Novel Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor Inhibitor Antagonizes Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation: A Potential Drug to Treat Liver Fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis, characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, can progress to cirrhosis and increases the risk of liver cancer. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a pivotal role in fibrosis progression, transitioning from a quiescent to activated state upon liver injury, wherein they proliferate, migrate, and produce ECM. Calcium signaling, involving the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R), regulates HSC activation. This study investigated the efficacy of a novel IP3R inhibitor, desmethylxestospongin B (dmXeB), in preventing HSC activation. Freshly isolated rat HSCs were activated in vitro in the presence of varying dmXeB concentrations. The dmXeB effectively inhibited HSC proliferation, migration, and expression of fibrosis markers without toxicity to the primary rat hepatocytes or human liver organoids. Furthermore, dmXeB preserved the quiescent phenotype of HSCs marked by retained vitamin A storage. Mechanistically, dmXeB suppressed mitochondrial respiration in activated HSCs while enhancing glycolytic activity. Notably, methyl pyruvate, dimethyl α-ketoglutarate, and nucleoside supplementation all individually restored HSC proliferation despite dmXeB treatment. Overall, dmXeB demonstrates promising anti-fibrotic effects by inhibiting HSC activation via IP3R antagonism without adverse effects on other liver cells. These findings highlight dmXeB as a potential therapeutic agent for liver fibrosis treatment, offering a targeted approach to mitigate liver fibrosis progression and its associated complications.

17-ß-estradiol and phytoestrogens elicit NO production and vasodilatation through PI3K, PKA and EGF receptors pathways, evidencing functional selectivity.

Endothelial cells express multiple receptors mediating estrogen responses; including the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER). Past studies on nitric oxide (NO) production elicited by estrogens raised the question whether 17-ß-estradiol (E2) and natural phytoestrogens activate equivalent mechanisms. We hypothesized that E2 and phytoestrogens elicit NO production via coupling to distinct intracellular pathways signalling. To this aim, perfusion of E2 and phytoestrogens to the precontracted rat mesentery bed examined vasorelaxation, while fluorescence microscopy on primary endothelial cells cultures quantified single cell NO production determined following 4-amino-5-methylamino-2',7'-difluoroescein diacetate (DAF) incubation. Daidzein (DAI) and genistein (GEN) induced rapid vasodilatation associated to NO production. Multiple estrogen receptor activity was inferred based on the reduction of DAF-NO signals; G-36 (GPER antagonist) reduced 75 % of all estrogen responses, while fulvestrant (selective nuclear receptor antagonist) reduced significantly more the phytoestrogens responses than E2. The joint application of both antagonists abolished the E2 response but not the phytoestrogen-induced DAF-NO signals. Wortmannin or LY-294002 (PI3K inhibitors), reduced by 90% the E2-evoked signal while altering significantly less the DAI-induced response. In contrast, H-89 (PKA inhibitor), elicited a 23% reduction of the E2-induced signal while blocking 80% of the DAI-induced response. Desmethylxestospongin-B (IP3 receptor antagonist), decreased to equal extent the E2 or the DAI-induced signal. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) induced NO production, cell treatment with AG-1478, an EGF receptor kinase inhibitor reduced 90% DAI-induced response while only 53% the E2-induced signals; highlighting GPER induced EGF receptor trans-modulation. Receptor functional selectivity may explain distinct signalling pathways mediated by E2 and phytoestrogens.

Scalable Total Synthesis of (+)-Desmethylxestospongin B.

Herein, the execution of synthetic strategies solving scalability issues observed in the original route is reported, increasing the total yield by 50% compared to the previously disclosed synthesis. A notable restructuring of the route's initial steps to reach a common allylic alcohol intermediate employs a highly stereoselective epoxidation method and avoids superfluous protecting group manipulations while limiting dependence on kinetic resolution in establishing stereochemistry for four of the six chiral centers in (+)-desmethylxestospongin B. Different protecting group strategies to avoid problems with their subsequent removal were considered and enacted; to this end, material was retained as byproducts were suppressed. While the lactam semireduction under Birch conditions requires further investigation, the updated synthesis of (+)-desmethylxestospongin B reported here made it more scalable, affording 0.37 g of this natural product for continued biological studies.

