Prototropy, Intramolecular Interactions, Electron Delocalization, and Physicochemical Properties of 1,8-dihydroxy-9-anthrone-DFT-D3 Study of Substituent Effects.

1,8-dihydroxy-9-anthrone are tricyclic compounds with a ketone group in the middle ring and two hydroxyl groups substituted in the side-aromatic rings what results in formation of two intramolecular hydrogen bonds in which the oxygen atom from the ketone group is the proton acceptor. 1,8-dihydroxy-9-anthrones in which intramolecular proton transfer between C10 and CO in the middle ring occurs, can exist in a tautomeric keto-enol equilibrium. For anthralin, the most important representative of this group, this equilibrium has been studied previously, but it has not been studied for its derivatives. Substituents in the middle ring change the geometry of 1,8-dihydroxy-9-anthrones so they are also expected to affect the keto-enol equilibrium. It is also important to study the effect of intramolecular hydrogen bonds on the structure of both tautomeric forms. It was found that the nature of the substituent in the middle ring could affect the antioxidant properties of the investigated compound.

α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Prenylated Anthranols from Harungana madagascariensis.

Four new prenylated anthranols, harunganols C-F (1-4), along with kenganthranol A (5), harunganin (6), and ferruginin A (7), were identified from the leaves of Harungana madagascariensis. The structures of compounds 2, 5, and 7 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compound 1 is a unique symmetrical anthranol dimer connected via a CH2 group. Compound 4 possesses a unique C-10 hemiketal group. All anthranols were evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. They displayed a higher potency compared to acarbose except for 3 and 4. In particular, harunganol C (1) showed an IC50 value of 1.2 µM.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new C-10 substituted dithranol pleiotropic hybrids.

Selective alkylation of the antipsoriatic drug dithranol (DTR) at C-10 with tert-butyl bromoacetate, followed by acid-mediated deprotection, produced the corresponding carboxylic acid 4 which was coupled with selectively protected polyamines (PAs), such as putrescine (PUT), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM), dopamine and aliphatic amines and substituted benzylamines producing a series of DTR-PA hybrids, after acid-mediated deprotection, as well as simple amides. The compounds were tested as antioxidants and inhibitors of lipoxygenase (LOX). The amides 4,4'-dimethoxybenzhydrylamide 13 (86% and 95%), 2,4-dimethoxybenzylamide 12 (87% and 81%) and dodecylamide 9 (98% and 74%), and the hybrid DTR-SPM (7) (93% and 87%), showed the highest antioxidant activity in the DPPH and AAPH assays, whereas the most potent inhibitors of LOX were amide 13 (IC50=7 µM), the benzylamide 10 (IC50=7.9 µM) and the butylamide 8 (IC50=10 µM). Molecular binding studies showed that binding of these derivatives into the hydrophobic domain blocks approach of substrate to the active site, inhibiting soybean LOX. Amide 13 presented the highest anti-inflammatory activity (79.7%). The DTR moiety was absolutely necessary for securing high anti-inflammatory potency. Ethyl ester 3 (IC50=0.357 µM) and the amides 9 (IC50=0.022 µM) and 13 (IC50=0.56 µM) exhibited higher antiproliferative activity than DTR (IC50=0.945 µM) on HaCaT keratinocytes whereas amide 13 generally presented better cytocompatibility. Amide 13 is a very promising lead compound for further development as an anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative agent.

Dithranol as a MALDI matrix for tissue imaging of lipids by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

To fill the unmet need for improved matrixes for matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) tissue imaging of small molecules, dithranol (DT)--a matrix mainly used for the analysis of synthetic polymers--was evaluated for detection of lipids in rat liver and bovine calf lens, using MALDI Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS). The use of DT resulted in better detection of endogenous lipids than did two other commonly used matrixes, α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), with >70 lipid entities (including phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, sphingomyelins, phosphatidylserines, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidic acids, ceramide phosphates, sterol lipids, acyl carnitines, and glycerides) being detected in rat liver and bovine lens tissue sections, using positive-ion detection. Using saturated DT in chloroform/methanol (2:1, v/v), with 1% formic acid in the final mixture, 57 lipid entities were successfully imaged from bovine calf lens, with clear and distinct distribution patterns. In a section across the lens equatorial plane, all compounds showed concentric distributions around the lens nucleus and most showed specific abundance changes, which correlated with lens fiber cell age. As a novel finding, palmitoylcarnitine and oleoylcarnitine were found uniquely localized to the younger lens fiber cell cortex region. This work demonstrates the potential of DT as a new matrix for tissue imaging by MALDI-FTICR MS.

