Identification of a melampomagnolide B analog as a potential lead molecule for treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia.

A series of carbamate derivatives of the antileukemic sesquiterpene melampomagnolide B (MMB) has been synthesized utilizing a 1,2,4-triazole carbamate conjugate of MMB as an intermediate synthon. Five imidazole- and benzimidazole-carbamate analogs of MMB (8a-8e) were prepared and evaluated for anti-leukemic activity against cultured M9 ENL1 AML cells. All the analogs exhibited improved anti-leukemic activity (EC50=0.90-3.93µM) when compared to parthenolide and the parent sesquiterpene, MMB (EC50=7.0µM and 15.5µM, respectively). The imidazole carbamate analog, 8a (EC50=0.9µM), was 16 times more potent than MMB. The comparative bioavailabilities of 8a and MMB were determined in BALB/c mice following oral dosing of these compounds. It has been demonstrated that the absolute plasma bioavailabilities of MMB and 8a were 6.7±0.8%, and 45.5±2%, respectively. These results indicate that, compared to MMB, the PK parameters for 8a display significantly improved bioavailability and exposure after oral administration. Analog 8a is considered to be a potential clinical candidate for treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia.

Design of an amide N-glycoside derivative of ß-glucogallin: a stable, potent, and specific inhibitor of aldose reductase.

ß-Glucogallin (BGG), a major component of the Emblica officinalis medicinal plant, is a potent and selective inhibitor of aldose reductase (AKR1B1). New linkages (ether/triazole/amide) were introduced via high yielding, efficient syntheses to replace the labile ester, and an original two-step (90%) preparation of BGG was developed. Inhibition of AKR1B1was assessed in vitro and using transgenic lens organ cultures, which identified the amide linked glucoside (BGA) as a stable, potent, and selective therapeutic lead toward the treatment of diabetic eye disease.

The isolation and characterization of ß-glucogallin as a novel aldose reductase inhibitor from Emblica officinalis.

Diabetes mellitus is recognized as a leading cause of new cases of blindness. The prevalence of diabetic eye disease is expected to continue to increase worldwide as a result of the dramatic increase in the number of people with diabetes. At present, there is no medical treatment to delay or prevent the onset and progression of cataract or retinopathy, the most common causes of vision loss in diabetics. The plant Emblica officinalis (gooseberry) has been used for thousands of years as a traditional Indian Ayurvedic preparation for the treatment of diabetes in humans. Extracts from this plant have been shown to be efficacious against the progression of cataract in a diabetic rat model. Aldose reductase (ALR2) is implicated in the development of secondary complications of diabetes including cataract and, therefore, has been a major drug target for the development of therapies to treat diabetic disease. Herein, we present the bioassay-guided isolation and structure elucidation of 1-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucose (ß-glucogallin), a major component from the fruit of the gooseberry that displays selective as well as relatively potent inhibition (IC(50) = 17 µM) of AKR1B1 in vitro. Molecular modeling demonstrates that this inhibitor is able to favorably bind in the active site. Further, we show that ß-glucogallin effectively inhibits sorbitol accumulation by 73% at 30 µM under hyperglycemic conditions in an ex-vivo organ culture model of lenses excised from transgenic mice overexpressing human ALR2 in the lens. This study supports the continued development of natural products such as ß-glucogallin as therapeutic leads in the development of novel therapies to treat diabetic complications such as cataract.