Marc Van Damme

Investigations of fungal secondary metabolites with potential anticancer activity.

Fourteen metabolites, isolated from phytopathogenic and toxigenic fungi, were evaluated for their in vitro antigrowth activity for six distinct cancer cell lines, using the MTT colorimetric assay. Bislongiquinolide (1) and dihydrotrichodimerol (5), which belong to the bisorbicillinoid structural class, displayed significant growth inhibitory activity against the six cancer cell lines studied, while the remaining compounds displayed weak or no activity. The data show that 1 and 5 have similar growth inhibitory activities with respect to those cancer cell lines that display certain levels of resistance to pro-apoptotic stimuli or those that are sensitive to apoptosis. Quantitative videomicroscopy analysis revealed that 1 and 5 exert their antiproliferative effect through cytostatic and not cytotoxic activity. The preliminary results from the current study have stimulated further structure-activity investigations with respect to the growth inhibitory activity of compounds belonging to the bisorbicillinoid group.

[Corrigendum] Isostrychnopentamine, an indolomonoterpenic alkaloid from Strychnos usambarensis, with potential anti-tumor activity against apoptosis-resistant cancer cells

After the publication of the article, the authors noted that they had made an error regarding certain data in their manuscript. The error relates to the statistical analysis performed for the data illustrated in Fig. 4A: On page 963 of our article, line 17 of the left-handed column, we identified an erroneous statistical result with respect to the data illustrated in Fig. 4A. The initial statistical value of p<0.01 must be corrected to (p=0.06 when compared to control; Fig. 4A).

Macro Ionization Constants of Hydroxyzine, Cetirizine and an Analog

Abstract Thermodynamic dissociation constants of piperidine and piperazine compounds have been determined at 20°C by combining two experimental techniques. These compounds have chromophoric changes dependent upon the pH of the solution. Using spectrophotometric measurements and potentiometric titration data, all constants have been calculated. the values determined by means of both methods are in good agreement. Especially the two overlapping macroconstants of cetirizine have been computed using an adequate algorithm. Unexpectedly, pKal of [2-[4-[[4-chlorophenyl)phenylmethyl]-1-piperazinyl]ethoxy]acetic acid (CETIRIZINE) has been shown to be much lower than pKal of its analog ([2-[2-[4-(diphenylmethylene)-1-piperidinyl] ethoxy] ethoxy] acetic acid), probably because of an electronic effect : an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the carbonyl of the carboxylic acid group and the protonated nitrogen atom bearing the ethoxyacetic chain.