4-Deoxy-substrates for beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases: how to make use of their loose specificity.

beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases feature so-called wobbling specificity, which means that they cleave substrates both in gluco- and galacto- configurations, with the activity ratio depending on the enzyme source. Here we present the new finding that fungal beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases are able to hydrolyze and transfer 4-deoxy-N-acetylhexosaminides with high yields. This clearly demonstrates that the 4-hydroxy moiety at the substrate pyranose ring is not essential for substrate binding to the enzyme active site, which was also confirmed by molecular docking of the tested compounds into the model of the active site of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase from Aspergillus oryzae. A set of four 4-deoxy-N-acetylhexosaminides was synthesized and screened against a panel of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases (extracellular and intracellular) from various sources (fungal, human, animal, plant and bacterial) for hydrolysis. The results of this screening are reported here, as well as the structures of three novel 4'-deoxy-disaccharides prepared by transglycosylation reaction with high yields (52% total disaccharide fraction) using beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase from Talaromyces flavus.

Mutasynthesis of lincomycin derivatives with activity against drug-resistant staphylococci.

The lincomycin biosynthetic gene lmbX was deleted in Streptomyces lincolnensis ATCC 25466, and deletion of this gene led to abolition of lincomycin production. The results of complementation experiments proved the blockage in the biosynthesis of lincomycin precursor 4-propyl-L-proline. Feeding this mutant strain with precursor derivatives resulted in production of 4'-butyl-4'-depropyllincomycin and 4'-pentyl-4'-depropyllincomycin in high titers and without lincomycin contamination. Moreover, 4'-pentyl-4'-depropyllincomycin was found to be more active than lincomycin against clinical Staphylococcus isolates with genes determining low-level lincosamide resistance.

Antioxidant and antiviral activities of silybin fatty acid conjugates.

Two selective acylation methods for silybin esterification with long-chain fatty acids were developed, yielding a series of silybin 7-O- and 23-O-acyl-derivatives of varying acyl chain lengths. These compounds were tested for their antioxidant (inhibition of lipid peroxidation and DPPH-scavenging) and anti-influenza virus activities. The acyl chain length is an important prerequisite for both biological activities, as they improved with increasing length of the acyl moiety.

New carbasugars from Streptomyces lincolnensis.

Two new carbasugars (9 and 10) were isolated from Streptomyces lincolnensis DSM 40355 along with streptol (valienol, 8), gabosine I (valienone, 14), and glucosylglycerate. The reported (1)H and (13)C assignments are based on 1D ((1)H, (13)C, 1D-TOCSY, homodecoupling) and 2D (gCOSY, J-resolved, TOCSY, ROESY, gHSQC, gHMBC) NMR techniques and electrospray ionization FT mass spectrometry (ESI FTMS).

Molecular mechanisms of silybin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin antiradical activity--role of individual hydroxyl groups.

The flavonolignans silybin (1) and 2,3-dehydrosilybin (2) are important natural compounds with multiple biological activities operating at various cell levels. Many of these effects are connected with their radical-scavenging activities. The molecular mechanisms of the antioxidant activity of these compounds and even the functional groups responsible for this activity are not yet well known. Their mechanism can be inferred from the structures of the dimeric products obtained from radical-mediated reactions of selectively methylated derivatives of 1 and 2. The radical oxidation of 1 methylated at 7-OH and 2 methylated at both 3-OH and 7-OH yields C-C and C-O dimers that enable the molecular mechanism of their E-ring interaction with radicals to be elucidated and shows the importance of the 20-OH group in this respect. The pivotal role of the 3-OH group in the radical-scavenging activity of 2 was confirmed through the formation of another type of dimer from its selectively methylated derivative.

Cyclosporins from Mycelium sterilae MS 2929.

The structures of two new cyclosporins were elucidated by NMR and MS methods as cyclo[-MeBmt(1)-Abu(2)-Sar(3)-MeLeu(4)-Val(5)-MeLeu(6)-Ala(7)-d-Ala(8)-MeLeu(9)-MeNva(10)-MeVal(11)-] and cyclo[-MeBmt(1)-Abu(2)-Sar(3)-MeLeu(4)-Abu(5)-MeLeu(6)-Ala(7)-d-Ala(8)-MeLeu(9)-MeLeu(10)-MeVal(11)-].

Mechanism of the antioxidant action of silybin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin flavonolignans: a joint experimental and theoretical study.

