A Dimerosesquiterpene and Sesquiterpene Lactones from Artemisia argyi Inhibiting Oncogenic PI3K/AKT Signaling in Melanoma Cells.

A library of more than 2500 plant extracts was screened for activity on oncogenic signaling in melanoma cells. The ethyl acetate extract from the aerial parts of Artemisia argyi displayed pronounced inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Active compounds were tracked with the aid of HPLC-based activity profiling, and altogether 21 active compounds were isolated, including one novel dimerosequiterpenoid (1), one new disesquiterpenoid (2), three new guaianolides (3-5), 12 known sesquiterpenoids (6-17), and four known flavonoids (19-22). A new eudesmanolide derivative (13b) was isolated as an artifact formed by methanolysis. Compound 1 is the first adduct comprising a sesquiterpene lactone and a methyl jasmonate moiety. The absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 3-18 were established by comparison of their experimental and calculated ECD spectra. The absolute configuration for 2 was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Guaianolide 8 was the most potent sesquiterpene lactone, inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway with an IC50 value of 8.9 ± 0.9 µM.

Flavonoids from Ericameria nauseosa inhibiting PI3K/AKT pathway in human melanoma cells.

The PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways are frequently mutated in metastatic melanoma. In a screen of over 2500 plant extracts, the dichloromethane extract of Ericameria nauseosa significantly inhibited oncogenic activity of AKT in MM121224 human melanoma cells. This extract was analyzed by analytical HPLC, and the column effluent was fractionated and tested for activity to generate the so-called HPLC-based activity profile. Compounds eluting within active time-windows of the chromatogram were subsequently isolated in a larger scale to afford 11 flavones (1-11), four flavanones (12-15), two diterpenes (16, 17), and a seco-caryophyllene (18). All isolated compounds were tested for activity, whereby only flavonoids were found active. Of these, flavones were shown to be more active than the flavanones. The most potent flavone was compound 9, that was displaying an IC50 of 14.7 ± 1.4 µM on AKT activity in MM121224 cells. The terpenoids (16-18) were found to be inactive in the assay. Both diterpenes, a grindelic acid derivative (16) and an ent-neo-clerodane (17) were identified as new natural products. Their absolute configuration was established by ECD. Compound 17 is the first description of a clerodane type diterpene in the genus Ericameria.

Combining Activity Profiling with Advanced Annotation to Accelerate the Discovery of Natural Products Targeting Oncogenic Signaling in Melanoma.

The discovery of bioactive natural products remains a time-consuming and challenging task. The ability to link high-confidence metabolite annotations in crude extracts with activity would be highly beneficial to the drug discovery process. To address this challenge, HPLC-based activity profiling and advanced UHPLC-HRMS/MS metabolite profiling for annotation were combined to leverage the information obtained from both approaches on a crude extract scaled down to the submilligram level. This strategy was applied to a subset of an extract library screening aiming to identify natural products inhibiting oncogenic signaling in melanoma. Advanced annotation and data organization enabled the identification of compounds that were likely responsible for the activity in the extracts. These compounds belonged to two different natural product scaffolds, namely, brevipolides from a Hyptis brevipes extract and methoxylated flavonoids identified in three different extracts of Hyptis and Artemisia spp. Targeted isolation of these prioritized compounds led to five brevipolides and seven methoxylated flavonoids. Brevipolide A (1) and 6-methoxytricin (9) were the most potent compounds from each chemical class and displayed AKT activity inhibition with an IC50 of 17.6 ± 1.6 and 4.9 ± 0.2 µM, respectively.

High-Content Screening Pipeline for Natural Products Targeting Oncogenic Signaling in Melanoma.

The incidence of melanoma, the most fatal dermatological cancer, has dramatically increased over the last few decades. Modern targeted therapy with kinase inhibitors induces potent clinical responses, but drug resistance quickly develops. Combination therapy improves treatment outcomes. Therefore, novel inhibitors targeting aberrant proliferative signaling in melanoma via the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways are urgently needed. Biosensors were combined that report on ERK/AKT activity with image-based high-content screening and HPLC-based activity profiling. An in-house library of 2576 plant extracts was screened on two melanoma cell lines with different oncogenic mutations leading to pathological ERK/AKT activity. Out of 140 plant extract hits, 44 were selected for HPLC activity profiling. Active thymol derivatives and piperamides from Arnica montana and Piper nigrum were identified that inhibited pathological ERK and/or AKT activity. The pipeline used enabled an efficient identification of natural products targeting oncogenic signaling in melanoma.

