2(3H)-Dihydrofranolactone metabolites from Pleosporales sp. NUH322 as anti-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drugs.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating motor disease with limited treatment options. A domestic fungal extract library was screened using three assays related to the pathophysiology of ALS with the aim of developing a novel ALS drug. 2(3H)-dihydrofuranolactones 1 and 2, and five known compounds 3-7 were isolated from Pleosporales sp. NUH322 culture media, and their protective activity against the excitotoxicity of ß-N-oxalyl-L-α,ß-diaminopropionic acid (ODAP), an α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamatergic agonist, was evaluated under low mitochondrial glutathione levels induced by ethacrynic acid (EA) and low sulfur amino acids using our developed ODAP-EA assay. Additional assays evaluated the recovery from cytotoxicity caused by transfected SOD1-G93A, an ALS-causal gene, and the inhibitory effect against reactive oxygen species (ROS) elevation. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated using various spectroscopic methods. We synthesized 1 from D-ribose, and confirmed the absolute structure. Isolated and synthesized 1 displayed higher ODAP-EA activities than the extract and represented its activity. Furthermore, 1 exhibited protective activity against SOD1-G93A-induced toxicity. An ALS mouse model, SOD1-G93A, of both sexes, was treated orally with 1 at pre- and post-symptomatic stages. The latter treatment significantly extended their lifespan (p = 0.03) and delayed motor deterioration (p = 0.001-0.01). Our result suggests that 1 is a promising lead compound for the development of ALS drugs with a new spectrum of action targeting both SOD1-G93A proteopathy and excitotoxicity through its action on the AMPA-type glutamatergic receptor.

Identification of Two Phenanthrene Derivatives from Australasian Allied Species in Genus Dendrobium.

Genus Dendrobium (Orchidaceae) contains numerous species. Phylogenetic analyses based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequences indicated that this genus is divided into two major groups: Asian and Australasian clades. On the other hand, little is known about the phytochemical differences and similarities among the species in each clade. In this study, we selected 18 Dendrobium species (11 from the Asian clade and 7 from the Australasian clade) and constructed HPLC profiles, arrays composed of relative intensity of the chromatographic peaks. Next, orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was applied to the profile matrix to classify Dendrobium species into the Asian and Australasian clades in order to identify the peaks that significantly contribute to the class separation. In the end, two phenanthrenes, 4,9-dimethoxyphenanthrene-2,5-diol 1 and 1,5-dimethoxyphenanthrene-2,7-diol 2, which contributed to the class separation, were isolated from the HPLC peaks. The existence of 2 was limited to the genetically related Australasian species.

New humulenes from Hyptis incana (Labiatae).

Two new humulene-type sesquiterpenes, named hyptishumulene I (1) and II (2), have been isolated, together with eight known compounds, a humulene-type sesquiterpene (3), a monoterpene (4) and six abietane-type diterpenoids (5-10) from the aerial parts of Hyptis incana (Labiatae). The cytotoxic activity of the isolated compounds against mouse leukemia cells (L1210) was examined. The abietane-type diterpenoids (5-10) showed rather potent growth inhibitory activity (IC50<15 microM), while the new humulene-type compounds (1 and 2) exhibited moderate activity (IC50>50 microM).

Phenolic diterpenes derived from Hyptis incana induce apoptosis and G(2)/M arrest of neuroblastoma cells.

BACKGROUND: Neuroblastoma is one of the most commonly encountered solid tumors in the pediatric age group, and the prognosis of patients with advanced neuroblastoma is very poor. In this study, the antitumor effects of five phenolic diterpenes derived from Hyptis incana (Lamiaceae), a Brazilian medicinal plant, were examined on neuroblastoma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cytotoxicity was assessed by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Apoptotic nuclear shrinkage was monitored by Hoechst 33342 staining. The cell-cycle status was evaluated by flow cytometry and protein alterations were monitored by western blotting. Differentiated cells were photographed and counted in a randomized fashion. RESULTS: All of the examined compounds exhibited significant cytotoxicity towards the neuroblastoma cells. In particular, 7-ethoxyrosmanol had a high degree of efficacy. Nuclear condensation and degradation of procaspase-3 and -9 were observed after treatment of the cells with these compounds. Moreover, phenolic diterpenes induced cell-cycle arrest in the G(2)/M phase. Rosmanol and epirosmanol tended to induce differentiation. CONCLUSION: Phenolic diterpenes isolated from H. incana have multiple antitumor effects on neuroblastoma cells.

