Structural optimization and evaluation of butenolides as potent antifouling agents: modification of the side chain affects the biological activities of compounds

1,2,4-Triazolo-quinazolinones as Effective Antifoulants: Molecular Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation

A series of 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolinones and 1,2-benzisothiazolone derivatives (S1-S12) were successfully synthesized as environmentally friendly alternatives to copper-based antifouling paints using N-alkylation, cyclocondensation, and one-pot three-component and amide coupling reactions. The monoclinic structure of single-crystal 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolin-acetic acid (S8) was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. All the synthesized molecules were studied for their in silico molecular docking interactions with three target proteins, namely, RbmA, ToxR, and Bap. Following that, the antialgal activity was assessed against two types of marine algae: Chlorella sp. and Chaetoceros curvisetus. The minimal inhibitory concentration and zone of inhibition have been used to evaluate the antibacterial activities of S1-S12 against both marine Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Vibrio parahemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus) bacteria. Additionally, antifouling studies have been done on all the compounds, and among them, 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolinyl-acetate (S7), 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolinyl-acetic acid (S8), 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolinyl-oxobutanoate (S9), benzo[d]isothiazolyl butanoate (S10), benzo[d]isothiazolyl-acetic acid (S11), and 1,2,4-triazolo-quinazolinyl-acetyl-benzo[d]isothiazolone (S12) exhibited good antialgal, antibacterial, and antifouling activities.

New Insights on Biological Activities, Chemical Compositions, and Classifications of Marine Actinomycetes Antifouling Agents

Biofouling is the assemblage of undesirable biological materials and macro-organisms (barnacles, mussels, etc.) on submerged surfaces, which has unfavorable impacts on the economy and maritime environments. Recently, research efforts have focused on isolating natural, eco-friendly antifouling agents to counteract the toxicities of synthetic antifouling agents. Marine actinomycetes produce a multitude of active metabolites, some of which acquire antifouling properties. These antifouling compounds have chemical structures that fall under the terpenoids, polyketides, furanones, and alkaloids chemical groups. These compounds demonstrate eminent antimicrobial vigor associated with antiquorum sensing and antibiofilm potentialities against both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. They have also constrained larval settlements and the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, suggesting a strong anti-macrofouling activity. Despite their promising in vitro and in vivo biological activities, scaled-up production of natural antifouling agents retrieved from marine actinomycetes remains inapplicable and challenging. This might be attributed to their relatively low yield, the unreliability of in vitro tests, and the need for optimization before scaled-up manufacturing. This review will focus on some of the most recent marine actinomycete-derived antifouling agents, featuring their biological activities and chemical varieties after providing a quick overview of the disadvantages of fouling and commercially available synthetic antifouling agents. It will also offer different prospects of optimizations and analysis to scale up their industrial manufacturing for potential usage as antifouling coatings and antimicrobial and therapeutic agents.

Anti-Larval and Anti-Algal Natural Products from Marine Microorganisms as Sources of Anti-Biofilm Agents

Bacteria growing inside biofilms are more resistant to hostile environments, conventional antibiotics, and mechanical stresses than their planktonic counterparts. It is estimated that more than 80% of microbial infections in human patients are biofilm-based, and biofouling induced by the biofilms of some bacteria causes serious ecological and economic problems throughout the world. Therefore, exploring highly effective anti-biofilm compounds has become an urgent demand for the medical and marine industries. Marine microorganisms, a well-documented and prolific source of natural products, provide an array of structurally distinct secondary metabolites with diverse biological activities. However, up to date, only a handful of anti-biofilm natural products derived from marine microorganisms have been reported. Meanwhile, it is worth noting that some promising antifouling (AF) compounds from marine microbes, particularly those that inhibit settlement of fouling invertebrate larvae and algal spores, can be considered as potential anti-biofilm agents owing to the well-known knowledge of the correlations between biofilm formation and the biofouling process of fouling organisms. In this review, a total of 112 anti-biofilm, anti-larval, and anti-algal natural products from marine microbes and 26 of their synthetic analogues are highlighted from 2000 to 2021. These compounds are introduced based on their microbial origins, and then categorized into the following different structural groups: fatty acids, butenolides, terpenoids, steroids, phenols, phenyl ethers, polyketides, alkaloids, flavonoids, amines, nucleosides, and peptides. The preliminary structure-activity relationships (SAR) of some important compounds are also briefly discussed. Finally, current challenges and future research perspectives are proposed based on opinions from many previous reviews.

