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The isoquinoline alkaloid berberine, derived from Coptidis rhizoma, exhibits antibacterial, hypoglycemic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Canagliflozin is a sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. We synthesized compounds B9OC and B9OBU by conjugating canagliflozin and n-butane at the C9 position of berberine, aiming to develop antimicrobial agents for combating bacterial infections worldwide. We utilized clinically prevalent pathogenic bacteria, namely Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to investigate the antibacterial efficacy of B9OC. This was accomplished through the determination of the MIC80 values, analysis of bacterial growth curves, evaluation of biofilm formation using crystal violet staining, assessment of impact on bacterial proteins via SDS-PAGE analysis, and observation of alterations in bacterial morphology utilizing field emission scanning electron microscopy. Meanwhile, the ADMET of compound B9OC was predicted using a computer-aided method. The findings revealed that B9OC exhibited lower minimal inhibitory concentrations against all three bacteria compared to berberine alone or in combination with canagliflozin. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of B9OC against the three experimental strains were determined to be 0.035, 0.258, and 0.331 mM. However, B9OBu exhibited a lower level of antimicrobial activity compared to berberine. The compound B9OC exhibits a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity by disrupting the integrity of bacterial cell walls, leading to cellular rupture and the subsequent degradation of intracellular proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Chinese herbal medicines such as Coptis chinensis. It has many pharmacological actions, such as antibacterial, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, and so on. However, due to the low lipophilicity of berberine, it is difficult to penetrate the bacterial cell membrane and also difficult to be absorbed orally and usually needs a relatively high dose to achieve the ideal effect. The purpose of this study is to transform the structure of berberine in order to improve the bioavailability of berberine and reduce the dosage. Moreover, we introduce a pharmacophore named Canagliflozin, a hypoglycemic drug (which was also found to have potential anti-bacterial activity) into BBR to see whether this new compound has more existed activities. We at first connected berberine with Canagliflozin, to form a new compound (BC) and see whether BC has synergic effects. We use microbroth dilution method to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of BC, determine the bacterial growth with the enzyme labeling instrument, observe the formation of bacterial biofilm with crystal violet staining method, observe the bacterial morphology with field emission scanning electron microscope, and determine the intracellular protein with SDS-PAGE. The above indicators reflect the damage of BC to bacteria. New compound BC was successfully obtained by chemical synthesis. The minimal inhibitory concentration of compound BC on three bacteria was significantly better than that of berberine and canagliflozin alone and the combination of berberine and canagliflozin. Moreover, compound BC has obvious destructive effect on bacterial morphology and biofilm, and the compound also has destructive effect on intracellular proteins. Therefore, new compound BC has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and the inhibitory effect of BC might play a role by destroying the integrity of biofilm and the intracellular protein of bacteria. In conclusion, we create a new molecular entity of berberine and Canagliflozin chimera and open up a new prospect for berberine derivatives in the treatment of bacterial infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinomenine is an isoquinoline-type alkaloid found in Sinomenium acutum (Thunb.) Rehd. et Wils and S. acutum (Thunb.) Rehd. et Wils var. cinereum Rehd. et Wils. When used as a medicine, this compound exhibits anti-inflammatory properties; however, sinomenine's use as a medication is limited by side effects, a short half-life, and low efficacy. Owing to these limits, attempts have been made to synthesize sinomenine derivatives with enhanced efficacy. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effects of novel sinomenine derivatives ( S1a–S1f ) were examined on the basis of lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory factor expression in Raw264.7 cells, dimethylbenzene-induced ear oedema, and Evan's blue leakage in mice, and carrageenan-induced paw oedema in rats. Compared with sinomenine, the derivatives significantly inhibited the expression of the inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-6 at the transcriptional and translational levels. Topical application of 3.250 mg/kg of the derivatives also alleviated ear oedema. Compared with the vehicle, the derivatives significantly inhibited carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema after 6 h. Among the derivatives, S1a exhibited the most potent anti-inflammatory activity. S1a also significantly increased the sinomenine-induced inhibition of Evan's blue leakage. Thus, S1a may elicit the strongest anti-inflammatory effects of the tested compounds. Based on these results, further development of this compound may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]