Effect of Pachybasin on General Toxicity and Developmental Toxicity in Vivo

Assessing the Biosynthetic Inventory of the Biocontrol Fungus Trichoderma afroharzianum T22

Natural products biosynthesized from biocontrol fungi in the rhizosphere can have both beneficial and deleterious effects on plants. Herein, we performed a comprehensive analysis of natural product biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) from the widely used biocontrol fungus Trichoderma afroharzianum T22 (ThT22). This fungus encodes at least 64 BGCs, yet only seven compounds and four BGCs were previously characterized or mined. We correlated 21 BGCs of ThT22 with known primary and secondary metabolites through homologous BGC comparison and characterized one unknown BGC involved in the biosynthesis of eujavanicol A using heterologous expression. In addition, we performed untargeted transcriptomics and metabolic analysis to demonstrate the activation of silent ThT22 BGCs via the "one strain many compound" (OSMAC) approach. Collectively, our analysis showcases the biosynthetic capacity of ThT22 and paves the way for fully exploring the roles of natural products of ThT22.

Hexafluoropropylene oxide tetramer acid (HFPO-TeA)-induced developmental toxicities in chicken embryo: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor Alpha (PPARα) is involved

Hexafluoropropylene oxide tetramer acid (HFPO-TeA) is an emerging environmental contaminant, with environmental presence but limited toxicological information. To investigate its potential developmental toxicities, various doses of HFPO-TeA exposure were achieved in chicken embryos via air cell injection, and the exposed embryos were incubated until hatch. Within 24 h of hatch, the hatchling chickens were assessed with electrocardiography and histopathology for toxicological evaluation. For mechanistic investigation, in ovo silencing of PPARα was achieved via lentivirus microinjection, then the morphological/functional endpoints along with protein expression levels of PPARα-regulated genes were assessed. HFPO-TeA exposure in chicken embryo resulted in developmental cardiotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. Specifically, decreased right ventricular wall thickness, increased heart rate and hepatic steatosis were observed, whereas silencing of PPARα resulted in alleviation of observed toxicities. Western blotting for EHHADH and FABPs suggested that developmental exposure to HFPO-TeA effectively increased the expression levels of both targets in hatchling chicken heart and liver tissue samples, while PPARα silencing prevented such changes, suggesting that PPARα and its downstream genes are playing critical roles in HFPO-TeA induced developmental toxicities.

Design, synthesis, and antitumor study of a series of novel 1-Oxa-4-azaspironenone derivatives

A series of 1-oxa-4-azaspiro[4,5]deca-6,9-diene-3,8-dione derivatives containing structural fragments of conjugated dienone have been synthesized previously by our group, however the Michael addition reaction between conjugated dienone and nucleophilic groups in the body may generate harmful and adverse effects. To reduce harmful side effects, the authors started with p-aminophenol to make 1-oxo-4- azaspirodecanedione derivatives, then utilized the Michael addition and cyclopropanation to eliminate α, β unsaturated olefinic bond and lower the Michael reactivity of the compounds in vivo for optimization. At the same time, heteroatoms are put into the molecules in order to improve the hydrophilicity of the molecules and the binding sites of the molecules and the target molecules, establishing the groundwork for improved antitumor activity. The majority of the compounds had moderate to potent activity against A549 human lung cancer cells, MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, and Hela human cervical cancer cells. Among them, the compound 6d showed the strongest effect on A549 cell line with IC50 of 0.26 μM; the compound 8d showed the strongest cytotoxicity on MDA-MB-231 cell line with IC50 of 0.10 μM; and the compound 6b showed the strongest activity on Hela cell line with IC50 of 0.18 μM.

Secondary Metabolites from Coral-Associated Fungi: Source, Chemistry and Bioactivities

Our study of the secondary metabolites of coral-associated fungi produced a valuable and extra-large chemical database. Many of them exhibit strong biological activity and can be used for promising drug lead compounds. Serving as an epitome of the most promising compounds, which take the ultra-new skeletons and/or remarkable bioactivities, this review presents an overview of new compounds and bioactive compounds isolated from coral-associated fungi, covering the literature from 2010 to 2021. Its scope included 423 metabolites, focusing on the bioactivity and structure diversity of these compounds. According to structure, these compounds can be roughly classified as terpenes, alkaloids, peptides, aromatics, lactones, steroids, and other compounds. Some of them described in this review possess a wide range of bioactivities, such as anticancer, antimicrobial, antifouling, and other activities. This review aims to provide some significant chemical and/or biological enlightenment for the study of marine natural products and marine drug development in the future.

