New potent cytotoxic lamellarin alkaloids from Indian ascidian Didemnum obscurum

Trifluoroacetic acid-promoted Michael addition-cyclization reactions of vinylogous carbamates

A simple and efficient methodology has been developed for the synthesis of pyrrolobenzoxazine and 3-arylamino coumarin derivatives promoted by trifluoroacetic acid. The initial step in the current protocol involves a Michael addition of the 1,4-benzoxazinone derivatives, a novel class of vinylogous carbamates to the Michael acceptors and subsequent cyclization.

Visible-light photoredox catalyzed synthesis of pyrroloisoquinolines via organocatalytic oxidation/[3 + 2] cycloaddition/oxidative aromatization reaction cascade with Rose Bengal

Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline alkaloids have been prepared via a visible light photoredox catalyzed oxidation/[3 + 2] cycloaddition/oxidative aromatization cascade using Rose Bengal as an organo-photocatalyst. A variety of pyrroloisoquinolines have been obtained in good yields under mild and metal-free reaction conditions.

Modular synthesis of lamellarins via regioselective assembly of 3,4,5-differentially arylated pyrrole-2-carboxylates

A modular synthesis of lamellarins via 3,4,5-differentially arylated pyrrole-2-carboxylate intermediates has been developed. The key reactions employed are Br-Li exchange-methoxycarbonylation of 2,5-dibromo-1-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-1H-pyrrole (1) followed by palladium-catalyzed iterative Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of the pyrrole core. The 3,4,5-triarylpyrrole 4 thus synthesized was readily converted to 5,6-saturated lamellarin L (2) and 5,6-unsaturated lamellarin N (3) via lactonization followed by annulation of the pyrrole nitrogen and lateral aromatic ring at C5 using 2-bromoethyl phenyl sulfide or bromoacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal as two-carbon homologation agents. In principle, this strategy allows the production of diverse lamellarins in short steps with high yields using readily accessible arylboronic acids as aromatic modules.

Lamellarins as inhibitors of P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance in a human colon cancer cell line

Chemical analysis of a Didemnum sp. (CMB-01656) collected during scientific Scuba operations off Wasp Island, New South Wales, yielded five new lamellarins A1 (1), A2 (2), A3 (3), A4 (4) and A5 (5) and eight known lamellarins C (6), E (7), K (8), M (9), S (10), T (11), X (12) and χ (13). Analysis of a second Didemnum sp. (CMB-02127) collected during scientific trawling operations along the Northern Rottnest Shelf, Western Australia, yielded the new lamellarin A6 (14) and two known lamellarins G (15) and Z (16). Structures were assigned to 1-16 on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis with comparison to literature data and authentic samples. Access to this unique library of natural lamellarins (1-16) provided a rare opportunity for structure-activity relationship (SAR) investigations, probing interactions between lamellarins and the ABC transporter efflux pump P-glycoprotein (P-gp) with a view to reversing multidrug resistance in a human colon cancer cell line (SW620 Ad300). These SAR studies, which were expanded to include the permethylated lamellarin derivative (17) and a series of lamellarin-inspired synthetic coumarins (19-24) and isoquinolines (25-26), successfully revealed 17 as a promising new non-cytotoxic P-gp inhibitor pharmacophore.

Novel 5, 6-Dihydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines as Scaffolds for Synthesis of Lamellarin Analogues

As core skeletons of lamellarins: 5,6-Dihydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines are one of the important alkaloids that exhibit significant biological activities, in this study, an efficient synthetic route was described for two novel compounds, 5,6-dihydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines I and II. Compound I was synthesized from isovanillin with 28.3% overall yield by a six-step reaction while II from 2-(3, 4-dimethoxyphenyl) ethanamine was with 61.6% overall yield by a three-step reaction. And the structures of these two compounds were confirmed by means of IR spectrum, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS, HRMS, and melting point measurements.