Flavonolignans from silymarin, the standardized plant extract obtained from thistle, exhibit various antioxidant activities, which correlate with the other biological and therapeutic properties of that extract. To highlight the mode of action of flavonolignans as free radical scavengers and antioxidants, 10 flavonolignans, selectively methylated at different positions, were tested in vitro for their capacity to scavenge radicals (DPPH and superoxide) and to inhibit the lipid peroxidation induced on microsome membranes. The results are rationalized on the basis of (i) the oxidation potentials experimentally obtained by cyclic voltammetry and (ii) the theoretical redox properties obtained by quantum-chemical calculations (using a polarizable continuum model (PCM)-density functional theory (DFT) approach) of the ionization potentials and the O-H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of each OH group of the 10 compounds. We clearly establish the importance of the 3-OH and 20-OH groups as H donors, in the presence of the 2,3 double bond and the catechol moiety in the E-ring, respectively. For silybin derivatives (i.e., in the absence of the 2,3 double bond), secondary mechanisms (i.e., electron transfer (ET) mechanism and adduct formation with radicals) could become more important (or predominant) as the active sites for H atom transfer (HAT) mechanism are much less effective (high BDEs).

Extracellular carbohydrate metabolites from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2).

A new ribose trisaccharide, alpha-Ribf-(1-->2)-alpha-Ribf-(1-->3)-alpha-Ribf (1), was isolated together with 5-O-(alpha-mannosyl)-myo-inositol (2), 2-O-(alpha-mannosyl)-myo-inositol (3), trehalose (4), and d-ribulose (5) from a submerged cultivation of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods. Concentrations of these compounds in the medium were in the range from 0.04 (1) to 0.5 (4) mg/mL.

Properties of pyranose dehydrogenase purified from the litter-degrading fungus Agaricus xanthoderma.

We purified an extracellular pyranose dehydrogenase (PDH) from the basidiomycete fungus Agaricus xanthoderma using ammonium sulfate fractionation and ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The native enzyme is a monomeric glycoprotein (5% carbohydrate) containing a covalently bound FAD as its prosthetic group. The PDH polypeptide consists of 575 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 65 400 Da as determined by MALDI MS. On the basis of the primary structure of the mature protein, PDH is a member of the glucose-methanol-choline oxidoreductase family. We constructed a homology model of PDH using the 3D structure of glucose oxidase from Aspergillus niger as a template. This model suggests a novel type of bi-covalent flavinylation in PDH, 9-S-cysteinyl, 8-alpha-N3-histidyl FAD. The enzyme exhibits a broad sugar substrate tolerance, oxidizing structurally different aldopyranoses including monosaccharides and oligosaccharides as well as glycosides. Its preferred electron donor substrates are D-glucose, D-galactose, L-arabinose, and D-xylose. As shown by in situ NMR analysis, D-glucose and D-galactose are both oxidized at positions C2 and C3, yielding the corresponding didehydroaldoses (diketoaldoses) as the final reaction products. PDH shows no detectable activity with oxygen, and its reactivity towards electron acceptors is rather limited, reducing various substituted benzoquinones and complexed metal ions. The azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazolin-6-sulfonic acid) cation radical and the ferricenium ion are the best electron acceptors, as judged by the catalytic efficiencies (k(cat)/K(m)). The enzyme may play a role in lignocellulose degradation.

New derivatives of silybin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin and their cytotoxic and P-glycoprotein modulatory activity.

Large series of O-alkyl derivatives (methyl and benzyl) of silybin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin was prepared. Selective alkylation of the silybin molecule was systematically investigated. For the first time we present here, for example, preparation of 19-nor-2,3-dehydrosilybin. All prepared silybin/2,3-dehydrosilybin derivatives were tested for cytotoxicity on a panel of drugs sensitive against multidrug resistant cell lines and the ability to inhibit P-glycoprotein mediated efflux activity. We have identified effective and relatively non-cytotoxic inhibitors of P-gp derived from 2,3-dehydrosilybin. Some of them were more effective inhibitors at concentrations lower than a standard P-gp efflux inhibitor cyclosporin A. Another group of 2,3-dehydrosilybin derivatives also had better inhibitory effects on P-gp efflux but a cytotoxicity comparable with that of parent 2,3-dehydrosilybin. Structural requirements for improving inhibitory activity and reducing toxicity of 2,3-dehydrosilybin were established. Effect of E-ring substitution as well as an influence of the substituent size at the C-7-OH position of A-ring on P-gp-inhibitory activity was evaluated for the first time in this study.

Effects of silymarin flavonolignans and synthetic silybin derivatives on estrogen and aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation.

Silymarin, a standardized mixture of flavonolignans, or its major constituents could be effective for prevention and treatment of hepatic damage or skin cancer. However, their potential side effects, such as modulation of endocrine functions via the disruption of estrogen receptor (ER) and/or aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation, are largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated impact of silymarin, its constituents and a series of their synthetic derivatives on ER- and AhR-mediated activities using in vitro reporter gene assays. We found that none of the compounds under study affected the AhR-mediated activity in rat hepatoma cells. Contrary to that, several compounds behaved as either partial or full ER agonists. Silymarin elicited partial ER activation, with silybin B being probably responsible for a majority of the weak ER-mediated activity of silymarin; silybin A and other flavonolignans were found to be inactive and potent ER agonist taxifolin is only a minor constituent of silymarin. To our knowledge, this is probably the first time, when receptor-specific in vitro effects of separated diastereomers have been demonstrated. In contrast to silymarin constituents, the synthetic silybin derivatives, potentially useful as chemoprotective agents, did not modulate the ER-mediated activity, with exception of 23-O-pivaloylsilybin. Interestingly, 7-O-benzylsilybin potentiated ER-mediated activity of 17beta-estradiol despite possessing no estrogenic activity. In conclusion, our data suggest that estrogenicity of some silymarin constituents should be taken in account as their potential side effect when considered as chemopreventive compounds. These results also stress the need to study biological activities of purified or synthesized diastereomers of silybin derivatives.

