Dichotellides A-E, five new iodine-containing briarane type diterpenoids from Dichotella gemmacea

Five new briarane type diterpenoids, dichotellides A−E (1−5), were isolated from the South China Sea gorgonian Dichotella gemmacea together with four known analogues (6−9). Compounds 1−5 represent the first examples of iodine-containing briarane type diterpenoids from nature. The structures of these diterpenoids were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, including 1D, 2D-NMR, and HRESIMS, and the absolute configuration of 1 was further confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. All the isolates were evaluated for cytotoxicity activity against four human tumor cell lines, and only 3 exhibited marginal activity against SW1990 (human pancreatic cancer).     

Influence of stereochemistry on the activity of rapadocin,an isoform-specific inhibitor of the nucleoside transporter ENT1

Rapadocin is a novel rapamycin-inspired polyketide–tetrapeptide hybrid macrocycle that possesses highly potent and isoform-specific inhibitory activity against the human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1). Rapadocin contains an epimerizable chiral center in phenylglycine and an olefin group, and can thus exist as a mixture of four stereoisomers. Herein, we report the first total synthesis of the four stereoisomers of rapadocin using two different synthetic strategies and the assignment of their structures. The inhibitory activity of each of the four synthetic isomers on both hENT1 and hENT2 was determined. It was found that the stereochemistry of phenylglycine played a more dominant role than the configuration of the olefin in the activity of rapadocin. These findings will guide the future design and development of rapadocin analogs as new modulators of adenosine signaling.

Rapadocin is a novel rapamycin-inspired polyketide–tetrapeptide hybrid macrocycle that possesses highly potent and isoform-specific inhibitory activity against the human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1).     

壳多糖抑制细菌生长的构效关系

运用化学结构已清楚, 分属4大系列的29种壳多糖, 以4种不同类型的细菌(革兰氏阳性菌Ecoli K1、革兰氏阴性菌Bacillus cereus、Bacillus megaterium和Staphlylococcu aureus)为研究对象, 进行了壳多糖抑菌能力构效关系的研究. 在实验中采用96孔平板, 用计算机\|吸光值读数仪直接测定每个孔的吸光值, 获得了各个细菌在不同壳多糖浓度中的生长曲线和壳多糖抑制细菌生长的最低抑制浓度(MIC, Minimum inhibit concentration). 通过比较同一(各个)系列的壳多糖在这些相同(不同)细菌的MIC变化规律与壳多糖的化学结构的关系, 发现同一壳多糖对不同的细菌的MIC值是不相同的, 因而壳多糖抑制细菌生长的能力首先与细菌本身特点有关, 但与是否为革兰氏阳性菌或阴性菌无直接的相关性; 同一细菌对不同化学结构的壳多糖有一定的相关性, 在壳多糖的聚合程度(DP)相同的条件下, 壳多糖中氨基被乙酰化(DA)的程度越低, 壳多糖抑制细菌生长的MIC值越低, 壳多糖抑制细菌生长的能力就越强; 同样,在DA相同的情况下, 分子越小, 壳多糖抑制细菌生长的MIC值越低, 抑制细菌生长的能力越强. 根据上述实验结果, 初步推测壳多糖抑制细菌生长的机制可能与其在溶液中所带的正电荷多少有关.     

Novel cytotoxic constituents of Orthosiphon diffusus

Chemical investigation on Orthosiphon diffusus resulted in the isolation of four relatively rare, novel polychiral furanopyrans, orthodiffenes A-D (1-4) which were characterized from detailed studies of their 1D and 2D NMR spectra. The X-ray crystallographic analysis of orthodiffene A (1) was accomplished. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of orthodiffenes A-C (1-3) was tested against Jurkat and HL-60 cells using camptothecin as a positive control. Orthodiffenes A (1) and B (2) showed comparable activity to camptothecin against HL-60 and Jurkat cells, respectively.     

