Bioactive PKS–NRPS Alkaloids from the Plant-Derived Endophytic Fungus Xylaria arbuscula

A novel hybrid PKS–NRPS alkaloid, xylarialoid A (1), containing a 13-membered macrocyclic moiety and [5,5,6] fused tricarbocyclic rings, together with ten known cytochalasins (2–11), was isolated from a plant-derived endophytic fungus, Xylaria arbuscula. The chemical structures of all compounds were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR, HR ESIMS spectroscopic analyses, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation. Compounds 1–3 and 10 exhibited significant antitumor activities against A549 and Hep G2 cell lines, with IC₅₀ values of 3.6–19.6 μM. In addition, compound 1 showed potent anti-inflammatory activity against LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in macrophage RAW 264.7 cells (IC₅₀, 6.6 μM).     

Salicylic Acid as Ionic Liquid Formulation May Have Enhanced Potency to Treat Some Chronic Skin Diseases

In recent years, numerous studies have shown that conversion of conventional drugs in ionic liquid (IL) formulation could be a successful strategy to improve their physicochemical properties or suggest a new route of administration. We report the synthesis and detailed characterization of eight salicylic acid-based ILs (SA-ILs) containing cation non-polar or aromatic amino acid esters. Using in vitro assays, we preliminary evaluated the therapeutic potency of the novel SA-ILs. We observed that conversion of the SA into ionic liquids led to a decrease in its cytotoxicity toward NIH/3T3 murine embryo fibroblasts and human HaCaT keratinocytes. It should be mentioned is that all amino acid alkyl ester salicylates [AAOR][SA] inhibit the production of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 in LPS-stimulated keratinocytes. Moreover, keratinocytes, pretreated with [PheOMe][SA] and [PheOPr][SA] seem to be protected from LPS-induced inflammation. Finally, the novel compounds exhibit a similar binding affinity to bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the parent SA, suggesting a similar pharmacokinetic profile. These preliminary results indicate that SA-ILs, especially those with [PheOMe], [PheOPr], and [ValOiPr] cation, have the potential to be further investigated as novel topical agents for chronic skin diseases such as psoriasis and acne vulgaris.     

Synthesis,characterization and cytotoxic activity of diorganotin (IV) complexes with 4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-one derivatives

The coordination behaviour of the diorganotin (IV) compounds R₂SnCl₂ (where R = Me, Ph) with 4H-pyrido [1,2-a] pyrimidin-4-one derivatives (L) has been described. The complexes R₂SnCl₂ · L obtained have been characterized physicochemically and spectroscopically. The pyrimidin-4-one ligands were found to coordinate with R₂SnCl₂ species in a monodentate fashion, mainly via the oxygen atom of the 4-one group or possibly via the nitrogen atom of the (SINGLE BOND)C(DOUBLE BOND)N linkage (the less sterically hindered nitrogen of the pyrimidine derivative) to give pentacoordinate tin complexes. Of the complexes selected to be screened against five tumour cell lines, some exhibited significant in vitro activity.     

Differential effects of various trivalent and pentavalent organic and inorganic arsenic species on glucose metabolism in isolated kidney cells

