Design, Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of Glycosylated Derivatives of Marine Natural Product Lamellarin D

Progress on synthesis and structure-activity relationships of lamellarins over the past decade

Lamellarins are polyaromatic alkaloids isolated from marine organisms, including mollusks, tunicates, and sponges. Currently, over 60 structurally distinct natural lamellarins have been reported, and most of them exhibit promising biological activities, such as topoisomerase inhibition, mitochondrial function inhibition, multidrug resistance reversing, and anti-HIV activity. There has also been a significant progress on the synthetic study of lamellarins which has been regularly updated by numerous medicinal chemists as well. This review provides a detailed summary of the synthesis, pharmacology, and structural modification of lamellarins over the past decades.

Design and synthesis of luotonin A-derived topoisomerase targeting scaffold with potent antitumor effect and low genotoxicity

Conventional topoisomerase (Topo) inhibitors typically usually exert their cytotoxicity by damaging the DNAs, which exhibit high toxicity and tend to result in secondary carcinogenesis risk. Molecules that have potent topoisomerase inhibitory activity but involve less DNA damage provide more desirable scaffolds for developing novel chemotherapeutic agents. In this work, we broke the rigid pentacyclic system of luotonin A and synthesized thirty-three compounds as potential Topo inhibitors based on the devised molecular motif. Further investigation disclose that two compounds with the highest antiproliferation activity against cancer cells, 5aA and 5dD, had a distinct Topo I inhibitory mechanism different from those of the classic Topo I inhibitors CPT or luteolin, and were able to obviate the obvious cellular DNA damage typically associated with clinically available Topo inhibitors. The animal model experiments demonstrated that even in mice treated with a high dosage of 50 mg/kg 5aA, there were no obvious signs of toxicity or loss of body weight. The tumor growth inhibition (TGI) rate was 54.3 % when 20 mg/kg 5aA was given to the T24 xenograft mouse model, and 5aA targeted the cancer tissue precisely without causing damage to the liver and other major organs.

Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline scaffolds for developing anti-cancer agents

Fused pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines have emerged as compelling molecules with remarkably potent cytotoxic activity and topoisomerase inhibitors. This comprehensive review delves into the intricate world of this family of compounds, analyzing the natural marine lamellarins known for their diverse and complex chemical structures, exploring structure-activity relationships (SARs), and highlighting their remarkable versatility. The review emphasizes their fundamental role as topoisomerase inhibitors and cytotoxic agents, as well as some crucial aspects of the chemistry of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines, exploring synthetic strategies in total synthesis and molecular diversification trends, highlighting their importance in the field of medicinal chemistry and beyond.

Overview of the New Bioactive Heterocycles as Targeting Topoisomerase Inhibitors Useful Against Colon Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer globally, with high mortality. Metastatic CRC is incurable in most cases, and multiple drug therapy can increase patients' life expectancy by 2 to 3 years. Efforts are being made to understand the relationship between topoisomerase enzymes and colorectal cancer. Some studies have shown that higher expression of these enzymes is correlated to a poor prognosis for this type of cancer. One of the primary drugs used in the treatment of CRC is Irinotecan, which can be used in monotherapy or, more commonly, in therapeutic schemes such as FOLFIRI (Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, and Irinotecan) and CAPIRI (Capecitabine and Irinotecan). Like Camptothecin, Irinotecan and other compounds have a mechanism of action based on the formation of a ternary complex with topoisomerase I and DNA providing damage to it, therefore leading to cell death. Thus, this review focused on the principal works published in the last ten years that demonstrate a correlation between the inhibition of different isoforms of topoisomerase and in vitro cytotoxic activity against CRC by natural products, semisynthetic and synthetic compounds of pyridine, quinoline, acridine, imidazoles, indoles, and metal complexes. The results revealed that natural compounds, semisynthetic and synthetic derivatives showed potential in vitro cytotoxicity against several colon cancer cell lines, and this activity was often accompanied by the ability to inhibit both isoforms of topoisomerase (I and II), highlighting that these enzymes can be promising targets for the development of new chemotherapy against CRC. Pyridine analogs were considered the most promising for this study, while the evaluation of the real potential of natural products was limited by the lack of information in their work. Moreover, the complexes, although promising, presented as the main limitation the lack of selectivity.

