Isoquinoline-1,3,4-trione and its derivatives attenuate ?-amyloid-induced apoptosis of neuronal cells

Neuroprotective Effect of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Loaded with Lepidium sativum (L.) Seed Bioactive Components Enhance Bioavailability and Wnt/β-Catenin/Camk-II Signaling Cascade in SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells

The primary pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the formation and accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles and plaques, which result from the aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) induced by oxidative stress. The effectiveness of Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapeutics significantly hinges on the drug's bioavailability and its ability to penetrate neuronal cells. The current investigation was designed as a first attempt to examine bio-fabricated Lepidium sativum (LS) seed-extract-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNps) to increase bioavailability and bioefficacy for the prevention of undifferentiated SH-SY5Y neuronal cells from oxidative stress induced by H2O2 and amyloid-β peptide (Aβ,1-42). The SLNps were fabricated using LS extract as a water phase and hyaluronic acid and chia seed fatty acids as a lipid phase, then confirmed and characterized using UV, Zeta size, and SEM methods. The biological safety of synthesized LS-SLNps has been determined using MTT assay and PI staining (nuclear damage) in hMSCs. LS-SLNp-pretreated neuronal cells were induced with oxidative stress and 2 µM of beta-amyloid (Aβ,1-42) fibrils; furthermore, the neuroprotective potential of LS-SLNps was determined through the quenching of oxidative stress, enhancing mitochondrial oxidative capacity, and immunoregulatory potential. Observations found that cells treated with both H2O2 and beta-amyloid (Aβ,1-42) fibrils showed decreased neuronal cell growth, nuclear damage, and mitochondrial membrane potential due to oxidative stress. However, SH-SY5Y cells pretreated with LS-SLNps for 24 h showed an increase in cell proliferation with uniform morphology and increased mitochondrial membrane potential compared to cells pretreated with LS alone. Gene expression analysis found that LS-SLNps increased the expression of Wnt 3a and 5a, which stimulated the canonical, β-catenin, and non-canonical Camk-II expressions of nerve cell growth factors, confirming the molecular-level reversal of neurodegenerative diseases.

Metal-Free Air Oxidation in a Convenient Cascade Approach for the Access to Isoquinoline-1,3,4(2H)-triones

Herein we describe a very useful application of the readily available trifunctional aromatic ketone methyl-2-(2-bromoacetyl)benzoate in reactions with primary amines. An unexpected in situ air oxidation that follows a cascade process allowed the access to a series of isoquinoline-1,3,4(2H)-triones, a class of heterocyclic compounds of great interest containing an oxygen-rich heterocyclic scaffold. A modification of the original protocol, utilizing a Staudinger reaction in the presence of trimethylphosphine, was necessary for the synthesis of Caspase inhibitor trione with free NH group.

GLP-1 receptor regulates cell growth through regulating IDE expression level in Aβ1-42-treated PC12 cells

This study aimed to validate whether glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) / cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) / protein kinase (PKA) / insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) signaling pathway was associated with neuronal apoptosis. We developed an animal model presenting both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), by crossing APP/PS1 mice (AD model) with streptozotocin (STZ)-treated mice (a T2D model). Neuronal apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining and the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins were examined by Western blotting. The viability of PC12 cells was analyzed by MTT assay and apoptosis of PC12 cells was detected by flow cytometry. The mRNA expression level was detected by qRT-PCR. T2D contributes to AD progress by prompting neuronal apoptosis and increasing expression of pro-apoptotic protein. β-Amyloid peptide1-42 (Aβ1-42) was shown to exert effects on inhibiting cell viability and prompting cell apoptosis of PC12 cells. However, GLP-1R agonist geniposide (Gen) significantly reversed them, exerting a protective role on PC12 cells. And IDE antagonist bacitracin (Bac) markedly reversed the protective effects of Gen on Aβ1-42-treated PC12 cells. Besides, Gen significantly reversed the effects of Aβ1-42 treatment on IDE expression, and the inhibitor of cAMP/PKA signaling pathway markedly reversed the effects of Gen on IDE expression level in Aβ1-42-treated PC12 cells. In conclusion, GLP-1R regulates cell growth, at least partially, through regulating cAMP/PKA/IDE signaling pathway in Aβ1-42-treated PC12 cells.

