Antifungal Activity and Action Mechanism Study of Coumarins from Cnidium monnieri Fruit and Structurally Related Compounds.

The increasing resistance of plant diseases caused by phytopathogenic fungi highlights the need for highly effective and environmentally benign agents. The antifungal activities of Cnidium monnieri fruit extracts and five isolated compounds as well as structurally related coumarins against five plant pathogenic fungi were evaluated. The acetone extract, which contained the highest amount of five coumarins, showed strongest antifungal activity. Among the coumarin compounds, we found that 4-methoxycoumarin exhibited stronger and broader antifungal activity against five phytopathogenic fungi, and was more potent than osthol. Especially, it could significantly inhibit the growth of Rhizoctonia solani mycelium with an EC50 value of 21 µg mL-1 . Further studies showed that 4-methoxycoumarin affected the structure and function of peroxisomes, inhibited the ß-oxidation of fatty acids, decreased the production of ATP and acetyl coenzyme A, and then accumulated ROS by damaging MMP and the mitochondrial function to cause the cell death of R. solani mycelia. 4-Methoxycoumarin presented antifungal efficacy in a concentration- dependent manner in vivo and could be used to prevent the potato black scurf. This study laid the foundation for the future development of 4-methoxycournamin as an alternative and friendly biofungicide.

The intriguing chemistry and biology of soraphens.

Covering: up to the end of 2018Soraphens are a class of polyketide natural products discovered from the myxobacterial strain Sorangium cellulosum. The review is intended to provide an overview on the biosynthesis, chemistry and biological properties of soraphens, that represent a prime example to showcase the value of natural products as tools to decipher cell biology, but also to open novel therapeutic options. The prototype soraphen A is an inhibitor of acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC1/2), an enzyme that converts acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA and thereby controls essential cellular metabolic processes like lipogenesis and fatty acid oxidation. Soraphens illustrate how the inhibition of a single target (ACC1/2) may be explored to treat various pathological conditions: initially developed as a fungicide, efforts in the past decade were directed towards human diseases, including diabetes/obesity, cancer, hepatitis C, HIV, and autoimmune disease - and led to a synthetic molecule, discovered by virtual screening of the allosteric binding site of soraphen in ACC, that is currently in phase 2 clinical trials. We will summarize how structural analogs of soraphen A have been generated through extensive isolation efforts, genetic engineering of the biosynthetic gene cluster, semisynthesis as well as partial and total synthesis.

[Nutrient restriction in combinatory therapy of tumors].

The main objective of anticancer treatment is the elimination of degenerated cells by the induction of programmed cell death. Various chemotherapy drugs and radiation are able to activate cell death mechanisms in tumors. However, unfortunately, monotherapy will always be insufficiently effective because of the variety and virulence of tumors, as well as their ability to develop resistance to drugs. Moreover, monotherapy might constrain many negative side effects. Therefore, the combination of different approaches and/or drugs will increase the efficiency of treatment. One such promising approach is the combination of nutrient restriction (NR) and various chemotherapeutic drugs. This approach may not only affect the autophagy but also influence apoptotic cell death. This review is focused on the potential of NR use in anticancer therapy, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying this approach.

De novo discovery of serotonin N-acetyltransferase inhibitors.

Serotonin N-acetyltransferase (arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase, AANAT) is a member of the GCN5 N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) superfamily and catalyzes the penultimate step in the biosynthesis of melatonin; a large daily rhythm in AANAT activity drives the daily rhythm in circulating melatonin. We have used a structure-based computational approach to identify the first druglike and selective inhibitors of AANAT. Approximately 1.2 million compounds were virtually screened by 3D high-throughput docking into the active site of X-ray structures for AANAT, and in total 241 compounds were tested as inhibitors. One compound class, containing a rhodanine scaffold, exhibited low micromolar competitive inhibition against acetyl-CoA (AcCoA) and proved to be effective in blocking melatonin production in pineal cells. Compounds from this class are predicted to bind as bisubstrate inhibitors through interactions with the AcCoA and serotonin binding sites. Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of using virtual screening to identify small molecules that are selective inhibitors of AANAT.

A novel acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitor reduces de novo fatty acid synthesis in HepG2 cells and rat primary hepatocytes.

