Studies on New Steroidal Saponins from Allii macrostemonis Bulbus and Their Antitumor Activities Design and Synthesis of Novel Bispecific Molecules for InducingBRD4 Protein Degradation

Proteolysis targeting chimeras(PROTACs) are bispecific molecules containing a target protein binder and a ubiquitin ligase binder connected by a linker. Recently, some heterobifunctional small molecule bromodomain-containing protein 4(BRD4) degraders based on the concept of PROTACs were designed to induce the degradation of BRD4 protein. Herein, we synthesized a new class of PROTAC BRD4 degraders. One of the most promising compound 22f exhibited robust potency of BRD4 inhibition with IC₅₀ value of (9.4±0.6) nmol/L. Furthermore, compound 22f potently inhibited cell proliferation in BRD4-sensitive cell lines RS4;11 with IC₅₀ value of (27.6±1.6) nmol/L and capable of inducing degradation of BRD4 protein at 0.5―1.0 μmol/L in the RS4;11 cells. These data establish that compound 22f is a potent and efficacious BRD4 degrader.     

Design and Synthesis of Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras for Inducing BRD4 Protein Degradation

In this paper, we synthesized a series of proteolysis targeting chimeras(PROTACs) using VHL E3 ligase ligands for BRD4 protein degradation. One of the most promising compound 19g exhibited robust potency of BRD4 inhibition with IC₅₀ value of (18.6±1.3) nmol/L, respectively. Furthermore, compound 19g potently inhibited cell proliferation in BRD4-sensitive cell lines RS4;11 with IC₅₀ value of (34.2±4.3) nmol/L and capable of inducing degradation of BRD4 protein at 0.4—0.6 µmol/L in the RS4;11 leukemia cells. These data show that compound 19g is a highly potent and efficacious BRD4 degrader.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of pyridyl substituted benzoxazepinones as potent and selective inhibitors of aldosterone synthase

Exorbitant aldosterone is closely associated with various severe diseases, including congestive heart failure and chronic kidney disease. As aldosterone synthase is the pivotal enzyme in aldosterone biosynthesis, its inhibition constitutes a promising treatment for these diseases. Via a structure-based approach, a series of pyridyl substituted 3,4-dihydrobenzo[f][1,4]oxazepin-5(2H)-ones were designed as inhibitors of aldosterone synthase. Six compounds (5j, 5l, 5m 5w, 5x and 5y) distinguished themselves with potent inhibition (IC₅₀ <100 nmol/L) and high selectivity over homogenous 11β-hydroxylase. As the most promising compound, 5x exhibited an IC₅₀ of 12 nmol/L and an excellent selectivity factor (SF) of 157, which are both superior to those of the reference fadrazole (IC₅₀ = 21 nmol/L, SF = 7). Importantly, 5x showed no inhibition against steroidogenic CYP17, CYP19 and a panel of hepatic CYP enzymes indicating an outstanding safety profile. As it manifested satisfactory pharmacokinetic properties in rats, compound 5x was considered as a drug candidate for further development.     

Synthesis,antifungal activity and in vitro mechanism of novel 1-substituted-5-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide derivatives

Inspired by the wide application of amides in plant pathogens, a series of novel 1-substituted-5-trifluoromethyl?1H?pyrazole-4-carboxamide derivatives were designed and synthesized. Bioassay results indicated that some target compounds exhibited excellent and broad-spectrum in vitro and certain in vivo antifungal activities. Among them, the in vitro EC₅₀ values of Y₁₃ against G. zeae, B. dothidea, F. prolifeatum and F. oxysporum were 13.1, 14.4, 13.3 and 21.4 mg/L, respectively. The in vivo protective activity of Y₁₃ against G. zeae at 100 mg/L was 50.65%. SAR analysis revealed that the phenyl on the 1-position of the pyrazole ring was important for this activity. An antifungal mechanism study of Y₁₃ against G. zeae demonstrated that this compound may disrupt the cell membrane of mycelium, thus inhibiting the growth of fungi. These mechanistic study results were inconsistent with those for traditional amides and may provide a novel view for deep study of this series of pyrazole carboxamide derivatives.     

