Studies on the Catechin Constituents of Bark of Cinnamomum sieboldii.

Screening for bioactivity related to anti-infective, anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and anti-viral activity, led us to identify active compounds from a methanol extract of Litsea japonica (Thub.) Juss. and the hot water extract of bark of Cinnamomum sieboldii Meisn (also known as Karaki or Okinawa cinnamon). The two main components in these extracts were identified as the catechin trimers (+)-cinnamtannin B1 and pavetannin B5. Moreover, these extracts exhibited anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) activity. The structures of these catechin trimers were previously determined by chemical and spectroscopic methods. Pavetanin B5 has never been reported to be isolated as a pure form and has been obtained as a mixture with another component. Although other groups have reported the putative structure of pavetannin B5, preparation of the methylated derivative of pavetannin B5 in this study allowed us to obtain the pure form for the first time as the undecamethyl derivative and confirm its exact structure. Commercially available (+)-cinnamtannin B1 and aesculitannin B (C2'-epimer of cinnamtannin B1) both of which contained pavetannin B5 as a minor component, and C. sieboldii bark extract (approx. 5/2 mixture of (+)-cinnamtannin B1/pavetannin B5) were assessed for anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. Both C. sieboldii bark extract and commercially available aesculitannin B showed viral growth inhibitory activity.

Jietacins, azoxy natural products, as novel NF-κB inhibitors: Discovery, synthesis, biological activity, and mode of action.

Deregulation of NF-κB plays an important role in various diseases by controlling cell growth, inflammation, the immune response, and cytokine production. Although many NF-κB inhibitors have been developed, to the best of our knowledge, none of them have been successfully translated into clinical practice as medicines. To overcome this issue, we aimed to develop a new class of NF-κB inhibitors. Previous reports indicated that the N-terminal cysteine is a promising target for NF-κB. Based on this, we first selected 10 natural products or their derivatives from the natural product library that we developed and examined the effect on NF-κB and the viability of cancer cells with constitutively strong NF-κB activity. Among them, we found that an azoxy natural product, jietacin A, with a vinylazoxy group and an aliphatic side chain, reduced cell viability and inhibited nuclear translocation of free NF-κB. In addition, we performed design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of jietacin derivatives for development of a novel NF-κB inhibitor. Of these derivatives, a fully synthesized derivative 25 with vinylazoxy and ynone groups had a potent effect. We clarified the structure-activity relationship of this compound. Jietacin A and 25 also inhibited tumor necrosis factor-α-mediated induction of NF-κB. The NF-κB inhibitory effect depended on the N-terminal cysteine and the neighboring Arg-Ser-Ala-Gly-Ser-Ile (RSAGSI) domain of NF-κB. We also found that 25 inhibited the association between NF-κB and importin α, suggesting inhibition of NF-κB at an early step of nuclear translocation. Overall, this study indicated that the vinylazoxy motif may compose a new class of NF-κB inhibitors, providing further insight for rational drug design and rendering a unique mode of action.

Synthesis and stereochemical determination of an antiparasitic pseudo-aminal type monoterpene indole alkaloid.

5-Nor stemmadenine alkaloids, isolated from the genus Tabernaemontana, display a range of bioactivity. 16-Hydroxy-16,22-dihydroapparicine, the active component of an extract from the Tabernaemontana sp. (dichotoma, elegans, and divaricate), exhibited potent antimalarial activity, representing the first such report of the antimalarial property of 5-nor stemmadenine alkaloids. We, therefore, decided to attempt the total synthesis of the compound to explore its antimalarial activity and investigate structure and bioactivity relationships. As a result, we completed the first total synthesis of 16-hydroxy-16,22-dihydroapparicine, by combining a phosphine-mediated cascade reaction, diastereoselective nucleophilic addition of 2-acylindole or methylketone via a Felkin-Anh transition state, and chirality transferring intramolecular Michael addition. We also clarified the absolute stereochemistries of the compound. Furthermore, we evaluated the activity of the synthetic compound, as well as that of some intermediates, all of which showed weak activity against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum (K1 strain) malaria parasites.

Narrow-spectrum inhibitors targeting an alternative menaquinone biosynthetic pathway of Helicobacter pylori.

We aimed to identify narrow-spectrum natural compounds that specifically inhibit an alternative menaquinone (MK; vitamin K2) biosynthetic pathway (the futalosine pathway) of Helicobacter pylori. Culture broth samples of 6183 microbes were examined using the paper disc method with different combinations of 2 of the following 3 indicator microorganisms: Bacillus halodurans C-125 and Kitasatospora setae KM-6054(T), which have only the futalosine pathway of MK biosynthesis, and Bacillus subtilis H17, which has only the canonical MK biosynthetic pathway. Most of the active compounds isolated from culture broth samples were from the families of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Only one compound isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces sp. K12-1112, siamycin I (a 21-residue lasso peptide antibiotic), targeted the futalosine pathway. The inhibitory activities of representative PUFAs and siamycin I against the growth of B. halodurans or K. setae were abrogated by supplementation with MK. Thereafter, the growth of H. pylori strains SS1 and TN2GF4 in broth cultures was dose-dependently suppressed by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or siamycin I, and these inhibitory effects were reduced by supplementation with MK. Daily administration of EPA (100 µM), DHA (100 µM), or siamycin I (2.5 µM) in drinking water reduced the H. pylori SS1 colonization in the gastric mucosa of C57BL/6 mice by 96%, 78%, and 68%, respectively. These data suggest that EPA, DHA, and siamycin I prevented H. pylori infection by inhibiting the futalosine pathway of MK biosynthesis.

