Galeon: A Biologically Active Molecule with In Silico Metabolite Prediction, In Vitro Metabolic Profiling in Rat Liver Microsomes, and In Silico Binding Mechanisms with CYP450 Isoforms.

Galeon, a natural cyclic-diarylheptanoid (CDH), which was first isolated from Myrica gale L., is known to have potent cytotoxicity against A549 cell lines, anti-tubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, chemo-preventive potential, and moderate topoisomerase inhibitory activity. Here, in silico metabolism and toxicity prediction of galeon by CYP450, in vitro metabolic profiling study in rat liver microsomes (RLMs), and molecular interactions of galeon-CYP450 isoforms were performed. An in silico metabolic prediction study showed demethyl and mono-hydroxy galeon were the metabolites with the highest predictability. Among the predicted metabolites, mono-hydroxy galeon was found to have plausible toxicities such as skin sensitization, thyroid toxicity, chromosome damage, and carcinogenicity. An in vitro metabolism study of galeon, incubated in RLMs, revealed eighteen Phase-I metabolites, nine methoxylamine, and three glutathione conjugates. Identification of possible metabolites and confirmation of their structures were carried out using ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry. In silico docking analysis of galeon demonstrated significant interactions with active site residues of almost all CYP450 isoforms.

Recent Studies on Cyclic 1,7-Diarylheptanoids: Their Isolation, Structures, Biological Activities, and Chemical Synthesis.

Diarylheptanoids are a family of plant secondary metabolites with a 7 carbon skeleton possessing two phenyl rings at the 1- and 7-positions. They can be subdivided into acyclic and cyclic diarylheptanoids where the latter are further divided into meta,meta-bridged biphenyls ([7.0]metacyclophanes) and meta,para-bridged diphenyl ether heptanoids (oxa[7.1]metapara-cyclophanes). Since the isolation of curcumin from the rhizomes of turmeric (Curcuma longa) in 1815 which was named curcumin, a variety of diarylheptanoids have been isolated from a number of plant families such as Aceraceae, Actinidiaceae, Betulaceae, Burseraceae, Casuarinaceae, Juglandaceae, Leguminosae, Myricaceae, and Zingiberaceae. Earlier studies on these diarylheptanoids have been summarized on several occasions, of which the main themes only focus on isolation, structure elucidation, and the biological properties of linear types. Only a few have covered cyclic diarylheptanoids and their chemical synthesis has been covered lastly by Zhu et al. in 2000. The present paper has, therefore, covered recent progress in cyclic diarylheptanoids focusing on the isolation, structural and biological features, and chemical synthesis.

Synthesis of Ethano-Bridged Diazapolycenes as Potential Precursors for Diazapolycenes and Their Properties.

A series of ethanodiazapolycenes were prepared in 87%-89% yields by Friedländer reactions of three o-aminoarenecarbaldehydes with bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2,5-dione and their spectral, thermal, and structural properties were studied. Subsequent attempts to convert them to diazapolycenes have proved unsuccessful.

Progress in Studies on Rutaecarpine. II.--Synthesis and Structure-Biological Activity Relationships.

Rutaecarpine is a pentacyclic indolopyridoquinazolinone alkaloid found in Evodia rutaecarpa and other related herbs. It has a variety of intriguing biological properties, which continue to attract the academic and industrial interest. Studies on rutaecarpine have included isolation from new natural sources, development of new synthetic methods for its total synthesis, the discovery of new biological activities, metabolism, toxicology, and establishment of analytical methods for determining rutaecarpine content. The present review focuses on the synthesis, biological activities, and structure-activity relationships of rutaecarpine derivatives, with respect to their antiplatelet, vasodilatory, cytotoxic, and anticholinesterase activities.

Unusual product distribution from Friedländer reaction of di- and triacetylbenzenes with 3-aminonaphthalene-3-carbaldehyde and properties of new benzo[g]quinoline-derived aza-aromatics.