Synthesis of Chromenopyrroles (Azacoumestans) from Functionalized Enones and Alkyl Isocyanoacetates

Elegant synthetic strategies for chromenopyrroles (azacoumestans) have been devised via cycloaddition of 2-hydroxychalcone/cyclic enones and alkyl isocyanoacetate, followed by lactonization. Herein, ethyl isocyanoacetate acts as a C-NH-C-C═O synthon contrary to its hitherto applications as a C-NH-C synthon. Subsequently, pentacyclic-fused pyrroles were also constructed from the o-iodo benzoyl chromenopyrroles using the Pd(II) catalyst.

Pyrazole-based lamellarin O analogues: synthesis, biological evaluation and structure-activity relationships

A library of pyrazole-based lamellarin O analogues was synthesized from easily accessible 3(5)-aryl-1H-pyrazole-5(3)-carboxylates which were subsequently modified by bromination, N-alkylation and Pd-catalysed Suzuki cross-coupling reactions. Synthesized ethyl and methyl 3,4-diaryl-1-(2-aryl-2-oxoethyl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylates were evaluated for their physicochemical property profiles and in vitro cytotoxicity against three human colorectal cancer cell lines HCT116, HT29, and SW480. The most active compounds inhibited cell proliferation in a low micromolar range. Selected ethyl 3,4-diaryl-1-(2-aryl-2-oxoethyl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylates were further investigated for their mode of action. Results of combined viability staining via Calcein AM/Hoechst/PI and fluorescence-activated cell sorting data indicated that cell death was triggered in a non-necrotic manner mediated by mainly G2/M-phase arrest.

Marine natural products

Covering: January to December 2021This review covers the literature published in 2021 for marine natural products (MNPs), with 736 citations (724 for the period January to December 2021) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green, brown and red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, mangroves and other intertidal plants and microorganisms. The emphasis is on new compounds (1425 in 416 papers for 2021), 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 the number of authors, their affiliations, domestic and international collection locations, focus of MNP studies, citation metrics and journal choices is discussed.

1,3 Dipolar Cycloaddition of Münchnones: Factors behind the Regioselectivity

The 1,3 dipolar cycloaddition reactions of münchnones and alkenes provide an expedite synthetic way to substituted pyrroles, an exceedingly important structural motif in the pharmaceutical and material science fields of research. The factors governing their regioselectivity rationalization are not well understood. Using several approaches, we investigate a set of 14 reactions (featuring two münchnones, 12 different alkenes, and two alkynes). The Natural Bond Theory and the Non-Covalent Interaction Index analyses of the noncovalent interaction energies fail to predict the experimental major regioisomer. Employing global cDFT descriptors or local ones such as the Fukui function and dual descriptor yields similarly inaccurate predictions. Only the local softness pairing, within Pearson's Hard and Soft Acids and Bases principle, constitutes a reliable predictor for the major reaction product. By taking into account an estimator for the steric effects, the correct regioisomer is predicted. Steric effects play a major role in driving the regioselectivity, as was corroborated by energy decomposition analysis of the transition states.

Synthesis of Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines through Cu-Catalyzed Condensation/Addition/Oxidation/Cyclization Cascade

We have developed a copper-catalyzed synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines with terminal alkynes, aldehydes, and tetrahydroisoquinolines. A variety of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines have been prepared in 17-69% yield via a condensation/Mannich-type addition/oxidation/cyclization cascade sequence. Modifications through simple chemical transformations provided highly functionalized molecules containing a privileged framework.

Design, synthesis and bioactivity evaluation of favorable evodiamine derivative scaffold for developing cancer therapy

Natural product evodiamine is one of the most privileged scaffolds in drug discovery and is suitable for derivatization, which can be conducted quickly for structure optimization and structure-activity relationship research. In this work, a comprehensive SAR study on evodiamine scaffold with N14-3'-fluorophenyl substituted was completed, and compounds with high anti-tumor activity and good inhibitory effect on Top1 and Top2 were screened out. Tested evodiamine derivatives exhibited excellent broad-spectrum anti-tumor activity. Among them, compound 8b revealed 55.15% and 55.50% inhibition for Top1 and Top2 at 25 μM, as well as 0.16 and 0.13 μM IC₅₀ value for MGC-803 and SGC-7901 cells, respectively; compound 9a revealed 70.50% and 71.81% inhibition for Top1 and Top2 at 25 μM, as well as 0.22 and 0.27 μM IC₅₀ value for MGC-803 and SGC-7901 cells, respectively. The further biological evaluation showed that they could functionally induce apoptosis, significantly arrest the cell cycle at the G2/M phase, and markedly inhibit cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In addition, compound 9a performed a tumor inhibitory rate of 36.35% and showed no apparent toxicity in vivo. Overall, these optimized protocols will advance the progression of cancer chemotherapy and can be used to expand the options for screening therapeutic cancer drugs.

