Enzymatic biotransformation of terpenes as bioactive agents

The plant-derived terpenoids are considered to be the most potent anticancer, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic compounds known. Enzymatic biotransformation is a very useful approach to expand the chemical diversity of natural products. Recent enzymatic biotransformation studies on terpenoids have resulted in the isolation of novel compounds. 14-hydroxy methyl caryophyllene oxide produced from caryophyllene oxide showed a potent inhibitory activity against the butyryl cholinesterase enzyme, and was found to be more potent than parent caryophyllene oxide. The metabolites 3β,7β-dihydroxy-11-oxo-olean-12-en-30-oic acid, betulin, betulonic acid, argentatin A, incanilin, 18β glycyrrhetinic acid, 3,11-dioxo-olean-12-en-30-oic acid produced from 18β glycyrrhetinic acid were screened against the enzyme lipoxygenase. 3,11-Dioxo-olean-12-en-30-oic acid, was found to be more active than the parent compound. The metabolites 3β-hydroxy sclareol 18α-hydroxy sclareol, 6α,18α-dihydroxy sclareol, 11S,18α-dihydroxy sclareol, and 1β-hydroxy sclareol and 11S,18α-dihydroxy sclareol produced from sclareol were screened for antibacterial activity. 1β-Hydroxy sclareol was found to be more active than parent sclareol. There are several reports on natural product enzymatic biotransformation, but few have been conducted on terpenes. This review summarizes the classification, advantages and agents of enzymatic transformation and examines the potential role of new enzymatically transformed terpenoids and their derivatives in the chemoprevention and treatment of other diseases.     

Identification of Natural Diterpenes that Inhibit Bacterial Wilt Disease in Tobacco, Tomato and Arabidopsis

The soil-borne bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum invades a broad range of plants through their roots, resulting in wilting of the plant, but no effective protection against this disease has been developed. Two bacterial wilt disease-inhibiting compounds were biochemically isolated from tobacco and identified as sclareol and cis-abienol, labdane-type diterpenes. When exogenously applied to their roots, sclareol and cis-abienol inhibited wilt disease in tobacco, tomato and Arabidopsis plants without exhibiting any antibacterial activity. Microarray analysis identified many sclareol-responsive genes in Arabidopsis roots, including genes encoding or with a role in ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, and biosynthesis and signaling of defense-related molecules and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade components. Inhibition of wilt disease by sclareol was attenuated in Arabidopsis mutants defective in the ABC transporter AtPDR12, the MAPK MPK3, and ethylene and abscisic acid signaling pathways, and also in transgenic tobacco plants with reduced expression of NtPDR1, a tobacco homolog of AtPDR12. These results suggest that multiple host factors are involved in the inhibition of bacterial wilt disease by sclareol-related compounds.     

Terpenoids from Salvia palaestina

Six known terpenoids: vergatic acid, ursolic acid, crataegolic acid, lupane-3β-,11α, 20-triol, sclareol and sitosteryl 3β-glucoside were isolated from the leaves of Salvia palaestina and were identified by spectral data. Among the compounds, sclareol showed high activity against Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermis, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while the triterpenoids were not tested due to solubility problems.     

Sclareol induces apoptosis in human HCT116 colon cancer cells <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> and suppression of HCT116 tumor growth in immunodeficient mice

Labd-14-ene-8, 13-diol (sclareol) is a labdane-type diterpene, which has demonstrated significant cytotoxic activity against human leukemic cell lines, but its effect on solid tumor-derived cells is uknown. Here, we demonstrate that addition of sclareol to cultures of human colon cancer HCT116 cells results in inhibition of DNA synthesis, arrest of cells at the G₁ phase of the cell cycle, activation of caspases-8, -9, PARP degradation, and DNA fragmentation, events characteristic of induction of apoptosis. Intraperitoneal (ip) administration of sclareol alone, at the maximum tolerated dose, was unable to induce suppression of growth of HCT116 tumors established as xenografts in immunodeficient SCID mice. In contrast, ip administration of liposome-encapsulated sclareol, following a specific schedule, induced suppression of tumor growth by arresting tumor cell proliferation as assessed by detecting the presence of the cell proliferation-associated nuclear protein, Ki67, in thin tumor sections. These findings suggest that sclareol incorporated into liposomes may possess chemotherapeutic potential for the treatment of colorectal and other types of human cancer.     

