A Review of Phototoxic Plants, Their Phototoxic Metabolites, and Possible Developments as Photosensitizers.

This study provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding phototoxic terrestrial plants and their phototoxic and photosensitizing metabolites. Within the 435,000 land plant species, only around 250 vascular plants have been documented as phototoxic or implicated in phototoxic occurrences in humans and animals. This work compiles a comprehensive catalog of these phototoxic plant species, organized alphabetically based on their taxonomic family. The dataset encompasses meticulous details including taxonomy, geographical distribution, vernacular names, and information on the nature and structure of their phototoxic and photosensitizing molecule(s). Subsequently, this study undertook an in-depth investigation into phototoxic molecules, resulting in the compilation of a comprehensive and up-to-date list of phytochemicals exhibiting phototoxic or photosensitizing activity synthesized by terrestrial plants. For each identified molecule, an extensive review was conducted, encompassing discussions on its phototoxic activity, chemical family, occurrence in plant families or species, distribution within different plant tissues and organs, as well as the biogeographical locations of the producer species worldwide. The analysis also includes a thorough discussion on the potential use of these molecules for the development of new photosensitizers that could be used in topical or injectable formulations for antimicrobial and anticancer phototherapy as well as manufacturing of photoactive devices.

Archaea Carotenoids: Natural Pigments with Unexplored Innovative Potential.

For more than 40 years, marine microorganisms have raised great interest because of their major ecological function and their numerous applications for biotechnology and pharmacology. Particularly, Archaea represent a resource of great potential for the identification of new metabolites because of their adaptation to extreme environmental conditions and their original metabolic pathways, allowing the synthesis of unique biomolecules. Studies on archaeal carotenoids are still relatively scarce and only a few works have focused on their industrial scale production and their biotechnological and pharmacological properties, while the societal demand for these bioactive pigments is growing. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of the current knowledge on carotenoid metabolism in Archaea and the potential applications of these pigments in biotechnology and medicine. After reviewing the ecology and classification of these microorganisms, as well as their unique cellular and biochemical characteristics, this paper highlights the most recent data concerning carotenoid metabolism in Archaea, the biological properties of these pigments, and biotechnological considerations for their production at industrial scale.

Functionalization of 9-thioxanthone at the 1-position: From arylamino derivatives to [1]benzo(thio)pyrano[4,3,2-de]benzothieno[2,3-b]quinolines of biological interest.

Original 1-amino substituted thioxanthone derivatives were easily prepared from the bare heterocycle by a deprotometalation-iodolysis-copper-catalyzed CN bond formation sequence. This last reaction delivered mono- or/and diarylated products depending on the aniline involved. 1-Amino-9-thioxanthone was also prepared and reacted with 2-iodoheterocycles. Interestingly, while 1-(arylamino)-9-thioxanthones could be isolated, their subsequent cyclization was found to deliver original hexacyclic derivatives of helicoidal nature. Evaluation of their photophysical properties revealed high fluorescence in polar media, indicating potential applications for biological imaging. These compounds being able to inhibit PIM1 kinase, their putative binding mode was examined through molecular modeling experiments. Altogether, these results tend to suggest the discovery of a new family of fluorescent PIM inhibitors and pave the way for their future rational optimization.

Synthesis of 2-Mercapto-(2-Oxoindolin-3-Ylidene)Acetonitriles from 3-(4-Chloro-5H-1,2,3-Dithiazol-5-Ylidene)Indolin-2-ones.

Alkylidene oxindoles are important functional moieties and building blocks in pharmaceutical and synthetic chemistry. Our interest in biologically active compounds focused our studies on the synthesis of novel oxindoles, bearing on the exocyclic double bond at the C8, CN, and S groups. Extending the potential applications of Appel's salt, we developed a new synthetic approach by investigating the reactions of C5-substituted 2-oxindoles with 4,5-dichloro-1,2,3-dithiazolium chloride (Appel's salt) to give original (Z)-3-(4-chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-ylidene)indolin-2-one derivatives, and new 2-mercapto-(2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)acetonitriles via a dithiazole ring-opening reaction. The work described in this article represents further applications of Appel's salt in the conception of novel heterocyclic rings, in an effort to access original bioactive compounds. Fifteen new compounds were prepared and fully characterized.

From Quinoxaline, Pyrido[2,3-b]pyrazine and Pyrido[3,4-b]pyrazine to Pyrazino-Fused Carbazoles and Carbolines.