Stereoselective Synthesis of α-Fluoro Carboxylic Acids by Ireland-Claisen Rearrangement.

Stereoselective synthesis of α-fluoro carboxylic acids by the Ireland-Claisen rearrangement can provide a straightforward approach to this class of compounds. We report a systematic investigation of base-dependent stereocontrol in the Ireland-Claisen rearrangement of α-fluoro esters. For substrates with various substitution patterns, the use of KN(SiMe3)2 in toluene afforded rearrangement products corresponding to the (Z)-enolate intermediate with a practically useful diastereoselectivity and yield. In contrast, lower yields and diastereoselectivity were consistently observed with the use of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) in tetrahydrofuran (THF).

Remote Stereocontrol in the Ireland-Claisen Rearrangement by δ-Alkoxy Group.

Remote stereocontrol in the Ireland-Claisen rearrangement using a chiral acetonide that serves as internal stereocontrol element is an effective and general method for chirality transfer from a δ-hydroxyl group in the allylic alcohol unit. This strategy circumvents the need for redundant chirality at the α-position allylic alcohol, while simultaneously producing a terminal alkene that can streamline synthetic applications and complex molecule synthesis planning.

Lithium Enolate with a Lithium-Alkyne Interaction in the Enantioselective Construction of Quaternary Carbon Centers: Concise Synthesis of (+)-Goniomitine.

We report a method for direct enantioselective alkylation of 3-alkynoic and 2,3-alkendioic acids that form quaternary stereogenic centers, and application of this method to the total enantioselective synthesis of a complex alkaloid (+)-goniomitine. The methods were effective in the alkylation of both 3-alkynoic acids, 2,3-alkendioic acids substrates with a broad range of heterocyclic and functionalized alkyl group substituents. Accompanying crystallographic studies provide mechanistic insight into the structure of well-defined chiral aggregates, highlighting cation-π interactions between lithium and alkyne groups.

A Ca2+-Dependent Mechanism Boosting Glycolysis and OXPHOS by Activating Aralar-Malate-Aspartate Shuttle, upon Neuronal Stimulation.

Calcium is an important second messenger regulating a bioenergetic response to the workloads triggered by neuronal activation. In embryonic mouse cortical neurons using glucose as only fuel, activation by NMDA elicits a strong workload (ATP demand)-dependent on Na+ and Ca2+ entry, and stimulates glucose uptake, glycolysis, pyruvate and lactate production, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in a Ca2+-dependent way. We find that Ca2+ upregulation of glycolysis, pyruvate levels, and respiration, but not glucose uptake, all depend on Aralar/AGC1/Slc25a12, the mitochondrial aspartate-glutamate carrier, component of the malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS). MAS activation increases glycolysis, pyruvate production, and respiration, a process inhibited in the presence of BAPTA-AM, suggesting that the Ca2+ binding motifs in Aralar may be involved in the activation. Mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) silencing had no effect, indicating that none of these processes required MCU-dependent mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake. The neuronal respiratory response to carbachol was also dependent on Aralar, but not on MCU. We find that mouse cortical neurons are endowed with a constitutive ER-to-mitochondria Ca2+ flow maintaining basal cell bioenergetics in which ryanodine receptors, RyR2, rather than InsP3R, are responsible for Ca2+ release, and in which MCU does not participate. The results reveal that, in neurons using glucose, MCU does not participate in OXPHOS regulation under basal or stimulated conditions, while Aralar-MAS appears as the major Ca2+-dependent pathway tuning simultaneously glycolysis and OXPHOS to neuronal activation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neuronal activation increases cell workload to restore ion gradients altered by activation. Ca2+ is involved in matching increased workload with ATP production, but the mechanisms are still unknown. We find that glycolysis, pyruvate production, and neuronal respiration are stimulated on neuronal activation in a Ca2+-dependent way, independently of effects of Ca2+ as workload inducer. Mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) does not play a relevant role in Ca2+ stimulated pyruvate production and oxygen consumption as both are unchanged in MCU silenced neurons. However, Ca2+ stimulation is blunt in the absence of Aralar, a Ca2+-binding mitochondrial carrier component of Malate-Aspartate Shuttle (MAS). The results suggest that Ca2+-regulated Aralar-MAS activation upregulates glycolysis and pyruvate production, which fuels mitochondrial respiration, through regulation of cytosolic NAD+/NADH ratio.

