Alison C. Nimrod

Probing the N-5 Region of the Indoloquinoline Alkaloid, Cryptolepine for Anticryptococcal Activity

N-5 Alkylated analogues of cryptolepine were synthesized and tested for anticryptococcal activity. Evidence provided in this study suggests that the active form of cryptolepine consists of the flat tetracyclic aromatic ring with the methyl group on the N-5 atom. It was also found that changes in the electronic density around the N-5 atom do not appear to affect activity. Steric hindrance of the N-5 substituents seems to decrease activity. Through systematic modification of the N-5 alkyl groups, o-phenylpentyl group was shown to possess the highest potency thus far.

Synthesis and evaluation of potential complement inhibitory semisynthetic analogs of oleanolic acid.

A number of semisynthetic analogs of oleanolic acid have been synthesized and tested for their complement inhibitory, cytotoxic and apoptotic activities. Among these, compounds 10 and 17 exhibited complement inhibitory potency superior to oleanolic acid. Both have also shown a moderate improvement in in vitro therapeutic index (T.I.).

Biotransformation and estrogenic activity of methoxychlor and its metabolites in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

Abstract Methoxychlor (MXC) has been shown to possess estrogenic activity in mammals and fish. Although MXC does not appear to appreciably bind the mammalian estrogen receptor, its demethylated metabolites have been shown to be significantly more potent agonists and are believed responsible for estrogenic effects in mammals following exposure to this pesticide. To determine whether catfish were capable of MXC demethylotion, and, hence, activation to a more estrogenic compound, in vitro biotransformation studies were carried out using hepatic microsomes from mature male channel catfish. Hepatic microsomes catalyzed the NADPH-dependent formation of monodemethylated (mono-MXC) and bisdemethylated (bis-MXC) metabolites of MXC. Treatment with mono-MXC at 40% of the MXC dose in catfish significantly induced serum vitellogenin (Vg) levels compared to MXC. Estrogen receptor binding studies in catfish liver cytosol showed that a racemic mixture of the mono-MXC had approximately 43 times the affinity for the receptor than MXC, but was still over 1000-fold less potent that 17β-estradiol. These results demonstrate that catfish are capable of biochemically activating MXC to a more potent hepatic estrogen receptor agonist.

Enantioselective synthesis and complement inhibitory assay of A/B-ring partial analogues of oleanolic acid.

A series of oleanolic acid A/B-ring partial analogues was synthesized and tested for their complement inhibitory activity as well as cytotoxic properties. All target compounds and one intermediate exhibited moderate complement inhibitory potency. These compounds also showed cytotoxicity on malignant melanoma cell line, SK-MEL.

Antifungal Activity of Eupolauridine and Its Action on DNA Topoisomerases

ABSTRACT The azafluoranthene alkaloid eupolauridine has previously been shown to have in vitro antifungal activity and selective inhibition of fungal topoisomerase I. The present study was undertaken to examine further its selectivity and mode of action. Eupolauridine completely inhibits the DNA relaxation activity of purified fungal topoisomerase I at 50 μg/ml, but it does not stabilize the cleavage complex of either human or fungal topoisomerase I. Cleavage complex stabilization is the mode of action of topoisomerase I targeting drugs of the camptothecin family. Also, unlike camptothecin, eupolauridine does not cause significant cytotoxicity in mammalian cells. To determine if the inhibition of topoisomerase I is the principal mode of antifungal action of eupolauridine, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with alterations in topoisomerase genes were used in clonogenic assays. The antifungal activity of eupolauridine was not diminished in the absence of topoisomerase I; rather, the cells lacking the enzyme were more sensitive to the drug. Cell-killing activity of eupolauridine was also more pronounced in cells that overexpressed topoisomerase II. In vitro assays with the purified yeast enzyme confirmed that eupolauridine stabilized topoisomerase II covalent complexes. These results indicate that a major target for fungal cell killing by eupolauridine is DNA topoisomerase II rather than topoisomerase I, but does not exclude the possibility that the drug also acts against other targets.