New Monoterpenoid Indoles with Osteoclast Activities from Gelsemium elegans.

The well-known toxic medicine Gelsemium elegans is widely and historically used to treat bone fracture and skin ulcers by the folk people of China. Two new monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, gelselegandines D and E, together with the known analogue gelegamine A were isolated from G. elegans. Their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic techniques and quantum chemical calculations. All isolated compounds were tested for the effects on RANKL-induced osteoclast formation. Interestingly, gelselegandine E and gelegamine A, respectively, showed significant promoting and inhibitory activities on osteoclastogenesis, while gelselegandine D had no activity under the same concentration. This work suggested the different configurations for the carbons near the C-19/20 oxygen rings of the isolated compounds may be the key active groups on osteoclast formation and provided the evidence for the rationality as the traditional treatment for bone-related diseases of G. elegans.

Wip1 phosphatase deficiency impairs spatial learning and memory.

Spatial learning and memory are typically assessed to evaluate hippocampus-dependent cognitive and memory functions in vivo. Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation by kinases and phosphatases play critical roles in spatial learning and memory. Here we report that the Wip1 phosphatase is essential for spatial learning, with knockout mice lacking Wip1 phosphatase exhibiting dysfunctional spatial cognition. Aberrant phosphorylation of the Wip1 substrates p38, ATM, and p53 were observed in the hippocampi of Wip1-/- mice, but only p38 inhibition reversed impairments in long-term potentiation in Wip1-knockout mice. p38 inhibition consistently ameliorated the spatial learning dysfunction caused by Wip1 deficiency. Our results demonstrate that deletion of Wip1 phosphatase impairs hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory, with aberrant downstream p38 phosphorylation involved in this process and providing a potential therapeutic target.

Antimicrobial indole alkaloids from Tabernaemontana corymbosa.

Four unreported monoterpene indole alkaloids, tabernaecorymines B-E (1-4), together with twenty-one known indole alkaloids (5-25) were obtained from the stem bark of Tabernaemontana corymbosa. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by extensive spectroscopy, quantum chemical calculations, DP4+ probability analyses and Mo2(OAc)4-induced electronic circular dichroism experiment. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of these compounds were evaluated and some of them showed significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus,Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Candida albicans.

Phaeosphspirone (1/1'), a pair of unique polyketide enantiomers with an unusual 6/5/5/6 tetracyclic ring from the desert plant endophytic fungus Phaeosphaeriaceae sp.

Phaeosphspirone, an undescribed polyketide with a unique 6/5/5/6-fused tetracyclic system, and two known analogues, herbarin and O-methylherbarin, were purified from the endophytic fungus Phaeosphaeriaceae sp. isolated from the desert plant Bassia dasyphylla. The connectivity and relative configuration of phaeosphspirone was elucidated by comprehensive HR-ESI-MS and NMR analysis together with a computer-assisted structure elucidation (CASE) method. A pair of enantiomers existing in phaeosphspirone were separated by HPLC chromatography after reacting with chiral reagents, from which the absolute configuration of phaeosphspirone was simultaneously determined based on Mosher's rule. This tandem strategy provides a useful approach for the separation and stereochemical determination of enantiomers possessing secondary hydroxyl groups. The structural feature of phaeosphspirone, herbarin and O-methylherbarin together with gene cluster analysis suggested their polyketide biosynthetic origin. Herbarin and O-methylherbarin exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against three cancer cell lines.

Tabernaecorymine A, an 18-normonoterpenoid indole alkaloid with antibacterial activity from Tabernaemontana corymbosa.

Tabernaecorymine A, an 18-normonoterpenoid indole alkaloid with conjugated (E)-3-aminoacrylaldehyde fragment was obtained from the stem bark of Tabernaemontana corymbosa. Its structure was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analyses, and further verified by ACD/structure elucidator, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analyses and density functional theory (DFT) chemical shift predictions. The compound exhibited significant antibacterial bioactivity against Streptococcus dysgalactiae with an MIC value of 3.12 µg/mL, which is better than the plant drug berberine.

New oxindole alkaloids with selective osteoclast inhibitory activity from Gelsemium elegans.

