Objective: To investigate the chemical constituents in the shells of Juglans sigillata. Methods: The chemical constituents were isolated by silica gel, RP18, Sephadex LH-20, and MCI column chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC and so on. The structures were identified on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and chemical evidence. Results: Fifteen compounds were isolated and identified in the 70% ethanol extract from the shells of J. sigillata including seven phenolic glycosides: tachioside (1), mudanoside A (2), 4-O-β-D-glucopyranosylvanillc acid (3), breynioside A (4), 1-O-vanilloyl-β-D-glucose (5), 6'-O-vanilloyltachioside (6), and 6'-O-vanilloylisotachioside (7); three phenylpropanoide acid glycosides: 6-O-feruloyl-D-glucopyranose (8), methyl-4-O-coumaroylquinate (9), and 5-p-cis-coumaroylquinic acid (10); two tetralone glycosides: juglanin A (11) and juglanin E (12); one norsesquiterpenes glycoside: roseoside (13); one flavone: toxifolin (14); and one glucosylated abscisic acid derivate: (1'R, 3'R, 5'R, 8'S)-epi-dihydrophaseic acid β-D-glucoside (15). Conclusion: Except compound 14, the other compounds are isolated from the shells of J. sigillata for the first time. And compounds 1-4, 13, and 15 are reported for the first time from the plants in genus of Juglans L.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the inhibitory effect of polypeptide K237 on the proliferation of human hormone refractory prostate cancer cell line PC-3M and its possible mechanism.

METHODSPC-3M cells were divided into three experimental groups and a control, treated with polypeptide K237 at the concentration of 50, 100, 200 and 0 micromol/L, respectively, for 48 hours. The effects of K237 on the proliferation of different groups of the PC-3M cells were analyzed by MTF, and the mRNA expression levels of bax and bcl-2 were detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTSAfter polypeptide K237 treatment, the PC-3M cells became round, small and less transparent in cytoplasm, and some shed and suspended in the culture medium. The growth inhibition rates of the PC-3M cells were (12.6 +/- 0.95)%, (17.8 +/- 0.99)% and (27.2 +/- 1.12)% in the 50, 100 and 200 micromol/L concentration groups. RT-PCR analysis showed that the bax/beta-actin values of the 50, 100, 200 and 0 micromol/L groups were 0.919 +/- 0.071, 0.971 +/- 0.083, 0.992 +/- 0.102 and 0.889 +/- 0.067, and the bcl-2/beta-actin values of the four groups were 0.896 +/- 0.085, 0.791 +/- 0.084, 0.764 +/- 0.702 and 0.922 +/- 0.097, respectively, both with significant differences between the experimental and the control groups (P < 0.01). The mRNA expression of bax was upregulated and that of bcl-2 downregulated in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONPolypeptide K237 may induce apoptosis of PC-3M cells by affecting the expressions of bax and bcl-2, and thus suppress the proliferation of prostate cancer cells.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Peptides ; pharmacology ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; genetics ; metabolism

The chemical constituents from green peel of Juglans sigillata were isolated by column chomatographies over silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and MCI. Four diarylheptanoids were isolated and their structures were characterized as dihydropterocarine(1), 3',4″-epoxy-1-(4'-hydroxy-phenyl)-7-(3″-methoxyl-phenyl)-heptan-3α-ol(2), pterocarine(3), and 1-(4'-hydroxy-phenyl)-7-(3″-methoxy-4″-hydroxyphenyl)-heptan-3α-ol(4). Compound 1 is a new compound, named as dihydropterocarine. Compounds 2-4 were isolated from the plant of J. sigillata for the first time.