We have compared the acute toxicities of the trivalent arsenic species arsenite, oxophenylarsine (PhAsO), 2-chlorovinyloxoarsine (ClvinAsO), methyloxoarsine (MeAsO), and of the pentavalent arsenic species arsenate, methyl- and phenyl-arsonic acid in rat kidney tubules (RKT) and Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. In RKT, PhAsO (1 μmol I⁻¹, 60 min) almost completely (>90%) blocked gluconeogenesis without affecting cell viability as assessed by dye exclusion. In MDCK cells, PhAsO (2 μmol I⁻¹) markedly inhibited glucose uptake (60% of controls) within 30 min, while cell viability, as assessed by formazan formation, was not affected within 180 min. MeAsO and CIvinAsO were similarly effective to PhAsO in both RKT and MDCK cells. Estimated IC₅₀ values for the inhibition of gluconeogenesis were 0.55 (PhAsO), 0.69 (CIvinAsO) and 0.99 μmol I⁻¹ (MeAsO) and for the inhibition of glucose uptake 1.23 (PhAsO). 2.62 (CIvinAsO) and 6.99 μmol I⁻¹ (MeAsO). At longer storage times, aqueous solutions of MeAsO and of CIvinAsO, but not of PhAsO, gradually lost toxic activity in RKT and MDCK cells, especially at alkaline pH. Concomitantly, a gradual decrease in content as assessed by HPLC was detected. Roughly 10-fold higher concentrations of arsenite than of PhAsO were required for comparable effects on gluconeogenesis in RKT, whereas in MDCK cells about 100-fold higher concentrations were needed for similar inhibition of glucose uptake. Pentavalent arsenate and phenylarsonate were two orders of magnitude less effective than PhAsO in RKT, while methylarsonate had virtually no influence on gluconeogenic activity. In MDCK cells the pentavalent arsenic species showed effects only in the millimolar range. It is concluded (1) that different mechanisms are involved in the acute toxicity of oxoarsines and inorganic arsenic and (2) that PhAsO offers advantages as a model substance for mono-substituted trivalent arsenicals, because it is more stable and more readily detectable.     

In Vitro and In Silico Study of Analogs of Plant Product Plastoquinone to Be Effective in Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Plants have paved the way for the attainment of molecules with a wide-range of biological activities. However, plant products occasionally show low biological activities and/or poor pharmacokinetic properties. In that case, development of their derivatives as drugs from the plant world has been actively performed. As plant products, plastoquinones (PQs) have been of high importance in anticancer drug design and discovery; we have previously evaluated and reported the potential cytotoxic effects of a series of PQ analogs. Among these analogs, PQ2, PQ3 and PQ10 were selected for National Cancer Institute (NCI) for in vitro screening of anticancer activity against a wide range of cancer cell lines. The apparent superior anticancer potency of PQ2 on the HCT-116 colorectal cancer cell line than that of PQ3 and PQ10 compared to other tested cell lines has encouraged us to perform further mechanistic studies to enlighten the mode of anti-colorectal cancer action of PQ2. For this purpose, its apoptotic effects on the HCT-116 cell line, DNA binding capacity and several crucial pharmacokinetic properties were investigated. Initially, MTT assay was conducted for PQ2 at different concentrations against HCT-116 cells. Results indicated that PQ2 exhibited significant cytotoxicity in HCT-116 cells with an IC₅₀ value of 4.97 ± 1.93 μM compared to cisplatin (IC₅₀ = 26.65 ± 7.85 μM). Moreover, apoptotic effects of PQ2 on HCT-116 cells were investigated by the annexin V/ethidium homodimer III staining method and PQ2 significantly induced apoptosis in HCT-116 cells compared to cisplatin. Based on the potent DNA cleavage capacity of PQ2, molecular docking studies were conducted in the minor groove of the double helix of DNA and PQ2 presented a key hydrogen bonding through its methoxy moiety. Overall, both in vitro and in silico studies indicated that effective, orally bioavailable drug-like PQ2 attracted attention for colorectal cancer treatment. The most important point to emerge from this study is that appropriate derivatization of a plant product leads to unique biologically active compounds.     

Four New Anthraquinones with Histone Deacetylase Inhibitory Activity from Ventilago denticulata Roots

Chromatographic separation of the crude extracts from the roots of Ventilago denticulata led to the isolation of four new anthraquinones, ventilanones L–O (1–4), together with eight known anthraquinones (5–12). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods (UV, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and 2D NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS), as well as comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature. HDACs inhibitory activity evaluation resulted that compound 2 exhibited moderate antiproliferative activity against HeLa and A549 cell lines but nontoxic to normal cell. Molecular docking indicated the phenolic functionality of 2 plays crucial interactions with class II HDAC4 enzyme.     