A new alkaloid 14-hydroxygelseziridine (1), along with four known oxindoles (2-5), was isolated and characterized from the well-known toxic medicine Gelsemium elegans. Their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic techniques and quantum chemistry calculations. Structurally, new compound 1 has a three membered oxygen ring at N-4/C-20. All compounds were tested for osteoclast (MOC-1) inhibitory activity in vitro. Compound 2 exhibited the selective osteoclast inhibitory activity. Flow cytometry revealed that the apoptosis of osteoclasts induced by 2. Furthermore, the PCR bioassay suggested that compound 2 may activate the apoptotic pathway of osteoclasts by reducing the expression of IL-6 and c-Jun, and increasing caspase 9. This work provided the evidence for the rationality as the traditional treatment for bone related diseases of G. elegans, and shed a new light on its further research.

Monoterpene indole N-oxide alkaloids from Tabernaemontana corymbosa and their antimicrobial activity.

Tabernaemontana corymbosa is a traditional folk medicine. In our research, six monoterpene indole N-oxide alkaloids and their parent alkaloids were obtained from the stem bark of T. corymbosa, including seven new alkaloids (1-7) and five known alkaloids (8-12). Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by extensive spectroscopy, quantum chemical calculations, and DP4+ probability analyses. The antimicrobial activity of the obtained compounds was evaluated, among which alkaloids 4, 8, 12 showed significant antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with an MIC value of 6.25 µg/mL, while alkaloids 11, 12 showed moderate antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis with an MIC value of 25 µg/mL.

Alstoscholarisine K, an Antimicrobial Indole from Gall-Induced Leaves of Alstonia scholaris.

Alstoscholarisine K, an indole alkaloid with eight chiral carbons and featuring a novel 6/5/6/6/6/6/6/5 octacyclic architecture, was found to be specific to the gall-infected leaves of Alstonia scholaris. Its structure was elucidated by spectroscopy, computational analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The unusual highly fused cage-like pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrimidine structure with an additional -C4N unit is possibly derived from a combination of monoterpenoid indole and polyamine pathways. The fascinating compound exhibited significant antibacterial bioactivities by targeting cell membranes.

Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of Curcuma kwangsiensis and its bioactive terpenoids in vivo and in vitro.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: "Curcumae Radix", the dried rhizomes of Curcuma kwangsiensis documented in Chinese pharmacopoeia, has been traditionally used for the treatment of inflammatory and pain diseases, such as jaundice and red urine, cleaning the heart-fire and depression, arthralgia, and dysmenorrhea. However, according to literature surveys, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive studies of C. kwangsiensis have been seldom reported so far. AIM OF THE STUDY: The current study focuses on the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of C. kwangsiensis and discovering the bioactive compounds for its traditional usages both in vivo and in vitro, which could provide scientific justification about its traditional use. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive assays of various layers (ME, EA, AQS) from C. kwangsiensis were achieved by carrageenan-induced paw edema and acetic acid-induced writhing animal models, respectively. The most bioactive part, EA layer was further phytochemically investigated by multiple step chromatography techniques. The structures of these isolates were unambiguously elucidated by means of extensive spectroscopic and chemical methods, and comparison with corresponding data of the reported literature. Four major sesquiterpenoids (4, 6, 14, and 15) were achieved for their anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive assays by the two aforementioned animal models in vivo. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory effects via detecting inflammatory mediator releases (COX-2, IL-1ß, and TNF-α) in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells induced by LPS. RESULTS: The ME and EA layers significantly alleviated the paw edema caused by carrageenan and decreased the number of writhes induced by acetic acid at the dose of 200 and/or 100 mg/kg in comparison to the control group (p < 0.01/0.05), and the EA layer exhibited better activity than that of ME layer. Subsequent phytochemical investigation on EA layer of C. kwangsiensis exhibited that three new terpenoid compounds (1-3), identified as (12Z,14R)-7ß-hydroxylabda-8(17),12-diene-14,15,16-triol (1), (12Z,14S)- 7ß-hydroxlabda-8(17),12-diene-14,15,16-triol (2), and (4S)-hydroxy-(8)-methoxy-(5S)-(H)-guaia1(10),7(11)-dien-12,8-olide (3), together with twenty-two known analogs were isolated. Furthermore, four major sesquiterpenoids (4, 6, 14, and 15) significantly relieved the paw edema and number of writhes at 100 and/or 50 mg/kg (p < 0.05/0.01). Likewise, the majority of sesqui- and diterpenoids isolated could remarkably inhibited the secretion of inflammatory mediators (COX-2, IL-1ß, and TNF-α) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages cells at the concentration of 20 µg/mL, comparable to DXM used as the positive control. All the results suggested that EA layer from C. kwangsiensis possessed the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities, and these sesqui- and diterpenoids could be the effective constituents responsible for relieving inflammation. CONCLUSION: The present studies undoubtedly determined the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive material basis of C. kwangsiensis, including the EA layer and its precise components, which presented equivalent or better anti-inflammatory effects than that of positive control (ASP/DXM) in vivo and in vitro. These results not only would account for scientific knowledge for traditional use of C. kwangsiensis, but also provide credible theoretical foundation for the further development of anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive agents.

