Unveiling the Chemical Composition and Biofunctionality of Hericium spp. Fungi: A Comprehensive Overview.

In recent years, research on mushrooms belonging to the Hericium genus has attracted considerable attention due to their unique appearance and well-known medicinal properties. These mushrooms are abundant in bioactive chemicals like polysaccharides, hericenones, erinacines, hericerins, resorcinols, steroids, mono- and diterpenes, and corallocins, alongside essential nutrients. These compounds demonstrate beneficial bioactivities which are related to various physiological systems of the body, including the digestive, immune, and nervous systems. Extensive research has been conducted on the isolation and identification of numerous bioactive chemicals, and both in vitro and in vivo studies have confirmed their antimicrobial, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, anticholesterolemic, anticancer, and neuroprotective properties. Therefore, this review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the latest scientific literature on the chemical composition and secondary metabolites profile of Hericium spp. through an introduction to their chemical characteristics, speculated biosynthesis pathways for key chemical families, potential toxicological aspects, and a detailed description of the recent updates regarding the bioactivity of these metabolites.

PON1 has palmitoyl-protein thioesterase (PPT) activity, and can affect the presence of SR-B1 on the endothelial cell membrane.

The high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated enzyme paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is expressed almost exclusively in the liver and is then transported by HDL to the peripheral tissues. The lipophilic nature of PON1 enables its easy exchange between the lipoprotein and cell membranes in a process that is dependent on the HDL receptor scavenger receptor class B, type 1 (SR-B1). In endothelial cells, PON1 binding to the cell membrane leads to its internalization by endocytosis and subsequent lysosomal degradation. PON1 is a "promiscuous" enzyme with unusually broad substrate specificity in vitro, but its actual function and substrate are still unknown. The enzyme requires a lipid environment and becomes completely inactive upon delipidation. However, when PON1 binds HDL, its active site faces the lipoprotein's core and is inaccessible to external substrates. Hence, the HDL-bound PON1 is inactive toward substrates outside the particle's lipid core and is rapidly degraded and becomes inactive upon internalization. Consequently, the enzyme is only active in the cell membrane during its transit from HDL to the cytoplasm. To assign a function to PON1, we investigated whether it is a palmitoyl-protein thioesterase (PPT) that can hydrolyze the palmitoyl moieties of membrane proteins involved in HDL and cholesterol transport, such as SR-B1, ABCA1, or their neighboring caveola proteins to facilitate the release of HDL or trigger its endocytosis. This study shows that PON1 can hydrolyze palmitoyl-cysteine thioester bonds in vitro, has direct or indirect PPT activity in vivo, and can significantly decrease the presence of SR-B1 in the endothelial membrane.

Overcoming Chemoresistance in Cancer: The Promise of Crizotinib.

Chemoresistance is a major obstacle in cancer treatment, often leading to disease progression and poor outcomes. It arises through various mechanisms such as genetic mutations, drug efflux pumps, enhanced DNA repair, and changes in the tumor microenvironment. These processes allow cancer cells to survive despite chemotherapy, underscoring the need for new strategies to overcome resistance and improve treatment efficacy. Crizotinib, a first-generation multi-target kinase inhibitor, is approved by the FDA for the treatment of ALK-positive or ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), refractory inflammatory (ALK)-positive myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) and relapsed/refractory ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Crizotinib exists in two enantiomeric forms: (R)-crizotinib and its mirror image, (S)-crizotinib. It is assumed that the R-isomer is responsible for the carrying out various processes reviewed here The S-isomer, on the other hand, shows a strong inhibition of MTH1, an enzyme important for DNA repair mechanisms. Studies have shown that crizotinib is an effective multi-kinase inhibitor targeting various kinases such as c-Met, native/T315I Bcr/Abl, and JAK2. Its mechanism of action involves the competitive inhibition of ATP binding and allosteric inhibition, particularly at Bcr/Abl. Crizotinib showed synergistic effects when combined with the poly ADP ribose polymerase inhibitor (PARP), especially in ovarian cancer harboring BRCA gene mutations. In addition, crizotinib targets a critical vulnerability in many p53-mutated cancers. Unlike its wild-type counterpart, the p53 mutant promotes cancer cell survival. Crizotinib can cause the degradation of the p53 mutant, sensitizing these cancer cells to DNA-damaging substances and triggering apoptosis. Interestingly, other reports demonstrated that crizotinib exhibits anti-bacterial activity, targeting Gram-positive bacteria. Also, it is active against drug-resistant strains. In summary, crizotinib exerts anti-tumor effects through several mechanisms, including the inhibition of kinases and the restoration of drug sensitivity. The potential of crizotinib in combination therapies is emphasized, particularly in cancers with a high prevalence of the p53 mutant, such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC).

S-Nitrosylation of Paraxonase 1 (PON1) Elevates Its Hydrolytic and Antioxidant Activities.