Optimized plant compound with potent anti-biofilm activity across gram-negative species.

Many human diseases, including cystic fibrosis lung infections, are caused or exacerbated by bacterial biofilms. Specialized modes of motility, including swarming and twitching, allow gram-negative bacteria to spread across surfaces and form biofilms. Compounds that inhibit these motilities could slow the spread of biofilms, thereby allowing antibiotics to work better. We previously demonstrated that a set of plant-derived triterpenes, including oleanolic acid and ursolic acid, inhibit formation of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms, and alter expression of genes involved in chemotaxis and motility. In the present study, we have prepared a series of analogs of oleanolic acid. The analogs were evaluated against clinical isolates of E. coli and P. aeruginosa in biofilm formation assays and swarming assays. From these analogs, compound 9 was selected as a lead compound for further development. Compound 9 inhibits E. coli biofilm formation at 4 µg/mL; it also inhibits swarming at ≤1 µg/mL across multiple clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa, E. coli, Burkholderia cepacia, and Salmonella enterica, and at <0.5 µg/mL against multiple agricultural strains. Compound 9 also potentiates the activity of the antibiotics tobramycin and colistin against swarming P. aeruginosa; this is notable, as tobramycin and colistin are inhaled antibiotics commonly used to treat P. aeruginosa lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis. qPCR experiments suggested that 9 alters expression of genes involved in regulating Type IV pili; western blots confirmed that expression of Type IV pili components PilA and PilY1 decreases in P. aeruginosa in the presence of 9.

A multicomponent herbal feed additive improves somatic cell counts in dairy cows - a two stage, multicentre, placebo-controlled long-term on-farm trial.

In contrast to natural and historical diets of wild and domesticated ruminants, the diversity of plant species is limited in diets of modern dairy cows. Are "production diseases" linked to this? We conducted a trial to test the effects of a multicomponent herbal feed additive (HFA) on health, performance and fertility traits. A dose-finding study (DF) with 62 cows on 11 commercial farms compared a low (50 g) and a high (100 g) dose of HFA (HFA-50, HFA-100) with a placebo (PL). In a subsequent field trial (FT) with 280 cows on 30 commercial farms, HFA-100 was compared to PL. Cows were randomly assigned to HFA and PL groups and received HFA or PL individually daily from 14 days pre- to 300 days post-calving. Data were analysed with mixed effects models. No differences between HFA and PL were found regarding performance, body condition score and overall culling rates. A tendency towards lower milk urea for HFA-100 compared to PL (p = .06) was found in DF. HFA significantly reduced elevated milk acetone observations (≥10 mg/L) in the first 10 lactation weeks (HFA-100: 4%; HFA-50: 4%; PL: 12%) in DF. HFA-50 significantly reduced lameness incidence (HFA-100: 11%; HFA-50: 2%; PL: 14%) in DF. Calving intervals were 15 days shorter in HFA compared to PL in both trials, which could be confirmed by tendency (p = .07) in FT. In both trials, the proportion of test days with elevated somatic cell score (≥3.0) was significantly lower in HFA compared to PL (DF: HFA-100: 40%, HFA-50: 45% and PL: 55%; FT: HFA-100: 38% and PL: 55%) which is also reflected by tendency (p = .08) in lower culling rates due to udder diseases in FT. HFA showed no negative impact on any of the measured parameters. The effects of HFA indicate a potential of phytochemically rich and diverse feed additives for dairy cows' nutrition and physiology.

Automated Comparative Metabolite Profiling of Large LC-ESIMS Data Sets in an ACD/MS Workbook Suite Add-in, and Data Clustering on a New Open-Source Web Platform FreeClust.