Oral adjuvant activity for nasal influenza vaccines caused by combination of two trihydroxy fatty acid stereoisomers from the tuber of Pinellia ternata.

Pinellic acid from the tuber of Pinellia ternata was isolated as an effective oral adjuvant for nasal influenza vaccine, and identified 9S,12S,13S-trihydroxy-10E-octadecenoic acid (9S,12S,13S) by the enantioselective total synthesis [Nagai et al., Int. Immunopharmacol., 2, 1183-93 (2002); Shirahata et al., Tetrahedron, 62, 9483-96 (2006)]. However, present study showed that synthetic 9S,12S,13S that was nearly 100% pure was not effective as an oral adjuvant. HPLC analysis also showed that the adjuvant active pinellic acid fraction from tuber of P. ternata contained the 9S,12S,13S as the main component and at least two minor components. Therefore seven other chemically synthesized stereoisomers were tested in combination with the 9S,12S,13S for oral adjuvant activity. Only the 9S,12S,13S in combination with the 9S,12R,13R isomer in a weight% ratio of 90.4:9.6 (pinellic acid mixture, PAM) was a potent oral adjuvant and elicited both antiviral IgA antibody (Ab) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and nasal washes and antiviral IgG(1) Ab in mice sera. Oral administration of the PAM followed by nasal influenza vaccination and infection with A/PR/8/34 virus showed increases in survival rate (22%, control versus 78% test) in mice orally administered PAM as adjuvant. Histopathological examination of lung tissue of mice given oral PAM with vaccine followed by influenza virus infection showed attenuated infiltration of inflammatory cells with decreases in the alveolar spaces and increases in the alveolar septa. The result of this study refutes the our previous study and suggests that the combination of 9S,12S,13S and 9S,12R,13R isomers is necessary for effective oral adjuvant activity when used in conjunction with nasal influenza vaccine.

Chitinase inhibitors: extraction of the active framework from natural argifin and use of in situ click chemistry.

In situ click chemistry is a target-guided synthesis technique for discovering potent protein ligands by assembling azides and alkynes into triazoles inside the affinity site of a target protein. We report the rapid discovery of a new and potent inhibitor of bacterial chitinases by the use of in situ click chemistry. We observed a target-templated formation of a potent triazole inhibitor of the chitinase-catalyzed chitin hydrolysis, through in situ click chemistry between a biologically active azide-containing scaffold and structurally unrelated alkyne fragments. Chitinase inhibitors have chemotherapeutic potential as fungicides, pesticides and antiasthmatics. Argifin, which has been isolated and characterized as a cyclopentapeptide natural product by our research group, shows strong inhibitory activity against chitinases. As a result of our efforts at developing a chitinase inhibitor from an azide-bearing argifin fragment and the application of the chitinase template and a library of alkynes, we rapidly obtained a very potent and new 1,5-disubstituted triazole inhibitor against Serratia marcescens chitinase (SmChi) B. The new inhibitor expressed 300-fold increase in the inhibitory activity against SmChiB compared with that of argifin. To the best of our knowledge, our finding of an enzyme-made 1,5-disubstituted triazole, using in situ click chemistry is the second example reported in the literature.

Three-dimensional solution structure of EM703 with potent promoting activity of monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation.

EM703, which is an erythromycin derivative synthesized by our group, has a potent promoting activity of monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation in vitro. Its activity is approximately 300 times higher than that of erythromycin A (EM-A). In this study, we determined three-dimensional (3D) solution structures of EM703 and EM-A, and compared them using a superposition method, in order to investigate the 3D structure-activity relationship. We found a distinct difference between the 3D structures of these molecules, which might be an important factor in their divergent activities.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 4"-alkoxy avermectin derivatives.

Novel 4"-alkoxy avermectin derivatives were synthesized via rhodium carbenoid mediated O-H insertion reaction and tested for antiparasite activity against Artemia salina and Caenorhabditis elegans.

Pinellic acid from the tuber of Pinellia ternata Breitenbach as an effective oral adjuvant for nasal influenza vaccine.

This study describes the isolation, purification, characterization, and adjuvant activity of an orally active adjuvant substance from the tuber of Pinellia ternata, as an active herbal component of the traditional Japanese herbal (Kampo) medicine, Sho-seiryu-to (SST, Chinese name: Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang), which has been reported to show oral adjuvant activity for nasally administered influenza HA vaccine [Int. J. Immunopharmacol. 16 (1994) 605]. The active compound was identified as 9S, 12S, 13S-trihydroxy-10E-octadecenoic acid using infrared spectra, proton magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, and circular dichroism, and named pinellic acid. Oral administration of pinellic acid (1 microg) to BALB/c mice given primary and secondary intranasal inoculations of influenza HA vaccine (1 microg) enhanced antiviral IgA antibody (Ab) titers 5.2- and 2.5-fold in nasal and bronchoalveolar washes, respectively, and antiviral IgG Ab titers 3-fold in bronchoalveolar wash and serum. Intranasal administration of pinellic acid (1 microg) with influenza HA vaccine (1 microg) slightly enhanced antiviral IgG Ab titers in bronchoalveolar wash and serum but not antiviral IgA Ab titers in nasal and bronchoalveolar washes. Pinellic acid showed no hemolytic activity. The results of this study suggest that pinellic acid may provide a safe and potent oral adjuvant for nasal influenza HA vaccine.