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Three new betulinic acid derivatives, 3beta-O-trans-feruloylbetulinic acid (1), 3beta-O-cis-feruloylbetulinic acid (2), and 3beta-O-cis-coumaroylbetulinic acid (4), along with two known triterpenes, 3beta-O-trans-coumaroylbetulinic acid (3) and ursolic acid (6) were isolated from the leaves and twigs of Strychnos vanprukiiCraib. All isolates showed moderate anti-HIV activity with IC50 values ranging from 3 to 7 microg/mL (5 to 15 microM) in an indicator cell line for HIV infectivity. The structures of the new isolates were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques including 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the structure of 1 was confirmed by X-ray crystallography.

The impact of the University of Illinois at Chicago-based Vietnam-Laos International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) Program "Studies on Biodiversity of Vietnam and Laos", which has been in operation for the period of 1998-2005, touches on five major areas of endeavor: (a) biodiversity inventory and conservation; (b) studies on medicinal plants; (c) drug discovery and development; (d) economic development; and (e) issues on intellectual property rights and benefit sharing in natural products drug discovery and development. Highlights are presented and the significance is discussed.

The process of enzyme assisted extraction of essential oil from the leaves and branches of the Vietnamese aromatic plant Cinnamomum cassia was studied and optimized using a Box-Wilson central composite design consisting of 05 independent variables (pH, temperature T, time τ, concentration of the enzyme Laccase, and concentration of the enzyme Cellic Htec2) and two dependent variables (reducing sugar and yield of essential oil). Second-order polynomial equations were obtained for the responses, which fitted well with the experimental data. Optimal conditions for oil yield were found at pH = 5.2; T = 440C; τ = 5h30'; Laccase = 0.42 ml/g, and Cellic Htec2 = 1.15%. The experimental value (0.982% oil yield) was close to the predicted value (0.978%). The application of enzyme assisted extraction  in combination with optimization using response surface methodology substantially improved the oil yield as compared with traditional method.

Agarwood and agarwood essential oils are commodities with great commercial value. In Vietnam, the agarwood industry has been growing, with more than 10,000 ha of forest land reserved for the cultivation of Aquilaria crassna, an agarwood-producing tree. The aim of this study was to present a hydrodistillation process to recover agarwood essential oil and to compare chemical compositions of agarwood samples harvested from various locations in Vietnam. Three agarwood samples representing products from A. crassna trees cultivated in the provinces of Bac Giang and Khanh Hoa, and on the Phu Quoc island (Kien Giang province) of Vietnam were subjected to hydrodistillation, resulting in essential oil yields of 0.32%, 0.27%, and 0.25% (w/w), respectively. Using GC–MS analysis, a total of 44 volatile compounds were identified in the obtained oils. Most of the constituents were oxygenated sesquiterpenes and had been previously found in other agarwood oil samples. Notable compounds of other chemical classes were aromatics and fatty acids. The three oil samples showed a common volatile profile, which is characterized by the dominance of eremophilane, agarofurans, and eudesmane sesquiterpenes, while vetispirane and guaiane sesquiterpenes were found in smaller quantities. Desired compounds, such as neopetasane (7.47–8.29%), dihydrokaranone (2.63–3.59%), β-agarofuran (3.04–6.18%), and agarospirol (2.98–3.42%), were present in substantial quantities, suggesting that the essential oils could be commercialized as fragrant materials of high value.