The technological development of LC-MS instrumentation has led to significant improvements of performance and sensitivity, enabling high-throughput analysis of complex samples, such as plant extracts. Most software suites allow preprocessing of LC-MS chromatograms to obtain comprehensive information on single constituents. However, more advanced processing needs, such as the systematic and unbiased comparative metabolite profiling of large numbers of complex LC-MS chromatograms remains a challenge. Currently, users have to rely on different tools to perform such data analyses. We developed a two-step protocol comprising a comparative metabolite profiling tool integrated in ACD/MS Workbook Suite, and a web platform developed in R language designed for clustering and visualization of chromatographic data. Initially, all relevant chromatographic and spectroscopic data (retention time, molecular ions with the respective ion abundance, and sample names) are automatically extracted and assembled in an Excel spreadsheet. The file is then loaded into an online web application that includes various statistical algorithms and provides the user with tools to compare and visualize the results in intuitive 2D heatmaps. We applied this workflow to LC-ESIMS profiles obtained from 69 honey samples. Within few hours of calculation with a standard PC, honey samples were preprocessed and organized in clusters based on their metabolite profile similarities, thereby highlighting the common metabolite patterns and distributions among samples. Implementation in the ACD/Laboratories software package enables ulterior integration of other analytical data, and in silico prediction tools for modern drug discovery.

Saffron Flower Extract Promotes Scratch Wound Closure of Keratinocytes and Enhances VEGF Production.

During saffron (Crocus sativus) spice production, large amounts of floral biowaste are generated. It was the aim of this study to develop a value-added product from saffron floral biowaste to be used as a natural cosmetic ingredient. HPLC-PDA-MS analysis of saffron flower extracts revealed the presence of flavonols with the highest amounts in the acetone extract. Kaempferol-3-O-sophoroside was identified as the main flavonoid in the acetone extract (saffron flower acetone extract). Saffron flower acetone extract and kaempferol-3-O-sophoroside were tested in HaCaT cells for potential effects on cell migration, proliferation, and for anti-inflammatory properties. Saffron flower acetone extract concentration dependently (50-200 µg/mL) augmented cell proliferation, as indicated by an increased BrdU-incorporation, while kaempferol-3-O-sophoroside (1-50 µM) had no effect. Furthermore, treatment of HaCaT cells with saffron flower acetone extract, but not with kaempferol-3-O-sophoroside, concentration-dependently increased vascular endothelial growth factor secretion (control 49.72 pg/mL vs. saffron flower acetone extract at 200 µg/mL 218.60 pg/mL). Cell migration was determined using time-lapse microscopy and a modification of the scratch-wound assay in which saffron flower acetone extract significantly improved wound closure compared to the untreated control. Overproduction of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-8 and interleukin-6 in HaCaT cells was induced by TNF-α. Kaempferol-3-O-sophoroside (10-50 µM), but not saffron flower acetone extract, inhibited TNF-α-induced IL-8 secretion. The effect was comparable to 10 µM hydrocortisone (positive control). Interestingly, saffron flower acetone extract further increased IL-6 levels in TNF-α-treated HaCaT cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In summary, the pronounced wound healing properties of saffron flower acetone extract present a promising application for the cosmetic industry.

Tyrosinase inhibitory constituents from a polyphenol enriched fraction of rose oil distillation wastewater.

During the water steam distillation process of rose flowers, the non-volatile phenolic compounds remain in the waste. We recently developed a strategy to separate rose oil distillation water (RODW) into a polyphenol depleted water fraction and a polyphenol enriched fraction (RF20-SP207). Bioassay-guided investigation of RF20-SP207 led to the isolation of quercetin, kaempferol and ellagic acid. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis as well as by comparison with literature data. Tyrosinase inhibition studies were performed with RF20-SP207, fractions I-IV, and the isolated compounds of the most active fraction. RF20-SP207 strongly inhibited the enzyme with an IC50 of 0.41 µg/mL. From the tested fractions only fraction IV (IC50=5.81 µg/mL) exhibited strong anti-tyrosinase activities. Quercetin, kaempferol and ellagic acid were identified in fraction IV and inhibited mushroom tyrosinase with IC50 values of 4.2 µM, 5.5 µM and 5.2 µM, respectively, which is approximately 10 times more potent than that of the positive control kojic acid (56.1µM). The inhibition kinetics, analyzed by Lineweaver-Burk plots, indicated that RF20-SP207 and fraction IV are uncompetitive inhibitors of tyrosinase when l-tyrosine is used as a substrate. A mixed inhibition was determined for ellagic acid, and a competitive inhibition for quercetin and kaempferol. In conclusion, the recovered polyphenol fraction RF20-SP207 from RODW was found to be a potent tyrosinase inhibitor. This value-added product could be used as an active ingredient in cosmetic products related to hyperpigmentation.

Recovery of polyphenols from rose oil distillation wastewater using adsorption resins--a pilot study.

