Structural, spectroscopic and microbiological characterization of the chalcone 2E-1-(2ʹ-hydroxy-3ʹ,4ʹ,6ʹ-trimethoxyphenyl)-3-(phenyl)-prop-2-en-1-one derived from the natural product 2-hydroxy-3,4,6-trimethoxyacetophenone

Tetrahydroxanthene-1,3(2H)-diones and Oxidized Hexadiene Derivatives from Uvaria leptopoda and Their Biological Activities

The first phytochemical investigation of the twig extract of Uvaria leptopoda resulted in the isolation and identification of three new tetrahydroxanthene-1,3(2H)-diones, uvarialeptones A-C, two new oxidized hexadiene derivatives, uvarialeptols A and B, together with ten known compounds. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques and mass spectrometry. Uvarialeptones A and B were unprecedented tetrahydroxanthene-1,3(2H)-dione dimers which exhibited a cyclobutane ring via [2 + 2] cycloaddition from uvarialeptone C and 9a-O-methyloxymitrone, respectively. The structure of uvarialeptone A was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis using Mo Kα radiation. Compound 3 inhibited NO production at an IC50 value of 6.7 ± 0.1 μM.

Synthesis of chalcones and their antimicrobial and drug potentiating activities

The increased resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobial drugs makes it necessary to search for new active compounds, such as chalcones. Their simple chemical structure makes them molecules easy to synthesize. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial and potentiating activity of antibiotics and antifungals by synthetic chalcones against strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. The synthesis of chalcones was carried out by Claisen-Schimidt aldol condensation. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Gas Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) were also performed. Microbiological tests were performed by the broth microdilution method, using gentamicin, norfloxacin and penicillin as standard drugs for the antibacterial assay, and fluconazole for the antifungal assay. Three chalcones were obtained (1E,4E)-1,5-diphenylpenta-1,4-dien-3-one (DB-Acetone), (1E,3E,6E,8E)-1,9-diphenylnone-1,3,6,8-tetraen-5-one (DB-CNM), (1E,4E)-1,5-bis (4-methoxyphenyl) penta-1,4-dien-3-one (DB-Anisal). The compound DB-Acetone was able to inhibit P. aeruginosa ATCC 9027 at a concentration of 1.4 × 10² μM (32 μg/mL), while DB-CNM and DB-Anisal inhibited the growth of S. aureus ATCC 25923 at 17.88 × 10² μM and 2.71 × 10¹ μM (512 μg/mL and 8 μg/mL) respectively. In the combined activity, DB-Anisal was able to potentiate the effect of the three antibacterial drugs tested against E. coli 06, norfloxacin (128 for 4 μg/mL ±1) against P. aeruginosa 24 and penicillin (1,024 for 16 μg/mL ±1) against S. aureus 10. In antifungal assays, chalcones were not able to inhibit the growth of fungal strains tested. However, both showed potentiating activity with fluconazole, ranging from 8.17 x 10^-1 μM (0.4909 μg/mL) to 2.35 μM (13.96 μg/mL). It is concluded that synthetic chalcones have antimicrobial potential, demonstrating good intrinsic activity against fungi and bacteria, in addition to potentiating the antibiotics and antifungal tested. Further studies are needed addressing the mechanisms of action responsible for the results found in this work.

Antibacterial potential of chalcones and its derivatives against Staphylococcus aureus

Chalcones are natural substances found in the metabolism of several botanical families. Their structure consists of 1,3-diphenyl-2-propen-1-one and they are characterized by having in their chains an α, β-unsaturated carbonyl system, two phenol rings and a three-carbon chain that unites them. In plants, Chalcones are mainly involved in the biosynthesis of flavonoids and isoflavonoids through the phenylalanine derivation. This group of substances has been shown to be a viable alternative for the investigation of its antibacterial potential, considering the numerous biological activities reported and the increase of the microbial resistance that concern global health agencies. Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that has stood out for its ability to adapt and develop resistance to a wide variety of drugs. This literature review aimed to highlight recent advances in the use of Chalcones and derivatives as antibacterial agents against S. aureus, focusing on research articles available on the Science Direct, Pub Med and Scopus data platforms in the period 2015-2021. It was constructed informative tables that provided an overview of which types of Chalcones are being studied more (Natural or Synthetic); its chemical name and main Synthesis Methodology. From the analysis of the data, it was observed that the compounds based on Chalcones have great potential in medicinal chemistry as antibacterial agents and that the molecular skeletons of these compounds as well as their derivatives can be easily obtained through substitutions in the A and B rings of Chalcones, in order to obtain the desired bioactivity. It was verified that Chalcones and derivatives are promising agents for combating the multidrug resistance of S. aureus to drugs.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-022-03398-7.

