Antifeedant and phytotoxic activity of cacalolides and eremophilanolides

The antifeedant effect of six cacalolides and six eremophilanolides was tested against the herbivorous insects Spodoptera littoralis, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, and Myzus persicae. The test compounds included several natural products isolated from Senecio madagascariensis (14-isovaleryloxy-1,2-dehydrocacalol methyl ether, 4), S. barba-johannis (13-hydroxy-14-oxocacalohastine, 5; 13-acetyloxy-14-oxocacalohastine, 6) and S. toluccanus [6-hydroxyeuryopsin, 7; 1(10)-epoxy-6-hydroxyeuryopsin, 9; toluccanolide A, 11] and the derivatives cacalol methyl ether (1); cacalol acetate (2); 1-acetyloxy-2-methyloxy-1,2,3,4-tetradehydrocacalol acetate (3); 6-acetyloxyeuryopsin (8); 6-acetyloxy-1(10)-epoxyeuryopsin (10), and toluccanolide A acetate (12). Compound 11 and its derivative 12 exhibited moderate antifeedant activity against S. littoralis; 2, 7-10, and 12 showed strong activity against L. decemlineata, while the aphid M. persicae was moderately deterred in the presence of compounds 1, 4, 8, 10, and 12. The phytotoxic activity of 1-12 on Lactuca sativa was also evaluated. Compounds 2 and 4-12 moderately inhibited seed germination at 24 h, while compounds 1-4, 6, 9, and 10 had a significant inhibition effect on L. sativa radicle length (over 50%).     

Synthesis and evaluation of pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines and its structural analogues as TNF-alpha and IL-6 inhibitors

In the present article, we have synthesized three different series of pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines and their structural analogues using novel synthetic strategy involving one-pot condensation of 5,6-dihydro-4H-pyran-3-carbaldehyde/2-formyl-3,4,6-tri-O-methyl-D-glucal/chromone-3-carbaldehyde with heteroaromatic amines. All synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity against TNF-alpha and IL-6. Out of 28 compounds screened, 40, 51, 52 and 56 exhibited promising activity against IL-6 with 60-65% inhibition at 10 microM concentration. Amongst these, 51, 52 and 56 showed potent IL-6 inhibitory activity with IC(50)'s of 0.2, 0.3 and 0.16 microM, respectively. Compound 56 was not cytotoxic in CCK-8 cells up to the concentration of >100 microM.     

Estrogenic constituents of the heartwood of Dalbergia parviflora

From the heartwood of Dalbergia parviflora, five compounds, dalparvin A (1), B (2), C (3), dalparvinol C (4), and neokhriol A (5), along with 11 known compounds, kenusanone G (6), cajanin (7), sophorol (8), alpinetin (9), hesperetin (10), 3'-O-methylorobol, odoratin, (2R)(3R)-2,3-trans 7-hydroxy-5-methoxydihydroflavonol, (6aR, 11aR)-3,8-dihydroxy-9-methoxypterocarpan, (6aR, 11aR)- vesticarpan, and methyl-3,4-dihydroxy-2-methoxybenzoate were isolated and characterized. Isolates were evaluated for their cell proliferation stimulatory activity against MCF-7, T-47D, and BT20 human breast cancer cell lines. Along with 7-10, two compounds 2 and 3 stimulated not only MCF-7, but also T-47D human breast cancer cell proliferation. Compound 6 had activity only against MCF-7 cells, and the activity of 7 was more than equivalent to that of daidzein. On the other hand, none of the isolates had any significant effects on BT20 cell proliferation, and these results indicated that the stimulative activity of these compounds was not general to any cell proliferations. Furthermore, these compounds were tested in the estrogen-responsive transient luciferase reporter assay.     

Antifeedant and phytotoxic activity of hydroxyperezone and related molecules

The insect antifeedant and toxic activity of hydroxyperezone (1), its derivatives 2-9, along with 3-hydroxy- (10) and 6-hydroxythymoquinone (11) were studied against Spodoptera littoralis, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, and Myzus persicae. The antifeedant tests showed that L. decemlineata was the most sensitive insect, followed by M. persicae, while S. littoralis was not deterred by compounds 1-11. Leucohydroxyperezone tetraacetate (3), oxoperezinone (6), dihydroleucoperezinone diacetate (7), 3-hydroxy- (10) and 6-hydroxythymoquinone (11) showed strong activity against L. decemlineata. 1 and 7 exhibited moderate deterrent activity against M. persicae, while 1 and dihydroleucohydroxyperezone tetraacetate (4) acted as post-ingestive antifeedants to S. littoralis. The phytotoxic activity of compounds 1-11 was also evaluated. Hydroxyperezone (1) strongly inhibited seed germination at 24 h, while the activity of 3-8 and 10 was moderate. The level of radicle growth inhibition obtained with compounds 1-5 and 8-11 was significant (< 50%).     

Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) innate immune response after dietary administration of heat-inactivated potential probiotics

The effects of the dietary administration of two heat-inactivated whole bacteria from the Vibrionaceae family, singly or combined, on innate immune response of the seabream were studied. The two bacteria (Pdp11 and 51M6), which were obtained from the skin of gilthead seabream, showed in vitro characteristics that suggested they could be considered as potential fish probiotics. The fish were fed four different diets: control (non-supplemented), or diets supplemented with heat-inactivated bacteria at 10(8) cfu g(-1) Pdp11, 10(8) cfu g(-1) 51M6 or with 0.5 x 10(8) cfu g(-1) Pdp11 plus 0.5 x 10(8) cfu g(-1) 51M6 for 4 weeks. Six fish were sampled at weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4, when the main humoral (natural haemolytic complement activity and serum peroxidase content) and cellular innate immune responses (leucocyte peroxidase content, phagocytosis, respiratory burst and cytotoxicity) were evaluated. The serum peroxidase content and the natural haemolytic complement activity increased with time, reaching the highest values in the third and fourth weeks of feeding, respectively. The phagocytic ability of specimens fed the mixture of the two inactivated bacteria was significantly higher than in the controls after 2 and 3 weeks of treatment. The same activity increased significantly in seabream fed the Pdp11 diet for 2 weeks or the 51M6 diet for 3 weeks. Respiratory burst activity was unaffected by all the experimental diets at all times assayed. Cytotoxic activity had significantly increased after 3 weeks in fish fed the 51M6 diet. These results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of incorporating inactivated probiotic bacteria into fish diets.     

广东紫珠中的萜类化合物及其抗炎活性

对岭南药材广东紫珠(Callicarpa kwangtungensis)地上部分进行化学成分研究,得到11个萜类化合物,分别鉴定为sambucunlin A(1)、2α-羟基羽扇豆醇(2)、swinhoeic acid(3)、3β-羟基-乌苏烷-11-烯-13β,28-内酯(4)、蔷薇酸(5)、2α,3β,6β,18β,23-pentahydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic acid(6)、rel-5-(3S,8S-dihydroxy-1R,5S-dimethyl-7-oxa-6-oxobicyclo-oct-8-yl)-3-methyl-2Z,4E-pentadienoic acid(7)、salvionoside B(8)、齐墩果酸(9)、白桦脂酸(10)和α-香树脂醇(11)。其中,化合物1～4和6～8为首次从该属植物中分离得到。在化学成分分离基础上,进一步选择脂多糖(LPS)诱导的RAW 264.7小鼠巨噬细胞炎症模型进行萜类化合物抗炎活性测试。结果表明:化合物3和9具有显著的抗炎活性,对比结构发现,三萜类化合物(3～6、9和11)抗炎活性优于倍半萜类化合物(7和...     

Sesquiterpenoids and lignans from the roots of Valeriana officinalis L

Two new guaiane-type sesquiterpenoids, valerol A (1) and kessyl 3-acetate (2), together with nine known compounds, valeracetate (3), anismol A (4), orientalol C (5), spatulenol (6), 4α,10α-epoxyaromadendrane (7), (+)-8-hydroxypinoresinol (8), pinorespiol (9), pinoresinol 4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10), and 8-hydroxypinoresinol 4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (11) were isolated from the roots of Valeriana officinalis. The structures and relative configurations of 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods (1D- and 2D-NMR, MS, UV, and IR). These compounds were evaluated for inhibitory activity on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and enhancing activity on nerve growth factor (NGF)-mediated neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells.     