Novel aromatic carboxamides from dehydroabietylamine as potential fungicides: Design,synthesis and antifungal evaluation

The present study was carried out to design and synthesize a number of novel aromatic carboxamide derivatives of dehydroabietylamine. The preliminary antifungal assay indicated that most of title compounds displayed moderate to good antifungal activity toward the six fungal strains in vitro. Compounds 3i, 3q, 4b and 4d showed significant antifungal activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, with EC₅₀ values ranging from 0.067 ～ 0.393 mg/L. Compounds 3i, 4b and 4d also showed pronounced mycelial growth inhibition activities against B. cinerea and A. solani. Furthermore, in the in vivo assay, compound 4b exhibited brilliant protective activity against S. sclerotiorum-infected rape leaves. Meanwhile, the in vivo bioassay on tomato plants infected by B. cinerea showed that compound 3i and 4d displayed excellent protective activity at 200 mg/L, which were near to boscalid. Primary mechanistic study revealed that 4b could inhibit sclerotia formation as well as reduce the exopolysaccharide level. SEM and TEM analysis indicated that 4b possessed a strong ability to destroy the surface morphology of mycelia, cell structure and seriously interfere with the growth of the fungal pathogen. In addition, 4b exhibited good inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 23.3 ± 1.6 μM) toward succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). Molecular modeling study confirmed the binding modes between compound 4b and SDH. The above antifungal results and fungicidal mechanism study revealed that this class of dehydroabietylamine derivatives could be potential SDH inhibitors and lead compounds for novel fungicides development.     

Design,synthesis, bioactivity and mechanism of action of novel myricetin derivatives containing amide and hydrazide

A series of myricetin derivatives containing amide and hydrazide were designed and synthesized. All the compounds were characterized by NMR and HRMS. Bioactivity test showed that some of the target compounds had excellent anti-tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) activity. In particular, the median effective concentration (EC₅₀) values of the anti-TMV curative and protective activities of N-(2-(2-(2-((5,7-dimethoxy-4-oxo-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-3-yl)oxy)acetyl)hydrazineyl)-2-oxoethyl)-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzamide (G9) were 202.3 and 164.0 μg/mL respectively, superior to ningnanmycin (329.1, 230.3 μg/mL). Microscale thermophoresis (MST) and molecular docking showed that G9 had an excellent binding affinity with tobacco mosaic virus coat protein (TMV-CP) (K_d = 0.158 ± 0.024 μM), which was better than that of ningnanmycin (K_d = 2.074 ± 0.818 μM). Moreover, there were many interaction forces between G9 and the key amino acid residues of TMV-CP. The chlorophyll content and peroxidase (POD) activity of tobacco leaves treated with G9 increased significantly, indicating that G9 could improve the photosynthesis of tobacco leaves and stimulate the resistance of tobacco leaves to TMV. The insecticidal activity of G9 against Mythimna separata (M. separate) was found to be 95.2% at 200 μg/mL, which was close to bufenozide (100%). The insecticidal activity of myricetin was significantly improved after the introduction of active groups of amide and hydrazide, which could be further explored.     

Alokicenones A-H,eight tetrahydroanthracenes from the mangrove-derived Streptomyces sp. HN-A101

Alokicenones A-H (1–8), eight new tetrahydroanthracenes and one known okicenone (9) were identified from the secondary metabolites of mangrove-derived Streptomyces sp. HN-A101. Their structures were elucidated by HRESIMS and NMR spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations of them were determined by the calculated and experimental ECD curves. Compounds 1–2 and 9 showed moderate cytotoxicity against HCT116 and SW620 cancer cell lines with IC₅₀ values from 0.63 to 7.73?μM. In addition, compounds 1–3 and 7–9 also exhibited inhibitory activities against ROCK2 or BRD4.     