The production of rose oil from rose flowers by water steam distillation leaves a water fraction of the distillate as main part of the waste. Therefore, the rose oil distillation wastewater represents a serious environmental problem due to the high content of polyphenols which are difficult to decompose and have to be considered as biopollutants when discarded into the drainage system and rivers. On the other hand, natural polyphenols are valuable compounds with useful properties as bioactive substances. Until now there is no established practice for processing of rose oil distillation wastewater and utilization of contained substances. Thus, it was the aim of this study to develop a strategy to separate this wastewater into a polyphenol depleted water fraction and a polyphenol enriched fraction which could be developed into innovative value-added products. In a first step, the phytochemical profile of rose oil distillation wastewater was determined. Its HPLC-PDA-MS analysis revealed the presence of flavan-3-ols, flavanones, flavonols and flavones. In a second step, the development of a stepwise concentration of rose oil distillation wastewater was performed. The concentration process includes a filtration process to eliminate suspended solids in the wastewater, followed by adsorption of the contained phenolic compounds onto adsorption resins (XAD and SP). Finally, desorption of the polyphenol fraction from the resin matrix was achieved using ethanol and/or aqueous ethanol. The result of the process was a wastewater low in soluble organic compounds and an enriched polyphenol fraction (RF20 SP-207). The profile of this fraction was similar to that of rose oil distillation wastewater and showed the presence of flavonols such as quercetin and kaempferol glycosides as major metabolites. These compounds were isolated from the enriched polyphenol fraction and their structures confirmed by NMR. In summary, a pilot medium scale system was developed using adsorption resins for the recovery of polyphenols from rose oil distillation wastewater suggesting an industrial scalability of the process.

Isolation of apoptosis-inducing stilbenoids from four members of the Orchidaceae family.

High-throughput natural product research produced a suite of anticancer hits among several species of the Orchidaceae family (Oncidium microchilum, O. isthmi, and Myrmecophila humboldtii). A commercial Oncidium sp. was also examined as a convenient source of additional material. Isolation and structure elucidation led to the identification of fifteen stilbenoids including a new phenanthraquinone and two new dihydrostilbenes. NMR data for structure elucidation and dereplication were acquired utilizing a Bruker BioSpin TCI 1.7-mm MicroCryoProbe or a 5-µL CapNMR capillary microcoil. Several compounds inhibited proliferation of NCI-H460 and M14 cancer cell lines. All compounds were also examined for their ability to induce apoptosis. Apoptosis induction was determined by measuring caspase 3/7 activation and LDH release in a NCI-H460 cell line. Based on these results, a portion of the extract from a commercially available Oncidium sp. was chemically modified in an attempt to obtain additional phenanthraquinones.

Antibacterial clerodane diterpenes from Goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea).

Nine clerodane diterpenes, solidagoic acids C-I (1-7), cleroda-3,13(14)-dien-16,15:18,19-diolide (8) and cleroda-3,13(14)-dien-15,16:18,19-diolide (9) were isolated and characterised from the ethanol-ethyl acetate (1:1) extract of Solidago virgaurea. The structures were determined by NMR spectroscopic analysis. Several displayed moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.

Dammarane-type triterpene glycosides from Oncoba manii active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Drug-resistant bacteria are becoming more prevalent both in the community and in hospitals. In a search for new antibiotic leads, we used a high-throughput natural products chemistry approach to isolate one new (1) and two known (2, 3) dammarane-type triterpenes with mass-limited material from the African plant Oncoba manii. The new compound was determined by spectroscopic methods to be 1beta,2alpha,3beta,20(R)-tetrahydroxydammar-24-ene 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 --> 2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside. Compounds 1 and 2 inhibited the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Stilbenes from the Orchid Phragmipedium sp.

Three species of Phragmipedium (Orchidaceae), P. calurum, P. longifolium, and P. hybrid (var. Sorcerer's Apprentice), were analyzed by high-throughput isolation. A total of 12 new (1-4, 6-10, 12, 14, 16) and five known compounds (5, 11, 13, 15, 17) were isolated from these orchids. Compounds 1-8 are stilbenes substituted with one or two 4-hydroxybenzyl moieties. This type of substitution on stilbenes is unusual and has been reported only twice. The structure elucidation was based on spectroscopic analysis.

Asiatic acid and corosolic acid enhance the susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms to tobramycin.