2,3-Diphenylated quinoxaline, pyrido[2,3-b]pyrazine and 8-bromopyrido[3,4-b]pyrazine were halogenated in deprotometalation-trapping reactions using mixed 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidino-based lithium-zinc combinations in tetrahydrofuran. The 2,3-diphenylated 5-iodo- quinoxaline, 8-iodopyrido[2,3-b]pyrazine and 8-bromo-7-iodopyrido[3,4-b]pyrazine thus obtained were subjected to palladium-catalyzed couplings with arylboronic acids or anilines, and possible subsequent cyclizations to afford the corresponding pyrazino[2,3-a]carbazole, pyrazino[2',3':5,6] pyrido[4,3-b]indole and pyrazino[2',3':4,5]pyrido[2,3-d]indole, respectively. 8-Iodopyrido[2,3-b] pyrazine was subjected either to a copper-catalyzed C-N bond formation with azoles, or to direct substitution to introduce alkylamino, benzylamino, hydrazine and aryloxy groups at the 8 position. The 8-hydrazino product was converted into aryl hydrazones. Most of the compounds were evaluated for their biological properties (antiproliferative activity in A2058 melanoma cells and disease-relevant kinase inhibition).

Characterization of the colistin (polymyxin E1 and E2) biosynthetic gene cluster.

Colistin is a mixture of polymyxin E1 and E2, bactericidal pentacationic lipopeptides used to treat infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Industrial production of colistin is obtained by a fermentation process of the natural producer Paenibacillus polymyxa var colistinus. NonRibosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) coding the biosynthesis of polymyxins A, B and P have been recently described, rendering thereof the improvement of their production possible. However, the colistin biosynthesis pathway was not published so far. In this study, a Paenibacillus alvei has been identified by biochemical (Api 50 CH system) and molecular (16S rDNA sequencing) methods. Its culture supernatant displayed inhibitory activity against Gram-negative bacteria (P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, Salmonella spp.). Two polymyxins, E1 and E2, were recovered from the supernatant and were characterized by high resolution LC-MS. A genomic library (960 clones) was constructed to identify the gene cluster responsible for biosynthesis of polymyxins. Selection of the clones harbouring the sequences of interest was obtained by a simple PCR-based screening. We used primers targeting NRPS sequences leading to the incorporation of amino acids present in polymyxins E. The sequences from three clones of interest were assembled on 50.4 kb. Thus, five open reading frames corresponding to a new NRPS gene cluster of 41 kb were identified. In silico, analyses revealed the presence of three NRPS implicated in the biosynthesis of polymyxins E. This work provides insightful information on colistin biosynthesis and might contribute to future drug developments in this group of antibiotics.

UPLC-MSE profiling of Phytoplankton metabolites: application to the identification of pigments and structural analysis of metabolites in Porphyridium purpureum.

A fast and high-resolution UPLC-MSE analysis was used to identify phytoplankton pigments in an ethanol extract of Porphyridium purpureum (Pp) devoid of phycobiliproteins. In a first step, 22 standard pigments were analyzed by UPLC-MSE to build a database including retention time and accurate masses of parent and fragment ions. Using this database, seven pigments or derivatives previously reported in Pp were unequivocally identified: ß,ß-carotene, chlorophyll a, zeaxanthin, chlorophyllide a, pheophorbide a, pheophytin a, and cryptoxanthin. Minor amounts of Divinyl chlorophyll a, a chemotaxonomic pigment marker for prochlorophytes, were also unequivocally identified using the database. Additional analysis of ionization and fragmentation patterns indicated the presence of ions that could correspond to hydroxylated derivatives of chlorophyll a and pheophytin a, produced during the ethanolic extraction, as well as previously described galactosyldiacylglycerols, the thylakoid coenzyme plastoquinone, and gracilamide B, a molecule previously reported in the red seaweed Gracillaria asiatica. These data point to UPLC-MSE as an efficient technique to identify phytoplankton pigments for which standards are available, and demonstrate its major interest as a complementary method for the structural elucidation of ionizable marine molecules.

Deproto-metallation of N-arylated pyrroles and indoles using a mixed lithium-zinc base and regioselectivity-computed CH acidity relationship.

