Antiparasitic chaiyaphumines from entomopathogenic Xenorhabdus sp. PB61.4.

A new class of four depsipentapeptides called chaiyaphumines A-D (1-4) was isolated from Xenorhabdus sp. PB61.4. Their structures were elucidated by detailed 1D and 2D NMR experiments and by a Marfey's analysis following flash hydrolysis of the peptide. Verification of the structure was achieved by three-dimensional modeling using NOE-derived distance constraints, molecular dynamics, and energy minimization. Chaiyaphumine A (1) showed good activity against Plasmodium falciparum (IC50 of 0.61 μM), the causative agent of malaria, and was active against other protozoal tropical disease causing agents

Structure and biosynthesis of xenoamicins from entomopathogenic xenorhabdus

During the search for novel natural products from entomopathogenic Xenorhabdus doucetiae DSM17909 and X. mauleonii DSM17908 novel peptides named xenoamicins were identified in addition to the already known antibiotics xenocoumacin and xenorhabdin. Xenoamicins are acylated tridecadepsipeptides consisting of mainly hydrophobic amino acids. The main derivative xenoamicin A (1) was isolated from X. mauleonii DSM17908, and its structure elucidated by detailed 1 D and 2 D NMR experiments. Detailed MS experiments, also in combination with labeling experiments, confirmed the determined structure and allowed structure elucidation of additional derivatives. Moreover, the xenoamicin biosynthesis gene cluster was identified and analyzed in X. doucetiae DSM17909, and its participation in xenoamicin biosynthesis was confirmed by mutagenesis. Advanced Marfey's analysis of 1 showed that the absolute configuration of the amino acids is in agreement with the predicted stereochemistry deduced from the nonribosomal peptide synthetase XabABCD. Biological testing revealed activity of 1 against Plasmodium falciparum and other neglected tropical diseases but no antibacterial activity

Antiparasitic chaiyaphumines from Entomopathogenic xenorhabdus sp. PB61.4

A new class of four depsipentapeptides called chaiyaphumines A-D (1-4) was isolated from Xenorhabdus sp. PB61.4. Their structures were elucidated by detailed 1D and 2D NMR experiments and by a Marfey's analysis following flash hydrolysis of the peptide. Verification of the structure was achieved by three-dimensional modeling using NOE-derived distance constraints, molecular dynamics, and energy minimization. Chaiyaphumine A (1) showed good activity against Plasmodium falciparum (IC50 of 0.61 μM), the causative agent of malaria, and was active against other protozoal tropical disease causing agents

Health promotion: A political imperative

Judd, JA ORCiD: 0000-0001-8441-5008As we head towards a federal election in Australia, it is timely to think about the types of health policies, programs and research that are required to sustain a healthy, safe, productive, equitable and thriving society. There is strong evidence to suggest that investment in health promotion and prevention can make a significant contribution in this regard.1,2 This evidence also suggests that prevention interventions are cost-effective in comparison to hospital care, and therefore a sensible economic choice to assist with both improving population health and reducing health inequities across Australia.3–6 Yet, only 1.34% of Australian health care expenditure relates to preventive health, placing it well below other OECD countries, such as New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom.6 In this instance, the current spend equates to just over $2 billion annually.6 To put this into perspective, a recent report examining the social and economic costs of alcohol consumption in the Northern Territory was estimated to be$1.38 billion per year.7 This demonstrates that the current government investment in health promotion and prevention is clearly missing the mark – and quite spectacularly. Though it is difficult to estimate what the exact increase in investment should be, particularly when also considering the significant and well documented health inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a minimum spend should be approximately 5-6% of the health budget.2 This editorial draws on contemporary evidence and expert commentary to explain why health promotion needs to be considered a political imperative, now more than ever