Therapeutic and cytotoxic effects of the novel antipsoriasis codrug, naproxyl-dithranol, on HaCaT cells.

A novel topical codrug, naproxyl-dithranol (Nap-DTH), in which dithranol and naproxen are linked via an ester in a 1:1 ratio to form a single chemical entity, was synthesized. The antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory and toxic effects of Nap-DTH were assessed, at the cellular level, using various in vitro methods. Cultured HaCaT keratinocytes were treated with Nap-DTH, and the cellular effects were compared with those of the parent compounds, individually and as a 1:1 mixture of naproxen:dithranol to mimic 1:1 in situ liberation from Nap-DTH. The results demonstrate that Nap-DTH did not modify proliferation and only exhibited slight toxic effects after 24 h at concentrations >21 µM. At a lower concentration (3.4 µM), Nap-DTH did not alter cell proliferation or inflammation, which suggests that the codrug is therapeutically inert. Relating to this, the 1:1 mixture of naproxen:dithranol exhibited the lowest toxic effect and the highest antiproliferative effect on HaCaT keratinocytes compared to dithranol at the same concentration. Moreover, the 1:1 mixture exhibited a reduced inflammatory effect compared to dithranol alone, as reflected by the upregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 by 45% and 136%, respectively. In spite of the 1:1 mixture showing a greater downregulation of Ki-67 and a 2-fold reduction of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (both cellular markers of proliferation) than dithranol, dithranol showed a much greater induction of cleaved caspase-3 protein expression (upregulated by 287%, compared to 85% for the 1:1 mixture). This suggests that when dithranol was administered with naproxen, inhibition of cell growth plays a more important role in the antiproliferation effects than the induction of apoptotic cell death. These results confirm that the codrug would lead to a better therapeutic profile and fewer adverse effects compared to its parent compounds.

Novel dithranol phospholipid microemulsion for topical application: development, characterization and percutaneous absorption studies.

The objective of this study was to develop and characterize a novel dithranol-containing phospholipid microemulsion systems for enhanced skin permeation and retention. Based on the solubility of dithranol, the selected oils were isopropyl myristate (IPM) and tocopherol acetate (TA), and the surfactants were Tween 80 (T80) and Tween 20 (T20). The ratios of cosurfactants comprising of phospholipids and ethanol (1 : 10) and surfactant to co-surfactant (1 : 1 and 2.75 : 1) were fixed for the phase diagram construction. Selected microemulsions were evaluated for globule size, zeta potential, viscosity, refractive index, per cent transmittance, stability (freeze thaw and centrifugation), ex vivo skin permeation and retention. The microemulsion systems composed of IPM and T80 with mean particle diameter of 72.8 nm showed maximum skin permeation (82.23%), skin permeation flux (0.281 mg/cm²/h) along with skin retention (8.31%) vis-à-vis systems containing TA and T20. The results suggest that the developed novel lecithinized microemulsion systems have a promising potential for the improved topical delivery of dithranol.

The benefits of photoacoustics for the monitoring of drug stability and penetration through tissue-mimicking membranes.

The paper demonstrates the potential of photoacoustics for the identification of the mechanisms underlying drug transport through tissue-mimicking systems. Photoacoustic experiments were performed for a model transdermal delivery system, consisting of drug dithranol (in pharmaceutical form) and dodecanol-collodion (DDC) membrane. The spectroscopic data revealed a single-path photodegradation of dithranol in Vaseline (dithranol â†’ danthrone, characterized by the 1st order decay rate of (7.85 ± 0.31)·10-4 s-1), and a multipath degradation in the DDC system, involving danthrone and the unknown compound (characterized by the absorption band at ~400 nm) as the final products. The desorption experiments performed enabled the identification of the unknown compound as the photodegradation product of dithranol molecules bound to the membrane matrix. The result led to the incorporation of the adsorption effects and heterogeneous structure of the membrane into the hydrodynamical model of mass transport. The model was tested against the photoacoustic depth-profiling data for dithranol permeation through DDC. The analysis allowed the dispersion and advection coefficients to be determined (D' = (2.05 ± 0.03)⋅10-9 cm2 s-1 and va' = (-5.55 ± 0.05)⋅10-7 cm s-1, respectively). Moreover, it was found, that the dithranol photodegradation rate in the non-steady state system is slower compared to the steady-state case; the effect was attributed to different permeation rates of dithranol and mobile Vaseline particles through the membrane.

