Chemical modifications of ergostane-type triterpenoids from Antrodia camphorata and their cytotoxic activities.

In order to discover potential antitumor agents from natural products, chemical modifications of ergostane-type triterpenoids from Antrodia camphorata yielded ten new compounds. They include nine C-26 amide derivatives of antcin G (1) and a methyl antcin B (4) derivative with hydroxyamino groups at C-3 and C-7. Chemical structures of the new compounds were elucidated by NMR and MS analyses. Furthermore, cytotoxicities of the triterpenoid derivatives were evaluated using four human cancer cell lines (HL60, U251, SW480, and MCF-7). As a result, 1a, 1g, and 4a exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against HL60, U251, and SW480 with IC50 values of 0.7 ± 0.9, 2.9 ± 1.3, and 2.2 ± 0.6 µM, respectively. Molecular docking indicates that 1a, 1g, and 4a have strong binding affinity with DNA topoisomerase IIα (-9.3, -7.9, and -7.4 kcal/mol, respectively), and that they could be potent topoisomerase IIα inhibitors.

(S)-Erypoegin K, an isoflavone isolated from Erythrina poeppigiana, is a novel inhibitor of topoisomerase IIα: Induction of G2 phase arrest in human gastric cancer cells.

Erypoegin K, an isoflavone isolated from the stem bark of Erythrina poeppigiana, has a single chiral carbon in its structure and exists naturally as a racemic mixture. Our previous study showed (S)-erypoegin K selectively exhibits potent anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing activity against human leukemia HL-60 cells. To identify the target molecule of (S)-erypoegin K, we employed the human cancer cell panel analysis (termed JFCR39) coupled with a drug sensitivity database of pharmacologically well-characterized drugs for comparison using the COMPARE algorithm. (S)-erypoegin K exhibited a similar profile to that of etoposide, suggesting the molecular target for erypoegin K may be topoisomerase II (Topo II). Subsequent experiments using purified human Topo IIα established that the (S)-isomer selectively stabilizes the cleavage complex composed of double-stranded plasmid DNA and the enzyme. Moreover, (S)-erypoegin K inhibited decatenation of kinetoplast DNA. Molecular docking studies clearly indicated specific binding of the (S)-isomer to the active site of Topo IIα involving hydrogen bonds that help stabilize the cleavage complex. (S)-erypoegin K displayed potent cytotoxic activity against two human gastric cancer cells GCIY and MKN-1 with IC50 values of 0.270 and 0.327 µM, respectively, and induced enzyme activities of caspase 3 and 9. Cell cycle analysis showed marked cell cycle arrest at G2 phase in both cell lines. (S)-erypoegin K also displayed significant antitumor activity toward GCIY xenografted mice. The present study suggests (S)-erypoegin K acts as a Topo II inhibitor to block the G2/M transition of cancer cells.

Induction of Antibacterial Metabolites by Co-Cultivation of Two Red-Sea-Sponge-Associated Actinomycetes Micromonospora sp. UR56 and Actinokinespora sp. EG49.

Liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRESMS)-assisted metabolomic profiling of two sponge-associated actinomycetes, Micromonospora sp. UR56 and Actinokineospora sp. EG49, revealed that the co-culture of these two actinomycetes induced the accumulation of metabolites that were not traced in their axenic cultures. Dereplication suggested that phenazine-derived compounds were the main induced metabolites. Hence, following large-scale co-fermentation, the major induced metabolites were isolated and structurally characterized as the already known dimethyl phenazine-1,6-dicarboxylate (1), phenazine-1,6-dicarboxylic acid mono methyl ester (phencomycin; 2), phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (tubermycin; 3), N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-acetamide (9), and p-anisamide (10). Subsequently, the antibacterial, antibiofilm, and cytotoxic properties of these metabolites (1-3, 9, and 10) were determined in vitro. All the tested compounds except 9 showed high to moderate antibacterial and antibiofilm activities, whereas their cytotoxic effects were modest. Testing against Staphylococcus DNA gyrase-B and pyruvate kinase as possible molecular targets together with binding mode studies showed that compounds 1-3 could exert their bacterial inhibitory activities through the inhibition of both enzymes. Moreover, their structural differences, particularly the substitution at C-1 and C-6, played a crucial role in the determination of their inhibitory spectra and potency. In conclusion, the present study highlighted that microbial co-cultivation is an efficient tool for the discovery of new antimicrobial candidates and indicated phenazines as potential lead compounds for further development as antibiotic scaffold.