A Two-Step Approach to a Hexacyclic Lamellarin Core via 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Isoquinolinium Ylides to Nitrostilbenes

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of isoquinolinium ylides to nitrostilbenes provides an approach to 1,2-diarylpyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolinium-3-carboxylates and then to a complete hexacyclic lamellarin core.

First total syntheses of kanjone and its natural analogues

Kanjone (1), a bioactive furanoflavone and a potent biomolecule, was first isolated from Pongamia pinnata (L.). Herein, we have developed two approaches to synthesize kanjone as well as its natural analogues 6-methoxyisopongaglabol (2) and 6,3'-dimethoxy-[2″,3″:7,8]furanoflavone (3) starting from khellin and 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde, respectively.

Protective Effects of Marine Alkaloid Neolamellarin A Derivatives against Glutamate Induced PC12 Cell Apoptosis

Marine alkaloids obtained from sponges possess a variety of biological activities and potential medicinal value. The pyrrole-derived lamellarin-like alkaloids, especially their permethyl derivatives, show low cytotoxicity and potent MDR reversing activity. Neolamellarin A is a novel lamellarin-like alkaloid which was extracted from marine animal sponges. We reported the synthetic method of permethylated Neolamellarin A and its derivatives by a convergent strategy in 2015. In 2018, we reported the synthesis and the neuroprotective activity in PC12 cells of 3,4-bisaryl-N-alkylated permethylated Neolamellarin A derivatives. In this report, another series of 15 different 3,4-bisaryl-N-acylated permethylated Neolamellarin A derivatives were synthesized, and the outstanding protective effects of these compounds against glutamate induced PC12 cell apoptosis were presented and discussed. These Neolamellarin A derivatives which possessed low cytotoxicity and superior neuroprotective activity may have the potential to be developed into antagonists against glutamate induced nerve cell apoptosis.

Recent progress in the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines occur frequently in a large number of bioactive natural products and pharmaceutically important molecules. The synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives is an easy and useful way to produce artificial molecules with potential applications. A huge number of excellent methodologies for constructing pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines have been reported in the last decade. This review summarizes the recent advances in this research field covering from 2011 to 2021.

Discovery of Novel Polycyclic Heterocyclic Derivatives from Evodiamine for the Potential Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Evodiamine (Evo) is a quinazolinocarboline alkaloid found in Evodia rutaecarpa and exhibits moderate antiproliferative activity. Herein, we report using a scaffold-hopping approach to identify a series of novel polycyclic heterocyclic derivatives based on Evo as the topoisomerase I (Top1) inhibitor for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with limited treatment options. The most potent compound 7f inhibited cell growth in a human breast carcinoma cell line (MDA-MB-231) with an IC₅₀ value of 0.36 μM. Further studies revealed that Top1 was the target of 7f, which directly induced irreversible Top1-DNA covalent complex formation or induced an oxidative DNA lesion through an indirect mechanism mediated by reactive oxygen species. More importantly, in vivo studies showed that 7f exhibited potent antitumor activity in a TNBC-patient-derived tumor xenograft model. These results suggest that compound 7f deserves further investigation as a promising candidate for the treatment of TNBC.

An Expeditious Modular Hybrid Strategy for the Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Lamellarins/Azalamellarins with Anticancer Cytotoxicity

A modular hybrid strategy has been developed for the diversity-oriented synthesis of lamellarins/azalamellarins. The common pentacyclic pyrrolodihydroisoquinoline lactone/lactam core was formed via the Michael addition/ring closure (Mi-RC) and the copper(I) thiophene-2-carboxylate (CuTC)-catalyzed C-O/C-N Ullmann coupling. Subsequent direct functionalization at C1, DDQ-mediated C5═C6 oxidation, and global deprotection of all benzyl-type O- and N-protecting groups furnished the desired lamellarins/azalamellarins. The late-stage functionalization at C1 provided a handle to accommodate a wider scope of functional groups as they need to tolerate only the DDQ oxidation and global deprotection. Moreover, with the C1-H pyrrole as the late-stage common intermediate, it was also possible to divergently exploit not only its nucleophilic nature to react with some electrophilic species but also some transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions (via the intermediacy of the C1-iodopyrrole) to incorporate diversity at this position. Overall, this strategy simplifies the preparation of lamellarins/azalamellarins; including the Mi-RC, these C1-structurally diverse analogues could be prepared efficiently in 6-7 steps from the easily accessed 1-acetoxymethyldihydroisoquinoline and β-nitrocinnamate. Some selected azalamellarins were evaluated for their inhibitory effect against HeLa cervical cancer cells. An acute induction of intrinsic apoptosis was detected and may lead to growth suppression of or cytotoxicity against cancer cells.

