Sherif S. Ebada

Bioactive Sesterterpenes and Triterpenes from Marine Sponges: Occurrence and Pharmacological Significance

Marine ecosystems (>70% of the planet’s surface) comprise a continuous resource of immeasurable biological activities and immense chemical entities. This diversity has provided a unique source of chemical compounds with potential bioactivities that could lead to potential new drug candidates. Many marine-living organisms are soft bodied and/or sessile. Consequently, they have developed toxic secondary metabolites or obtained them from microorganisms to defend themselves against predators [1]. For the last 30–40 years, marine invertebrates have been an attractive research topic for scientists all over the world. A relatively small number of marine plants, animals and microbes have yielded more than 15,000 natural products including numerous compounds with potential pharmaceutical potential. Some of these have already been launched on the pharmaceutical market such as Prialt® (ziconotide; potent analgesic) and Yondelis® (trabectedin or ET-743; antitumor) while others have entered clinical trials, e.g., alpidin and kahalalide F. Amongst the vast array of marine natural products, the terpenoids are one of the more commonly reported and discovered to date. Sesterterpenoids (C25) and triterpenoids (C30) are of frequent occurrence, particularly in marine sponges, and they show prominent bioactivities. In this review, we survey sesterterpenoids and triterpenoids obtained from marine sponges and highlight their bioactivities.

Pestalotiopsis a highly creative genus: chemistry and bioactivity of secondary metabolites

Fungal endophytes are receiving increasing attention by natural product chemists due to their diverse and structurally unprecedented compounds which make them interesting candidates for drug discovery. One fungal genus which is especially productive with regard to the accumulation of a diverse array of mostly bioactive compounds is Pestalotiopsis. This review demonstrates the unique chemical diversity of taxa from this genus and describes their reported bioactivities. To date, alkaloids, terpenoids, isocoumarin derivatives, coumarins, chromones, quinones, semiquinones, peptides, xanthones, xanthone derivatives, phenols, phenolic acids, and lactones, have been reported from Pestalotiopsis species, making this genus a particularly rich source for bioprospecting when compared with other fungal genera. More than 130 different compounds that have been isolated from various species of Pestalotiopsis are covered in this review and their structures are reported within a biogenetic context. Bioassays disclosed that antifungal, antimicrobial, and antitumor activities are the most notable bioactivities of secondary metabolites isolated from this genus. Possible biogenetic pathways for monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, quinones, and lactones that are covered in this review article are also illustrated.

Methods for isolation, purification and structural elucidation of bioactive secondary metabolites from marine invertebrates

In the past few decades, marine natural products bioprospecting has yielded a considerable number of drug candidates. Two marine natural products have recently been admitted as new drugs: Prialt (also known as ziconotide) as a potent analgesic for severe chronic pain and Yondelis (known also as trabectedin or E-743) as antitumor agent for the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma. In this protocol, methods for bioactivity-guided isolation, purification and identification of secondary metabolites from marine invertebrates such as sponges, tunicates, soft corals and crinoids are discussed. To achieve this goal, solvent extraction of usually freeze-dried sample of marine organisms is performed. Next, the extract obtained is fractionated by liquid–liquid partitioning followed by various chromatographic separation techniques including thin layer chromatography, vacuum liquid chromatography, column chromatography (CC) and preparative high-performance reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Isolation of bioactive secondary metabolites is usually monitored by bioactivity assays, e.g., antioxidant (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) and cytotoxicity (microculture tetrazolium) activities that ultimately yield the active principles. Special care should be taken when performing isolation procedures adapted to the physical and chemical characteristics of the compounds isolated, particularly their lipo- or hydrophilic characters. Examples of isolation of compounds of different polarities from extracts of various marine invertebrates will be presented in this protocol. Structure elucidation is achieved using recent spectroscopic techniques, especially 2D NMR and mass spectrometry analysis.

Chemistry and Biology of Rocaglamides (= Flavaglines) and Related Derivatives from Aglaia Species (Meliaceae)

Rocaglamide (1) is the parent cyclopenta[b]benzofuran derivative which was first identified as an antileukemic agent from the dried roots and stems of Aglaia elliptifolia Merr. (family Meliaceae) in 1982. Based on these findings, phytochemical interest in this genus increased sharply and up to date, more than 100 rocaglamide-type (= flavagline) compounds and structurally related derivatives have been identified from over 30 Aglaia species. Rocaglamide-type compounds show pronounced pharmacological activities including primarily (but not exclusively) antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activity. The molecular mechanisms underlying these activities have been elucidated in recent years and established rocaglamide and several of its derivatives as interesting candidates for drug development especially in the field of anti-cancer research. Due to their unique structural features and promising pharmacological activities, several strategies leading to total synthesis of enantiomeric rocaglamide derivatives were developed and optimized. This chapter reviews the chemistry and biology of the rocaglamide-type derivatives and related compounds, with emphasis on their structural diversity, biosynthesis, pharmacological significance and total synthesis.

