Diversity-oriented synthesis of marine polybrominated diphenyl ethers as potential KCNQ potassium channel activators

Phosphinothio(seleno)ation of alkynes/olefins and application on the late-stage functionalization of natural products

Non-metallic catalysis has been known as a remarkable development strategy for hydrofunctionalization of unsaturated hydrocarbons. Herein, we report a unique chemically active method of BF3·OEt2 promoted multi-component, highly regioselective, and chemoselective hydrothio(seleo)phosphonylation of unsaturated hydrocarbons, which exhibits high yield and good substrate universality. The reaction mechanism was further elucidated to be Markovnikov addition by controlling experiments, 31P and 19F NMR spectra tracking experiments, X-ray diffraction analysis, and DFT calculations. Furthermore, the gram-scale attempt and the application of the reaction on the derivatization of natural products have been successfully conducted, leading to the discovery of 3as with potential anti-Parkinson's disease (PD) activities at 1 μM. This streamlined and efficient methodology has established a new platform for non-metallic Lewis acids-promoted hydrofunctionalization of unsaturated hydrocarbons and its application on new drug research.

The potential of marine natural products and their synthetic derivatives as drugs targeting ion channels

Ion channels are a type of protein channel that play a vital role in numerous physiological functions by facilitating the passage of ions through cell membranes, thereby enabling ion and electrical signal transmission. As a crucial target for drug action, ion channels have been implicated in various diseases. Many natural products from marine organisms, such as fungi, algae, sponges, and sea cucumber, etc. have been found to have activities related to ion channels for decades. These interesting natural product molecules undoubtedly bring good news for the treatment of neurological and cardiovascular diseases. In this review, 92 marine natural products and their synthetic derivatives with ion channel-related activities that were identified during the period 2000-2024 were systematically reviewed. The synthesis and mechanisms of action of selected compounds were also discussed, aiming to offer insights for the development of drugs targeting ion channels.

Design and Synthesis of Marine Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Derivatives as Potential Anti-Inflammatory Agents

Natural polybrominated diphenyl ethers are generally isolated from sponges and possess a broad range of biological activities. Through screening of our marine natural product library, we discovered that polybrominated diphenyl ethers 5 and 6 exhibit considerable anti-inflammatory activity. In order to expand our repertoire of derivatives for further biological activity studies, we designed and synthesized a series of 5-related polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Importantly, compound 5a showed comparable anti-inflammatory activity while much lower cytotoxicity on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells. Additionally, western blotting analysis showed that 5a reduced the expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK). Besides, molecular docking experiments were conducted to predict and elucidate the potential mechanisms underlying the varying anti-inflammatory activities exhibited by compounds 5a, 5, and 6.

Marine natural products

Covering: January to the end of December 2022This review covers the literature published in 2022 for marine natural products (MNPs), with 645 citations (633 for the period January to December 2022) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green, brown and red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, the submerged parts of mangroves and other intertidal plants. The emphasis is on new compounds (1417 in 384 papers for 2022), together with the relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Pertinent reviews, biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that led to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included. An analysis of NP structure class diversity in relation to biota source and biome is discussed.