Back to Search Start Over

Sphaerococcenol A Derivatives: Design, Synthesis, and Cytotoxicity

Authors :
Dídia Sousa
Milene A. G. Fortunato
Joana Silva
Mónica Pingo
Alice Martins
Carlos A. M. Afonso
Rui Pedrosa
Filipa Siopa
Celso Alves
Source :
Marine Drugs, Vol 22, Iss 9, p 408 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Sphaerococcenol A is a cytotoxic bromoditerpene biosynthesized by the red alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius. A series of its analogues (1–6) was designed and semi-synthesized using thiol-Michael additions and enone reduction, and the structures of these analogues were characterized by spectroscopic methods. Cytotoxic analyses (1–100 µM; 24 h) were accomplished on A549, DU-145, and MCF-7 cells. The six novel sphaerococcenol A analogues displayed an IC50 range between 14.31 and 70.11 µM on A549, DU-145, and MCF-7 malignant cells. Compound 1, resulting from the chemical addition of 4-methoxybenzenethiol, exhibited the smallest IC50 values on the A549 (18.70 µM) and DU-145 (15.82 µM) cell lines, and compound 3, resulting from the chemical addition of propanethiol, exhibited the smallest IC50 value (14.31 µM) on MCF-7 cells. The highest IC50 values were exhibited by compound 4, suggesting that the chemical addition of benzylthiol led to a loss of cytotoxic activity. The remaining chemical modifications were not able to potentiate the cytotoxicity of the original compounds. Regarding A549 cell viability, analogue 1 exhibited a marked effect on mitochondrial function, which was accompanied by an increase in ROS levels, Caspase-3 activation, and DNA fragmentation and condensation. This study opens new avenues for research by exploring sphaerococcenol A as a scaffold for the synthesis of novel bioactive molecules.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
16603397
Volume :
22
Issue :
9
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Marine Drugs
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.8dff4be841094cd1ae26d0ba83fb6121
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/md22090408