Synthetic Analogue of Butenolide as an Antifouling Agent

Butenolide derivatives have the potential to be effective and environmentally friendly antifouling agents. In the present study, a butenolide derivative was structurally modified into Boc-butenolide to increase its melting point and remove its foul smell. The structurally modified Boc-butenolide demonstrated similar antifouling capabilities to butenolide in larval settlement bioassays but with significantly lower toxicity at high concentrations. Release-rate measurements demonstrated that the antifouling compound Boc-butenolide could be released from polycaprolactone-polyurethane (PCL-PU)-based coatings to inhibit the attachment of foulers. The coating matrix was easily degraded in the marine environment. The performance of the Boc-butenolide antifouling coatings was further examined through a marine field test. The coverage of biofouler on the Boc-butenolide coatings was low after 2 months, indicating the antifouling potential of Boc-butenolide.

Marine natural products as antifouling molecules - a mini-review (2014-2020)

In the present review, 182 antifouling (AF) natural products from marine microorganisms, algae and marine invertebrates reported from August 2014 to May 2020 are presented. Amongst these compounds, over half were isolated from marine-derived microorganisms, including 70 compounds from fungi and 31 compounds from bacteria. The structure-relationship of some of these compounds is also briefly discussed. Based on the work reported, a general workflow was drafted to refine the procedures for the commercialization of any novel AF compounds. Finally, butenolide, which is considered a potential environmentally friendly antifoulant, is used as a case study to show the procedures involved in AF compound work from the aspect of discovery, structure optimization, toxicity, stability, AF mechanism and coating incorporation, which highlight the current challenges and future perspectives in AF compound research.

Research Strategies to Develop Environmentally Friendly Marine Antifouling Coatings

There are a large number of fouling organisms in the ocean, which easily attach to the surface of ships, oil platforms and breeding facilities, corrode the surface of equipment, accelerate the aging of equipment, affect the stability and safety of marine facilities and cause serious economic losses. Antifouling coating is an effective method to prevent marine biological fouling. Traditional organic tin and copper oxide coatings are toxic and will contaminate seawater and destroy marine ecology and have been banned or restricted. Environmentally friendly antifouling coatings have become a research hotspot. Among them, the use of natural biological products with antifouling activity as antifouling agents is an important research direction. In addition, some fouling release coatings without antifoulants, biomimetic coatings, photocatalytic coatings and other novel antifouling coatings have also developed rapidly. On the basis of revealing the mechanism of marine biofouling, this paper reviews the latest research strategies to develop environmentally friendly marine antifouling coatings. The composition, antifouling characteristics, antifouling mechanism and effects of various coatings were analyzed emphatically. Finally, the development prospects and future development directions of marine antifouling coatings are forecasted.

Regiodivergent Synthesis of Butenolide-Based α- and β-Amino Acid Derivatives via Base-Controlled Azirine Ring Expansion

A method for the preparation of 5-aminobutenolides from 2-bromo-2H-azirine-2-carboxylic esters/amides with arylacetic acids has been developed. The reaction regioselectivity can be switched by a change of the basic catalyst, making it possible to prepare both butenolide-based α- and β-amino acid derivatives. The change in the regioselectivity is interpreted in terms of the stability and reactivity of the enolates formed during the S_N2' substitution of the bromine in the azirine by the carboxylate ion.

