Faqing Ye

Evaluation and Discovery of Novel Synthetic Chalcone Derivatives as Anti-Inflammatory Agents

Major anti-inflammatory agents, steroids and cyclooxygenase, were proved to have serious side effects. Here, a series of chalcone derivatives were synthesized and screened for anti-inflammatory activities. QSAR study revealed that the presence of electron-withdrawing groups in B-ring and electron-donating groups in A-ring of chalcones was important for inhibition of LPS-induced IL-6 expression. Further, compounds 22, 23, 26, 40, and 47 inhibited TNF-α and IL-6 release in a dose-dependent manner and decreased LPS-induced TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, and COX-2 mRNA production. Mechanistically, compounds 23 and 26 interfered with JNK/NF-κB signaling and dose-dependently prevented ERK and p38 activation. In addition, 23 and 26 exhibited a significant protection against LPS-induced death and were able to block high glucose-activated cytokine profiles in macrophages. Together, these data show a series of anti-inflammatory chalcones with potential therapeutic effects in inflammatory diseases.

Synthesis and anti-inflammatory activities of mono-carbonyl analogues of curcumin

Curcumin has been extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory activities. However, its potential beneficial effects on various disease preventions and treatments are limited by its unstable structure. The beta-diketone moiety renders curcumin to be rapidly metabolized by aldo-keto reductase in liver. In the present study, a series of curcumin analogues with more stable chemical structures were synthesized and several compounds showed an enhanced ability to inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TNF-alpha and IL-6 synthesis in macrophages.

A Novel Compound C12 Inhibits Inflammatory Cytokine Production and Protects from Inflammatory Injury In Vivo

Inflammation is a hallmark of many diseases. Although steroids and cyclooxygenase inhibitors are main anti-inflammatory therapeutical agents, they may cause serious side effects. Therefore, developing non-steroid anti-inflammatory agents is urgently needed. A novel hydrosoluble compound, C12 (2,6-bis(4-(3-(dimethylamino)-propoxy)benzylidene)cyclohexanone), has been designed and synthesized as an anti-inflammatory agent in our previous study. In the present study, we investigated whether C12 can affect inflammatory processes in vitro and in vivo. In mouse primary peritoneal macrophages, C12 potently inhibited the production of the proinflammatory gene expression including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, iNOS, COX-2 and PGE synthase. The activity of C12 was partly dependent on inhibition of ERK/JNK (but p38) phosphorylation and NF-κB activation. In vivo, C12 suppressed proinflammatory cytokine production in plasma and liver, attenuated lung histopathology, and significantly reduced mortality in endotoxemic mice. In addition, the pre-treatment with C12 reduced the inflammatory pain in the acetic acid and formalin models and reduced the carrageenan-induced paw oedema and acetic acid-increased vascular permeability. Taken together, C12 has multiple anti-inflammatory effects. These findings, coupled with the low toxicity and hydrosolubility of C12, suggests that this agent may be useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of nucleoside analogues than contain silatrane on the basis of the structure of acyclovir (ACV) as novel inhibitors of hepatitis B virus (HBV).

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes major public health problems worldwide. Acyclovir (ACV) is mainly used to inhibit herpes simplex virus (HSV) rather than HBV. In this study, we used the combination principle to design and synthesize nucleoside analogues that contain silatrane on the basis of the structure of ACV. We found that the compounds were effective inhibitors of HBV, both in vitro and in vivo. All of the compounds showed suppressive activity on the expression of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV e antigen (HBeAg) in the HepG2.2.15 cell line with low cytotoxicity. One of compounds was studied in HBV transgenic mice model, and the test results showed its ability to reduce the levels of HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV DNA by ELASE and qPCR. Furthermore, significant improvement of T lymphocyte was observed after treatment, as evaluated by flow cytometry (FCM).

Design and synthesis of 8-substituted benzamido-phenylxanthine derivatives as MAO-B inhibitors.

Monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitor has been used as neuroprotectants to treat the motor deficits of Parkinsons disease (PD). We designed and synthesized a class of 8-substituted benzamido-phenylxanthine derivatives as MAO-B inhibitors. The compounds have various inhibitory effects, with compound 6a having a K(i) value of 0.26 μM. Their promising activity in vitro suggests potential use in the treatment of PD.

Synthesis, anti-tumor activity, and structure–activity relationships of curcumol derivatives

Using curcumol that was extracted from the volatile oil of Rhizoma Curcumae as the raw material, its derivatives were synthesized and purified. The structures of these compounds were confirmed by 1H, 13C NMR, and mass spectral data. The test compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anti-tumor activity against gastric cancer cell lines SGC-7901 and lung carcinoma cell line H460 by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium chromatometry. Distinct structure–activity relationships of these curcumol derivatives were also revealed for inhibiting cell proliferation. Presence of electron-withdrawing groups or amino could increase the activity significantly, whereas esterification of 8-hydroxy diminished the anti-tumor activity. Many of the tested candidates exhibited higher inhibition efficiency than curcumol, suggesting that structural modifications could enhance its activity effectively.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Biological and Antitumor Activities of Tetrahydrobenzothieno[2,3-d]Pyrimidine Derivatives as Novel Inhibitors of FGFR1

