Novel Aporphine- and Proaporphine-Clerodane Hybrids Identified from the Barks of Taiwanese Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thwaites var. pendula with Strong Anti-DENV2 Activity.

Hybrid natural products produced via mixed biosynthetic pathways are unique and often surprise one with unexpected medicinal properties in addition to their fascinating structural complexity/diversity. In view of chemical structures, hybridization is a way of diversifying natural products usually through dimerization of two similar or dissimilar subcomponents through a C-C or N-C covalent linkage. Here, we report four structurally attractive diterpene-alkaloid conjugates polyalongarins A-D (1-4), clerodane-containing aporphine and proaporphine alkaloids, the first of its kind from the barks of Taiwanese Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thwaites var. pendula. In addition to conventional spectroscopic analysis, single crystal X-ray crystallography was employed to determine the chemical structures and stereo-configurations of 1. Compounds 1-4 were subsequently subjected to in vitro antiviral examination against DENV2 by evaluating the expression level of the NS2B protein in DENV2-infected Huh-7 cells. These compounds display encouraging anti-DENV2 activity with superb EC50 (2.8-6.4 µM) and CC50 values (50.4-200 µM). The inhibitory mechanism of 1-4 on NS2B was further explored drawing on in-silico molecular docking analysis. Based on calculated binding affinities and predicted interactions between the functional groups of 1-4 and the allosteric-site residues of the DENV2 NS2B-NS3 protease, our analysis concludes that the clerodane-aporphine/proaporphine-type hybrids are novel and effective DENV NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitors.

The p53-S100A2 Positive Feedback Loop Negatively Regulates Epithelialization in Cutaneous Wound Healing.

The S100A2 protein is an important regulator of keratinocyte differentiation, but its role in wound healing remains unknown. We establish epithelial-specific S100A2 transgenic (TG) mice and study its role in wound repair using punch biopsy wounding assays. In line with the observed increase in proliferation and migration of S100A2-depleted human keratinocytes, mice expressing human S100A2 exhibit delayed cutaneous wound repair. This was accompanied by the reduction of re-epithelialization as well as a slow, attenuated response of Mcp1, Il6, Il1ß, Cox2, and Tnf mRNA expression in the early phase. We also observed delayed Vegfa mRNA induction, a delayed enhancement of the Tgfß1-mediated alpha smooth muscle actin (α-Sma) axis and a differential expression of collagen type 1 and 3. The stress-activated p53 tumor suppressor protein plays an important role in cutaneous wound healing and is an S100A2 inducer. Notably, S100A2 complexes with p53, potentiates p53-mediated transcription and increases p53 expression both transcriptionally and posttranscriptionally. Consistent with a role of p53 in repressing NF-κB-mediated transcriptional activation, S100A2 enhanced p53-mediated promoter suppression of Cox2, an early inducible NF-κB target gene upon wound injury. Our study thus supports a model in which the p53-S100A2 positive feedback loop regulates wound repair process.

Determination of selenium and tellurium compounds in biological samples by ion chromatography dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

An ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (IC-ICP-MS) method for the speciation of selenium and tellurium compounds namely selenite [Se(IV)], selenate [Se(VI)], Se-methylselenocysteine (MeSeCys), selenomethione (SeMet), tellurite [Te(IV)] and tellurate [Te(VI)] is described. Chromatographic separation is performed in gradient elution mode using 0.5 mmol L(-1) ammonium citrate in 2% methanol (pH 3.7) and 20 mmol L(-1) ammonium citrate in 2% methanol (pH 8.0). The analyses are carried out using dynamic reaction cell (DRC) ICP-MS. The DRC conditions have also been optimized to obtain interference free measurements of (78)Se(+) and (80)Se(+) which are otherwise interfered by (38)Ar(40)Ar(+) and (40)Ar(40)Ar(+), respectively. The detection limits of the procedure are in the range 0.01-0.03 ng Se mL(-1) and 0.01-0.08 ng Te mL(-1), respectively. The accuracy of the method has been verified by comparing the sum of the concentrations of individual species obtained by the present procedure with the total concentration of the elements in two NIST SRMs Whole Milk Powder RM 8435 and Rice Flour SRM 1568a. The selenium and tellurium species are extracted from milk powder and rice flour samples by using Protease XIV at 70 degrees C on a water bath for 30 min.