Wei Lun Chen

Greensporones: Resorcylic Acid Lactones from an Aquatic Halenospora sp.

Fourteen new resorcylic acid lactones (1–14) were isolated from an organic extract of a culture of a freshwater aquatic fungus Halenospora sp. originating from a stream in North Carolina. The structures were elucidated using a set of spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques. The absolute configuration of one representative member of the compounds (7) was assigned using X-ray crystallography of an analogue that incorporated a heavy atom, whereas for compounds 8–11, a modified Mosher’s ester method was utilized. The relative configurations of compounds 12–14 were determined on the basis of NOE data. Compounds 12–14 were proposed as artifacts produced by intramolecular cycloetherification of the ε-hydroxy-α,β-unsaturated ketone moieties of the parent compounds during the purification processes. The isolated compounds, except for 8 and 12, were tested against the MDA-MB-435 (melanoma) and HT-29 (colon) cancer cell lines. Compound 5 was the most potent, with IC50 values of 2.9 and 7.5 μM, respectively. The compounds were evaluated as TAK1–TAB1 inhibitors but were found to be inactive.

New diketopiperazine dimer from a filamentous fungal isolate of Aspergillus sydowii.

Prior investigations of filamentous fungi in our group have resulted in the isolation of several new and biologically active natural products.[1-3] Continuing these investigations, we have now analyzed the metabolites from a fungal isolate of Aspergillus sydowii (MSX19583) that was obtained from spruce litter collected in 1984 in Colorado, USA. The extracts from solid-substrate fermentation cultures exhibited cytotoxic activity against MDA-MB-435 (human melanoma) cells and were therefore pursued for further analysis. Chemical separation of the CH3CN/CH3OH extract afforded a new diketopiperazine dimer (1) in addition to three known compounds including cyclo-(L-phenylalaninyl-L-tryptophanyl),[2, 4, 5] S-sydonic acid (3), and S-sydonol (4) (Fig. 1).[6]

Trichormamides A and B with Antiproliferative Activity from the Cultured Freshwater Cyanobacterium Trichormus sp. UIC 10339.

Two new cyclic lipopeptides, trichormamides A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the cultured freshwater cyanobacterium Trichormus sp. UIC 10339. The strain was obtained from a sample collected in Raven Lake in Northern Wisconsin. The planar structures of trichormamides A (1) and B (2) were determined using a combination of spectroscopic analyses including HRESIMS and 1D and 2D NMR experiments. The absolute configurations of the amino acid residues were assigned by the advanced Marfey’s method after acid hydrolysis. Trichormamide A (1) is a cyclic undecapeptide containing two d-amino acid residues (d-Tyr and d-Leu) and one β-amino acid residue (β-aminodecanoic acid). Trichormamide B (2) is a cyclic dodecapeptide characterized by the presence of four nonstandard α-amino acid residues (homoserine, N-methylisoleucine, and two 3-hydroxyleucines) and one β-amino acid residue (β-aminodecanoic acid). Trichormamide B (2) was cytotoxic against MDA-MB-435 and HT-29 cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 0.8 and 1.5 μM, respectively.

Epigenetic manipulation of a filamentous fungus by the proteasome-inhibitor bortezomib induces the production of an additional secondary metabolite

The use of epigenetic modifiers, such as histone deacetylase inhibitors and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, has been explored increasingly as a technique to induce the production of additional microbial secondary metabolites. The application of such molecules to microbial cultures has been shown to upregulate otherwise suppressed genes, and in several cases has led to the production of new molecular structures. In this study, the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib was used to induce the production of an additional metabolite from a filamentous fungus (Pleosporales). The induced metabolite was previously isolated from a plant, but the configuration was not assigned until now; in addition, an analogue was isolated from a degraded sample, yielding a new compound. Proteasome inhibitors have not previously been used in this application and offer an additional tool for microbial genome mining.

Cytotoxic (9βH)-Pimarane and (9βH)-17-Norpimarane Diterpenes from the Tuber of Icacina trichantha

Three (9βH)‐pimaranes, 1, 2, and 3, and two (9βH)‐17‐norpimaranes, 4 and 5, belonging to a rare compound class in nature, were obtained from the tubers of Icacina trichantha for the first time. Compound 1 is a new natural product, and 2–5 have been previously reported. The structures were elucidated based on NMR and MS data, and optical rotation values. The absolute configurations of (9βH)‐pimaranes were unambiguously established based on X‐ray crystallographic analysis. Full NMR signal assignments for the known compounds 2, 4, and 5, which were not available in previous publications, are also reported. All five isolates displayed cytotoxic activities on MDA‐MB‐435 cells (IC50 0.66–6.44 μM), while 2, 3, and 4 also exhibited cytotoxicities on HT‐29 cells (IC50 3.00–4.94 μM).

