The Fight against Infection and Pain: Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) a Rich Source of Anti-Inflammatory Activity: 2011–2022

Harpagophytum procumbens subsp. procumbens (Burch.) DC. ex Meisn. (Sesame seed Family—Pedaliaceae) is a popular medicinal plant known as Devil’s claw. It is predominantly distributed widely over southern Africa. Its impressive reputation is embedded in its traditional uses as an indigenous herbal plant for the treatment of menstrual problems, bitter tonic, inflammation febrifuge, syphilis or even loss of appetite. A number of bioactive compounds such as terpenoids, iridoid glycosides, glycosides, and acetylated phenolic compounds have been isolated. Harpagoside and harpagide, iridoid glycosides bioactive compounds have been reported in countless phytochemical studies as potential anti-inflammatory agents as well as pain relievers. In-depth studies have associated chronic inflammation with various diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. In addition, 60% of chronic disorder fatalities are due to chronic inflammatory diseases worldwide. Inflammation and pain-related disorders have attracted significant attention as leading causes of global health challenges. Articles published from 2011 to the present were obtained and reviewed in-depth to determine valuable data findings as well as knowledge gaps. Various globally recognized scientific search engines/databases including Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect were utilized to collect information and deliver evidence. Based on the literature results, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of studies conducted on the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Devil’s claw, thereby presenting a potential research gap. It is also evident that currently in vivo clinical studies are needed to validate the prior massive in vitro studies, therefore delivering an ideal anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent in the form of H. procumbens products.     

Synthesis,thermal, and photocrosslinking studies of thermotropic liquid crystalline poly(benzylidene‐ether)esters containing α,β‐unsaturated ketone moiety in the main chain

A series of poly(benzylidene‐ether)esters containing a photoreactive benzylidene chromophore in the main chain were synthesized from 2,6‐bis(4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzylidene)cyclohexanone (BHMBCH) with various aliphatic and aromatic diacid chlorides by an interfacial polycondensation technique. The intrinsic viscosity of the synthesized homo and copolymers determined by Ubbelohde viscometer was found to be 0.12 to 0.17 dL/g. The molecular structure of the monomer and polymers was confirmed by FT‐IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectral analyses. These polymers were studied for their thermal stability and photochemical properties. Thermal properties were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that the polymers were stable up to 280 °C and start degrading thereafter. Increase in acid methylene spacer length decreased the thermal stability. The self‐extinguishing property of the synthesized polymers was studied by calculating the limiting oxygen index (LOI) value using a Van Krevelen's equation. The influence of the length of methylene spacer on phase transition was investigated using DSC and odd‐even effect has been observed. Hot‐stage optical polarizing microscopic (HOPM) study showed that most of the polymers exhibited birefringence and opalescence properties. The photolysis of liquid crystalline poly(benzylidene‐ether)esters revealed that α,β‐unsaturated ketone moiety in the main chain dimerises through 2π + 2π cycloaddition reaction to form a cyclobutane derivative and leads to crosslinking. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Comparison of the growth and degradation of poly(glycolic acid) and poly(ε‐caprolactone) brushes

The growth and degradation of poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) and poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) brushes were compared. Using tin (octanoate) as the catalyst, optimal conditions were found for growth of each polyester brush from the hydroxy‐terminated silicon surface via ring‐opening polymerization. PCL brushes grew thicker at elevated temperatures but the thickest PGA brushes grew at room temperature. Unlike bulk polyesters that can degrade under both acidic and basic conditions, the confined surface polyester brushes only degraded under neutral or basic conditions. The degradation mechanism of grafted polyester brushes was probed through a blocking test. It was shown that the terminal hydroxy groups of these polyester brushes were essential to the degradation process indicating a preferential backbiting mechanism. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4643–4649     

Studies on the Photochemical Oxidation of 1,3-Diphenylisobenzofuran and Cis-Cyclooctene in N,N-Dimethylformamide–Propanol Binary Mixture

Kinetic studies on the photochemical oxidation of 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran have been carried out in binary liquid mixtures of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) with 1-propanol (PrOH). The strongest influence of solvating effects upon the course of this reaction was observed for compositions of the studied mixture corresponding respectively to ca. 50?mol% of PrOH. Additionally, we have carried out analogous studies of photooxidation of cis-cyclooctene. Similarly as previously, the noticeable influence of solvating effects upon the course of this reaction corresponded to ca. 50?mol% of DMF. We suspect that the mechanism of this effect is associated with the formation of the polar intermediate during the ene reaction being easier.     

An Experimental Study of a Flux Modulated Solid State Metathesis Reaction

A solid state metathesis (SSM) reaction was investigated with respect to the formation of rare‐earth carbodiimides, the role of the co‐produced salt (LiCl), and the eutectic flux medium (LiCl/KCl). A SSM reaction is characterized by an exothermic reaction in which a salt (often LiCl) is coproduced. When the salt melts, it can serve as a useful medium for the crystallization of a desired product. An improved crystal growth can be observed by using an eutectic flux. However, the composition of an eutectic LiCl/KCl flux is altered when LiCl is produced during the reaction. The thermal effects concerning the endothermic melting of the flux and the exothermic ingnition of the SSM reaction may compensate each other, which is not necessarily a drawback for the reaction to proceed.     

