Cytotoxic Lignans from Fruits of <i>Cleistanthus indochinensis</i>: Synthesis of Cleistantoxin Derivatives

Two new aryl-tetralin lignans, <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>, were isolated from the fruits of <i>Cleistanthus indochinensis</i> by bioassay-guided purification. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis including MS and 2D NMR. The absolute configurations of <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> were established from examination of their CD spectra. Compound <b>1</b> was cytotoxic against KB cells with an IC₅₀ value of 0.022 μM, while compound <b>2</b> had weaker cytotoxicity, with an IC₅₀ value of 1.4 μM. When tested against other cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MCF-7R, and HT29), <b>1</b> showed an IC₅₀ of 0.014 against MCF-7R cells and an IC₅₀ of 0.036 μM against MCF-7 cells. A series of amide derivatives of a new lactone, homoderivatives of <b>1</b>, were prepared. Of these derivatives, only compound <b>3</b> had weak cytotoxicity against KB cells

Two new linear acetogenins from the fruits of <i>Goniothalamus gracilipes</i>

<p>Two new linear acetogenins, gracilipin A (<b>1</b>) and methylsaccopetrin A (<b>2</b>) along with seven known compounds, saccopetrin A (<b>3</b>), 7,3′,4′-trimethylquercetin (<b>4</b>), rhamnazin (<b>5</b>), casticin (<b>6</b>), isokanugin (<b>7</b>), melisimplexin (<b>8</b>) and 5-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxy-3′,4′-methylenedioxyflavone (<b>9</b>) were isolated from the fruits of <i>Goniothalamus gracilipes</i> Bân. Their structures were established by spectral analysis, such as mass spectrometry, 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR and circular dichroism (CD). Compounds <b>1</b> and <b>3</b> showed cytotoxic activity against KB cell line with IC₅₀ values of 14.6 and 15.3 μM, respectively.</p

Structural formulae of Artemisinin and synthetic derivatives belonging to the first category AJ.

<p>Structural formulae of Artemisinin and synthetic derivatives belonging to the first category AJ.</p

<i>In vitro</i> anti-HCV activity of Artemisinin and its selected analogues on the replication of infectious HCVcc as measured by means of qRT-PCR (n = 4).

<p>a) ART; b) TVN4; c) AJ-002 and d) AJ-004. Bars indicate the HCV RNA level as compared to control (%) and lines represent the cell growth as compared to untreated controls (%).</p

Endiandric Acid Analogues from Beilschmiedia ferruginea as Dual Inhibitors of Bcl-xL/Bak and Mcl-1/Bid Interactions

A rapid screening by ¹H and ¹H–¹³C HSQC NMR spectroscopy of EtOAc extracts of Endiandra and Beilschmiedia species allowed the selection of Beilschmiedia ferruginea leaves and flowers extract for a chemical investigation, leading to the isolation of 11 new tetracyclic endiandric acid analogues, named ferrugineic acids A–K (<b>1</b>–<b>11</b>). Their structures were determined by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis in combination with HRMS data. These compounds were assayed for Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 binding affinities. Ferrugineic acids B, C, and J (<b>2</b>, <b>3</b>, and <b>10)</b> exhibited significant binding affinity for both antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-xL (<i>K</i>_i = 19.2, 12.6, and 19.4 μM, respectively) and Mcl-1 (<i>K</i>_i = 14.0, 13.0, and 5.2 μM, respectively), and ferrugineic acid D (<b>4</b>) showed only significant inhibiting activity for Mcl-1 (<i>K</i>_i = 5.9 μM)

Antimicrobial metabolites from a marine-derived Actinomycete <i>Streptomyces</i> sp. G278

<p>Analysis of an antimicrobial extract prepared from culture broth of the marine-derived actinomycete <i>Streptomyces</i> sp. G278 led to the isolation of ten compounds, <b>1</b>-<b>10</b>. Two compounds, 2,5-Bis(5-<i>tert</i>-butyl-2-benzoxazolyl)thiophene (<b>1</b>), and 3-hydroxyl-2-methylpyridine (<b>2</b>) were isolated from a natural source for the first time. The structures of the isolated compounds were established by their spectral data analysis, including mass spectrometry, 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR, and X-ray crystallographic analysis in case of compound <b>3</b>. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against a panel of clinically significant microorganisms. Compounds <b>1</b> and <b>3</b> selectively inhibited <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> (MIC: 256 μg/mL). Compound <b>2</b> was found to have antibacterial and antifungal activity against <i>Escherichia coli</i> (MIC: 64 μg/mL), <i>Salmonella enterica</i> (MIC: 256 μg/mL), <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MIC: 256 μg/mL), <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> (MIC: 256 μg/mL), and <i>Candida albicans</i> (MIC: 64 μg/mL). Except for compounds <b>9</b> and <b>10</b>, the other known metabolites (<b>4</b>-<b>8</b>) also exhibited antimicrobial activity.</p