Determination of Four Volatile Compounds with Anti-Inflammatory Biological Activity in Houttuynia chordata Thunb. by Gas Chromatography and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

An analytical procedure was developed for the determination of four volatile components with anti-inflammatory biological activity in Houttuynia cordata Thunb. by gas chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Four compounds (α-pinene, β-myrcene, 1-decanol and 2-undecanone) were selected as analytes because they are common major constituents in volatile compositions of Houttuynia cordata Thunb Anti-inflammatory efficacy in vivo suggested that the four compounds provided inhibitory effects on xylene-induced ear edema formation in a dose-dependent manner. The four compounds were determined by gas chromatography in mouse serum after oral administration of volatile oil and water distillate liquid of Houttuynia cordata Thunb Related chromatographic conditions were investigated and selected. A good separation of the four compounds and internal standard was achieved. The method reflected the quality of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. and its preparations.     

New naphthoquinones and a new δ-lactone produced by endophytic fungi from Costa Rica

While searching for compounds with antimalarial activity, two new naphthoquinones, delitzchianones A (1) and B (2), were separated from Delitzchia winteri, an endophytic fungus from Costa Rica. The same search also led to a new 8-acetoxy pestalopyrone (3) and the known compound, pestalopyrone (4) from another Costa Rican endophytic fungus, Phomatospora bellaminuta. The structures of the three new compounds 1, 2, and 3 were established with extensive NMR and MS analyses. All four compounds were tested for activity in a growth/no growth Dd2 assay but only compound 4 had measurable activity with an IC₅₀ value of 37 μM.     

Schilancidilactones A and B: two novel tetranortriterpenoids with an unprecedented skeleton from Schisandra lancifolia

Schilancidilactones A (1) and B (2), two novel tetranortriterpenoids possessing an unprecedented skeleton, have been isolated from the stems of Schisandra lancifolia. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. The relative configurations of 1 were further determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Compounds 1 and 2 were tested for their cytotoxicity against four tumor cell lines NB4, A549, SH-SY5Y, and PC-3, and compound 1 was further tested for its anti-HIV-1 activity.     

Structure and antitumor activity of the less-branched derivatives of an alkali-soluble glucan isolated from Omphalia lapidescens. (Studies on fungal polysaccharide. XXXVIII).

The structure and antitumor activity of Smith-type degradation products (OL-2-I, OL-2-II and OL-2-III) of an alkali-soluble glucan, OL-2, isolated from a crude fungal drug "Leiwan" (Omphalia lapidescens) were investigated. Methylation analysis suggested that OL-2-I was a (1----3)-beta-D-glucan with approximately one branch at every three main chain glucosyl units at each C-6 position; OL-2-II was a (1----3)-beta-D-glucan with approximately one branch at twenty four main chain glucosyl units at each C-6 position (number of all main chain glucosyl units is on average). OL-2-I, OL-2-II and OL-2-III which were Smith-type degradation products of OL-2, showed potent antitumor activity against the solid form of sarcoma 180 in ICR mice. These results indicated that the degree of beta-linked branching at position 6 was remarkably related to the antitumor activity.     

Machine-Learning-Enabled Virtual Screening for Inhibitors of Lysine-Specific Histone Demethylase 1

A machine learning approach has been applied to virtual screening for lysine specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) inhibitors. LSD1 is an important anti-cancer target. Machine learning models to predict activity were constructed using Morgan molecular fingerprints. The dataset, consisting of 931 molecules with LSD1 inhibition activity, was obtained from the ChEMBL database. An evaluation of several candidate algorithms on the main dataset revealed that the support vector regressor gave the best model, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.703. Virtual screening, using this model, identified five predicted potent inhibitors from the ZINC database comprising more than 300,000 molecules. The virtual screening recovered a known inhibitor, RN1, as well as four compounds where activity against LSD1 had not previously been suggested. Thus, we performed a machine-learning-enabled virtual screening of LSD1 inhibitors using only the structural information of the molecules.     

