Cytotoxic Activities of Amino Acid‐Conjugate Derivatives of Abietane‐Type Diterpenoids against Human Cancer Cell Lines

Nine amino acid conjugate derivatives, each 2 – 10 and 12 – 20 , were prepared from abietic acid ( 1 ) and dehydroabietic acid ( 11 ), respectively, and they were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against four human cancer cell lines, i.e., leukemia (HL60), lung (A549), stomach (AZ521), and breast (SK‐BR‐3). All compounds showed cytotoxicities against HL60 with IC₅₀ values in the range of 2.3–37.3 μM . In addition, most of the derivatives exhibited moderate cytotoxicities against the other cancer cell lines. Among the derivatives, methyl N‐[18‐oxoabieta‐8,11,13‐trien‐18‐yl]‐L ‐tyrosinate ( 19 ) exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against four cancer cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 2.3 (HL60), 7.1 (A549), 3.9 (AZ521), and 8.1 μM (SK‐BR‐3). Furthermore, all derivatives were shown to possess high selective cytotoxic activities for leukemia cells, since they exhibited only weak cytotoxicities against normal lymphocyte cell line RPMI1788.     

Guanacastane-type diterpenoids from Coprinus plicatilis

Four new guanacastane-type diterpenoids (1–4), named plicatilisins E-H, together with the known compound, plicatilisin D (5), were isloated from two fermentation extracts (i.e., solid state fermentation on PDA medium & static fermentation of malt extract broth culture medium) of the fungal strain Coprinus plicatilis 82. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR as well as FT-ICR-MS, UV, and IR, and comparison with literature data. All the compounds showed insignificant cytotoxicities against the cancer cell line HCT116.     

Synthesis and antitumor activities of novel dipeptide derivatives derived from dehydroabietic acid

A series of dipeptide derivatives from dehydroabietic acid were designed and synthesized as novel antitumor agents. The antitumor activities screening indicated that many compounds showed moderate to high levels of inhibition activities against NCI-H460, HepG2, SK-OV-3, BEL-7404, HeLa and HCT-116 cancer cell lines and that some displayed more potent inhibitory activities than commercial anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil. The mechanism of representative compound 7b was studied by AO/EB staining, Hoechst 33258 staining, JC-1 mitochondrial membrane potential staining, TUNEL assay, DNA ladder assay and flow cytometry, which exhibited that the compound could induce apoptosis in HeLa cells. Further investigation showed that compound 7b induced apoptosis of HeLa cells through a mitochondrial pathway.     

Synthesis and antitumor activities of novel α-aminophosphonates dehydroabietic acid derivatives

A series of novel α-aminophosphonate derivatives containing DHA structure were designed and synthesized as antitumor agents. In vitro antitumor activities of these compounds against the NCI-H460 (human lung cancer cell), A549 (human lung adenocarcinoma cell), HepG2 (human liver cancer cell) and SKOV3 (human ovarian cancer cell) human cancer cell lines were evaluated and compared with commercial anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), employing standard MTT assay. The pharmacological screening results revealed that many compounds exhibited moderate to high levels of antitumor activities against the tested cancer cell lines and that most demonstrated more potent inhibitory activities compared with the commercial anticancer drug 5-FU. The action mechanism of representative compound 7c was preliminarily investigated by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, Hoechst 33258 staining, JC-1 mitochondrial membrane potential staining and flow cytometry, which indicated that the compound can induce cell apoptosis in NCI-H460 cells. Cell cycle analysis showed that compound 7c mainly arrested NCI-H460 cells in G1 stage.     

Cytotoxic abietane-type diterpenoids from twigs and leaves of Croton laevigatus

Seven new abietane-type diterpenoids, crotolaevigatones A–G (1–7), one new aromatic compound, hexyl Z-ferulate (8), along with three known diterpenoids (9–11) and one known aromatic ester, hexyl E-ferulate (12), were obtained from the twigs and leaves of Croton laevigatus. The structures of all isolated compounds were established on the basis of extensive NMR and MS spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 2 and 7 exhibited weak anti-proliferative activity against the A549 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells, while compound 10 selectively showed significant inhibitory activity against the A549 cancer cells.     

Identification of a diverse synthetic abietane diterpenoid library and insight into the structure-activity relationships for antibacterial activity

A diverse natural product-like (NPL) synthetic abietane diterpenoid library containing 86 compounds were obtained and the SARs were studied based on their antibacterial potential. Further in vitro cytotoxic and in silico drug-like properties evaluation showed that the potent antibacterial compound 84 had good drug-like properties and displayed low cytotoxicity toward noncancerous mammalian cells, indicating the study of AA and DHAA might be a good starting point for the search of novel antimicrobial molecules. Future work should be focused on the optimization of their potency and selectivity.     

