Chemical constituents from Tsoongiodendron odorum Chun

The present study reports the isolation of sixteen lignans (1–16), an aporphine alkaloid (17), two phenolic amides (18 and 19), and a germacrane sesquiterpene lactone (20) from T. odorum. Except for compound 20, the other isolated constituents are firstly reported from T. odorum. And in this study, three polylignans (11–13) and six norlignans (5–7, 14–16) are reported for the first time from the Magnoliaceae family, which may support the opinion to establish Tsoongiodendron as a monotypic genus from a chemotaxonomical point of view.     

Chemical constituents from Ligustrum robustum Bl

Ligustrum robustum Bl. (syn. Ligustrum purpurascens Y. C. Yang), a species growing in the southwest of China is used as traditional Chinese tea named Ku-Ding-Cha. 16 compounds (1–16) were isolated from the species L. robustum in present investigation and seven of them (1, 2, 11–14, 16) were firstly reported from this species, compound 14 was firstly reported from the genus Ligustrum and the family Oleaceae. The chemotaxonomic significance of these compounds were summarized.     

Chemical markers in Veronica sect. Hebe. II

In a continued chemosystematic investigation of the water-soluble compounds in Veronica sect. Hebe, four additional species were investigated. In comparison to other, Northern Hemisphere (NH) species of Veronica, those belonging to the New Zealand species in sect. Hebe are apparently more variable in chemical content. In addition to the compounds characteristic for NH Veronica, namely mannitol, aucubin, catalpol and 6-O-esters of catalpol as well as some caffeoyl phenylethanoid glucosides (CGPs), Veronica topiaria (syn. Hebe topiaria) also gave an unusual 6-O-ester of aucubin named topiarioside. The former Hebe species Veronica cupressoides and Veronica stenophylla each provided one of the two previously undescribed disaccharide esters named hebitol I and II, respectively, and the former plant also provided a CPG named cuproside, a 6-O-β-glucopyranosyl derivative of the known hebeoside. The last species, namely Veronica hulkeana (syn. Heliohebe hulkeana) only contained compounds common to other species of Veronica. The taxonomic results are discussed and it is concluded that carbohydrate esters are common in sect. Hebe. The data so far obtained indicate that the occurrences of esters of 6-O-rhamnopyranosylcatalpol are confined to the most derived species in the section.     

Chemical constituents from the fruits of Sonneratia caseolaris and Sonneratia ovata (Sonneratiaceae)

Nine (1–9) and seven (1–6, 10) compounds were isolated from the fruits of Sonneratia caseolaris and Sonneratia ovata, respectively. Their structures were identified by comparing their MS and NMR data as well as the physical properties with the literature. All the isolated compounds were screened against a rat glioma C-6 cell line using the MTT assay method; only compounds (-)-(R)-nyasol (1), (-)-(R)-4′-O-methylnyasol (2) and maslinic acid (6) were found to show moderate cytotoxic activity. Our findings from these two kinds of fruits can be used as a foundation for further chemotaxonomic studies on Sonneratia species. The nor-lignans (1, 2) and 6H-benzo[b,d]pyran-6-one derivatives (3, 4) were isolated from this genus for the first time, indicating that these two classes of compounds may tentatively be considered as taxonomic markers for Sonneratia genus.     

Chemical constituents from Salacia amplifolia

The present phytochemical investigation on Salacia amplifolia led to the isolations of 13 triterpenes, including quinonemethides, friedelanes, oleananes and ursanes triterpenes, three simple phenolics, one polyol and one chromanone. All of them were isolated from this plant for the first time. The presences of quinonemethide triterpenoids might be employed as the common characteristic constituents of both Hippocrateaceae and Celastraceae families.     

Identification and comparative analysis of a genomic island in Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis

Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) is an environmental bacterium causing opportunistic infections. The objective of this study was to identify flexible genome regions in MAH isolated from different sources. By comparing five complete and draft MAH genomes we identified a genomic island conferring additional flexibility to the MAH genomes. The island was absent in one of the five strains and had sizes between 16.37 and 84.85 kb in the four other strains. The genes present in the islands differed among strains and included phage- and plasmid-derived genes, integrase genes, hypothetical genes, and virulence-associated genes like mmpL or mce genes.