A new coumarin from stem bark of Mesua hexapetala

A new alkylated coumarin derivative, hexapetarin (1) along with three other xanthones, trapezifolixanthone (2), cudraxanthone G (3) and 1,3,7-trihydroxy-2,4-di (3-methyl-2-butenyl)xanthone (4), and four common triterpenoids, friedelin (5), stigmasterol (6), beta-sitosterol (7) and gamma-sitosterol (8) were isolated from the stem bark of Mesua hexapetala (Clusiaceae), a plant, native to Malaysia. The structures of these compounds were elucidated and determined using spectroscopic techniques such as NMR and MS. Anti-inflammatory activity assay indicated hexapetarin (1) to possess moderate anti-inflammatory activity, while 1,3,7-trihydroxy-2,4-di (3-methyl-2-butenyl)xanthone (4) gave very good activity.     

Identification of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 and α-Amylase Inhibitors from Melicope glabra (Blume) T. G. Hartley (Rutaceae) Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry,In Vitro and In Silico Methods

The present study investigated the antidiabetic properties of the extracts and fractions from leaves and stem bark of M. glabra based on dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) and α-Amylase inhibitory activity assays. The chloroform extract of the leaves was found to be most active towards inhibition of DPP-4 and α-Amylase with IC₅₀ of 169.40 μg/mL and 303.64 μg/mL, respectively. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the leaves’ chloroform extract revealed fraction 4 (CF4) as the most active fraction (DPP-4 IC₅₀: 128.35 μg/mL; α-Amylase IC₅₀: 170.19 μg/mL). LC-MS/MS investigation of CF4 led to the identification of trans-decursidinol (1), swermirin (2), methyl 3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamate (3), renifolin (4), 4′,5,6,7-tetramethoxy-flavone (5), isorhamnetin (6), quercetagetin-3,4′-dimethyl ether (7), 5,3′,4′-trihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxy-flavone (8), and 2-methoxy-5-acetoxy-fruranogermacr-1(10)-en-6-one (9) as the major components. The computational study suggested that (8) and (7) were the most potent DPP-4 and α-Amylase inhibitors based on their lower binding affinities and extensive interactions with critical amino acid residues of the respective enzymes. The binding affinity of (8) with DPP-4 (−8.1 kcal/mol) was comparable to that of sitagliptin (−8.6 kcal/mol) while the binding affinity of (7) with α-Amylase (−8.6 kcal/mol) was better than acarbose (−6.9 kcal/mol). These findings highlight the phytochemical profile and potential antidiabetic compounds from M. glabra that may work as an alternative treatment for diabetes.     

Chemical Constituents from the Butanol Fraction of Clinacanthus nutans Leaves

Chemistry of Natural Compounds -     

Dominant ferromagnetic coupling over antiferromagnetic in Ni doped ZnO: First-principles calculations

Frontiers of Physics - This article presents a review of our present understanding of the spin structure of the unpolarized hadron. Particular attention is paid to the quark sector at leading...     

GPS patch antenna performance by modification of Zn(1−x)CaxAl2O4-based microwave dielectric ceramics

This study reports the characterization, fabrication, and performance of global positioning systems (GPS) patch antennas as a function of calcium (Ca) concentration and dielectric constant (? _r ). Zn_(1?x)Ca_xAl₂O₄ (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.25, and 0.30) thin films were prepared through a sol–gel method. The effects of added Ca on the nanostructures and dielectric properties of ZnAl₂O₄ ceramics were investigated. The addition of Ca increased the crystallite size, grain size, and surface morphology, thereby increasing the density and dielectric constant. As the Ca content increased, the ? _r values linearly increased. However, the Q _u values decreased (at x = 0.25 to x = 0.25) after achieving the optimum values at x = 0.20. Finally, GPS patch antennas were successfully fabricated using the Zn_(1?x)Ca_xAl₂O₄ material. The patch antenna sizes decreased as ? _r increased from 2.88  × 4.37 cm (? _r  ≈ 8.52) to 2.88  × 4.37 cm (? _r  ≈ 10.16). The performance (return loss analysis) and operating frequencies of the GPS patch antennas were measured using the PNA series network analyzer. Results show that the patch antenna resonates at frequency of 1.570 GHz and produces a return loss bandwidth between ?16.6 and ?27.5 dB. The optimal performance of GPS patch antenna with ? _r  ≈ 9.95, Q _u  ≈ 6,186, and return loss = ?27.5 dB was obtained from specimen using Zn_0.80Ca_0.20Al₂O₄ (x = 0.20) ceramics.     

Clitorienolactones and Isoflavonoids of Clitorea ternatea Roots Alleviate Stress-Like Symptoms in a Reserpine-Induced Zebrafish Model

Clitorea ternatea has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as a brain stimulant to treat mental illnesses and mental functional disorders. In this study, the metabolite profiles of crude C. ternatea root extract (CTRE), ethyl acetate (EA), and 50% aqueous methanol (50% MeOH) fractions were investigated using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–DAD–MS/MS), while their effect on the stress-like behavior of zebrafish, pharmacologically induced with reserpine, was investigated. A total of 32 compounds were putatively identified, among which, a series of norneolignans, clitorienolactones, and various flavonoids (flavone, flavonol, isoflavone, and isoflavanone) was found to comprise the major constituents, particularly in the EA and 50% MeOH fractions. The clitorienolactones, presently unique to the species, were present in both the free and glycosylated forms in the roots. Both the EA and 50% MeOH fractions displayed moderate effects on the stress-induced zebrafish model, significantly decreasing freezing duration and elevating the total distance travelled and average velocity, 72 h post-treatment. The results of the present study provide further evidence that the basis for the use of C. ternatea roots in traditional medicine to alleviate brain-related conditions, such as stress and depression, is attributable to the presence of clitorienolactones and the isoflavonoidal constituents.     

Implementation of two way Quantum Key Distribution protocol with decoy state

We report on the first demonstration of a two way Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocol with decoy state. The experiment was conducted over free space medium and exhibits a significant increase in the maximum secure distance of a two way QKD protocol specifically the LM05 protocol.     

Alkaloidal constituents of Tinospora crispa

Phytochemical investigations of the stems of Tinospora crispa led to the isolation of one new aporphine alkaloid, N-formylasimilobine 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), along with six known alkaloids, N-formylasimilobine 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 --> 2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2) (tinoscorside A), N-formylanonaine (3), N-formyldehydroanonaine (4), N-formylnomuciferine (5), N-demethyl-N-formyldehydronornuciferine (6), magnoflorine (7), paprazine (8), N-trans-feruloyltyramine (9), and cytidine (10). The structure of new compound 1 was deduced on the basis of spectroscopic data.     

Electronic structure engineering of ZnO with the modified Becke–Johnson exchange versus the classical correlation potential approaches

In this study, we report investigations of structural and electronic properties of ZnO in wurtzite (WZ), rock salt (RS) and zinc-blende (ZB) phases. Calculations have been done with full-potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbital method developed within the frame work of Density Functional Theory (DFT). For structural properties investigations, Perdew and Wang proposed local density approximations (LDA) and Perdew et al. proposed generalized gradient approximations (GGA) have been applied. Where for electronic properties in addition to these, Tran–Blaha modified Becke–Johnson (mBJ) potential has been used. Our computed band gap values of ZnO in WZ and ZB phases with mBJ potential are significantly improved compared to those with LDA and GGA; however, in RS phase, energy gap is significantly overestimated compared to experimental measurements. The Zn-d band was found to be more narrower with mBJ potential than that of LDA and GGA. On the other hand, our evaluated crystal field splitting energy values overestimate the experimental values.