Discovery of a Novel DNA Gyrase-Targeting Antibiotic through the Chemical Perturbation of Streptomyces venezuelae Sporulation.

Common approaches to antibiotic discovery include small-molecule screens for growth inhibition in target pathogens and screens for inhibitors of purified enzymes. These approaches have a shared intent of seeking to directly target a vital Achilles heel in a pathogen of interest. Here, we report the first screen against a sporulation pathway in a non-pathogenic bacterium as a means of discovering novel antibiotics-this effort has resulted in two important discoveries. First, we show that the sporulation program of Streptomyces venezuelae is exquisitely sensitive to numerous forms of DNA damage. Second, we have identified a DNA gyrase inhibitor. This molecule, EN-7, is active against pathogenic species that are resistant to ciprofloxacin and other clinically important antibiotics. We suggest that this strategy could be applied to other morphogenetic pathways in prokaryotes or eukaryotes as a means of identifying novel chemical matter having scientific and clinical utility.

Large-scale chemical-genetics yields new M. tuberculosis inhibitor classes.

New antibiotics are needed to combat rising levels of resistance, with new Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) drugs having the highest priority. However, conventional whole-cell and biochemical antibiotic screens have failed. Here we develop a strategy termed PROSPECT (primary screening of strains to prioritize expanded chemistry and targets), in which we screen compounds against pools of strains depleted of essential bacterial targets. We engineered strains that target 474 essential Mtb genes and screened pools of 100-150 strains against activity-enriched and unbiased compound libraries, probing more than 8.5 million chemical-genetic interactions. Primary screens identified over tenfold more hits than screening wild-type Mtb alone, with chemical-genetic interactions providing immediate, direct target insights. We identified over 40 compounds that target DNA gyrase, the cell wall, tryptophan, folate biosynthesis and RNA polymerase, as well as inhibitors that target EfpA. Chemical optimization yielded EfpA inhibitors with potent wild-type activity, thus demonstrating the ability of PROSPECT to yield inhibitors against targets that would have eluded conventional drug discovery.

Castalagin and vescalagin purified from leaves of Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merrill & L.M. Perry: Dual inhibitory activity against PARP1 and DNA topoisomerase II.

Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is one of the most promising strategies for cancer chemotherapy, and a number of inhibitors possessing nicotinamide-like structures are being developed. To discover new types of PARP1 inhibitors, we screened a large number of substances of plant origin and isolated two inhibitory substances from the leaves of Syzygium samarangense (Blume) Merrill & L.M. Perry. The inhibitory substances were identified as vescalagin and its epimer castalagin by analyses using nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. The IC50 of purified vescalagin and castalagin for PARP1 inhibition were 2.67 and 0.86 µM, respectively. Unlike most of synthetic PARP1 inhibitors, castalagin showed a mixed type inhibition, of which Ki was 1.64 µM. When SH-SY5Y cells were treated with these ellagitannins at concentrations of less than 5 µM, cellular poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation was obviously attenuated. Castalagin and vescalagin also possessed inhibitory activity against DNA topoisomerase II, implying that they function as dual inhibitors in cells.

Precursor-Directed Generation of Indolocarbazoles with Topoisomerase IIα Inhibitory Activity.

One new indolocarbazole, 3-hydroxy-K252d (3), together with the recently reported 3-hydroxyholyrine A (1) and 3'-N-acetyl-3-hydroxyholyrine A (2), were obtained by feeding a culture of the marine-derived Streptomyces strain OUCMDZ-3118 with 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. Compound 1 potently induced apoptosis of gastric cancer cells by inhibiting topoisomerase IIα enzyme activity and reducing the expression of antiapoptosis protein level. Compound 3 displayed moderate cytotoxicity against the A549 and MCF-7 cell lines with IC50 values of 1.2 ± 0.05 µM, 1.6 ± 0.09 µM, respectively.

