Anticancer Potential of Betulonic Acid Derivatives.

Clinical trials have evidenced that several natural compounds, belonging to the phytochemical classes of alkaloids, terpenes, phenols and flavonoids, are effective for the management of various types of cancer. Latest research has proven that natural products and their semisynthetic variants may serve as a starting point for new drug candidates with a diversity of biological and pharmacological activities, designed to improve bioavailability, overcome cellular resistance, and enhance therapeutic efficacy. This review was designed to bring an update regarding the anticancer potential of betulonic acid and its semisynthetic derivatives. Chemical derivative structures of betulonic acid including amide, thiol, and piperidine groups, exert an amplification of the in vitro anticancer potential of betulonic acid. With the need for more mechanistic and in vivo data, some derivatives of betulonic acids may represent promising anticancer agents.

Metal-free glycosylation with glycosyl fluorides in liquid SO2.

Liquid SO2 is a polar solvent that dissolves both covalent and ionic compounds. Sulfur dioxide possesses also Lewis acid properties, including the ability to covalently bind Lewis basic fluoride ions in a relatively stable fluorosulfite anion (FSO2 -). Herein we report the application of liquid SO2 as a promoting solvent for glycosylation with glycosyl fluorides without any external additive. By using various temperature regimes, the method is applied for both armed and disarmed glucose and mannose-derived glycosyl fluorides in moderate to excellent yields. A series of pivaloyl-protected O- and S-mannosides, as well as one example of a C-mannoside, are synthesized to demonstrate the scope of the glycosyl acceptors. The formation of the fluorosulfite species during the glycosylation with glycosyl fluorides in liquid SO2 is proved by 19F NMR spectroscopy. A sulfur dioxide-assisted glycosylation mechanism that proceeds via solvent separated ion pairs is proposed, whereas the observed α,ß-selectivity is substrate-controlled and depends on the thermodynamic equilibrium.

Comparison of In Vitro Antimelanoma and Antimicrobial Activity of 2,3-Indolo-betulinic Acid and Its Glycine Conjugates.

Malignant melanoma is one of the most pressing problems in the developing world. New therapeutic agents that might be effective in treating malignancies that have developed resistance to conventional medications are urgently required. Semisynthesis is an essential method for improving the biological activity and the therapeutic efficacy of natural product precursors. Semisynthetic derivatives of natural compounds are valuable sources of new drug candidates with a variety of pharmacological actions, including anticancer ones. Two novel semisynthetic derivatives of betulinic acid-N-(2,3-indolo-betulinoyl)diglycylglycine (BA1) and N-(2,3-indolo-betulinoyl)glycylglycine (BA2)-were designed and their antiproliferative, cytotoxic, and anti-migratory activity against A375 human melanoma cells was determined in comparison with known N-(2,3-indolo-betulinoyl)glycine (BA3), 2,3-indolo-betulinic acid (BA4) and naturally occurring betulinic acid (BI). A dose-dependent antiproliferative effect with IC50 values that ranged from 5.7 to 19.6 µM was observed in the series of all five compounds including betulinic acid. The novel compounds BA1 (IC50 = 5.7 µM) and BA2 (IC50 = 10.0 µM) were three times and two times more active than the parent cyclic structure B4 and natural BI. Additionally, compounds BA2, BA3, and BA4 possess antibacterial activity against Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 19615 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 with MIC values in the range of 13-16 µg/mL and 26-32 µg/mL, respectively. On the other hand, antifungal activity toward Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019 was found for compound BA3 with MIC 29 µg/mL. This is the first report of antibacterial and antifungal activity of 2,3-indolo-betulinic acid derivatives and also the first extended report on their anti-melanoma activity, which among others includes data on anti-migratory activity and shows the significance of amino acid side chain on the observed activity. The obtained data justify further research on the anti-melanoma and antimicrobial activity of 2,3-indolo-betulinic acid derivatives.

Enhanced Cytotoxicity and Antimelanoma Activity of Novel Semisynthetic Derivatives of Betulinic Acid with Indole Conjugation.

