18-dehydroxycytochalasin h

Description

18-Dehydroxycytochalasin H is a **modified form of the natural product cytochalasin H**. Cytochalasins are a family of fungal metabolites known to **inhibit actin polymerization**, a crucial process in cell motility, structure, and signaling.

Here's a breakdown of its significance in research:

**1. Structure-Activity Relationship Studies:**

* The modification of cytochalasin H to create 18-dehydroxycytochalasin H allows researchers to investigate the role of the hydroxyl group at the 18th position in its biological activity.
* Understanding how modifications in the structure affect the compound's interaction with actin can lead to **development of more potent and selective inhibitors of actin polymerization**.

**2. Potential Therapeutic Applications:**

* Cytochalasins have shown promise in various therapeutic areas, including:
* **Anti-cancer therapy:** Inhibiting actin polymerization can disrupt tumor cell invasion and metastasis.
* **Anti-inflammatory therapy:** Reducing inflammation by interfering with immune cell migration.
* **Treatment of parasitic infections:** Disrupting the actin-based cytoskeleton of parasites.
* 18-Dehydroxycytochalasin H and similar modified cytochalasins might offer improved pharmacological properties over the natural product, making them **more suitable for therapeutic applications**.

**3. Research Tools:**

* Cytochalasins, including 18-dehydroxycytochalasin H, are valuable tools for **studying cellular processes involving actin**.
* Researchers can use these compounds to **block actin polymerization in vitro and in vivo** and observe the resulting cellular effects, providing insights into actin's functions in cell division, migration, and other essential processes.

**4. Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery:**

* Understanding the mechanism of action of 18-dehydroxycytochalasin H and its analogs can lead to the design of **novel drugs that target actin polymerization** and address various unmet medical needs.
* This compound serves as a starting point for **chemical library screening** to identify new leads for drug development.

**Overall, 18-dehydroxycytochalasin H is an important research tool due to its potential applications in studying actin polymerization, developing new therapies, and exploring chemical biology and drug discovery avenues.**

18-dehydroxycytochalasin H: structure given in first source; an inhibitor of HIV-1 protease; isolated from a bark-inhabiting Ascomycete, Hypoxylon fragiforme [Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), National Library of Medicine, extracted Dec-2023]