Design, synthesis and biological activity of novel asymmetric C66 analogs as anti-inflammatory agents for the treatment of acute lung injury

Preliminary study on the protective effect of remazolam against sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)

Background

Sepsis can disrupt immune regulation and lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) frequently. Remazolam, a fast-acting hypnotic drug with superior qualities compared to other drugs, was investigated for its potential protective effects against sepsis-induced ARDS.

Methods

Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups, including the sepsis + saline group, sham operation + saline group, sham operation + remazolam group and the sepsis + remazolam group. Lung tissues of rats were extracted for HE staining to assess lung damage, and the wet weight to dry weight (W/D) ratio was calculated. The levels of proinflammatory factors, anti-inflammatory factors, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood, MDA, MPO, and ATP in the lung tissue were measured by using ELISA. Western blotting was performed to determine the protein expression of HMGB1 in lung tissues.

Results

In comparison to the sham operation + saline and sham operation + remazolam groups, the sepsis + saline group exhibited significantly higher values for W/D ratio, lung damage score, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, PCT, CRP, MDP and MPO, while exhibiting lower levels of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, PaO2, PCO2, and ATP. The rats in the sepsis + saline group displayed ruptured alveolar walls and evident interstitial lung edema. However, the rats in the sepsis + remazolam group showed improved alveolar structure. Furthermore, the HMGB1 protein expression in the sepsis + remazolam group was lower than the sepsis + saline group.

Conclusion

Remazolam can alleviate the inflammatory response in infected rats, thereby alleviating lung injury and improving immune function, which may be attributed to the reduction in HMGB1 protein expression.

Curcumin-Piperlongumine Hybrid Molecule Increases Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Lung Cancer through JNK/c-Jun Signaling Pathway

The instability of curcumin's structure and the toxic side effects of piperlongumine have limited their potential applications in cancer treatment. To overcome these challenges, we designed and synthesized a novel curcumin-piperlongumine hybrid molecule, 3-[(E)-4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene]-1-[(E)-3-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)acryloyl]piperidin-2-one (CP), using a molecular hybridization strategy. CP exhibited enhanced structural stability and safety compared with its parent compounds. Through in vitro and in vivo biological activity screenings, CP effectively inhibited cell proliferation, caused cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase, and induced apoptosis. Mechanistically, CP-induced apoptosis was partially mediated by cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, we discovered that CP induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through the regulation of JNK signaling. These findings highlight the potential of CP as a promising therapeutic agent for lung cancer treatment.

Synthesis and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Ferulic Acid-Sesquiterpene Lactone Hybrids

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a respiratory failure disease associated with high mortality rates in patients. The primary pathological damage is attributed to the excessive release of pro-inflammatory mediators in pulmonary tissue. However, specific therapy for ALI has not been developed. In this study, a series of novel ferulic acid-parthenolide (FA-PTL) and ferulic acid-micheliolide (FA-MCL) hybrid derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities in vitro. Compounds 2, 4, and 6 showed pronounced anti-inflammatory activity against LPS-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro. Importantly, compound 6 displayed good water solubility, and treatment of mice with compound 6 (10 mg/kg) significantly prevented weight loss and ameliorated inflammatory cell infiltration and edema in lung tissue, as well as improving the alveolar structure. These results suggest that compound 6 (((1aR,7aS,8R,10aS,10bS,E)-8-((dimethylamino)methyl)-1a-methyl-9-oxo-1a,2,3,6,7,7a,8,9,10a,10b-decahydrooxireno[2',3':9,10]cyclodeca[1,2-b]furan-5-yl)methyl (E)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)acrylate 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate) might be considered as a lead compound for further evaluation as a potential anti-ALI agent.

Curcumin analog C66 alleviates inflammatory colitis by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB

BACKGROUND

The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains unclear. C66, a derivative of curcumin, reportedly exerts anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic and anti-apoptotic effects by targeting the JNK pathway. However, the effect of C66 against IBD is not clear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of C66 against IBD.

METHODS

C57BL/6J mice were treated with 2.5% DSS for 7 days, and then administered water for 3 days to develop the IBD mouse model. A mouse intestinal epithelial cell line, MODE-K, stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used as the in vitro model. The therapeutic effects of C66 were evaluated and the pharmacological mechanisms were explored.

