Zhong-Li Liu

Metabolism and anticancer activity of the curcumin analogue, dimethoxycurcumin.

Purpose: The plant-derived compound curcumin has shown promising abilities as a cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy agent in vitro and in vivo but exhibits poor bioavailability. Therefore, there is a need to investigate modified curcumin congeners for improved anticancer activity and pharmacokinetic properties. Experimental Design: The synthetic curcumin analogue dimethoxycurcumin was compared with curcumin for ability to inhibit proliferation and apoptosis of human HCT116 colon cancer cells in vitro by estimating the GI50 and LC50 values and detecting the extent of apoptosis by flow cytometry analysis of the cell cycle. Metabolic stability and/or identification of metabolites were evaluated by recently developed mass spectrometric approaches after incubation with mouse and human liver microsomes and cancer cells in vitro. Additionally, circulating levels of dimethoxycurcumin and curcumin were determined in mice following i.p. administration. Results: Dimethoxycurcumin is significantly more potent than curcumin in inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis in HCT116 cells treated for 48 h. Nearly 100% of curcumin but <30% of dimethoxycurcumin was degraded in cells treated for 48 h, and incubation with liver microsomes confirmed the limited metabolism of dimethoxycurcumin. Both compounds were rapidly degraded in vivo but dimethoxycurcumin was more stable. Conclusions: Compared with curcumin, dimethoxycurcumin is (a) more stable in cultured cells, (b) more potent in the ability to kill cancer cells by apoptosis, (c) less extensively metabolized in microsomal systems, and (d) more stable in vivo. It is likely that the differential extent of apoptosis induced by curcumin and dimethoxycurcumin in vitro is associated with the metabolite profiling and/or the extent of stability.

Synergistic antioxidant effect of green tea polyphenols with α-tocopherol on free radical initiated peroxidation of linoleic acid in micelles

The antioxidant effect of the main polyphenolic components extracted from green tea leaves, i.e., (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and gallic acid (GA), against peroxidation of linoleic acid has been studied in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles. The peroxidation was initiated thermally by a water-soluble azo initiator 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AMPAD) and the reaction kinetics were followed by formation of linoleic acid hydroperoxides and consumption of the antioxidant. Kinetic analysis of the antioxidation process demonstrates that these green tea polyphenols are effective antioxidants in micelles used either alone or in combination with α-tocopherol (vitamin E). The antioxidative action may involve trapping the initiating radicals in the bulk water phase, trapping the propagating lipid peroxyl radicals on the surface of the micelle and regenerating α-tocopherol by reducing α-tocopheroxyl radical. The antioxidant activity of these green tea polyphenols depends significantly on the microenvironment of the reaction medium, the oxidation potential and the size of the molecule.

Structure determination, apoptosis induction, and telomerase inhibition of CFP-2, a novel lichenin from Cladonia furcata

A great deal of experimental evidence has accumulated in the past several decades, suggesting that polysaccharides have wide bioactivities. Cladonia furcata polysaccharide, CFP-2, a water-soluble lichenin with a mean Mr 7.6 x 10(4), was first obtained by 0.25 M NaOH solution extraction, ethanol precipitation, DEAE-cellulose, and Sephadex G-200 column chromatography. Gas chromatography of acid hydrolyzate of CFP-2 suggested that it was composed of D-glucose, D-galactose, and D-mannose in the molar ratios of 8:1:1. Periodate oxidation, Smith degradation, IR, and NMR spectroscopy analysis revealed that CFP-2 had a backbone consisting of alpha-(1-->3) and alpha-(1-->4)-linked D-glucopyranosyl residues substituted at O-6 with beta-(1-->6)-linked D-galactopyranosyl residue and alpha-(1-->6)-linked D-mannopyranosyl residue. CFP-2 was able to reduce viability of cultured HL-60 and K562 cells. The antiproliferative properties of CFP-2 appeared to be attributable to its induction of apoptotic cell death as determined by ultrastructural change, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, and increased proportion of the subdiploid cell population. To elucidate molecular events in the apoptosis, protein expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, Fas, and FasL were measured by Western blotting using specific antibodies in HL-60 cells. The level of Bcl-2 remained largely unchanged, but the Bax, Fas, and FasL expression showed up-regulation. Moreover, the telomerase activity analyzed by TRAP-ELISA assay in HL-60 cells treated with CFP-2 decreased as compared with the untreated control cells. These results suggest that CFP-2 could have a possible cancer therapeutic potential.