Natural anthraquinone derivatives from a marine mangrove plant-derived endophytic fungus Eurotium rubrum: structural elucidation and DPPH radical scavenging activity.

There is considerable interest in the isolation of potent radical scavenging compounds from natural resources to treat diseases involving oxidative stress. In this report, four new fungal metabolites including one new bisdihydroanthracenone derivative (1, eurorubrin), two new seco-anthraquinone derivatives [3, 2-O-methyl-9-dehydroxyeurotinone and 4, 2-Omethyl- 4-O-(alpha-D-ribofuranosyl)-9-dehydroxyeurotinone], and one new anthraquinone glycoside [6, 3-O-(alpha-D-ribofuranosyl)- questin], were isolated and identified from Eurotium rubrum, an endophytic fungal strain that was isolated from the inner tissue of the stem of the marine mangrove plant Hibiscus tiliaceus. In addition, three known compounds including asperflavin (2), 2-O-methyleurotinone (5), and questin (7) were also isolated and identified. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. All of the isolated compounds were evaluated for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) radical scavenging activity.

Fluorescent sensing of transition metal ions based on the encapsulation of dithranol in a polymeric core shell architecture.

The encapsulation behaviour and the resulting transition metal ion sensing capabilities of a 5-arm star-shaped polymer bearing terpyridine ligands on its periphery are described.

Dithranol-loaded lipid-core nanocapsules improve the photostability and reduce the in vitro irritation potential of this drug.

Dithranol is a very effective drug for the topical treatment of psoriasis. However, it has some adverse effects such as irritation and stain in the skin that make its application and patient adherence to treatment difficult. The aims of this work were to prepare and characterize dithranol-loaded nanocapsules as well as to evaluate the photostability and the irritation potential of these nanocarriers. Lipid-core nanocapsules containing dithranol (0.5 mg/mL) were prepared by interfacial deposition of preformed polymer. EDTA (0.05%) or ascorbic acid (0.02%) was used as antioxidants. After preparation, dithranol-loaded lipid-core nanocapsules showed satisfactory characteristics: drug content close to the theoretical concentration, encapsulation efficiency of about 100%, nanometric mean size (230-250 nm), polydispersity index below 0.25, negative zeta potential, and pH values from 4.3 to 5.6. In the photodegradation study against UVA light, we observed a higher stability of the dithranol-loaded lipid-core nanocapsules comparing to the solution containing the free drug (half-life times around 4 and 1h for the dithranol-loaded lipid-core nanocapsules and free drug solution containing EDTA, respectively; half-life times around 17 and 7h for the dithranol-loaded lipid-core nanocapsules and free drug solution containing ascorbic acid, respectively). Irritation test by HET-CAM method was conducted to evaluate the safety of the formulations. From the results it was found that the nanoencapsulation of the drug decreased its toxicity compared to the effects observed for the free drug.

Em08red, a dual functional antiproliferative emodin analogue, is a downregulator of ErbB2 expression and inducer of intracellular oxidative stress.

Expression of ErbB2 protein is inversely correlated with the prognosis in cancer patients. Consequently, strategies targeting ErbB2 remain an attractive option in treating several types of malignancies, including oral cancer. In addition, many studies have shown that emodin and emodin derivatives are able to inhibit growth of ErbB2-overexpressing tumor cells. In this study, a series of computer modeling-generated emodin analogues were synthesized and tested for their antiproliferative activity against oral cancer cell lines overexpressing ErbB2. Among these analogues, em08red (1,8-dihydroxy-9(10H)-anthracenone) demonstrated potent antiproliferative activity against all three tested ErbB2-overexpressing cell lines, ie, FaDu, HSC3, and OECM1. Treatment with em08red significantly downregulated activation of ErbB2 as well as the ErbB2 protein expression level in the tested cell lines and induced G2 arrest. Antiapoptosis protein (Bcl-xl and Bcl-2) expression levels were also downregulated, and active caspase-3 and caspase-9 was detected in cells after treatment with em08red. Moreover, treatment with em08red stimulated production of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species in treated cells, and this could be partially reversed by pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine. Overall, we demonstrated inhibition of ErbB2 function and induction of reactive oxygen species in tumor cells by em08red, which prevented proliferation of tumor cells and induced apoptotic cell death.