New aporphine alkaloids with selective cytotoxicity against glioma stem cells from Thalictrum foetidum.

Seven new isoquinoline alkaloids, 9-(2'-formyl-5', 6'-dimethoxyphenoxy)-1, 2, 3, 10-tetramethoxy dehydroaporphine (1), 9-(2'-formyl-5', 6'-dimethoxyphenoxy)-1, 2, 3, 10-tetramethoxy oxoaporphine (2), 3-methoxy-2'-formyl oxohernandalin (3), (-)-9-(2'-methoxycarbonyl-5', 6'-dimethoxyphenoxy)-1, 2, 3, 10-tetramethoxy aporphine (4), (-)-2'-methoxycarbonyl thaliadin (5), (-)-9-(2'-methoxyethyl-5', 6'-dimethoxyphenoxy)-1, 2, 3, 10-tetramethoxy aporphine (6), (-)-3-methoxy hydroxyhernandalinol (7), together with six known isoquinoline alkaloids (8-13) were isolated from the roots of Thalictrum foetidum. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic measurements. Compounds 1 and 2 showed significant selective cytotoxicity against glioma stem cells (GSC-3# and GSC-18#) with IC50 values ranging from 2.36 to 5.37 µg·mL-1.

Multifunctional Gold Nanoparticle-Based Fluorescence Resonance Energy-Transfer Probe for Target Drug Delivery and Cell Fluorescence Imaging.

Drug delivery system has a profound significance for imaging capabilities and monitoring apoptosis process precisely in cancer therapeutic field. Herein, we designed cysteamine (CS)-stabilized gold nanoparticles, CS-gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-doxorubicin (DOX), for fluorescence-enhanced cell imaging and target drug delivery. For cancer therapy, DOX was incorporated to CS-AuNPs by disulfide linkages which could be cleaved by glutathione (GSH) in cancer cells specifically. In addition, red-emissive DOX was quenched effectively by particular quenching effect of fluorescence resonance energy transfer from DOX to AuNPs, rendering monitoring target drug release by visual luminescence. The released DOX-SH acted as an indicator for cancer cells with red fluorescence and was further used for stimuli-responsive drug therapy. After an overall investigation of detection for GSH, proapoptosis for cancer cells, and inhibition for tumor tissues in vivo, the CS-AuNPs-DOX nanoprobe shows an obviously enhanced performance. This proposal provides an intelligent strategy for cell imaging and drug delivery, which serves as a promising candidate for anticancer therapeutic applications.

Nepenthe-Like Indole Alkaloids with Antimicrobial Activity from Ervatamia chinensis.

Two monoterpenoid indole alkaloid erchinines A (1) and B (2), possessing unique 1,4-diazepine fused with oxazolidine architecture and three hemiaminals, were isolated from Ervatamia chinensis. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of intensive spectroscopic analysis, and a plausible biosynthetic pathway from ibogaine was proposed. Both compounds exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against Trichophyton rubrum and Bacillus subtilis, and their activities were comparable to the first line antifungal drug griseofulvin and antibiotic cefotaxime.

Antibacterial Indole Alkaloids with Complex Heterocycles from Voacanga africana.

Voacafricines A and B, two unique monoterpenoid indole alkaloids each bearing five fused heterocycles, were obtained from the fruits of Voacanga africana. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods and computational studies. A plausible biogenetic pathway was proposed from a common precursor, 19- epi-voacristine. Both compounds exhibited potent activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi, and their activities were superior to those of the well-known antibacterial drugs berberine and fibrauretine.

Three New Pyridine Alkaloids from Vinca major Cultivated in Pakistan.

