Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a critical role in the development of lung carcinoma. The mechanism of MALAT1 in lung carcinoma development is not understood very well. This study aimed to investigate the role of MALAT1 in lung carcinoma progression and the mechanism underlying the role of miR-491-5p in the MALAT1 mediated regulation of UBE2C expression. The results indicated that the expression of MALAT1 was often augmented in lung carcinoma cells. Suppression of MALAT1 blocked the proliferation, invasion and migration ability of cancer cells and inhibited the expression of UBE2C. UBE2C restoration attenuated the MALAT1 knockdown-induced anti-cancer effects. Moreover, UBE2C and MALAT1 were indicated as targets of miR-491-5p and inhibition of miR-491-5p restored the MALAT1 knockdown-induced inhibition of the progression of lung carcinoma. Furthermore, MALAT1 sponged miR-491-5p to upregulate UBE2C expression, causing it to act as a competing endogenous RNA. Collectively, MALAT1 downregulation suppressed lung carcinoma progression by regulating the miR-491-5p/UBE2C axis. These results indicate that MALAT1 could be a molecular target for lung carcinoma treatment and prognosis.

Saline-tolerant medicinal plants possess novel chemical constituents with high bioactivity because of their unique secondary metabolic pathways. Limonium sinense, an aquatic plant found in the coastal wetlands of the Yellow River Delta, was collected and studied in the present work. Ten drimane-type sesquiterpenoids and four triterpenoids, including six new ones (sinenseines A–F), were isolated from a whole plant of L. sinense for the first time. Their structures, including the absolute configurations, were determined by analyzing the comprehensive spectroscopic data. In addition, twelve terpenoids, including nine sesquiterpenoids, were identified using UPLC-MS/MS and GNPS methods. All isolates were evaluated for their antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities. Compounds 2–4, 6, 13, and 14 showed moderate anti-tumor effects on A549, H1299, HepG2 and A2780 cells with IC₅₀ values ranging from 35.2 ± 2.0 to 90.5 ± 3.1 μM. Furthermore, compound 1 exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity with an IC₅₀ value of 8.3 ± 1.2 μM against NO production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages.