Two new compounds from rhizomes of Musa basjoo.

Two new benzo[de]isoquinoline derivatives, 4-phenyl-benzo[de]isoquinoline-1,3-dione (1) and 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-benzo[de]isoquinoline-1,3-dione (2), were isolated from 70% ethanol extract of the rhizomes of Musa basjoo. Their chemical structures were elucidated by HRESIMS, 1 D and 2 D spectra.

[Determination of plasma protein binding rates of nine compounds of Inula cappa extraction based on method of equilibrium dialysis].

To determine the plasma protein binding rate of the nine compounds in Inula cappa extraction by the method of equilibrium dialysis. The proteins in plasma samples were precipitated by methanol, and the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS) was developed for determination of the concentrations of the nine active compounds, namely chlorogenic acid, scopolin, neochlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, 1,3-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, galuteolin, 3,4-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 4,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, with the internal standard of puerarin. We found that all components have a good linearity(r≥0.999), and accuracy, precision, extraction recovery and stability conformed to the requirements of determination, without endogenous compounds disturbing within the range of optimum concentration. This suggested that the method was stable and reliable, and could be used for the determination of the plasma protein binding rates of the nine active compounds in rat and human plasma of I. cappa. The plasma protein binding rates of the nine active compounds in rat and human plasma respectively were(41.07±0.046)%-(94.95±0.008)%, and(37.66±0.043)%-(97.46±0.013)%. According to the results, there were differences in the plasma protein binding rates of the nine compounds in I. cappa extraction between rat and human.

In Vivo and In Vitro Anti-Arthritic Effects of Cardenolide-Rich and Caffeoylquinic Acid-Rich Fractions of Periploca forrestii.

Periploca forrestii Schltr. (P. forrestii) is a species used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) known as "Miao medicine", and has a long history of use in the treatment of rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and joint pain. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-arthritis effects of the cardenolide-rich and caffeoylquinic acid-rich fractions (CDLFs and CQAFs) of P. forrestii in collagen-induced arthritic (CIA) rats, and defined the mechanisms of therapeutic action in MH7A cells treated with TNF-α. Serum rheumatoid factor (RF), TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, PGE2, NO, SOD, and MDA were determined by ELISA or other commercially assay kits. Histopathological changes in ankle joint tissues were examined. The mRNA expressions of IL-1ß, IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS in MH7A cells were measured by qRT-PCR assays. In addition, the expressions of iNOS, COX-2, and p65 proteins, and the phosphorylation of IκBα, p38, ERK1/2, and JNK proteins in MH7A cells were analyzed by Western blot. The results showed that CDLF and CQAF could suppress the paw swelling in CIA rats at different doses (125 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg, and 500 mg/kg). Histopathological examination suggests that the CDLF and CQAF significantly relieved the damage of the structure of the ankle joint in CIA rats. In addition, serum RF, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, PGE2, NO, and MDA were decreased, along with increased activity of serum SOD. Furthermore, CDLF and CQAF downregulated the expressions of IL-1ß, IL-6, COX-2, iNOS, and p65, and inhibited the phosphorylation of IκBα, p38, ERK1/2, and JNK in MH7A cells treated with TNF-α. These findings demonstrated that both CDLF and CQAF exhibited anti-arthritic activity, which might be associated with their inhibitory effects on the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

Allicin attenuates tunicamycin-induced cognitive deficits in rats via its synaptic plasticity regulatory activity.

OBJECTIVES: To illuminate the functional effects of allicin on rats with cognitive deficits induced by tunicamycin (TM) and the molecular mechanism of this process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 200-250 g male SD rats were divided into three groups at random: control group (n=12), TM group (5 µl, 50 µM, ICV, n=12), and allicin treatment group (180 mg/kg/d with chow diet, n=12). After 16 weeks of allicin treatment, the learning ability and memory were tested using novel object recognition (NOR) testing on rats with 72 hr TM treatment (5 µl, 50 µM, ICV); meanwhile, the variation of field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) in the Schaffer Collateral (SC)-CA1 synapse was detected by extracellular electrophysiological recordings and the morphology of dendritic spine was observed by Golgi staining as well as detecting several synaptic plasticity-related proteins by Western blot. RESULTS: The density of dendritic spine was increased significantly in allicin-treated groups and the correspondence slope of fEPSP in TM-induced cognitive deficits group was enhanced and expression of synaptophysin and glutamate receptor-1(GluR1) in hippocampal neurons was up-regulated. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that allicin plays an important role in synaptic plasticity regulation. These finding showed that allicin could be used as a pharmacologic treatment in TM-induced cognitive deficits.

Synthesis, α-glucosidase inhibition and molecular docking studies of novel thiazolidine-2,4-dione or rhodanine derivatives.

A series of novel thiazolidine-2,4-dione or rhodanine derivatives (5a-5k, 6a-6k) were synthesized and evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The majority of compounds exhibited potent inhibitory activity in the range of 5.44 ± 0.13 to 50.45 ± 0.39 µM, when compared to the standard drug acarbose (IC50 = 817.38 ± 6.27 µM). Among the compounds in the series, compounds 5k, 6a, 6b, 6e, 6h and 6k showed potent inhibitory potential with IC50 values of 20.95 ± 0.21, 16.11 ± 0.19, 7.72 ± 0.16, 7.91 ± 0.17, 6.59 ± 0.15 and 5.44 ± 0.13 µM, respectively. Compound 6k (IC50 = 5.44 ± 0.13 µM), containing chloro and rhodanine groups at the 2- and 4-positions of the phenyl ring respectively, was found to be the most active compound that inhibits α-glucosidase activity. Furthermore, molecular docking studies were performed to understand the binding interactions between the molecule and enzyme.

Synthesis and evaluation of new tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitors as antibacterial agents based on a N2-(arylacetyl)glycinanilide scaffold.

Tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS), an essential enzyme in bacterial protein biosynthesis, is an attractive therapeutic target for finding novel antibacterial agents, and a series of N2-(arylacetyl)glycinanilides has been herein synthesized and identified as TyrRS inhibitors. These efforts yielded several compounds, with IC50 in the low micromolar range against TyrRS from Staphylococcus aureus. Out of the obtained compounds, 3ap is the most active and exhibits excellent activity against both Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacterial strains. In comparison with the parent scaffold 3-arylfuran-2(5H)-one, N2-(arylacetyl)glycinanilide significantly improved the potency against Gram-negative bacterial strains, indicating that this scaffold offers a significant potential for developing new antibacterial drugs.

Synthesis and evaluation of N-analogs of 1,2-diarylethane as Helicobacter pylori urease inhibitors.

Therapies based on urease inhibition are now seriously considered as the first line of treatment for infections caused by Helicobacter pylori. However, the present inhibitors are ineffective or unstable in highly acidic gastric juice. Here, we report a series of benzylanilines as effective inhibitors of H. pylori urease. Out of the obtained twenty-one compounds, N-(3,4-dihydroxybenzyl)-4-nitroaniline (4) was evaluated in detail and shows promising features for development as anti-H. pylori agent. Excellent potency against urease in both cell-free extract and intact cell was observed at low concentrations of 4 (IC50=0.62 ± 0.04 and 1.92 ± 0.09 µM), which showed over 29- and 54-fold increase in potency with respect to the positive control AHA. The SAR analysis revealed that protection of 3,4-dihydroxy group of 4 as methoxy or changes of 4-NO2 will result in a moderate to dramatic decrease in potency.

Synthesis and antiangiogenic activity of novel gambogic acid derivatives.

Gambogic acid (GA) is in a phase II clinical trial as an antitumor and antiangiogenesis agent. In this study, 36 GA derivatives were synthesized and screened in a zebrafish model to evaluate their antiangiogenic activity and toxicity. Derivatives 4, 32, 35, 36 effectively suppressed the formation of newly grown blood vessels and showed lower toxicities than GA as evaluated by zebrafish heart rates and mortalities. They also exhibited more potent migration and HUVEC tube formation inhibiting activities than GA. Among them, 36 was the most potent one, suggesting that it may serve as a potential new antiangiogenesis candidate with low toxicity. Additionally, 36 showed comparable antiproliferative activity to HUVECs and five tumor cell lines but low cytotoxicity to LO2 cells.

(E)-1-(5-Hy-droxy-2,2-dimethyl-2H-chromen-6-yl)-3-(3,4,5-trimeth-oxy-phen-yl)prop-2-en-1-one.

The title compound, C(23)H(24)O(6), crystallizes with two independent mol-ecules (A and B) in the asymmetric unit. The dihedral angles between the benzopyran ring and the α,ß-unsaturated ketone unit and between the α,ß-unsaturated ketone group and the benzene ring are 9.4 (10) and 12.96 (13)°, respectively, in mol-ecule A and 1.40 (17) and 4.44 (17)°, respectively, in mol-ecule B. The two meth-oxy groups at the meta positions of the benzene ring are close to being coplanar with the ring [C-O-C-C = 6.2 (3) and -1.4 (3)° in mol-ecule A and -4.2 (4) and 3.7 (3)° in mol-ecule B], whereas the third meth-oxy group, at the para position, is (+)-anti-clinal with respect to the benzene ring [C-O-C-C = 81.7 (3)°] in mol-ecule A and is (-)-synclinal with respect to the benzene ring [C-O-C-C = -103.2 (3)°] in mol-ecule B. In both independent mol-ecules, the hy-droxy group is involved in an intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bond.

A phosphoinositide 3-kinase-gamma inhibitor, AS605240 prevents bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase-gamma (PI3Kgamma) has been identified to play the critical roles in inflammatory cells activation and recruitment in multiply inflammatory diseases and it promised to be a prospective target for relevant inflammatory diseases therapy. AS605240, a selective PI3Kgamma inhibitor, has been proved effective on several inflammatory diseases. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of AS605240 on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. Our results showed that orally administration of AS605240 significantly prevented lung inflammation and reduced collagen deposition. AS605240 also inhibited augmented expression of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta induced by bleomycin instillation. Moreover, the mRNA levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta in lung were remarkably suppressed. Histological assessment found that AS605240 reduced the expression of TGF-beta(1) and prevented T lymphocytes infiltration to lung. Phospho-Akt level in inflammatory cells by blocking PI3Kgamma was down-regulated and the inhibition of Akt phosphorylation was further confirmed by Western blot. Our findings illustrated that AS605240 was effective for preventing pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing inflammatory cells recruitment and production of inflammatory cytokines. These findings also suggest that PI3Kgamma may be a useful target in treating inflammation diseases and AS605240 may represent a promising novel agent for the future therapy of pulmonary fibrosis.