The synthesis of N-arylated pyrroles and indoles is documented, as well as their functionalization by deprotonative metallation using the base in situ prepared from LiTMP and ZnCl2·TMEDA (1/3 equiv). With N-phenylpyrrole and -indole, the reactions were carried out in hexane containing TMEDA which regioselectively afforded the 2-iodo derivatives after subsequent iodolysis. With pyrroles and indoles bearing N-substituents such as 2-thienyl, 3-pyridyl, 4-methoxyphenyl and 4-bromophenyl, the reactions all took place on the substituent, at the position either adjacent to the heteroatom (S, N) or ortho to the heteroatom-containing substituent (OMe, Br). The CH acidities of the substrates were determined in THF solution using the DFT B3LYP method in order to rationalize the experimental results.

Synthesis of C,N'-linked bis-heterocycles using a deprotometalation-iodination-N-arylation sequence and evaluation of their antiproliferative activity in melanoma cells.

Benzothiophene, benzofuran, benzothiazole and benzoxazole were deprotometalated using the lithium-zinc combination prepared from ZnCl2·TMEDA (TMEDA=N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine, 1equiv) and lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide (LiTMP, 3equiv). Subsequent interception of the 2-metalated derivatives using iodine as electrophile led to the iodides in 81%, 82%, 67% and 42% yields, respectively. These yields are higher (10% more) than those obtained using ZnCl2·TMEDA (0.5equiv) and LiTMP (1.5equiv), except in the case of benzoxazole (10% less). The crude iodides were involved in the N-arylation of pyrrole, indole, carbazole, pyrazole, indazole, imidazole and benzimidazole in the presence of Cu (0.2equiv) and Cs2CO3 (2equiv), and using acetonitrile as solvent (no other ligand) to provide after 24h reflux the expected N-arylated azoles in yields ranging from 33% to 81%. Using benzotriazole also led to N-arylation products, but in lower 34%, 39%, 36% and 6% yields, respectively. A further study with this azole evidenced the impact of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine on the N-arylation yields. Most of the C,N'-linked bis-heterocycles thus synthesized (in particular those containing benzimidazole) induced a high growth inhibition of A2058 melanoma cells after a 72h treatment at 10(-5)M.

Microwave-assisted kinetic resolution of homochiral (Z)-cyclooct-5-ene-1,2-diol and (Z)-2-acetoxycyclooct-4-enyl acetate using lipases.

Over the last decade, the use of biocatalysts has become an attractive alternative to conventional chemical methods, especially for organic synthesis, due to their unusual properties. Among these enzymes, lipases are the most widely used, because they are cheap, easily available, cofactor-free, and have broad substrate specificity. Combined to microwave heating in non-aqueous medium, recent results suggest that irradiation may influence the enzyme activity. This Communication reports the benefits of lipases and the microwave irradiation on the kinetic resolution of racemic homochiral (Z)-cyclooct-5-ene-1,2-diol and (Z)-2-acetoxycyclooct-4-enyl acetate. In order to best achieve the kinetic resolution, different parameters were studied including the type of lipase, the temperature, the impact of microwave power compared to conventional heating. Optimization of the reaction parameters lead to the obtainment of highly enriched or enantiopure diols and diesters in a clean, efficient and safe way.

Antiproliferative activity of Cyanophora paradoxa pigments in melanoma, breast and lung cancer cells.

The glaucophyte Cyanophora paradoxa (Cp) was chemically investigated to identify pigments efficiently inhibiting malignant melanoma, mammary carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma cells growth. Cp water and ethanol extracts significantly inhibited the growth of the three cancer cell lines in vitro, at 100 µg · mL(-1). Flash chromatography of the Cp ethanol extract, devoid of c-phycocyanin and allophycocyanin, enabled the collection of eight fractions, four of which strongly inhibited cancer cells growth at 100 µg · mL(-1). Particularly, two fractions inhibited more than 90% of the melanoma cells growth, one inducing apoptosis in the three cancer cells lines. The detailed analysis of Cp pigment composition resulted in the discrimination of 17 molecules, ten of which were unequivocally identified by high resolution mass spectrometry. Pheophorbide a, ß-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin were the three main pigments or derivatives responsible for the strong cytotoxicity of Cp fractions in cancer cells. These data point to Cyanophora paradoxa as a new microalgal source to purify potent anticancer pigments, and demonstrate for the first time the strong antiproliferative activity of zeaxanthin and ß-cryptoxanthin in melanoma cells.

Alterins, a new family of marine antibacterial cyclolipopeptides.

