Antitumor agents. LXIX. Alkaloids of Ochrosia acuminata.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R Y Wu.
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The diterpene esters, genkwadaphnin and yuanhuacine, have been shown to possess significant antileukemic activity in the P-388 screen. The major metabolic effects of the diterpene esters were on DNA and protein synthesis. The effects on DNA synthesis in vitro were evoked at a lower concentration than that required for protein synthesis inhibition. The sites in DNA synthesis which were inhibited were DNA polymerase and purine synthesis. In the latter pathway the enzyme activities inhibited were phosphoribosyl aminotransferase, inosinic acid dehydrogenase, and dihydrofolate reductase. In vivo administration of the diterpene esters at 0.8 mg/kg afforded identical types of effects on purine and DNA synthesis and in addition suppressed histone phosphorylation and reduced the number of surviving tumor cells. The in vivo effects on purine and DNA synthesis were evident as early as 6 and 24 hr after administration of a single dose of the diterpene esters.
The antitumor sesquiterpene lactones microhelenins-A, B, and C, microlenin acetate, and plenolin were isolated from Helenium microcephalum. The structures and stereochemistry of these lactones were determined by physical methods as well as by chemical transformations and correlations. Microlenin acetate appears to be the first novel dimeric sesquiterpene lactone demonstrated to have significant antileukemic activity.
The ethanolic extract of Elephantopus mollis yielded three novel cytotoxic antitumor germacranolides, molephantin, molephantinin, and phantomolin. The extract also yielded three inactive known triterpenes, beta-amyrin acetate, lupeol acetate, and epifriedelanol, as well as stigmasterol. The structure and stereochemistry of the cytotoxic antitumor agents molephantin, molephantinin, and phantomolin were determined on the basis of chemical transformations and spectral evidence. Preliminary in vivo tumor assays indicated that molephantinin and phantomolin were potent inhibitors of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and Walker 256 carcinosarcoma. Molephantinin also showed significant antileukemic activity in the P-388 lymphocytic leukemia screen.
Some sesquiterpene lactones and related compounds were tested for anti-inflammatory activity in rodents. In the edema-induced carrageenan inflammation screen, the alpha-methylene-gamma-lactone moiety of the sesquiterpene lactones was required for inhibitory activity. The 6-hydroxy group of helenalin also was required for potency. In the tenulin series, the 2,3-epoxy derivatives were marginally active. The same structure was required for inhibition of the writhing reflex. In the chronic adjuvant arthritic screen, compounds containing the alpha-methylene-gamma-lactone moiety, the beta-unsubstituted cyclopentenone ring, and the alpha-epoxy cyclopentenone system afforded significant inhibition at 2.5 mg/kg/day. The sesquiterpene lactones were marginally effective against induced pleurisy. The delayed hypersensitivity was suppressed by these agents whereas immunoglobulin synthesis was slightly stimulated. No delerious side effects were observed with these agents from the limited tests performed.
The quassinoids bruceantin, brucein D, brucein E, bruceoside A, and brusatol significantly inhibited P-388 lymphocytic leukemic cell RNA and protein synthesis in tissue culture. However, DNA synthesis inhibition seemed to correlate more directly with the anti-neoplastic activity of these compounds in the in vivo P-338 survival system. In vitro, brusatol and bruceoside A marginally inhibited 10-day P-388 lymphocytic leukemia DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase, thymidylate synthetase, dihydrofolate reductase, phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate aminotransferase, and cathepsin protease activities. In vivo studies demonstrated similar inhibition and elevated cyclic AMP levels, correlating positively with the antineoplastic activity of individual compounds. Purine synthesis was inhibited drastically by brusatol in vivo, and one key inhibition site in purine synthesis was at phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate aminotransferase, the regulatory enzyme. Histone phosphorylation and ribonucleotide reductase activity also were inhibited marginally by brusatol.
Brusatol, a quassinoid with potent antineoplastic activity against P-388 lymphocytic leukemia cell proliferation, significantly inhibited P-388 cell hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, malic dehydrogenase, and succinic dehydrogenase. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, basal, and adenosine diphosphate-stimulated respiration, utilizing succinate and alpha-ketoglutarate as the substrate, was suppressed significantly by in vivo treatment with brusatol. However, brusatol treatment had no effect on liver oxidative phosphorylation. Brusatol greatly increased P-388 cyclic AMP levels but had no effect on liver cyclic nucleotides. Similar inhibitory effects on P-388 cell oxidative phosphorylation were found in vitro with brusatol, bruceoside A, and bruceantin. Brusatol had no effect on adenosine triphosphatase activity or on uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation. Rather, brusatol appeared to increase the concentration of reduced mitochondrial electron-transport cofactors, thereby blocking aerobic respiration. A proposed mechanism of action is discussed.
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The known compound isohelenalin (1) was isolated from Helenium microcephalum and the previously reported structure confirmed on the basis of physicochemical data and chemical transformation. In addition, a new antileukemic sesquiterpene lactone, isohelenol (2), was isolated and its structure elucidated.
Bioassay-directed isolation of the antitumor extract of Wikstroemia indica (Thymelaeaceae) has led to the characterization of tricin, kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and (+)-nortrachelogenin as the major antileukemic constituents. In addition, daphnoretin was identified as the potent antitumor principle in vivo against the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma growth in mice.
Two new nor-pseudoguaianolides, microhelenin-E (1) and -F (2), were isolated from Texas Helenium microcephalum and their structures elucidated on the basis of physicochemical data and spectral evidence. Microhelenin-E demonstrated significant in vitro and in vivo cytotoxic and antileukemic activities against KB tissue cell culture (ED50 = 1.38 microgram/ml) P-388 lymphocytic leukemia growth in BDF1 male mice (T/C-166% at 8 mg/kg/day), respectively.