Enniatins A1, B and B1 from an endophytic strain of Fusarium tricinctum induce apoptotic cell death in H4IIE hepatoma cells accompanied by inhibition of ERK phosphorylation.

Enniatins are mycotoxins which have important impact on human health, e.g. as contaminants of cereals, but also are discussed as possible anticancer agents. We investigated toxic effects of enniatins A1, B and B1 isolated from Fusarium tricinctum on different cancer cell lines. The enniatins showed moderate activity in HepG2 and C6 cells (EC(50)-values approximately 10-25 microM), but were highly toxic in H4IIE cells (EC(50)-values approximately 1-2.5 microM). In H4IIE cells, all enniatins increased caspase 3/7 activity and nuclear fragmentation as markers for apoptotic cell death. Enniatin A1, enniatin B1, and, to a lesser extent, also enniatin B decreased the activation of extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) (p44/p42), a mitogen-activated protein kinase which is associated with cell proliferation. Furthermore, enniatins A1 and B1, but not enniatin B were able to inhibit moderately tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced NF-kappaB activation. Screening of 24 additional protein kinases involved in signal transduction pathways (cell proliferation, survival, angiogenesis and metastasis) showed no inhibitory activity of enniatins. We conclude that enniatins A1 and B1 and, to a lesser extent, enniatin B may possess anticarcinogenic properties by induction of apoptosis and disruption of ERK signalling pathway. Further analysis of these substances is necessary to analyse their usefulness for cancer therapy.

Methods for isolation, purification and structural elucidation of bioactive secondary metabolites from marine invertebrates.

In the past few decades, marine natural products bioprospecting has yielded a considerable number of drug candidates. Two marine natural products have recently been admitted as new drugs: Prialt (also known as ziconotide) as a potent analgesic for severe chronic pain and Yondelis (known also as trabectedin or E-743) as antitumor agent for the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma. In this protocol, methods for bioactivity-guided isolation, purification and identification of secondary metabolites from marine invertebrates such as sponges, tunicates, soft corals and crinoids are discussed. To achieve this goal, solvent extraction of usually freeze-dried sample of marine organisms is performed. Next, the extract obtained is fractionated by liquid-liquid partitioning followed by various chromatographic separation techniques including thin layer chromatography, vacuum liquid chromatography, column chromatography (CC) and preparative high-performance reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Isolation of bioactive secondary metabolites is usually monitored by bioactivity assays, e.g., antioxidant (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) and cytotoxicity (microculture tetrazolium) activities that ultimately yield the active principles. Special care should be taken when performing isolation procedures adapted to the physical and chemical characteristics of the compounds isolated, particularly their lipo- or hydrophilic characters. Examples of isolation of compounds of different polarities from extracts of various marine invertebrates will be presented in this protocol. Structure elucidation is achieved using recent spectroscopic techniques, especially 2D NMR and mass spectrometry analysis.

Cytotoxic isomalabaricane triterpenes from the marine sponge Rhabdastrella globostellata.

Fourteen isomalabaricane triterpenes were isolated from the marine sponge Rhabdastrella globostellata. In addition to the known compounds globostellatic acids A (1) and D (4) and stelliferin riboside (13), 11 of the compounds were new natural products, which included globostelletin (3), eight new globostellatic acid congeners, F to M (2, 5-11), and two new stelliferin ribosides (12 and 14). The isolated compounds were tested against three different cancer cell lines, L5178Y (mouse lymphoma), HeLa (human cervix carcinoma), and PC-12 (rat pheochromocytoma). The isomalabaricane derivatives were found to be selectively active toward the mouse lymphoma cell line L5178Y. The structures were determined by 1D and 2D NMR data and by comparison with spectroscopic data of known related compounds.

Norlanostane triterpenoidal saponins from the marine sponge melophlussarassinorum.

Along with five known 30-norlanostane-type saponins, sarasinosides A(1) (5A), A3 (6A), I1 (7), I2 (8), and H2 (9), four new triterpenoidal saponin congeners, sarasinosides J (1), K (2), L (3), and M (4), were isolated from the Indonesian sponge Melophlus sarassinorum. Sarasinosides J (1) and K (2) are the 24,25-hydrogenated congeners of the previously described sarasinosides A1 and H2, respectively. The carbon skeleton of sarasinoside M (4) possesses a rearranged 8alpha,9alpha-epoxy-8,9-seconorlanosta-8(14),9(11),24-triene system, which is novel and unprecedented in nature. The structures of the new compounds were confirmed by spectral analyses, chemical derivatization, and GC analyses. Compounds 1 and 5A exhibited antimicrobial activity toward Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Aglacins I-K, three highly methoxylated lignans from Aglaia cordata.

Further chemical investigation of the stem bark of Aglaia cordata has led to the isolation and identification of three new lignans, namely, aglacins I-K (1-3), all of which contain two contiguous trimethoxylated phenyl systems. Among them, aglacins I and J (1 and 2) are new members of the aryltetralin cyclic lactol class, while aglacin K (3) is a new example of tetrahydrofuran lignan. The structures of these compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic data interpretation.