Overcoming environmental problems of biocides: Synthetic bile acid derivatives as a sustainable alternative

Marine biofouling represents a global economic and ecological challenge. Some marine organisms produce bioactive metabolites, such as steroids, that inhibit the settlement and growth of fouling organisms. The aim of this work was to explore bile acids as a new scaffold with antifouling (AF) activity by using chemical synthesis to produce a series of bile acid derivatives with optimized AF performance and understand their structure-activity relationships. Seven bile acid derivatives were successfully synthesized in moderate to high yields, and their structures were elucidated through spectroscopic methods. Their AF activities were tested against both macro- and microfouling communities. The most potent bile acid against the settlement of Mytilus galloprovincialis larvae was the methyl ester derivative of cholic acid (10), which showed an EC₅₀ of 3.7 μM and an LC₅₀/EC₅₀ > 50 (LC₅₀ > 200 μM) in AF effectiveness vs toxicity studies. Two derivatives of deoxycholic acid (5 and 7) potently inhibited the growth of biofilm-forming marine bacteria with EC₅₀ values < 10 μM, and five bile acids (1, 5, and 7-9) potently inhibited the growth of diatoms, showing EC₅₀ values between 3 and 10 μM. Promising AF profiles were achieved with some of the synthesized bile acids by combining antimacrofouling and antimicrofouling activities. Initial studies on the incorporation of one of these promising bile acid derivatives in polymeric coatings, such as a marine paint, demonstrated the ability of these compounds to generate coatings with antimacrofouling activity.

Butenolide, a Marine-Derived Broad-Spectrum Antibiofilm Agent Against Both Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Pathogenic Bacteria

Bacterial biofilm can cause nosocomial recurrent infections and implanted device secondary infections in patients and strongly promotes development of pathogenic drug resistance in clinical treatments. Butenolide is an effective anti-macrofouling compound derived from a marine Streptomyces sp., but its antibiofilm efficacy remains largely unexplored. In the present study, the antibiofilm activities of butenolide were examined using biofilms formed by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic model species. Four Escherichia coli strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were used as targets in antibiofilm assays that examined the effects of butenolide, including the following: (i) on bacterial growth; (ii) in inhibiting biofilm formation and eradicating mature biofilm; (iii) on biofilm structures. In addition, the synergistic effect between butenolide with tetracycline was also examined. Butenolide not only effectively inhibited the biofilm formation but also eradicated pre-formed biofilms of tested bacteria. Fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) indicated that butenolide was a potential tetracycline enhancer against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and MRSA. These results indicated that butenolide may hold a great potential as an effective antibiofilm agent to control and prevent biofilm-associated infections in future clinical treatments.

Anti-Bacterial Adhesion Activity of Tropical Microalgae Extracts

The evolution of regulations concerning biocidal products aimed towards an increased protection of the environment (e.g., EU Regulation No 528/2012) requires the development of new non-toxic anti-fouling (AF) systems. As the marine environment is an important source of inspiration, such AF systems inhibiting the adhesion of organisms without any toxicity could be based on molecules of natural origin. In this context, the antibiofilm potential of tropical microalgal extracts was investigated. The tropics are particularly interesting in terms of solar energy and temperatures which provide a wide marine diversity and a high production of microalgae. Twenty microalgal strains isolated from the Indian Ocean were studied. Their extracts were characterized in terms of global chemical composition by high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, toxicity against marine bacteria (viability and growth) and anti-adhesion effect. The different observations made by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) showed a significant activity of three extracts from Dinoflagellate strains against the settlement of selected marine bacteria without any toxicity at a concentration of 50 μg/mL. The Symbiodinium sp. (P-78) extract inhibited the adhesion of Bacillus sp. 4J6 (Atlantic Ocean), Shewanella sp. MVV1 (Indian Ocean) and Pseudoalteromonas lipolytica TC8 (Mediterranean Ocean) at 60, 76 and 52%, respectively. These results underlined the potential of using microalgal extracts to repel fouling organisms.