Three new pyridine type alkaloids, (-)-vinmajpyridines A-C (1-3), along with two known alkaloids, have been isolated from the aerial parts of Vinca major cultivated in Pakistan. Their structures have been elucidated by means of NMR and HRESIMS spectroscopic data. The new alkaloids were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against glioma initiating cell lines (GITC-3# and GITC-18#), glioblastoma cell lines (U-87MG and T98G), and lung cancer cell line A-549, but none of them was active at 20 µg/mL concentration.

Indole Alkaloids Inhibiting Neural Stem Cell from Uncaria rhynchophylla.

Uncaria rhynchophylla is commonly recognized as a traditional treatment for dizziness, cerebrovascular diseases, and nervous disorders in China. Previously, the neuro-protective activities of the alkaloids from U. rhynchophylla were intensively reported. In current work, three new indole alkaloids (1-3), identified as geissoschizic acid (1), geissoschizic acid N 4-oxide (2), and 3ß-sitsirikine N 4-oxide (3), as well as 26 known analogues were isolated from U. rhynchophylla. However, in the neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferation assay for all isolated compounds, geissoschizic acid (1), geissoschizic acid N 4-oxide (2), isocorynoxeine (6), isorhynchophylline (7), (4S)-akuammigine N-oxide (8), and (4S)-rhynchophylline N-oxide (10) showed unexpected inhibitory activities at 10 µM. Unlike previous neuro-protective reports, as a warning or caution, our finding showcased a clue for possible NSCs toxicity and the neural lesions risk of U. rhynchophylla, while the structure-activity relationships of the isolated compounds were discussed also.

Studies on the interaction mechanism between hexakis(imidazole) manganese(II) terephthalate and DNA and preparation of DNA electrochemical sensor.

The interaction between hexakis(imidazole) manganese(II) terephthalate ([Mn(Im)(6)](teph).4H(2)O) and salmon sperm DNA in 0.2M pH 2.30 Britton-Robinson buffer solution was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Increasing fluorescence was observed for [Mn(Im)(6)](2+) with DNA addition, while quenching fluorescence phenomenon appeared for EB-DNA system when [Mn(Im)(6)](2+) was added. There were a couple quasi-reversible redox peaks of [Mn(Im)(6)](2+) from the cyclic voltammogram on the glassy carbon electrode. The peak current of [Mn(Im)(6)](2+) decreased with positive shift of the formal potential in the presence of DNA compared with that in the absence of DNA. All the experimental results indicate that [Mn(Im)(6)](2+) can bind to DNA mainly by intercalative binding mode. The binding ratio of the DNA-[Mn(Im)(6)](2+) association complex is calculated to be 1:1 and the binding constant is 4.44x10(3) M(-1). By using [Mn(Im)(6)](teph).4H(2)O as the electrochemical hybridization indicator, the DNA electrochemical sensor was prepared by covalent interaction and the selectivity of ssDNA modified electrode were described. The results demonstrate the use of electrochemical DNA biosensor in the determination of complementary ssDNA.

Nucleic acid biosensor for detection of hepatitis B virus using 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline copper complex as electrochemical indicator.

In this study, an electrochemical DNA biosensor was developed based on the recognition of target DNA by hybridization detection. The study was carried out using glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with lable-free 21-mer single-stranded oligonucleotides related to hepatitis B virus sequence via covalent immobilization and [Cu(dmp)(H(2)O)Cl(2)] (dmp=2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) as an electrochemical indicator, whose sizes are comparable to those of the small groove of native double-duplex DNA. The method, which is simple and low cost, allows the accumulation of copper complex within the DNA layer. Electochemical detection was performed by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry over the potential range where the [Cu(dmp)(H(2)O)Cl(2)] was active. Numerous factors affecting the probe immobilization, target hybridization, and indicator binding reactions were optimized to maximize the sensitivity and speed the assay time. With this approach, a sequence of the hepatitis B virus could be quantified over the ranges from 8.82 x 10(-8) to 8.82 x 10(-7) M with a linear correlation of r=0.9937 and a detection limit of 7.0 x 10(-8) M. The [Cu(dmp)(H(2)O)Cl(2)] signal observed from probe sequence before and after hybridization with four bases mismatch containing sequence is lower than that observed after hybridization with complementary sequence.