生姜中6个姜辣素类成分的抗菌活性研究

为了探究生姜化学成分的抗菌活性及初步构效关系,采用色谱法从生姜中分离得到6个姜辣素类化合物,采用波谱法对这6个成分进行鉴定,分别为5-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-4-decen-3-one(1)、5-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-4-dodecen-3-one(2)、5-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-4-tetradecane-3-one(3)、[6]-姜酚(4)、[8]-姜酚(5)和[10]-姜酚(6)。采用抗菌纸片扩散法测定6个化合物对15株病原菌株的抗菌活性。结果表明化合物1和4抗菌活性最好,而6对所有菌株均无活性。初步构效关系分析表明:烯醇型化合物对革兰氏阳性菌的抗菌活性优于姜酚型化合物;而姜酚型化合物对革兰氏阴性菌的抗菌活性优于烯醇型化合物。此外,姜辣素类成分脂肪链的长度增加,可能导致抗菌活性降低。     

Antifungal amides from Piper arboreum and Piper tuberculatum

In continuation of our study of the Piperaceae we have isolated several amides, mainly those bearing isobutyl, pyrrolidine, dihydropyridone and piperidine moieties. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of extracts from leaves of Piper arboreum yielded two new amides, N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-7(E),9(Z)-pentadienoyl]-pyrrolidine (1), arboreumine (2) together with the known compounds N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-7(E)-pentaenoyl]-pyrrolidine (3) and N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-7(E),9(E)-pentadienoyl]-pyrrolidine (4). Catalytic hydrogenation of 3 yielded the amide N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-pentanoyl]-pyrrolidine (5). We also have isolated six amides (6-11) and two antifungal cinnamoyl derivatives (12, 13) from seeds and leaves of Piper tuberculatum. Compounds 1-11 showed antifungal activity as determined by direct bioautography against Cladosporium sphaerospermum while compounds 3-4 and 6-13 also showed antifungal activity against C. cladosporioides.     

Chalcones and flavonoids as anti-tuberculosis agents

A series of flavonoids, chalcones and chalcone-like compounds were evaluated for inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Among them, eight compounds exhibited >90% inhibition on the growth of the bacteria at a concentration of 12.5 microg/mL. Chalcones 1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(3-chlorophenyl)-2-propen-1-one (22) and 1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(3-iodophenyl)-2-propen-1-one (37) demonstrated 90 and 92% inhibition, respectively. Chalcone-like compounds (heterocyclic ring-substituted 2-propen-1-one) 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-(pyridin-3-yl)-2-propen-1-one (48), 1-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(phenanthren-9-yl)-2-propen-1-one (49), 1-(pyridin-3-yl)-3-(phenanthen-9-yl)-2-propen-1-one (50) and 1-(furan-2-yl)-3-phenyl-2-propen-1-one (51) exhibited 98, 97, 96 and 96% inhibition, respectively. The actual minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), defined as the lowest concentration inhibiting 99% of the inoculum, for 22, 37, 48, 49, 50 and 51 were 20.3, 31.5, 48.3, >35.7, 6.8 and 19.2, respectively. A hydrophobic substituent on one aromatic ring, and a hydrogen-bonding group on the other aromatic ring resulted in increased anti-TB activity of the chalcones and chalcone-like compounds. Flavones and flavanones are more geometrically constrained than the corresponding chalcone analogues. The decreased activity of the flavones with respect to the chalcones may be due to the confinement of the terminal aromatic rings to the same plane.     

Prolyl endopeptidase inhibitors from Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merr. & L. M. Perry

Compounds isolated from the hexane extract of the leaves of Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merr. & L. M. Perry were tested for inhibitory activity against the following serine proteases: trypsin, thrombin and prolyl endopeptidase. The compounds were identified as an intractable mixture of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene (1), lupeol (2), betulin (3), epi-betulinic acid (4), 2',4'-dihydroxy-6'-methoxy-3'-methylchalcone (5), 2'-hydroxy-4',6'-dimethoxy-3'-methylchalcone (6), 2',4'-dihydroxy-6'-methoxy-3',5'-dimethylchalcone (7), 2',4'-dihydroxy-6'-methoxy-3'-methyldihydrochalcone (8) and 7-hydroxy-5-methoxy-6,8-dimethylflavanone (9). Hydrogenation of compounds 5, 6 and 7 yielded compound 8, 2'-hydroxy-4',6'-dimethoxy-3'-methyldihydrochalcone (10) and 2',4'-dihydroxy-6'-methoxy-3',5'-dimethyldihydrochalcone (11), respectively. The hydrogenated products of compounds 6 and 7 were also tested for enzyme inhibitory activity. In addition, beta-sitosterol (12) and beta-D-sitosterylglucoside (13) were also isolated. This is the first report of the isolation of compounds 1-6, 8 and 13 from this plant. Compounds 3-8 and 10 exhibited significant and selective inhibition against prolyl endopeptidase among three serine proteases. This is the first report of this kind of activity for all these compounds.     

