拟南芥色氨酸与吲哚乙酸生物合成的研究进展

拟南芥色氨酸生物合成途径的研究已逐渐成为植物分子生物学家了解植物基因结构和表达调控最主要的模式系统之一。到目前为止,编码拟南芥色氨酸合成途径的七种酶蛋白的基因已经全部被克隆,并进行了不同程度的分子生物学研究。长期以来,色氨酸一直被认为是植物生长素吲哚乙酸（ＩＡＡ）生物合成（从头合成）的前体物,但近年来人们发现生长素合成的非色氨酸途径可能是其在植物中生物合成的主要途径。植物在不同的发育阶段可能采用不同的方式合成ＩＡＡ。     

Amelioration of indole acetic acid-induced cytotoxicity in mice using zinc nanoparticles biosynthesized with Ochradenus arabicus leaf extract

The diversity of natural phytochemicals represents an unlimited source for discovery and development of new drugs. Ochradenus arabicus, (family: Resedaceae) a notable medicinal plant displays a high content of flavonoid glycosides. This study investigates a possible preventative role of zinc nanoparticles biosynthesized by O. arabicus leaf extracts (OAZnO NPs) in limiting genotoxicity and cytotoxicity caused by indole acetic acid (IAA) in laboratory mice. ZnO NPs were synthesized using O. arabicus leaf extracts and characterized with UV–visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). The mice were randomly distributed into the following six groups: control, OAZnO NPs treated (10 mg/kg BW), IAA treated (50 mg/kg BW); simultaneous treatment, pre-treatment, and post-treatment. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA damage, chromosome aberration, and apoptosis were analyzed as toxicity endpoints. IAA exposure significantly induced production of ROS, DNA damage, apoptosis, chromosome aberrations, and micronuclei. Pre-, post-, and simultaneous treatment with OAZnO NPs ameliorated the damage caused by IAA exposure. Exposure to OAZnO NPs alone caused no toxicity for any endpoint based on comparison to controls. This study demonstrated that IAA-induced cytotoxic damage in mice could be ameliorated by treatment with OAZnO NPs. These findings require additional verification in mechanistic and in vitro studies.     

乌檀的化学成分研究

从珍稀药用植物乌檀(Nauclea officinalis)的枝叶中分离得到1个甾醇类、3个三萜类、2个酚类和1个生物碱类化合物。通过光谱分析,分别鉴定为豆甾-4-烯-3-酮(1)、铁冬青酸(2)、常春藤皂苷元(3)、3-羰基奎诺瓦酸(4)、2,5-二甲氧基苯甲酸(5)、3,4,5-三甲氧基苯甲酸(6)和Strictosamide(7)。7个化合物均是首次从乌檀中得到。     

Discovery and characterization of novel indole and 7-azaindole derivatives as inhibitors of β-amyloid-42 aggregation for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

The aggregation of amyloid-β peptides into cytotoxic oligomeric and fibrillary aggregates is believed to be one of the major pathological events in Alzheimer disease. Here we report the design and synthesis of a novel series of indole and 7-azaindole derivatives containing, nitrile, piperidine and N-methyl-piperidine substituents at the 3-position to prevent the pathological self-assembly of amyloid-β. We have further demonstrated that substitution of the azaindole and indole derivatives at the 3 positions is required to obtain compounds with improved physicochemical properties to allow brain penetration.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of indole derivatives as Vif inhibitors

The crystal structure of viral infectivity factor (Vif) was reported recently, which makes it possible to design new inhibitors against Vif by structure-based drug design. Through analysis of the protein surface of Vif, the C2 pocket located in the N-terminal was found, which is suit for developing small molecular inhibitors. Then, in our article, fragment-based virtual screening (FBVS) was conducted and a series of fragments was obtained, among which, Zif-1 bearing indole scaffold and pyridine ring can form H-bonds with Tyr148 and Ile155. Subsequently, 19 derivatives of Zif-1 were synthesized. Through the immune-fluorescence staining and Western blot assays, Zif-15 shows potent activity in inhibiting Vif-mediated A3G degradation. Further docking experiment shows that Zif-15 form H-bond interactions with residues His139, Tyr148 and Ile155. Therefore, Zif-15 is a promising lead compound against Vif that can be used to treat AIDS.     