Dual effectiveness of Alternaria but not Fusarium mycotoxins against human topoisomerase II and bacterial gyrase.

Type II DNA-topoisomerases (topo II) play a crucial role in the maintenance of DNA topology. Previously, fungi of the Alternaria genus were found to produce mycotoxins that target human topo II. These results implied the question why a fungus should produce secondary metabolites that target a human enzyme. In the current work, the homology between human topo II and its bacterial equivalent, gyrase, served as basis to study a potential dual inhibition of both enzymes by mycotoxins. A total of 15 secondary metabolites produced by fungi of the genera Alternaria and Fusarium were assessed for their impact on topo II of human and bacterial origin in the decatenation and the supercoiling assay, respectively. In line with the theory of dual topo II inhibition, six of the tested Alternaria mycotoxins were active against both enzymes, the dibenzo-α-pyrones alternariol (AOH) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), as well as the perylene-quinones altertoxin I (ATX I) and II (ATX II), alterperylenol (ALP) and stemphyltoxin III (STTX III). The Alternaria metabolites altersetin (ALN), macrosporin (MAC), altenusine (ALS) and pyrenophorol (PYR) impaired the function of human topo II, but did not show any effect on gyrase. The potency to inhibit topo II activity declined in the row STTX III (initial inhibitory concentration 10 µM) > AOH (25 µM) = AME (25 µM) = ALS (25 µM) = ATX II (25 µM) > ALN (50 µM) = ATX I (50 µM) > ALP (75 µM) = PYR (75 µM) > MAC (150 µM). Inhibition of gyrase activity was most pronounced for AOH and AME (initial inhibitory concentration 10 µM) followed by ATX II (25 µM) > ATX I = ALP = STTX III (50 µM). In contrast, none of the investigated Fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B1, fusarin C and moniliformin, as well as the Alternaria metabolite tentoxin, had any impact on the activity of neither human nor bacterial topo II.

A flow cytometry-based method for a high-throughput analysis of drug-stabilized topoisomerase II cleavage complexes in human cells.

Topoisomerase II (Top2) is an important target for anticancer therapy. A variety of drugs that poison Top2, including several epipodophyllotoxins, anthracyclines, and anthracenediones, are widely used in the clinic for both hematologic and solid tumors. The poisoning of Top2 involves the formation of a reaction intermediate Top2-DNA, termed Top2 cleavage complex (Top2cc), which is persistent in the presence of the drug and involves a 5' end of DNA covalently bound to a tyrosine from the enzyme through a phosphodiester group. Drug-induced Top2cc leads to Top2 linked-DNA breaks which are the major responsible for their cytotoxicity. While biochemical detection is very laborious, quantification of drug-induced Top2cc by immunofluorescence-based microscopy techniques is time consuming and requires extensive image segmentation for the analysis of a small population of cells. Here, we developed a flow cytometry-based method for the analysis of drug-induced Top2cc. This method allows a rapid analysis of a high number of cells in their cell cycle phase context. Moreover, it can be applied to almost any human cell type, including clinical samples. The methodology is useful for a high-throughput analysis of drugs that poison Top2, allowing not just the discrimination of the Top2 isoform that is targeted but also to track its removal. © 2016 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

