There is increasing evidence that FA levels are significantly increased in AD patients and may be involved in the pathological process of AD. The aim of this study was to assess the potential diagnostic value of urine FA levels in AD using meta-analysis techniques.MethodsOriginal reports of morning urine FA levels in AD patients and healthy controls (HCs) were included in the meta-analysis. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated using a random-effects model, heterogeneity was explored using methodological, age, sex difference and sensitivity analyses, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the diagnostic value of urine FA levels in AD.ResultsA total of 12 studies were included, and the urine FA levels of 874 AD patients and 577 HCs were reviewed. Compared with those in HCs, the FA levels were significantly increased in AD patients. The heterogeneity of the results did not affect their robustness, and results of the area under the curve (AUC) suggested that urine FA levels had good potential diagnostic value.ConclusionUrine FA levels are involved in AD disease progression and are likely to be useful as a potential biomarker for clinical auxiliary diagnosis. However, further studies are needed to validate the results of this study.

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