RESULTS

Compared to the model group, C66 treatment significantly reduced colitis-associated damage, including a decrease in disease activity index (DAI), a higher body weight and longer colon. In addition, the infiltration of distal inflammatory cells, loss of crypt tissues, and destruction of epithelial cells were reduced in C66-treated group. In addition, C66 treatment reduced fibrotic areas and inflammatory responses in the colon tissues, leading to increased epithelial cell proliferation and decreased apoptosis in colon. Furthermore, C66 treatment decreased the levels of p-JNK and p-P65, indicating that C66 inhibits the activation of the JNK and NF-κB signaling pathways induced by DSS in colon tissues. Finally, in vitro data show that C66 inhibited LPS-induced inflammation and apoptosis in small intestinal epithelial cells.  CONCLUSIONS: The curcumin analog C66 exhibits its anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the DSS-induced activation of JNK/NF-κB signaling pathways. C66 may be a potential candidate for the treatment of IBD.

Recent development of photocatalytic nanomaterials in mixed matrix membrane for emerging pollutants and fouling control, membrane cleaning process

Membrane-based separation is an area of extensive research in wastewater treatment, which includes the control of pollution and reuse of water. The fabrication and modification membranes for prevention and reduction of pollution to provide quality water with fouling-free membranes through the wastewater treatment are the progressive approaches in the industries. Several research works have been extensively working on modification and fabrication polymer membranes with integration of advanced oxidation process (AOP) to overcome the membrane fouling. This review describes the modification of membranes with various nanomaterials such as inorganic and modified carbon which can be used for pollution control and enhance the anti-fouling properties of ultrafiltration membranes. The effects on nanomaterials loading percentage, nanomaterials interaction with the polymers and rejection performances of the surface tuned membrane are elaborated. Secondly, the fouled membrane chemical cleaning process and NaOCl adverse effect on polymer structure are critically investigated. Moreover, state-of-art in the photocatalytic self-cleaning process are reviewed in this manuscript, and future perspectives on fouling mitigation based on AOP integrated membrane technology have also discussed.

Quinoline Based Monocarbonyl Curcumin Analogs as Potential Antifungal and Antioxidant Agents: Synthesis, Bioevaluation and Molecular Docking Study

In search for new fungicidal and free radical scavenging agents, we synthesized a focused library of 2-chloroquinoline based monocarbonyl analogs of curcumin (MACs). The synthesized MACs were evaluated for in vitro antifungal and antioxidant activity. The antifungal activity was evaluated against five different fungal strains such as Candida albicans, Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Cryptococcus neoformans, respectively. Most of the synthesized MACs displayed promising antifungal activity compared to the standard drug Miconazole. Furthermore, molecular docking study on a crucial fungal enzyme sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) could provide insight into the plausible mechanism of antifungal activity. MACs were also screened for in vitro radical scavenging activity using butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as a standard. Almost all MACs exhibited better antioxidant activity compared to BHT.

Curcumin Management of Myocardial Fibrosis and its Mechanisms of Action: A Review

Myocardial fibrosis is implicated as a leading risk factor for heart failure, arrhythmia, and sudden death after cardiac injury, as the excessive interstitial extracellular matrix impedes heart contraction and electrical conduction. Complicated mechanisms involving oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokine families, NLRP3 inflammasomes, growth factors, and non-coding RNAs participate in cardiac fibrogenesis and make it difficult to designate specific and effective therapies. Oriental herbs have been popular for thousands of years in the health care of Asian residents, due to their multi-targeted, multi-faceted approaches and their multi-functional effects in fighting difficult and complicated diseases, including cardiovascular disorders such as myocardial fibrosis. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol and yellow pigment obtained from the spice turmeric, was found to have strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Increasing evidence has shown that curcumin can be used to prevent and treat myocardial fibrosis, when the myocardium suffers pathological pro-fibrotic changes in vivo and in vitro. The present review focuses on recent studies elucidating the mechanisms of curcumin in treating different pathologic conditions, including ischemia, hypoxia/reoxygenation, pressure or volume overload, and hyperglycemia or high-fat-induced cardiac fibrosis. Novel analogs such as C66, B2BrBC, Y20, and J17 have been designed to maximize the therapeutic potentials of curcumin. These optimized curcumin analogs with improved bioavailability and pharmacokinetic profiles need to be clinically verified before curcumin could be recommended for the treatment of myocardial fibrosis.

Insights on the synthesis of asymmetric curcumin derivatives and their biological activities

Curcumin is a small organic molecule with pleiotropic biological activities. However, its multiple structural-pharmacokinetic challenges prevent its development into a clinical drug. Various structural modifications have been made to improve its drug profile. In this review, we focus on the methods adopted in the synthesis of asymmetric curcumin derivatives and their biological activities and forecast the future of this exciting class of compounds in the field of medicine.