In vitro biological evaluation of novel broad-spectrum isothiazolone inhibitors of bacterial type II topoisomerases.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the in vitro biological properties of a novel class of isothiazolone inhibitors of the bacterial type II topoisomerases. METHODS: Inhibition of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV activity was assessed using DNA supercoiling and decatenation assays. MIC and MBC were determined according to CLSI guidelines. Antibacterial combinations were assessed using a two-dimensional chequerboard MIC method. Spontaneous frequency of resistance was measured at various multiples of the MIC. Resistant mutants were generated by serial passage at subinhibitory concentrations of antibacterials and genetic mutations were determined through whole genome sequencing. Mammalian cytotoxicity was evaluated using the HepG2 cell line. RESULTS: Representative isothiazolone compound REDX04957 and its enantiomers (REDX05967 and REDX05990) showed broad-spectrum bactericidal activity against the ESKAPE organisms, with the exception of Enterococcus spp., as well as against a variety of other human bacterial pathogens. Compounds retained activity against quinolone-resistant strains harbouring GyrA S83L and D87G mutations (MIC ≤4 mg/L). Compounds inhibited the supercoiling activity of wild-type DNA gyrase and the decatenation function of topoisomerase IV. Frequency of resistance of REDX04957 at 4× MIC was <9.1 × 10(-9). Against a panel of recent MDR isolates, REDX05967 demonstrated activity against Acinetobacter baumannii with MIC50 and MIC90 of 16 and 64 mg/L, respectively. Compounds showed a lack of cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells at 128 mg/L. CONCLUSIONS: Isothiazolone compounds show potent activity against Gram-positive and -negative pathogens with a dual targeting mechanism-of-action and a low potential for resistance development, meriting their continued investigation as broad-spectrum antibacterial agents.

Cuminaldehyde from Cinnamomum verum Induces Cell Death through Targeting Topoisomerase 1 and 2 in Human Colorectal Adenocarcinoma COLO 205 Cells.

Cinnamomum verum, also called true cinnamon tree, is employed to make the seasoning cinnamon. Furthermore, the plant has been used as a traditional Chinese herbal medication. We explored the anticancer effect of cuminaldehyde, an ingredient of the cortex of the plant, as well as the molecular biomarkers associated with carcinogenesis in human colorectal adenocarcinoma COLO 205 cells. The results show that cuminaldehyde suppressed growth and induced apoptosis, as proved by depletion of the mitochondrial membrane potential, activation of both caspase-3 and -9, and morphological features of apoptosis. Moreover, cuminaldehyde also led to lysosomal vacuolation with an upregulated volume of acidic compartment and cytotoxicity, together with inhibitions of both topoisomerase I and II activities. Additional study shows that the anticancer activity of cuminaldehyde was observed in the model of nude mice. Our results suggest that the anticancer activity of cuminaldehyde in vitro involved the suppression of cell proliferative markers, topoisomerase I as well as II, together with increase of pro-apoptotic molecules, associated with upregulated lysosomal vacuolation. On the other hand, in vivo, cuminaldehyde diminished the tumor burden that would have a significant clinical impact. Furthermore, similar effects were observed in other tested cell lines. In short, our data suggest that cuminaldehyde could be a drug for chemopreventive or anticancer therapy.

Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Two Flavonoids from Derris scandens with Topoisomerase II Poison Activity.

Derris scandens (ROXB.) BENTH. (Fabaceae) is used as an alternative treatment for cancer in Thai traditional medicine. Investigation of the topoisomerase II (Top2) poison of compounds isolated from this plant may reveal new drug leads for the treatment of cancer. Bioassay-guided isolation was performed on an extract of D. scandens stems using a yeast cell-based assay. A yeast strain expressing the top2-1 temperature-sensitive mutant was used to assay Top2 activity. At the permissive temperature of 25°C, yeast cells were highly sensitive to Top2 poison agents. At the semi-permissive temperature of 30°C, where enzyme activity was present but greatly diminished, cells displayed only marginal sensitivity. The bioassay-guided fractionation of the extract led to the isolation of two known isoflavones: 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-6,8-diprenylisoflavone (1) and lupalbigenin (2). These two compounds also displayed cytotoxicity against three different cancer cell lines, KB, MCF-7 and NCI-H187. In conclusion, Top2 poison agents from D. scandens are reported for the first time, substantiating the use of D. scandens in Thai traditional medicine for cancer treatment.

Discovery of a novel anti-cancer agent targeting both topoisomerase I and II in hepatocellular carcinoma Hep 3B cells in vitro and in vivo: Cinnamomum verum component 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde.

