Piericones A and B as Potent Antithrombotics: Nanomolar Noncompetitive Protein Disulfide Isomerase Inhibitors with an Unexpected Chemical Architecture

Total Synthesis of (-)-Piericone D

The total synthesis of (-)-piericone D, a potential antithrombotic dihydrochalcone featuring an [3.3.0] octane core, is reported. Salient features of our synthesis include a stereoselective β-O-glycosylation to install the asebogenin aglycone and a late-stage global deprotection followed by simultaneous lactonization. The convergent synthesis paved the way for further structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of (-)-piericone D.

Boosting the enzymatic activity of CxxC motif-containing PDI family members

Compounds harboring high acidity and oxidizability of thiol groups permit tuning the redox equilibrium constants of CxxC sites of members of the protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) family and thus can be used to accelerate folding processes and increase the production of native proteins by minimal loading in comparison to glutathione.

Dauresorcinols A and B, two pairs of merosesquiterpenoid enantiomers with new carbon skeletons from Rhododendron dauricum

Five pairs of new merosesquiterpenoid enantiomers, named dauresorcinols A-E (1-5), were isolated from the leaves of Rhododendron dauricum. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis, quantum chemical calculations, Rh2(OCOCF3)4-induced ECD, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Dauresorcinols A (1) and B (2) possess two new merosesquiterpene skeletons bearing an unprecedented 2,6,7,10,14-pentamethyl-11-oxatetracyclo[8.8.0.02,7.012,17]octadecane and a caged 15-isohexyl-1,5,15-trimethyl-2,10-dioxatetracyclo[7.4.1.111,14.03,8]pentadecane motif, respectively. Plausible biosynthetic pathways of 1-5 are proposed involving key oxa-electrocyclization and Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement reactions. (+)/(-)-1 and 3-5 showed potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, 3 to 22 times stronger than acarbose, an antidiabetic drug targeting α-glucosidase. Docking results provide a basis to design and develop merosesquiterpenoids as potent α-glycosidase inhibitors.

Activity-Based Protein Profiling Identifies Protein Disulfide-Isomerases as Target Proteins of the Volatile Salinilactones

The salinilactones, volatile marine natural products secreted from Salinispora arenicola, feature a unique [3.1.0]-lactone ring system and cytotoxic activities through a hitherto unknown mechanism. To find their molecular target, an activity-based protein profiling with a salinilactone-derived probe is applied that disclosed the protein disulfide-isomerases (PDIs) as the dominant mammalian targets of salinilactones, and thioredoxin (TRX1) as secondary target. The inhibition of protein disulfide-isomerase A1 (PDIA1) and TRX1 is confirmed by biochemical assays with recombinant proteins, showing that (1S,5R)-salinilactone B is more potent than its (1R,5S)-configured enantiomer. The salinilactones bound covalently to C53 and C397, the catalytically active cysteines of the isoform PDIA1 according to tandem mass spectrometry. Reactions with a model substrate demonstrated that the cyclopropyl group is opened by an attack of the thiol at C6. Fluorophore labeling experiments showed the cell permeability of a salinilactone-BODIPY (dipyrrometheneboron difluoride) conjugate and its co-localization with PDIs in the endoplasmic reticulum. The study is one of the first to pinpoint a molecular target for a volatile microbial natural product, and it demonstrates that salinilactones can achieve high selectivity despite their small size and intrinsic reactivity.

Therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms of natural products in thrombosis

Thrombotic disorders, such as myocardial infarction and stroke, are the leading cause of death in the global population and have become a health problem worldwide. Drug therapy is one of the main antithrombotic strategies, but antithrombotic drugs are not completely safe, especially the risk of bleeding at therapeutic doses. Recently, natural products have received widespread interest due to their significant efficacy and high safety, and an increasing number of studies have demonstrated their antithrombotic activity. In this review, articles from databases, such as Web of Science, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, were filtered and the relevant information was extracted according to predefined criteria. As a result, more than 100 natural products with significant antithrombotic activity were identified, including flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, quinones, terpenoids, steroids, and alkaloids. These compounds exert antithrombotic effects by inhibiting platelet activation, suppressing the coagulation cascade, and promoting fibrinolysis. In addition, several natural products also inhibit thrombosis by regulating miRNA expression, anti-inflammatory, and other pathways. This review systematically summarizes the natural products with antithrombotic activity, including their therapeutic effects, mechanisms, and clinical applications, aiming to provide a reference for the development of new antithrombotic drugs.

