Spiroalkaloids from Shensong Yangxin capsule

Pyrrole-2-carboxaldehydes: Origins and Physiological Activities

Pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde (Py-2-C) derivatives have been isolated from many natural sources, including fungi, plants (roots, leaves, and seeds), and microorganisms. The well-known diabetes molecular marker, pyrraline, which is produced after sequential reactions in vivo, has a Py-2-C skeleton. Py-2-Cs can be chemically produced by the strong acid-catalyzed condensation of glucose and amino acid derivatives in vitro. These observations indicate the importance of the Py-2-C skeleton in vivo and suggest that molecules containing this skeleton have various biological functions. In this review, we have summarized Py-2-C derivatives based on their origins. We also discuss the structural characteristics, natural sources, and physiological activities of isolated compounds containing the Py-2-C group.

2-Formylpyrrole natural products: origin, structural diversity, bioactivity and synthesis

2-Formylpyrroles constitute a large and growing family of bioactive Maillard reaction products found in food, traditional medicine and throughout nature.

Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Shensong Yangxin Capsules on Heart Rhythm and Function in Congestive Heart Failure Patients with Frequent Ventricular Premature Complexes: A Randomized, Double-blind, Multicenter Clinical Trial

Background:

Pharmacological therapy for congestive heart failure (CHF) with ventricular arrhythmia is limited. In the study, our aim was to evaluate the effects of Chinese traditional medicine Shensong Yangxin capsules (SSYX) on heart rhythm and function in CHF patients with frequent ventricular premature complexes (VPCs).

Methods:

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study randomized 465 CHF patients with frequent VPCs to the SSYX (n = 232) and placebo groups (n = 233) for 12 weeks of treatment. The primary endpoint was the VPCs monitored by a 24-h ambulatory electrocardiogram. The secondary endpoints included the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, 6-min walking distance (6MWD), Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) scores, and composite cardiac events (CCEs).

Results:

The clinical characteristics were similar at baseline. SSYX caused a significantly greater decline in the total number of VPCs than the placebo did (−2145 ± 2848 vs. −841 ± 3411, P < 0.05). The secondary endpoints of the LVEF, NYHA classification, NT-proBNP, 6MWD, and MLHFQ scores showed a greater improvements in the SSYX group than in the placebo group (ΔLVEF at 12^th week: 4.75 ± 7.13 vs. 3.30 ± 6.53; NYHA improvement rate at the 8^th and 12^th week: 32.6% vs. 21.8%, 40.5% vs. 25.7%; mean level of NT-proBNP in patients with NT-proBNP ≥125 pg/ml at 12^th week: −122 [Q1, Q3: −524, 0] vs. −75 [Q1, Q3: −245, 0]; Δ6MWD at 12^th week: 35.1 ± 38.6 vs. 17.2 ± 45.6; ΔMLHFQ at the 4^th, 8^th, and 12^th week: −4.24 ± 6.15 vs. −2.31 ± 6.96, −8.19 ± 8.41 vs. −3.25 ± 9.40, −10.60 ± 9.41 vs. −4.83 ± 11.23, all P < 0.05). CCEs were not different between the groups during the study period.

Conclusions:

In this 12-week pilot study, SSYX was demonstrated to have the benefits of VPCs suppression and cardiac function improvement with good compliance on a background of standard treatment for CHF.

Trial Registration:

www.chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR-TRC-12002061 (http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=7487) and Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01612260 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01612260).

Synthetic approaches to access acortatarins, shensongines and pollenopyrroside; potent antioxidative spiro-alkaloids with a naturally rare morpholine moiety

Pyrrole spiroketal alkaloids (PSAs) are a class of novel natural products that have been recently disclosed. Acortatarin A and acortatarin B, two potent antioxidative spiroalkaloids with a naturally rare morpholine moiety, are important members of this class. These spiroalkaloids are isolated from Acorus tatarinowii, Brassica campestris, Capparis spinose, bread crust, Xylaria nigripes and medicine Shensong Yangxin and could inhibit significantly the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in high-glucose-induced mesangial cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Hence, these natural products are promising starting points for the formation of new therapeutics to medicate cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetic complications, and other diseases in which ROS are implicated. The impressive structure combined with an interesting pharmacological activity prompted synthetic chemists to construct an asymmetric synthetic strategy that could be used to access structural derivatives in addition to the larger quantities of natural products required for further biological investigations. This review summarizes the current state of the literature regarding with the synthesis of acortatarin A and B and its other family members viz. shensongine A, B and C, and pollenopyrroside A. The present review discusses the pros and cons of synthetic methodologies, which would be beneficial for further developments in the synthetic methodologies. Hopefully, this struggle pushes the reader's mind to consider new perspectives, think differently and forge new connections.

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Spiroketals: An Engine for Chemical and Biological Discovery

Spiroketals are key structural motifs found in diverse natural products with compelling biological activities. However, stereocontrolled synthetic access to spiroketals, independent of their inherent thermodynamic preferences, is a classical challenge in organic synthesis that has limited in-depth biological exploration of this intriguing class. Herein, we review our laboratory's efforts to advance the glycal epoxide approach to the stereocontrolled synthesis of spiroketals via kinetically controlled spirocyclization reactions. This work has provided new synthetic methodologies with applications in both diversity- and target-oriented synthesis, fundamental insights into structure and reactivity, and efficient access to spiroketal libraries and natural products for biological evaluation.

Family-level stereoselective synthesis and biological evaluation of pyrrolomorpholine spiroketal natural product antioxidants

The pyranose spiroketal natural products pollenopyrroside A and shensongine A (also known as xylapyrroside A, ent-capparisine B) have been synthesized by stereoselective spirocyclizations of a common C1-functionalized glycal precursor. In conjunction with our previously reported syntheses of the corresponding furanose isomers, this provides a versatile family-level synthesis of the pyrrolomorpholine spiroketal natural products and analogues. In rat mesangial cells, hyperglycemia-induced production of reactive oxygen species, which is implicated in diabetic nephropathy, was inhibited by pollenopyrroside A and shensongine A with mid-μM IC50 values, while unnatural C2-hydroxy analogues exhibited more potent, sub-μM activity.

Synthesis of the 2-formylpyrrole spiroketal pollenopyrroside A and structural elucidation of xylapyrroside A, shensongine A and capparisine B

A convergent synthesis enabled structural elucidation of the 2-formyl pyrrole spiroketals pollenopyrroside A and shensongine A/xylapyrroside A. The key step involves a Maillard-type condensation to furnish the 2-formylpyrrole ring system.