Bacterial defluorination of 4-fluoroglutamic acid

Fluorinated amino acids are used as enzyme inhibitors, mechanistic probes and in the production of pharmacologically active peptides. Because enantiomerically pure 4-fluoroglutamate is difficult to prepare, the selective degradation of the l-isomer is a potentially convenient method of obtaining d-4-fluoroglutamate from the racemate. In this paper, we describe our investigations on the degradation of 4-fluoroglutamate by bacteria. Fluoride ion was detected in resting-cell cultures of a number of bacteria that were incubated with racemic 4-fluoroglutamate. Analysis of the culture supernatants by chiral gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed that only the l-isomer was degraded. The degradation of 4-fluoroglutamate was also examined in cell-free extracts of Streptomyces cattleya and Proteus mirabilis, and it was observed that equimolar concentrations of fluoride ion and ammonia were generated. The activity was located in the soluble fraction of cell extracts, thus is not related to the l-2-amino-4-chloro-4-pentenoic acid dehydrochlorinase previously identified in membrane fractions of P. mirabilis.     

Biotransformation of abietic acid by fungi and biological evaluation of its metabolites

Biotransformation of abietic acid was carried out initially using 28 different microbial strains. Among the evaluated, Mucor ramannianus produced a known metabolite 2α-hydroxy-dehydroabietic acid whereas Neurospora crassa yielded two known metabolites of 7β-hydroxy-dehydroabietic and 1β-hydroxy-dehydroabietic acids in 12.7, 15.5 and 20.1% yields, respectively. The in vitro antimicrobial activities of the metabolites were evaluated against 19 different pathogenic microorganisms, resulting in moderate inhibitory activity when compared to the standards, with MICs > 250 μg/mL. However, in the in vitro anticancer activity studies, 2α-hydroxy-dehydroabietic acid was found to be the most effective derivative against A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cell line with an IC₅₀ value of 320.8 μg/mL and SI (Selectivity index) of 156, respectively. Using the same assay and conditions, 7β-hydroxy-dehydroabietic was found to be the most effective and selective antiproliferative agent against HepG2 cell line with an IC₅₀ value of 196.6 μg/mL and SI of 187, respectively. Contrary to the antimicrobial activity, the biotransformation metabolites showed promising results suggesting selective toxicity against specific cancer cell line where the genotoxicity of the same derivatives were in a negligible range. Furthermore, DNA synthesis inhibition of metabolites were more promising in the A549 cell line while apoptotic effects were better in HepG2 cell line.     

A new benzoic acid derivative from Piper diospyrifolium and its anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity

The extraction by supercritical fluid (SFE-CO₂) from leaves of Piper diospyrifolium and chromatographic column purification afforded the isolation of a new benzoic acid derivative 4-methoxy-3-[(E)-3-methyl-1,3-butadien-1-yl]-5-(3-methyl-2-buten-1-yl)-benzoic acid (1). The chemical structure was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods and comparison with literature data. SFE-CO₂ extracts and (1) were tested for their anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activities and cytotoxicities in J774G.8 macrophages. The compound (1) and SFE-CO₂ extracts exhibited moderate activities against M. tuberculosis H₃₇Rv with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 125 μg/mL. The MIC values of M. tuberculosis clinical isolates ranged from 125 μg/mL to >250 μg/mL. The cytotoxicities results showed a selectivity index range from 0.6 to 1.0. Additional studies in structure activity-relationship as well as synergistic activity with antituberculous drugs should be conducted for a better evaluation of anti-mycobacterial activity of this compound.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new bis-indolone-N-oxides

A series of bis-indolone-N-oxides, 1a–f, was prepared from bis(ethynyl)benzenes and o-halonitroaryls and studied for their in vitro antiplasmodial activities against Plasmodium falciparum and representative strains of bacteria and candida as well as for their cytotoxicity against a human tumor cell line (MCF7). They did not cause any haemolysis (300 μg mL⁻¹). Of the synthesized bis-indolones, compound 1a had the most potent antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ = 0.763 μmol L⁻¹ on the FcB1 strain) with a selectivity index (CC₅₀ MCF7/IC₅₀ FcB1) of 35.6. No potency against the tested microbial strains was observed.     

几种氨基酸Schiff碱的合成及抑菌活性

合成了三种氨基酸Ｓｃｈｉｆｆ碱,其化学组成由红外光谱、元素分析等证实,并对它们进行了抑菌活性测试。     

An overview of antifungal peptides derived from insect

Fungi are not classified as plants or animals. They resemble plants in many ways but do not produce chlorophyll or make their own food photosynthetically like plants. Fungi are useful for the production of beer, bread, medicine, etc. More complex than viruses or bacteria; fungi can be destructive human pathogens responsible for various diseases in humans. Most people have a strong natural immunity against fungal infection. However, fungi can cause diseases when this immunity breaks down. In the last few years, fungal infection has increased strikingly and has been accompanied by a rise in the number of deaths of cancer patients, transplant recipients, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients owing to fungal infections. The growth rate of fungi is very slow and quite difficult to identify. A series of molecules with antifungal activity against different strains of fungi have been found in insects, which can be of great importance to tackle human diseases. Insects secrete such compounds, which can be peptides, as a part of their immune defense reactions. Active antifungal peptides developed by insects to rapidly eliminate infectious pathogens are considered a component of the defense munitions. This review focuses on naturally occurring antifungal peptides from insects and their challenges to be used as armaments against human diseases.     