ThpacC Acts as a Positive Regulator of Homodimericin A Biosynthesis and Antifungal Activities of Trichoderma harzianum 3.9236

The Pal/Rim pathway and its key transcription factor PacC play important roles in fungal adaptation to ambient pH regarding growth, secondary metabolism, and virulence. However, the effect of PacC on the secondary metabolism of the important biocontrol fungus Trichoderma harzianum remains elusive. To answer this question, ThpacC deletion (KO-ThpacC) and overexpression (OE-ThpacC) mutants of T. harzianum 3.9236 were constructed. Transcriptomic analysis of T. harzianum and KO-ThpacC suggested that ThpacC acted as both a positive and a negative regulator for secondary metabolite (SM) production. Further investigation revealed that deletion of ThpacC abolished homodimericin A and 8-epi-homodimericin A production. Moreover, ThpacC plays a role in the antagonism of T. harzianum against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. 8-epi-Homodimericin A demonstrated moderate inhibitory activity against S. sclerotiorum. Our results contribute to a deeper understanding of the ThpacC function on SM production and the antifungal activity of T. harzianum.

In vivo toxicity assessment of 4'-O-methylpyridoxine from Ginkgo biloba seeds: Growth, hematology, metabolism, and oxidative parameters

4'-O-methylpyridoxine (MPN), a recognized antivitamin B₆ compound, is a potentially poisonous substance found in Ginkgo biloba seeds and leaves. In this work, the body weights, histopathological changes, plasma vitamin B₆ (VB₆), biochemical parameters, oxidative stress responses, and amino acids of rats were investigated after intragastric administration of MPN for 15 days. Results showed that intragastric administration of 50 mg/kg BW MPN caused pathological changes in the brain and heart tissues of rats. Administration of 10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg BW MPN can significantly increase VB₆ analogs in the plasma of rats, such as pyridoxal-5'-phosphate, pyridoxal. Results of biochemical parameters indicated that MPN can damage brains and hearts by changing the enzyme activity of these organs. These results suggest that consumption of Ginkgo biloba seeds for the long term, even in a small quantity, may lead to poisoning.

New cyclopentenoneacrylic acid derivatives from a marine-derived fungus Trichoderma atroviride H548

Three new cyclopentenoneacrylic acid derivatives, trichodermacid A (1), trichodermester A (2), and trichodermester B (3), together with thirteen known compounds, were isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of Trichoderma atroviride H548, a fungus derived from mangrove sediment. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including HR ESI-MS, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and 2D-NMR techniques. The antifungal activity of the isolated compounds was evaluated against tea pathogenic fungus Pestalotiopsis theae. Trichodermester A (2) showed potent anti P. theae activity with MIC of 125 μg/disc, while the other compounds were inactive.

Prenatal toxicity of the environmental pollutants on neuronal and cardiac development derived from embryonic stem cells

Pesticides, antibiotics, and industrial excipients are widely used in agriculture, medicine, and chemical industry, respectively. They often end up in the environment, not only being not easily decomposed but also being accumulated. Moreover, they may cause serious toxic problems such as reproductive and developmental defects, immunological toxicity, and carcinogenesis. Hence, they are called environmental pollutants. It is known that the environmental pollutants easily enter the body through various channels such as respiration, ingestion of food, and skin contact etc. in everyday life. If they enter the mother through the placenta, they can cause the disturbance in embryo development as well as malfunction of organs after birth because early prenatal developmental process is highly sensitive to toxic chemicals and stress. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that consist of inner cell mass of blastocyst differentiate into distinct cell lineages via three germ layers such as the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm due to their pluripotency. The differentiation process initiated from ESCs reflects dynamic nature of embryonic development. Therefore, ESCs have been used as a useful tool to investigate early developmental toxicities of a variety of stress. Based on relatively recent scientific results, this review would address toxicity of a few chemical substances that have been widely used as pesticide, antibiotics, and industrial excipient on ESCs based-prenatal developmental process. This review further suggests how they act on the viability of ESCs and/or early stages of cardiac and neuronal development derived from ESCs as well as on expression of pluripotency and/or differentiation markers through diverse mechanisms.

Harzianumnones A and B: two hydroxyanthraquinones from the coral-derived fungusTrichoderma harzianum

Two new hydroxyanthraquinones, harzianumnones A (1) and B (2), together with seven known analogs (3–9), were isolated from the soft coral-derived fungus Trichoderma harzianum (XS-20090075). Their chemical structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic investigation. The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were determined by ECD calculation and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds 1 and 2 were identified as a pair of epimers, which are the first example of hydroanthraquinones from T. harzianum. Compounds 7 and 8 exhibited cytotoxicity against hepatoma cell line HepG2 with IC₅₀ values of 2.10 and 9.39 μM, respectively. Compound 7 was still found to show cytotoxicity against cervical cancer cell line HeLa with an IC₅₀ value of 8.59 μM.

Two new hydroxyanthraquinones were isolated from the soft coral-derived fungus Trichoderma harzianum, which are the first examples of hydroanthraquinones from T. harzianum.