Synthesis and characterization of some novel fatty acid analogues: a preliminary investigation on their activity against human lung carcinoma cell line.

BACKGROUND: Preparation of some novel heterocyclic compounds with long alkyl and alkenyl chain of cytotoxic activity. METHODS: Gamma linolenic acid, a poly unsaturated fatty acid and stearic acid, a saturated fatty acid were isolated from the microalga Spirulina platensis. Some novel gamma linolenic acid and stearic acid analogues having 1,3,4-oxadiazole and 1,2,4-triazole were synthesized and characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectral analysis. Cytotoxicity of these compounds was evaluated by the growth inhibition of A-549 cells in-vitro. RESULTS: Compound 1 and 3 showed comparable cytotoxicity against the human lung carcinoma A-549 cell lines.

Stimulatory effect of unsaturated fatty acids on the level of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 mRNA in cultured human endothelial cells.

To determine whether unsaturated fatty acids induce changes in the mRNA level of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1), Northern analyses were performed on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and vascular smooth muscle cells that were treated with two common fatty acids. Supplementation of cultured HUVEC with docosahexanoic acid (DHA) or with dihomogamma linolenic acid (DGLA), resulted in a concentration dependent, specific increase of the PAI-1 transcript levels, which was detectable within 2 h. DHA and DGLA treatment of smooth muscle cells did not result in changes in the PAI-1 mRNA levels. Homology search of the upstream regulatory region of the PAI-1 gene sequences identified a consensus nucleotide sequence for a fatty acid-responsive element. Our results indicate that unsaturated fatty acids selectively increase PAI-1 mRNA levels in endothelial cells, the primary source of circulating PAI-1 in vivo.

Effect of gammalinolenic acid, dihomogammalinolenic acid, ascorbyl-6-gammalinolenic acid, and ascorbyl-6-dihomo gammalinolenic acid on histamine- and methacholine-induced contraction of the isolated guinea pig tracheal chain.

The relaxant effects of gammalinolenic acid (GLA) and dihomo gammalinolenic acid (DGLA) were compared to the relaxant effect of arachidonic acid (AA). The effect of the combination of ascorbate to form the novel drugs ascorbyl-6-gammalinolenic acid (ascorbyl-6-GLA) and ascorbyl-6-dihomo gammalinolenic acid (ascorbyl-6-DGLA) were investigated and the role of the epithelial cells was determined. Salbutamol was used as control. The isolated tracheas of six to eight guinea pigs were used in each experiment and suspended in organ baths filled with Krebs-Henseleit solution and aerated with 95% O2 and 5% CO2. The relaxant effects produced for histamine-contracted preparations were as follows: AA=71.2+/-0.2%, GLA=55.2+/-4.2%, DGLA=69.8+/-3.9%, ascorbyl-6-GLA =26.2+/-5.1% and ascorbyl-6-DGLA=54.5+/-2.4%. For methacholine-contracted preparations: AA=46.6+/-3.2%, GLA=55.0+/-9.5%, DGLA=61.8+/-2.7%, ascorbyl-6-GLA=40.0+/-8.0% and ascorbyl-6-DGLA=88.0+/-15.3%. Ascorbyl-6-GLA and ascorbyl-6-DGLA had mainly a decreased relaxant effect compared to GLA and DGLA, except ascorbyl-6-DGLA after methacholine-induced contraction, which showed a significant increased relaxant effect. The removal of the epithelium showed decreased relaxant effects for the drugs except AA, which showed increased values after methacholine contraction. Histamine-contracted preparations showed varied results. Ascorbyl-6-GLA showed an increased relaxant effect, DGLA was unaffected with no additional effect, and AA, GLA and ascorbyl-6-DGLA showed decreased relaxant effects. In conclusion, it is clear that the contractant and the availability of epithelial cells could ultimately determine the results, though the mechanism remains very complex. The benefit of added ascorbate is still unclear and warrants more investigation.

Tissue distribution and metabolism of gamma-linolenoyl-3-eicosapentaenoyl propane diol enterally or intravenously administered to mice bearing human pancreatic carcinomas.

