Marine derived xyloketal derivatives exhibit anti-stress and anti-ageing effects through HSF pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Ageing is a complex but universal phenomenon that progressively challenges the homeostasis network and finally leads to the dysfunction of organisms and even death. Previous studies demonstrated that xyloketal B and its derivatives, a series of marine novel ketone compounds, possessed unique antioxidative effects on endothelial and neuronal oxidative injuries. In this study, we examined the effects of xyloketal derivatives on extending lifespan and healthspan of Caenorhabditis elegans. The results showed that most selected xyloketals could protect Caenorhabditis elegans against heat stress and extend the lifespan of worms. Compound 15, a benzo-1, 3-oxazine xyloketal derivative, possessed most potent effect in anti-heat stress assay and significantly attenuated ageing-related decrease of pumping and bending of the worms in healthspan assay. In addition, the beneficial effect of 15 was abolished in PS3551 worms, a strain that possesses non-functional heat shock transcription factor-1 (HSF-1). Furthermore, 15 increased the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), a downstream molecular chaperone of HSF-1. These results indicated that HSF-1 might contribute to the protective effect of this compound in Caenorhabditis elegans ageing. Molecular docking studies suggested that these xyloketal derivatives were bound to the DNA binding domain of HSF-1, promoted the conformation of HSF-1, thus strengthened the interaction between the HSF-1 and related DNA. ALA-67, ASN-74 and LYS-80 of binding region might be the key amino residues during the interaction. Finally, compound 15 could reduce the paralysis of the CL4176 worms, a transgenic strain expressing human Aß3-42 under a temperature-inducible system. Collectively, these data indicate that xyloketals have potential implications for further evaluation in anti-ageing studies.

Recent Advances in the Discovery and Development of Marine Natural Products with Cardiovascular Pharmacological Effects.

Numerous studies have indicated that marine natural products are one of the most important sources of the lead compounds in drug discovery for their unique structures, various bioactivities and less side effects. In this review, the marine natural products with cardiovascular pharmacological effects reported after 2000 will be presented. Their structural types, relevant biological activities, origin of isolation and information of strain species will be discussed in detail. Finally, by describing our studies as an example, we also discuss the chances and challenges for translating marine-derived compounds into preclinical or clinical trials.

A study on blocking store-operated Ca2+ entry in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells with xyloketals from marine fungi.

In this study, the effect of four xyloketals 1-4 on store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) was investigated in primary distal pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) isolated from mice. The results showed that xyloketal A (1), an unusual ketal with C-3 symmetry, exhibited strong SOCE blocking activity. Secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8) was also inhibited by xyloketal A. The parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) of 1-4 suggested that these xyloketals penetrated easily through the cell membrane. Moreover, the molecular docking study of xyloketal A with activation region of the stromal interaction molecule (STIM) 1 and the calcium release-activated calcium modulator (ORAI) 1 (STIM1-ORAI1) protein complex, the key domain of SOCE, revealed that xyloketal A exhibited a noncovalent interaction with the key residue lysine 363 (LYS363) in the identified cytosolic regions in STIM1-C. These findings provided useful information about xyloketal A as a SOCE inhibitor for further evaluation.