Enzymatic halogenation of flavanones and flavones

Endoperoxidases in biosynthesis of endoperoxide bonds

Endoperoxides are important sources of ideas for drug discovery. Endoperoxide bonds are considered to be the cause of the interesting biological activities of endoperoxides, but there is limited knowledge regarding the biosynthetic mechanisms of most endoperoxide bonds. In this minireview, we summarize current knowledge about the biosynthesis of endoperoxides in nature and focus our discussion on plant-derived endoperoxides. In short, plants have evolved two systems, photocatalysis and enzyme catalysis, to catalyse the synthesis of endoperoxide bonds. Iron-dependent oxygenases, represented by the α-ketoglutarate (α-KG)-dependent dioxygenase (2-ODD) family, are most likely involved in the enzyme-catalysed reactions of endoperoxides in plants. Moreover, Nardostachys jatamansi (D.Don) DC, a plant native to the Himalayan alpine region, is strongly recommended for use in the discovery of plant-derived endoperoxidases.

Modification of flavonoids: methods and influences on biological activities

Flavonoids are important active ingredients in plant-based food, which have many beneficial effects on health. But the low solubility, poor oral bioavailability, and inferior stability of many flavonoids may limit their applications in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. Structural modification can overcome these shortcomings to improve and extend the application of flavonoids. The study of how to modify flavonoids and the influence of various modifications on biological activity have drawn great interest in the current literature. In this review, the working principles and operating conditions of modification methods were summarized along with their potential and limitations in terms of operational safety, cost, and productivity. The influence of various modifications on biological activities and the structure-activity relationships of flavonoids derivatives were discussed and highlighted, which may give guidance for the synthesis of highly effective active agents. In addition, the safety of flavonoids derivatives is reviewed, and future research directions of flavonoid modification research are discussed.

Halogenation in Fungi: What Do We Know and What Remains to Be Discovered?

In nature, living organisms produce a wide variety of specialized metabolites to perform many biological functions. Among these specialized metabolites, some carry halogen atoms on their structure, which can modify their chemical characteristics. Research into this type of molecule has focused on how organisms incorporate these atoms into specialized metabolites. Several families of enzymes have been described gathering metalloenzymes, flavoproteins, or S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) enzymes that can incorporate these atoms into different types of chemical structures. However, even though the first halogenation enzyme was discovered in a fungus, this clade is still lagging behind other clades such as bacteria, where many enzymes have been discovered. This review will therefore focus on all halogenation enzymes that have been described in fungi and their associated metabolites by searching for proteins available in databases, but also by using all the available fungal genomes. In the second part of the review, the chemical diversity of halogenated molecules found in fungi will be discussed. This will allow the highlighting of halogenation mechanisms that are still unknown today, therefore, highlighting potentially new unknown halogenation enzymes.

A Promiscuous Halogenase for the Derivatization of Flavonoids

Halogenation often improves the bioactive properties of natural products and is used in pharmaceutical research for the generation of new potential drug leads. High regio- and stereospecificity, simple reaction conditions and straightforward downstream processing are the main advantages of halogenation using enzymatic biocatalysts compared to chemical synthetic approaches. The identification of new promiscuous halogenases for the modification of various natural products is of great interest in modern drug discovery. In this paper, we report the identification of a new promiscuous FAD-dependent halogenase, DklH, from Frankia alni ACN14a. The identified halogenase readily modifies various flavonoid compounds, including those with well-studied biological activities. This halogenase has been demonstrated to modify not only flavones and isoflavones, but also flavonols, flavanones and flavanonols. The structural requirements for DklH substrate recognition were determined using a feeding approach. The homology model of DklH and the mechanism of substrate recognition are also proposed in this paper.

Halogenases: a palette of emerging opportunities for synthetic biology-synthetic chemistry and C-H functionalisation

The enzymatic generation of carbon-halogen bonds is a powerful strategy used by both nature and synthetic chemists to tune the bioactivity, bioavailability and reactivity of compounds, opening up the opportunity for selective C-H functionalisation. Genes encoding halogenase enzymes have recently been shown to transcend all kingdoms of life. These enzymes install halogen atoms into aromatic and less activated aliphatic substrates, achieving selectivities that are often challenging to accomplish using synthetic methodologies. Significant advances in both halogenase discovery and engineering have provided a toolbox of enzymes, enabling the ready use of these catalysts in biotransformations, synthetic biology, and in combination with chemical catalysis to enable late stage C-H functionalisation. With a focus on substrate scope, this review outlines the mechanisms employed by the major classes of halogenases, while in parallel, it highlights key advances in the utilisation of the combination of enzymatic halogenation and chemical catalysis for C-H activation and diversification.