Antibacterial and antibiotic modifying activity, ADMET study and molecular docking of synthetic chalcone (E)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(2,4-dimethoxy-3-methylphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one in strains of Staphylococcus aureus carrying NorA and MepA efflux pumps

A large number of infections are caused by multi-resistant bacteria worldwide, adding up to a figure of around 700,000 deaths per year. Because of that many strategies are being developed in order to combat the resistance of microorganisms to drugs, in recent times, chalcones have been studied for this purpose. Chalcones are known as α, β-unsaturated ketones, characterized by having the presence of two aromatic rings that are joined by a three-carbon chain, they are a class of compounds considered an exceptional model due to chemical simplicity and a wide variety of biological activities, which include anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, antimicrobials, anti-tuberculosis, anti-HIV, antimalarial, anti-allergic, antifungal, antibacterial, and antileishmanial. The objective of this work was evaluate the antibacterial and antibiotic modifying activity of chalcone (E)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-(2,4-dimethoxy-3-methylphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus carrying a NorA and MepA efflux pump. The results showed that chalcone was able to synergistically modulate the action of Norfloxacin and Ethidium Bromide against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus 1199B and K2068, respectively. The theoretical physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of chalcone showed that the chalcone did not present a severe risk of toxicity such as genetic mutation or cardiotoxicity, constituting a good pharmacological active ingredient.

Direct antibacterial and antibiotic resistance modulatory activity of chalcones synthesized from the natural product 2-hydroxy-3,4,6-trimethoxyacetophenone

Antibiotic for clinical use lose its effectiveness over time due to bacterial resistance. In this work, four chalcones with modifications in their ligands were synthesized from the natural product 2-hydroxy-3,4,6-trimethoxyacetophenone, characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared spectroscopy, and tested in bacterial models to investigate the direct and modifiers effects of the antibiotic activity of these four novel chalcones. The tests followed the broth microdilution methodology to obtain the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The MIC/8 of the products were used in the resistance reversion test. The chalcone 2 showed the best result in terms of direct activity, with MIC 645 μg/mL for Staphylococcus aureus and 812 μg/mL for Escherichia coli. While, for the bacterial resistance reversal test, the chalcones presented several synergistic interactions, being that chalcone 4 had the best interaction with the tested antibiotics. It was found that the type of ligand, as well as its position in the ring, interferes in the modulation of the antibiotic activity. Our results show that chalcones are strong candidates to be used as antibacterial drug or in combination with antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains.

Structural, Vibrational and Electrochemical Analysis and Antibacterial Potential of Isomeric Chalcones Derived from Natural Acetophenone

Background: Chalcones are part of a family of small phenolic compounds that are being extensively studied for presenting a diversity of molecular structures and biological activities. In this paper, two chalcones, (E)-1-(2-hydroxy-3,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl)-3-(3-nitrophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (1), (E)-1-(2-hydroxy-3,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (2), were synthesized by Claisen–Schmidt condensation. Methods: The molecular structures of these chalcones were determined by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and characterized by infrared, Raman spectroscopy, and electrochemical analysis at room temperature. Vibrational wavenumbers were predicted using Functional Density Theory (DFT) calculations, and their normal modes were analyzed in terms of potential energy distribution (PED). Besides this, DFT calculations were performed to obtain the molecular orbitals and their quantum descriptors. The UV-Vis absorption spectrum of the synthesized chalcones was measured and compared with each other. In addition, analyses of antimicrobial activity and modulation of antibiotic resistance were carried out to assess the antibacterial potential of these chalcones. Results: The vibrational spectra of polycrystalline chalcones obtained by ATR-FTIR, FT-Raman and DFT calculations allowed a complete assignment of the vibrational modes, and revealed the quantum chemical parameters. Both chalcones did not show good responses when associated with the antibiotics Ciprofloxacin and Cephalexin against S. aureus 10 and E. coli 06 strains. However, a significant potentiating of the Gentamicin activity against S. aureus 10 and E. col 06 strains was observed for chalcone 2. On the other hand, when associated with Norfloxacin, an antagonistic effect was observed. The results found for EtBr suggest that, although the tested chalcones behave as efflux pump inhibitors, probably inhibiting other efflux pumps, they were not able to inhibit NorA. Thus, these synthetic chalcones are not recommended for use in association with Norfloxacin against strains of S. aureus 1199-B that overexpress the NorA gene. Conclusions: Spectroscopic data confirmed the structure of the chalcones, and chalcone 2 showed potential as an adjuvant in antibiotic therapy.