The Friedländer reactions of acetylbenzenes and 2-acetylpyridine with 3-aminonaphthalene-2-carbaldehyde afforded the corresponding 2-phenylbenzo[g]quinoline and 2-(pyrid-2-yl)benzo[g]quinoline, respectively. The same reactions of 3-aminonaphthalene-2-carbaldehyde with 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-di- and 1,3,5-triacetylbenzenes, however, afforded a series of corresponding (benzo[g]quinolin-2-yl)benzenes as new N,C-bidentate and unexpected benzo[g]quinoline. Crystallinity, thermal properties, absorption and emission spectral properties of the products were studied.

Characterization of in vitro metabolites of luotonin A in human liver microsomes using electrospray/tandem mass spectrometry.

1. The pharmacological activity of luotonin A varies, depending on the type of functional group and the site of derivatization. To understand the in vivo efficacy of luotonin A, the in vitro metabolism of luotonin A was investigated in human liver microsomes and recombinant cDNA-expressed cytochromeP450 (CYP). 2. Incubation of luotonin A with pooled human liver microsomes in the presence of NADPH-generating system resulted in the formation of four metabolites and the structures of each metabolite were tentatively characterized on the basis of electrospray tandem mass spectra. 3. The main metabolic pathway of luotonin A in human liver microsomes was hydroxylation, resulting in the generation of two mono-hydroxyl metabolites (M1 and M2) and two di-hydroxyl metabolites (M3 and M4). CYP1A2 was primarily involved in hydroxylation of the quinolone moiety (M1 and M3), while CYP3A4 was mainly responsible for hydroxylation of the quinazoline moiety of luotonin A (M2 and M4) in human liver microsomes.

Synthesis and properties of annulated 2-(Azaar-2-yl)- and 2,2'-Di(azaar-2-yl)-9,9'-spirobifluorenes.

A series of 9,9'-spirobifluorene-derived N-heterocycles were prepared by the reactions of 8,9-dihydrospiro(benzo[b]fluorene-11,9'-fluoren)-6(7H)-one and 8,8',9,9'-tetrahydro-11,11'-spirobi(benzo[b]fluorene)-6,6'(7H,7'H)-dione with a series of 2-amino-arenecarbaldehydes such as 2-aminobenzaldehyde, 2-aminonicotinealdehyde, 1-amino-2-naphthaldehyde, and 8-aminoquinoline-7-carbaldehyde. In addition to the absorption maxima based on the parent 9,9'-spirobifluorene skeleton in the 225-234, 239-280, 296-298, and 308-328 nm regions, the absorptions due to the π-π* transitions of the heterocycles were observed in the 351-375 nm region in the UV absorption spectra. All the compounds showed strong photoluminescences in the 390-430 nm region.

Synthesis of benzo-annulated tryptanthrins and their biological properties.

A series of benzo-annulated derivatives of tryptanthrin were prepared and their optical and redox properties were studied. Tryptanthrin and its benzo-annulated derivatives showed selective inhibitory activity on topo I with an increase of activity on topo II by benzo-annulation on quinazolin-4(3H)-one moiety. Although the benzo-annulation on quinazolin-4(3H)-one ring did not affect significantly on the inhibitory activities against topo I and II, the benzoannulation on indolin-3-one ring affected the inhibitory activity very much especially by linear annulation. Cytotoxicities were not significantly changed upon benzoannulation, which were not directly related either to the inhibitory activities against topo I and II or to the reduction potentials.

A facile solvent free Claisen-Schmidt reaction: synthesis of α,α'-bis-(substituted-benzylidene)cycloalkanones and α,α'-bis-(substituted-alkylidene)cycloalkanones.