Iodine-catalyzed oxidative multiple C–H bond functionalization of isoquinolines with methylarenes: an efficient synthesis of isoquinoline-1,3,4(2H)-triones

An iodine-catalyzed multiple C–H bond functionalization of isoquinolines with methylarenes via a successive benzylic sp³ C–H iodination/N-benzylation/amidation/double sp² C–H oxidation sequence to yield isoquinoline-1,3,4(2H)-triones is developed for the first time.

Three pairs of variecolortide enantiomers from Eurotium sp. with caspase-3 inhibitory activity

7-O-methylvariecolortide A (1), variecolortide B (2), and variecolortide C (3), the rare variecolortides existing in racemic manner, were isolated from an endolichenic fungal strain Eurotium sp. (No. 17-11-8-1). With the chiral HPLC technology, (-)-(S)-7-O-methylvariecolortide A (1a), (+)-(R)-7-O-methylvariecolortide A (1b), (-)-(S)-variecolortide B (2a), (+)-(R)-variecolortide B (2b), (-)-(S)-variecolortide C (3a), and (+)-(R)-variecolortide C (3b) were successfully separated and obtained. Their absolute configurations were firstly assigned by ECD experiment and ECD calculation. According to the relation of isolated compounds, a plausible biosynthetic pathway for variecolortides was proposed. In caspase-3 enzymatic assay, compounds 1-3 showed inhibitory activity, with IC50 values of 1.7, 0.8 and 15.7 μM, respectively.

(1S*,4'S*,5R*)-1-Isobutyl-5-meth-oxy-2',3-dimethyl-4,6-dioxa-2-aza-spiro-[bicyclo-[3.2.0]hept-2-ene-7,4'-isoquinoline]-1',3'(2'H,4'H)-dione

In the isoquinoline ring system of the title compound, C₁₉H₂₂N₂O₅, the N-heterocyclic ring is in a half-chair conformation. The dioxa-2-aza­spiro ring is essentially planar [maximum deviation of 0.025 (1) Å] and forms a dihedral angle of 23.51 (5)° with the benzene ring. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked via weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O and C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds into chains along [010].

(1S*,4'S*,5R*)-1-Isopropyl-5-meth-oxy-2',3-dimethyl-4,6-dioxa-2-aza-spiro-[bicyclo-[3.2.0]hept-2-ene-7,4'-isoquinoline]-1',3'(2'H,4'H)-dione

In the isoquinoline ring system of the title mol­ecule, C₁₈H₂₀N₂O₅, the N-heterocyclic ring is in a half-boat conformation. The dioxa-2-aza­spiro ring is essentially planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.029 (1) Å, and makes a dihedral angle of 30.63 (5)° with the benzene ring. The mol­ecular structure is stabilized by a weak intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond, which generates a S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked via weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional supra­molecular network. Additional stabilization is provided by π–π stacking inter­actions between symmetry-related benzene rings with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.6507 (5) Å.

Actinomycetes for marine drug discovery isolated from mangrove soils and plants in China

The mangrove ecosystem is a largely unexplored source for actinomycetes with the potential to produce biologically active secondary metabolites. Consequently, we set out to isolate, characterize and screen actinomycetes from soil and plant material collected from eight mangrove sites in China. Over 2,000 actinomycetes were isolated and of these approximately 20%, 5%, and 10% inhibited the growth of Human Colon Tumor 116 cells, Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively, while 3% inhibited protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a protein related to diabetes. In addition, nine isolates inhibited aurora kinase A, an anti-cancer related protein, and three inhibited caspase 3, a protein related to neurodegenerative diseases. Representative bioactive isolates were characterized using genotypic and phenotypic procedures and classified to thirteen genera, notably to the genera Micromonospora and Streptomyces. Actinomycetes showing cytotoxic activity were assigned to seven genera whereas only Micromonospora and Streptomyces strains showed anti-PTP1B activity. We conclude that actinomycetes isolated from mangrove habitats are a potentially rich source for the discovery of anti-infection and anti-tumor compounds, and of agents for treating neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes.

