Zizaane-Type Sesquiterpenoids and Their Rearranged Derivatives from Agarwood of an Aquilaria Plant

Nine new sesquiterpenoids (1–9) were isolated from ethyl ether extract of agarwood originated from Aquilaria sp., including three novel sesquiterpenoids (1–3) derived from zizaane, together with six zizaane-type sesquiterpenoids (4–9). All structures were unambiguously elucidated based on 1D and 2D NMR spectra as well as by HRESIMS data. The absolute configuration of sesquiterpenoids was determined by comparison of the experimental and computed ECD spectra. In vitro anti-inflammatory assessment showed that compound 9 exhibited inhibition of NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells with an IC50 value of 62.22 ± 1.27 μM.

Transparent and Hard Siloxane Based Hybrid UV-Curable Coating Materials with Amphiphobic Properties

In this study, highly transparent siloxane-based hybrid UV-curable coating materials were prepared using (acryloxypropyl)methylsiloxane monomer (APMS), a thiol-ene monomer, with benzoin ethyl ether. For the thiol-ene monomer, either pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-mercaptopropionate) (PETTMP) or trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptopropionate) (TMPTMP) was used. The siloxane-based hybrid coating materials were highly transparent and hard (pencil hardness of 6–7H). The materials were also amphiphobic, with a water static contact angle of 92–100° and an oil contact angle of 46–63°, when prepared with a high siloxane-monomer-to-PETTMP/TMPTMP ratio. In general, both hybrid coating materials exhibited improved oleophobicity, high hardness, and surface smoothness with increasing siloxane content, although the TMPTMP-based hybrid coating films exhibited slightly higher oleophobicity (lower hydrophobicity) and a smoother surface than the PETTMP-based hybrid coating films.

Thermal Behavior Improvement of Fortified Commercial Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) Oil with Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) Leaf Extracts

Avocado oil is considered a highly prized food due to its nutritional contribution. On the other hand, Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz (Elaeocarpaceae), common name “maqui”, is an endemic fruit in Chile, well known for its exceptional antioxidant properties. In general, maqui by-products such as leaves are considered as waste. Thus, maqui leaves extracts were used to improve the stability of vegetable oils, particularly avocado oil. Hence, avocado oil was fortified with two extracts (ethyl ether and methanol) obtained of maqui leaves and exposed to 120 °C for 386 h in an oven. The results showed a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids (69.46%, mainly oleic acid), followed by polyunsaturated fatty acids (16.41%, mainly linoleic acid) and finally saturated fatty acids (14.13%). The concentration of the total phenolic compounds in the pure oil, ethyl ether and methanol maqui leaves extracts were 45.8, 83.7, and 4100.9 ppm, respectively. In addition, the antioxidant activity was 5091.6 and 19,452.5 µmol Trolox eq/g for the ethyl ether and methanol extracts, respectively. The secondary degradation compounds showed significant differences between the fortified and non-fortified samples after 144 h and the TG/DTG analysis showed a significant increment of 7 °C in the degradation temperature (Tonset) of avocado oil fortified with the methanol extract when compared to the non-fortified oil and fortified oil with ethyl ether extract. After heating for 336 h, fortified oil with methanol extract reached the limit percentages of polar compounds, while pure oil reached it in a shorter time, i.e., 240 h. Based on the results, avocado oil can be protected with natural additives such as extracts obtained from maqui leaves, leading to an increase in its thermo-oxidative stability.