Solvent-free Claisen-Schmidt reactions of cycloalkanones with various substituted benzaldehydes (aryl aldehydes) using solid NaOH (20 mol%) and applying a grinding technique were studied. Quantitative yields (96-98%) of α,α'-bis-(substituted-benzylidene)cycloalkanones were obtained. Aliphatic aldehydes also provided α,α'-bis-(substituted-alkylidene)cycloalkanones in very good yields with minor amounts of a-(substituted-alkylidene)cycloalkanones. The catalytic performance of solid NaOH was examined. The molar ratio of NaOH was optimized. The catalytic effect of solid NaOH was also evaluated by comparing it with KOH, NaOAc, and NH(4)OAc and it turns out that 20 mol% of solid NaOH was good enough to catalyze the Claisen-Schmidt reactions of cycloalkanones with various substituted benzaldehydes. Additionally, the regioselectivity of the Claisen-Schmidt reaction of acetone with benzaldehyde was examined. Using the same method, we could synthesize the corresponding bis-benzylidene- and mono-benzylideneacetone separately in 98% and 96% yields, respectively.

Recent advances in the studies on luotonins.

Luotonins are alkaloids from the aerial parts of Peganum nigellastrum Bunge. that display three major skeleton types. Luotonins A, B, and E are pyrroloquinazolino-quinoline alkaloids, luotonins C and D are canthin-6-one alkaloids, and luotonin F is a 4(3H)-quinazolinone alkaloid. All six luotonins have shown promising cytotoxicities towards selected human cancer cell lines, especially against leukemia P-388 cells. Luotonin A is the most active one, with its activity stemming from topoisomerase I-dependent DNA-cleavage. Such intriguing biological activities and unique structures have led not only to the development of synthetic methods for the efficient synthesis of these compounds, but also to interest in structural modifications for improving the biological properties. Recent progress in the study of luotonins is covered.

2,6-Dithienyl-4-furyl pyridines: Synthesis, topoisomerase I and II inhibition, cytotoxicity, structure-activity relationship, and docking study.

For the development of novel antitumor agents, 2,6-dithienyl-4-furyl pyridine derivatives were prepared and evaluated for their topoisomerase I and II inhibitory activity as well as cytotoxicity against several human cancer cell lines. Among the 21 prepared compounds, compound 24 exhibited strong topoisomerase I inhibitory activity. In addition, a docking study with topoisomerase I and compound 24 was performed.

2-Thienyl-4-furyl-6-aryl pyridine derivatives: synthesis, topoisomerase I and II inhibitory activity, cytotoxicity, and structure-activity relationship study.

Designed and synthesized 60 2-thienyl-4-furyl-6-aryl pyridine derivatives were evaluated for their topoisomerase I and II inhibitory activities at 20 microM and 100 microM and cytotoxicity against several human cancer cell lines. Compounds 8, 9, 11-29 showed significant topoisomerase II inhibitory activity and compounds 10 and 11 showed significant topoisomerase I inhibitory activity. Most of the compounds (7-21) possessing 2-(5-chlorothiophen-2-yl)-4-(furan-3-yl) moiety showed higher or similar cytotoxicity against HCT15 cell line as compared to standards. Most of the selected compounds displayed moderate cytotoxicity against MCF-7, HeLa, DU145, and K562 cell lines. Structure-activity relationship study revealed that 2-(5-chlorothiophen-2-yl)-4-(furan-3-yl) moiety has an important role in displaying biological activities.

Synthesis and biological properties of benzo-annulated rutaecarpines.

A series of benzo-annulated rutaecarpines were prepared from anthranilic acid and 3-aminonaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid by Fischer indole synthesis as key reaction. Cytotoxicity was somewhat increased by the introduction of benzo-annulation, which was not directly related to the inhibitory activity against topoisomerases (topo) I and II. Benzo-annulation on ring A led to significant increase of inhibitory activity against topo II while annulations on ring E increased inhibitory activity against topo I.

Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Molecular Docking Study of Cyclic Diarylheptanoids as Potential Anticancer Therapeutics.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality globally. To cope with cancer, it is necessary to develop anticancer drugs. Bioactive natural products, i.e. diarylheptanoids, have gained significant attention of researchers owing to their intriguing structures and potent biological activities. In this article, considering the development of anticancer drugs with enhanced selectivity towards cancerous cells, a series of Cyclic Diarylheptanoids (CDHs) are designed, synthesized and evaluated their biological activity. OBJECTIVE: To establish an easy route for the synthesis of diarylheptanoids, and evaluate their antiproliferative, and topoisomerase-I & -IIα inhibitory activities, for developing potential anticancer drugs among CDHs. METHODS: Diarylheptanoids were synthesized from reported linear diarylheptanoids using the classical Ullmann reaction. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by the filter paper disc diffusion method. Cell viability was assessed by measuring mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity with a Cell Counting Kit (CCK-8). Topoisomerases I and II (topo-I and -IIα) inhibitory activity was measured by the assessment of relaxation of supercoiled pBR322 plasmid DNA. IFD protocol of Schrodinger Maestro v11.1 was used to characterize the binding pattern of studied compounds with the ATPase domain of the human topo-IIα. RESULTS: The synthesized CDHs were evaluated for their biological activities (antibacterial, antiproliferative, and topoisomerase-I & -IIα inhibitory activities, respectively). Leading to obtain a series of anticancer agents with the least inhibitory activities against different microbes, improving their selectivity for cancer cells. In brief, most of the synthesized CDHs had excellent antiproliferative activity against T47D (human breast cancer cell line). Pterocarine possessed the strongest activity (2i; IC50 = 0.63µM) against T47D. The cyclic diarylheptanoid 2b induced 30% inhibition of topoisomerase-IIα activity at 100µM compared with the reference of etoposide, which induced 72% inhibition. Among the tested compounds, galeon (2h) displayed very low activity against four bacterial strains. Compounds 2b, 2h, and 2i formed hydrogen bonds with Thr215, Asn91, Asn120, Ala167, Lys168 and Ile141 residues, which are important for binding of ligand compound to the ATPase binding site of topoisomerase IIα by acting as ATP competitive molecule validated by docking study. In silico Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion (ADME) analysis revealed the predicted ADME parameters of the studied compounds which showed recommended values. CONCLUSION: A series of CDHs were synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial, antiproliferative, and topo-I & -IIα inhibitory activities. SARs study, molecular docking study and in silico ADME analysis were conducted. Five compounds exhibited excellent and selective antiproliferative activity against the human breast cancer cell line (T47D). Among them, a compound 2h showed topo-IIα activity by 30% at 100µM, which represented a moderate intensity of inhibition compared with etoposide. Three of them formed hydrogen bonds with Thr215, Asn91, Asn120, and Ala167 residues, which are considered as crucial residues for binding to the ATPase domain of topoisomerase IIα. According to in silico drug-likeness property analysis, three compounds are expected to show superiority over etoposide in case of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion.

Torilin from Torilis japonica inhibits melanin production in alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone-activated B16 melanoma cells.

Epidermal melanocytes synthesize melanin pigments and transfer them to keratinocytes, which is responsible for skin pigmentation. However, abnormal accumulation of melanin pigments causes hyperpigmentation disorders, which are substantially improved with treatment of tyrosinase inhibitor. In our ongoing study, Torilis japonica DC. (Umbelliferae) was found to inhibit melanin production. A goal of this study is to elucidate the hypopigmenting principle of T. japonica. A sesquiterpene structure of torilin was isolated from the plant extracts via bioassay-guided phytochemical analysis. Torilin dose-dependently inhibited melanin production, with an IC(50) value of 25 microM, in alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH)-activated B16 melanoma cells. Arbutin, a positive control of skin whitener, also inhibited alpha-MSH-induced melanin production with an IC(50) value of 170 microM. As to the mode of action, torilin downregulated alpha-MSH-induced protein levels of tyrosinase without directly inhibiting catalytic activity of the enzyme. Taken together, this study shows that torilin contributes to the hypopigmenting principle of T. japonica, and suggests its pharmacological potential in melanin-associated hyperpigmentation disorders.

Manassantin A and B from Saururus chinensis inhibiting cellular melanin production.