Synthesis and comparative study of cytotoxicity and anticancer activity of Chalconoid-Co(II) metal complexes with 2-hydroxychalcones analogue containing naphthalene moiety

A series of six C1–C6 chalconoid based Co(II) complexes were prepared from bi-dentate 2-hydroxychalcones ligands L1-L6 containing naphthalene moiety. All synthesized metal-complexes have been evaluated to determine their cytotoxicity and anticancer activity against liver cancer cell line (Hep G2). Compared to standard 5-fluorouracil (IC₅₀ ?= ?98.61 ?μg/mL), the metal complex C6 exhibits more potency with IC₅₀ value 64.21 ?μg/mL against liver cancer cell line. While the remaining metal complexes such as C2, C4 and C5 are moderately active with IC₅₀ value 314.93, 414.05 and 376.00 ?μg/mL respectively. The complexes C1 and C3 with IC₅₀ value ?> ?1000 ?μg/mL are inadequate to display anticancer activity against Hep G2. Our perception towards the presence of organic group in the main structural moiety of complex C6 which associated with di-hydroxy (-OH) substituent at 3 and 4-position found more potent than complex C2, C4 and C5 which associated with halo (-Cl) substituent. The MTT assay revealed that the cytotoxicity and anticancer activity enhanced upon coordination of bio-ligand compared to free chalcone ligands. Therefore the present study may lead to the development of new class of anticancer drugs with structural modification.     

Sulfamide-substituted-BODIPY based fluorescence drugs: Synthesis,spectral characteristics,molecular docking,and bioactivity

BODIPY derivatives have attracted much attention in the field of biological probes, but probes with a single imaging function are no longer innovative. In this paper, two multifunctional sulfonamide-BODIPY derivatives were designed and synthesized. Photophysical properties, cytotoxicity, in vitro and in vivo imaging, apoptosis, cell cycle, and molecular docking simulation were studied. The results showed that the compound had low cytotoxicity to normal cells, but had strong inhibitory effect on tumor cells. The IC₅₀ value of compound 3 on HCT-116 cells was 58.61 ± 4.91 μmol/L, and 4 on HeLa cells was 52.29 ± 10.93 μmol/L. Cell imaging and mice experiments demonstrated that the probe had excellent biocompatibility and potential tumor targeting; and in vivo imaging of mice at different time periods showed that the fluorescence intensity of probes in subcutaneous lung tumor gradually increased with the extension of time. In addition, the flow cytometry analysis of 3 showed that the G1 phase of HCT-116 cells was inhibited and apoptosis of tumor cells was promoted. In molecular docking simulation, sulfonamide-BODIPY derivatives had high affinity scores with CDK2: −8.0 and −8.4 kcal·mol⁻¹, and the multiple interactions with receptors provided conditions for the probes to recognize tumor cells.     

2-Oxo-3,4-dihydropyrimido[4,5-d] pyrimidines as new reversible inhibitors of EGFR C797S (Cys797 to Ser797) mutant

Extensive structure-activity relationships (SARs) study of JND3229 was conducted to yield a series of new reversible 2-oxo-3,4-dihydropyrimido[4,5-d]pyrimidine privileged scaffold as EGFR^C797S inhibitors. One of the most potent compound 6i potently suppressed EGFR^{L858R/T790M/C797S} kinase with an IC₅₀ value of 3.1 nmol/L, and inhibited the proliferation of BaF3 cells harboring EGFR^{L858R/T790M/C797S} and EGFR^{19D/T790M/C797S} mutants with IC₅₀ values of 290 nmol/L and 316 nmol/L, respectively. Further, 6i dose-dependently induced suppression of the phosphorylation of EGFR^{L858R/T790M/C797S} and EGFR^{19D/T790M/C797S} in BaF3 cells. Compound 6i may serve as a promising lead compound for further drug discovery overcoming the acquired resistance of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.     