Oxidised derivatives of silybin and their antiradical and antioxidant activity.

Carboxylic acids derived from silybin (1) and 2,3-dehydrosilybin (2) with improved water solubility were prepared by selective oxidation of parent compounds and a new inexpensive method for preparation of 2,3-dehydrosilybin from silybin was developed and optimised. The antioxidative properties of the above-mentioned compounds and of side product 3a from oxidation of compound 1 were determined by cyclic voltammetry, free radical scavenging (DPPH, superoxide) assays, and by inhibition of in vitro generated liver microsomal lipid peroxidation. Dehydrogenation at C((2))-C((3)) in flavonolignans (silybin vs 2,3-dehydrosilybin; silybinic acid vs 2,3-dehydrosilybinic acid) strongly improved antioxidative properties (analogously as in flavonoids taxifolin vs quercetin). Thus, in antioxidative properties, dehydrosilybin was superior to silybin by one order, but its water solubility is too low for application in aqueous milieu. On the other hand, 2,3-dehydrosilybinic acid is a fairly soluble derivative with antilipoperoxidation and antiradical activities better than that of silybin.

Identification of the covalent flavin adenine dinucleotide-binding region in pyranose 2-oxidase from Trametes multicolor.

We present the first report on characterization of the covalent flavinylation site in flavoprotein pyranose 2-oxidase. Pyranose 2-oxidase from the basidiomycete fungus Trametes multicolor, catalyzing C-2/C-3 oxidation of several monosaccharides, shows typical absorption maxima of flavoproteins at 456, 345, and 275 nm. No release of flavin was observed after protein denaturation, indicating covalent attachment of the cofactor. The flavopeptide fragment resulting from tryptic/chymotryptic digestion of the purified enzyme was isolated by anion-exchange and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The flavin type, attachment site, and mode of its linkage were determined by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of the intact flavopeptide, without its prior enzymatic degradation to the central aminoacyl moiety. Mass spectrometry identified the attached flavin as flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Post-source decay analysis revealed that the flavin is covalently bound to histidine residue in the peptide STHW, consistent with the results of N-terminal amino acid sequencing by Edman degradation. The type of the aminoacyl flavin covalent link was determined by NMR spectroscopy, resulting in the structure 8alpha-(N(3)-histidyl)-FAD.

Role of amino acid N-methylation in cyclosporins on ring opening and fragmentation mechanisms during collisionally induced dissociation in an ion trap.

The product ion mass spectra (collisionally induced dissociation mass spectra) of 12 different cyclosporins modified at every N-methylated amino acid residue with respect to cyclosporin A were compared and the effect of N-demethylation on ring opening mechanisms was evaluated. The four preferential protonation sites were identified in [MeBmt(1)]-cyclosporins. Three sites represented the N-methylated nitrogens of Sar(3), MeLeu(6) and MeLeu(9), while the remaining one represented the lactone group formed by the intramolecular N,O-acyl shift. Selective N-demethylation resulted either in the deletion of the entire fragment ion series or its substantial attenuation. The structures of three new natural cyclosporins in the study were supported by NMR data.

Clustered ergot alkaloids modulate cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Dimers of agroclavine (1) and terguride (2), as well as a series of terguride oligomers, for example trimers (5, 6), tetramer (7), hexamer (8) and functionalized tergurides for further complex clustering were synthesized. Terguride oligomers were screened for their direct cellular toxicity on lymphoma cell lines in vitro and for their immunomodulating activities, represented by the natural killer (NK) cell-mediated cytotoxicity, as the most sensitive screening marker during immune responses. Dimers linked via aromatic spacer showed a high toxicity (1 microM) to lymphoma cells, which was not detected in other derivatives. In vitro and ex vivo experiments performed on mouse spleen lymphocytes in the presence of terguride oligomers demonstrated an immunosuppressive effect of dimers with aromatic spacer (4c-d) and NK cell stimulatory effect of terguride hexamer (8) and trimer with aliphatic spacer (5c). There is a considerable evidence that indolic part of molecule contributes to immunosuppressive action of terguride, which is potentiated in dimers carrying aromatic linker. This effect can be reversed by higher oligomerization of the respective alkaloids.