In Vitro Biotransformation,Safety, and Chemopreventive Action of Novel 8-Methoxy-Purine-2,6-Dione Derivatives

Metabolic stability, mutagenicity, antimutagenicity, and the ability to scavenge free radicals of four novel 8-methoxy-purine-2,6-dione derivatives (compounds 1–4) demonstrating analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties were determined. Metabolic stability was evaluated in Cunninghamella and microsomal models, mutagenic and antimutagenic properties were assessed using the Ames and the Vibrio harveyi tests, and free radical scavenging activity was evaluated with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay. In the Cunninghamella model, compound 2 did not undergo any biotransformation; whereas 3 and 4 showed less metabolic stability: 1–9 and 53–88% of the parental compound, respectively, underwent biotransformation reactions in different Cunninghamella strains. The metabolites detected after the biotransformation of 3 and 4 were aromatic hydroxylation and N-dealkylation products. On the other hand, the N-dealkylation product was the only metabolite formed in microsome assay. Additionally, these derivatives do not possess mutagenic potential in microbiological models (Vibrio harveyi and Salmonella typhimurium) considered. Moreover, all compounds showed a strong chemopreventive activity in the modified Vibrio harveyi strains BB7X and BB7M. However, radical scavenging activity was not the mechanism which explained the observed chemopreventive activity.     

Cassaine diterpenoid dimers isolated from Erythrophleum succirubrum with TRAIL-resistance overcoming activity

Activity-guided fractionation of Erythrophleum succirubrum for TRAIL resistance-overcoming activity led to the isolation of four new cassaine diterpenoid dimers, named erythrophlesins A-D (1-4). Their structures were elucidated by spectral data to show that they have an unsymmetrical dimeric structure through an ester bond between two cassaine diterpenoids. These new compounds were revealed to have a significant reversal effect on TRAIL resistance in human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cells.     

Conformation-activity relationships of opiate analgesics

Summary Extensive conformational calculations were performed on the potent opiate analgesics etorphine, PET, R30490 and etonitazene to determine all of their many low-energy conformations. The results were used to characterize four possible models for binding of a simple pharmacophore, comprising two phenyl rings plus a protonated nitrogen, to opiate analgesic receptors. These four models may define the necessary three-dimensional features leading to particular opiate actions. The model favoured for receptor activity can accommodate a protonated nitrogen, an aromatic ring (which may be substituted with an electronegative group) and a second lipophilic group. These structural features must be presented in a precise three-dimensional arrangement. It appears likely that a hydrophilic substituent in a certain region of the analgesic pharmacophore may also interact with the receptor as a secondary binding group.     

An efficient route to all stereoisomeric enantiopure 6-amino-3-alkyl-3- azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane-6-carboxylic acids

A single-step synthesis on a gram scale of four pure stereoisomers of the 6-amino-3-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane-6-carboxylic acid was carried out using (R)-1-phenylethylamine to confer chirality. The phenylethyl group, and the p-methoxy group linked to the N-atom, are easily removed by hydrogenolysis to afford the corresponding NH-3 derivatives. A series of N-3-alkyl compounds were prepared by way of a "one-pot" deprotection-alkylation procedure starting from the above key compounds. Their biological activity has been evaluated on the GABA receptor.     

Cortistatins E, F, G, and H, four novel steroidal alkaloids from marine sponge Corticium simplex

Four novel steroidal alkaloids named cortistatins E (1), F (2), G (3), and H (4) have been isolated from the marine sponge Corticium simplex. The chemical structures of these four cortistatins, which are unique abeo-9(10-19)-stigmastane-type steroidal alkaloids having oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octene and N-methyl piperidine or 3-methylpyridine units in the side chain, were elucidated by the detailed 2D-NMR analysis. These four compounds showed only weak anti-proliferative activity against human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) at 0.35-1.9 μM concentrations in contrast to cortistatin A (5), which was isolated as a highly selective inhibitor of proliferation of HUVECs from the same marine sponge.     

