Hedscandines A-C, three undescribed indole alkaloids from Hedyotis scandens with their anti-MRSA activity

Bioactive sorbicillinoid derivatives from an endophytic fungus Trichoderma citrinoviride

Three new sorbicillinoid derivatives, citrinsorbicillinol A-C (1-3), along with three known compounds, such as trichosorbicillin G (4), dibutyl phthalate (5), and 3-(4-methoxyphenyl) propanoic acid (6), were isolated from the endophyte Trichoderma citrinoviride of Coptis chinensis. Their structures were elucidated through extensive analyses of spectroscopic data, computer-assisted structure elucidation (ACD/Structure Elucidator), density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Biologically, compounds 1-4 exhibited potential antioxidant activity, as assessed using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, with IC50 values ranging from 27.8 to 89.6 μM. In particular, compounds 2 and 3 demonstrated radical scavenging activity comparable to that of the positive control, ascorbic acid, with IC50 values of 27.8 and 31.2 μM, respectively. Moreover, compound 1 exhibited potential anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages, with an IC50 value of 52.7 μM. These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of the new sorbicillinoid derivatives for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory applications.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of amphiphilic benzopyran derivatives as potent antibacterial agents against multidrug-resistant bacteria

Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a significant threat to global public health. To develop novel, high efficiency antibacterial alternatives to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria, A total of thirty-two novel amphiphilic benzopyran derivatives by mimicking the structure and function of antimicrobial peptides were designed and synthesized. Among them, the most promising compounds 4h and 17e displayed excellent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (MICs = 1-4 μg/mL) with weak hemolytic activity and good membrane selectivity. Additionally, compounds 4h and 17e had rapid bactericidal properties, low resistance frequency, good plasma stability, and strong capabilities of inhibiting and eliminating bacterial biofilms. Mechanistic studies revealed that compounds 4h and 17e could effectively disrupt the integrity of bacterial cell membranes, and accompanied by an increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species and the leakage of proteins and DNA, ultimately leading to bacterial death. Notably, compound 4h exhibited comparable in vivo antibacterial potency in a mouse septicemia model infected by Staphylococcus aureus ATCC43300, as compared to vancomycin. These findings indicated that 4h might be a promising antibacterial candidate to combat antimicrobial resistance.

The therapeutic potential of indole hybrids, dimers, and trimers against drug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens

Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter (ESKAPE) species as causative agents are characterized by increased levels of resistance toward multiple classes of first-line as well as last-resort antibiotics and represent serious global health concerns, creating a critical need for the development of novel antibacterials with therapeutic potential against drug-resistant ESKAPE species. Indole derivatives with structural and mechanistic diversity demonstrated broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against various clinically important pathogens including drug-resistant ESKAPE. Moreover, several indole-based agents that are exemplified by creatmycin have already been used in clinics or under clinical trials for the treatment of bacterial infections, demonstrating that indole derivatives hold great promise for the development of novel antibacterials. This review is an endeavor to highlight the current scenario of indole hybrids, dimers, and trimers with therapeutic potential against drug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens, covering articles published from 2020 to the present, to open new avenues for the exploration of novel antidrug-resistant ESKAPE candidates.

Hot off the Press

A personal selection of 32 recent papers is presented covering various aspects of current developments in bioorganic chemistry and novel natural products such as eugeniinaline A from Leuconotis eugeniifolia.