The Effect of Isoquinoline Alkaloids on Opiate Withdrawal

Progress and prospect: Biosynthesis of plant natural products based on plant chassis

Plant-derived natural products are a specific class of active substances with numerous applications in the medical, energy, and industrial fields. Many of these substances are in high demand and have become the fundamental materials for various purposes. Recently, the use of synthetic biology to produce plant-derived natural products has become a significant trend. Plant chassis, in particular, offer unique advantages over microbial chassis in terms of cell structure, product affinity, safety, and storage. The development of the plant hairy root tissue culture system has accelerated the commercialization and industrialization of synthetic biology in the production of plant-derived natural products. This paper will present recent progress in the synthesis of various plant natural products using plant chassis, organized by the types of different structures. Additionally, we will summarize the four primary types of plant chassis used for synthesizing natural products from plant sources and review the enabling technologies that have contributed to the development of synthetic biology in recent years. Finally, we will present the role of isolated and combined use of different optimization strategies in breaking the upper limit of natural product production in plant chassis. This review aims to provide practical references for synthetic biologists and highlight the great commercial potential of plant chassis biosynthesis, such as hairy roots.

Spontaneous Officinal Plants in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park: Tradition, Protection, Enhancement, and Recovery

The aim of this study was to deepen our knowledge on the heritage and traditional uses of some medicinal plants of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (Salerno province) and to evaluate their productive potential, in order to increase possible uses to recover and enhance the territory. Biometric surveys and biomass evaluation were carried out. Two types of aqueous extract were prepared using air-dried samples of six harvested species and tested for anti-germination activity on Lepidium sativum L. Hydrolates were recovered via steam distillation from aromatic species and the chemical-physical characteristics were determined. Historical evidence of industrial activity was collected in the territory of Sanza on Monte Cervati, where lavender essential oil has been distilled in the past century, and characterization of the essential oil components was carried out. The ethnobotanical uses detected mainly concerned traditional medicine and nutritional, ritual, or religious uses. The experimental results highlight that spontaneous medicinal plants could become potential sources of local economic development, with uses not only in the phytotherapeutic sector, but also in others, such as food and agriculture for weed control. Moreover, the evidence derived from industrial archeology could represent a further driving force for the enhancement of the territory's resources.

An asymmetric metal-templated route to amino acids with an isoquinolone core via a Rh(III)-catalyzed coupling of aryl hydroxamates with chiral propargylglycine Ni(II) complexes

A general protocol for the asymmetric synthesis of artificial amino acids (AAs) comprising an isoquinolone skeleton was successfully elaborated via a straightforward Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H activation/annulation of various aryl hydroxamates with a series of robust chiral propargylglycine Ni(II) complexes derived from glycine (Gly), alanine (Ala) and phenylalanine (Phe) in a green solvent (methanol) under mild conditions (at room temperature under air). Notably, in the case of phenylalanine-derived complexes, the formation of unfavorable 4-substituted isoquinolone regioisomers was achieved by a catalyst control for the first time. The subsequent acidic decomposition of the obtained Ni(II) complexes provides the target unnatural α- and α,α-disubstituted AAs with an isoquinolone core in an enantiopure form.

Plants with Anti-Addictive Potential

Drug addiction is prevalent among individuals of modern society, being a major cause of disability and premature loss of life. Although the drug addiction have profound social, economical and health impact in the world population, its management remains a challenge as available pharmacological treatments remains ineffective for most people. The limited efficacy and adverse effects have led to a search for alternative therapies to treat drug addiction. In this context, natural products are an important source for new chemical substances with a potential therapeutic applicability. Therefore, this chapter will present data obtained after an extensive literature search regarding the use of medicinal plants as a pharmacological alternative for drug addiction treatment.

A review: Biologically active 3,4-heterocycle-fused coumarins

The combination of heterocycles offers a new opportunity to create novel multicyclic compounds having improved biological activity. Coumarins are ubiquitous natural heterocycle widely adopted in the design of various biologically active compounds. Fusing different heterocycles with coumarin ring is one of the interesting approaches to generating novel hybrid molecules having highlighted biological activities. In the efforts to develop heterocyclic-fused coumarins, a wide range of 3,4-heterocycle-fused coumarins have been introduced bearing outstanding biological activity. The effect of heterocycles annulation at 3,4-positions of coumarin ring on the biological activity of the target structures were discussed. This review focuses on the important progress of 3,4-heterocycle-fused coumarins providing better insight for medicinal chemists on the design and preparation of biologically active heterocycle-fused coumarins with a significant therapeutic effect in the future.

Evaluation of Antimycobacterial Activity of Higenamine Using Galleria mellonella as an In Vivo Infection Model

The Phytochemical investigation on MeOH extract on the bark of Aristolochia brasiliensis Mart. & Zucc (Aristolochiaceae) led to the isolation of major compound (1) as light brown grainy crystals. The compound was identified as 1-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-6,7-diol (higenamine) on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The compound was evaluated for its antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP), using Galleria mellonella larva as an in vivo infection model. The survival of MIP infected larvae after a single dose treatment of 100 mg/kg body weight of higenamine was 80% after 24 h. Quantitatively the compound exhibited a dose dependent activity, as evidenced by the reduction of colony density from 10⁵ to 10³ CFU for test concentrations of 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg/kg body weight respectively. The IC₅₀ value for higenamine was 161.6 mg/kg body weight as calculated from a calibration curve. Further analysis showed that, a complete inhibition of MIP in the G. mellonella could be achieved at 334 mg/kg body weight. Despite the fact that MIP has been found to be highly resistant against isoniazid (INH) in an in vitro assay model, in this study the microbe was highly susceptible to this standard anti-TB drug. The isolation of higenamine from the genus Aristolochia and the method used to evaluate its in vivo antimycobacterial activity in G. mellonella are herein reported for the first time.

