Antibiotic Substances from Basidiomycetes: V. Poria Corticola, Poria Tenuis and an Unidentified Basidiomycete

Regulation of DAPK1 by Natural Products: An Important Target in Treatment of Stroke

Stroke is a sudden neurological disorder that occurs due to impaired blood flow to an area of the brain. Stroke can be caused by the blockage or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, called ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke, respectively. Stroke is more common in men than women. Atrial fibrillation, hypertension, kidney disease, high cholesterol and lipids, genetic predisposition, inactivity, poor nutrition, diabetes mellitus, family history and smoking are factors that increase the risk of stroke. Restoring blood flow by repositioning blocked arteries using thrombolytic agents or endovascular therapy are the most effective treatments for stroke. However, restoring circulation after thrombolysis can cause fatal edema or intracranial hemorrhage, and worsen brain damage in a process known as ischemia-reperfusion injury. Therefore, there is a pressing need to find and develop more effective treatments for stroke. In the past, the first choice of treatment was based on natural compounds. Natural compounds are able to reduce the symptoms and reduce various diseases including stroke that attract the attention of the pharmaceutical industry. Nowadays, as a result of the numerous studies carried out in the field of herbal medicine, many useful and valuable effects of plants have been identified. The death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) family is one of the vital families of serine/threonine kinases involved in the regulation of some biological functions in human cells. DAPK1 is the most studied kinase within the DAPKs family as it is involved in neuronal and recovery processes. Dysregulation of DAPK1 in the brain is involved in the developing neurological diseases such as stroke. Natural products can function in a variety of ways, including reducing cerebral edema, reducing brain endothelial cell death, and inhibiting TNFα and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) through regulating the DAPK1 signal against stroke. Due to the role of DAPK1 in neurological disorders, the aim of this article was to investigate the role of DAPK1 in stroke and its modulation by natural compounds.

Copper-Catalysed Synthesis of Trifluoromethyl Allenes via Fluoro-carboalkynylation of Alkenes

Allenes and trifluoromethyl motifs are considered as important building blocks in materials and pharmaceuticals. A copper-catalysed synthesis of trifluoromethyl allenes utilizing readily available feedstocks under mild and environmentlly friendly conditions...

Bioactive small secondary metabolites from the mushrooms Lentinula edodes and Flammulina velutipes

Mushrooms have been attracting attention as a source of bioactive compounds for the development of dietary supplements and medicines. Many researchers have reported pharmacological effects of edible mushrooms, and have isolated and identified bioactive substances. Lentinula edodes (shiitake) and Flammulina velutipes (enokitake) are the cultivated edible mushrooms that are popular throughout the world. In L. edodes, polyacetylenes and sulfur compounds have been shown to display antimicrobial activity. In F. velutipes, many types of bioactive terpenes have been reported from mycelium culture filtrate or solid culture substrate. This article reviews the bioactive metabolites of low-molecular weight from L. edodes and F. velutipes.

Grifolin exhibits anti-cancer activity by inhibiting the development and invasion of gastric tumor cells

Grifolin, a natural product isolated from the mushroom Albatrellus confluens, has been reported to be a potent anti-cancer agent in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and osteosarcoma. The data obtained in this study revealed that grifolin is capable of inhibiting the growth and invasion of gastric cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and suppressing the ERK1/2 pathway. Our results support the potent utility of grifolin as an anti-tumor lead compound against gastric cancer cells.

How easy are the syntheses of allenes?

This short review highlights some of the recent important developments on the synthesis of allenes and its applications on the synthesis of some allenic natural products and allenic-based optoelectronic materials.

Naturally occurring and synthetic polyyne glycosides

Polyyne glycosides are a class of natural products that have been found in terrestrial plants, fungi, and marine algae. Many display interesting and potentially useful biological activities, which in some cases has initiated synthetic efforts toward their formation. This review provides a comprehensive report of polyyne glycosides isolated from natural sources, as well as the synthesis of these molecules and their analogues.

Allenic and cumulenic lipids

Nowadays, about 200 natural allenic metabolites, more than 2700 synthetic allenic compounds, and about 1300 cumulenic structures are known. The present review describes research on natural as well as some biological active allenic and cumulenic lipids and related compounds isolated from different sources. Intensive searches for new classes of pharmacologically potent agents produced by living organisms have resulted in the discovery of dozens of such compounds possessing high anticancer, cytotoxic, antibacterial, antiviral, and other activities. Known allenic and cumulenic compounds can be subdivided on several structural classes: fatty acids, hydrocarbons, terpenes, steroids, carotenoids, marine bromoallenes, peptides, aromatic, cumulenic, and miscellaneous compounds. This review emphasizes the role of natural and synthetic allenic and cumulenic lipids and other related compounds as an important source of leads for drug discovery.

Antitubercular Activity of Mushrooms (Basidiomycetes) and their Metabolites

Re-emergence of multi-drug resistant and HIV-associated tuberculosis justifies the search for new anti-TB agents. Mushrooms (Basidiomycetes) and their secondary metabolites are relatively little explored in this respect. A short review of antitubercular mushrooms and their active metabolites is presented here.

Novel halo-oxo-allenic fatty ester derivatives from epoxidized methyl santalbate (methyl trans-11-octadecen-9-ynoate)

Methyl santalbate (methyl trans-11-octadecen-9-ynoate) from Sandal wood seed oil, Santalbum alum) was epoxidized to methyl trans-11,12-epoxy-octadec-9-ynoate (1). Treatment of compound 1 with tetrabutylammonium dihydrogentrifluoride, and boron trifluoride etherate gave the corresponding anti- (2a) (57%) and syn- (2b) (35%) fluorohydrin derivatives, respectively. These reactions were regio- and stereoselective in nature. The structures of the anti- and syn- isomers were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. Ring opening of the epoxy system of compound 1 with lithium chloride gave the anti-chlorohydrin derivative (3) (89%). Oxidation of either compound 2a or 2b gave the same fluoro-keto acetylenic fatty ester (4) (75%), and compound 3 on chromic acid oxidation yielded the corresponding chloro-keto acetylene (5) (73%). Isomerization of compounds 4 and 5 with potassium carbonate in dichloromethane furnished the requisite fluoro-allenic (6) (63%, methyl 11-fluoro-12-oxo-9,10-octadecadienoate) and chloro-allenic (7) (80%, methyl 11-chloro-12-oxo-9,10-octadecadienoate) C(18) fatty esters. All products were confirmed by a combination of spectrometric and spectroscopic techniques.