Zyzzyanone A, a novel pyrrolo[3,2-f]indole alkaloid from the Australian marine sponge Zyzzya fuliginosa

A new dipyrroloquinone, zyzzyanone A 1, having a pyrrolo[3,2-f]indole-4,8(1H,7H)-dione skeleton, was isolated from the Australian marine sponge Zyzzya fuliginosa, along with the known pyrroloquinoline alkaloids, makaluvamines C, E, G, H, and L, and damirones A and B. The structure of 1 was determined by spectroscopic data. Zyzzyanone A 1 shows moderate cytotoxic activity against mouse Ehrlich carcinoma cells (IC₅₀ 25 μg/mL), inhibits the cell division of fertilized sea urchin eggs at a concentration of 25 μg/mL, and exhibits UV-A and UV-B absorbing activity.     

Four Classes of Structurally Unusual Peptides from Two Marine-Derived Fungi: Structures and Bioactivities

The structures and biological properties of peptides produced by two genera of marine-derived fungi, an atypical Acremonium sp., and a Metarrhizium sp., were explored. The Acremonium strain was isolated from a marine sponge and has previously been shown by our group to produce peptides from the efrapeptin and RHM families. The isolation and structural elucidation of the new linear pentadecapeptides efrapeptins Eα (1) and H (2) and N-methylated octapeptides RHM3 (3) and RHM4 (4) were carried out through a combination of 1D and 2D NMR techniques and tandem MS. Additional known efrapeptins E, F, and G and the known syctalidamides A and B were also isolated. The absolute configurations of 1-4 are proposed to be the same as the original compound families. The marine sponge-derived Metarrhizium sp. was shown to produce destruxin cyclic depsipeptides including A, B, B2, desmethyl B, E chlorohydrin, and E2 chlorohydrin. Efrapeptins Eα (1), F, and G each displayed IC₅₀s of 1.3 nM against H125 cells, and destruxin E2 chlorohydrin displayed an IC₅₀ of 160 nM against HCT-116 cells. An initial therapeutic assessment suggested a continuous (168 h) exposure of at least 2 ng/mL, or a daily (24 h) exposure of at least 300 ng/mL for H125 cells treated with efrapeptin G, and a continuous (168 h) exposure of at least 190 ng/mL for HCT-116 cells treated with destruxin E2 chlorohydrin, will cause 90% tumor cell death in vitro.     

Heteroatom effects in XC5H5C Arduengo-type carbenes (X = CH,N, P,and As) in singlet and triplet states

Internal energy difference, ΔE _s-t; enthalpy difference, ΔH _s-t; Gibbs free energy difference, ΔG _s-t, between the singlet (s) and triplet states (t) of XC₅H₅C, 1X (X = CH, N, P, and As) were computed at B3LYP/6-311++G** and MP2/6-311++G**//B3LYP/6-311++G** levels of theory. The ΔG _s-t between the singlet and triplet states of 1 _X were changed in the order: 1 _P > 1 _As > 1 _N .     

Exploring the N-terminus region: Synthesis,bioactivity and 3D-QSAR of allatostatin analogs as novel insect growth regulators

Two series of peptidomimetic analogs with different substituents on the N-terminus region were designed and synthesized to explore the relationship between the structure and the inhibition activity in vitro. In addition, 3D-QSAR study was performed to highlight the structural requirements of AST analogs.     

N-Hydroxypyridone alkaloids,chromone derivatives,and tetrahydroxanthones from the scale-insect pathogenic fungus Orbiocrella sp. BCC 33248

Six new compounds, an N-hydroxypyridone glucoside, orbiocrellin A (1), its aglycone orbiocrellin B (2), chromone glucosides 3 and 4, a dihydrochromone 5a/5b, and a chromone 6, were isolated from the scale-insect pathogenic fungus Orbiocrella sp. BCC 33248. Orbiocrellin A (1) exhibited antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum K1 (IC₅₀ 3.1 μg/mL) while it was non-cytotoxic. In contrast, orbiocrellin B (2) showed both antimalarial (IC₅₀ 2.1 μg/mL) and cytotoxic (NCI-H187 cells, IC₅₀ 0.70 μg/mL) activities.     