Monoterpene glucosides from Ziziphora clinopodioides (Labiatae).

Three new monoterpene glucosides, ziziphoroside A (1), B (2), and C (3), together with fifteen known compounds were isolated from the whole herb of Z. clinopodioides. The structures of new compounds were determined primarily from 1D-, 2D-NMR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic analyses. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against nitric oxide (NO) production by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon (IFN)-γ activated macrophages, RAW 264.7. Shizonepetoside A (8) and flavones (11, 12, 13) showed potent inhibitory activity against NO production.

Terpenoids and phenethyl glucosides from Hyssopus cuspidatus (Labiatae).

Monoterpenoids (3 and 4), sesquiterpenoid (2), diterpenoid (1) and four phenethyl glucosides (5-8), together with fourteen known compounds, were isolated from the whole herb of Hyssopus cuspidatus. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic means. The abietane-type diterpenoids (1, 9, 10), rosmarinic acid (15) and salvigenin (17) inhibited leukotriene (LT) C(4) secretion from primary alveolar cells of Wistar rats.

Lupane triterpenes with a carbonyl group at C-20 induce cancer cell apoptosis.

We evaluated the effects of various lupane triterpenes on B16 2F2 mouse melanoma cell differentiation and proliferation. All of the compounds tested (numbered 1-6) induced melanogenesis of B16 2F2 cells, a marker of melanoma cell differentiation. Compounds 4-6, which have a carbonyl group at C-20, markedly inhibited the growth of B16 2F2 cells by the induction of apoptosis. Cytotoxic profiles of these lupane triterpenes against human cancer cells demonstrated that compounds 4-6 showed inhibitory effects on the proliferations of leukemia and lung cancer cells, to a greater extent than other cancer and normal fibroblast cells. These results suggest that the carbonyl group at C-20 of lupane triterpenes played important roles in their apoptosis-inducing activity against cancer cells.

Oxyfunctionalization products of terpenoids with dimethyldioxirane and their biological activity.

Oxyfunctionalization of the bioactive terpenoids, ursolic acid acetate (1), oleanolic acid acetate (5), lupeol acetate (12), and kaurenic acid (17), with dimethyldioxirane (DMDO) was investigated. Treatment of the terpenoids with DMDO under mild conditions afforded a variety of oxidation and oxydegradation products to yield naturally occurring and/or novel compounds in one step. After chromatographic separation, the structures of the individual isolated products were determined using spectroscopic methods including several homonuclear (1H-1H) and heteronuclear (1H-13C) shift-correlated 2D-NMR techniques. The inhibitory activity of the terpenoid derivatives against alpha-glucosidase was investigated and compounds 1, 3, 7, and 9 were found to exhibit potent activity.

Norditerpenoid alkaloids from Aconitum manshuricum.

A new norditerpenoid alkaloid, manshuritine (1) has been isolated from Aconitum manshuricum, together with seven known alkaloids; beiwudine (2), beiwutine (3), 16-epi-pyromesaconitine (4), mesaconitine (5), aconitine (6), hypaconitine (7) and 14-benzoylmesaconine (8). The structure of the new compound was elucidated on the basis of spectral data and chemical correlations.

ent-Kaurenoic acids from Mikania hirsutissima (Compositae).

Four ent-kaurenoic acid derivatives, 2beta,16alpha,17-trihydroxy-ent-kauran-19-oic acid (1), 3beta,16alpha,17-trihydroxy-ent-kauran-19-oic acid (2), 11alpha,15beta-dihydroxy-7-O-beta-d-glucopyranosyl-ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (3) and 1alpha,15beta-dihydroxy-7-O-beta-d-glucopyranosyl-ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (4), were isolated together with five known compounds, 1,5-dicaffeoyl-quinic acid (5), 2-O-glucosyloxy-4-methoxy-cinnamic acid (6), phenethyl alcohol glucoside (7), phenethyl-1-O-beta-d-apiofuranosyl (1-->2) beta-d-glucopyranoside (sayaendoside) (8) and 3,6-dihydroxy-beta-ion-9-ol (9) from the 50% aqueous acetone extract of the aerial parts of Mikania hirsutissima DC. (Compositae). Compounds 1-9 were tested for their proliferative activity toward peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC); compounds 1 and 2 showed significant activity (43.8% and 36.7%, at 100 microM, respectively) on the lymphocyte.