Synthesis and biological properties of new 5-nitroindazole derivatives

A series of new 3-alkoxy- or 3-hydroxy-1-[omega-(dialkylamino)alkyl]-5-nitroindazoles have been synthesized and their trichomonacidal, antichagasic and antineoplastic properties studied. Five derivatives (5, 6, 8, 9 and 17) showed remarkable trichomonacidal activity against Trichomonas vaginalis at 10 microg/mL concentration. Three compounds (8, 10, 11) exhibited interesting antichagasic activity and these same compounds moderate antineoplastic activity against TK-10 and HT-29 cell lines. Unspecific cytotoxicity against macrophages has also been evaluated and only compounds 9, 10 and 11 resulted cytotoxic at the higher dose evaluated (100 microg/mL), loosing cytotoxicity at lower doses. QSAR studies have been carried out. X-ray crystallographic study of compound 8 has been performed.     

A novel pyrimidine derivatives with aryl urea, thiourea and sulfonamide moieties: synthesis, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial evaluation

A series of novel 4-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenylamino-6-(4-(3-arylureiodo/arylthioureido/arylsulfonamido)-pyrimidine derivatives of biological interest were prepared by the sequential Suzuki cross coupling, acid amination, reduction followed by reaction of resulting amine with different arylisocyantes or arylisothiocyantes or arylsulfonyl chlorides. All the synthesized compounds (1-25) were screened for their pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) and antimicrobial activity (antibacterial and antifungal). Biological data revealed that among all the compounds screened, compounds 5, 6, 11, 12, 16 and 20 were found to have moderate to potent anti-inflammatory activity (up to 48-78% TNF-α and 56-96% IL-6 inhibitory activity) with reference to standard dexamethasone at 10 μM. The compounds 10, 12, 13, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 25 found to have promising antimicrobial activity against all the selected pathogenic bacteria and fungi.     

Design,synthesis, and biological evaluation of a series of beta-lactam-based prodrugs

By use of pro-dual-drug concept the synthesis of 6-beta-[(R)-2-(clavaminio-9-N-yl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenylacetamido)]penicillanic acid (10), 6-beta-[(R)-2-(amino)-2-(4-(clavulano-9-O-yl)phenylacetamido)]penicillanic acid (13), (Z)-4-[2-(amoxycillin-4-O-yl)ethylidene]-2-(clavulano-9-O-yl)-3-methoxy-Delta(alpha,beta)-butenolide (19), and 3-[(amoxicillin-4-O-yl)methyl]-7-(phenoxyacetamido)-(1-oxo)-3-cephem-4-carboxylic acid (23) was accomplished. Unlike penicillin G, ampicillin, or amoxicillin, these four heretofore undescribed compounds 10, 13, 19, and 23 showed notable activity against beta-lactamase (betaL) producing microorganisms, Staphylococcus aureus A9606, S. aureus A15091, S. aureus A20309, S. aureus 95, Escherichia coli A9675, E. coli A21223, E. coli 27C7, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 18S-H, and Klebsiella pneumoniae A20634 TEM. In comparison with amoxicillin (9), alpha-amino-substituted compound 10 and butenolide derivative 19 showed a broadened spectrum of antibacterial activity; yet they were found to be less active than 13 and 23. Like clavulanic acid (7) or cephalosporin-1-oxide (21), the newly synthesized compounds 10, 13, 15, 16, 19, or 23 functioned as potent inhibitors of various bacterial betaLs.     

Anti-thyroid hormonal activity of tetrabromobisphenol A, a flame retardant, and related compounds: Affinity to the mammalian thyroid hormone receptor, and effect on tadpole metamorphosis

