Three new triterpenoids, designated as genicunolide A (1), B (2) and C (3), along with friedelin (4) and friedelinol (5), were isolated from the aerial parts of Euphorbia geniculata. They were characterized as 1β-acetoxy-3β-hydroxy-11α,12α-oxidotaraxer-14-ene, 1β,3β-diacetoxy-21α-hydroxy-11α,12α-oxidotaraxer-14-ene and 3β,9α,20α-trihydroxy-Ψ-taraxast-5-ene, respectively, by spectral and chemica...

The involvement of the arachidonic acid (AA) products, noradrenaline (NA) and LH in the stimulatory effect of progesterone on its own synthesis was tested using slices of CL from days 5-10 of the oestrous cycle of cow. Slices of CL (45-50 mg) were pre-incubated for 24 h, then the medium was replaced with fresh medium and 45 min later was supplemented with LH (100 ng/ml) as a positive control, o...

Three new triterpenoid aglycones named Philinopgenin A (1), B (2), and C (3) were isolated from the acid hydrolysate of the crude glycoside mixture prepared from the whole sea cucumber Pentacta quadrangulasis Lesson. The corresponding structures were determined as 16β-acetoxyholosta-8(9), 24(25)-diene-3β-ol (1), 20, 25-epoxy-lanosta-9(11)-ene-3β-ol 18(16)–lactone (2) and 16β-acetoxyholosta-9(11...

Lithium (Li), a glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) inhibitor, has used to attenuate the cannabinoid-induced dependence/withdrawal signs, but molecular mechanisms related to this are unclear. Recent studies indicate the involvement of upstream extracellular signal kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) and downstream GSK-3β pathways in the development of cannabinoid-induced dependence. This is mediated through ca...

Two new triterpenoids, 2α,3β-dihydroxyolean-11,13(18)-dien-19β,28-olide (1) and 3β,5β-dihydroxyglutinol (2), together with eight known compounds (3-10) were isolated from the roots of Rhaphiolepis indica var. tashiroi (Rosaceae). The structures of 1-10 were determined by spectroscopic techniques. Among these isolates, 2α,3β-dihydroxyolean-13(18)-en-28-oic acid (9) exhibited inhibitory effect on...

In this paper, we show that of all graphs of order n with matching number β, the graphs with maximal spectral radius are Kn if n = 2β or 2β + 1; K2β+1 ∪Kn−2β−1 if 2β + 2 n < 3β + 2; Kβ ∨ Kn−β or K2β+1 ∪Kn−2β−1 if n = 3β + 2; Kβ ∨ Kn−β if n > 3β + 2, where Kt is the empty graph on t vertices. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. AMS classification: 05C35; 05C50

A large number of experimental and clinical studies have confirmed that brief remifentanil exposure can enhance pain sensitivity presenting as opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH). N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists have been reported to inhibit morphine analgesic tolerance in many studies. Recently, we found that glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) modulated NMDA receptor trafficki...

Osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) is regulated by multiple transcription factors and signaling molecules. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain to be fully elucidated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as key regulators in various biological processes by mediating mRNA degradation or translational inhibition of target genes. In this study, we rep...

The dried plant was extracted with dichloromethane and after defatting with hexane, transferred repeatedly on silica columns using dichloromethane-hexane and ethyl acetate-hexane as mobile phases. Finally the fractions were purified by high performance liquid chromatography using a Pack-Sil column and hexane: Ethyl acetate as mobile phase. The structures of the isolated compounds included: cycl...