Arthrinins A-D: novel diterpenoids and further constituents from the sponge derived fungus Arthrinium sp.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of a methanolic extract of the fungus Arthrinium sp., isolated from the Mediterranean sponge Geodia cydonium, afforded 10 natural products including five new diterpenoids, arthrinins A-D (1-4) and myrocin D (5). In addition, five known compounds were obtained, which included myrocin A (6), norlichexanthone (7), anomalin A (8), decarboxycitrinone (9) and 2,5-dimethyl-7-hydroxychromone (10). The structures of all isolated compounds were unambiguously elucidated based on extensive 1D and 2D NMR and HR-MS analyzes. The absolute configuration of arthrinins A-D (1-4) was established by the convenient Mosher method performed in NMR tubes and by interpretation of the ROESY spectra. Antiproliferative activity of the isolated compounds was assessed in vitro against four different tumor cell lines, including mouse lymphoma (L5178Y), human chronic myelogenous leukemia (K562), human ovarian cancer (A2780) and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells (A2780CisR), using the MTT assay. Norlichexanthone (7) and anomalin A (8) exhibited the strongest activities with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.40 to 74.0 μM depending on the cell line investigated. This was paralleled by the inhibitory activity of both compounds against 16 cancer related protein kinases including aurora-B, PIM1, and VEGF-R2. In vitro IC₅₀ values of 7 and 8 against these three protein kinases ranged from 0.3 to 11.7 μM. Further investigation of the potential antitumoral activity of compounds 5-8 was performed in an in vitro angiogenesis assay against human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) sprouting induced by vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). Anomalin A (8), myrocin D (5) and myrocin A (6) inhibited VEGF-A dependent endothelial cell sprouting with IC₅₀ values of 1.8, 2.6 and 3.7 μM, respectively, whereas norlichexanthone (7) was inactive.

Two New Jaspamide Derivatives from the Marine Sponge Jaspis splendens

Two new jaspamide derivatives 2 and 3, together with the parent compound jaspamide (1) have been isolated from the marine sponge Jaspis splendens collected in Kalimantan (Indonesia). The structures of the new compounds were unambiguously elucidated based on 1D and 2D NMR spectral data, mass spectrometry and comparison with jaspamide (1). The new derivatives inhibited the growth of mouse lymphoma (L5178Y) cell line in vitro with IC50 values of <0.1 μg/mL.

Chemical and Pharmacological Significance of Natural Guanidines from Marine Invertebrates

Natural Guanidines from marine invertebrates represent a group of bioactive secondary metabolites that revealed prominent pharmacological activities such as antimicrobial, antiproliferative, analgesic, and anti-coagulant properties. Acyclovir (Zovirax(®)), the first guanidine-derived pharmaceutical for the treatment of herpes infections since late 1970s, was synthesized based on a marine arabinosyl nucleoside, spongosine. Recently, ziconotide (Prialt(®)), a synthetic form of the marine-derived peptide (ω-conotoxin MVIIA) comprising a guanidine moiety, has been approved for the treatment of chronic pain. This review surveys over 130 compounds of guanidine-containing secondary metabolites from marine invertebrates with emphasis on their pharmacological significance and structure-activity relationships.

Bioactive Terpenes from Marine-Derived Fungi

Marine-derived fungi continue to be a prolific source of secondary metabolites showing diverse bioactivities. Terpenoids from marine-derived fungi exhibit wide structural diversity including numerous compounds with pronounced biological activities. In this review, we survey the last five years’ reports on terpenoidal metabolites from marine-derived fungi with particular attention on those showing marked biological activities.

Psychrophilin E, a new cyclotripeptide, from co-fermentation of two marine alga-derived fungi of the genus Aspergillus.

Chemical investigation of the mycelial extract of a mixed culture of two marine alga-derived fungal strains of the genus Aspergillus has yielded one new cyclotripeptide, psychrophilin E (1), the recently reported oxepin-containing alkaloids, protuboxepin A (2) and oxepinamide E (3), together with three other polyketide derivatives (4–6). The chemical structure and relative and absolute configurations of psychrophilin E (1) were unambiguously established based on HRMS, 1D, 2D NMR and chiral-phase HPLC analysis of its hydrolysate. All the isolated compounds were assessed for their anti-proliferative activity against four different human cancer cell lines and some of them revealed selective activities.

Antihyperglycaemic activity of the methanol extract from leaves of Eremophila maculata (Scrophulariaceae) in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats

This study was designed to evaluate the antihyperglycaemic activity of the methanol leaf extract of Eremophila maculata (EMM) both in vitro and in vivo.