Late-stage divergent synthesis and antifouling activity of geraniol-butenolide hybrid molecules

Hybrid molecules consisting of geraniol and butenolide were designed and synthesized by the late-stage divergent strategy. In the synthetic route, ring-closing metathesis was utilized for the construction of a butenolide moiety. A biological evaluation of the eight synthetic hybrid compounds revealed that these molecules exhibit antifouling activity against the cypris larvae of the barnacle Balanus (Amphibalanus) amphitrite with EC₅₀ values of 0.30-1.31 μg mL^-1. These results show that hybridization of the geraniol and butenolide structural motifs resulted in the enhancement of the antifouling activity.

Mini-Review: Antifouling Natural Products from Marine Microorganisms and Their Synthetic Analogs

Biofouling causes huge economic loss and generates serious ecological issues worldwide. Marine coatings incorporated with antifouling (AF) compounds are the most common practices to prevent biofouling. With a ban of organotins and an increase in the restrictions regarding the use of other AF alternatives, exploring effective and environmentally friendly AF compounds has become an urgent demand for marine coating industries. Marine microorganisms, which have the largest biodiversity, represent a rich and important source of bioactive compounds and have many medical and industrial applications. This review summarizes 89 natural products from marine microorganisms and 13 of their synthetic analogs with AF EC50 values ≤ 25 μg/mL from 1995 (the first report about marine microorganism-derived AF compounds) to April 2017. Some compounds with the EC50 values < 5 μg/mL and LC50/EC50 ratios > 50 are highlighted as potential AF compounds, and the preliminary analysis of structure-relationship (SAR) of these compounds is also discussed briefly. In the last part, current challenges and future research perspectives are proposed based on opinions from many previous reviews. To provide clear guidance for the readers, the AF compounds from microorganisms and their synthetic analogs in this review are categorized into ten types, including fatty acids, lactones, terpenes, steroids, benzenoids, phenyl ethers, polyketides, alkaloids, nucleosides and peptides. In addition to the major AF compounds which targets macro-foulers, this review also includes compounds with antibiofilm activity since micro-foulers also contribute significantly to the biofouling communities.

Thielavins W-Z₇, New Antifouling Thielavins from the Marine-Derived Fungus Thielavia sp. UST030930-004

Eleven new depsides—thielavins W–Z (1–4) and thielavins Z₁–Z₇ (5–11)—and also four known thielavins—A, H, J, and K (12–15)—were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of a marine-derived fungal strain Thielavia sp UST030930-004. All of these compounds were evaluated for antifouling activity against cyprids of the barnacle Balanus (=Amphibalanus) amphitrite. The results showed that compounds 1–3 and 6–13 were active, with EC₅₀ values ranging from 2.95 ± 0.59 to 69.19 ± 9.51 μM, respectively. The inhibitive effect of compounds 1–3 and 7 was reversible. This is the first description of the antifouling activity of thielavins against barnacle cyprids.

Antifouling potential of Nature-inspired sulfated compounds

Natural products with a sulfated scaffold have emerged as antifouling agents with low or nontoxic effects to the environment. In this study 13 sulfated polyphenols were synthesized and tested for antifouling potential using the anti-settlement activity of mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) plantigrade post-larvae and bacterial growth inhibition towards four biofilm-forming bacterial strains. Results show that some of these Nature-inspired compounds were bioactive, particularly rutin persulfate (2), 3,6-bis(β-D-glucopyranosyl) xanthone persulfate (6), and gallic acid persulfate (12) against the settlement of plantigrades. The chemical precursors of sulfated compounds 2 and 12 were also tested for anti-settlement activity and it was possible to conclude that bioactivity is associated with sulfation. While compound 12 showed the most promising anti-settlement activity (EC₅₀ = 8.95 μg.mL⁻¹), compound 2 also caused the higher level of growth inhibition in bacteria Vibrio harveyi (EC₂₀ = 12.5 μg.mL⁻¹). All the three bioactive compounds 2, 6, and 12 were also found to be nontoxic to the non target species Artemia salina (<10% mortality at 250 μM) and Vibrio fischeri (LC₅₀ > 1000 μg.mL⁻¹). This study put forward the relevance of synthesizing non-natural sulfated small molecules to generate new nontoxic antifouling agents.

