Pentagalloyl glucose from Schinus terebinthifolia inhibits growth of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

The rise of antibiotic resistance has necessitated a search for new antimicrobials with potent activity against multidrug-resistant gram-negative pathogens, such as carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB). In this study, a library of botanical extracts generated from plants used to treat infections in traditional medicine was screened for growth inhibition of CRAB. A crude extract of Schinus terebinthifolia leaves exhibited 80% inhibition at 256 µg/mL and underwent bioassay-guided fractionation, leading to the isolation of pentagalloyl glucose (PGG), a bioactive gallotannin. PGG inhibited growth of both CRAB and susceptible A. baumannii (MIC 64-256 µg/mL), and also exhibited activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC 16 µg/mL) and Staphylococcus aureus (MIC 64 µg/mL). A mammalian cytotoxicity assay with human keratinocytes (HaCaTs) yielded an IC50 for PGG of 256 µg/mL. Mechanistic experiments revealed iron chelation as a possible mode of action for PGG's activity against CRAB. Passaging assays for resistance did not produce any resistant mutants over a period of 21 days. In conclusion, PGG exhibits antimicrobial activity against CRAB, but due to known pharmacological restrictions in delivery, translation as a therapeutic may be limited to topical applications such as wound rinses and dressings.

Lifespan extension of rotifers by treatment with red algal extracts.

Aging results from an accumulation of damage to macromolecules inhibiting cellular replication, repair, and other necessary functions. Damage may be due to environmental stressors such as metal toxicity, oxidative stress caused by imperfections in electron transfer reactions, or other metabolic processes. In an effort to discover medical treatments that counteract this damage, we initiated a search for small molecule drugs from natural sources using life table experiments which, through their unbiased approach, present the opportunity to discover first-in-class molecules. We have identified marine red algae as a source of natural products that slow aging of the invertebrate rotifer Brachionus manjavacas. Rotifers are a promising model organism for life extension studies as they maintain a short, measurable lifespan while also having an extensive literature related to aging. Rotifer lifespan was increased 9-14% by exposure to three of a total of 200 screened red algal extracts. Bioassay guided fractionation led to semi-purified extracts composed primarily of lipids responsible for rotifer life extension. The life extending mixture from the red alga Acanthophora spicifera contained eicosanoic, octadecanoic, and hexadecanoic acids as well as several unidentified unsaturated fatty acids. The life extending effects of these small molecule mixtures are not a result of their direct antioxidant capacity; other unknown mechanisms of action are likely involved. An understanding of how these natural products interact with their molecular targets could lead to selective and effective treatments for slowing aging and reducing age related diseases.

High content live cell imaging for the discovery of new antimalarial marine natural products.

BACKGROUND: The human malaria parasite remains a burden in developing nations. It is responsible for up to one million deaths a year, a number that could rise due to increasing multi-drug resistance to all antimalarial drugs currently available. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the discovery of new drug therapies. Recently, our laboratory developed a simple one-step fluorescence-based live cell-imaging assay to integrate the complex biology of the human malaria parasite into drug discovery. Here we used our newly developed live cell-imaging platform to discover novel marine natural products and their cellular phenotypic effects against the most lethal malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. METHODS: A high content live cell imaging platform was used to screen marine extracts effects on malaria. Parasites were grown in vitro in the presence of extracts, stained with RNA sensitive dye, and imaged at timed intervals with the BD Pathway HT automated confocal microscope. RESULTS: Image analysis validated our new methodology at a larger scale level and revealed potential antimalarial activity of selected extracts with a minimal cytotoxic effect on host red blood cells. To further validate our assay, we investigated parasite's phenotypes when incubated with the purified bioactive natural product bromophycolide A. We show that bromophycolide A has a strong and specific morphological effect on parasites, similar to the ones observed from the initial extracts. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our results show that high-content live cell-imaging (HCLCI) can be used to screen chemical libraries and identify parasite specific inhibitors with limited host cytotoxic effects. All together we provide new leads for the discovery of novel antimalarials.

Structure-activity relationship of chemical defenses from the freshwater plant Micranthemum umbrosum.

Vascular plants produce a variety of molecules of phenylpropanoid biosynthetic origin, including lignoids. Recent investigations indicated that in freshwater plants, some of these natural products function as chemical defenses against generalist consumers such as crayfish. Certain structural features are shared among several of these anti-herbivore compounds, including phenolic, methoxy, methylenedioxy, and lactone functional groups. To test the relative importance of various functional groups in contributing to the feeding deterrence of phenylpropanoid-based natural products, we compared the feeding behavior of crayfish offered artificial diets containing analogs of elemicin (1) and beta-apopicropodophyllin (2), chemical defenses of the freshwater macrophyte Micranthemum umbrosum. Both allyl and methoxy moieties of 1 contributed to feeding deterrence. Disruption of the lactone moiety of 2 reduced its deterrence. Finally, feeding assays testing effects of 1 and 2 at multiple concentrations established that these two natural products interact additively in deterring crayfish feeding.

Chemical defenses promote persistence of the aquatic plant Micranthemum umbrosum.

Five of the most common macrophytes from an aquaculture facility with high densities of the herbivorous Asian grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were commonly unpalatable to three generalist consumers-grass carp and the native North American crayfishes Procambarus spiculifer and P. acutus. The rooted vascular plant Micranthemum umbrosum comprised 89% of the total aboveground plant biomass and was unpalatable to all three consumers as fresh tissues, as homogenized pellets, and as crude extracts. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the crude extract from M. umbrosum led to four previously known compounds that each deterred feeding by at least one consumer: 3,4,5-trimethoxyallylbenzene (1) and three lignoids: beta-apopicropodophyllin (2); (-)-(3S,4R,6S)-3-(3',4'-methylenedioxy-alpha-hydroxybenzyl)-4-(3'',4''-dimethoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (3); and (-)-hibalactone (4). None of the remaining four macrophytes produced a chemically deterrent extract. A 16-mo manipulative experiment showed that the aboveground biomass of M. umbrosum was unchanged when consumers were absent, but the biomass of Ludwigia repens, a plant that grass carp preferentially consumed over M. umbrosum, increased over 300-fold. Thus, selective feeding by grass carp effectively eliminates most palatable plants from this community and promotes the persistence of the chemically defended M. umbrosum, suggesting that plant defenses play critical yet understudied roles in the structure of freshwater plant communities.

Prevalence of chemical defenses among freshwater plants.

Although macrophyte herbivore interactions in freshwater systems were generally disregarded for many years, recent data suggest that herbivory can be intense and important in structuring freshwater communities. This has led to the hypothesis that chemical defenses should be common among freshwater plants, but few studies have reported such chemical defenses, and no previous studies have assessed the frequency of chemical defenses among a substantial number of freshwater plant species. In a study of 21 macrophyte species co-occurring with the omnivorous crayfish Procambarus acutus in a southeastern USA wetland environment, we found that extracts of 11 species (52%) deterred feeding by P. acutus when tested in artificial foods at natural concentrations. Of these 11 chemically defended species, one species, Eupatorium capillifolium, consistently had a more unpalatable extract following mechanical damage to plant tissue, indicative of an activated chemical defense. Because herbivores are commonly nitrogen-limited and select food based on several plant traits, including plant nutritional value, it might be expected that chemical defenses would be especially important for protein-rich plants. However, we found no relationship between soluble protein concentration and deterrence of plant extracts.