Synthesis of C(7) modified chrysin derivatives designing to inhibit β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III (FabH) as antibiotics

As a naturally wide distributed flavone, chrysin exhibits numerous biological activities including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobials activities. β-Ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III (FabH) catalyzes the initial step of fatty acid biosynthesis via a type II fatty acid synthase in most bacteria. The important role of this essential enzyme combined with its unique structural features and ubiquitous occurrence in bacteria has made it an attractive new target for the development of antibacterial agents. We first used a structure-based approach to develop 18 novel chrysin analogues that target FabH for the development of new antibiotics. Structure-based design methods were used for the expansion of the chrysin derivatives including molecular docking and SAR research. Based on the results, 5-hydroxy-2-phenyl-7-(2-(piperazin-1-yl)ethoxy)-4H-chromen-4-one (3g) showed the most potent antibacterial activity with MIC of 1.56–6.25 μg/mL against the test bacterial stains, and docking simulation was performed to position compound 3g into the Escherichia coli FabH active site to determine the probable binding conformation. The biological assays indicated that compound 3g is a potent inhibitor of E. coli FabH as antibiotics.     

Protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Comamonas testosteroni</Emphasis> T-2: biochemical and molecular properties of a new subgroup within class III of extradiol dioxygenases

Comamonas testosteroni T-2 degraded at least eight aromatic compounds via protocatechuate (PCA), whose extradiol ring cleavage to 2-hydroxy-4-carboxymuconate semialdehyde (HCMS) was catalysed by PCA 4,5-dioxygenase (PmdAB). This inducible, heteromultimeric enzyme was purified. It contained two subunits, (PmdA) and (PmdB), and the molecular masses of the denatured proteins were 18 kDa and 31 kDa, respectively. PCA was converted stoichiometrically to HCMS with an apparent K_m of 55 M and at a maximum velocity of 1.5 kat. Structure–activity-relationship analysis by testing 16 related compounds as substrate for purified PmdAB revealed an absolute requirement for the vicinal diol and for the carboxylate group of PCA. Besides PCA, only 5-hydroxy-PCA (gallate) induced oxygen uptake. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of each subunit was identical to the corresponding sequences in C. testosteroni BR6020, which facilitated sequencing of the pmdAB genes in strain T-2. Small differences in the amino acid sequence had significant effects on enzyme stability. Several homologues of pmdAB were found in sequence databases. Residues involved in substrate binding are highly conserved among the homologues. Their sequences grouped within the class III extradiol dioxygenases. Based on our biochemical and genetic analyses, we propose a new branch of the heteromultimeric enzymes within that class.     

Synthesis and antitumor activities of 3-modified 2-methoxyestradiol analogs

The syntheses of 2-methoxyestradiol analogs with modifications at the 3-position are described. The analogs were assessed for their antiproliferative, antiangiogenic, and estrogenic activities. Several lead substituents were identified with similar or improved antitumor activities and reduced metabolic liability compared to 2-methoxyestradiol.     

Structural and biological evaluation of some loloatin C analogues

Loloatin C is a cyclic cationic antimicrobial peptide which is active against Gram positive as well as certain Gram negative bacteria. Unfortunately, it is equally potent against human erythrocytes. To probe the structure–activity relationship of this promising antibiotic peptide, amino acid substitution and/or incorporation of a constraint sugar amino acid dipeptide isoster has been applied. Six new derivatives have been synthesized using SPPS and their solution structure investigated using NMR studies. Finally, the antimicrobial and the hemolytic activities have been determined.     

Generation and evaluation of dimension-reduced amino acid parameter representations by artificial neural networks

In order to process data of proteins, a numerical representation for an amino acid is often necessary. Many suitable parameters can be derived from experiments or statistical analysis of databases. To ensure a fast and efficient use of these sources of information, a reduction and extraction of relevant information out of these parameters is a basic need. In this approach established methods like principal component analysis (PCA) are supplemented by a method based on symmetric neural networks. Two different parameter representations of amino acids are reduced from five and seven dimensions, respectively, to one, two, three, or four dimensions by using a symmetric neural network approach alternatively with one or three hidden layers. It is possible to create general reduced parameter representations for amino acids. To demonstrate the ability of this approach, these reduced sets of parameters are applied for the ab initio prediction of protein secondary structure from primary structure only. Artificial neural networks are implemented and trained with a diverse representation of 430 proteins out of the PDB. An essentially faster training and also prediction without a decrease in accuracy is obtained for the reduced parameter representations in comparison with the complete set of parameters. The method is transferable to other amino acids or even other molecular building blocks, like nucleic acids, and therefore represents a general approach.Electronic Supplementary Material available.     