Polyhalogenation of Isoflavonoids by the Termite-Associated Actinomadura sp. RB99

Based on high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HR-MS²) and global natural products social molecular networking (GNPS), we found that plant-derived daidzein and genistein derivatives are polyhalogenated by termite-associated Actinomadura species RB99. MS-guided purification from extracts of bacteria grown under optimized conditions led to the isolation of eight polychlorinated isoflavones, including six unreported derivatives, and seven novel polybrominated derivatives, two of which showed antimicrobial activity.

Halogenated Flavones and Isoflavones: A State-of-Art on their Synthesis

BACKGROUND

Flavonoid is a family of compounds present in the everyday consumption plants and fruits, contributing to a balanced diet and beneficial health effects. Being a scaffold for new drugs and presenting a wide range of applicability in the treatment of illnesses give them also an impact in medicine. Among the several types of flavonoids, flavone and isoflavone derivatives can be highlighted due to their prevalence in nature and biological activities already established. The standard synthetic route to obtain both halogenated flavones and isoflavones is through the use of already halogenated starting materials. Halogenation of the flavone and isoflavone core is less common because it is more complicated and involves some selectivity issues.

OBJECTIVE

Considering the importance of these flavonoids, we aim to present the main and more recent synthetic approaches towards their halogenation.

METHODS

The most prominent methodologies for the synthesis of halogenated flavones and isoflavones were reviewed. A careful survey of the reported data, using mainly the Scopus database and halogenation, flavones and isoflavones as keywords, was conducted.

RESULTS

Herein, a review is provided on the latest and more efficient halogenation protocols of flavones and isoflavones. Selective halogenation and the greener methodologies, including enzymatic and microbial halogenations, were reported. Nevertheless, some interesting protocols that allowed the synthesis of halogenated flavone and isoflavone derivatives in specific positions using halogenated reagents are also summarized.

CONCLUSION

Halogenated flavones and isoflavones have risen as noticeable structures; however, most of the time, the synthetic procedures involve toxic reagents and harsh reaction conditions. Therefore, the development of new synthetic routes with low environmental impact is desirable.

Conventional and Emerging Extraction Processes of Flavonoids

Flavonoids are a group of plant constituents called phenolic compounds and correspond to the nonenergy part of the human diet. Flavonoids are found in vegetables, seeds, fruits, and beverages such as wine and beer. Over 7000 flavonoids have been identified and they have been considered substances with a beneficial action on human health, particularly of multiple positive effects because of their antioxidant and free radical scavenging action. Although several studies indicate that some flavonoids have provident actions, they occur only at high doses, confirming in most investigations the existence of anti-inflammatory effects, antiviral or anti-allergic, and their protective role against cardiovascular disease, cancer, and various pathologies. Flavonoids are generally removed by chemical methods using solvents and traditional processes, which besides being expensive, involve long periods of time and affect the bioactivity of such compounds. Recently, efforts to develop biotechnological strategies to reduce or eliminate the use of toxic solvents have been reported, reducing processing time and maintaining the bioactivity of the compounds. In this paper, we review, analyze, and discuss methodologies for biotechnological recovery/extraction of flavonoids from agro-industrial residues, describing the advances and challenges in the topic.

Antidiabetic and antiparasitic potentials: Inhibition effects of some natural antioxidant compounds on α-glycosidase, α-amylase and human glutathione S-transferase enzymes

The glutathione S-transferase (GST) was purified from fresh blood erythrocytes using affinity column chromatography. Also, α-amylase from porcine pancreas and α-glycosidase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used as target enzymes. In this study, these compounds were tested on α-amylase, α-glycosidase, and GST enzymes and demonstrated effective inhibitor compounds with K_i values in the range of 8.34-40.78 μM against GST, and 120.53-892.36 nM against α-glycosidase. Additionally, the phenolic molecules were tested for the inhibition of α-amylase enzyme which determined effective inhibition profile with IC₅₀ values in the range of 175.01-626.58 nM. Indeed, these molecules can be elective inhibitors of GST, α-glycosidase and α-amylase enzymes as antidiabetic and antiparasitic agents.