Novel cytotoxic nine-membered macrocyclic polysulfur cembranoid lactones from the soft coral Sinularia sp.

One novel nine-membered macrocyclic polysulfur cembranoid lactone, sinulariaoid A (1); three new multioxygenated cembranoids, sinulariaoid B (2), sinulariaoid C (3), sinulariaoid D (4); and four known cembranoids, capilloloid (5), dihydrosinularin (6), sinularin (7), and dihydrosinuflexolide (8) were isolated from the soft coral Sinularia sp. collected off of Sanya Bay in the South China Sea. Their stereochemical structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods, including single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Sinulariaoid A (1) is the first reported nine-membered macrocyclic polysulfur cembranoid from soft coral. The cytotoxic activities of compounds 1–8 were determined in four human cancer cell lines (HepG2, HepG2/ADM, MCF-7, and MCF-7/ADM). Of these, sinulariaoid A (1) exhibited the most potent anticancer activity in vitro, and its cytotoxicity in HepG2/ADM was more potent than in the other three cell lines. Furthermore, it was found that sinulariaoid A (1) induced apoptosis, and its selective toxicity toward HepG2/ADM cells was not related to P-glycoproteins.     

Pore formation in phospholipid bilayers by amphiphilic cavitands

Five new cavitands were prepared that have four pendant n-undecyl chains and "headgroups" connected by 2-carbon spacers. The headgroups were ~OCH(2)CONH-Ala-OCH(3), 1; ~OCH(2)CONH-Phe-OCH(3), 2; ~OCH(2)CONH-Ala-OH, 3; ~OCH(2)CONH-Phe-OH, 4; and ~OCH(2)CONHCH(2)CH(2)-thyminyl, 5. Pore formation by each cavitand was studied by use of the planar bilayer conductance experiment. All five compounds were found to form pores in asolectin bialyer membranes. Compounds 1-3 behaved in a generally similar fashion and exhibited open-close dynamics. Compounds 4 and 5 formed pores more rapidly, were more dynamic, and led more quickly to membrane rupture. Differences in the ion transport activity are rationalized in terms of structure and aggregate cavitand assemblies.     

Synthesis of Novel Flavanone Derivatives and Their Anti Staphylococcus aureus Evaluation

The authors synthesized two novel flavanones bearing iso-pentenyl side chain and evaluated their anti Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) activity. The target compounds 7a[2-5'-(1",2"-dimethylallyl)-2'-methoxy-4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavanone] and 7b[2-5'-(1",2"-dimethylallyl)-3'-methoxy-4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavanone] were synthesized respectively through total four steps starting from 2,4,6-trihydroxy acetophenone(3) and the corresponding iso-pentenyl substituted benzaldehyde(1), in which the 1,2-dimethyl-2-propenyl group had been introduced previously via abnormal Claisen rearrangement. The bioactivities of the two flavanones against S. aureus strains ATCC 25923, 29213, and MRSA 252 were evaluated, showing the same minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) value of 16 μg/mL.     

Trypanocidal constituents of Dracocephalum komarovi

Trypanocidal constituents of Dracocephalum komarovi were investigated. Under guidance of the in vitro trypanocidal activity against epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease, two new diterpenes, dracocequinones A (1) and B (2), and two known triterpene acids, ursonic acid and ursolic acid, were isolated as trypanocidal constituents, in addition to previously reported diterpenes, cyclocoulterone (4), komaroviquinone (5), dracocephalone A (6) and komarovispirone (7). Furthermore a new diterpene, komarovinone A (3), was isolated, together with four known terpenes. Among these compounds, komaroviquinone (5) showed the most potent activity with minimum lethal concentration of 0.4 μM. Structure elucidation of the new diterpenes 1-3 was described.