Structure-activity relationship studies on a series of piperazinebenzylalcohols and their ketone and amine analogs as melanocortin-4 receptor ligands

A series of piperazinebenzylalcohols were prepared and studied to compare with their ketone and amine analogs as MC4R antagonists. Several benzylalcohols such as 14a and 14g displayed low nanomolar binding affinities (K_i < 10 nM), and high selectivities over other melanocortin receptor subtypes.     

Development of a highly water-soluble peptide-based human neutrophil elastase inhibitor; AE-3763 for treatment of acute organ injury

A series of peptide-based transition-state human neutrophil elastase (HNE) inhibitors with N-terminal acidic moieties were synthesized and their inhibitory activity against HNE was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Our results show that compounds containing cyclic amide bridged acidic moieties at the N-terminal have not only improved water solubility but also high in vivo potency. Among these compounds, AE-3763 showed remarkable efficacy in hamster models of elastase-induced lung hemorrhage and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury as well as in a mouse model of LPS/galactosamine-induced acute multiple organ dysfunctions. The water solubility of AE-3763 (>1000 mg/ml in H₂O) was also far superior to that of any of the other compounds synthesized. Thus, it is believed that AE-3763 would be useful for treatment of HNE-associated respiratory disorders, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute lung injury (ALI), and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).     

Synthesis and cytotoxicity of aurilide analogs

The artificial analogs of aurilide (1), a potent cytotoxic cyclodepsipeptide of marine origin, were synthesized, and the structure–activity relationships were investigated.     

Structure–Activity Relationship Studies on Derivatives of Eudesmanolides from Inula helenium as Toxicants against Aedes aegypti Larvae and Adults

An Aedes aegypti larval toxicity bioassay was performed on compounds representing many classes of natural compounds including polyacetylenes, phytosterols, flavonoids, sesquiterpenoids, and triterpenoids. Among these compounds, two eudesmanolides, alantolactone, and isoalantolactone showed larvicidal activities against Ae. aegypti and, therefore, were chosen for further structure–activity relationship study. In this study, structural modifications were performed on both alantolactone and isoalantolactone in an effort to understand the functional groups necessary for maintaining and/or increasing its activity, and to possibly lead to more effective insect‐control agents. All parent compounds and synthetic modification reaction products were evaluated for their toxic activities against Ae. aegypti larvae and adults. Structure modifications included epoxidations, reductions, catalytic hydrogenations, and Michael additions to the α,β‐unsaturated lactones. None of the synthetic isomers synthesized and screened against Ae. aegypti larvae were more active than isoalantolactone itself which had an LC₅₀ value of 10.0 μg/ml. This was not the case for analogs of alantolactone for which many of the analogs had larvicidal activities ranging from 12.4 to 69.9 μg/ml. In general, activity trends observed from Ae. aegypti larval screening were not consistent with observations from adulticidal screening. The propylamine Michael addition analog of alantolactone was the most active adulticide synthesized with an LC₅₀ value of 1.07 μg/mosquito. In addition, the crystal structures of both alantolactone and isoalantolactone were determined using CuK_α radiation, which allowed their absolute configurations to be determined based on resonant scattering of the light atoms.     

Larvicidal and Structure–Activity Studies of Natural Phenylpropanoids and Their Semisynthetic Derivatives against the Tobacco Armyworm Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The larvicidal activity of 18 phenylpropanoids, 1 – 18 , including phenylpropenoate, phenylpropenal, phenylpropene, and their semisynthetic analogues, were evaluated against the tobacco armyworm, Spodoptera litura (Fab .), to identify promising structures with insecticidal activity. Amongst various phenylpropanoids, isosafrole, a phenylpropene, showed the best activity, with an LC₅₀ value of 0.6 μg/leaf cm², followed by its hydrogenated derivative dihydrosafrole (LC₅₀=2.7 μg/leaf cm²). The overall larvicidal activity of various phenylpropene derivatives was observed in the following order: isosafrole ( 6 )>dihydrosafrole ( 16 )>safrole ( 12 )>anethole ( 4 )>methyl eugenol ( 11 )>eugenol ( 13 )>β‐asarone ( 8 )>dihydroasarone ( 18 )>dihydroanethole ( 15 ). Dihydrosafrole might be a promising compound, although presenting a lower larvicidal activity than isosafrole, because of its better stability and resistance to oxidative degradation (due to the removal of the extremely reactive olefinic bond) in comparison to isosafrole. Such structure–activity relationship studies promote the identification of lead structures from natural sources for the development of larvicidal products against S. litura and related insect pests.     