AMP-activated protein kinase is involved in neural stem cell growth suppression and cell cycle arrest by 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside and glucose deprivation by down-regulating phospho-retinoblastoma protein and cyclin D

The fate of neural stem cells (NSCs), including their proliferation, differentiation, survival, and death, is regulated by multiple intrinsic signals and the extrinsic environment. We had previously reported that 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR) directly induces astroglial differentiation of NSCs by activation of the Janus kinase (JAK)/Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway independently of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Here, we reported the observation that AICAR inhibited NSC proliferation and its underlying mechanism. Analysis of caspase activity and cell cycle showed that AICAR induced G1/G0 cell cycle arrest in NSCs, associated with decreased levels of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, phospho-retinoblastoma protein (Rb), and cyclin D but did not cause apoptosis. Iodotubericidin and Compound C, inhibitors of adenosine kinase and AMPK, respectively, or overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant of AMPK, but not JAK inhibitor, were able to reverse the anti-proliferative effect of AICAR. Glucose deprivation also activated the AMPK pathway, induced G0/G1 arrest, and suppressed the proliferation of NSCs, an effect associated with decreased levels of phospho-Rb and cyclin D protein. Furthermore, Compound C and overexpression of dominant-negative AMPK in C17.2 NSCs could block the glucose deprivation-mediated down-regulation of cyclin D and partially reverse the suppression of proliferation. These results suggest that AICAR and glucose deprivation might induce G1/G0 cell cycle arrest and suppress proliferation of NSCs via phospho-Rb and cyclin D down-regulation. AMPK, but not JAK/STAT3, activation is key for this inhibitory effect and may play an important role in the responses of NSCs to metabolic stresses such as glucose deprivation.

Isoquinoline-1,3,4-trione derivatives inactivate caspase-3 by generation of reactive oxygen species

Caspase-3 is an attractive therapeutic target for treatment of diseases involving disregulated apoptosis. We report here the mechanism of caspase-3 inactivation by isoquinoline-1,3,4-trione derivatives. Kinetic analysis indicates the compounds can irreversibly inactivate caspase-3 in a 1,4-dithiothreitol (DTT)- and oxygen-dependent manner, implying that a redox cycle might take place in the inactivation process. Reactive oxygen species detection experiments using a chemical indicator, together with electron spin resonance measurement, suggest that ROS can be generated by reaction of isoquinoline-1,3,4-trione derivatives with DTT. Oxygen-free radical scavenger catalase and superoxide dismutase eliciting the inactivation of caspase-3 by the inhibitors confirm that ROS mediates the inactivation process. Crystal structures of caspase-3 in complexes with isoquinoline-1,3,4-trione derivatives show that the catalytic cysteine is oxidized to sulfonic acid (-SO(3)H) and isoquinoline-1,3,4-trione derivatives are bound at the dimer interface of caspase-3. Further mutagenesis study shows that the binding of the inhibitors with caspase-3 appears to be nonspecific. Isoquinoline-1,3,4-trione derivative-catalyzed caspase-3 inactivation could also be observed when DTT is substituted with dihydrolipoic acid, which exists widely in cells and might play an important role in the in vivo inactivation process in which the inhibitors inactivate caspase-3 in cells and then prevent the cells from apoptosis. These results provide valuable information for further development of small molecular inhibitors against caspase-3 or other oxidation-sensitive proteins.