A series of tetrahydrobenzothieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidine derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as inhibitors of FGFR1. These analogs were synthesized via Gewalds reaction under mild conditions. The structures of the synthesized compounds were characterized by spectroscopic data (IR, 1H NMR and MS). Their antitumor activities were evaluated against H460, A549 and U251 cell lines in vitro. Results revealed that the tested compounds showed moderate antitumor activities. Structure–activity relationship analyses indicated that compounds with an aromatic ring substituted in the C‐2 position or with larger molecules such as 3g, 4c, and 7 were more effective than others. The compound, 3g (78.8% FGFR1 inhibition at 10 μm), was identified to have the most potent antitumor activities, with IC50 values of 7.7, 18.9, and 13.3 μm against the H460, A549, and U251 cell lines, respectively. Together, the results suggested that tetrahydrobenzothieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidine derivatives may serve as a potential agent for the treatment of FGFR1‐mediated cancers.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Anti-inflammatory N-Substituted 3,5-Bis(2-(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)piperidin-4-ones

A total of 24 N‐substituted 3,5‐bis(2‐(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)piperidin‐4‐one derivatives were synthesized via aldol condensation, and their anti‐inflammatory activities were evaluated. These compounds were found to have no significant cytotoxicity against mouse bone marrow cells in vitro. However, some compounds, such as c6 (N‐(3‐methylbenzoyl)‐3,5‐bis‐(2‐(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)piperidin‐4‐one) and c10 (N‐(2‐chlorobenzoyl)‐3,5‐bis‐(2‐(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)piperidin‐4‐one), displayed potent anti‐inflammatory activity by inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulated tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), IL‐1β, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 cells. Treatment with c6 or c10 at 2.5 or 10 mg kg−1 significantly decreased the paw edema induced by carrageenan in rats, and the anti‐inflammatory effects of these compounds were found to be better than those of celecoxib or indomethacin as well as their parent compound C66 (2,6‐bis‐(2‐(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)cyclohexanone). Pharmacokinetic analysis indicated that c6 has better bioavailability than curcumin. Therefore, these compounds may be valuable leads for the development of new anti‐inflammatory drugs.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Phenylxanthine Derivatives as Potential Dual A2AR Antagonists/MAO-B Inhibitors for Parkinson’s Disease

The aim of this research was to prove the speculation that phenylxanthine (PX) derivatives possess adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR)-blocking properties and to screening and evaluate these PX derivatives as dual A2AR antagonists/MAO-B inhibitors for Parkinson′s disease. To explore this hypothesis, two series of PX derivatives were prepared and their antagonism against A2AR and inhibition against MAO-B were determined in vitro. In order to evaluate further the antiparkinsonian properties, pharmacokinetic and haloperidol-induced catalepsy experiments were carried out in vivo. The PX-D and PX-E analogues acted as potent A2AR antagonists with Ki values ranging from 0.27 to 10 μM, and these analogues displayed relatively mild MAO-B inhibition potencies, with inhibitor dissociation constants (Ki values) ranging from 0.25 to 10 μM. Further, the compounds PX-D-P6 and PX-E-P8 displayed efficacious antiparkinsonian properties in haloperidol-induced catalepsy experiments, verifying that these two compounds were potent A2AR antagonists and MAO-B inhibitors. We conclude that PX-D and PX-E analogues are a promising candidate class of dual-acting compounds for treating Parkinson′s disease.

Fibroblast growth factor 2 protects against renal ischaemia/reperfusion injury by attenuating mitochondrial damage and proinflammatory signalling

Ischaemia‐reperfusion injury (I/RI) is a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). The molecular basis underlying I/RI‐induced renal pathogenesis and measures to prevent or reverse this pathologic process remains to be resolved. Basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) is reported to have protective roles of myocardial infarction as well as in several other I/R related disorders. Herein we present evidence that FGF2 exhibits robust protective effect against renal histological and functional damages in a rat I/RI model. FGF2 treatment greatly alleviated I/R‐induced acute renal dysfunction and largely blunted I/R‐induced elevation in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, and also the number of TUNEL‐positive tubular cells in the kidney. Mechanistically, FGF2 substantially ameliorated renal I/RI by mitigating several mitochondria damaging parameters including pro‐apoptotic alteration of Bcl2/Bax expression, caspase‐3 activation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and KATP channel integrity. Of note, the protective effect of FGF2 was significantly compromised by the KATP channel blocker 5‐HD. Interestingly, I/RI alone resulted in mild activation of FGFR, whereas FGF2 treatment led to more robust receptor activation. More significantly, post‐I/RI administration of FGF2 also exhibited robust protection against I/RI by reducing cell apoptosis, inhibiting the release of damage‐associated molecular pattern molecule HMBG1 and activation of its downstream inflammatory cytokines such as IL‐1α, IL‐6 and TNF α. Taken together, our data suggest that FGF2 offers effective protection against I/RI and improves animal survival by attenuating mitochondrial damage and HMGB1‐mediated inflammatory response. Therefore, FGF2 has the potential to be used for the prevention and treatment of I/RI‐induced AKI.