Halina Pietraszkiewicz

Comparison of fascaplysin and related alkaloids: a study of structures, cytotoxicities, and sources.

The fascaplysin class of compounds have been further investigated from six organisms consisting of four sponge collections (Fascaplysinopsis reticulata) and two tunicate collections (Didemnum sp.). This work is an extension of an earlier communication and reports the isolation of 12 new fascaplysin derivatives: 10-bromofascaplysin (7), 3,10-dibromofascaplysin (8), homofascaplysate A (9), homofascaplysin B-1 (11), 3-bromohomofascaplysins B (12), B-1 (13), and C (15), 7,14-dibromoreticulatine (17), reticulatol (20), 14-bromoreticulatol (21), and 3-bromosecofascaplysins A (22) and B (23), along with known compounds: fascaplysin (1), reticulatine (4), 3-bromofascaplysin (6), and homofascaplysin C (14). Selected compounds were screened in a cell-based cytotoxicity assay with compounds 1, 6, and fascaplysin A (24) also screened in the NCI 60 cell line panel. A biogenetic pathway for the brominated fascaplysins and brominated related alkaloids is proposed and discussed.

Structures and cytotoxicities of fascaplysin and related alkaloids from two marine phyla—Fascaplysinopsis sponges and Didemnum tunicates

The structural variations and bioactivity properties of the alkaloids in the fascaplysin (1) and the reticulatine (3) families were examined. Four organisms were analyzed consisting of two collections of the sponge Fascaplysinopsis reticulata and two collections of the tunicate Didemnum sp. Reported are the isolation of three new compounds: 3-bromofascaplysin (2), 14-bromoreticulatine (4), and 14-bromoreticulatate (6) along with reticulatate (5) previously known as a semi-synthetic product of 1. Compounds 1 and 5 showed selectivity in a cell based cytotoxicity assay.

The entirely carbohydrate immunogen Tn-PS A1 induces a cancer cell selective immune response and cytokine IL-17

The tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen/hapten Thomsen-nouveau (Tn; α-D-GalpNAc-ONH2) was conjugated to a zwitterionic capsular polysaccharide, PS A1, from commensal anaerobe Bacteroides fragilis ATCC 25285/NCTC 9343 for the development of an entirely carbohydrate cancer vaccine construct and probed for immunogenicity. This communication discloses that murine anti-Tn IgG3 antibodies both bind to and recognize human tumor cells that display the Tn hapten. Furthermore, the sera from immunization of mice with Tn-PS A1 contain cytokine interleukin 17 (IL-17A), which is known to possess anti-tumor function and represents a striking difference to an IL-2, and IL-6 profile obtained with anti-PS A1 sera.

Exploration of the carmaphycins as payloads in antibody drug conjugate anticancer agents

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent a new dimension of anticancer chemotherapeutics, with warheads to date generally involving either antitubulin or DNA-directed agents to achieve low-to sub-nanomolar potency. However, other potent cytotoxins working by different pharmacological mechanisms are under investigation, such as α,β-epoxyketone based proteasome inhibitors. These proteasome active agents are an emerging class of anticancer drug that possesses ultra-potent cytotoxicity to some cancer cell lines. The carmaphycins are representatives of this latter class that we isolated and characterized from a marine cyanobacterium, and these as well as several synthetic analogues exhibit this level of potency. In the current work, we investigated the use of these highly potent cytotoxic compounds as warheads in the design of novel ADCs. We designed and synthesized a library of carmaphycin B analogues that contain amine handles, enabling their attachment to an antibody linker. The basicity of these incorporated amine handles was shown to strongly affect their cytotoxic properties. Linear amines resulted in the greatest reduction in cytotoxicity whereas less basic aromatic amines retained potent activity as demonstrated by a 4-sulfonylaniline derivative. These investigations resulted in identifying the P2 residue in the carmaphycins as the most suitable site for linker attachment point, and hence, we synthesized a highly potent analogue of carmaphycin B that contained a 4-sulfonylaniline handle as an attachment point for the linker antibody.

Investigation of the Physical and Bioactive Properties of Bromo- and Iodo-Containing Sponge-Derived Compounds Possessing an Oxyphenylethanamine Core

This research set out to identify compounds from marine sponges that can act as bacterial virulence blockers. Extracts from a total of 80 sponges collected from throughout Indonesia were screened in a high-throughput NF-κB-based screen that identifies compounds capable of inhibiting the bacterial type III secretion system (T3SS) in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. An extract that was shown to inhibit T3SS-driven NF-κB expression was obtained from an Iotrochota cf. iota sponge and was the source of seven new bromo- and iodo-containing compounds, all of which contain a 2-(4-oxyphenyl)ethan-1-amine core. Five were determined to be new compounds and named enisorines A-E (1-5). The remaining two were determined to be new hemibastadinol analogues named (+)-1-O-methylhemibastadinol 2 (6) and (+)-1-O-methylhemibastadinol 4 (7). All seven compounds inhibited T3SS-dependent YopE secretion and did not affect the growth or metabolic activity of Y. pseudotuberculosis. The most potent inhibitors of T3SS activity were enisorine C (3), enisorine E (5), and (+)-1-O-methylhemibastadinol 2 (6), all of which inhibited YopE secretion by >50% at 30 μM.