Natural antifouling compounds: Effectiveness in preventing invertebrate settlement and adhesion

Biofouling represents a major economic issue regarding maritime industries and also raise important environmental concern. International legislation is restricting the use of biocidal-based antifouling (AF) coatings, and increasing efforts have been applied in the search for environmentally friendly AF agents. A wide diversity of natural AF compounds has been described for their ability to inhibit the settlement of macrofouling species. However poor information on the specific AF targets was available before the application of different molecular approaches both on invertebrate settlement strategies and bioadhesive characterization and also on the mechanistic effects of natural AF compounds. This review focuses on the relevant information about the main invertebrate macrofouler species settlement and bioadhesive mechanisms, which might help in the understanding of the reported effects, attributed to effective and non-toxic natural AF compounds towards this macrofouling species. It also aims to contribute to the elucidation of promising biotechnological strategies in the development of natural effective environmentally friendly AF paints.

Synthesis of maculalactone A and derivatives for environmental fate tracking studies

Labelled probes of the antifouling natural product, maculalactone A, allow for distribution studies in Artemia salina.

Mini-review: marine natural products and their synthetic analogs as antifouling compounds: 2009-2014

This review covers 214 marine natural compounds and 23 of their synthetic analogs, which were discovered and/or synthesized from mid-2009 to August 2014. The antifouling (AF) compounds reported have medium to high bioactivity (with a threshold of EC(50) < 15.0 mg ml(-1)). Among these compounds, 82 natural compounds were identified as new structures. All the compounds are marine-derived, demonstrating that marine organisms are prolific and promising sources of natural products that may be developed as environmentally friendly antifoulants. However, this mini-review excludes more than 200 compounds that were also reported as AF compounds but with rather weak bioactivity during the same period. Also excluded are terrestrial-derived AF compounds reported during the last five years. A brief discussion on current challenges in AF compound research is also provided to reflect the authors' own views in terms of future research directions.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of soluble 2,5-diketopiperazines derivatives as potential antifouling agents

Based on the natural product cyclo-(l-Phe-l-Pro), a library of environmentally friendly 2,5-diketopiperazines were designed, synthesized and showed strong antifouling activities.

Searching for "environmentally-benign" antifouling biocides

As the result of the ecological impacts from the use of tributyltins (TBT) in shipping, environmental legislation for the registration of chemicals for use in the environment has grown to a monumental challenge requiring product dossiers to include information on the environmental fate and behavior of any chemicals. Specifically, persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity, collectively known as PBT, are properties of concern in the assessment of chemicals. However, existing measurements of PBT properties are a cumbersome and expensive process, and thus not applied in the early stages of the product discovery and development. Inexpensive methods for preliminary PBT screening would minimize risks arising with the subsequent registration of products. In this article, we evaluated the PBT properties of compounds reported to possess anti-fouling properties using QSAR (quantitative structure-activity relationship) prediction programs such as BIOWIN™ (a biodegradation probability program), KOWWIN™ (log octanol-water partition coefficient calculation program) and ECOSAR™ (Ecological Structure Activity Relationship Programme). The analyses identified some small (M_r < 400) synthetic and natural products as potential candidates for environmentally benign biocides. We aim to demonstrate that while these methods of estimation have limitations, when applied with discretion, they are powerful tools useful in the early stages of research for compound selection for further development as anti-foulants.