Metal-containing polyurethanes from tetradentate Schiff bases: synthesis,characterization, and biocidal activities

N,N′-bis(salicylidene)thiosemicarbazide Schiff base has been synthesized by the reaction of thiosemicarbazide with salicylaldehyde and then reacted with formaldehyde to generate phenolic groups, resulting in the formation of Schiff-base monomeric ligand. It was further incorporated with transition metals, Mn⁺², Co⁺², Ni⁺², Cu⁺², and Zn⁺², to form Schiff-base metal complex, which was then polymerized with toluene 2,4-diisocyanate to form metal-chelated polyurethanes. Monomeric ligand, its metal complexes, and its metal polychelates were characterized and compared by elemental analysis, FT-IR, ¹H NMR, thermal, and biocidal activities to evaluate the enhancement in physical and chemical properties on coordination with metal and on polymerization. SEM images of ligand and polymer metal complexes showed changes in surface morphology, while electronic spectra of polymer metal complexes were used to predict the geometry. Antimicrobial activities were determined by using agar-diffusion method with Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis (bacteria), Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus flavus (yeast). The polymeric ligand had varied antibacterial and antifungal activities, enhanced after chelation and polymerization. Comparative results show that coordination of metal to the ligand enhances its physical and chemical properties which were meliorated on polymerization.     

新型镁合金螺钉体外腐蚀降解及细胞活性研究

研究了基于NZ30K合金开发的新型Mg-3Nd-0.2Zn-0.4Zr-0.2Mn镁合金耐腐蚀性、体外降解行为特性及浸提液细胞生物毒性. 采用金相显微镜得到新型镁合金金相显微图, 采用扫描电镜(Scanning Electron Microscope, SEM)获取SEM图; 采用武汉科思特电化学工作站进行电化学测试, 并绘制动电位极化曲线, 以磷酸盐缓冲液(Phosphate Buffer Solution, PBS)模拟体液环境, 记录氢气析出体积并计算腐蚀速率; 利用细胞完全培养基测定pH值、重量变化曲线; 获取大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞(Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells, BMSCs), 并利用完全细胞培养基制作新型镁合金浸提液, 检测细胞生物活性, 以ZA75镁合金为基础添加0.3%Mn元素制成合金作为对照组, 比较腐蚀电位、体外降解情况以及细胞活性. 结果表明: 新型Mg-3Nd-0.2Zn-0.4Zr-0.2Mn镁合金横截面等轴晶体组织细小均匀性较好, 纵截面呈长条状组织均匀性稍差; 自腐蚀电位较高, 为-1.3912V; 自腐蚀电流密度较低, 为7.37×10-7 A?cm-2; 体外析氢量低, 失重量、pH值变化幅度相对较小; 降解速率下降后呈现小范围上升后趋于平缓; 具有良好的细胞相容性, 可以促进BMSCs细胞增殖分化.     

长白山地区几种红景天品种的傅里叶变换红外光谱法鉴别研究

分别用石油醚,氯仿,甲醇对长白山地区的野生和栽培高山红景天和长白红景天进行了提取,并首次对提取物进行了傅里叶变换红外光谱法测定,还用红景天块做了相应的验证研究。结果表明,长白山地区的野生和栽培高山红景天和长白红景天的红外光谱图谱有明显不同,故可用作鉴别其品种或评价其质量的一种手段。     

Degradation of nitrobenzene in aqueous solution by dual-pulse ultrasound enhanced electrochemical process

The present work reports a novel dual-pulse ultrasound enhanced electrochemical degradation (US-ECD) process that synchronizes alternatively ultrasound pulses and potential pulses to degrade nitrobenzene in aqueous solution with a high percentage degradation and low energy consumption. In comparison to the test results generated from the conventional US-ECD and original electrochemical degradation (ECD) process, the dual-pulse US-ECD process increased degradation percentages to nitrobenzene by 2% and 17%, respectively, while energy used in the pulse process was only about 46.5% of that was used in the conventional US-ECD process. Test results demonstrated a superior performance of the dual-pulse US-ECD process over those of other conventional ones. Impacts of pulse mode, initial pH value, cell voltage, supporting electrolyte concentration and ultrasonic power on the process performances were investigated. With operation conditions optimized in the study at pH = 3.0, cell voltage = 10 V, ultrasonic power = 48.84 W, electrolyte concentration = 0.1 M and an experiment running time of 30 min, the percentage degradation of nitrobenzene could reach 80% (US pulse time = 50 ms and ECD pulse time = 50 ms). This process provided a reliable and effective technical approach to degrade nitrobenzene in aqueous solution and significantly reduced energy consumption in comparison to the conventional US-ECD or original ECD treatment.