Six new cassane diterpenoids from the seeds of Caesalpinia sappan

Six new cassane diterpenoids (1–6) and 15 known compounds were isolated and identified from the seeds of Caesalpinia sappan. The structures of the new compounds were determined based on the spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Compound 1 is a rare cassane diterpenoid featuring a nitrogen containing bridge between C-19 and C-20. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against HCT116, AGS, and HepG2 cell lines with IC₅₀ values ranging from 6.36 to 27.86 μM.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of water-soluble derivatives of chiral gossypol as HIV fusion inhibitors targeting gp41

A series of novel or known water-soluble derivatives of chiral gossypol were synthesized and screened in vitro for their anti-HIV-1 activity. (?)-gossypol derivative was more active against HIV-1 than the corresponding (+)-gossypol derivative, respectively. Among these derivatives, d-glucosamine derivative of (?)-gossypol, oligopeptide derivative of (?)-gossypol and taurine derivative of (?)-gossypol, such as compounds 1a, 3a and 14a, showed significant inhibitory activities against HIV-1 replication, HIV-1 mediated cell-cell fusion and HIV gp41 6-helix bundle formation as some amino acid derivatives of (?)-gossypol.     

Cytotoxic diterpenoids from the aerial parts of Scoparia dulcis

Two formerly undescribed labdane-type diterpenoids, scoparicols C (1) and D (2), one previously unreported scopadulane-type diterpenoid 1β-hydroxydulcinodal-13-one (3), along with six known biogenetically related analogs (4−9) were separated from the aerial parts of a traditional ethnological herb, Scoparia dulcis. Spectroscopic techniques including MS NMR and ECD were employed to characterize the structures of these molecules. While the oxidation at C-1 in 3 was reported for scopadulane-type diterpenoids for the first time, compound 7 was first obtained as a natural product in the present work. The cytotoxicity of all the isolates against four tumor cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB231, Hela and A549) were tested, with selective compounds showing activity in the IC₅₀ range of 4.31–28.6 μM.     

Two cytotoxic triterpenes from cultures of a Kenyan Laetiporus sp. (Basidiomycota)

HPLC profiling of the mycelial culture of a poroid basidomycete collected in Mount Elgon, Kenya, which probably represents a new species of the genus Laetiporus, led to isolation of two previously undescribed lanostane type triterpenes.We propose the trivial names laetiporins A (1) and B (2). In addition, five known ones: dehydrosulphurenic acid (3), sulphurenic acid (4), eburicoic acid (5), 15α-hydroxytrametenolic acid (6) and trametenolic acid (7) were also isolated. The laetiporins (1–2) exhibited significant cytotoxic effects against various human cancer cells. The known compounds (3–5) and (7) also showed moderate cytotoxic activity, but none of the compounds showed any significant antimicrobial activity.     

柞蚕抗菌肽CA1的分离

应用FPLC、HPLC系统配合MALDI TOF MS等技术 ,分离得到一个以灭活的Escherichiacoli诱导产生的具有明显杀菌活性的柞蚕抗菌肽CA₁。自动蛋白质序列分析仪测定其一级结构为WNPFKELERAGSRVRDAIISAGVAVATVAQATAILK ,含有 36个氨基酸残基 ,经联机检索 ,与cecropinD有 88%的同源性 ,仅有 4个氨基酸残基的差异 ,其中铰链区第 2 1～ 2 3位氨基酸为AGV ,与已知柞蚕抗菌肽A、D铰链区AGP有所不同 ,提示抗菌肽存在多态性。     

Flavour formation by lactic acid bacteria and biochemical flavour profiling of cheese products

Flavour development in dairy fermentations, most notably cheeses, results from a series of (bio)chemical processes in which the starter cultures provide the enzymes. Particularly the enzymatic degradation of proteins (caseins) leads to the formation of key-flavour components, which contribute to the sensory perception of dairy products. More specifically, caseins are degraded into peptides and amino acids and the latter are major precursors for volatile aroma compounds. In particular, the conversion of methionine, the aromatic and the branched-chain amino acids are crucial. A lot of research has focused on the degradation of caseins into peptides and free amino acids, and more recently, enzymes involved in the conversion of amino acids were identified. Most data are generated on Lactococcus lactis, which is the predominant organism in starter cultures used for cheese-making, but also Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Propionibacterium and species used for surface ripening of cheeses are characterised in their flavour-forming capacity. In this paper, various enzymes and pathways involved in flavour formation will be highlighted and the impact of these findings for the development of industrial starter cultures will be discussed.     

混合培养真菌和细菌对废水的生物去氮作用

Denitrificationis a biological processin which nitrateand/or nitrite is reduced to gaseous nitrogen,dinitrogen(N2)or nitrous oxide(N2O)while carbon dioxide is thesecond gaseous product of the process.This is one of themain mechanisms of the global nitrogen cycle,and playsanimportant role as the reverse reaction of nitrogen fixa-tion in maintaining global environmental homeostasis[1].Denitrification has beenlongthought to be a unique char-acteristic of prokaryotes[2,3].Anumber of bacteria(such…