Combining semi-synthesis with plant and microbial biocatalysis: new frontiers in producing a chemical arsenal against cancer

Natural products (NPs) that exhibit anticancer activities are frequently not potent enough to be used clinically as therapeutics. Semi-synthesis and metabolic engineering are promising approaches for producing more efficacious derivatives of anticancer NPs (ACNPs), but each technique alone can be inefficient at obtaining specific ACNP derivatives that may be suspected to have enhanced anticancer activity. Here, we demonstrate that the methods of semi-synthesis and biocatalysis can be used as modules in succession and in different combinations to produce 6,8-dibromogenkwanin, a derivative of the ACNP apigenin. Further, we demonstrated that soybean seed coats can be used as a biocatalyst to convert brominated flavonoids into multiple derivatives. A strength of the combinatorial (bio)synthesis approach was that the order of the modules could be rearranged to increase the yield of the desired product. At lower treatment concentration (5 μM), 6,8-dibromogenkwanin exhibited enhanced antiproliferative activities against HT-29 colorectal adenocarcinoma cancer cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions compared to its ACNP precursors, but not at higher concentrations. Dose–response analyses suggested that dibromogenkwanin had a distinct mode-of-action compared to apigenin. Thus, this proof-of-concept paper demonstrates combinatorial (bio)synthesis as an approach that can be used to produce novel chemistries for anticancer research.

Combinatorial (bio)synthesis combines modules of semi-synthesis and biocatalysts to produce novel derivatives of anticancer natural products for bioactivity testing.

Development of Halogenase Enzymes for Use in Synthesis

Nature has evolved halogenase enzymes to regioselectively halogenate a diverse range of biosynthetic precursors, with the halogens introduced often having a profound effect on the biological activity of the resulting natural products. Synthetic endeavors to create non-natural bioactive small molecules for pharmaceutical and agrochemical applications have also arrived at a similar conclusion: halogens can dramatically improve the properties of organic molecules for selective modulation of biological targets in vivo. Consequently, a high proportion of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals on the market today possess halogens. Halogenated organic compounds are also common intermediates in synthesis and are particularly valuable in metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. Despite the potential utility of organohalogens, traditional nonenzymatic halogenation chemistry utilizes deleterious reagents and often lacks regiocontrol. Reliable, facile, and cleaner methods for the regioselective halogenation of organic compounds are therefore essential in the development of economical and environmentally friendly industrial processes. A potential avenue toward such methods is the use of halogenase enzymes, responsible for the biosynthesis of halogenated natural products, as biocatalysts. This Review will discuss advances in developing halogenases for biocatalysis, potential untapped sources of such biocatalysts and how further optimization of these enzymes is required to achieve the goal of industrial scale biohalogenation.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 5,7-dihydroxyflavanone derivatives as antimicrobial agents

A series of 5,7-dihydroxyflavanone derivatives were efficiently synthesized. Their antimicrobial efficacy on Gram-negative, Gram-positive bacteria and yeast were evaluated. Among these compounds, most of the halogenated derivatives exhibited the best antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The cytotoxicities of these compounds were low as evaluated on HepG2 cells using a cell viability assay. This study suggests that halogenated flavanones might represent promising pharmacological candidates for further drug development.

Ecofriendly synthesis of halogenated flavonoids and evaluation of their antifungal activity

Chlorinated catechin derivative 29 resulted in being the most active compound against Trichoderma koningii and Cladosporium cladosporioides, common saprotrophic soil and seed fungi.

Improved oxidation of naringenin to carthamidin and isocarthamidin by Rhodotorula marina

A novel single-step microbial transformation process for the efficient production of carthamidin and isocarthamidin from naringenin by yeast Rhodotorula marina in an aerated bioreactor was described. The biotransformation led to the total product concentration of 233 mg/l. The highest conversion efficiency observed for carthamidin was 0.31 mg/mg of naringenin and for isocarthamidin 0.47 mg/mg of naringenin.

Development of non-natural flavanones as antimicrobial agents

With growing concerns over multidrug resistance microorganisms, particularly strains of bacteria and fungi, evolving to become resistant to the antimicrobial agents used against them, the identification of new molecular targets becomes paramount for novel treatment options. Recently, the use of new treatments containing multiple active ingredients has been shown to increase the effectiveness of existing molecules for some infections, often with these added compounds enabling the transport of a toxic molecule into the infecting species. Flavonoids are among the most abundant plant secondary metabolites and have been shown to have natural abilities as microbial deterrents and anti-infection agents in plants. Combining these ideas we first sought to investigate the potency of natural flavonoids in the presence of efflux pump inhibitors to limit Escherichia coli growth. Then we used the natural flavonoid scaffold to synthesize non-natural flavanone molecules and further evaluate their antimicrobial efficacy on Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and the fungal pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Of those screened, we identified the synthetic molecule 4-chloro-flavanone as the most potent antimicrobial compound with a MIC value of 70 µg/mL in E. coli when combined with the inhibitor Phe-Arg-ß-naphthylamide, and MICs of 30 µg/mL in S. cerevesiae and 30 µg/mL in C. neoformans when used alone. Through this study we have demonstrated that combinatorial synthesis of non-natural flavonones can identify novel antimicrobial agents with activity against bacteria and fungi but with minimal toxicity to human cells.

