Paulownin

Enzymatic characterization and inhibitor discovery of a new cystathionine {gamma}-synthase from Helicobacter pylori.[Pubmed:17981822]

J Biochem. 2008 Jan;143(1):59-68.

Cystathionine gamma-synthase (CGS) catalyses the first step of the transsulfuration pathway that converts l-cysteine to l-homocysteine in bacteria, whereas this pathway is absent in human. In this report, we identified a new metB gene from Helicobacter pylori strain SS1, and the recombinant H. pylori Cystathionine gamma-synthase (HpCGS) was successfully cloned, expressed and purified in Escherichia coli system. Enzymatic study of HpCGS indicated that the K(m) and k(cat)/K(m) values against the substrate O-succinyl-l-homoserine (l-OSHS) were 3.02 mM and 98.7 M(-)(1)s(-)(1), respectively. Moreover, four natural products (alpha-lapachone, 9-hydroxy-alpha-lapachone, Paulownin and Yangambin, Fig. 1) were discovered to demonstrate inhibitory activities against HpCGS with IC(50) values of 11 +/- 3, 9 +/- 1, 19 +/- 2 and 27 +/- 6 microM, respectively. All these four inhibitors prevent the binding of l-OSHS to HpCGS in a non-competitive fashion. In vitro antibacterial assays further indicated that these four discovered compounds could highly inhibit the growth of H. pylori and exhibited strong inhibitory specificity against H. pylori related to E. coli.

Two new naphthoquinone derivatives from the stem bark of Callicarpa maingayi.[Pubmed:23157003]

Nat Prod Commun. 2012 Oct;7(10):1333-6.

Two new naphthoquinones designated as 3alpha-hydroxy-2-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yI)-9alpha-methoxy-2,3,3alpha,9alpha-tetra-hy dronaphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-dione (callicarpa-quinone A, 1) and 5-hydroxy-2-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)naphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-dione (callicarpaquinone B, 2) were isolated from the chloroform fraction of Callicarpa maingayi. Three other known compounds, identified as avicequinone-C (3), wodeshiol (4) and Paulownin (5), were reported for the first time from this species. The structure elucidation of compounds was established by comprehensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses as well as EIMS, UV and IR spectral data. Compounds 1 and 2 were tested in vitro for their cytotoxic activity against human breast cancer MCF-7cells. Compound 2 exhibited strong cytotoxic activity with an IC50 value of 1.9 +/- 0.2 microM, while 1 showed moderate activity with an IC50 value of 25.0 +/- 4.3 microM.

Lignans and other constituents from the roots of the Vietnamese medicinal plant Pseuderanthemum palatiferum.[Pubmed:21243588]

Planta Med. 2011 Jun;77(9):951-4.

Two new lignans, palatiferin A (1) and palatiferin B (2), were isolated from the roots of Pseuderanthemum palatiferum, together with five known triterpenes, epifriedelanol (3), lupeol (4), lupenone (5), betulin (6), pomolic acid (7), and a dipeptide asperglaucide (8). Their structures were established from 2D NMR and mass spectroscopy. The absolute configuration of 1 and 2 was proposed based on the comparison of their optical rotation activities with those of compounds with similar structures such as wodeshiol and Paulownin. The new lignans, palatiferin A (1) and palatiferin B (2) exhibited a moderate cytotoxicity against KB and HepG2 cell lines. However, betulin and lupeol, two abundant compounds from the roots of P. palatiferum, showed cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities.