Novel oxime and oxime ether derivatives of 12,14-dichlorodehydroabietic acid: design, synthesis, and BK channel-opening activity

The synthesis and antistaphylococcal activity of dehydroabietic acid derivatives: modifications at C12 and C7

A series of 7-N-acylaminoethyl/propyloxime derivatives of dehydroabietic acid were synthesized and investigated for their antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus Newman strain and multidrug-resistant strains (NRS-1, NRS-70, NRS-100, NRS-108 and NRS-271). Most of the target compounds having trifluoromethyl phenyl/benzyl, halogen-substituted thiophenyl, benzothiophenyl or pyrrolyl moiety exhibited potent in vitro antibacterial activity. Among which, compounds 4m, 4x and 7j showed high antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 1.25-3.13 μg/mL against five multidrug-resistant S. aureus.

Synthesis of Novel Podocarpa-8,11,13-Triene-7- and 13-Nitriles and Evaluation of their Anti-Inflammatory and Cytotoxic Activity

A series of novel podocarpa-8,11,13-triene-7- and 13-nitriles were prepared from the naturally occurring labdane diterpenoid (+)-manool, using podocarp-8(14)-en-13-one and 13-methoxypodocarpa-8,11,13-trien-7-one as key intermediates and TMSCN and acetonitrile as source of the nitrile. The synthesised compounds were screened for cytotoxicity against mouse macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7), human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines (HT-29) and human prostate adenocarcinoma cell lines (PC3) and for anti-inflammatory, as measured by the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production by RAW cells. 7-Oxopodocarpa-8,11,13-triene-13-nitrile exhibited significant inhibition of NO production (IC50 = 6 μM) and was not cytotoxic.

Modulation of BK Channels by Small Endogenous Molecules and Pharmaceutical Channel Openers

Voltage- and Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels of big conductance (BK channels) are abundantly found in various organs and their relevance for smooth muscle tone and neuronal signaling is well documented. Dysfunction of BK channels is implicated in an array of human diseases involving many organs including the nervous, pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, and urinary systems. In humans a single gene (KCNMA1) encodes the pore-forming α subunit (Slo1) of BK channels, but the channel properties are variable because of alternative splicing, tissue- and subcellular-specific auxiliary subunits (β, γ), posttranslational modifications, and a multitude of endogenous signaling molecules directly affecting the channel function. Initiatives to develop drugs capable of activating BK channels (channel openers) therefore need to consider the tissue-specific variability of BK channel structure and the potential interference with endogenously produced regulatory factors. The atomic structural basis of BK channel function is only beginning to be revealed. However, building on detailed knowledge of BK channel function, including its single-channel characteristics, voltage- and Ca(2+) dependence of channel gating, and modulation by diffusible messengers, a multi-tier allosteric model of BK channel gating (Horrigan and Aldrich (HA) model) has become a valuable tool in studying modulation of the channel. Using the conceptual framework of the HA model, we here review the functional impact of endogenous modulatory factors and select small synthetic compounds that regulate BK channel activity. Furthermore, we devise experimental approaches for studying BK channel-drug interactions with the aim to classify BK-modulating substances according to their molecular mode of action.

The synthesis and BK channel-opening activity of N-acylaminoalkyloxime derivatives of dehydroabietic acid

A series of N-acylaminoalkyloxime derivatives of dehydroabietic acid were synthesized and evaluated for BK channel-opening activities in an assay system of CHO-K1 cells expressing hBKα channels. The structure-activity relationship study revealed that a non-covalent interaction between the S atom of the 2-thiophene and the carbonyl O atom may contribute to conformation restriction for interaction with the ion channel. This research could guide the design and synthesis of novel abietane-based BK channel opener.

Resin-acid derivatives as potent electrostatic openers of voltage-gated K channels and suppressors of neuronal excitability

Voltage-gated ion channels generate cellular excitability, cause diseases when mutated, and act as drug targets in hyperexcitability diseases, such as epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia and pain. Unfortunately, many patients do not satisfactorily respond to the present-day drugs. We found that the naturally occurring resin acid dehydroabietic acid (DHAA) is a potent opener of a voltage-gated K channel and thereby a potential suppressor of cellular excitability. DHAA acts via a non-traditional mechanism, by electrostatically activating the voltage-sensor domain, rather than directly targeting the ion-conducting pore domain. By systematic iterative modifications of DHAA we synthesized 71 derivatives and found 32 compounds more potent than DHAA. The most potent compound, Compound 77, is 240 times more efficient than DHAA in opening a K channel. This and other potent compounds reduced excitability in dorsal root ganglion neurons, suggesting that resin-acid derivatives can become the first members of a new family of drugs with the potential for treatment of hyperexcitability diseases.

Synthetic derivatives of aromatic abietane diterpenoids and their biological activities

Naturally occurring aromatic abietane diterpenoids (dehydroabietanes) exhibit a wide range of biological activities. A number of synthetic studies aimed at modifying the abietane skeleton in order to obtain new potential chemotherapeutic agents have been reported. In this study, the biological activities of synthetic derivatives of aromatic abietane diterpenoids are reviewed.

The smooth muscle-type β1 subunit potentiates activation by DiBAC4(3) in recombinant BK channels

Large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated (BK) channels, expressed in a variety of tissues, play a fundamental role in regulating and maintaining arterial tone. We recently demonstrated that the slow voltage indicator DiBAC4(3) does not depend, as initially proposed, on the β 1 or β 4 subunits to activate native arterial smooth muscle BK channels. Using recombinant mslo BK channels, we now show that the β 1 subunit is not essential to this activation but exerts a large potentiating effect. DiBAC4(3) promotes concentration-dependent activation of BK channels and slows deactivation kinetics, changes that are independent of Ca(2+). Kd values for BK channel activation by DiBAC4(3) in 0 mM Ca(2+) are approximately 20 μM (α) and 5 μM (α+β 1), and G-V curves shift up to -40 mV and -110 mV, respectively. β1 to β2 mutations R11A and C18E do not interfere with the potentiating effect of the subunit. Our findings should help refine the role of the β 1 subunit in cardiovascular pharmacology.

Molecular mechanism of pharmacological activation of BK channels

Large-conductance voltage- and Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (Slo1 BK) channels serve numerous cellular functions, and their dysregulation is implicated in various diseases. Drugs activating BK channels therefore bear substantial therapeutic potential, but their deployment has been hindered in part because the mode of action remains obscure. Here we provide mechanistic insight into how the dehydroabietic acid derivative Cym04 activates BK channels. As a representative of NS1619-like BK openers, Cym04 reversibly left-shifts the half-activation voltage of Slo1 BK channels. Using an established allosteric BK gating model, the Cym04 effect can be simulated by a shift of the voltage sensor and the ion conduction gate equilibria toward the activated and open state, respectively. BK activation by Cym04 occurs in a splice variant-specific manner; it does not occur in such Slo1 BK channels using an alternative neuronal exon 9, which codes for the linker connecting the transmembrane segment S6 and the cytosolic RCK1 domain--the S6/RCK linker. In addition, Cym04 does not affect Slo1 BK channels with a two-residue deletion within this linker. Mutagenesis and model-based gating analysis revealed that BK openers, such as Cym04 and NS1619 but not mallotoxin, activate BK channels by functionally interacting with the S6/RCK linker, mimicking site-specific shortening of this purported passive spring, which transmits force from the cytosolic gating ring structure to open the channel's gate.