The prevalence and severity of skin cancer, specifically malignant melanoma, among Caucasians remains a significant concern. Natural compounds from plants have long been explored as potential anticancer agents. Betulinic acid (BI) has shown promise in its therapeutic properties, including its anticancer effects. However, its limited bioavailability has hindered its medicinal applications. To address this issue, two recently synthesized semisynthetic derivatives, N-(2,3-indolo-betulinoyl)diglycylglycine (BA1) and N-(2,3-indolo-betulinoyl)glycylglycine (BA2), were compared with previously reported compounds N-(2,3-indolo-betulinoyl)glycine (BA3), 2,3-indolo-betulinic acid (BA4), and BI. These compounds were evaluated for their effects on murine melanoma cells (B164A5) using various in vitro assays. The introduction of an indole framework at the C2 position of BI resulted in an increased cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of compound BA4 was enhanced by conjugating its carboxylic group with an amino acid residue. BA2 and BA3, with glycine and glycylglycine residues at C28, exhibited approximately 2.20-fold higher inhibitory activity compared to BA4. The safety assessment of the compounds on human keratinocytes (HaCaT) has revealed that concentrations up to 10 µM slightly reduced cell viability, while concentrations of 75 µM resulted in lower cell viability rates. LDH leakage assays confirmed cell membrane damage in B164A5 cells when exposed to the tested compounds. BA2 and BA3 exhibited the highest LDH release, indicating their strong cytotoxicity. The NR assay revealed dose-dependent lysosome disruption for BI and 2,3-indolo-betulinic acid derivatives, with BA1, BA2, and BA3 showing the most cytotoxic effects. Scratch assays demonstrated concentration-dependent inhibition of cell migration, with BA2 and BA3 being the most effective. Hoechst 3342 staining revealed that BA2 induced apoptosis, while BA3 induced necrosis at lower concentrations, confirming their anti-melanoma properties. In conclusion, the semisynthetic derivatives of BI, particularly BA2 and BA3, show promise as potential candidates for further research in developing effective anti-cancer therapies.

Synthesis and Immunological Evaluation of Virus-Like Particle-Milbemycin A3/A4 Conjugates.

Milbemycins are macrolide antibiotics with a broad spectrum of nematocidal, insecticidal, and acaricidal activity. To obtain milbemycin A3/A4 derivatives suitable for chemical conjugation to protein carriers (milbemycin haptens), succinate linker and a novel 17-atom-long linker containing a terminal carboxylic acid group were attached to the milbemycin core in a protecting group-free synthesis. The obtained milbemycin A3/A4 derivatives were coupled to Potato virus Y-like nanoparticles by the activated ester method. The reaction products were characterized and used in mice immunization experiments. It was found that the mice developed weak specific immune responses toward all tested milbemycin haptens.

Crystal structure of 3-de-oxy-3-nitro-methyl-1,2;5,6-di-O-iso-propyl-idene-α-d-allo-furan-ose.

The title compound, C13H21NO7 {systematic name: (3aR,5S,6R,6aR)-5-[(R)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl]-2,2-dimethyl-6-(nitro-meth-yl)tetra-hydro-furo[2,3-d][1,3]dioxole}, consists of a substituted 2,2-di-methyl-tetra-hydro-furo[2,3-d][1,3]dioxolane skeleton. The furan-ose ring A adopts a (o)T 4 conformation. The fused dioxolane ring B and the substituent dioxolane ring C also have twisted conformations. There are no strong hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure: only weak C-H⋯O contacts are present, which link the mol-ecules to form a three-dimensional structure.

Synthesis and X-ray studies of novel 3-C-nitromethyl-hexofuranoses.

A practical method for the synthesis of three novel 3-C-nitromethyl-hexofuranoses is reported. The Henry reaction on a 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-gulofuranose-derived ketone provided a 3-C-branched gulo-isomer as the sole reaction product. The dehydration-rehydration of the latter yielded an isopropylidene-protected 3-C-nitromethyl-galactofuranose. The reaction sequence can be also used for the synthesis of a 3-deoxy-3-C-nitromethyl-hexofuranose derivative with a gulo-configuration. Two of the newly obtained carbohydrate derivatives were characterized by X-ray crystallography.

On Moffatt dehydration of glucose-derived nitro alcohols.

Moffatt dehydration of 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose derived nitro alcohols with a mixture of Ac(2)O and DMSO was reinvestigated. It was discovered that, regardless of the absolute configuration at C(3) of the sugar moiety, the dehydration provided exclusively the (3Z)-nitromethylene derivative. Slight modification of the workup conditions (pH⩾8, temperature: 25-30°C) gave exclusively a novel product, (3S)-3-deoxy-3-methylthio-3-C-nitromethyl-1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranose. The latter was obtained by a Michael addition of thiomethylate anion to the previously reported nitromethylene derivative during the aqueous basic workup at ambient or slightly elevated temperature. The putative mechanism leading to the thiomethylate anion includes Pummerer rearrangement of DMSO and basic hydrolysis of thus formed methylsulfanylmethyl acetate.