Synthetic propane diol lipids have been proposed as novel compounds to deliver cytocidal polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as gamma-linolenic (GLA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids. To assess the biodistribution and metabolism of these PUFA in immunodeficient mice bearing human pancreatic carcinomas (AsPC-1), gamma-linolenoyl-3-eicosapentaenoyl propane diol (GE diol) was provided in a fat-free diet (5% w:w) for 6 weeks or parentally administered as 14C-GE diol (1 or 3 consecutive doses of 1.66 g/kg/day) in an innovative non-ionic-digalactosyldiacylglycerol emulsion. In tumor, liver, brain, kidney, plasma and fat tissue of mice fed GE diol, PUFA were increased over 25-fold, except for arachidonic acid (AA) levels, which were reduced or remained constant when compared to mice fed control corn oil diet. GLA and EPA were mainly stored in fat tissue. The recovery of radioactivity from the i.v. infected 14C-GE diol was dose and time dependent. Ten days after the i.v. infusion, GLA was only detected in substantial concentrations in tumor and in fat tissue (21 and 202 micrograms/g, respectively). Overall, these studies showed that: GE diol emulsions provide 640-fold higher doses of both GLA and EPA without causing hemolysis or adverse effects in the host mouse when compared to free PUFA infusions; GE diol is metabolized after oral or i.v. administration; tumor concentrations of GLA and EPA from the enterally administered diol were 4 to 13-fold higher than the in vitro cytotoxic levels; EPA, competes with AA and probably inhibits the activity of delta 5 desaturase without affecting the elongation of GLA in the host and tumor tissue; the change in PUFA profile modifies the substrates for eicosanoid synthesis. In short, a potentially desirable cytotoxic PUFA pattern can be achieved in host tissues and, in particular, in a human pancreatic tumor by providing GLA and EPA in the form GE-diol. These findings guarantee further investigations in oncology with this neutral diol lipid.

Acyloxymethyl acidic drug derivatives: in vitro hydrolytic reactivity.

A series of acyloxymethyl drug derivatives of the NH-acidic drugs, phenytoin and theophylline and of the carboxylic acid drugs, thioctic acid and indomethacin, were prepared in order to determine the effect of varying the nature of the drug on the in vitro rate of hydrolysis catalyzed by porcine liver esterase and human plasma. The acyl portion was comprised of either valeric acid (val) or gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). With the exception of some GLA prodrugs, the derivatives displayed first-order kinetics in both enzyme systems. The NH-acidic drug derivatives were hydrolyzed faster than the carboxylic drug derivatives by porcine liver esterase and human plasma. It was found that the short chain valeric acid derivatives were hydrolyzed faster than the GLA derivatives. The rates of hydrolysis for the relatively smaller prodrugs of theophylline and thioctic acid were greater than the rates of hydrolysis for the bulkier phenytoin and indomethacin prodrugs indicating steric hindrance was important. The lipophilicity index, log K, of the valeric acid drug derivatives was plotted against the logarithm of the hydrolysis rate constant, k, and it was observed that log k decreased with an increase in log K. A comparison of these results with those of previous studies where the alkyl and acyl moieties were varied of acyloxyalkyl theophylline derivatives has provided a rationale, based on lipophilicity, for the structure of a prodrug to be designed based on an in vitro desired rate of hydrolysis.

Metabolism of dietary alpha-linolenic acid vs. eicosapentaenoic acid in rat immune cell phospholipids during endotoxemia.

Short-term (i.e., 3 d) continuous enteral feeding of diets containing eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and gamma-linolenic (GLA) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to endotoxemic rats reduces the levels of arachidonic acid (AA) and linoleic acid (LA) in alveolar macrophage (AM) and liver Kupffer and endothelial (K&E) cell phospholipids with attendant decreases in prostaglandin formation by these cells in vitro. Diets that contain alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) as a substrate for endogenous formation of EPA may not be as effective in facilitating these immune cell modifications given the limited activity of delta6 desaturase. In the present study we compared the effectiveness of an LNA-enriched diet vs. an (EPA + GLA)-enriched diet to displace phospholipid AA from AM and liver K&E cells in vivo in endotoxemic rats fed enterally for 3 or 6 d. We determined the fatty acid composition of AM and K&E cell phospholipids by gas chromatography. We found that AM and K&E cells from rats that had received the EPA + GLA diet for 3 d had significantly (P < 0.001) higher mole percentage of EPA and the GLA metabolite, dihomoGLA, than corresponding cells from rats given the LNA diet or a control diet enriched with LA. Rats given the LNA diet had relatively low levels of stearidonic acid, EPA and other n-3 PUFA, while rats given the LA diet had low levels of GLA and dihomoGLA. We conclude that diets enriched with LNA or LA may not be as effective as those enriched with EPA + GLA for purposes of fostering incorporation of EPA or dihomoGLA into and displacement of AA from macrophage phospholipids under pathophysiologic conditions commonly found in acutely septic patients.

Functional identification of the active-site nucleophile of the human 85-kDa cytosolic phospholipase A2.

