Synthesis and Biological Activity of Unsymmetrical Monoterpenylhetaryl Disulfides

Monoterpene Thiols: Synthesis and Modifications for Obtaining Biologically Active Substances

Monoterpene thiols are one of the classes of natural flavors that impart the smell of citrus fruits, grape must and wine, black currants, and guava and are used as flavoring agents in the food and perfume industries. Synthetic monoterpene thiols have found an application in asymmetric synthesis as chiral auxiliaries, derivatizing agents, and ligands for metal complex catalysis and organocatalysts. Since monoterpenes and monoterpenoids are a renewable source, there are emerging trends to use monoterpene thiols as monomers for producing new types of green polymers. Monoterpene thioderivatives are also known to possess antioxidant, anticoagulant, antifungal, and antibacterial activity. The current review covers methods for the synthesis of acyclic, mono-, and bicyclic monoterpene thiols, as well as some investigations related to their usage for the preparation of the compounds with antimicrobial properties.

Applications and Opportunities in Using Disulfides, Thiosulfinates, and Thiosulfonates as Antibacterials

Sulfur-containing molecules have a long history of bioactivity, especially as antibacterial agents in the fight against infectious pathogens. Organosulfur compounds from natural products have been used to treat infections throughout history. Many commercially available antibiotics also have sulfur-based moieties in their structural backbones. In the following review, we summarize sulfur-containing antibacterial compounds, focusing on disulfides, thiosulfinates, and thiosulfonates, and opportunities for future developments in the field.

Increasing the Efficacy of Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus-Candida albicans Mixed Infections with Myrtenol

Infectious diseases caused by various nosocomial microorganisms affect worldwide both immunocompromised and relatively healthy persons. Bacteria and fungi have different tools to evade antimicrobials, such as hydrolysis damaging the drug, efflux systems, and the formation of biofilm that significantly complicates the treatment of the infection. Here, we show that myrtenol potentiates the antimicrobial and biofilm-preventing activity of conventional drugs against S. aureus and C. albicans mono- and dual-species cultures. In our study, the two optical isomers, (-)-myrtenol and (+)-myrtenol, have been tested as either antibacterials, antifungals, or enhancers of conventional drugs. (+)-Myrtenol demonstrated a synergistic effect with amikacin, fluconazole, and benzalkonium chloride on 64-81% of the clinical isolates of S. aureus and C. albicans, including MRSA and fluconazole-resistant fungi, while (-)-myrtenol increased the properties of amikacin and fluconazole to repress biofilm formation in half of the S. aureus and C. albicans isolates. Furthermore, myrtenol was able to potentiate benzalkonium chloride up to sixteen-fold against planktonic cells in an S. aureus-C. albicans mixed culture and repressed the adhesion of S. aureus. The mechanism of both (-)-myrtenol and (+)-myrtenol synergy with conventional drugs was apparently driven by membrane damage since the treatment with both terpenes led to a significant drop in membrane potential similar to the action of benzalkonium chloride. Thus, due to the low toxicity of myrtenol, it seems to be a promising agent to increase the efficiency of the treatment of infections caused by bacteria and be fungi of the genus Candida as well as mixed fungal-bacterial infections, including resistant strains.

Thioterpenoids as Potential Antithrombotic Drugs: Molecular Docking, Antiaggregant, Anticoagulant and Antioxidant Activities

Natural monoterpenes and their derivatives are widely considered as effective ingredients for the design and production of new biologically active compounds with high antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-protozoa properties. In this study, we synthesized two series of thiotherpenoids "sulfide-sulfoxide-sulfone", with different bicyclic monoterpene skeleton (bornane and pinane) structures. The effect of the obtained compounds on platelet aggregation was investigated by using the molecular docking technique. The obtained data revealed that all the synthesized compounds may act as potential inhibitors of platelet aggregation. Moreover, the studied sulfides have shown high antioxidant activity as revealed by lipid peroxidation (LPO) process inhibition in a non-cellular substrate containing animal lipids. The sulfides were able to inhibit erythrocyte oxidative hemolysis, to reduce the accumulation of secondary LPO products in cells and to prevent the oxidation of native oxyhemoglobin. Additionally, the corresponding sulfones and sulfoxides exhibited insignificant antioxidant activity. However, the sulfides were found to exhibit significant antiaggregant and anticoagulant effects. These findings suggest as well that the sulfides could serve as a leader compound for future research and possible practical applications.