The thyroid hormone-disrupting activity of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a flame retardant, and related compounds was examined. TBBPA, tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA), tetramethylbisphenol A (TMBPA) and 3,3'-dimethylbisphenol A (DMBPA) markedly inhibited the binding of triiodothyronine (T3; 1 x 10(-10) M) to thyroid hormone receptor in the concentration range of 1 x 10(-7)-1 x 10(-4) M, while bisphenol A and 2,2-diphenylpropane were inactive. TBBPA, TCBPA, TMBPA and DMBPA did not exhibit thyroid hormonal activity in a thyroid hormone-responsive reporter assay using a Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHO-K1) transfected with thyroid hormone receptor alpha1 or beta1, but TBBPA and TCBPA showed significant anti-thyroid hormone effects on the activity of T3 (1 x 10(-8) M) in the concentration range of 3 x 10(-6) - 5 x 10(-5) M. The thyroid hormone-disrupting activity of TBBPA was also examined in terms of the effect on amphibian metamorphosis stimulated by thyroid hormone. TBBPA in the concentration range of 1 x 10(-8) to 1 x 10(-6) M showed suppressive action on T3 (5 x 10(-8) M)-enhancement of Rana rugosa tadpole tail shortening. These facts suggest that TBBPA, TCBPA, TMBPA and DMBPA can act as thyroid hormone-disrupting agents.     

Anti-adipogenic chromone glycosides from Cnidium monnieri fruits in 3T3-L1 cells

Seven new chromone glycosides, monnierisides A (3), B (10), C (11), D (12), E (13), F (15) and G (16) were isolated from Cnidium. monnieri, together with ten known chromone derivatives, undulatoside A (1), cnidimol C (2), saikochromoside A (4), cnidimoside A (5), cnidimoside B (6), 2-methyl-5-hydroxy-6-(2-butenyl-3-hydroxymethyl)-7-(β-d-glucopyranosyloxy)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one (7), cnidimol D (8), hydroxycnidimoside A (9), umtatin (14) and 6'-hydroxylangelicain (17). The structures of isolated compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis including 1D, 2D NMR and HR-MS. Among the compounds isolated, compounds 5, 6, 9 and 10 significantly inhibited adipocyte differentiation as measured by fat accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells using Oil Red O staining.     

一株马兜铃内生真菌Colletotrichum sp.代谢产物中细胞毒活性成分的研究

从马兜铃内生真菌Colletotrichum sp.的大米发酵产物中分离得到6个化合物,经波谱数据分析分别鉴定为7-hydroxy-10-oxodehydrodihydrobotrydial(1)、格链孢酚(2)、5-甲氧基格链孢酚(3)、链格孢毒素I(4)、腾毒素(5)和二氢腾毒素(6)。以上化合物均为从该菌属中首次分离得到,其中化合物1～4对肺癌细胞和乳腺癌细胞有一定的细胞毒活性。     

Mutagenic and clastogenic activity of nitracrine analogues in cultured V79 Chinese hamster cells

Nitracrine is used clinically as an antitumour agent, and analogues are actively being developed in some laboratories. The mutagenic activity of 9-[(3-dimethylaminopropyl)amino]-acridine and its 1-nitro (nitracrine), 2-, 3- and 4-nitro derivatives was evaluated at the 6-thioguanine and ouabain resistance loci in cultured Chinese hamster fibroblasts (V79-171b cell line). The des-nitro, 2- and 3-nitro caused no statistically significant mutagenic activity at either locus. Each of these 3 compounds weakly increased (approximately 2-fold) the incidence of micronuclei in the same cell line when tested at cytotoxic doses. Both the 1- and 4-nitro compounds increased the incidence of 6-thioguanine resistant cells from around 1 in 10(-6) to approximately 1 in 10(-4). The former compound significantly increased the frequency of ouabain-resistant cells. Both of these compounds were potent inducers of micronuclei in V79-171b cells, indicating high clastogenic activity. It would appear prudent to regard both of these compounds as potential human carcinogens.     

β-secretase (BACE1)-inhibiting stilbenoids from Smilax Rhizoma

In the course of searching for BACE1 (beta-secretase) inhibitors from natural products, the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of Smilax Rhizoma (the dried rhizomes of Smilax china L.) showed potent inhibitory activity. The active compounds were identified as a trans/cis-resveratrol mixture, oxyresveratrol, veraphenol, and cis-scirpusin A. They were shown to non-competitively inhibit BACE1 with the Ki values of 5.4 x 10(-6), 5.4 x 10(-6), 3.4 x 10(-6), and 5.4 x 10(-6)M and IC(50) values of 1.5 x 10(-5), 7.6 x 10(-6), 4.2 x 10(-6), and 1.0 x 10(-5)M, respectively. The active compounds were less inhibitory to alpha-secretase (TACE) and other serine proteases such as chymotrypsin, trypsin, and elastase, suggesting that they were relatively specific inhibitors of BACE1.