构建酿酒酵母工程菌合成香紫苏醇

香紫苏醇是一种来源于植物的双环二萜醇,常用于香味成分且具有重要生物学活性。为实现香紫苏醇的微生物生产,以酿酒酵母为宿主,表达焦磷酸赖百当烯二醇酯合酶和香紫苏醇合酶,构建香紫苏醇的人工生物合成途径。发现过表达前体代谢关键酶、蛋白质融合增强底物通道效应及去除异源蛋白信号肽等,有利于香紫苏醇合成。在摇瓶培养条件下,组合优化得到的工程菌株S6的香紫苏醇产量达到8.96 mg/L。研究结果对其他萜类化合物的异源生物合成具有参考价值。     

Structure elucidation and antibacterial activity of new fungal metabolites of sclareol

The transformation of the antibacterial diterpene sclareol (1) by two different fungal strains was investigated (Scheme). In the presence of Rhizopus stolonifer, (3beta)-3-hydroxysclareol (2), 18-hydroxysclareol (3), (6alpha)-6,18-dihydroxysclareol (4), and (11S)-11,18-dihydroxysclareol (5) were formed. Fermentation of 1 with Fusarium lini afforded (1beta)-1-hydroxysclareol (6) and (12S)-12-hydroxysclareol (7). Compounds 4-7 were identified as new compounds, and some of them were active against Bacillus subtilis (Table 3).     

A comparative study of the effects of cholesterol and sclareol, a bioactive labdane type diterpene, on phospholipid bilayers

Sclareol (labd-14-ene-8,13-diol) is a highly water-insoluble molecule that belongs to the labdane type diterpenes and is characterized as a biologically active molecule, due to its cytotoxic and cytostatic effects against human leukemic cell lines. A superimposition study between sclareol and cholesterol, based on their corresponding hydrophobic and polar molecular segments calculated from their lipophilic profiles, revealed their spatial similarities. This structural similarity between the two molecules prompted us to compare their effects on the structure and stability of phospholipid dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) membranes. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was applied to compare the thermal changes caused by either cholesterol or sclareol when are incorporated in DPPC bilayers. The results showed that sclareol is incorporated into phospholipid model membranes and mimics the thermal effects of cholesterol especially at concentrations up to X(sclareol)=9.1 mol%. These effects can be summarized as the abolition of pre-transition, lowering of the main phase transition and reduction of the enthalpy change (DeltaH) of the gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition of DPPC bilayers. At concentrations X> or =16.7 mol%, sclareol and cholesterol caused different heterogeneity in lipid bilayers or a reversible transition from a vesicular suspension to an extended peak bilayer network. This different fluidization, exerted by the two molecules at high concentration, may be related to their different stability and the z-average mean diameter of the liposomes they form. Small unilamellar vesicles, prepared by the thin film hydration method showed that DPPC bilayers containing a high concentration of sclareol in equimolar ratio sclareol:cholesterol were unstable, in contrast to the ones containing only cholesterol.     

香紫苏醇及其类似物生物转化的研究

综述了香紫苏醇及其类似物生物转化所用的生物源(细菌、真菌和动物)、菌株的转化能力、微生物氧化香紫苏醇的反应部位及引入的官能团的研究进展,评述了其发展前景。     

酿酒酵母工程菌高密度培养生产香紫苏醇

为提高酿酒酵母工程菌S7香紫苏醇产量,采用摇瓶培养,研究了其生长和代谢特点,发现产物合成与菌体生长密切关联。在3 L发酵罐中通过补料-溶氧联动控制的方式,以葡萄糖、乙醇和葡萄糖/乙醇混合物为碳源进行高密度培养,香紫苏醇产量分别达到253 mg/L、386 mg/L和408 mg/L,最高产量是摇瓶培养的27倍。说明添加乙醇作为碳源有助于香紫苏醇合成。研究结果对优化酿酒酵母细胞工厂,高效生产萜类化合物具有重要参考价值。     

Biotransformation of two cytotoxic terpenes, alpha-santonin and sclareol by Botrytis cinerea

Two cytotoxic terpenes, alpha-santonin (1) and sclareol (3) were biotransformed by a plant pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea to produce oxidized metabolites in high yields. Alpha-Santonin (1) on fermentation with the fungus for ten days afforded a hydroxylated metabolite identified as 11beta-hydroxy-alpha-santonin (2) in a high yield (83%), while sclareol (3) was metabolized to epoxysclareol (4) (64%) and a new compound 8-deoxy-14,15-dihydro-15-chloro-14-hydroxy-8,9-dehydrosclareol (5) (7%), representing a rare example of microbial halogenation.     

