Sesquiterpene lactone trilobolide activates production of interferon-γ and nitric oxide

Large Scale Conversion of Trilobolide into the Payload of Mipsagargin: 8-O-(12-Aminododecanoyl)-8-O-Debutanoylthapsigargin

In spite of the impressing cytotoxicity of thapsigargin (Tg), this compound cannot be used as a chemotherapeutic drug because of general toxicity, causing unacceptable side effects. Instead, a prodrug targeted towards tumors, mipsagargin, was brought into clinical trials. What substantially reduces the clinical potential is the limited access to Tg and its derivatives and cost-inefficient syntheses with unacceptably low yields. Laser trilobum, which contains a structurally related sesquiterpene lactone, trilobolide (Tb), is successfully cultivated. Here, we report scalable isolation of Tb from L. trilobum and a transformation of Tb to 8-O-(12-aminododecanoyl)-8-O-debutanoylthapsigargin in seven steps. The use of cultivated L. trilobum offers an unlimited source of the active principle in mipsagargin.

Applications of Sesquiterpene Lactones: A Review of Some Potential Success Cases

Sesquiterpene lactones, a vast range of terpenoids isolated from Asteraceae species, exhibit a broad spectrum of biological effects and several of them are already commercially available, such as artemisinin. Here the most recent and impactful results of in vivo, preclinical and clinical studies involving a selection of ten sesquiterpene lactones (alantolactone, arglabin, costunolide, cynaropicrin, helenalin, inuviscolide, lactucin, parthenolide, thapsigargin and tomentosin) are presented and discussed, along with some of their derivatives. In the authors’ opinion, these compounds have been neglected compared to others, although they could be of great use in developing important new pharmaceutical products. The selected sesquiterpenes show promising anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects, acting on various targets. Moreover, they exhibit antifungal, anxiolytic, analgesic, and antitrypanosomal activities. Several studies discussed here clearly show the potential that some of them have in combination therapy, as sensitizing agents to facilitate and enhance the action of drugs in clinical use. The derivatives show greater pharmacological value since they have better pharmacokinetics, stability, potency, and/or selectivity. All these natural terpenoids and their derivatives exhibit properties that invite further research by the scientific community.

Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase Inhibitors: Beyond Anticancer Perspective

The sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA), which plays a key role in the maintenance of Ca²⁺ ion homeostasis, is an extensively studied enzyme, the inhibition of which has a considerable impact on cell life and death decision. To date, several SERCA inhibitors have been thoroughly studied and the most notable one, a derivative of the sesquiterpene lactone thapsigargin, is gradually approaching a clinical application. Meanwhile, new compounds with SERCA-inhibiting properties of natural, synthetic, or semisynthetic origin are being discovered and/or developed; some of these might also be suitable for the development of new drugs with improved performance. This review brings an up-to-date comprehensive overview of recently discovered compounds with the potential of SERCA inhibition, discusses their mechanism of action, and highlights their potential clinical applications, such as cancer treatment.

Archangelolide: A sesquiterpene lactone with immunobiological potential from Laserpitium archangelica

Sesquiterpene lactones are secondary plant metabolites with sundry biological effects. In plants, they are synthesized, among others, for pesticidal and antimicrobial effects. Two such compounds, archangelolide and trilobolide of the guaianolide type, are structurally similar to the well-known and clinically tested lactone thapsigargin. While trilobolide has already been studied by us and others, there are only scarce reports on the biological activity of archangelolide. Here we present the preparation of its fluorescent derivative based on a dansyl moiety using azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition having obtained the two sesquiterpene lactones from the seeds of Laserpitium archangelica Wulfen using supercritical CO₂ extraction. We show that dansyl-archangelolide localizes in the endoplasmic reticulum of living cells similarly to trilobolide; localization in mitochondria was also detected. This led us to a more detailed study of the anticancer potential of archangelolide. Interestingly, we found that neither archangelolide nor its dansyl conjugate did exhibit cytotoxic effects in contrast to the structurally closely related counterparts trilobolide and thapsigargin. We explain this observation by a molecular dynamics simulation, in which, in contrast to trilobolide, archangelolide did not bind into the sarco/endoplasmic reticular calcium ATPase cavity utilized by thapsigargin. Last, but not least, archangelolide exhibited anti-inflammatory activity, which makes it promising compound for medicinal purposes.