First evidence that emerging pinnatoxin-G, a contaminant of shellfish, reaches the brain and crosses the placental barrier.

Massive proliferation of some toxic marine dinoflagellates is responsible for the occurrence of harmful algal blooms and the contamination of fish and shellfish worldwide. Pinnatoxins (PnTx) (A-H) comprise an emerging phycotoxin family belonging to the cyclic imine toxin group. Interest has been focused on these lipophilic, fast-acting and highly potent toxins because they are widely found in contaminated shellfish, and can represent a risk for seafood consumers. PnTx display a potent antagonist effect on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR), and in this study we assessed in vivo the ability of PnTx-G to cross physiological barriers to reach its molecular target. Radiolabeled [3H]-PnTx-G synthesized with good radiochemical purity and yield retained the high affinity of the natural toxin. Oral gavage or intravenous administration to adult rats and digital autoradiographic analyses revealed the biodistribution and toxicokinetics of [3H]-PnTx-G, which is rapidly cleared from blood, and accumulates in the liver and small intestine. The labeling of peripheral and brain adult/embryo rat tissues highlights its ability to cross the intestinal, blood-brain and placental barriers. High-resolution 3D-imaging and in vitro competition studies on rat embryo sections revealed the specificity of [3H]-PnTx-G binding and its selectivity for muscle and neuronal nAChR subtypes (such as α7 subtype). The use of a human perfused cotyledon model and mass spectrometry analyses disclosed that PnTx-G crosses the human placental barrier. The increasing worldwide occurrence of both the dinoflagellate Vulcanodinium rugosum and PnTx-contaminated shellfish, due to climate warming, raises concerns about the potential adverse impact that exposure to pinnatoxins may have for human health.

Scalable Total Synthesis, IP3R Inhibitory Activity of Desmethylxestospongin†B, and Effect on Mitochondrial Function and Cancer Cell Survival.

The scalable synthesis of the oxaquinolizidine marine natural product desmethylxestospongin B is based on the early application of Ireland-Claisen rearrangement, macrolactamization, and a late-stage installation of the oxaquinolizidine units by lactam reduction. The synthesis serves as the source of material to investigate calcium signaling and its effect on mitochondrial metabolism in various cell types, including cancer cells.

Cyclic imine toxins survey in coastal european shellfish samples: Bioaccumulation and mode of action of 28-O-palmitoyl ester of pinnatoxin-G. first report of portimine-A bioaccumulation.

Cyclic imine toxins exhibit fast acting neurotoxicity and lethality by respiratory arrest in mice explained by their potent antagonistic activity against muscular nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. We performed a survey of gymnodimine-A, 13-desmethyl spirolide-C, 13,19-didesmethyl spirolide-C, 20-methyl spirolide-G, pinnatoxin-A, pinnatoxin-G, portimine-A and 28-O-palmitoyl ester of pinnatoxin-G in 36 shellfish samples collected in coastal areas of 8 European countries using a microplate receptor binding assay and UPLC-MS/MS for toxin identification and quantification. The major toxins found in these samples were pinnatoxin-G, 20-methyl spirolide-G, 13-desmethyl spirolide-C, gymnodimine-A and portimine-A. Traces of 13,19-didesmethyl spirolide-C, pinnatoxin-A and 28-O-palmitoyl ester of pinnatoxin-G were also detected. The rapid death of mice was correlated with higher pinnatoxin-G concentrations in mussel digestive gland extracts injected intraperitoneally. Our survey included nontoxic control samples that were found to contain moderate to trace amounts of several cyclic imine toxins. Shellfish may bioaccumulate not only cyclic imine toxins but also a large number of acyl derivatives as a product of metabolic transformation of these neurotoxins. This is the first report in which portimine-A and 28-O-palmitoyl ester of pinnatoxin-G were detected in shellfish extracts from digestive glands of mussels collected in Ingril lagoon. The bioaccumulation of portimine-A is particularly of concern because it is cytotoxic and is able to induce apotosis. The mode of action of 28-O-palmitoyl ester of pinnatoxin-G was studied by receptor binding-assay and by two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology. The antagonistic behavior of the acylated pinnatoxin-G towards nicotinic acetylcholine receptor of muscle type is shown here for the first time. Since cyclic imine toxins are not regulated further monitoring of these emerging toxins is needed to improve evidence gathering of their occurrence in shellfish commercialized for human consumption in Europe given their potent antagonism against muscle and neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Stereoselective α-Tertiary Alkylation of N-(Arylacetyl)oxazolidinones.