Ser-228 has been shown to be essential for the catalytic activity of the human cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). However, its involvement in catalysis has not yet been demonstrated. Using site-directed mutagenesis, active-site directed irreversible inhibitors, and the novel fluorogenic substrate 7-hydroxycoumarinyl gamma-linolenate, evidence is presented to show that the hydroxyl group of Ser-228 is the catalytic nucleophile of cPLA2. Replacement of Ser-228 by Ala, Cys, or Thr resulted in the inability of these mutants to mediate calcium ionophore induced PGE2 production in COS-7 cells cotransfected with the cPLA2 mutants and cyclooxygenase-1. Cell lysates from these transfected cells also had undetectable levels of cPLA2 phospholipid hydrolyase activity as did the affinity column purified S228A and S228C cPLA2 mutants overexpressed in insect cells. The loss in activity was not due to the inability of the mutant enzymes to translocate to the substrate lipid interface since the purified S228C cPLA2 mutant, like the wild type, translocated to the phospholipid membrane in the presence of calcium as judged by fluorescence energy transfer. However, when an activated substrate, 7-hydroxycoumarinyl gamma-linolenate (pKa approximately 7.8 for its leaving group) was used as substrate, there was a significant level of 7-hydroxycoumarin esterase (7-HCEase) activity (about 1% of wild type) associated with the purified S228CC cPLA2 mutant. The S228A cPLA2 mutant was catalytically inactive. Contrary to wild type cPLA2, the 7-HCEase activity of the thio-cPLA2 was not titrated by the irreversible active-site-directed inhibitor methyl arachidonyl fluorophosphonate, but rather titrated by one equivalent of arachidonyl bromomethyl ketone, an arachidonyl binding site directed sulfhydryl reagent. These results are compatible with the hydroxyl of Ser-228 being the catalytic nucleophile of cPLA2 and that cysteine can replace serine as the nucleophile, resulting ina thiol-cPLA2 with significantly reduced catalytic power.

Comparison of the effects of ascorbyl gamma-linolenic acid and gamma-linolenic acid in the correction of neurovascular deficits in diabetic rats.

Essential fatty acid metabolism is impaired by diabetes mellitus and gamma-linolenic acid rich treatments such as evening primrose oil correct deficits in nerve conduction and endoneurial blood flow in diabetic rats. Other mechanistically unrelated treatments, such as antioxidants and aldose reductase inhibitors have a similar effect and there may be positive interactions with multiple treatments. Our aim was to compare the efficacy of a novel essential fatty acid derivative, ascorbyl gamma-linolenic acid, with that of gamma-linolenic acid in correcting diabetic neurovascular deficits. Eight weeks of diabetes caused 20.4 and 48.2% reductions in sciatic motor conduction velocity and nutritive endoneurial blood flow, respectively. Treatment was given for the last 2 weeks with gamma-linolenic acid (100 mg.kg-1.day-1) either in pure form or as ascorbyl gamma-linolenic acid, an equivalent dose of ascorbate (21 mg.kg-1.day-1) or jointly with ascorbate and gamma-linolenic acid. Conduction velocity was corrected by 39.8, 87.4, 13.2 and 66.8% with gamma-linolenic acid, ascorbyl gamma-linolenic acid, ascorbate and gamma-linolenic acid plus ascorbate, respectively. Corresponding ameliorations of the nutritive blood flow deficit were 44.0, 87.4, 87.4, 13.2 and 65.7%. For the gamma-linolenic acid plus ascorbate combinatin, and especially for ascorbyl gamma-linolenic acid, the magnitude of correction for conduction velocity and blood flow was greater than expected for simple addition of ascorbate and gamma-linolenic acid, indicating a synergistic interaction. Thus, with an efficacy 40 times that of evening primrose oil in rats, ascorbyl gamma-linolenic acid may be a suitable candidate for clinical trials of diabetic neuropathy.

Isolamento de fungos produtores de ácido gama-linolênico de solo da estação ecológica de Juréia-Itatins, SP / Fungi producers of gama-linolenic acid isolated from the soil of the Ecologic Station of Juréia-Itatins, SP

Trinta e dois fungos zigomicetos da ordem Mucorales, produtores de ácido gama-linolênico, foram isolados do solo da Estação Ecológica de Juréia-Itatins, SP, a maioria deles pertencentes ao gênero Mucor. O ácido gama-linolênico tem despertado grande interesse devido às suas crescentes aplicações na indústria farmacêutica. A produção de ácido gama-linolênico por fungos zigomicetos é uma via alternativa à obtenção por sementes. A produção deste ácido foi avaliada após 4 dias de incubação a 25ºC, a 150 rpm em meio líquido contendo 2 por cento de glicose e 1 por cento de extrato de leveduras, seguido da adição de 20 por cento de meio e incubação por mais 3 dias a 12ºC sem agitação. A quantidade de ácido gama-linolênico na biomassa variou de acordo com o tipo de microrganismo.