Nontoxic piperamides and their synthetic analogues as novel antifouling reagents

Bioassay-guided isolation of an acetone extract from a terrestrial plant Piper betle produced four known piperamides with potent antifouling (AF) activities, as evidenced by inhibition of settlement of barnacle cypris larvae. The AF activities of the four piperamides and 15 synthesized analogues were compared and their structure-activity relationships were probed. Among the compounds, piperoleine B and 1-[1-oxo-7-(3',4'-methylenedioxyphenyl)-6E-heptenyl]-piperidine (MPHP) showed strong activity against settlement of cyprids of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite, having EC50 values of 1.1 ± 0.3 and 0.5 ± 0.2 μg ml(-1), respectively. No toxicity against zebra fish was observed following incubation with these two compounds. Besides being non-toxic, 91% of piperoleine B-treated cyprids and 84% of MPHP-treated cyprids at a concentration of 100 μM completed normal metamorphosis in recovery bioassays, indicating that the anti-settlement effect of these two compounds was reversible. Hydrolysis and photolysis experiments indicated that MPHP could be decomposed in the marine environment. It is concluded that piperamides are promising compounds for use in marine AF coatings.

Antifouling activity of secondary metabolites isolated from chinese marine organisms

Biofouling results in tremendous economic losses to maritime industries around the world. A recent global ban on the use of organotin compounds as antifouling agents has further raised demand for safe and effective antifouling compounds. In this study, 49 secondary metabolites, including diterpenoids, steroids, and polyketides, were isolated from soft corals, gorgonians, brown algae, and fungi collected along the coast of China, and their antifouling activity was tested against cyprids of the barnacle Balanus (Amphibalanus) amphitrite. Twenty of the compounds were found to inhibit larval settlement significantly at a concentration of 25 μg ml(-1). Two briarane diterpenoids, juncin O (2) and juncenolide H (3), were the most promising non-toxic antilarval settlement candidates, with EC50 values less than 0.13 μg ml(-1) and a safety ratio (LC50/EC50) higher than 400. A preliminary structure-activity relationships study indicated that both furanon and furan moieties are important for antifouling activity. Intriguingly, the presence of hydroxyls enhanced their antisettlement activity.

Bioactive phenylalanine derivatives and cytochalasins from the soft coral-derived fungus, Aspergillus elegans

One new phenylalanine derivative 4′-OMe-asperphenamate (1), along with one known phenylalanine derivative (2) and two new cytochalasins, aspochalasin A1 (3) and cytochalasin Z24 (4), as well as eight known cytochalasin analogues (5–12) were isolated from the fermentation broth of Aspergillus elegans ZJ-2008010, a fungus obtained from a soft coral Sarcophyton sp. collected from the South China Sea. Their structures and the relative configurations were elucidated using comprehensive spectroscopic methods. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by chemical synthesis and Marfey’s method. All isolated metabolites (1–12) were evaluated for their antifouling and antibacterial activities. Cytochalasins 5, 6, 8 and 9 showed strong antifouling activity against the larval settlement of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite, with the EC₅₀ values ranging from 6.2 to 37 μM. This is the first report of antifouling activity for this class of metabolites. Additionally, 8 exhibited a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity, especially against four pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus albus, S. aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus.

Mini-review: Molecular mechanisms of antifouling compounds

Various antifouling (AF) coatings have been developed to protect submerged surfaces by deterring the settlement of the colonizing stages of fouling organisms. A review of the literature shows that effective AF compounds with specific targets are ones often considered non-toxic. Such compounds act variously on ion channels, quorum sensing systems, neurotransmitters, production/release of adhesive, and specific enzymes that regulate energy production or primary metabolism. In contrast, AF compounds with general targets may or may not act through toxic mechanisms. These compounds affect a variety of biological activities including algal photosynthesis, energy production, stress responses, genotoxic damage, immunosuppressed protein expression, oxidation, neurotransmission, surface chemistry, the formation of biofilms, and adhesive production/release. Among all the targets, adhesive production/release is the most common, possibly due to a more extensive research effort in this area. Overall, the specific molecular targets and the molecular mechanisms of most AF compounds have not been identified. Thus, the information available is insufficient to draw firm conclusions about the types of molecular targets to be used as sensitive biomarkers for future design and screening of compounds with AF potential. In this review, the relevant advantages and disadvantages of the molecular tools available for studying the molecular targets of AF compounds are highlighted briefly and the molecular mechanisms of the AF compounds, which are largely a source of speculation in the literature, are discussed.