To identify the novel inhibitor of de novo lipogenesis in hepatocytes, we screened for inhibitory activity of triglyceride (TG) synthesis using [14C]acetate in the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. Using this assay system we discovered the novel compound, benzofuranyl alpha-pyrone (TEI-B00422). TEI-B00422 also inhibited the incorporation of acetate into the triglyceride (TG) fraction in rat primary hepatocytes. In HepG2 cells, the incorporation of oleate into TG was unaffected. TEI-B00422 inhibited rat hepatic acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), K(i)=3.3 microM, in a competitive manner with respect to acety-CoA but not fatty acid synthase and acyl-CoA transferase/diacylglycerol. Thus, these results suggest that the inhibition of TG synthesis by TEI-B00422 is based on the inhibitory action of ACC. The structure of TEI-B00422 is totally different from the known inhibitors of ACC and may be useful in the development of therapeutic agents to combat a number of metabolic disorders.

Salicylate, diflunisal and their metabolites inhibit CBP/p300 and exhibit anticancer activity.

Salicylate and acetylsalicylic acid are potent and widely used anti-inflammatory drugs. They are thought to exert their therapeutic effects through multiple mechanisms, including the inhibition of cyclo-oxygenases, modulation of NF-κB activity, and direct activation of AMPK. However, the full spectrum of their activities is incompletely understood. Here we show that salicylate specifically inhibits CBP and p300 lysine acetyltransferase activity in vitro by direct competition with acetyl-Coenzyme A at the catalytic site. We used a chemical structure-similarity search to identify another anti-inflammatory drug, diflunisal, that inhibits p300 more potently than salicylate. At concentrations attainable in human plasma after oral administration, both salicylate and diflunisal blocked the acetylation of lysine residues on histone and non-histone proteins in cells. Finally, we found that diflunisal suppressed the growth of p300-dependent leukemia cell lines expressing AML1-ETO fusion protein in vitro and in vivo. These results highlight a novel epigenetic regulatory mechanism of action for salicylate and derivative drugs.

Fatty acyl CoA synthetase activity in normal and atherosclerotic rabbit aortic tissue.

The activity of fatty acyl CoA synthetase and fatty acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase was determined in microsomal fractions from normal and atherosclerotic rabbit aortic tissue. No change in fatty acyl CoA synthetase activity was observed as a result of cholesterol feeding in contrast to the several-fold increase in the activity of fatty acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase seen in atherosclerotic tissue. Inhibition of both enzymes was observed when clofibrate, or the tetrahydronapthyl analog of this drug were added in vitro. The inhibitory effects were most pronounced on the fatty acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase.

Antiparasitic drug nitazoxanide inhibits the pyruvate oxidoreductases of Helicobacter pylori, selected anaerobic bacteria and parasites, and Campylobacter jejuni.

Nitazoxanide (NTZ) exhibits broad-spectrum activity against anaerobic bacteria and parasites and the ulcer-causing pathogen Helicobacter pylori. Here we show that NTZ is a noncompetitive inhibitor (K(i), 2 to 10 microM) of the pyruvate:ferredoxin/flavodoxin oxidoreductases (PFORs) of Trichomonas vaginalis, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia intestinalis, Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, H. pylori, and Campylobacter jejuni and is weakly active against the pyruvate dehydrogenase of Escherichia coli. To further mechanistic studies, the PFOR operon of H. pylori was cloned and overexpressed in E. coli, and the multisubunit complex was purified by ion-exchange chromatography. Pyruvate-dependent PFOR activity with NTZ, as measured by a decrease in absorbance at 418 nm (spectral shift from 418 to 351 nm), unlike the reduction of viologen dyes, did not result in the accumulation of products (acetyl coenzyme A and CO(2)) and pyruvate was not consumed in the reaction. NTZ did not displace the thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) cofactor of PFOR, and the 351-nm absorbing form of NTZ was inactive. Optical scans and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance analyses determined that the spectral shift (A(418) to A(351)) of NTZ was due to protonation of the anion (NTZ(-)) of the 2-amino group of the thiazole ring which could be generated with the pure compound under acidic solutions (pK(a) = 6.18). We propose that NTZ(-) intercepts PFOR at an early step in the formation of the lactyl-TPP transition intermediate, resulting in the reversal of pyruvate binding prior to decarboxylation and in coordination with proton transfer to NTZ. Thus, NTZ might be the first example of an antimicrobial that targets the "activated cofactor" of an enzymatic reaction rather than its substrate or catalytic sites, a novel mechanism that may escape mutation-based drug resistance.