Hyperpigmentation disorders such as freckles and senile lentigines in the skin are associated with abnormal accumulation of melanin pigments. In this study, two lignan constituents were isolated from Saururus chinensis Baill (Saururaceae) as inhibitors of cellular melanin production by bioassay-guided fractionations. The active constituents were manassantin A and B that dose-dependently inhibited melanin production in alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH)-activated melanoma B16 cells with IC(50) values of 13 nm and 8 nm, respectively. Arbutin as a positive control exhibited an IC(50) value of 96 microm on alpha-MSH-induced melanin production. Further, manassantin A inhibited forskolin- or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX)-induced melanin production with IC(50) values of 14 nm or 12 nm, respectively. Manassantin A decreased cellular amounts of IBMX-inducible tyrosinase protein but could not affect the catalytic activity of cell-free tyrosinase, a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of melanin pigments. Finally, this study could provide a pharmacological potential of S. chinensis in hyperpigmentation disorders.

Two new secoiridoid glycosides from the rhizomes of Gentiana scabra Bunge.

Two new secoiridoid glycosides, 4'''-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyltrifloroside 1 and 4'''-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylscabraside 2, along with three known secoiridoids were isolated from the rhizomes of Gentiana scabra (Gentianaceae) in our recent phytochemical study. Their chemical structures were determined by spectroscopic data including 1D and 2D NMR spectra. The chemotaxonomic significance of the secoiridoid glycosides is briefly discussed.

Inhibition of DNA topoisomerases I and II and cytotoxicity by lignans from Saururus chinensis.

Thirteen lignans, erythro-austrobailignan-6 (1), meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (2), sauchinone (3), 1'-epi-sauchinone (4), saucerneol D (5), manassantin B (6), manassantin A (7), nectandrin B (8), machilin D (9), saucerneol F (10), saucerneol G (11), saucerneol H (12) and saucerneol I (13), were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the roots of Saururus chinensis. Among these compounds, 5 showed potent inhibitory activities against DNA topoisomerase I and II, and 5, 6, 7 and 10 showed mild cytotoxicities against HT-29 (IC(50) values; 13, 12, 11, and 10 microM, respectively) and HepG2 cell lines (IC(50) values; 16, 11, 12, and 11 microM, respectively).

Saucerneol D, a naturally occurring sesquilignan, inhibits LPS-induced iNOS expression in RAW264.7 cells by blocking NF-kappaB and MAPK activation.

We evaluated the ability of saucerneol D (SD), a tetrahydrofuran-type sesquilignan isolated from Saururus chinensis, to regulate the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells. SD consistently inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC(50) of 2.62 microM, and also blocked LPS-induced iNOS expression. SD potently suppressed both the reporter gene expression and DNA-binding activity of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). In addition, SD inhibited IkappaB-alpha degradation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. SD also inhibited LPS-induced activation of various mitogen-activated protein kinases, including extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK). These findings suggest that SD may inhibit LPS-induced iNOS expression by blocking NF-kappaB and MAPK activation.

New insight for fluoroquinophenoxazine derivatives as possibly new potent topoisomerase I inhibitor.

Fluoroquinolones, represented by ciproxacin and norfloxacin, are well-known clinical antimicrobial agents, and their phenyl ring expanded quinophenoxazines are reported as possible antitumor active compounds. These quinophenoxazines are known to inhibit DNA topoisomerase II essential for cell replication cycle. But there were no reports for topoisomerase I inhibition study for these compounds. In this report, we have prepared a few quinophenoxazine analogues and tested their topoisomerases I and II inhibitory activities and cytotoxicity. From the result, we found that quinophenoxazine analogues possessed strong topoisomerase I inhibitory capacity as well as topoisomerase II inhibition. Among the compounds prepared, A-62176 analogues showed strong topoisomerases I and II inhibitory activities. Interestingly, compound 8 missing the 3-aminopyrrolidine moiety at C2 position has similar potent inhibitory capacity against topoisomerases I and II at higher concentrations (20 and 10 microM, respectively). But compound 8 inhibited topoisomerase I function more selectively at lower concentration, 2 microM. Our observation might strongly implicate that fluoroquinophenoxazines can be developed as efficient topoisomerase I inhibitor with the elaborate modification.