Five strains of Pseudoalteromonas, isolated from oyster haemolymph, have exhibited antibacterial activity against several Gram-negative bacteria. Bioactive compounds have been identified in their cell-free supernatant and characterised as alterins, which are cyclolipopeptides comprising a heptapeptidic ring connected to a fatty acid chain. Using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry, this paper describes 37 structural analogues differing from each other by one or more amino acid residue, the length of the fatty acid chain, its hydroxylation and the presence of unsaturation.

Bisphosphonylallenes as Suitable Scaffolds for Unprecedented 4,5-Diphosphonyldihydropyridazines and 3,4-Diphosphonylpyrroles Displaying Antimelanoma Activity.

An efficient and simple approach has been developed for the synthesis of unprecedented 4,5-diphosphonyldihydropyridazines and 3,4-diphosphonylpyrroles, through the condensation of bisphosphonylallenes with hydrazines and primary amines, respectively. The reactions proceed under operationally simple, mild, and catalyst-free conditions, for a wide substrate scope. The synthesized compounds were screened for their antiproliferative activity against melanoma cancer cells, and they showed promising growth inhibition.

Antiproliferative activity of violaxanthin isolated from bioguided fractionation of Dunaliella tertiolecta extracts.

Dunaliella tertiolecta (DT) was chemically investigated to isolate molecules inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis in vitro. The potency to inhibit cell growth was used for the bio-guided fractionation and isolation of active compounds using chromatographic techniques. The DT dichloromethane extract exhibited a strong anti-proliferative activity on MCF-7 and LNCaP cells, and was further fractionated and sub-fractionated by RP-HPLC. High resolution mass spectrometry and spectrophotometric analysis unequivocally identified violaxanthin as the most antiproliferative molecule present in DT DCM extract. Violaxanthin purified from DT induced MCF-7 dose-dependent growth inhibition in continuous and discontinuous treatments, at concentrations as low as 0.1 µg·mL⁻¹ (0.17 µM). Phosphatidylserine exposure, typical of early apoptosis, was observed after 48 h treatment at 8 µg·mL⁻¹ (13.3 µM) but no DNA fragmentation, characteristic of late apoptosis steps, could be detected even after 72 h treatment at 40 µg·mL⁻¹ (66.7 µM). Taken together, our results demonstrate the strong antiproliferative activity of violaxanthin on one human mammary cancer cell line, and suggest that studying the pharmacology of violaxanthin and pharmacomodulated derivatives on cancer cells may allow potent antiproliferative drugs to be obtained.

One-pot synthesis of 5-phenylimino, 5-thieno or 5-oxo-1,2,3-dithiazoles and evaluation of their antimicrobial and antitumor activity.

We here report the synthesis and biological evaluation of rare 4-substituted-5-phenylimino, 5-thieno- and 5-oxo-1,2,3-dithiazoles. Dithiazoles were selectively obtained in moderate to high yields (25-73%) via a one-pot reaction from various ethanoneoximes with sulfur monochloride, pyridine in acetonitrile followed by treatment by corresponding nucleophiles (aniline, thioacetamide and formic acid). All the synthesized compounds were screened for their antibacterial (against bacteria Escherichia coli, Salmonellaenterica serovar Typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus and Listeria inocua), antifungal (against pathogenic strains Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis and Issatchenkia orientalis) and antitumor (on human cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) activity. 4-(2-Pyridinyl)-5H-1,2,3-dithiazole-5-thione and 4-ethylcarboxyl-5H-1,2,3-dithiazole-5-thione (5d, 5h) that are active against Gram-positive bacteria are significantly active against fungi. 4-(2-Benzofuranyl)-5-phenylimino-5H-1,2,3-dithiazole (4e) exerts antiproliferative activity.

Synthesis and kinase inhibitory activity of novel substituted indigoids.

The bis-indole indigoids are a promising protein kinase inhibitor scaffold to be further evaluated against the numerous human diseases that imply abnormal regulation of kinases including neurodegenerative disorders. In an effort to identify new pharmacological inhibitors of disease-relevant protein kinases with increased potency and selectivity, we designed, synthesized new 5,7-disubstituted or 6-substituted bis-indole derivatives. On the basis of our previous synthetic work, 22 selected compounds were tested on CDK1/cyclin B, CDK5/p25, DYRK1A, CK1, and GSK-3alpha/beta kinases, five kinases involved in Alzheimer's disease. Some of them were also evaluated for their cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities. 6-Nitro-3'-N-oxime-indirubin and 5-amino-3'-N-oxime-indirubin derivatives exhibited inhibitory activity in a submicromolar range against CDK1/cyclin B (0.18 and 0.1 microM, respectively), CK1 (0.6 microM and 0.13 microM) and GSK3 (0.04 microM and 0.36 microM).