Cardiac Glycoside Constituents of Streblus asper with Potential Antineoplastic Activity

Three new (1-3) and two known (4 and 5) cytotoxic cardiac glycosides were isolated and characterized from a medicinal plant, Streblus asper Lour. (Moraceae), collected in Vietnam, with six new analogues and one known derivative (5a-g) synthesized from (+)-strebloside (5). A preliminary structure-activity relationship study indicated that the C-10 formyl and C-5 and C-14 hydroxy groups and C-3 sugar unit play important roles in the mediation of the cytotoxicity of (+)-strebloside (5) against HT-29 human colon cancer cells. When evaluated in NCr nu/nu mice implanted intraperitoneally with hollow fibers facilitated with either MDA-MB-231 human breast or OVCAR3 human ovarian cancer cells, (+)-strebloside (5) showed significant cell growth inhibitory activity in both cases, in the dose range 5-30 mg/kg.

(9βH)-Pimaranes and Derivatives from the Tuber of Icacina trichantha

New 17-nor-pimaranes (1, 2), (9βH)-pimaranes (3, 4), and 17-nor-(9βH)-pimarane (5) were isolated from the tuber of Icacina trichantha. The structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic and HRMS data. The absolute configurations of 3 and 5 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 5 possesses a unique 19,20-δ-lactone moiety. Compound 3 showed cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-435 (human melanoma cancer) cells with an IC50 value of 7.04 μM. A plausible biogenetic pathway for compounds 1-5 is proposed.

17-Norpimaranes and (9βH)-17-Norpimaranes from the Tuber of Icacina trichantha

Seven new 17-norpimarane and (9βH)-17-norpimarane diterpenoids, icacinlactones A-G (1-7), were isolated from the tuber of Icacina trichantha. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and HRMS techniques, and the absolute configuration of 2 was determined by means of X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 1-7, as well as four known related structures, were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against MDA-MB-435 (human melanoma cancer), MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer), and OVCAR3 (human ovarian cancer) cell lines. Several of these natural products displayed significant cytotoxic activity, with humirianthenolide C being the most active.

Trichormamides C and D, antiproliferative cyclic lipopeptides from the cultured freshwater cyanobacterium cf. Oscillatoria sp. UIC 10045.

Extract from the cultured freshwater cf. Oscillatoria sp. UIC 10045 showed antiproliferative activity against HT-29 cell line. Bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of two new cyclic lipopeptides, named trichormamides C (1) and D (2). The planar structures were determined by combined analyses of HRESIMS, Q-TOF ESIMS/MS, and 1D and 2D NMR spectra. The absolute configurations of the amino acid residues were assigned by advanced Marfeys analysis after partial and complete acid hydrolysis. Trichormamides C (1) is a cyclic undecapeptide and D (2) is a cyclic dodecapeptide, both containing a lipophilic β-aminodecanoic acid residue. Trichormamide C (1) displayed antiproliferative activities against HT-29 and MDA-MB-435 cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 1.7 and 1.0μM, respectively, as well as anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity with MIC value of 23.8μg/mL (17.3μM). Trichormamide D (2) was found to be less potent against both HT-29 and MDA-MB-435 cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 11.5 and 11.7μM, respectively.

Merocyclophanes C and D from the Cultured Freshwater Cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. (UIC 10110)

Merocyclophanes C and D (1 and 2) were isolated from the cell extract of the cultured cyanobacterium UIC 10110. The structures were determined by one-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and confirmed by 2D NMR techniques. The absolute configurations were determined using electronic circular dichroism spectroscopy. Merocyclophanes C and D represent the first known analogues of the merocyclophane core structure, a recently discovered scaffold of [7,7] paracyclophanes characterized by an α-branched methyl at C-1/C-14; 1 and 2 showed antiproliferative activity against the MDA-MB-435 cell line with IC50 values of 1.6 and 0.9 μM, respectively. Partial 16S analysis determined UIC 10110 to be a Nostoc sp., and it was found to clade with UIC 10062 Nostoc sp., the only other strain known to produce merocyclophanes. The genome of UIC 10110 was sequenced, and a biosynthetic gene cluster was identified that is proposed to encode type I and type III polyketide synthases that are potentially responsible for production of the merocyclophanes; however, further experiments will be required to verify the true function of the gene cluster. The gene cluster provides a genetic basis for the observed structural differences of the [7,7] paracyclophane core structures.