A Heck-Based Strategy To Generate Anacardic Acids and Related Phenolic Lipids for Isoform-Specific Bioactivity Profiling

Structural Characterization and In Vitro and In Silico Studies on the Anti-α-Glucosidase Activity of Anacardic Acids from Anacardium occidentale

The growing focus on sustainable use of natural resources has brought attention to cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), a by-product rich in anacardic acids (AAs) with potential applications in diabetes treatment. In this study, three different AAs from CNSL, monoene (15:1, AAn1), diene (15:2, AAn2), and triene (15:3, AAn3), and a mixture of the three (mix) were evaluated as α-glucosidase inhibitors. The samples were characterized by combining 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, along with ESI-MS. In vitro assays revealed that AAn1 had the strongest inhibitory effect (IC50 = 1.78 ± 0.08 μg mL-1), followed by AAn2 (1.99 ± 0.76 μg mL-1), AAn3 (3.31 ± 0.03 μg mL-1), and the mixture (3.72 ± 2.11 μg mL-1). All AAs significantly outperformed acarbose (IC50 = 169.3 μg mL-1). In silico docking suggested that polar groups on the aromatic ring are key for enzyme-ligand binding. The double bond at C15, while not essential, enhanced the inhibitory effects. Toxicity predictions classified AAs as category IV, and pharmacokinetic analysis suggested moderately favorable drug-like properties. These findings highlight AAs as a promising option in the search for new hypoglycemic compounds.

A Redox-Relay Heck Approach to Substituted Tetrahydrofurans

An operationally simple and efficient strategy for the synthesis of substituted tetrahydrofurans from readily available cis-butene-1,4-diol is described. A redox-relay Heck reaction is used to rapidly access cyclic hemiacetals that can be directly reduced to afford the corresponding 3-aryl tetrahydrofuran. Furthermore, the hemiacetals can also serve as precursors to a range of disubstituted tetrahydrofurans, including the calyxolane natural products.

Structure, synthesis, biosynthesis, and activity of the characteristic compounds from Ginkgo biloba L

Covering: 1928-2021Ginkgo biloba L. is one of the most distinctive plants to have emerged on earth and has no close living relatives. Owing to its phylogenetic divergence from other plants, G. biloba contains many compounds with unique structures that have served to broaden the chemical diversity of herbal medicine. Examples of such compounds include terpene trilactones (ginkgolides), acylated flavonol glycosides (ginkgoghrelins), biflavones (ginkgetin), ginkgotides and ginkgolic acids. The extract of G. biloba leaf is used to prevent and/or treat cardiovascular diseases, while many ginkgo-derived compounds are currently at various stages of preclinical and clinical trials worldwide. The global annual sales of G. biloba products are estimated to total US$10 billion. However, the content and purity of the active compounds isolated by traditional methods are usually low and subject to varying environmental factors, making it difficult to meet the huge demand of the international market. This highlights the need to develop new strategies for the preparation of these characteristic compounds from G. biloba. In this review, we provide a detailed description of the structures and bioactivities of these compounds and summarize the recent research on the development of strategies for the synthesis, biosynthesis, and biotechnological production of the characteristic terpenoids, flavonoids, and alkylphenols/alkylphenolic acids of G. biloba. Our aim is to provide an important point of reference for all scientists who research ginkgo-related compounds for medicinal or other purposes.

Divinylcarbinol Desymmetrization Strategy: A Concise and Reliable Approach to Chiral Hydroxylated Fatty Acid Derivatives

By the aid of the catalytic desymmetrization of divinylcarbinol as one-pot asymmetric induction and protection of olefin, asymmetric total syntheses of two chiral hydroxylated fatty acid derivatives were successfully achieved. The desired stereoisomers could be concisely prepared in mild conditions in a highly convergent manner. Thus, this novel strategy can help stereochemical elucidations of natural products, which have difficulties in spectroscopic stereochemical analyses due to their local symmetries in the vicinities of the stereogenic secondary hydroxyl units.

Recent insights into natural product inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases

Members of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family have biological functions that are central to human health and disease, and MMP inhibitors have been investigated for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. The outcomes of initial clinical trials with the first generation of MMP inhibitors proved disappointing. However, our growing understanding of the complexities of the MMP function in disease, and an increased understanding of MMP protein architecture and control of activity now provide new opportunities and avenues to develop MMP-focused therapies. Natural products that affect MMP activities have been of strong interest as templates for drug discovery, and for their use as chemical tools to help delineate the roles of MMPs that still remain to be defined. Herein, we highlight the most recent discoveries of structurally diverse natural product inhibitors to these proteases.