Plant growth inhibiting properties of diterpenes from tobacco

Certain diterpenes, isolated from various tobacco species andcultivars, inhibited the growth of wheat coleoptiles. The mostactive were sclareol, a mixture of sclareol and epi-sclareol, and rß-4,8,13-duvatriene-1,3-diol, abienol, and labdanediol. (Received December 20, 1976; )     

Calorimetric study on the induction of interdigitated phase in hydrated DPPC bilayers by bioactive labdanes and correlation to their liposome stability: The role of chemical structure

Labd-7,13-dien-15-ol (1), labd-13-ene-8alpha,15-diol (2), and labd-14-ene-8,13-diol (sclareol) have been found to exhibit cytotoxic and cytostatic effects. Their partitioning into phospholipid bilayers may induce membrane structure modifications, crucial in the development of liposomes. DSC was used to elucidate the profile of modifications induced in DPPC bilayers by incorporating increasing concentrations of the labdanes. Labdanes 1, 2 and sclareol were incorporated into SUV liposomes composed of DPPC their physicochemical stability was monitored (4 degrees C) and was compared to liposomes incorporating cholesterol. All labdanes strongly affect the bilayer organization in a concentration dependent manner in terms of a decrease of the cooperativity, the fluidization and partially destabilization of the gel phase, the induction of a lateral phase separation and the possible existence of interdigitated domains in the bilayer. The physicochemical stability of liposomes was strongly influenced by the chemical features of the labdanes. The liposomal preparations were found to retain their stability at low labdane concentration (10 mol%), while at higher concentrations up to 30 mol% a profound decrease in intact liposomes occurred, and a possible existence of interdigitated sheets was concluded.     

A plant plasma membrane ATP binding cassette-type transporter is involved in antifungal terpenoid secretion

ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters, which are found in all species, are known mainly for their ability to confer drug resistance. To date, most of the ABC transporters characterized in plants have been localized in the vacuolar membrane and are considered to be involved in the intracellular sequestration of cytotoxins. Working on the assumption that certain ABC transporters might be involved in defense metabolite secretion and their expression might be regulated by the concentration of these metabolites, we treated a Nicotiana plumbaginifolia cell culture with sclareolide, a close analog of sclareol, an antifungal diterpene produced at the leaf surface of Nicotiana spp; this resulted in the appearance of a 160-kD plasma membrane protein, which was partially sequenced. The corresponding cDNA (NpABC1) was cloned and shown to encode an ABC transporter. In vitro and in situ immunodetection showed NpABC1 to be localized in the plasma membrane. Under normal conditions, expression was found in the leaf epidermis. In cell culture and in leaf tissues, NpABC1 expression was strongly enhanced by sclareolide and sclareol. In parallel with NpABC1 induction, cells acquired the ability to excrete a labeled synthetic sclareolide derivative. These data suggest that NpABC1 is involved in the secretion of a secondary metabolite that plays a role in plant defense.     

New saccharin derivatives as tyrosinase inhibitors

A newly series of 6-(phenylurenyl/thiourenyl) saccharin (6a-y) derivatives were synthesized and their inhibitory effects on the diphenolase activity of banana tyrosinase were evaluated. A 70-fold purification of the enzyme with 6.85% yield was achieved by using a Sepharose 4B-l-tyrosine-p-amino benzoic acid affinity column. The result showed that all the synthesized compounds inhibited the tyrosinase enzyme activity. Among the compounds synthesized, 6-(3-iodophenylthiourenyl) saccharin (6s) was found to be most active one (K(i)=3.95 μM) and the inhibition kinetics analyzed by Lineweaver-Burk double reciprocal plots revealed that compound 6s was a competitive inhibitor. Structure-activity relationships study showed that generally, most of the 6-(phenylthiourenyl) saccharin derivatives (6m-y) exhibited higher inhibitory activity than 6-(phenylurenyl) saccharin derivatives (6a-l). An electron-withdrawing group at 3-position of phenylurenyl-ring increased in activity and the halogen series at 3-position of phenylthiourenyl-ring showed a qualitative relationship for higher inhibitory activity with increasing size and polarizability. We also calculated HOMO-LUMO energy levels and dipole moments of some selected the synthesized compounds (6a, 6h, 6m and 6s) using Gaussian software.     