Influence of high-fat meal on the absorption of a silicon-containing amide, an inhibitor of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase, in man.

The pharmacokinetics of 3-(decyldimethylsilyl)-N-[2-(4-methylphenyl)-1- phenylethyl] propanamide (DMPP), an inhibitor of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase, have been examined in 18 healthy male volunteers who received an oral dose of either 14C-DMPP or 3H-DMPP immediately following a high-fat meal, or 3H-DMPP in the fasting state. DMPP was poorly absorbed in the fasting subjects. Administration with a high-fat meal significantly increased the extent of absorption to 15 per cent of the dose. Simultaneous fitting of the blood levels and excretion data to a pharmacokinetic model showed that ca. 64 per cent of the absorbed DMPP was metabolized while the remainder was excreted intact via the bile. The routes of biotransformation included hydrolysis of the amide bond and oxidation of the phenyl ring. The apparent volumes of distribution for DMPP and its 14C and 3H labelled metabolites were 0.89, 0.95, and 1.6 lkg-1, respectively, suggesting that these materials were distributed into extravascular spaces. The metabolites of DMPP were partially excreted in urine, accounting for 1.2 per cent and 3.8 per cent of the postprandial 14C and 3H labelled doses, respectively. The elimination half-lives of DMPP and its 14C and 3H labelled metabolites were 2.8, 5.3, and 6.9 h, respectively.

The influence of cortisol on the enzymes of fatty acid synthesis in developing mammalian lung and brain.

Administration of cortisol to fetal rabbits resulted in a 42% inhibition of pulmonary de novo fatty acid synthesis from acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) (P = less than 0.025). This was associated with inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (EC. 6.4.1.2.) activity (P = less than 0.01) and a tendency towards decreased activity of fatty acid synthetase. There was no effect on pulmonary microsomal fatty acid elongation activity. Light and electron microscopic examination of the apex of the right lung of control and cortisol-treated animals revealed changes consistent with accelerated lung maturation in the treated animals. The in vitro activities of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthetase were similar in rabbit lung and thus acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity does not appear to be rate limiting for de novo fatty acid synthesis in lung. No significant change in the activity of enzymes associated with de novo fatty acid synthesis of microsomal fatty acid elongation was found in fetal brain after cortisol exposure. However, in a parallel study on fatty acid synthesis in fetal liver, cortisol administration resulted in a 30% increase in fatty acid synthetase activity (P less than 0.025). The finding of cortisol-induced inhibition of de novo fatty acid synthesis in fetal rabbit lung may be related to the known inhibitory effect of cortisol on lung growth in the fetus.

Regulation of sialic acid O-acetylation in human colon mucosa.

The expression of O-acetylated sialic acids in human colonic mucins is developmentally regulated, and a reduction of O-acetylation has been found to be associated with the early stages of colorectal cancer. Despite this, however, little is known about the enzymatic process of sialic acid O-acetylation in human colonic mucosa. Recently, we have reported on a human colon sialate-7(9)-O-acetyltransferase capable of incorporating acetyl groups into sialic acids at the nucleotide-sugar level [Shen et al., Biol. Chem. 383 (2002), 307-317]. In this report, we show that the CMP-N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (CMP-Neu5Ac) and acetyl-CoA (AcCoA) transporters are critical components for the O-acetylation of CMP-Neu5Ac in Golgi lumen, with specific inhibition of either transporter leading to a reduction in the formation of CMP-5-N-acetyl-9-O-acetyl-neuraminic acid (CMP-Neu5,9Ac2). Moreover, the finding that 5-N-acetyl-9-O-acetyl-neuraminic acid (Neu5,9Ac2 could be transferred from neo-synthesised CMP-Neu5,9Ac2 to endogenous glycoproteins in the same Golgi vesicles, together with the observation that asialofetuin and asialo-human colon mucin are much better acceptors for Neu5,9Ac2 than asialo-bovine submandibular gland mucin, suggests that a sialyltransferase exists that preferentially utilises CMP-Neu5,9Ac2 as the donor substrate, transferring Neu5,9Ac2 to terminal Galbeta1,3(4)R- residues.