The results support the view that herbs represent a rich source of anti-lipase compounds. The screening of the methanolic extracts of 37 Chinese medicinal plants in vitro led to the identification of several extracts with potential activity against PPL, in particular, P. vulgaris and R. palmatum. We also found that several monomeric chemicals in these herbs exhibited good or moderate activity against PPL. To the best of our knowledge, these traditional Chinese herbal medicines or phytochemicals have not been previously screened for their lipase inhibitory activity.

Thirty-eight phenolic compounds (including 31 flavonoids) were examined for their DPPH radical-scavenging activities, and structure-activity relationships were evaluated. Specifically, the presence of an ortho-dihydroxyl structure in phenolics is largely responsible for their excellent anti-radical activity. 3-Hydroxyl was also essential to generate a high radical-scavenging activity. An increasing number of hydroxyls on flavones with a 3',4'-dihydroxyl basic structure, the presence of a third hydroxyl group at C-5', a phloroglucinol structure, glycosylation and methylation of the hydroxyls, and some other hydroxyls, for example 5-, and 7-hydroxyl in ring A, decreased the radical-scavenging activities of flavonoids and other phenolics.

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This study investigated the mechanical properties and antibacterial properties of hexagonal boron nitride and titanium dioxide (h-BN-TiO2) nanocomposite modified traditional glass ionomer cement. The mechanism of formation of the h-BN-TiO2 nanocomposite was elucidated by conducting molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the Material Studio (MS) software. Furthermore, synthesis of h-BN-TiO2 nanocomposite by the original growth method using hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (h-BNNs) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 Nps) and characterization using TEM and AFM to determine their particle sizes, morphologies, and structures. The mechanical properties and antibacterial efficacies of the glass ionomer cement composites were analyzed based on the different mass fractions (0, 0.3, 0.7, 1.1, and 1.5 wt%) of the h-BN-TiO2 nanocomposite. The results showed when the concentration of the h-BN-TiO2 nanocomposite was 1.1 wt%, the Compressive strength (CS) and Vicker hardness (VHN) were 80.2% and 149.65% higher, respectively, compared to the glass ionomer cement without any h-BN-TiO2 nanocomposite. Also, the increase in the concentration of the h-BN-TiO2 nanocomposite led to a decrease in both the coefficient of friction (COF) and solubility, but a 93.4% increase in the antibacterial properties of the glass ionomer cement composites. The cell survival rate of each group was more than 70% after 48 h, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Therefore, the h-BN-TiO2 nanocomposite served as a reinforcing material for glass ionomer cement, which can be useful in clinical dentistry and provide a new strategy for improving the clinical utility of glass ionomer cement.

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