Epimerization, transacylation and bromination of dihydroquercetin acetates; synthesis of 8-bromodihydroquercetin

Dihydroquercetin (dhq) and its 3-acetate react with acetic anhydride in the absence of a base catalyst to yield mixtures of partially acetylated products. Three new esters were characterized by NMR spectroscopy as dhq 3,7,3′-triacetate, 3,7,4′-triacetate and 5,7,3′,4′-tetraacetate. At its melting point neat dhq 3,7,3′,4′-tetraacetate is partially converted to dhq 3,3′,4′-triacetate and dhq pentaacetate by intermolecular acetyl transfer. Dhq 7,3′,4′-triacetate yields exclusively dhq 3′,4′-di- and 3,7,3′,4′-tetraacetate under these conditions. The acetylation/deacetylation reactions are accompanied by partial epimerization: 3 new acetates with 2,3-cis stereochemistry (dhq 3-, 3,7,3′,4′-tetra- and penta-) were identified. Dhq and its 3,7,3′,4′-tetraacetate undergo regiospecific dibromination at C-6 and C-8 with excess N-bromosuccinimide in polar solvents, and 6,8-dibromo-dhq can be regioselectively debrominated to 8-bromo-dhq with sodium sulfite.

Anti-inflammatory effects and chemical study of a flavonoid-enriched fraction from adlay bran

Anti-inflammation-guided fractionation and purification were used to evaluate the bioactivity and components of adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf) bran. Results showed that the fraction with high phenolic and flavonoid contents from the ethanol extracts of adlay bran suppressed LPS-stimulated IL-6 and TNF-α secretions in a concentration-dependent manner in RAW 264.7 cells and murine peritoneal macrophages. Fifteen compounds, including a novel aurone derivative, two chromones, one dihydrochalcone, one chalcone, four flavanones, five flavones and one isoflavone, were isolated from the active fraction. The structure of the new compound was elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR and MS. All of the isolates are reported for the first time from adlay except naringenin. LC/MS was also provided as an analytical platform. Our results suggest that flavonoids in adlay bran, partially at least, contribute to its anti-inflammatory effect. Thus, adlay bran may be beneficial to the health of consumers.

Death receptor 5 promoter-enhancing compounds isolated from Catimbium speciosum and their enhancement effect on TRAIL-induced apoptosis

The TRAIL/death-receptor signaling pathway has been considered a promising target for selective cancer therapy, although some malignant tumors exhibit TRAIL resistance. We previously found that isoflavonoid enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis in TRAIL-resistant cells, which is achieved through up-regulation of death receptor 5 (DR5). In our screening program targeting DR5 promoter enhancement activity, activity-guided fractionations of the extract of Catimbium speciosum led to the isolation of six compounds. Of the isolates, cardamomin (6), the most potent compound, enhanced the expressions of DR5 and DR4 and decreased the Bcl-xL level in TRAIL-resistant DLD1 cells. The combination of 6 and TRAIL synergistically enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis against TRAIL-resistant cells upon the activation of caspase-8, 9, and 3. In addition, enhancement of apoptosis by 6 was inhibited by human recombinant DR5/Fc and DR4/Fc chimera proteins, TRAIL-neutralizing fusion proteins, indicating that 6 sensitize TRAIL-resistant cells to TRAIL through the induction of DR5 and DR4. Also, up-regulation of DR5 by 6 paralleled that of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-homologous protein (CHOP).

New iodine derivatives of flavonol and isoflavone

The reaction of the flavonol 3,7,3', 4'-tetra-O-methylquercetin (1) and of the isoflavone 7,4'-di-O-methylgenistein (2) with alkaline iodine in methanol afforded four new iodine derivatives: 8-iodo-5-hydroxy-3,7,3', 4'-tetramethoxy- flavone (1a) and 6-iodo-5-hydroxy-3,7,3', 4'-tetramethoxyflavone (1b) from 1; 2 afforded a mixture of two compounds, identified as a racemic mixture of (±)-trans-5-hydroxy-2,3,7,4'-tetramethoxy-8-iodo-isoflavanone (2a) and (±)-trans-5-hydroxy-2,3,7,4'-tetramethoxy-6,8-diiodo-isoflavanone (2b). The formation of these different products reveals a significant difference involving the chemical interaction between the reactive site of α, β-unsaturated ketones of flavonol and isoflavone under the tested reaction conditions (using I2/KOH/MeOH). Furthermore, the trans stereo selectivity is noteworthy in the nucleophylic addition of methanol at the isoflavone α, β-unsaturated system. The structures were identified on the basis of spectral data, mainly 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectra.