Dissymmetric pyridyl-substituted 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidones as anti-hepatoma agents by inhibiting NF-κB pathway activation

To get new anti-hepatoma agents with anti-inflammatory activity and hypotoxicity, a series of dissymmetric pyridyl-substituted 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidones (BAPs, 25-82) were designed and synthesized. Many of them exhibited potential anti-hepatoma properties against human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HepG2, QGY-7703, SMMC-7721) and hypotoxicity for human normal heptical cell line (HHL-5, LO2), and prominently inhibited lipopolysaccharides (LPS) induced IL-6, TNF-α secretion to exert its anti-inflammatory effect. Combining the data of cytotoxicity, cytocompatibility and anti-inflammatory activity, 3-pyridyl and -CF₃ substituted 67 may be the potential anti-hepatoma agent. 67 effectively promoted cell apoptosis through up-regulating cleaved caspase-3 and Bax expression and down-regulating Bcl-2 expression. Furthermore, 67 prominently inhibited NF-κB pathway activation by blocking the phosphorylation of IκBα, p65 and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB induced by TNF-α and LPS. In addition, 67 could reasonably bind to the active site of Bcl-2 and NF-κB/p65 protein proved by Molecular docking analyses. Moreover, 67 significantly suppressed the growth and inflammatory response of HepG2 xenografts in nude mice and was relatively nontoxic to mice. These results suggest that 67 may be effective and hypotoxicity anti-hepatoma agent for the clinical treatment of liver cancers.

Inhibition of high glucose-induced inflammation and fibrosis by a novel curcumin derivative prevents renal and heart injury in diabetic mice

Hyperglycemia-induced inflammation and fibrosis have important roles in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy and cardiomyopathy. With inflammatory cytokines and signaling pathways as important mediators, targeting inflammation may be an effective approach to new avenue for treating diabetic complications. J17, a molecule with structural similarities to curcumin, exhibited good anti-inflammatory activities by inhibiting LPS-induced inflammatory response in macrophages. However, its ability to alleviate hyperglycemia-induced injury via its anti-inflammatory actions remained unclear. Thus, we reported that J17 exerts significant inhibitory effects on hyperglycemia-induced inflammation and fibrosis in NRK-52E cells, H9C2 cells and a streptozotocin-induced diabetic mouse model. We also found that the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis activities of J17 are associated with the inhibition of the P38 and AKT signal pathway, respectively. In vivo oral administration of J17 suppressed hyperglycemia-induced inflammation, hypertrophy and fibrosis, thereby reducing key markers for renal and cardiac dysfunction and improving in fibrosis and pathological changes in both renal and cardiac tissues of diabetic mice. The results of this study indicated that J17 can be potentially used as a cardio- and reno-protective agent and that targeting the P38 and AKT pathways may be an effective therapeutic strategy for diabetic complications.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Anti-inflammatory N-Substituted 3,5-Bis(2-(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)piperidin-4-ones

A total of 24 N-substituted 3,5-bis(2-(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)piperidin-4-one derivatives were synthesized via aldol condensation, and their anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated. These compounds were found to have no significant cytotoxicity against mouse bone marrow cells in vitro. However, some compounds, such as c6 (N-(3-methylbenzoyl)-3,5-bis-(2-(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)piperidin-4-one) and c10 (N-(2-chlorobenzoyl)-3,5-bis-(2-(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)piperidin-4-one), displayed potent anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 cells. Treatment with c6 or c10 at 2.5 or 10 mg kg^-1 significantly decreased the paw edema induced by carrageenan in rats, and the anti-inflammatory effects of these compounds were found to be better than those of celecoxib or indomethacin as well as their parent compound C66 (2,6-bis-(2-(trifluoromethyl)benzylidene)cyclohexanone). Pharmacokinetic analysis indicated that c6 has better bioavailability than curcumin. Therefore, these compounds may be valuable leads for the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs.

Development of resveratrol-curcumin hybrids as potential therapeutic agents for inflammatory lung diseases

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a major cause of acute respiratory failure in critically-ill patients. Resveratrol and curcumin are proven to have potent anti-inflammatory efficacy, but their clinical application is limited by their metabolic instability. Here, a series of resveratrol and the Mono-carbonyl analogs of curcumin (MCAs) hybrids were designed and synthesized by efficient aldol construction strategy, and then screened for anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that the majority of analogs effectively inhibited the LPS-induced production of IL-6 and TNF-α. Five analogs, a9, a18, a19, a20 and a24 exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory activity in a dose-dependent manner along with low toxicity in vitro. Structure activity relationship study revealed that the electron-withdrawing groups at meta-position and methoxyl group (OCH₃) at the para position of the phenyl ring were important for anti-inflammatory activities. The most promising compound a18 decreased LPS induced TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12, and IL-33 mRNA expression. Additionally, a18 significantly protected against LPS-induced acute lung injury in the in vivo mouse model. The research of resveratrol and MCAs hybrids could bring insight into the treatment of inflammatory diseases and compound a18 may serve as a lead compound for the development of anti-ALI agents.