Synthesis and in vitro antiproliferative evaluation of some ring B abeo-sterols

Using cholesterol, β-sitosterol, dehydroisoandrosterone and pregnenolone as starting materials, a series of 5(6→7)abeo-sterols with different substituted groups and various side chains were synthesized and the antiproliferative activity of these compounds against HeLa, SMMC 7404 and MGC 7901 cells was investigated. The results revealed that the presence of a cholesterol-type side chain was very important for their cytotoxicity, and in particular a thiosemicarbazone at the C-6 position significantly enhanced the antiproliferative activity of these compounds. Although the elimination of 5-hydroxyl has no an obvious effect on their cytotoxic function, removal of the hydroxyl at the C-3 position decreased markedly the antiproliferative activity of the compounds. Some compounds have similar cytotoxic capability as cisplatin does.     

Mechanisms of resistance to self-produced toxic secondary metabolites in plants

Plants produce a variety of secondary metabolites to protect themselves from pathogens and herbivores and/or to influence the growth of neighbouring plants. Some of these metabolites are toxic to the producing cells when their target sites are present in the producing organisms. Therefore, a specific self-resistance mechanism must exist in these plants. Self-resistance mechanisms, including extracellular excretion, vacuolar sequestration, vesicle transport, extracellular biosynthesis, and accumulation of the metabolite in a non-toxic form, have been proposed thus far. Recently, a new mechanism involving mutation of the target protein of the toxic metabolite has been elucidated. We review here the mechanisms that plants use to prevent self-toxicity from the following representative compounds: cannabinoids, flavonoids, diterpene sclareol, alkaloids, benzoxazinones, phenylpropanoids, cyanogenic glycosides, and glucosinolates.     

Effects of novel human cathepsin S inhibitors on cell migration in human cancer cells

Abstract

Elevated cathepsin S (Cat S) level is correlated with higher migration ability in tumor cells. This study investigates the inhibitory effect of novel synthetic α-ketoamide compounds on cathepsin activity and cancer cell migration. The effect of several α-ketoamide compounds on the activity of recombinant cathepsins (Cat S, Cat L and Cat K) was examined. Two highly metastatic cancer cell lines were incubated with three Cat S-specific compounds (6n, 6w and 6r) to analyze their effect on cellular Cat S activity and cell migration. At a 100?nM concentration, compounds 6n, 6r and 6w effectively inhibited Cat S activity. Cat S activity and cell migration were significantly reduced in CL1-3 cells after treatment with either 6n or 6w at 5?μM. Similar results were also obtained when A2058 cells were treated with 6n. These results highlight the therapeutic potential of α-ketoamide compounds, especially 6n and 6w, to prevent or delay cancer metastasis.     

Polyphenolic compounds from flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn. and their inhibitory effect on alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity in vitro

Graded concentrations (0.1-100 mg/mL reaction mixture) of the methanolic extract of the flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn., its water-soluble fraction as well as compounds isolated from this fraction were tested for their inhibitory effect on alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity in vitro. Both the methanolic extract and its water-soluble fraction showed significant inhibitory effects on the enzyme activity in vitro. On screening the activity of the compounds isolated from the water-soluble fraction, its high inhibitory activity was attributed to the presence of quercetin-7-O-galactoside which showed a high potent inhibition of the enzyme activity reaching 100% at 100 mg/mL reaction mixture. Phytochemical investigations of the water-soluble fraction were also carried out and afforded ten polyphenolic compounds including two new natural compounds, namely kaempferol-7-O-[6'-O-p-hydroxybenzoyl-beta-D-glucosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside] and scutellarein-6-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside-8-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside). The chemical structure of the isolated compounds was elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectral data.