Discovery of highly functionalized grayanane diterpenoids from the flowers of Rhododendron molle as potent analgesics

A systematical investigation on the chemical constituents of the flowers of Rhododendron molle (Ericaceae) led to the isolation and characterization of thirty-eight highly functionalized grayanane diterpenoids (1-38), including twelve novel analogues molleblossomins A-L (1-12). Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive methods, including 1D and 2D NMR analysis, calculated ECD, 13C NMR calculations with DP4+ probability analysis, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Molleblossomins A (1), B (2), and E (5) are the first representatives of 2β,3β:9β,10β-diepoxygrayanane, 2,3-epoxygrayan-9(11)-ene, and 5,9-epoxygrayan-1(10),2(3)-diene diterpenoids, respectively. Molleblossomins G (7) and H (8) represent the first examples of 1,3-dioxolane-grayanane conjugates furnished with the acetaldehyde and 4-hydroxylbenzylidene acetal moieties, respectively. All grayanane diterpenoids 1-38 were screened for their analgesic activities in the acetic acid-induced writhing model, and all of them exhibited significant analgesic activities. Diterpenoids 6, 13, 14, 17, 20, and 25 showed more potent analgesic effects than morphine at a lower dose of 0.2 mg/kg, with the inhibition rates of 51.4%, 68.2%, 94.1%, 66.9%, 97.7%, and 60.0%, respectively. More importantly, even at the lowest dose of 0.04 mg/kg, rhodomollein X (14), rhodojaponin VI (20), and rhodojaponin VII (22) still significantly reduced the number of writhes in the acetic acid-induced pain model with the percentages of 61.7%, 85.8%, and 64.6%, respectively. The structure-activity relationship was summarized and might provide some hints to design novel analgesics based on the functionalized grayanane diterpenoids.

Structurally diverse analgesic diterpenoids from the flowers of Rhododendron molle

Thirteen diterpenoids (1-13), classified into four structurally diverse carbon skeletons, including 1,5-seco-kalmane (1 and 6), grayanane (2-11), kalmane (12), and rhodomollane (13), were isolated from the flowers extract of Rhododendron molle. Among them, rhodomollinols A - E (1-5) were five new diterpenoids and their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods including HRESIMS, UV, IR, 1D and 2D NMR, as well as quantum ECD calculations. Rhodomollinol A (1) is the first representative of a 6-deoxy-1,5-seco-kalmane diterpenoid. The abnormal NMR phenomenon of the presence of only 9 carbon resonances instead of 20 carbons in the 13C NMR spectrum of 1 was observed and elucidated by the quantum NMR calculations. All diterpenoids 1-13 showed significant analgesic activities in an acetic acid-induced writhing model. It's the first time to report the analgesic activity of a rhodomollane-type diterpenoid. At a dose of 1.0 mg/kg, diterpenoids 1-3, 6, 8, 9, and 12 reduced the writhe numbers with inhibition rates over 50%, and 9 exhibited stronger analgesic activity with a writhe inhibition rate of 89.7% than that of the positive control morphine. Importantly, even at the lowest dose of 0.04 mg/kg, rhodomollinols A (1) and B (2), rhodomollein X (7), and 2-O-methylrhodojaponin VI (9) still showed more potent analgesic effects than morphine with the writhe inhibition rates of 51.8%, 48.0%, 61.7%, and 60.0%, respectively. A preliminary structure-activity relationship might provide some clues to design potential analgesics on the basis of structurally diverse Ericaceae diterpenoids.

Cytosporones W and X: Two Mutually Converting Epimers from a Mangrove Endophytic Fungus Diaporthe sp. ZJHJYZ-1

Two new octaketides, cytosporones W (1) and X (2), along with eight known cytosporone derivatives [(±)-3-9], were isolated from mangrove endophytic fungus Diaporthe sp. ZJHJYZ-1. Compounds 1 and 2 were a pair of epimers, whose configuration of C-1 could mutually convert, causing racemization of the lactone ring. The planar structures of compounds were elucidated through detailed 1D, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS analysis. ECD spectra comparison and modified Mosher ester method were applied to determine the absolute configuration of 1 and 2. In bioassays, (±)-3 exhibited promising inhibitory activities against Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Penicillium italicum with MIC, respectively, for 12.5, 12.5, and 3.13 μM.

Protein disulfide isomerase family mediated redox regulation in cancer

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and its superfamilies are mainly endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident proteins with essential roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis, via thiol oxidation/reduction cycles, chaperoning, and isomerization of client proteins. Since PDIs play an important role in ER homeostasis, their upregulation supports cell survival and they are found in a variety of cancer types. Despite the fact that the importance of PDI to tumorigenesis remains to be understood, it is emerging as a new therapeutic target in cancer. During the past decade, several PDI inhibitors has been developed and commercialized, but none has been approved for clinical use. In this review, we discuss the properties and redox regulation of PDIs within the ER and provide an overview of the last 5 years of advances regarding PDI inhibitors.