BODIPY-based fluorescent liposomes with sesquiterpene lactone trilobolide

Like thapsigargin, which is undergoing clinical trials, trilobolide is a natural product with promising anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Similar to thapsigargin, it has limited aqueous solubility that strongly reduces its potential medicinal applications. The targeted delivery of hydrophobic drugs can be achieved using liposome-based carriers. Therefore, we designed a traceable liposomal drug delivery system for trilobolide. The fluorescent green-emitting dye BODIPY, cholesterol and trilobolide were used to create construct 6. The liposomes were composed of dipalmitoyl-3-trimethylammoniumpropane and phosphatidylethanolamine. The whole system was characterized by atomic force microscopy, the average size of the liposomes was 150 nm in width and 30 nm in height. We evaluated the biological activity of construct 6 and its liposomal formulation, both of which showed immunomodulatory properties in primary rat macrophages. The uptake and intracellular distribution of construct 6 and its liposomal formulation was monitored by means of live-cell fluorescence microscopy in two cancer cell lines. The encapsulation of construct 6 into the liposomes improved the drug distribution in cancer cells and was followed by cell death. This new liposomal trilobolide derivative not only retains the biological properties of pure trilobolide, but also enhances the bioavailability, and thus has potential for the use in theranostic applications.

Composition and Antimicrobial Properties of Essential Oils of Laser Trilobum Rhizomes and Fruits

The compositions of hydrodistillated essential oils of Laser trilobum (L.) Borkh. rhizomes and fruits from Serbia, were investigated using GC and GC/MS. In the dark-blue rhizome oil forty-six compounds (93.1% of the total oil) were identified, with α-pinene (31.5%), γ-terpinene (9.0%), p-cymene (7.9%), β-pinene (6.1%) and 1,4-dimethylazulene (6.0%) as the major components. In the colorless fruits oil, twenty components (96.8% of the total oil) were identified, and the main constituents were limonene (51.6%) and perillaldehyde (26.8%). The antimicrobial activity of the oils was tested using the broth microdilution method against nine bacterial and two fungal strains. The oils revealed significant antimicrobial effect, mainly better than that of thymol, used as a reference compound. The strongest activity was recorded for the rhizome oil against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans (MICs=25 μg/mL), and the fruit oil against C. albicans ATCC 10259 (MIC=12.5 μg/mL).

Immunoassay for determination of trilobolide

Trilobolide (Tb) is a pharmacologically interesting sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Laser trilobum (L.) Borkh. Structural relation to a sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin bring promising prospects for Tb to be used in the development of new anti-cancer drugs. As long as there are still unanswered questions regarding its investigation, a need for novel analytical tools emerge. Since immunoassays serve as one of powerful tools within the investigation of natural products, the development of indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) utilizing coating based on avidin-biotin technology is described. In our set-up of ELISA, newly synthesized biotinylated Tb served as immobilized competitor. Tb-carboxymethyloxime-bovine serum albumin (BSA) and Tb-succinoyl-BSA conjugates were used separately for immunization of rabbits. Two sets of polyclonal antibodies (RAbs) were obtained. Antibodies against Tb-succinoyl-BSA conjugate (RAb No. 206) were chosen as the best. Under optimized conditions, limit of detection and 50% intercept of our ELISA were 849pg/mL and 8.89ng/mL, respectively. The cross-reactivity (CR) was tested on 10 structurally related compounds and CR did not exceed 6.1%. The reproducibility of the system is expressed as intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation (9.7% and 11.4%, respectively). Based on conducted experiments, we proposed the use of ELISA for quantification of Tb in complex biological matrices such as plant extracts. A method was applied to analyze three extracts obtained from different parts of L. trilobum. Data obtained were compared to those acquired by UHPLC-MS/MS. The concordance between the methods (103-87%) showed the ability of ELISA to quantify Tb.

Immunobiological properties of sesquiterpene lactones obtained by chemically transformed structural modifications of trilobolide

Our previous research on immunostimulatory properties of trilobolide and its structurally related natural analogues isolated from Laser trilobum (L.) Borkh., encouraged us to investigate structurally related guaianolides belonging to a specific group of sesquiterpene lactones with characteristic glycol moiety attached to the lactone ring. Ever increasing attention has been paid to certain guaianolides such as thapsigargin and trilobolide for their promising anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-infectious and SERCA inhibitory activities. However, due to their alkylation capabilities, they might be cytotoxic. Search for compounds with preserved immunobiological properties and decreased cytotoxicity led us to transform some of their structural features, particularly those related to their side chain functionality. For this reason, we prepared a series of over 20 various deacylated, acyl modified, or relactonized derivatives of trilobolide. The immunobiological effects were screened in vitro using the rat peritoneal cells primed with lipopolysaccharide. Secretion of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukins (IL) IL-1β, IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were determined by ELISA, and nitric oxide (NO) production by Griess reagent. Relation between the molecular structure and immunobiological activity was investigated. Acetylation at 7-OH and 11-OH positions of the lactone ring, or acyl modification of the guaianolide functionalities (including relactonization) of trilobolide, led to inability to stimulate secretion of cytokines and production of NO. Interestingly, minor structural changes achieved by catalytic hydrogenation or hydrogenolysis retained the original immunoactivity of trilobolide. It can be concluded that several new chemically transformed sesquiterpene lactones resembling the immunobiological properties of trilobolide or thapsigargin were prepared and identified. The implication of the lactone vicinal diol (glycol) moiety, combined with other structure functionality, was confirmed as essential for immune properties of the trilobolide or thapsigargin type of guaianolides.