New communesin derivatives from the fungus Penicillium sp. derived from the Mediterranean sponge Axinella verrucosa.

The ethyl acetate extract of Penicillium sp., derived from the Mediterranean sponge Axinella verrucosa, yielded the known compound communesin B (1) and its new congeners communesins C (2) and D (3), as well as the known compounds griseofulvin, dechlorogriseofulvin, and oxaline. All structures were unambiguously established by 1D and 2D NMR and MS data. In several bioassays performed on different leukemia cell lines, the communesins exhibited moderate antiproliferative activity.

New 9-thiocyanatopupukeanane sesquiterpenes from the nudibranch Phyllidia varicosa and its sponge-prey Axinyssa aculeata.

Two new 9-thiocyanatopupukeanane sesquiterpene isomers were isolated as major metabolites from the MeOH extract of the sponge Axinyssa aculeata and from its nudibranch predator Phyllidia varicosa. The presence of the sesquiterpenes was monitored by GC-MS, and the structures were confirmed by both 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The isolated sesquiterpenes were found to be toxic toward brine shrimp at LC(50) of 5 ppm. At a dose level of 20 microg, they were found to be weakly and moderately active against B. subtilis and C. albicans, respectively.

Uniquely modified imidazole alkaloids from a calcareous Leucetta sponge.

A Fijian collection of the calcareous sponge Leucetta sp. was investigated and yielded four new imidazole alkaloids. One compound, (+)-calcaridine A (6), is unique in its overall structure and consists of a geminally substituted 2-aminoimidazolidinone. An additional compound, (-)-spirocalcaridine A (7), is distinctive in its hexahydrocyclopentamidazol-2-ylidenamine spiro-linked to a cyclohexenone. A third compound, (-)-spirocalcaridine B (8), is the OCH(3) analogue of 7. These compounds have unprecedented skeletons and functionality and are the first nonorganometalic chiral aminoimidazoles isolated from calcareous sponges. The two issues discussed here include the challenges associated with the structure elucidations of 6 and 7 and the relationships to previously encountered Leucetta metabolites.

Online analysis of xestodecalactones A-C, novel bioactive metabolites from the fungus Penicillium cf. montanense and their subsequent isolation from the sponge Xestospongia exigua.

Fungal isolates of Penicillium cf. montanense were obtained from the marine sponge Xestospongia exiguacollected from the Bali Sea, Indonesia. Culture filtrates of the fungi yielded three novel decalactone metabolites, xestodecalactones A, B, and C (1, 2a, and 2b), consisting of 10-membered macrolides with a fused 1,3-dihydroxybenzene ring. Online HPLC-NMR, ESI-MS/MS, and -CD spectra were acquired, and the structures of the new compounds were established and confirmed on the basis of offline NMR spectroscopic ((1)H, (13)C, COSY, ROESY, (1)H-detected direct and long-range (13)C-(1)H correlations) and mass spectrometric (EIMS) data. Quantum chemical calculations of the CD spectra proved to be difficult because of the conformational flexibility of the xestodecalactones. These compounds, of which 2a and 2b, due to the additional stereocenter at C-9, are diastereomeric compounds, are structurally related to a number of biologically active metabolites found in terrestrial fungal strains. Compound 2a was found to be active against the yeast Candida albicans.

Swinhoeiamide A, a new highly active calyculin derivative from the marine sponge Theonella swinhoei.

Analysis of the Papua New Guinean sponge Theonella swinhoei afforded a new calyculinamide-related congener for which we propose the name swinhoeiamide A (1). The structure of the new compound was unambiguously established on the basis of NMR spectroscopic ((1)H, (13)C, COSY, HMBC) and mass spectrometric (FABMS) data. Swinhoeiamide A exhibited insecticidal activity toward neonate larvae of the polyphagous pest insect Spodoptera littoralis when incorporated in an artificial diet offered to the larvae in a chronic feeding bioassay (ED(50) 2.11 ppm, LD(50) 2.98 ppm). Furthermore, it was found to be fungicidal against Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus (MIC 1.2 and 1.0 microg/mL, respectively).

New metabolites from sponge-derived fungi Curvularia lunata and Cladosporium herbarum.

The fungus Curvularia lunata, isolated from the marine sponge Niphates olemda, yielded the new 1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methoxyanthraquinone, which we named lunatin (1), the known modified bisanthraquinone cytoskyrin A (2), and the known plant hormone (+)-abscisic acid (3). Both anthraquinones were found to be active against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. Two strains of the fungus Cladosporium herbarum, isolated from the sponges Aplysina aerophoba and Callyspongia aerizusa, respectively, yielded two new alpha-pyrones, herbarin A (4) and herbarin B (5), the known compound citreoviridin A (6), and the new phthalide herbaric acid (7). All structures were unambiguously established by 1D and 2D NMR and MS data.