Cancer represents a significant disease that profoundly impacts human health and longevity. Projections indicate a 47% increase in the global cancer burden by 2040 compared to 2020, accompanied by a further rise in the associated economic burden. Consequently, there is an urgent need to discover and develop new alternative drugs to mitigate the global impact of cancer. Natural products (NPs) play a crucial role in the identification and development of anticancer therapeutics. This study identified ustusolate E (UE) and its analog 11α-hydroxy-ustusolate E (HUE) from strain Aspergilluscalidoustus TJ403-EL05, and examined their antitumor activities and mechanisms of action. The findings demonstrate that both compounds significantly inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of AGS (human gastric cancer cells) and 786-O (human renal clear cell carcinoma cells), induced irreversible DNA damage, blocked the cell cycle at the G₂/M phase, and further induced apoptosis in tumor cells. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report on the anticancer effects of UE and HUE and their underlying mechanisms. The present study suggests that HUE and UE could serve as lead compounds for the development of novel anticancer drugs.
Humans ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology* ; Sesquiterpenes/pharmacology* ; Aspergillus/chemistry*

A chemical investigation of secondary metabolites (SMs) from Aspergillus nidulans resulted in the identification of five novel dioxopiperazine (DKP)-diphenyl ether hybrids, designated as diphenylemestrins A-E (1-5). These compounds 1-5 represent the first known dimers combining DKP and diphenyl ether structures, with compound 4 featuring an uncommon dibenzofuran as the diphenyl ether component. The structural elucidation and determination of absolute stereochemistry were accomplished through spectroscopic analysis and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Notably, diphenylemestrin C (3) exhibited moderate cytostatic activity against NB4 cells, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 21.99 μmol·L^-1, and induced apoptosis at higher concentrations.
Aspergillus nidulans/metabolism* ; Diketopiperazines/pharmacology* ; Molecular Structure ; Phenyl Ethers/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor

Bipolar disorder is a severe mental disorder characterized by mood fluctuations， with cognitive impairment being one of its key clinical features that seriously affects patients' social functions. In recent years， increasing evidence has indicated that oxidative stress imbalance may serve as a crucial pathophysiological basis for cognitive dysfunction in bipolar disorder. This review summarizes current research progress on oxidative stress-related biomarkers in cognitive impairment of patients with bipolar disorder， focusing on their roles in antioxidant defense， lipid peroxidation， neurotrophic factors， mitochondrial function， and telomere damage. Existing evidence suggests that oxidative stress is closely linked to processes such as neuroplasticity and cellular aging， potentially affecting cognition through multiple interacting pathways. This review also discusses the limitations in current studies， with the aim of informing future research on mechanism integration， longitudinal validation， and standardization of cognitive assessment methods.

Objective To observe high glucose induced expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and c met in human kidney fibroblast. Methods The effects of glucose concentrations on expression of HGF, c met and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) 1 in cultured human kidney fibroblasts were observed by RT PCR. In the same system, the effect of exogenous HGF on the expression of PAI 1 was investigated. Results Human kidney fibroblasts cultured in high glucose concentration (25 mmol/L) showed higher HGF and c met expressions in the early stage and then manifested a gradient decrease of HGF and c met expressions, but PAI 1 expression was gradiently increased. Exogenous HGF resulted in inhibiting PAI 1 expression. Conclusion HGF is a potential anti fibrogenic factor and activates matrix degradation pathways in diabetic kidney by reducing PAI 1 expression.