Reduction of nitroxides by anthralin and some of its derivatives.

In DMSO solution, anthralin and its C-10 monosubstituted derivatives reduce nitroxides to the corresponding hydroxylamine derivatives, which are not further transformed. The reaction rate depends on the solvent used, the nitroxide, and the structure of the reducer. It is faster in DMSO than in DMF, piperidine type of nitroxides are reduced faster than the pyrrolidine type, and the substitution on C-10 of anthralin has a significant influence on the reaction rate. Anthralin derivatives without protons at C-10 are not able to reduce nitroxides.

Antipsoriatic anthrones with modulated redox properties. 3. 10-thio-substituted 1,8-dihydroxy-9(10H)-anthracenones as inhibitors of keratinocyte growth, 5-lipoxygenase, and the formation of 12(S)-HETE in mouse epidermis.

The synthesis of a series of 1,8-dihydroxy-9(10H)-anthracenones bearing sulfur-linked substituents in the 10-position is described. These compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the growth of the human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT and the 5- and 12-lipoxygenase enzymes in bovine polymorphonuclear leukocytes and mouse epidermal homogenate, respectively. In addition, the following redox properties of the compounds were determined: reactivity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, generation of hydroxyl radicals as measured by deoxyribose degradation, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation in model membranes. Compounds 4e and 4h of this series compare favorably in the cellular assays with the antipsoriatic anthralin. They have the combined inhibitory action against leukotriene B4 and 12(S)-HETE formation and are highly potent antiproliferative agents against keratinocyte growth. In contrast to anthralin, 4h, 1,8-dihydroxy-10-[(4-hydroxyphenyl)thio]-9(10H)-anthracenone, is not cytotoxic as documented by the LDH activity released from cytoplasm of keratinocytes and does not enhance lipid peroxidation in model membranes.

Hydroxyl radical damage to DNA sugar and model membranes induced by anthralin (dithranol).

The antipsoriatic anthrones anthralin and butantrone caused degradation of the DNA sugar deoxyribose in the presence of ferric salt. The degradation was substantially inhibited by iron-binding hydroxyl radical scavengers, iron chelators, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, suggesting a mechanism in which antipsoriatic anthrones generate hydroxyl radicals via the Fenton reaction or an iron-catalysed Haber-Weiss reaction. Butantrone was markedly less efficient at generating hydroxyl radicals than anthralin. Using bovine brain phospholipid liposomes as model membranes to study the effects of antipsoriatic anthrones on lipid peroxidation, the peroxidation of liposomal membranes in the presence of ferric salt was maximally enhanced by anthralin and butantrone at 12.5 and 5 microM, respectively. Higher concentrations of the drugs resulted in less peroxidation. Chain-breaking antioxidants and iron chelators strongly decreased anthralin-enhanced lipid peroxidation, suggesting the involvement of hydroxyl, peroxyl or alkoxyl radicals. In contrast to their stimulatory effects on liposomal membrane peroxidation, both anthralin and butantrone diminished Fe3+/ascorbate-induced lipid peroxidation in liposomes. Butantrone was more effective as an inhibitor of lipid peroxidation than was anthralin. The antioxidant properties of antipsoriatic anthrones were determined in terms of their reactivities with the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Antioxidant activity of antipsoriatic anthrones requires the presence of free hydroxyl groups at C-1 and C-8 and at least one hydrogen atom at C-10 of the anthrone nucleus. The role of active oxygen species produced by antipsoriatic anthrones and the biological effects on cellular targets are discussed with respect to the mode of action and manifestation of side effects of these drugs.

Anthralin-derived transients--II. Formation of the radical by spontaneous fragmentation of both singlet and triplet states of the 10,10'-dehydrodimer: radical pair multiplicity effects.