Photoinduced transformation of α,β-epoxyketones to β-hydroxyketones by Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridine

Irradiation (lambda >300 nm) of Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridine with aromatic alpha,beta-epoxyketones in acetonitrile selectively breaks the Calpha-O bond of the epoxides giving the corresponding beta-hydroxyketones in excellent yields

Photosensitized Diels–Alder reactions of N-arylimines: synthesis of tetrahydroquinoline derivatives

Irradiation (λ>345 nm) of catalytic amounts of 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate (TPT) in a CH2Cl2 solution of N-aryl imines and α-methylstyrene or styrene produced the corresponding [4+2] cycloaddition products, tetrahydroquinoline derivatives, in good yield. The reaction was controlled by the relative oxidation potentials of the dienophile and the diene.

Inhibition of free radical induced oxidative hemolysis of red blood cells by green tea polyphenols

Thein vitro oxidative hemolysis of human red blood cells (RBC) was used as a model to study the free radical induced damage of biological membranes and the inhibitory effect of natural antioxidants. The hemolysis was induced by a water-soluble free radical initiator 2,2′-azo(2-asmidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) and inhibited by the principal polyphenolic components extracted from green tea leaves, i.e. (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and gallic acid (GA). Addition of AAPH at 37°C caused fast hemolysis after a short period of inhibition period, while addition of the green tea polyphenols efficiently suppressed the hemolysis in the activity sequence of EGCG > EGC> ECG ≈EC>GA, demonstrating that these green tea polyphenols are effective antioxidants which could protect biological membranes from free radical induced oxidative damage.

REMARKABLE ENHANCEMENT OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF VITAMIN C IN AN ARTIFICIAL BILAYER BY MAKING IT LIPO-SOLUBLE

The reaction kinetics between 4-palmitoyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO-16) and vitamin C (VC) and its lipophilic derivative ascorbyl-6-palmitate (VC-16) was studied by stopped-flow ESR spectroscopy in a synthetic surfactant vesicle sodium 1-pentadecyl hexadecyl sulfate (SPHS). TEMPO-16 reacted with VC very slowly and showed a biphasic first-order kinetics with rate constants of 9.6 x 10(-4) and 2.5 x 10(-4) s-1, corresponding to diffusion of TEMPO-16 from the external monolayer of SPHS to the bulk water and flip-flop of TEMPO-16 from the internal to external monolayer of the vesicle, respectively. On the other hand, the reaction of TEMPO-16 with VC-16 was second-order and over three orders of magnitude faster than that with VC, presumably due to VC-16 induced fusion of the vesicle.

Taraxastane-type triterpenoids from Saussurea petrovii

Two taraxastane triterpenoids, i.e. taraxast-20-ene-3beta,30-diol (1) and 20alpha,21alpha-epoxy-taraxastane-3beta,22alpha-diol (2), as well as four known triterpenes taraxast-20(30)ene-3beta,21alpha-diol (3), taraxast-20(30)-ene-3beta-ol (4), taraxast-20-ene-3beta-ol (5) and taraxastane-3beta,20alpha-diol (6) were isolated from the Chinese medicinal plant Saussurea petrovii. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. These compounds, especially 1 and 2, exhibit significant antitumor and antibacterial activity.

Kinetic EPR studies on bio-antioxidants

The synergistic antioxidant mechanisms of α-tocopherol (vitamin E) with green tea polyphenols and β-carotene are discussed on the basis of kinetic studies on the reactions of α-tocopheroxyl radical with the green tea polyphenols, β-carotene and retinal by stopped-flow electron paramagnetic resonance technique, and on the inhibition of lipid peroxidation by these antioxidants.

Stopped-flow ESR study on the reactivity of vitamin E, vitamin C and its lipophilic derivatives towards Fremy's salt in micellar systems

The reaction between Fremys salt and alpha-tocopherol (VE), ascorbic acid (VC) and its lipophilic derivatives ascorbyl-6-caprylate (VC-8), 6-laurate (VC-12) and 6-palmitate (VC-16) were studied by stopped-flow ESR spectroscopy in cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles, as a model reaction of these antioxidants with alkyl peroxy radicals in biological systems. The second order rate constants for the reaction of Fremys salt with VE in CTAB and SDS micelles were found to be 7.9 x 10(3) and 2.2 M-1 s-1, respectively, with as high as a 3600-fold variation. Rate constants for VC, VC-8, VC-12 and VC-16 are 4.3, 35, 53 and 56 x 10(3) M-1 s-1 and 3.3, 2.7, 1.2 and 0.86 x 10(3) M-1 s-1 in CTAB and SDS micelles, respectively. The results demonstrate remarkable effects of the charge type of the micelles and the side-chain of the antioxidants on the antioxidation reactivity in the micelles. It reveals that the inter-micellar diffusion may be the rate-limiting step for antioxidation carried out in micelles.