Trilobolide-porphyrin conjugates: on synthesis and biological effects evaluation

Trilobolide (Tb), a potent natural counterpart of thapsigargin, is a sesquiterpene lactone of guaianolide type isolated from horse caraway (Laser trilobum, L. Borkh). Tb exerts remarkable pharmacological properties based on irreversible inhibition of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA), thus being of increasing interest for cancer cure. Additionally, another pharmacological activity of Tb, as well as of thapsigargin, was reported in several studies, Tb as being an effective inductor of nitric oxide and cytokine production. These extraordinary biological properties move these molecules in further pre-clinical evaluation. Because of ubiquitous character of SERCA expression, development of specifically targeted bioactive molecules is inevitable. Since it is well known that porphyrins are preferentially taken up by cancer cells, we have designed and synthesized novel Tb-porphyrin conjugates. Copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition was used to link Tb with porphyrin at once. Two model conjugates of Tb and porphyrin were synthesized and properly characterized. Employing naturally occurring fluorescence properties of porphyrins, we investigated the intracellular localization of the conjugates employing fluorescence microscopy in living cells. Intriguingly, the prepared conjugates localized both in mitochondria and lysosomes of HeLa and LNCaP cells. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of Tb-porphyrin conjugates was assessed in a number of human cancer cell lines and rat peritoneal cells. Likewise in cancer cell lines, viability of rat peritoneal cells was not affected by the tested conjugates. Interestingly, we observed dose-dependent nitric oxide (iNOS) production induced by the tested conjugates. The effect was related to the type of a linker used and the overall size of the molecule. Another potent immunobiological effects are under evaluation. In summary, the results presented here indicate notable immunobiological potential of the prepared Tb conjugates. Moreover, they could help to decipher the molecular mechanism of Tb for its possible biomedical applications.

Tailor-made fluorescent trilobolide to study its biological relevance

Trilobolide (Tb) is a potent natural counterpart of thapsigargin, which has shown promising results in cancer clinical trials. Here, we report a rational approach to study intracellular localization and biological activity of this sesquiterpene lactone. We conjugated Tb with a green-emitting Bodipy dye attached by alternative linkers of different lengths. The live-cell imaging of the prepared bioconjugates brought clear evidence that Tb-Bodipy localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of various cancer cell lines. The localization signal was compared with ER-specific dyes. Cytotoxicity of Tb conjugates and impact on the mitochondrial physiology and nitric oxide release were also studied. The nitric oxide production and cytokine secretion in rat peritoneal cells indicate immunobiological potential of these lactone bioconjugates. In summary, our Tb-Bodipy conjugates could help us to reveal the molecular mechanism of trilobolide for its further potential use in biomedical applications.

Sesquiterpene lactones: adverse health effects and toxicity mechanisms

Sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) present a wide range of biological activities, mostly based on their alkylating capabilities, which underlie their therapeutic potential. These compounds are the active constituents of a variety of plants, frequently used as herbal remedies. STLs such as artemisinin and its derivatives are in use as first-line antimalarials while others, such as parthenolide, have recently reached cancer clinical trials. However, the toxicological profile of these compounds must be thoroughly characterized, since the same properties that make STL useful medicines can also cause severe toxicity. STL-containing plants have long been known to induce a contact dermatitis in exposed farm workers, and also to cause several toxic syndromes in farm animals. More recently, concerns are been raised regarding the genotoxic potential of these compounds and the embryotoxicity of artemisinins. A growing number of STLs are being reported to be mutagenic in different in vitro and in vivo assays. As yet no systematic studies have been published, but the genotoxicity of STLs seems to depend not so much on direct DNA alkylation as on oxidative DNA damage and other partially elucidated mechanisms. As the medicinal use of these compounds increases, further studies of their toxic potential are needed, especially those focusing on the structural determinants of genotoxicity and embryotoxicity.

Trilobolide and related sesquiterpene lactones from Laser trilobum possessing immunobiological properties

Three new and five known sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from the roots of Laser trilobum (L.) Borkh. Chemical identity of the known compounds and structural analysis of the new ones were determined by HR MS and NMR spectroscopy. The two new sesquiterpene lactones: 2-acetoxytrilobolide and 2-hydroxy-10-deacetyltrilobolide belong to the guaianolide type, and the third one, eudeslaserolide, to the biogenetically related eudesmanolide type. Both types, together with their biogenetic precursor of germacranolide type (laserolide) are present in L. trilobum, as well as in the related Laserpitium species. Purposefully selected set of these native sesquiterpene lactones was tested for specific immunobiological properties. The obtained results demonstrate that trilobolide and its acetoxy analog are strong activators of cytokine secretion. On the contrary, the other L. trilobum and Laserpitium siler constituents are only very mild activators, or even inhibitors of the cytokine and nitric oxide production.