Novel 9-oxo-thiazolo[5,4-f]quinazoline-2-carbonitrile derivatives as dual cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1)/glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) inhibitors: synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modeling studies.

Continuous efforts in microwave-assisted synthesis and the structure-activity relationships' (SARs) studies of novel modified 9-oxo-thiazolo[5,4-f]quinazoline-2-carbonitriles, allowed identification of new amidine and imidate derivatives as potent and dual CDK1/GSK-3 inhibitors. Combination of lead optimization and molecular modeling studies allowed identification of a dual CDK1/GSK-3 inhibitor (compound 13d) with submicromolar values.

Complete Genome Sequence of the Polymyxin E (Colistin)-Producing Paenibacillus sp. Strain B-LR.

Paenibacillus bacteria are recovered from varied niches, including human lung, rhizosphere, marine sediments, and hemolymph. Paenibacilli can have plant growth-promoting activities and be antibiotic producers. They can produce exopolysaccharides and enzymes of industrial interest. Illumina and PacBio reads were used to produce a complete genome sequence of the colistin producer Paenibacillus sp. strain B-LR.

Sensitization of tumor cells to chemotherapy by natural products: A systematic review of preclinical data and molecular mechanisms.

PURPOSE: Tumor cells are spontaneously or adaptively resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs, eventually leading to the selection of multiresistant cells responsible for tumor growth and metastasis. Chemosensitization of tumor cells to conventional drugs using non-toxic natural products is a recent and innovative strategy aiming to increase the cytotoxic efficiency of anticancer drugs, limit their toxic side effects and delay the appearance of acquired chemoresistance. This systematic review summarizes data obtained from preclinical studies reporting the use of natural products to sensitize tumor cells to chemotherapeutic agents. It also details the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in chemosensitization. DESIGN: Search terms were combined and used to retrieve English language reports in PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus databases, published until October 2017. All articles were carefully analyzed and data extraction was conducted through standardized forms. Methodological quality assessment of in vivo studies was also performed. RESULTS: From a total of 669 articles surveyed, 104 met the inclusion criteria established. The main studied compounds as chemosensitizers were phenolic derivatives (26.9%) and flavonoids (17.3%). Most reports were authored by researchers from China (33.7%) and USA (26.9%). A large number of articles were published from 2011 to 2015 (50.0%), suggesting that the use of natural products as chemosensitizers is a recent issue. In vivo studies were conducted mainly using xenograft models, which were considered of moderate methodological quality. CONCLUSION: Several natural products, belonging to diverse chemical families, are potent chemosentisizers in tumor cells enhancing the cytotoxicity of conventional drugs. These molecules usually have a pleiotropic effect on different molecular targets, acting on several cellular and molecular processes with low selectivity. All studied molecules were obtained from terrestrial plants and major developments should arise from future studies, considering the chemodiversity of molecules purified from other terrestrial taxa and marine organisms.

Improved racemate resolution of pentan-2-ol and trans-(Z)-cyclooct-5-ene-1,2-diol by lipase catalysis.

Lipases are important catalysts in chiral synthesis due to their wide substrate recognition combined with a high stereoselectivity. We demonstrate here that the state, free or immobilized, of Candida antarctica lipase B (CaLB) affects enantioselectivity and also alters the temperature dependancy of the enzyme. This indicates that CaLB undergoes various conformations induced by its interaction with the different immobilization supports studied. Molecular imprinting experiments, using immobilized enzyme co-dried with mimic substrate molecules, enhanced the enantiomeric ratio two-fold or three-fold, depending on the immobilization support. The structure of the acyl donor has a pronounced effect on CaLB catalyzed resolution, due to the proximity of the acyl and alcohol moieties during catalysis. When the acylation of pentan-2-ol was examined, we found that the 3C methyl propanoate donor afforded the highest resolution. Trans-(Z)-cyclooct-5-en-1,2-diol was used as a model racemic substrate to study the ability of lipase to catalyze the resolution of difunctionalized compounds. There was a clear enhancement in the enantiomer selectivity of the biotransformation of the diol when vinyl butanoate is used as the acyl donor. The conversion and enantiomeric excess of (1R,2R)-monoacetates were enhanced, using immobilized CaLB, when the chain length of the donors increased from C2 to C4.