A method has been developed for the α-tertiary alkylation of zirconium enolates of N-(arylacetyl)oxazolidinones. This reaction directly installs an all-carbon quaternary center vicinal to a benzylic tertiary carbon in a highly diastereoselective manner.

Cancer cells with defective oxidative phosphorylation require endoplasmic reticulum-to-mitochondria Ca2+ transfer for survival.

Spontaneous Ca2+ signaling from the InsP3R intracellular Ca2+ release channel to mitochondria is essential for optimal oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and ATP production. In cells with defective OXPHOS, reductive carboxylation replaces oxidative metabolism to maintain amounts of reducing equivalents and metabolic precursors. To investigate the role of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in regulating bioenergetics in these cells, we used OXPHOS-competent and OXPHOS-defective cells. Inhibition of InsP3R activity or mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake increased α-ketoglutarate (αKG) abundance and the NAD+/NADH ratio, indicating that constitutive endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-mitochondria Ca2+ transfer promoted optimal αKG dehydrogenase (αKGDH) activity. Reducing mitochondrial Ca2+ inhibited αKGDH activity and increased NAD+, which induced SIRT1-dependent autophagy in both OXPHOS-competent and OXPHOS-defective cells. Whereas autophagic flux in OXPHOS-competent cells promoted cell survival, it was impaired in OXPHOS-defective cells because of inhibition of autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Inhibition of αKGDH and impaired autophagic flux in OXPHOS-defective cells resulted in pronounced cell death in response to interruption of constitutive flux of Ca2+ from ER to mitochondria. These results demonstrate that mitochondria play a fundamental role in maintaining bioenergetic homeostasis of both OXPHOS-competent and OXPHOS-defective cells, with Ca2+ regulation of αKGDH activity playing a pivotal role. Inhibition of ER-to-mitochondria Ca2+ transfer may represent a general therapeutic strategy against cancer cells regardless of their OXPHOS status.

Concise Synthesis of (+)-[13 C4 ]-Anatoxin-a by Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of a Cyclic Iminium Ion.

An asymmetric total synthesis of [13 C4 ]-anatoxin-a ([13 C4 ]-1) has been developed from commercially available ethyl [13 C4 ]-acetoacetate ([13 C4 ]-15). The unique requirements associated with isotope incorporation inspired a new, robust, and highly scalable route, providing access to 0.110 g of this internal standard for use in the detection and precise quantification of anatoxin-a in freshwater. A highlight of the synthesis is a method that leverages a cyclic iminium ion racemization to achieve dynamic kinetic resolution in an enantioselective Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) cyclization.

Enantioselective Alkylation of 2-Alkylpyridines Controlled by Organolithium Aggregation.

Direct enantioselective α-alkylation of 2-alkylpyridines provides access to chiral pyridines via an operationally simple protocol that obviates the need for prefunctionalization or preactivation of the substrate. The alkylation is accomplished using chiral lithium amides as noncovalent stereodirecting auxiliaries. Crystallographic and solution NMR studies provide insight into the structure of well-defined chiral aggregates in which a lithium amide reagent directs asymmetric alkylation.

Synthetic Pinnatoxins A and G Reversibly Block Mouse Skeletal Neuromuscular Transmission In Vivo and In Vitro.