Asiatic acid and corosolic acid are two natural products identified as biofilm inhibitors in a biofilm inhibition assay. We evaluated the activities of these two compounds on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms grown in rotating disk reactors (RDRs) in combination with tobramycin and ciprofloxacin. To determine the ruggedness of our systems, the antibiotic susceptibilities of these biofilms were assessed with tobramycin and ciprofloxacin. The biofilm bacteria produced in the RDR were shown to display remarkable tolerance to 10 mug/ml of ciprofloxacin, thus mimicking the tolerance observed in recalcitrant bacterial infections. These studies further demonstrate that a nonmucoid strain of P. aeruginosa can form a biofilm that tolerates ciprofloxacin at clinically relevant concentrations. Neither asiatic acid nor corosolic acid reduced the viable cell density of P. aeruginosa biofilms. However, both compounds increased the susceptibility of biofilm bacteria to subsequent treatment with tobramycin, suggesting asiatic acid and corosolic acid to be compounds that potentiate the activity of antibiotics. A similar statistical interaction was observed between ciprofloxacin and subsequent treatment with tobramycin.

Anti-HCV bioactivity of pseudoguaianolides from Parthenium hispitum.

Five new (1-5) and four known (6-9) C14-oxygenated 1alpha-hydroxy-11(13)-pseudoguaien-6beta,12-olides with potent inhibition of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication were obtained from Parthenium hispitum via high-throughput natural product chemistry methods. A semipreparative HPLC system was used to purify these compounds. The miniaturization of the structure elucidation and dereplication for the mass-limited samples were performed primarily utilizing a capillary-scale NMR probe. Compounds 2-4 were found to possess in vitro anti-HCV activity in the subgenomic HCV replicon system containing luciferase reporter with significant inhibition above 90% at 2 microM concentration.

Antibacterial, partially acetylated oligorhamnosides from Cleistopholis patens.

Three new (1-3) and five known (4-8) partially acetylated oligorhamnoside derivatives were obtained from Cleistopholis patens via high-throughput natural products chemistry procedures. The rapid structure elucidation and dereplication were performed primarily utilizing a capillary-scale NMR probe and LR-/HRESIMS spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1, 2, and 6 were found to possess significant in vitro antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 33591 and S. aureus 78-13607A with MICs of < or =16 microg/mL. Furthermore, 2 and 6 were found to show significant in vitro antibacterial activity against an expanded panel of Gram-positive pathogens including either ATCC strains or well-characterized clinical isolates from the global SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program.

Bacterial biofilm inhibitors from Diospyros dendo.

One new (1) and four known (2-5) ursene triterpenes with potent inhibition of the formation of the bacterial biofilm Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 were obtained from Diospyros dendo using a high-throughput natural products chemistry procedure. These compounds were isolated as mass-limited samples. The miniaturization of the structure elucidation and dereplication was performed primarily utilizing a capillary-scale NMR probe.

Cyclolignans from Scyphocephalium ochocoa via high-throughput natural product chemistry methods.

Two 2,7'-cyclolignans, ocholignans A and B, were obtained as mass-limited samples from Scyphocephalium ochocoa via high-throughput natural products chemistry methods. The rapid structure elucidation of each compound was primarily facilitated by NMR data acquisition using a capillary-scale NMR probe, CapNMR probe. Ocholignan A was found to possess significant in vitro antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 33591 and S. aureus 78-13607A with a MIC of 16 microg/mL, respectively.

Application of capillary-scale NMR for the structure determination of phytochemicals.

Employing a capillary-scale NMR probe enables the miniaturisation of structure determination and de-replication of purified natural products from plants using only 5-100 microg of material. Approximately 5 microg are required to perform one-dimensional proton and two-dimensional homonuclear (COSY and NOESY) NMR experiments; some 30 microg are needed to acquire HMQC- or HSQC-NMR spectra; ca. 75-100 microg are necessary to measure HMBC-NMR spectra; and around 200 microg of a compound are needed to perform 13C- and DEPT-NMR experiments. In order to illustrate the integration of the outputs from high-throughput natural product chemistry methods with the capabilities of the state-of-the-art CapNMR technology, the preparation of a natural product library from the extract of Penstemon centranthifolius, and the subsequent isolation, purification and structure determination of six known iridoid glycosides with 25-300 microg of material are presented.