Cinnamomum verum has been used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. We evaluated the anticancer effect of 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde (2-MCA), a constituent of the bark of the plant, in hepatocellular carcinoma Hep 3B cells. The results show that 2-MCA suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis as indicated by an up-regulation of pro-apoptotic bax and bak genes and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic bcl-2 and bcl-XL genes, mitochondrial membrane potential loss, cytochrome c release, activation of caspase 3 and 9, increase in the DNA content in sub G1, and morphological characteristics of apoptosis. 2-MCA also induced lysosomal vacuolation with increased volume of acidic compartments (VAC), suppressions of nuclear transcription factors NF-κB, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and both topoisomerase I and II activities in a dose-dependent manner. Further study reveals the growth-inhibitory effect of 2-MCA was also evident in a nude mice model. Taken together, the data suggest that the growth-inhibitory effect of 2-MCA against Hep 3B cells is accompanied by downregulations of NF-κB binding activity, inflammatory responses involving COX-2 and PGE2, and proliferative control involving apoptosis, both topoisomerase I and II activities, together with an upregulation of lysosomal vacuolation and VAC. Our data suggest that 2-MCA could be a potential agent for anticancer therapy.

Lanostane-type triterpenoids from Abies faxoniana and their DNA topoisomerase inhibitory activities.

Nine lanostane-type triterpenoids were isolated from branches and leaves of Abies faxoniana, along with 10 known compounds. Two were isolated as inseparable mixtures of epimers at C-23 of the γ-lactone ring that had a lactol structure. The structures of the nine compounds were established by spectroscopic analysis and circular dichroism (CD) data. The absolute configurations at the stereogenic centres of two of the known compounds were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. One compound showed cytotoxic activities against HCT-116, MCF-7, and A549 cells with IC50 values of 8.9, 7.6, and 4.2µM, respectively. The isolated compounds were tested for their effects on human DNA topoisomerases I and II. One was found to be a selective inhibitor of human topo II activity with an IC50 value of 53.5µM, which was comparable to that of the topo II inhibitor etoposide (IC50=49.6µM).

Topoisomerase II inhibitors from the roots of Stellera chamaejasme L.

Three new compounds, including one daphnane diterpene (1), one sesquiterpene (6), and one lignan (7) have been isolated from the Stellera chamaejasme L., together with five other known compounds, including four daphnane diterpenenoids (2-5) and one lignan (8). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. The cytotoxicities of compounds 1-8 towards human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549 cells) were evaluated using a sulforhodamine B assay. All of the compounds displayed significant cytotoxicity, with IC50 values in the ranging of 0.2 nM to 2.0 µM. Mechanistic studies revealed that the antitumor activities of compounds 1-3 and 7 were derived from their inhibition of topoisomerase II (Topo II). Furthermore, as a Topo II inhibitor, compound 1 was found to effectively induced G2-M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells.

Fused aryl-phenazines: scaffold for the development of bioactive molecules.

Fused aryl phenazine derivatives (benzo[a]phenazine, pyrido[a]phenazine, benzo[a]phenazine diones, tetrahydropyrido[a]phenazine (dermacozines), etc) are important heterocyclic compounds, which exhibit various pharmacological activities, prominently in cancer cell lines. These compounds significantly intercalate between DNA base pairs and inhibit the activities of topoisomerase I and II enzymes (Topo I and II). XR11576, XR5944, NC-190 and NC-182 belong to phenazine/fused aryl phenazine category and are under clinical studies. Several fused aryl phenazine dione compounds such as pyridazino[4,5-b]phenazine-5,12-diones, 6,11-dihydro-pyrido[2,3-b]phenazine-6,11-diones, 6,11-dihydrobenzo[2,3-b]phenazine-6,11-diones, tetrahydropyrido[a]phenazine, etc possessed anticancer activities on various cancer cell lines. Benzo[a]phenazine diimine and various other fused aryl phenazine compounds form coordination complex with the metal ions (Ru, Rh, Zn and Pt) that intercalate with the DNA and are used for the treatment of cancer. These molecules have influence on MDR cancer cells and serve as anticancer agents in MDR cancer cells. The structure activity relationship of the fused aryl phenazine derivatives revealed that the occurrence of four or more nitrogen atoms in the compounds has better anticancer activity than those molecules with less number of nitrogen atoms. Phenazine antibiotics derived from marine microbes are used for the treatment of microbial and worm diseases. Recent patents on these scaffolds showed that the benzo[a]phenazine derivatives have inhibitory activity on topoisomerase enzymes (Topo I and II) and that act as anticancer agents.

