benzofurans and homoegonol

2-Aryl/alkylbenzofurans, which constitute an important subclass of naturally occurring lignans and neolignans, have attracted extensive synthetic efforts due to their useful biological activities and significant pharmacological potential. Herein, we report a general and efficient approach to divergent 2-arylbenzofurans through a one-pot synthesis of versatile 2-bromobenzofurans as key intermediates. Using this approach, the first total synthesis of a series of trisubstituted and tetrasubstituted benzofurans bearing the hydroxyethyl unit, including the natural compounds isolated from

Topics: Anisoles; Benzofurans; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Cyclization; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Humans; Lavandula; Oxidation-Reduction; Spectrum Analysis

Hybridization of natural products has high potential to further improve their activities and may produce synergistic effects between linked pharmacophores. Here we report synthesis of nine new hybrids of natural products egonol, homoegonol, thymoquinone and artemisinin and evaluation of their activities against P. falciparum 3D7 parasites, human cytomegalovirus, sensitive and multidrug-resistant human leukemia cells. Most of the new hybrids exceed their parent compounds in antimalarial, antiviral and antileukemia activities and in some cases show higher in vitro efficacy than clinically used reference drugs chloroquine, ganciclovir and doxorubicin. Combined, our findings stress the high potency of these hybrids and encourages further use of the hybridization concept in applied pharmacological research.

Topics: Animals; Anisoles; Antimalarials; Antineoplastic Agents; Antiviral Agents; Artemisinins; Benzofurans; Benzoquinones; Biological Products; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Crystallography, X-Ray; Cytomegalovirus; Humans; Molecular Conformation; Plasmodium falciparum

Homoegonol is being evaluated for the development of a new antiasthmatic drug. Based on a pharmacokinetic study of homoegonol in rats, homoegonol is almost completely eliminated via metabolism, but no study on its metabolism has been reported in animals and humans. Incubation of homoegonol in human liver microsomes in the presence of the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate and UDP-glucuronic acid resulted in the formation of five metabolites: 4-O-demethylhomoegonol (M1), hydroxyhomoegonol (M2 and M3), 4-O-demethylhomoegonol glucuronide (M4), and homoegonol glucuronide (M5). We characterized the cytochrome P450 (CYP) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes responsible for homoegonol metabolism using human liver microsomes, and cDNA-expressed CYP and UGT enzymes. CYP1A2 played a more prominent role than CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 in the 4-O-demethylation of homoegonol to M1. CYP3A4 was responsible for the hydroxylation of homoegonol to M2. The hydroxylation of homoegonol to M3 was insufficient to characterize CYP enzymes. Glucuronidation of homoegonol to M5 was mediated by UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A4, and UGT2B7 enzymes, whereas M4 was formed from 4-O-demethylhomoegonol by UGT1A1, UGT1A8, UGT1A10, and UGT2B15 enzymes.

Topics: Anisoles; Benzofurans; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2; Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A; Glucuronides; Glucuronosyltransferase; Humans; Hydroxylation; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Microsomes, Liver; NADP

Two new benzofurans, 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-5-(1,3-dihydroxypropyl)-7-methoxybenzofuran (1) and 2-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-5-(3-hydroxymethyletoxy-1-hydroxypropyl)-7-methoxybenzofuran (2), a new triterpene, 3β, 6β, 21β-trihydroxyolean-12-ene (3), and eleven known compounds were isolated from the stem bark of Styrax obassia. The structures of the isolated compounds were established by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D and 2D NMR and HRMS. Their anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 macrophages. Compound 1 was shown to reduce LPS-induced iNOS expression in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, pretreating cells with 1 significantly suppressed their LPS-induced expression of COX-2 protein.

Topics: Animals; Anisoles; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Benzofurans; Cell Line; Cyclooxygenase 2; Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; Mice; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Plant Bark; Styrax; Triterpenes

Homoegonol is a lignan derived from styraxlignolide A, which was isolated from Styrax japonica, a medicinal plant widely used for treatment of inflammatory diseases in Korea. We investigated the efficacy of homoegonol for the treatment of allergic asthma using an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine asthma model. The mice were sensitized through intraperitoneal injections of OVA on days 0 and 14. On days 21, 22 and 23 after the initial OVA sensitization, the mice were received OVA airway challenge. Homoegonol was administered by oral gavage at a dose of 30 mg/kg 1 h prior to the OVA challenge. The homoegonol-treated mice exhibited reduced inflammatory cell counts and Th2 cytokines in BALF, AHR, and IgE in the serum compared with the OVA-sensitized/challenged mice. The histological analysis of the lung tissue revealed that the administration of homoegonol attenuated the airway inflammation and the mucus overproduction in airway epithelial lesions induced by OVA through a reduction in expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and matrix metalloproteinase-9. These findings indicate that homoegonol effectively suppresses the asthmatic responses induced by OVA challenge and suggests that homoegonol exhibits potential as therapeutic drug for allergic asthma.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Airway Resistance; Animals; Anisoles; Anti-Allergic Agents; Anti-Asthmatic Agents; Asthma; Benzofurans; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Cytokines; Disease Models, Animal; Down-Regulation; Female; Immunoglobulin E; Lignans; Lung; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Ovalbumin; Respiratory Mucosa; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms

An ethanolic extract from the stems of Styrax camporum Pohl (Styracaceae), a plant traditionally used for gastrointestinal diseases, was fractionated and subjected to flash chromatography and afforded two benzofuran lignans, egonol and homoegonol, and one furofuran lignan, (+/-)syringaresinol, which were identified by spectral data interpretation. Their cytotoxic activities against Hep-2 (larynx epidermoid carcinoma), HeLa (human cervix carcinoma) and C6 (rat glioma) cell lines were evaluated using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) assay at several concentrations for 24h. Activities could be observed for egonol against C6 (IC50 = 3.2 microg/mL) and Hep-2 (IC50 = 3.6 microg/mL) cell lines, and for homoegonol against C6 (IC50 = 4.9 microg/mL) and HeLa (IC50 = 5.3 microg/mL) cells.

Topics: Animals; Anisoles; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Benzofurans; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Humans; Lignans; Molecular Structure; Styrax