Optimization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Renealmia mexicana</Emphasis> (Klotzsch ex. Petersen) cultivation <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

Renealmia mexicana (Klotzsch ex. Petersen) is a tropical plant found in southern México with an ornamental value and a potential source of curcuminoids. Its distribution in Chiapas has decreased because of deforestation and low propagation and germination rate, so a protocol for in vitro propagation was developed. An orthogonal experimental design of L₉ (3⁴) in triplicate was used to investigate the effect of 6-benzyl adenine (BA), indole butyric acid (IBA), silver nitrate (AgNO₃), and sucrose on shoot, root, and leaf development of plantlets grown in vitro. Plantlets with well-developed shoots and roots were transferred to pots containing a mixture of peat moss and agrolite for hardening before transfer to soil. The Murashige and Skoog (Physiol. Plant. 15:473–497, 1962) mineral medium (MS) supplemented with 4.4 μM BA, 2.5 μM IBA, 11.7 μM AgNO_3y and 5.5% (w/v) sucrose gave most shoots, 8.9 μM BA, 2.5 μM IBA, 17.7 μM AgNO₃ and 5.5% (w/v) sucrose most roots, and 8.9 μM BA, 4.9 μM IBA, 11.7 μM AgNO₃ and 3.0% (w/v) sucrose most leaves, although other combinations were statistically equivalent in each case. Sucrose was the factor that most explained the variation in the promotion of shoots, roots, and leaves. The protocol developed resulted in up to 100% survival when plantlets were transferred to soil using AgNO₃, confirming that hardening of plantlets in vitro using hormonal stimulation was a suitable strategy to improve acclimatization.     

Hypaphorine, an indole alkaloid from Erythrina velutina, induced sleep on normal mice

An indole alkaloid (hypaphorine (1)) was isolated from Brazilian medicinal plant, Erythrina velutina (Leguminosae). This compound was investigated for sleep promoting effects in mice, and the results showed that it significantly increased non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep time during the first hour after its administration. The NREM sleep time was enhanced by 33% in the experimental mice when compared to that of the controls. This study therefore confirmed its sleep promoting property.     

A regiospecific synthesis of a series of 1-sulfonyl azepinoindoles as potent 5-HT6 ligands

A regiospecific synthesis of a series of 1-sulfonyl azepinoindoles as potent 5-HT6 ligands is reported.     

Description of a novel indole-oxidizing bacterium Pseudomonas indoloxydans sp. nov., isolated from a pesticide-contaminated site

A Gram-negative, deep brown-pigmented Gammaproteobacteria, strain IPL-1(T), capable of oxidizing indole was isolated from a lindane-contaminated site and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Most of the physiological and biochemical properties, major fatty acids (C(18:1)omega7c, C(16:1)omega7c/iso C(15:0) 2OH and C(16:0)), estimated DNA G+C content (67.2mol%) and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain IPL-1(T) belonged to the genus Pseudomonas. Strain IPL-1(T) exhibited highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes (99.0%), followed by Pseudomonas alcaliphila (98.7%), Pseudomonas oleovorans (98.3%), Pseudomonas nitroreducens (98.0%), Pseudomonas mendocina (97.6%) and Pseudomonas stutzeri (97.4%). However, the DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain IPL-1(T) and the closely related taxa were between 22% and 61%. On the basis of differential phenotypic characteristics and genotypic distinctiveness, strain IPL-1(T) should be classified within the genus Pseudomonas as a novel species, for which the name Pseudomonas indoloxydans is proposed. The type strain is IPL-1(T) (=MTCC 8062(T)=JCM 14246(T)).     

Pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine and indole conjugate (IN6CPBD) has better efficacy and superior safety than the mother compound DC-81 in suppressing the growth of established melanoma in vivo

Melanoma is one of the most chemo-resistant cancers. The remission rate of current therapy remains low. Pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepines (PBDs) are a group of antitumor antibiotics that binds to N2 of guanine to form a DNA adduct. However, significant cardiotoxicity hampers their clinical use. We have previously synthesized a PBD indole conjugate (IN6CPBD) that induced apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of the IN6CPBD for established murine melanoma cells in vivo. IN6CPBD induced more apoptosis than DC-81 as evidenced by sub-G1 distribution, annexin V positivity, and decrease mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ_mt). The melanomas were established in C57BL/6 mice by injecting B16F10 cells via the tail vein. Three courses of therapy were instituted after day 5 and the mice were sacrificed at day 20. The tumor growth rate in the foot pad was significantly reduced in IN6CPBD-treated mice than that in DC-81- and PBS-treated mice. The tumor burden in the lungs was also reduced significantly in IN6CPBD-treated mice accompanied with the most prominent TUNEL staining. Renal function, and cardiac enzymes were not altered significantly by IN6CPBD or DC-81, however, robust deterioration of liver function was noticed in the DC-81-treated mice. In summary, potent apoptosis could be elicited by the PBD indole conjugate IN6CPBD, accompanied with a better efficacy and less liver function impairment than the mother compound DC-81 in treating established melanoma metastasis in vivo.