Chemical composition of the White Sea sponge Halichondriа panicea.

The extract of the White Sea sponge Halichondria panicea (Pallas, 1766) exhibits cytotoxic and cytostatic effects. The main part of the extract consists of hydrophilic low molecular weight compounds: free amino acids (13.9%), glucose (19.9%), polyatomic alcohols (glycerin and others) (6.1%), carboxylic acids (0.7%) and nitrogenous heterocycles (1.2%). Of the substances specific to the metabolome, bicyclic diketopiperazines (four derivatives), pyroglutamic acid, phenylacetic acid, and two steroids (3ß,5α)cholest-7-en-3-ol and dihydrocholesterol were identified. Toxicants characteristic of the genus Halichondria were not found in the White Sea sponge.

Antifungal activity of a novel synthetic polymer M451 against phytopathogens.

Phytopathogenic fungi are the predominant causal agents of plant diseases. Available fungicides have substantial disadvantages, such as being insufficiently effective owing to intrinsic tolerance and the spread of antifungal resistance accumulating in plant tissues, posing a global threat to public health. Therefore, finding a new broad-spectrum fungicide is a challenge to protect plants. We studied the potency of a novel antimicrobial agent, M451, a 1,6-diaminohexane derivative, against different phytopathogenic fungi of the Ascomycota, Oomycota, and Basidiomycota phyla. M451 exhibited significant antifungal activity with EC50 values from 34-145 µg/mL. The minimal fungicidal concentration against Fusarium oxysporum ranged from 4 to 512 µg/mL depending on the exposure times of 5 min to 24 h. M451 has the highest activity and significantly lower exposure times compared to different polyene, azole, and phenylpyrrole antifungals. The conidial germination assay revealed that M451 induced 99 and 97.8% inhibition against F. oxysporum within 5 min of exposure to 5,000 and 500 µg/mL, respectively. Germ tube elongation, spore production, and spore germination were also significantly inhibited by M451 at concentrations of ≥50 µg/mL. Based on the broad spectrum of antifungal effects across different plant pathogens, M451 could be a new chemical fungicide for plant disease management.

A new approach for analysis of polyprenols by a combination of thin-film chemical deposition and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE: The polyprenols are involved in some essential biosynthetic pathways and serve as ubiquitous components of cellular membranes, so their fingerprinting in natural samples is of great interest. Previous studies indicate that due to the high hydrophobicity of polyprenols their direct analysis by mass spectrometry with soft ionization techniques may be difficult and require preliminary off-line derivatization. Hence, a method for rapid and sensitive screening of polyprenols is required. METHODS: A combination of thin-film chemical deposition and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) was used for analysis of the polyprenol profile of Abies sibirica L. extract. Polyprenol-based monolayers were formed at the interphase of aqueous barium acetate solution, supplemented with 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, and an n-hexane solution of polyprenols directly on a MALDI target plate. RESULTS: Peaks corresponding to [M - H + Ba]+ ions were observed in the MALDI-TOF mass spectra of polyprenols. A total of nine polyprenol homologues were identified with a polyprenol of 16 isoprene units dominating. The limit of detection was established at the level of 6 pg. Possible mechanisms of formation of [M - H + Ba]+ ions of polyprenols were discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed approach can be suitable for high-throughput screening of polyprenols in biological samples of different origin due to easy sample preparation and high sensitivity.

Stereodirected synthesis of alkaloid-like quinolizidine systems.