The singlet and triplet states of the anthralin (1,8-dihydroxy-9-anthrone) dehydrodimer have been produced selectively in benzene via pulsed laser excitation and pulse radiolysis respectively. The lifetime of S1 is less than or equal to 30 ps, that of T1 short but unspecified. Both states fragment spontaneously to yield a pair of anthralin radicals. The singlet radical pair predominantly undergoes geminate recombination within the solvent cage. In contrast, the corresponding triplet radical pair undergoes essentially exclusive cage escape to give the anthralin free radical (lambda max 370, 490 and 720 nm) which recombines under normal diffusive conditions. Both recombination processes lead, at least in part, to one or more species which have been assigned as tautomeric forms of the original dimer. The anthralin free radical in benzene is insensitive to the vitamin E model 6-hydroxy-2,2,5,7,8-pentamethylchroman and reacts only slowly with oxygen.

Kinetic studies on anthralin photooxidation.

The photooxidation of the antipsoriatic drug anthralin (1,8-dihydroxy-9-anthrone) has been studied by several kinetic techniques, including direct observation of 1O2 (1 delta g) luminescence at 1.27 microns. The rate of deactivation of 1O2 increases at higher pH, demonstrating that the trihydroxyanthracene anion is the reactive species. Direct determination of the rate constant of 1O2 deactivation (kR + kQ) in deuterated buffer systems by luminescence quenching gave a value of 3.0 x 10(8) M-1 s-1 for the anion; the neutral anthrone is unreactive. The rate constant for the neutral anthrone in benzene-d6 is 2.8 x 10(4) M-1 s-1. Competition experiments with tetramethylethylene in acetonitrile gave a rate constant for reaction alone (kR) of 2.1 x 10(8) M-1 s-1 for the anion.

Spectroscopic studies of cutaneous photosensitizing agents--XV. Anthralin and its oxidation product 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone.

The photochemistry (Type I and II) of anthralin and its photo-oxidation product 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone (1,8-DHAQ) has been studied in ethanol, acetonitrile and dimethylsulfoxide using spin-trapping and direct detection of singlet oxygen (1O2) luminescence techniques. In ethanol, where it exists in its neutral form (AN), anthralin does not undergo either Type I or II reactions upon UV-irradiation. In contrast, irradiation of anthralin in acetonitrile, a solvent in which anthralin is partially converted to its corresponding mono-anion (AN-), generates both superoxide and singlet oxygen. Irradiation of anthralin in dimethylsulfoxide, where the AN- form is present in substantial quantity, generates superoxide and solvent derived radicals but no detectable singlet oxygen. UV-irradiation of 1,8-DHAQ in ethanol and acetonitrile produces both superoxide and singlet oxygen in significant yields. In dimethylsulfoxide, on the other hand, only superoxide and solvent derived radicals are observed. The 1O2 quantum yield for AN- and 1,8-DHAQ in acetonitrile were determined to be 0.14 and 0.88 relative to rose bengal in the same solvent. These findings suggest that the AN photosensitization occurs via Type I and II pathways, is solvent dependent and involves AN- as well as its oxidation product 1,8-DHAQ, which is a more potent generator of both singlet oxygen and superoxide.

Photostability of dithranol.

The influence of light on the antipsoriatic drug dithranol was investigated. A Suntest CPS with xenon lamp and liquid cooling was used as light source for the test. Solutions of dithranol in different organic solvents and in therapeutical concentrations in excipients for the preparation of topical formulations were tested under defined conditions. The extent and rate of photodegradation was determined and compared with the degradation of light-protected solutions. The drug content in the solutions was measured by HPLC. Degradation products were characterised and identified by diode array technique and HPLC-mass spectrometry coupling. The results showed a strong dependency of the photodegradation on the excipient or solvent used.

A semiempirical computational investigation of the antipsoriatic drug anthralin.

A series of computational studies was carried out, by using the highly successful Austin Model 1 (AM1) semiempirical method, to illuminate more completely the fundamental, molecular-level forces that affect the function and utility of the antipsoriatic drug anthralin. First, examination of the keto-enol tautomeric equilibrium by AM1 showed that the keto tautomer of the drug is 9.5 kcal/mol more stable than the enol form. Strong electrostatic forces involving the hydrogens on the hydroxy groups (a partial charge of +0.25 in both forms) and the keto oxygen (a partial charge of -0.40) apparently overcome the effects of the increased aromatic stabilization present in the enol form. Second, AM1 was applied to the degradation products of anthralin, 1,8-dihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone, 1,8,1',8'-tetrahydroxy-10,10'-dianthrone, and a further oxidized form of the dimer. These molecules have been implicated in some of the unpleasant side effects of anthralin. Third, AM1 was used to predict the preferred site of ionization of anthralin.