An intensive feeding system might improve the production cycle of yaks. However, how intensive feeding system contributes to yak growth is unclear. Here, multi-omics, including rumen metagenomics, rumen and plasma metabolomics, were performed to classify the regulatory mechanisms of intensive feeding system on yaks. Increased growth performance were observed. Rumen metagenomics revealed that Clostridium, Methanobrevibacter, Piromyces and Anaeromyces increased in the intensively fed yaks, contributing to amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism. The grazing yaks had more cellulolytic microbes. These microbiomes were correlated with the pathways of "Alanine aspartate and glutamate metabolism" and "Pyruvate metabolism". Intensive feeding increased methane degradation functions, while grazing yaks had higher methyl metabolites associated with methane production. These rumen microbiomes and their metabolites resulted in changes in plasma metabolome, finally influencing yaks' growth. Thus, an intensive feeding system altered the rumen microbiome and metabolism as well as host metabolism, resulting in improvements of yak growth.

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Viral pneumonia has been a serious threat to global health, especially now we have dramatic challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately six million cases of community-acquired pneumonia occur every year, and over 20% of which need hospital admission. Influenza virus, respiratory virus, and coronavirus are the noteworthy causative agents to be investigated based on recent clinical research. Currently, anaphylactic reaction and inflammation induced by antiviral immunity can be incriminated as causative factors for clinicopathological symptoms of viral pneumonia. In this article, we illustrate the structure and related infection mechanisms of these viruses and the current status of antiviral therapies. Owing to a set of antiviral regiments with unsatisfactory clinical effects resulting from side effects, genetic mutation, and growing incidence of resistance, much attention has been paid on medicinal plants as a natural source of antiviral agents. Previous research mainly referred to herbal medicines and plant extracts with curative effects on viral infection models of influenza virus, respiratory virus, and coronavirus. This review summarizes the results of antiviral activities of various medicinal plants and their isolated substances, exclusively focusing on natural products for the treatment of the three types of pathogens that elicit pneumonia. Furthermore, we have introduced several useful screening tools to develop antiviral lead compounds.

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Abstract The perennial herbaceous plant Euphorbia jolkinii (Euphorbiaceae) is a noxious weed widely distributed in the grasslands of northwestern Yunnan and has greatly threatened the local biodiversity. Phytochemical investigation on the fresh roots of E. jolkinii afforded six new diterpenoids 1, 2, 4-6, and 8, together with fifteen known diterpenoids. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR and other spectroscopic methods. Casbane, lathyrane, abietane, and ent-kaurane diterpenoids were reported from this plant for the first time. Selected compounds were evaluated for their antifeedant and anti-RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) activities. Compound 2 and ingenol (3) exhibited moderate antifeedant activity against a generalist insect herbivore, Spodoptera exigua, with EC50 values of 17.88 and 17.71 μg/cm(2) respectively. Compound 19 showed significant anti-RSV activity, with 50 % inhibition (IC50) value of 10.0 μM and selective index of 8.0. Compounds 1 and 2 were less active against RSV virus, both with IC50 value of 25 μM, and with selective indices of 1.0 and 3.2 respectively. These findings provided new evidence for the biological functions and utilization of the diversified diterpenoid metabolites in the roots of this rich but harmful plant.

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While ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is mostly known as a cofactor for proline hydroxylase and as a biological antioxidant, it also forms covalent bonds with natural products which we here refer to as 'ascorbylation'. A number of natural products containing an ascorbate moiety has been isolated and characterized from a variety of biological sources, ranging from marine algae to flowering plants. Most of these compounds are formed either as a result of nucleophilic substitution or addition by ascorbate, e.g. the ascorbigens from Brassica species are ascorbylated indole derivatives. Some ascorbylated tannins appear to be formed from electrophilic addition to dehydroascorbic acid. There are also examples of annulations of ascorbate with dietary polyphenols, e.g. epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and resveratrol derivatives. Herein is a survey of 33 ascorbylated natural products and their reported biological activities.

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A new ellagitannin, jolkinin (2), was isolated from the fresh whole plant of Euphorbia jolkinii, and its structure, including absolute configuration, was determined on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical evidence. A highly oxygenated acyl group with unique hexacyclic structure is attached to the 2,4-positions of 1-O-galloyl-3,6-(R)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-beta-d-glucopyranose. The structural similarity to elaeocarpusin (4) suggests that jolkinin is produced by a condensation reaction between ascorbic acid and geraniin (1), the dominant ellagitannin in this plant, which contains a dehydrohexahydroxydiphenoyl group. A plausible mechanism for jolkinin formation is also proposed.

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