Design, synthesis and bioactivity evaluation of novel evodiamine derivatives with excellent potency against gastric cancer

Gastric cancer represents a significant health burden worldwide. Previously, inspired by the traditional Chinese medicine Wu-Chu-Yu to treat the spleen and stomach system for thousands of years, we identified N14-phenyl substituted evodiamine derivatives as potential antitumor agents with favorable inhibition on Top1. Herein, structural optimization and structure-activity relationship studies (SARs) led us to discovering a highly active evodiamine derivative compound 6t against gastric cancer. Further anti-tumor mechanism studies revealed that compound 6t played as the inhibition of topoisomerase 1 (Top1), effectively induced apoptosis, obviously arrested the cell cycle at the G2/M phase, and significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of SGC-7901 and MGC-803 cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the compound 6t was low toxicity in vivo and exhibited excellent anti-tumor activity (TGI = 70.12%) in the MGC-803 xenograft models. In summary, compound 6t represents a promising candidate as a potential chemotherapeutic agent against gastric cancer.

Phosphine-catalyzed sequential (2+3)/(2+4) annulation of γ-vinyl allenoates: access to the synthesis of chromeno[4,3-b]pyrroles

A phosphine-catalyzed cascade (2+3)/(2+4) cyclization reaction of γ-vinyl allenoates with aldimine esters has been developed to provide a series of chromeno[4,3-b]pyrrole derivatives that contain three contiguous stereogenic centers. The method gives a good yield, excellent chemoselectivity and diastereoselectivity under mild conditions.

Marine Pyrrole Alkaloids

Nitrogen heterocycles are essential parts of the chemical machinery of life and often reveal intriguing structures. They are not only widespread in terrestrial habitats but can also frequently be found as natural products in the marine environment. This review highlights the important class of marine pyrrole alkaloids, well-known for their diverse biological activities. A broad overview of the marine pyrrole alkaloids with a focus on their isolation, biological activities, chemical synthesis, and derivatization covering the decade from 2010 to 2020 is provided. With relevant structural subclasses categorized, this review shall provide a clear and timely synopsis of this area.

Marine Alkaloids: Compounds with In Vivo Activity and Chemical Synthesis

Marine alkaloids comprise a class of compounds with several nitrogenated structures that can be explored as potential natural bioactive compounds. The scientific interest in these compounds has been increasing in the last decades, and many studies have been published elucidating their chemical structure and biological effects in vitro. Following this trend, the number of in vivo studies reporting the health-related properties of marine alkaloids has been increasing and providing more information about the effects in complex organisms. Experiments with animals, especially mice and zebrafish, are revealing the potential health benefits against cancer development, cardiovascular diseases, seizures, Alzheimer's disease, mental health disorders, inflammatory diseases, osteoporosis, cystic fibrosis, oxidative stress, human parasites, and microbial infections in vivo. Although major efforts are still necessary to increase the knowledge, especially about the translation value of the information obtained from in vivo experiments to clinical trials, marine alkaloids are promising candidates for further experiments in drug development.

Development of Marine-Derived Compounds for Cancer Therapy

Cancer has always been a threat to human health with its high morbidity and mortality rates. Traditional therapy, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, plays a key role in cancer treatment. However, it is not able to prevent tumor recurrence, drug resistance and treatment side effects, which makes it a very attractive challenge to search for new effective and specific anticancer drugs. Nature is a valuable source of multiple pharmaceuticals, and most of the anticancer drugs are natural products or derived from them. Marine-derived compounds, such as nucleotides, proteins, peptides and amides, have also shed light on cancer therapy, and they are receiving a fast-growing interest due to their bioactive properties. Their mechanisms contain anti-angiogenic, anti-proliferative and anti-metastasis activities; cell cycle arrest; and induction of apoptosis. This review provides an overview on the development of marine-derived compounds with anticancer properties, both their applications and mechanisms, and discovered technologies.