Plasma Sphingomyelin Disturbances: Unveiling Its Dual Role as a Crucial Immunopathological Factor and a Severity Prognostic Biomarker in COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers distinct patterns of disease development characterized by significant alterations in host regulatory responses. Severe cases exhibit profound lung inflammation and systemic repercussions. Remarkably, critically ill patients display a "lipid storm", influencing the inflammatory process and tissue damage. Sphingolipids (SLs) play pivotal roles in various cellular and tissue processes, including inflammation, metabolic disorders, and cancer. In this study, we employed high-resolution mass spectrometry to investigate SL metabolism in plasma samples obtained from control subjects (n = 55), COVID-19 patients (n = 204), and convalescent individuals (n = 77). These data were correlated with inflammatory parameters associated with the clinical severity of COVID-19. Additionally, we utilized RNAseq analysis to examine the gene expression of enzymes involved in the SL pathway. Our analysis revealed the presence of thirty-eight SL species from seven families in the plasma of study participants. The most profound alterations in the SL species profile were observed in patients with severe disease. Notably, a predominant sphingomyelin (SM d18:1) species emerged as a potential biomarker for COVID-19 severity, showing decreased levels in the plasma of convalescent individuals. Elevated SM levels were positively correlated with age, hospitalization duration, clinical score, and neutrophil count, as well as the production of IL-6 and IL-8. Intriguingly, we identified a putative protective effect against disease severity mediated by SM (d18:1/24:0), while ceramide (Cer) species (d18:1/24:1) and (d18:1/24:0)were associated with increased risk. Moreover, we observed the enhanced expression of key enzymes involved in the SL pathway in blood cells from severe COVID-19 patients, suggesting a primary flow towards Cer generation in tandem with SM synthesis. These findings underscore the potential of SM as a prognostic biomarker for COVID-19 and highlight promising pharmacological targets. By targeting sphingolipid pathways, novel therapeutic strategies may emerge to mitigate the severity of COVID-19 and improve patient outcomes.

Botryane terpenoids produced by Nemania bipapillata, an endophytic fungus isolated from red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis - Falkenbergia stage.

A chemical study of the EtOAc extract of Nemania bipapillata (AT-05), an endophytic fungus isolated from the marine red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis - Falkenbergia stage, led to the isolation of five new botryane sesquiterpenes, including the diastereomeric pair (+)-(2R,4S,5R,8S)-(1) and (+)-(2R,4R,5R,8S)-4-deacetyl-5-hydroxy-botryenalol (2), (+)-(2R,4S,5R,8R)-4-deacetyl-botryenalol (3), one pair of diastereomeric botryane norsesquiterpenes bearing an unprecedented degraded carbon skeleton, (+)-(2R,4R,8R)-(4) and (+)-(2R,4S,8S)-(5), which were named nemenonediol A and nemenonediol B, respectively, in addition to the known 4ß-acetoxy-9ß,10ß,15α-trihydroxyprobotrydial (6). Their structures were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS and comparison with literature data of similar known compounds. The absolute configurations of 2, 3 and 4 were deduced by comparison of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, while those of 1 and 5 were assigned from vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) data. Compound 4 weakly inhibited acetylcholinesterase, whereas compound 1 inhibited both acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. Compounds 1, 3, 5 and 6 were tested against two carcinoma cell lines (MCF-7 and HCT-116), but showed no significant citotoxicity at tested concentrations (IC50 > 50 µM).

Novel Triazole-Quinoline Derivatives as Selective Dual Binding Site Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. Currently, the only strategy for palliative treatment of AD is to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in order to increase the concentration of acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft. Evidence indicates that AChE also interacts with the ß-amyloid (Aß) protein, acting as a chaperone and increasing the number and neurotoxicity of Aß fibrils. It is known that AChE has two binding sites: the peripheral site, responsible for the interactions with Aß, and the catalytic site, related with acetylcholine hydrolysis. In this work, we reported the synthesis and biological evaluation of a library of new tacrine-donepezil hybrids, as a potential dual binding site AChE inhibitor, containing a triazole-quinoline system. The synthesis of hybrids was performed in four steps using the click chemistry strategy. These compounds were evaluated as hAChE and hBChE inhibitors, and some derivatives showed IC50 values in the micro-molar range and were remarkably selective towards hAChE. Kinetic assays and molecular modeling studies confirm that these compounds block both catalytic and peripheral AChE sites. These results are quite interesting since the triazole-quinoline system is a new structural scaffold for AChE inhibitors. Furthermore, the synthetic approach is very efficient for the preparation of target compounds, allowing a further fruitful new chemical library optimization.