ABSTRACT
Six dibenzylbutyrolactonic lignans ((-)-hinokinin (1), (-)-cubebin (2), (-)-yatein (3), (-)-5-methoxyyatein (4), dihydrocubebin (5) and dihydroclusin (6)) were isolated from Piper cubeba seed extract and evaluated against Schistosoma mansoni. All lignans, except 5, were able to separate the adult worm pairs and reduce the egg numbers during 24 h of incubation. Lignans 1, 3 and 4 (containing a lactone ring) were the most efficient concerning antiparasitary activity. Comparing structures 3 and 4, the presence of the methoxy group at position 5 appears to be important for this activity. Considering 1 and 3, it is possible to see that the substitution pattern change (methylenedioxy or methoxy groups) in positions 3' and 4' alter the biological response, with 1 being the second most active compound. Computational calculations suggest that the activity of compound 4 can be correlated with the largest lipophilicity value.
Subject(s)
Anthelmintics/pharmacology , Lignans/pharmacology , Piper/chemistry , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Schistosoma mansoni/drug effects , Animals , Carbon-13 Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Density Functional Theory , Female , Lignans/chemistry , Lipids/chemistry , Male , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Models, Theoretical , Molecular Docking Simulation , Molecular Structure , Parasite Egg Count , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Schistosoma mansoni/chemistry , Static Electricity , Tubulin/chemistryABSTRACT
A set of seven diterpenes, three kauranes and four trachylobanes, isolated from the African plant Psiadia punctulata were assayed against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and reached activity comparable with cycloserine, a second line drug used to treat tuberculosis (TB). Several structural properties of those diterpenes, such as lipophilicity, HOMO and LUMO energies, charge density, and intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) formation, were obtained by theoretical calculations and compared with their activities. Peculiar correlations were observed, especially between activity, lipophilicity and IHB formation.