IinQ attenuates systemic inflammatory responses via selectively impairing the Myddosome complex formation upon TLR4 ligation

A specific small-molecule inhibitor of the TLR4 signaling complex upstream of the IKK would likely provide therapeutic benefit for NF-κB-mediated inflammatory disease. We previously identified brazilin as a selective upstream IKK inhibitor targeting the Myddosome complex. In this study, using a cell-based ubiquitination assay for IRAK1 and a chemical library comprising a series of structural analogues of brazilin, a novel small molecule, 2-hydroxy-5,6-dihydroisoindolo[1,2-a]isoquinoline-3,8-dione (IinQ), was identified as a selective and potent inhibitor of IRAK1-dependent NF-κB activation upon TLR4 ligation. In RAW264.7 macrophages, IinQ drastically suppressed activation of upstream IKK signaling events including membrane-bound IRAK1 ubiquitination and IKK phosphorylation by the TLR4 ligand, resulting in reduced expression of proinflammatory mediators including IL-6, TNF-α, and nitric oxide. Interestingly, IinQ did not suppress NF-κB activation via the TLR3 ligand, DNA damaging agents, or a protein kinase C activator, indicating IinQ is specific for TLR4 signaling. Analysis of upstream signaling events further confirmed that IinQ disrupts the MyD88-IRAK1-TRAF6 complex formation induced by LPS treatment, without affecting TLR4 oligomerization. Moreover, intravenous administration of IinQ significantly reduced lethality and attenuated systemic inflammatory responses in an in vivo mouse model of endotoxin shock following LPS challenge. Thus, IinQ represents a novel class of brazilin analogues with improved potency and specificity toward disruption of Myddosome complex formation in TLR4 signaling, indicating that IinQ may be a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of systemic inflammatory diseases.

Carbonyl-assisted reverse regioselective cascade annulation of 2-acetylenic ketones triggered by Ru-catalyzed C-H activation

The first reverse regioselective intermolecular annulation of aryl substituted 2-acetylenic ketones with O-substituted N-hydroxybenzamides or acrylamides followed by tandem cyclization via ruthenium-catalyzed C-H activation, is reported. Excellent reverse selectivity of alkyne insertion was induced by the weak coordination between the carbonyl group and ruthenium complex. This highly efficient and practical reaction has a broad range of substrate scope with excellent functional-group tolerance. The tandem reaction provides a wide range of polycyclic products that have an indozilidine structural motif, and are found to potentially be synthetically and pharmaceutically valuable.

Chemical Constituents and Pharmacology of the Aristolochia ( mădōu ling) species

Aristolochia ( mădōu ling) is an important genus widely cultivated and had long been known for their extensive use in traditional Chinese medicine. The genus has attracted so much great interest because of their numerous biological activity reports and unique constituents, aristolochic acids (AAs). In 2004, we reviewed the metabolites of Aristolochia species which have appeared in the literature, concerning the isolation, structural elucidation, biological activity and literature references. In addition, the nephrotoxicity of aristolochic acids, biosynthetic studies, ecological adaptation, and chemotaxonomy researches were also covered in the past review. In the present manuscript, we wish to review the various physiologically active compounds of different classes reported from Aristolochia species in the period between 2004 and 2011. In regard to the chemical and biological aspects of the constituents from the Aristolochia genus, this review would address the continuous development in the phytochemistry and the therapeutic application of the Aristolochia species. Moreover, the recent nephrotoxicity studies related to aristolochic acids would be covered in this review and the structure-toxicity relationship would be discussed.

Chemical constituents of Aristolochia constricta: antispasmodic effects of its constituents in guinea-pig ileum and isolation of a diterpeno-lignan hybrid

Twenty constituents were isolated from the n-hexane and chloroform extracts of Aristolochia constricta, a plant whose aerial parts have been used empirically in folk medicine for various purposes. The inhibitory effects of these constituents on smooth muscle contraction in isolated guinea-pig ileum were studied in order to observe their antispasmodic effects. 3,4-Dibenzyldihydrofuran-type lignans [(-)-cubebin, (-)-hinokinin, and (-)-pluviatolide] and a kaurene-type diterpene [(-)-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid] were isolated as active principals. They inhibited electrically induced and acetylcholine-induced contraction in the isolated guinea-pig ileum. In addition, 9- O-[(-)-kaur-15-en-17-oxyl]cubebin was isolated as a new diterpeno-lignan hybrid, although this constituent did not exhibit antispasmodic activity.

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2006

This paper is the 29th consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system, now spanning 30 years of research. It summarizes papers published during 2006 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior (Section 2), and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia (Section 3); stress and social status (Section 4); tolerance and dependence (Section 5); learning and memory (Section 6); eating and drinking (Section 7); alcohol and drugs of abuse (Section 8); sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (Section 9); mental illness and mood (Section 10); seizures and neurological disorders (Section 11); electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (Section 12); general activity and locomotion (Section 13); gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (Section 14); cardiovascular responses (Section 15); respiration and thermoregulation (Section 16); and immunological responses (Section 17).