An Interactive SAR Approach to Discover Novel Hybrid Thieno Probes as Ligands for D2‐Like Receptors with Affinities in the Subnanomolar Range

A series of [(phenylpiperazinyl)alkyl]‐isoindole‐1,3‐dione derivatives was synthesized to serve as probes for dopaminergic receptors. Among this series, compound 6a showed the highest affinity towards D4 and D3 receptors with K_i values in the low nanomolar range, and D2/D4‐ and D2/D3‐selectivity indices of 72 and 20, respectively. Optimization rounds were adopted and led to the D4‐selective ligand thiophene‐2‐carboxamide 9a with a K_i(D4) value of 0.62 nM , and to its butyl analog, 10a , with K_i(D4) and K_i(D3) values of 0.03 and 0.26 nM , respectively. Docking experiments revealed the importance of the unique D4 residue Arg186 in manipulating the ligands' D4‐subtype‐receptor selectivity.     

The Loss of a Sugar Chain at C(3) Position Enhances Stemucronatoside K‐Induced Apoptosis,Cell Cycle Arrest,and Hedgehog Pathway Inhibition in HT‐29 Cells

Stemucronatoside K (SMK) and its aglycone stephanthraniline A (STA) are the most representative of a series of novel C₂₁ steriodal compounds that we have previously isolated from Asclepiadaceae plants. The objectives of this study were to investigate the antitumor activity of SMK and STA, and clarify the effect of the sugar chain at the C(3) position. Our results showed that both SMK and STA decreased the growth of HT‐29 cells in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. Meanwhile, STA showed much stronger inhibitory effect than SMK. Treatment of HT‐29 cells with STA increased the apoptotic cell numbers and the protein expression of cleaved caspase 3 and cleaved‐PARP. G1 phase cell cycle arrest and decreased expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin‐dependent kinases 4 were also observed after STA treatment. Furthermore, STA reduced the mRNA levels of four Hedgehog pathway components (GLI1, GLI2, GLI3, and PTCH1) and suppressed Shh‐induced Hedgehog pathway activation in a concentration‐dependent manner. These results indicated that SMK and STA could inhibit the growth of HT‐29 cells by inducing apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and hedgehog pathway inhibition. The loss of sugar chain at C(3) position could enhance SMK's activity. This study is beneficial to understand the use of natural C₂₁ steroids as antitumor lead compounds.     

Antitumor‐Promoting Effects and Cytotoxic Activities of Dammar Resin Triterpenoids and Their Derivatives

Nineteen known triterpenoids, 1 – 19 , and one known sesquiterpenoid, 20 , were isolated from dammar resin obtained from Shorea javanica K. & V. (Dipterocarpaceae). One of the acidic triterpenoids, dammarenolic acid ( 1 ), was converted to fourteen derivatives, namely, an alcohol, 21 , an aldehyde, 22 , and twelve L ‐amino acid conjugates, 23 – 34 . Compounds 1 – 34 were examined for their inhibitory effects on the induction of Epstein–Barr virus early antigen (EBV‐EA) by 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol 13‐acetate (TPA) in Raji cells, a known primary screening test for antitumor promoters. All of the compounds tested, except for compounds 4, 5, 12 – 14, 16 , and 17 , showed inhibitory effects against EBV‐EA activation with potencies either comparable with or stronger than that of β‐carotene, a known natural antitumor promoter. In addition, (20S)‐20‐hydroxy‐3,4‐secodammara‐4(28),24‐dien‐3‐al ( 22 ) exhibited inhibitory effects on skin tumor promotion in an in vivo two‐stage mouse skin carcinogenesis test based on 7,12‐dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) as initiator, and with TPA as promoter. Furthermore, evaluation of the cytotoxic activities of compounds 1 – 34 against human cancer cell lines showed that reduction (i.e., 21 and 22 ) or conjugation with L ‐amino acids (i.e., 23 – 34 ) of compound 1 enhanced the cytotoxicity against human melanoma cell line CRL1579.     

The structure-activity relationship study on 2-, 5-, and 6-position of the water soluble 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives blocking N-type calcium channels

In order to find an injectable and selective N-type calcium channel blocker, we have performed the structure–activity relationship (SAR) study on the 2-, 5-, and 6-position of 1,4-dihydropyridine-3-carboxylate derivative APJ2708 (2), which is a derivative of Cilnidipine and has L/N-type calcium channel dual inhibitory activities. As a consequence of the optimization, 6-dimethylacetal derivative 7 was found to have an effective inhibitory activity against N-type calcium channels with more than 170-fold lower activity for L-type channel compared to that of APJ2708.     

Synthesis,Characterization, Antimicrobial Activity,and Docking Studies of New Triazolic Tripodal Ligands

The synthesis and characterization of new N‐donor bitriazolic tripods were reported. The in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities of these products were screened against fungal strain (Candida pelliculosa) and against four bacterial strains (Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Listeria innocua, and Escherichia coli). Biological data revealed the effect of the chemical structure on antimicrobial activity. Molecular docking studies of some compounds showed that they could act as inhibitors for the biotin carboxylase enzyme.