Dayaolingzhiols A−E,AchE inhibitory meroterpenoids from Ganoderma lucidum

Ganoderma mushrooms are widely used as effective medicines for treating and preventing chronic diseases. In this study, five new meroterpenoids, dayaolingzhiols A (1) and B (2) featuring a 6/6/6 ring system, dayaolingzhiols C?E (3–5) harboring a γ-lactone motif, along with eight known ones (6–13), were purified from G. lucidum. To clarify their chemical structures, spectroscopic and ECD and OR computational methods were used. In addition, the inhibition of all the new meroterpenoids against AChE was evaluated, disclosing that (+)-4 and (±)-5 possess potent AChE inhibitory activities with respective IC₅₀ values of 8.52?±?1.90?μM and 7.37?±?0.52?μM.     

Meroterpenoids with diverse ring systems and dioxolanone-type secondary metabolites from Phyllosticta capitalensis and their phytotoxic activity

Twenty meroterpenoids with diverse ring systems including five new ones (1, 2, 5, 6, and 15), together with two new (23 and 24) and two known dioxolanone-type secondary metabolites were isolated from Phyllosticta capitalensis, an endophytic fungus from Cephalotaxus fortunei Hook. Compound 1 was the first example with a 9,14-seco ring A and a five-membered ring B in guignardone derivatives. Compound 2 represented a novel guignardone derivative possessing a 5/7/6/5 ring system with CH₂-7 attached to C-4 rather than C-6 in ring D. The structures of all new compounds were elucidated using spectroscopic data analyses and electronic circular dichroism comparison. The phytotoxic effects of compounds 1–24 on Lactuca sativa and Lolium perenne were evaluated. Compound 22 showed inhibition activity on the shoots growth of L. sativa and L. perenne, as well as the roots growth of L. perenne.     

Rational design,synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel C6-modified geldanamycin derivatives as potent Hsp90 inhibitors and anti-tumor agents

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is an appealing anticancer drug target that provoked a tremendous wave of investigations. Geldanamycin (GA) is the first identified Hsp90 inhibitor that exhibited potent anti-cancer activity, but the off-target toxicity associated with the benzoquinone moiety hampered its clinical application. Until now, structure optimization of GA is still in need to fully exploit the therapeutic value of Hsp90. Due to the structural complexity and synthetic challenge of this compound family, conventional optimization is bound to be costly but high efficiency is expected to be reachable by combining the art of rational design and total synthesis. Described in this paper is our first attempt at this approach aiming at rational modification of the C6-position of GA. The binding affinities towards Hsp90 of compound 1 (C6-ethyl) and 2 (C6-methyl) were designed and predicted by using Discovery Studio. These compounds were synthesized and further subjected to a thorough in vitro biological evaluation. We found that compounds 1 and 2 bind to Hsp90 protein with the IC₅₀ of 34.26 nmol/L and 163.7 nmol/L, respectively. Both compounds showed broad-spectrum antitumor effects. Replacing by ethyl, compound 1 exhibited more potent bioactivity than positive control GA, such as in G2/M cell cycle arrest, cell apoptosis and client proteins degradations. The results firstly indicated that the docking study is able to provide a precise prediction of Hsp90 affinities of GA analogues, and the C6 substituent of GA is not erasable without affecting its biological activity.     

Structural,stereochemical, and bioactive studies of cembranoids from Chinese soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum

A series of highly oxidative new cembranoids with diverse structural features such as a dienoate moiety (sarcophytonolides S – U, 1–3) or an α,β-unsaturated ε-lactone (sartrolides H – J, 4–6) were obtained from Hainan soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum, along with known related analogues 7–13. It is an extremely challenging work to determine the absolute configurations of these metabolites. For compounds 1, 3 and 4, solution TDDFT calculation of ECD and specific rotation were applied in combination with conformational analysis and NMR data to determine their relative and absolute configurations, leading to the revision of relative configuration of 14. The absolute configurations of compounds 8–10 were determined by the solid-state TDDFT-ECD approach, and that of 8 was further confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiment with Cu Kα radiation. In the bioassays, compound 8 exhibited not only moderate protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory activity (IC₅₀?=?15.4?μM) but also moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus Newman strain (MIC₅₀?=?250?μM).