Jinhui Wang

Developing a new and efficient catalytic route for the production of alkanes by upgrading the aqueous phenolic biofuels still remains a challenge. Here, we designed and synthesized a bifunctional catalyst that uses natural montmorillonite (MMT) as support and combines metal active sites and Brӧnsted acid sites in the MMT via ion exchange and reduction roasting process. The catalytic activity of the as-synthesized Pd-MMT (H⁺) was evaluated by the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of a series of lignin-derived phenolic compounds in water. Our model reaction study reveals that the HDO of phenol undergoes an initial hydrogenation of aromatic rings to produce cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone, followed by the dehydration of cyclohexanol to provide intermediate cyclohexene and a final hydrogenation of cyclohexene to create a cyclohexane product. The combination of high metal catalytic activity and Brӧnsted acidity in Pd-MMT (H⁺) synergistically accelerated the HDO of phenol. Furthermore, good catalytic activity and recycling ability were also observed for other lignin-derived phenolic compounds.

The secondary C(OH)-C bonds are abundant in biomass such as lignin and cellulose. Thus, selective cleavage of the C(OH)-C bonds into value chemicals attracted much attention. Molecular iodine has received considerable attention as an inexpensive and readily available catalyst to yield the corresponding products in excellent yields with high selectivity, but it is highly corrosive and toxic, making its use somewhat unattractive. In this study, I₂ was generated in situ from Fe(NO₃)₃.9H₂O/NaI, which was further combined with Fe(NO₃)₃.9H₂O to catalyze the oxidation process. In the reaction, the H₂O molecule from the reaction and Fe(NO₃)₃.9H₂O attacked the phenylglyoxal to form benzaldehyde, which was further oxidized to benzoic acid. Aryl primary and secondary benzylic alcohols from lignin were successfully transformed into aryl carboxylic acids by Fe(NO₃)₃.9H₂O/NaI/DMSO. The catalytic system was green and efficient, avoiding the usage of toxic and corrosive molecular I₂. From the experiments, it was clear that the yield of the product from the substrates with an electron-donating group was higher than that of electron-withdrawing substituted substrates, which was similar to the aryl secondary alcohols. Aryl alkyl ketones were also successfully conducted by the Fe(NO₃)₃.9H₂O/NaI/DMSO catalytic system.

OBJECTIVE: To identify, rapidly and accurately, the chemical composition of the traditional Uighur formulation Baixuan Xiatare (BXXTR-FU). METHODS: We investigated if application of three-stage infrared (IR) spectroscopy enabled identification of the main chemical constituents (and their origins) in BXXTR-FU. RESULTS: The characteristic peaks of herbal material(s) and BXXTR-FU were assigned. In Fourier transform-IR (FT-IR) spectroscopy of BXXTR-FU, peaks at 1616 and 1605 cm(-1) of BXXTR-FU were considered to denote anthraquinones and their derivatives; 1066 cm was regarded as the characteristic absorption peak of resin glycosides. In second-derivative IR (SD-IR) spectroscopy, the main carbonyl types of BXXTR-FU in the range 1743-1636 cm(-1) were assigned: 1651 cm(-1) belonged to the carbonyl stretching vibrations of flavonoids and chromones; 1717 cm(-1) belonged to tannins; 1699 cm(-1) belonged to carboxylic acids; 1636 cm(-1) belonged to anthraquinones and their derivatives. SD-IR spectroscopy further confirmed that the characteristic absorption peaks at 1636, 1618 and 1603 cm could be used as markers that BXXTR-FU contained anthraquinones and their derivatives. Synchronous 2D-IR correlation spectra of chemical groups further confirmed the results of FT-IR and SD-IR spectroscopy. CONCLUSION: Our study strongly supported the necessity and importance of three-stage IR spectroscopy owing to its rapid and accurate identification of herbal formulations. (C) 2020 JTCM. All rights reserved.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are an aggressive form of soft tissue neoplasm with extremely poor prognosis and no effective medical options currently available. MPNSTs can occur either sporadically or in association with the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) syndrome. Importantly, activation of RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, and WNT/CTNNB1 signaling pathways has been reported in both NF1‐related and late‐stage sporadic MPNSTs. In this study, we found that DAW22, a natural sesquiterpene coumarin compound isolated from Ferula ferulaeoides (Steud.) Korov., could inhibit cell proliferation and colony formation in five established human MPNST cancer cell lines. Further molecular mechanism exploration indicated that DAW22 could target the main components in the MPNST tumorigenic pathways: namely suppress phosphorylation of AKT and ERK, and reduce levels of non‐phospho (active) CTNNB1. Using the xenograft mouse model transplanted with human MPNST cancer cell line, daily treatment with DAW22 for 25 days was effective in reducing tumor growth. These results support DAW22 as an alternative therapeutic compound for MPNST treatment by affecting multiple signaling transduction pathways in its disease progression.

Bai Xuan Xia Ta Re Pian (BXXTR) is a traditional Uighur medicine ancient prescription in China widely used in the treatment of psoriasis, presenting a high curative rate and few side effects. Given that the active constituents and action mechanism still remain unclear, the aim of this study is to explore the potential active constituents and mechanism of antipsoriasis of BXXTR. Psoriasis-like lesions model in BALB/c mice was induced by Imiquimod (IMQ), including five treatment groups: control group, IMQ-treated group, IMQ-ACITRETIN group (Positive control group), IMQ-BXXTR low dose group, IMQ-BXXTR medium dose group and IMQ-BXXTR high dose group. The Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, skin and ear thickness, and histologic section were collected. The differentially expressed genes were determined by using RNAseq technology and the relevant pathways were analyzed by KEGG database. The ELISA kit and western blot assays were used to detect the related protein expression levels. In addition, the chemical constituents of BXXTR were determined by UPLC-TOF-MS analysis and the potential active constituents were predicted by SEA DOCK and Gene Ontology (GO). The data demonstrated that BXXTR significantly alleviated IMQ-induced psoriasis. RNA-seq analysis showed that BXXTR induced the expression levels of 31 genes; the KEGG analysis suggested that BXXTR could significantly change IL-17-related inflammatory pathways. The ELISA kit confirmed that the expression level of IL-17A protein was significantly reduced. 75 compounds of BXXTR were determined by UPLC-TOF-MS analysis, 11 of 75 compounds were identified as potential active compounds by similarity ensemble approach docking (SEA DOCK) and Gene Ontology (GO). BXXTR reduced the severity of skin lesions by inhibiting IL-17-related inflammatory pathways. The results indicated that BXXTR could suppress psoriasis inflammation by multiple-constituents-regulated multiple targets synergistically. Collectively, this study could provide important guidance for the elucidation of the active constituents and action mechanism of BXXTR for the treatment of psoriasis.