Assessing the drug-likeness of lamellarins, a marine-derived natural product class with diverse oncological activities

Natural products currently represent an underutilized source of leads for the pharmaceutical industry, especially when one considers that almost 50% of all drugs were either derived from such sources or are very closely related. Lamellarins are a class of natural products with diverse biological activities and have entered into preclinical development for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tumors. Although these compounds demonstrated good cell penetration, as observed by their low microM activity in whole cell models, they have not been extensively profiled from a physicochemical point of view, and this is the goal of this study. For this study, we have determined the experimental logP values of a set of 25 lamellarins, given it is the single most important parameter in determining multiple ADMET parameters. We also discuss the relationship between this natural product class, natural product derivatives in development and on the market, oral marketed drugs, as well as drug molecules in development, using a range of physicochemical parameters in conjunction with principal components analysis (PCA). The impact of this systematic analysis on our ongoing medicinal chemistry strategy is also discussed.

Antileukemic effects of Didemnum psammatodes (Tunicata: Ascidiacea) constituents

Chemical investigation of the methanolic extract of the ascidian Didemnum psammatodes has led to the identification of fourteen known compounds: three methyl esters (methyl myristate, methyl palmitate and methyl stearate), four steroids (cholesterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol), two fatty acids (palmitic acid and stearic acid), three glyceryl ethers {(1,2-propanediol, 3-(heptadecyloxy), batyl alcohol and 1,2-propanediol, 3-[(methyloctadecyl)oxy]} and two nucleosides (thymidine and 2'-deoxyguanosine). Their structures were proposed by NMR and comparison with literature data and GC analysis in comparison with authentic sample. The cytotoxic activity of these compounds was evaluated against human leukemia cell line panel using the MTT assay. The mixture of the three methyl esters was the most active group of compounds, showing antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects. Further studies on their mode of action suggest that these activities are connected with inhibition of DNA synthesis and induction of both necrosis and apoptosis.

Anticancer alkaloid lamellarins inhibit protein kinases

Lamellarins, a family of hexacyclic pyrrole alkaloids originally isolated from marine invertebrates, display promising anti-tumor activity. They induce apoptotic cell death through multi-target mechanisms, including inhibition of topoisomerase I, interaction with DNA and direct effects on mitochondria. We here report that lamellarins inhibit several protein kinases relevant to cancer such as cyclin-dependent kinases, dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation activated kinase 1A, casein kinase 1, glycogen synthase kinase-3 and PIM-1. A good correlation is observed between the effects of lamellarins on protein kinases and their action on cell death, suggesting that inhibition of specific kinases may contribute to the cytotoxicity of lamellarins. Structure/activity relationship suggests several paths for the optimization of lamellarins as kinase inhibitors.

Marine pharmacology in 2005-2006: antitumour and cytotoxic compounds

During 2005 and 2006, marine pharmacology research directed towards the discovery and development of novel antitumour agents was reported in 171 peer-reviewed articles. The purpose of this article is to present a structured review of the antitumour and cytotoxic properties of 136 marine natural products, many of which are novel compounds that belong to diverse structural classes, including polyketides, terpenes, steroids and peptides. The organisms yielding these bioactive marine compounds included invertebrate animals, algae, fungi and bacteria. Antitumour pharmacological studies were conducted with 42 structurally defined marine natural products in a number of experimental and clinical models which further defined their mechanisms of action. Particularly potent in vitro cytotoxicity data generated with murine and human tumour cell lines were reported for 94 novel marine chemicals with as yet undetermined mechanisms of action. Noteworthy is the fact that marine anticancer research was sustained by a global collaborative effort, involving researchers from Australia, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, the Philippines, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA). Finally, this 2005-2006 overview of the marine pharmacology literature highlights the fact that the discovery of novel marine antitumour agents continued at the same active pace as during 1998-2004.

Marine natural products

This review covers the literature published in 2005 for marine natural products, with 704 citations (493 for the period January to December 2005) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green algae, brown algae, red algae, sponges, coelenterates, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates and echinoderms. The emphasis is on new compounds (812 for 2005), together with their relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that lead to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included.