Covalent binding between nitric oxide (NO) and a protein's free thiol group (SH) is termed protein S-nitrosylation. Protein S-nitrosylation is involved in cellular regulation mechanisms that underlie a wide range of critical functions, such as apoptosis, alteration of enzyme activities, and transcription-factor stability. Impaired protein S-nitrosylation is associated with a growing list of pathophysiological conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, and sickle cell disease. The enzyme paraoxonase 1 (PON1) binds to high-density lipoprotein to provide many of its antiatherogenic properties. The enzyme has a strong antioxidant capacity, which protects fats, lipids, and lipoproteins from oxidation, in addition to breaking down oxidized fats. We investigated the effect of S-S transnitrosylation on PON1 activities. Incubation of recombinant PON1 (rePON1) with nitrosylated human serum albumin (HSA-NO) resulted in S-nitrosylation of about 70% of the rePON1, as measured by Q-TOF LC/MS. S-nitrosylation significantly increased rePON1 hydrolytic activities. It also increased rePON1's ability to inhibit low-density lipoprotein oxidation induced by Cu2+. Finally, it increased the enzyme's penetration into macrophage cells by 31%. Our findings suggest that S-nitrosylation of rePON1 improves its biological functions which may positively affect atherosclerosis disease progression.

Lyso-DGTS Lipid Derivatives Enhance PON1 Activities and Prevent Oxidation of LDL: A Structure-Activity Relationship Study.

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) plays a role in regulating reverse cholesterol transport and has antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, vasodilative, and antithrombotic activities. Scientists are currently focused on the modulation of PON1 expression using different pharmacological, nutritional, and lifestyle approaches. We previously isolated a novel active compound from Nannochloropsis microalgae-lyso-diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine (lyso-DGTS)-which increased PON1 activity, HDL-cholesterol efflux, and endothelial nitric oxide release. Here, to explore this important lipid moiety's effect on PON1 activities, we examined the effect of synthesized lipid derivatives and endogenous analogs of lyso-DGTS on PON1 lactonase and arylesterase activities and LDL oxidation using structure-activity relationship (SAR) methods. Six lipids significantly elevated recombinant PON1 (rePON1) lactonase activity in a dose-dependent manner, and four lipids significantly increased rePON1 arylesterase activity. Using tryptophan fluorescence-quenching assay and a molecular docking method, lipid-PON1 interactions were characterized. An inverse correlation was obtained between the lactonase activity of PON1 and the docking energy of the lipid-PON1 complex. Furthermore, five of the lipids increased the LDL oxidation lag time and inhibited its propagation. Our findings suggest a beneficial effect of lyso-DGTS or lyso-DGTS derivatives through increased PON1 activity and prevention of LDL oxidation.

Coordination versatility of p-hydroquinone-functionalized dibenzobarrelene-based PC(sp3)P pincer ligands.

The manuscript describes the synthesis and coordination chemistry of a novel diphosphine pincer ligand based on a p-hydroquinone-functionalized dibenzobarrelene scaffold. The p-hydroquinone fragment of the ligand is oxidatively and coordinatively non-innocent and may render new reactivity to the metal center due to implied reversible redox behavior, tautomeric interconversion and metal-hydroxyl/alkoxide coordination switch of the pendant hydroxyl side-arm. Palladium, platinum and iridium complexes were prepared and characterized. Investigation of their coordination chemistry revealed that while tautomeric equilibrium exists in free ligands and in the chelate non-metalated complexes, it is essentially blocked in the corresponding C(sp3)-pincer compounds due to stabilizing hemilabile coordination of the hydroxyl group. However, its presence in close proximity to the metal center is essential for catalyzing acceptorless dehydrogenation of alcohols by the iridium complexes via the outer-sphere hydrogen transfer mechanism. Remarkably, we found a similar activity for the analogous palladium complexes, which is not characteristic of this metal. This unprecedented reactivity of palladium stresses the fact that besides the choice of an active metal, transformation-oriented design of the ligand is crucial for catalysis.

Formation of an alkyne during degradation of metal-alkylidyne complexes.

The compound [(Ot-Bu)3W≡Ct-Bu] (1) (t-Bu = C(CH3)3) decomposes upon contact with water and several organic products are formed, including di-tert-butylacetylene, t-BuC≡Ct-Bu. This process is reminiscent of the degradation of trinuclear metal-alkylidyne complexes in which free carbynes are ejected into solution, couple and form alkynes along with many other products. The reactivity pattern of the resulting t-BuC carbynes that includes extensive hydrogen abstraction, cleavage of alkynes and lack of reactivity towards alkenes is indicative of a quartet (S = 3/2) spin state. A similar spin state was assigned to other RC (R = alkyl) species that were produced by degrading M3-alkylidyne (M = transition metal) complexes in water. t-BuC≡Ct-Bu is also produced during thermal decomposition of solid 1. In 1977 Fischer and co-workers reported a very similar process in which solids of Br(CO)4Cr≡CR(1) and Br(CO)4Cr≡CR(2) were co-thermolyzed to produce R(1)C≡CR(2), R(1)C≡CR(1), and R(2)C≡CR(2). Fischer had considered the involvement of free carbynes in the making of the alkynes but later resorted to other explanations. The current results suggest that his original proposal is indeed valid.

New possible mode of ligand-metal cooperation in PC(sp3)P pincer complexes.

Ligand-metal cooperation in iridium and platinum complexes bearing tricyclic dibenzobarrelene-based PC(sp(3))P pincer ligands is discussed. We demonstrated that the carbon-metal bond in these complexes may be efficiently cleaved and regenerated via 1,2-addition/elimination reactions.