New aminocoumarin antibiotics as gyrase inhibitors.

The aminocoumarins novobiocin, clorobiocin and coumermycin A1 are structurally related antibiotics produced by different Streptomyces strains. They are potent inhibitors of bacterial gyrase. Their binding sites and their mode of action differ from those of fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin. Novobiocin has been introduced into clinical use against Staphylococcus aureus infections, and S. aureus gyrase is particularly sensitive to inhibition by aminocoumarins, while topoisomerase IV is much less sensitive. Modern genetic techniques have allowed the engineering of the producer strains, resulting in a diverse range of new aminocoumarins, including compounds which are more active than the natural antibiotics as well as a compound which is actively imported across the cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria. A further group of aminocoumarins are the simocyclinones which bind simultaneously to two different sites of gyrase and show a completely new mode of inhibition. Both the simocyclinones and the "classical" aminocoumarins strongly inhibit the fluoroquinolone-induced activation of RecA and thereby the SOS response in S. aureus. Therefore, a combination of aminocoumarins and fluoroquinolones strongly reduced the risk of resistance development and may offer new prospects in anti-infective therapy.

Tricyclic sesquiterpenes from Vetiveria zizanoides (L.) Nash as antimycobacterial agents.

Two bioactive constituents, khusenic acid (1) and khusimol (2), were isolated and characterized from hexane fraction of Vetiveria zizanoides roots. Compounds, 1 and 2, were tested against the various drug-resistant mutants of Mycobacterium smegmatis. The results showed that compound 1 was 4 times more active than the standard drugs ciprofloxacin (CF) and nalidixic acid (NA) against the ciprofloxacin (CSC 101) and lomefloxacin(LOMR5)-resistant mutants, whereas the compound 2 was 2 times more active against the CSC 101 than the NA and CF. Further, these compounds were tested against the virulent strain H37Rv of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which showed that 1 was two times more active than NA, while 2 was equally active to NA. In in silico docking study, 1 showed better binding affinity than 2 with both subunits of the bacterial DNA gyrase, which was further confirmed from the in vitro bacterial DNA gyrase inhibition study. The in silico ADME analysis of 1 and 2 showed better intestinal absorption, aqueous solubility and ability to penetrate blood-brain barrier. Finally, compound 2 was found safe at the highest dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight. Being edible, fragrant natural products, 1 and 2 will have advantage over the existing synthetic drugs.

Cytotoxic, antitopoisomerase IIα, and anti-HIV-1 activities of triterpenoids isolated from leaves and twigs of Gardenia carinata.

Eight new cycloartane triterpenoids (1-8), named carinatins A-H, and the known compounds secaubryolide (9) and dikamaliartane D (10) were isolated from the leaves and twigs of Gardenia carinata. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic methods. Cytotoxic, antitopoisomerase IIα, and anti-HIV-1 activities of compounds 1-7, 9, and 10 were investigated.

Constituents with DNA topoisomerases I and II inhibitory activity and cytotoxicity from the roots of Rubia cordifolia.

Activity-directed isolation of the ethyl acetate fraction from the roots of Rubia cordifolia resulted in the identification of a new anthraquinone, 1,3,6-trihydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-9,10-anthraquinone-3- O- α- L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)- ß-D-(6'-O-acetyl)-glucopyranoside (1), two new dihydronaphtoquinones, 1,4-dihydroxy-2-carbomethoxy-3-prenylnaphthalene-1-O- ß-D-glucopyranoside (2) and mollugin-1-O- ß- D-glucopyranoside (3), and a new monoterpenoid, 3 R,3a S,4 R,6a R-3,4,6-tris(hydroxymethyl)-3,3a,4,6a-tetrahydro-2 H-cyclopenta[ B]furan-2-one (4), together with nine known compounds (5-13). The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. In addition, their DNA topoisomerases I and II inhibitory activity and cytotoxicity were measured.