Isolation and identification of phase I metabolites of butyrolactone I in rats

Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism Study of Deep-Sea-Derived Butyrolactone I in Rats by UHPLC-MS/MS and UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS

Butyrolactone I (BTL-I) is a butanolide isolated from the deep-sea-derived fungus, Aspergillus sp. It provides a potential new target for the prevention and treatment of food allergies. This study aimed to investigate the metabolic and pharmacokinetic profile of BTL-I in rats. The metabolic profiles were obtained by UHPLC–Q-TOF-MS. As a result, eleven metabolites were structurally identified, and the proposed metabolic pathways of BTL-I were characterized. The main metabolites were the oxidative and glucuronidative metabolites. In addition, a sensitive UHPLC–MS/MS method was established for the quantitation of BTL-I in rat plasma (LOQ = 2 ng/mL). The method was fully validated and successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of BTL-I in rats after oral administration or intravenous administration. The oral bioavailability was calculated as 6.29%, and the maximum plasma concentrations were 9.85 ± 1.54 ng/mL and 17.97 ± 1.36 ng/mL for intravenous and intragastric dosing groups, respectively.

Bioactive aromatic butenolides from a mangrove sediment originated fungal species, Aspergillus terreus SCAU011

Seven new compounds including five aromatic butenolide analogues (1-5), one quinazolinone alkaloid (6) and one benzoic acid derivative (7), along with eleven known co-metabolites (8-18), were isolated from Aspergillus terreus SCAU011, a fungus from the rhizosphere sediment of a mangrove plant Rhizophora stylosa. The structures of these isolates were established by a combination of MS, NMR and ECD data analyses, as well as chemical method. Compound 3 is a rare ring-open aromatic butenolide, while 6 represents the first natural ring-open benzomalvin-type quinazolinone alkaloid. Also, the previously reported structures for asperlides A-C were proposed to be revised in the present work. The COX-2 inhibitory, α-glucosidase inhibitory, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of all the compounds were assessed. While compounds 4, 6, 11 and 18 exhibited better COX-2 inhibitory activity than the positive control celecoxib, compounds 9 and 10 showed significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 56.1 and 12.9 μM, respectively. Meanwhile, half of the tested samples (1, 8-11 and 15-17) exerted similar or better antioxidant activity compared with the reference drug curcumin, and compounds 3, 9, 17 and 18 displayed moderate antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus.

Butyrolactone-I, an efficient α-glucosidase inhibitor, improves type 2 diabetes with potent TNF-α-lowering properties through modulating gut microbiota in db/db mice

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of butyrolactone-I (A6) on type 2 diabetes (T2D) in db/db mice because A6 was found to inhibit α-glucosidase activities and TNF-α release, which were associated with improving T2D. Male db/db mice were divided into 6 groups and given an equivalent volume of olive oil, acarbose, or different doses of A6 for 4 wk (n = 8/group). In this study, 11 butenolide derivatives were screened for their α-glucosidase and TNF-α suppressive activity in vitro. A6, an efficient α-glucosidase inhibitor, exerts hypoglycemic and multiple activities in reducing weight, improving glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, increasing short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels, activating SCFA-induced increases in glucagon-like peptide 1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ expression, enhancing intestinal mucosal barrier function and mitigating endoxemia in db/db mice. These effects may result from mediation of gut microbiota by A6. Meanwhile, A6, with potent TNF-α-lowering properties, was demonstrated to have multiple salutary effects with excellent structural stability and long-term safety in vivo. A6, an effective α-glucosidase inhibitor with high security and stability, exerted potent antidiabetic effects in vivo. Furthermore, the modulation of gut microbiota of A6 was demonstrated to be one of the mechanisms contributing to anti-inflammation properties and improving endoxemia. Our work confirms that the compound A6 is a prospective drug candidate for T2D.-Wu, W., Liu, L., Zhu, H., Sun, Y., Wu, Y., Liao, H., Gui, Y., Li, L., Liu, L., Sun, F., Lin, H. Butyrolactone-I, an efficient α-glucosidase inhibitor, improves type 2 diabetes with potent TNF-α-lowering properties through modulating gut microbiota in db/db mice.

3″-Hydroxymethyl-butyrolactone II from Aspergillus sp

In continuation of the search for new compounds from the terrestrial fungus Aspergillus sp., one new butyrolactone, 3″-hydroxymethyl-butyrolactone II (1) was isolated. The chemical structure of 1 was confirmed by extensive 1D and 2D NMR and HR-ESI mass data analysis, and by comparison with literature data. The absolute configuration was also determined by ECD calculations.