Reactive oxygen species altering the metabolite profile of the marine-derived fungus Dichotomomyces cejpii F31-1.

To investigate the influence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on the secondary metabolites of the marine-derived fungus Dichotomomyces cejpii F31-1, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was added to the GPY culture medium. The HPLC chromatogram of the EtOAc extract of the culture broth was distinct from that of the H2O2 free GPY medium. Further study of the metabolites in the GPY medium with H2O2 resulted in the discovery of eight known compounds. Among them, (22E)-5α, 8α-epidioxyergosta-6, 22-dien-3ß-ol (2) and ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraene-3-one (3) were present in the highest concentration, while ergosterol and diketopiperazines are abundant in the H2O2 free medium. Additionally, a new compound, dichocetide D (1) containing a chlorine element and a known ergosterol (10) were isolated from the H2O2 free medium. (22E)-5α, 8α-epidioxyergosta-6, 22-dien-3ß-ol (2) exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity against human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP-C4-2B.

Diverse Secondary Metabolites from the Marine-Derived Fungus Dichotomomyces cejpii F31-1.

By adding l-tryptophan and l-phenylalanine to GPY medium, twenty-eight compounds, including amides, polyketides, a sesquiterpenoid, a diterpenoid, a meroterpenoid, diketopiperazines, ß-carbolines, fumiquinazolines, and indole alkaloids, were discovered from the marine-derived fungus Dichotomomyces cejpii F31-1, demonstrating the tremendous biosynthetic potential of this fungal strain. Among these compounds, four amides dichotomocejs A-D (1-4), one polyketide dichocetide A (5), and two diketopiperazines dichocerazines A-B (15 and 16) are new. The structures of these new compounds were determined by interpreting detailed spectroscopic data as well as calculating optical rotation values and ECD spectra. Obviously, Dichotomomyces cejpii can effectively use an amino acid-directed strategy to enhance the production of nitrogen-containing compounds. Dichotomocej A (1) displayed moderate cytotoxicity against the human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line RD with an IC50 value of 39.1 µM, and pityriacitrin (22) showed moderate cytotoxicity against the human colon carcinoma cell line HCT116 with an IC50 value of 35.1 µM.

Amino Acid-Directed Strategy for Inducing the Marine-Derived Fungus Scedosporium apiospermum F41-1 to Maximize Alkaloid Diversity.

By feeding various amino acids to the marine fungus Scedosporium apiospermum F41-1, 22 diverse alkaloids, including 14 new compounds, were obtained. Scedapins A-E (1-5) possess a rare skeleton of a pyrazinoquinazolinedione and an imidazoindolone/indolone linked by a tetrahydrofuran ring. Scedapin C (3) is the first example of fumiquinazoline that contains an aminosulfonyl group. Their structures were determined by HRMS, NMR, ECD calculations and X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis. The biosynthetic pathways of fumiquinazolines 1-18 were proposed. Scedapin C (3) and scequinadoline D (8) displayed significant antiviral activity against hepatitis C.

Secondary Metabolites from the Marine-Derived Fungus Dichotomomyces sp. L-8 and Their Cytotoxic Activity.

Bioassay-guided isolation of the secondary metabolites from the fungus Dichotomomyces sp. L-8 associated with the soft coral Lobophytum crassum led to the discovery of two new compounds, dichotones A and B (1 and 2), together with four known compounds including dichotocejpin C (3), bis-N-norgliovictin (4), bassiatin (5) and (3R,6R)-bassiatin (6). The structures of these compounds were determined by 1D, 2D NMR and mass spectrometry. (3R,6R)-bassiatin (6) displayed significant cytotoxic activities against the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-435 and the human lung cancer cell line Calu3 with IC50 values of 7.34 ± 0.20 and 14.54 ± 0.01 µM, respectively, while bassiatin (5), the diastereomer of compound 6, was not cytotoxic.

Molecular evaluation of herbal compounds as potent inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive disease and the predominant cause of dementia. Common symptoms include short-term memory loss, and confusion with time and place. Individuals with AD depend on their caregivers for assistance, and may pose a burden to them. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme is a key target in AD and inhibition of this enzyme may be a promising strategy in the drug discovery process. In the present study, an inhibitory assay was carried out against AChE using total alkaloidal plants and herbal extracts commonly available in vegetable markets. Subsequently, molecular docking simulation analyses of the bioactive compounds present in the plants were conducted, as well as a protein­ligand interaction analysis. The stability of the docked protein­ligand complex was assessed by 20 ns molecular dynamics simulation. The inhibitory assay demonstrated that Uncaria rhynchophylla and Portulaca oleracea were able to inhibit AChE. In addition, molecular docking simulation analyses indicated that catechin present in Uncaria rhynchophylla, and dopamine and norepinephrine present in Portulaca oleracea, had the best docking scores and interaction energy. In conclusion, catechin in Uncaria rhynchophylla, and dopamine and norepinephrine in Portulaca oleracea may be used to treat AD.

Influence of ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 R219K and M883I polymorphisms on development of atherosclerosis: a meta-analysis of 58 studies.

BACKGROUND: Numerous epidemiological studies have evaluated the associations between ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1) R219K (rs2230806) and M883I (rs4149313) polymorphisms and atherosclerosis (AS), but results remain controversial. The purpose of the present study is to investigate whether these two polymorphisms facilitate the susceptibility to AS using a meta-analysis. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Medline, Cochrane database, Clinicaltrials.gov, Current Controlled Trials, Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, CBMdisc, CNKI, Google Scholar and Baidu Library were searched to get the genetic association studies. All statistical analyses were done with Stata 11.0. RESULTS: Forty-seven articles involving 58 studies were included in the final meta-analysis. For the ABCA1 R219K polymorphism, 42 studies involving 12,551 AS cases and 19,548 controls were combined showing significant association between this variant and AS risk (for K allele vs. R allele: OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.71-0.84, P<0.01; for K/K vs. R/R: OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.51-0.71, P<0.01; for K/K vs. R/K+R/R: OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.60-0.80, P<0.01; for K/K+R/K vs. R/R: OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.66-0.83, P<0.01). For the ABCA1 M883I polymorphism, 16 studies involving 4,224 AS cases and 3,462 controls were combined. There was also significant association between the variant and AS risk (for I allele vs. M allele: OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.77-0.95, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis suggested that the ABCA1 R219K and M883I polymorphisms were associated with the susceptibility to AS. However, due to the high heterogeneity in the meta-analysis, the results should be interpreted with caution.