New stereoselective methods for the chemical modification of cytisine based on T-reactions are reported. A reaction of cytisine with 2-chloro-5-nitrobenzaldehyde and followed condensation with 1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid affords N-(5-nitro-2-{1,3-dimethylperhydropyrimidine-2,4,6-trione-5-methynyl})cytisine, which undergoes a cyclization with the tetrahydropyridine ring closure. The cyclization proceeds via two competing routes yielding 5,5-spirobarbituric acid derivatives with 11,19-diaza-pentacyclo[11.7.1.02,11.05,10.014,19]henicosane and 11,15-diazapentacyclo-[11.7.1.02,11.05,10.015,20]henicosane skeletons. The cyclization reaction in solutions afford either 24.25-trans and 15,16-trans isomers or trans and cis isomer mixtures, depending on the specific solvent. Meanwhile, 24,25-cis and 15,16-cis isomers are formed stereoselectively under heterogeneous conditions in water suspensions. Trans-5,5-spirobarbiturates under similar conditions undergo isomerization into more stable cis-analogs by the configuration inversion at the C7 atom. The synthesized 5,5-spirobarbituric acid derivatives were successfully converted into alkaloid-like quinolizidine systems (1R,2R,3R,13S)-7-nitro-18-oxo-11,19-diazapentacyclo[11.7.1.02,11.05,10.014,19]henicosa-5(10),6,8,14,16-pentaene-3-carboxylic acid and (1R,2S,3S,13S)-nitro-16-oxo-11,15-diazapentacyclo[11,7,1.02,11,05,10,015,20]henicosa-5,7,9,17,19-pentaene-3-carboxylic acid and their derivatives via the spiropyrimidine moiety removal by the stereoselective hydrolysis. The molecular and crystal structures of the target substances were elucidated by X-ray crystallography and NMR.

Thin Film Chemical Deposition Techniques as a Tool for Fingerprinting of Free Fatty Acids by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

Metabolic fingerprinting is a powerful analytical technique, giving access to high-throughput identification and relative quantification of multiple metabolites. Because of short analysis times, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) is the preferred instrumental platform for fingerprinting, although its power in analysis of free fatty acids (FFAs) is limited. However, these metabolites are the biomarkers of human pathologies and indicators of food quality. Hence, a high-throughput method for their fingerprinting is required. Therefore, here we propose a MALDI-TOF-MS method for identification and relative quantification of FFAs in biological samples of different origins. Our approach relies on formation of monomolecular Langmuir films (LFs) at the interphase of aqueous barium acetate solution, supplemented with low amounts of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, and hexane extracts of biological samples. This resulted in detection limits of 10-13-10-14 mol and overall method linear dynamic range of at least 4 orders of magnitude with accuracy and precision within 2 and 17%, respectively. The method precision was verified with eight sample series of different taxonomies, which indicates a universal applicability of our approach. Thereby, 31 and 22 FFA signals were annotated by exact mass and identified by tandem MS, respectively. Among 20 FFAs identified in Fucus algae, 14 could be confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Novel water-soluble lignin derivative BP-Cx-1: identification of components and screening of potential targets in silico and in vitro.

Identification of molecular targets and mechanism of action is always a challenge, in particular - for natural compounds due to inherent chemical complexity. BP-Cx-1 is a water-soluble modification of hydrolyzed lignin used as the platform for a portfolio of innovative pharmacological products aimed for therapy and supportive care of oncological patients. The present study describes a new approach, which combines in vitro screening of potential molecular targets for BP-Cx-1 using Diversity Profile - P9 panel by Eurofins Cerep (France) with a search of possible active components in silico in ChEMBL - manually curated chemical database of bioactive molecules with drug-like properties. The results of diversity assay demonstrate that BP-Cx-1 has multiple biological effects on neurotransmitters receptors, ligand-gated ion channels and transporters. Of particular importance is that the major part of identified molecular targets are involved in modulation of inflammation and immune response and might be related to tumorigenesis. Characterization of molecular composition of BP-Cx-1 with Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry and subsequent identification of possible active components by searching for molecular matches in silico in ChEMBL indicated polyphenolic components, nominally, flavonoids, sapogenins, phenanthrenes, as the major carriers of biological activity of BP-Cx-1. In vitro and in silico target screening yielded overlapping lists of proteins: adenosine receptors, dopamine receptor DRD4, glucocorticoid receptor, serotonin receptor 5-HT1, prostaglandin receptors, muscarinic cholinergic receptor, GABAA receptor. The pleiotropic molecular activities of polyphenolic components are beneficial in treatment of multifactorial disorders such as diseases associated with chronic inflammation and cancer.