Taiko Oda

Simultaneous production of homoanatoxin-a, anatoxin-a, and a new non-toxic 4-hydroxyhomoanatoxin-a by the cyanobacterium Raphidiopsis mediterranea Skuja

A neurotoxin, homoanatoxin-a, was identified from a toxic strain of the cyanobacterium Raphidiopsis mediterranea Skuja (strain LBRI 48) isolated from Lake Biwa, Japan, as the major toxin component (0.57% of dry cell-weight). This cyanobacterium produced anatoxin-a and a new homoanatoxin-a derivative as minor components (0.04 and 0.06%, respectively). The structure of a new compound was assigned based on the spectral data as 4-hydroxyhomoanatoxin-a, which was not toxic to mice up to 2.0 mg/kg by intraperitoneal injection. The isolation of minor components was accomplished by improved extraction and separation procedures: (1) extraction with methanol-water (4:1) from dried cells, (2) adsorption of aqueous residue on ODS column (or cartridge) after evaporation of methanol, (3) cleaning up of the column by successive elution with water and 50% methanol/water, (4) elution of a toxic fraction by 20% methanol/water containing 0.1% TFA and (5) HPLC (ODS) purification with methanol/water containing 0.05% TFA. The procedures were effective in removing impurities and concentrating alkaloidal neurotoxins. It should be noted that this is the first report demonstrating the simultaneous production of anatoxin-a and homoanatoxin-a by the same strain of cyanobacterium.

Four new macrocyclic trichothecenes from two strains of marine-derived fungi of the genus Myrothecium

Three new macrocyclic trichothecenes, named 12′-hydroxyroridin E (1), roridin Q (2), and 2′,3′-deoxyroritoxin D (3), were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Myrothecium roridum TUF 98F42, and a new macrocyclic trichothecene, named roridin R (4), was isolated from Myrothecium sp. TUF 02F6 together with roridins A and H and isororidin E. The structures of new compounds were determined on the basis of their spectral data. Compound 2 possessed a unique ether moiety at the 13′ position of 1. Compound 4 was a 2′,3′-dihydro-2′-hydroxy derivative of roridin H. The IC50 values of compounds 1, 2, and 4 against the murine leukemia cell line L1210 were 0.19, 31.2, and 0.45 μM, respectively. Compound 3 showed antiyeast activity to Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 1 μg/disc (inhibition zone: 12.2 mm), which was about 10 time more active than roritoxin D (10.2 mm at 10 μg/disc).

Suppression of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1, But Not IL-8, by Alprazolam: Effect of Alprazolam on c-Rel/p65 and c-Rel/p50 Binding to the Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 Promoter Region

Alprazolam is a hypnotic/tranquilizer that has been shown to specifically inhibit the platelet-activating factor (PAF)-induced aggregation of human platelets. The goal of this study was to elucidate whether alprazolam modulates IL-1α-initiated responses. For this purpose we investigated the effects of alprazolam on the IL-1α-induced production of inflammatory cytokines (IL-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1)) in a human glioblastoma cell line, T98G, and explored the signaling pathways involved. We found that alprazolam inhibited IL-1α-elicited MCP-1 production within a range of 0.1–3 μM. In contrast, it did not inhibit IL-1α-induced IL-8 production. Although NF-κB is involved in regulating the IL-1α-induced expression of MCP-1 and IL-8, the degradation of IκB-α stimulated by IL-1α was not inhibited by alprazolam. Alprazolam prevented NF-κB from binding to the MCP-1 promoter region (the A2 and A1 oligonucleotide probes), but binding of NF-κB to IL-8/NF-κB was not inhibited. Moreover, alprazolam inhibited c-Rel/p50 binding to the A2 oligonucleotide probe, but not p50/p65 from binding to the IL-8/NF-κB site. While AP-1 is involved in regulating the IL-1α-induced expression of IL-8, but not MCP-1, alprazolam potentiated the binding of c-Jun/c-Fos to the AP-1 oligonucleotide probe. These results show that the inhibition of IL-1α-mediated MCP-1 production by alprazolam is mainly due to inhibition of c-Rel/p65 and c-Rel/p50 binding to the MCP-1 promoter region, since alprazolam did not affect the IL-1α-mediated activation of NF-κB (p50/p65) or AP-1 (c-Jun/c-Fos) binding to the IL-8 promoter region. In conclusion, a new action of alprazolam was elucidated, as shown in the inhibition of c-Rel/p65- and c-Rel/p50-regulated transcription.

Inhibitory effect of N,N-didesmethylgrossularine-1 on inflammatory cytokine production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells

N,N-Didesmethylgrossularine-1 (DDMG-1), a compound with a rare α-carboline structure, was isolated from an Indonesian ascidian Polycarpa aurata as responsible for the observed inhibitory activity against TNF-α production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated murine macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells. DDMG-1 inhibited the mRNA level of mTNF-α, IκB-α degradation, and binding of NF-κB to the target DNA site in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, DDMG-1 had an inhibitory effect on the production of IL-8, which is produced in CD14+-THP-1 cells stimulated by LPS. DDMG-1 is thus a promising drug candidate lead compound for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Inhibition by (±)-indenestrol A of interferon gamma-stimulated nitric oxide formation in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells

We examined the effects of (+/-)-indenestrol A (IA), an antioxidative and superoxide-producing metabolite of diethylstilbestrol (DES), on the activation of murine macrophages (RAW 264.7 cells) in vitro, particularly with regard to interferon (IFN)-gamma-induced nitric oxide (NO) production. (+/-)-IA inhibited NO production more strongly than DES as assessed by a nitrite assay. The inhibitory effect of (+/-)-IA on IFN-gamma-induced intracellular NO production was confirmed by direct staining of intracellular NO with diaminofluorescein-2 diacetyl. Inhibition of NO production was confirmed by Western blot analysis of IFN-gamma-induced NO synthase. Under IFN-gamma-stimulated conditions, the IFN-gamma activation site (GAS), which was the most important transcription factor, was significantly inhibited by (+/-)-IA. (+/-)-IA also promoted the activation of NF-kappaB. (+/-)-IA at 1 and 3 microM delayed the onset of apoptosis. Our results suggest that (+/-)-IA inhibited the activation of macrophages, resulting in the suppression of NO-mediated apoptosis. These results suggest a novel mechanism for the carcinogenic promoting activity of DES via its metabolite, (+/-)-IA.