The dodecameric vanadium-dependent haloperoxidase from the marine algae Corallina officinalis: cloning, expression, and refolding of the recombinant enzyme

The dodecameric vanadium-dependent bromoperoxidase from Corallina officinalis has been cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. However, the enzyme was found to be predominantly in the form of inclusion bodies. This protein presents a challenging target for refolding, both due to the size (768kDa) and quaternary structure (12x64kDa). Successful refolding conditions have been established which result in an increase in the final yield of active bromoperoxidase from 0.5mg to 40mg per litre of culture. The refolded protein has been characterised and compared to the native enzyme and was shown to be stable at temperatures of 80 degrees C, over a pH range 5.5-10 and in organic solvents such as ethanol, acetonitrile, methanol, and acetone. The novel refolding approach reported in this paper opens up the full potential of this versatile enzyme for use in large scale biotransformation studies.

Heme-thiolate haloperoxidases: versatile biocatalysts with biotechnological and environmental significance

Heme-thiolate haloperoxidases are undoubtedly the most versatile biocatalysts of the hemeprotein family and share catalytic properties with at least three further classes of heme-containing oxidoreductases, namely, classic plant and fungal peroxidases, cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, and catalases. For a long time, only one enzyme of this type--the chloroperoxidase (CPO) of the ascomycete Caldariomyces fumago--has been known. The enzyme is commercially available as a fine chemical and catalyzes the unspecific chlorination, bromination, and iodation (but no fluorination) of a variety of electrophilic organic substrates via hypohalous acid as actual halogenating agent. In the absence of halide, CPO resembles cytochrome P450s and epoxidizes and hydroxylates activated substrates such as organic sulfides and olefins; aromatic rings, however, are not susceptible to CPO-catalyzed oxygen-transfer. Recently, a second fungal haloperoxidase of the heme-thiolate type has been discovered in the agaric mushroom Agrocybe aegerita. The UV-Vis adsorption spectrum of the isolated enzyme shows little similarity to that of CPO but is almost identical to a resting-state P450. The Agrocybe aegerita peroxidase (AaP) has strong brominating as well as weak chlorinating and iodating activities, and catalyzes both benzylic and aromatic hydroxylations (e.g., of toluene and naphthalene). AaP and related fungal peroxidases could become promising biocatalysts in biotechnological applications because they seemingly fill the gap between CPO and P450 enzymes and act as "self-sufficient" peroxygenases. From the environmental point of view, the existence of a halogenating mushroom enzyme is interesting because it could be linked to the multitude of halogenated compounds known from these organisms.

Exploiting the reaction flexibility of a type III polyketide synthase through in vitro pathway manipulation

A synthetic metabolic pathway has been constructed in vitro consisting of the type III polyketide synthase from Streptomyces coelicolor and peroxidases from soybean and Caldariomyces fumago (chloroperoxidase). This has resulted in the synthesis of the pentaketide flaviolin and its dimeric derivative, and a wide range of pyrones and their coupled derivatives with flaviolin, as well as their halogenated derivatives. The addition of acyl-CoA oxidase to the pathway prior to the polyketide synthase resulted in unsaturated pyrone side chains, further broadening the product spectrum that can be achieved. The approach developed in this work, therefore, provides a new model to exploit biocatalysis in the synthesis of complex natural product derivatives.

Chlorination and cleavage of lignin structures by fungal chloroperoxidases

Two fungal chloroperoxidases (CPOs), the heme enzyme from Caldariomyces fumago and the vanadium enzyme from Curvularia inaequalis, chlorinated 1-(4-ethoxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-dihydroxypropane, a dimeric model compound that represents the major nonphenolic structure in lignin. Both enzymes also cleaved this dimer to give 1-chloro-4-ethoxy-3-methoxybenzene and 1,2-dichloro-4-ethoxy-5-methoxybenzene, and they depolymerized a synthetic guaiacyl lignin. Since fungal CPOs occur in soils and the fungi that produce them are common inhabitants of plant debris, CPOs may have roles in the natural production of high-molecular-weight chloroaromatics and in lignin breakdown.