Pinnatoxins (PnTXs) A-H constitute an emerging family belonging to the cyclic imine group of phycotoxins. Interest has been focused on these fast-acting and highly-potent toxins because they are widely found in contaminated shellfish. Despite their highly complex molecular structure, PnTXs have been chemically synthetized and demonstrated to act on various nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes. In the present work, PnTX-A, PnTX-G and analogue, obtained by chemical synthesis with a high degree of purity (>98%), have been studied in vivo and in vitro on adult mouse and isolated nerve-muscle preparations expressing the mature muscle-type (α1)2ß1δε nAChR. The results show that PnTX-A and G acted on the neuromuscular system of anesthetized mice and blocked the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) in a dose- and time-dependent manner, using a minimally invasive electrophysiological method. The CMAP block produced by both toxins in vivo was reversible within 6-8 h. PnTX-A and G, applied to isolated extensor digitorum longus nerve-muscle preparations, blocked reversibly isometric twitches evoked by nerve stimulation. The action of PnTX-A was reversed by 3,4-diaminopyridine. Both toxins exerted no direct action on muscle fibers, as revealed by direct muscle stimulation. PnTX-A and G blocked synaptic transmission at mouse neuromuscular junctions and PnTX-A amino ketone analogue (containing an open form of the imine ring) had no effect on neuromuscular transmission. These results indicate the importance of the cyclic imine for interacting with the adult mammalian muscle-type nAChR. Modeling and docking studies revealed molecular determinants responsible for the interaction of PnTXs with the muscle-type nAChR.

Direct Enantioselective and Regioselective Alkylation of ß,γ-Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids with Chiral Lithium Amides as Traceless Auxiliaries.

Efficient asymmetric alkylation of ß,γ-unsaturated carboxylic acids without prior functionalization is enabled by chiral lithium amides. Enantioselectivity is imparted by a putative mixed lithium amide-enediolate aggregate that acts a traceless auxiliary formed in situ, allowing for a direct asymmetric alkylation and a simple recovery of the chiral reagent.

Total Synthesis of Covalent Cysteine Protease Inhibitor N-Desmethyl Thalassospiramide C and Crystallographic Evidence for Its Mode of Action.

A total synthesis of N-desmethyl thalassospiramide C, a unique strained macrocyclic proteobacterial depsipeptide, enabled a detailed crystallographic study of its covalent complex with cathepsin K, a member of a medicinally important family of cysteine proteases. The study provides support for the mechanism of action, and the insight gained can be used for structure-based drug design targeting these calpain proteases.

Stereodivergence in the Ireland-Claisen Rearrangement of α-Alkoxy Esters.

A systematic investigation into the Ireland-Claisen rearrangement of α-alkoxy esters is reported. In all cases, the use of KN(SiMe3)2 in toluene gave rearrangement products corresponding to a Z-enolate intermediate with excellent diastereoselectivity, presumably because of chelation control. On the other hand, chelation-controlled enolate formation could be overcome for most substrates through the use of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) in tetrahydrofuran (THF).

Total Synthesis of (+)-Guadinomic Acid via Hydroxyl-Directed Guanidylation.

Protecting-group-free total synthesis of (+)-guadinomic acid is reported using δ-valerolactone as a readily available starting material. The protocol utilizes the recent hydroxyl-directed guanidylation of unactivated alkenes as an approach for direct stereoselective incorporation of the guanidine unit furnishing the natural product in 7 steps.

Short Total Synthesis of [15N5]-Cylindrospermopsins from 15NH4Cl Enables Precise Quantification of Freshwater Cyanobacterial Contamination.

Fresh water cyanobacterial algal blooms represent a major health risk because these organisms produce cylindrospermopsin, a toxic, structurally complex, zwitterionic uracil-guanidine alkaloid recognized by the EPA as a dangerous drinking water contaminant. At present, the ability to detect and quantify the presence of cylindrospermospin in water samples is severely hampered by the lack of an isotopically labeled standard for analytical mass spectrometry. Herein, we present a concise, scaled total synthesis of 15N cylindrospermosin from 15N ammonium chloride, which leverages a unique stereoselective intramolecular double conjugate addition step to assemble the tricyclic guanidine core. In addition to providing the first pure isotopically labeled probe for precise quantification of this potent biotoxin in fresh water sources, our results demonstrate how unique constraints associated with isotope incorporation compel novel solutions to synthesis design.