Uncommon Terpenoids from Salvia Species: Chemistry,Biosynthesis and Biological Activities

The search for new bioactive compounds from plant sources has been and continues to be one of the most important fields of research in drug discovery. However, Natural Products research has continuously evolved, and more and more has gained a multidisciplinary character. Despite new developments of methodologies and concepts, one intriguing aspect still persists, i.e., different species belonging to the same genus can produce different secondary metabolites, whereas taxonomically different genera can produce the same compounds. The genus Salvia L. (Family Lamiaceae) comprises myriad distinct medicinal herbs used in traditional medicine worldwide that show different pharmacological activities due to the presence of a variety of interesting specialized metabolites, including mono-, sesqui-, di-, sester-, tri-, tetra-, and higher terpenoids as well as phenylpropanoids, phenolic acid derivatives, lignans, flavonoids, and alkaloids. We herein summarize the research progress on some uncommon terpenoids, isolated from members of the genus Salvia, which are well recognized for their potential pharmacological activities. This review also provides a current knowledge on the biosynthesis and occurrence of some interesting phytochemicals from Salvia species, viz. C₂₃-terpenoids, sesterterpenoids (C₂₅), dammarane triterpenoids (C₃₀), and uncommon triterpenoids (C₂₀+C₁₀). The study was carried out by searching various scientific databases, including Elsevier, ACS publications, Taylor and Francis, Wiley Online Library, MDPI, Springer, Thieme, and ProQuest. Therefore, 106 uncommon terpenoids were identified and summarized. Some of these compounds possessed a variety of pharmacological properties, such as antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, cytotoxic and tubulin tyrosine ligase inhibitory activities. Due to the lack of pharmacological information for the presented compounds gathered from previous studies, biological investigation of these compounds should be reinvestigated.     

希土化合物对离体巨噬细胞的影响

本文应用细胞培养法和单细胞阳离子测定系统研究了希土化合物以地巨噬细胞的影响，结果表明，在培养介质中ＳｍＣｌ３和Ｙｃｌ３的浓度大于１ｍｍｏｌ．ｄｍ＾－３时，有明显的细胞毒性，Ｙｃｌ３的细胞毒性大于ＳｍＣｌ３，ＳｍＣｌ３和ＹＣｌ３的细胞毒性明显大于Ｓｍ（Ａｌａ）３Ｃｌ３和Ｙ（Ａｌａ）２Ｃｌ３。希土化合物的作用使细胞（Ｃａ＾２＋ｉ）升高；毒性越大，Ｃａ＾２＋ｉ升高越甚。低浓度Ｓｍ＾３＋和Ｙ６３＋对细胞膜     

氨·二甲胺·羧酸根合铂(Ⅱ)类配合物的合成、抗肿瘤活性和与DNA的键合水平

本工作设计合成了6种新型混胺羧酸根合铂(Ⅱ)类配合物[Pt((?)NH)(NH₃)X₂](a～f){其中，X=CH₃COO^-(乙酸根)，CH₃Cl COO^-(氯乙酸根)，CHCl₂COO^-(二氯乙酸根)，C₆H₅-COO^-(苯甲酸根)，p-CH₃-C₆H₄-COO^-(对甲基苯甲酸根)，p-CH₃O-C₆H₄-COO^-(对甲氧基苯甲酸根)}。通过元素分析、摩尔电导、差热分析、红外光谱、紫外光谱和 ¹H核磁共振谱对配合物进行了表征。通过MTT法研究了配合物的体外抗肿瘤活性，通过等离子体质谱研究了配合物与细胞DNA的键合量；体外抗肿瘤活性测试表明，配合物(a～f)对所测试的肿瘤细胞MCF-7、HCT-8和BGC-823没有表现出活性，但对EJ和HL-60两种肿瘤细胞表现出好的活性，而且配合物(d～f)对HL-60细胞的活性与顺铂相当。配合物(a～f)与HL-60细胞的DNA键合量与其作用浓度表现出一定的依赖性，从小到大的顺序为：cisplatin < c < b < a < f < e < d。     

粉防己碱拮抗α-石英细胞毒性的机理

借助于单细胞阳离子测定系统研究了α-石英诱发细胞毒性过程中,不同外钙浓度时粉防己碱作用后,细胞存活率与胞浆游离钙浓度的变化关系。研究发现粉防己碱可以通过阻断细胞离子通道,拮抗α-石英的细胞毒性。