Structural variety and pharmacological potential of naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids.

Naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids are a fascinating class of natural biaryl compounds. They show characteristic mono- and dimeric scaffolds, with chiral axes and stereogenic centers. Since the appearance of the last comprehensive overview on these secondary plant metabolites in this series in 1995, the number of discovered representatives has tremendously increased to more than 280 examples known today.

Cytotoxicity of dioncophylline A and related naphthylisoquinolines in leukemia cells, mediated by NF-κB inhibition, angiogenesis suppression, G2/M cell cycle arrest, and autophagy induction.

Background: Inhibition of NF-κB activity represents a strategy to treat acute myeloid leukemia, one of the most lethal leukemia types. Naphthylisoquinolines (NIQs) are cytotoxic alkaloids from lianas of the families Ancistrocladaceae and Dioncophyllaceae, which are indigenous to tropical rainforests.

Purpose: Uncovering therapeutic possibilities and underlying molecular mechanisms of dioncophylline A and its derivatives towards NF-κB related cellular processes.

Ancistrocladinium A Induces Apoptosis in Proteasome Inhibitor-Resistant Multiple Myeloma Cells: A Promising Therapeutic Agent Candidate.

The ,-coupled naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid ancistrocladinium A belongs to a novel class of natural products with potent antiprotozoal activity. Its effects on tumor cells, however, have not yet been explored. We demonstrate the antitumor activity of ancistrocladinium A in multiple myeloma (MM), a yet incurable blood cancer that represents a model disease for adaptation to proteotoxic stress.

Molecular determinants of the response of cancer cells towards geldanamycin and its derivatives.

Geldanamycin is an ansamycin-derivative of a benzoquinone isolated from Streptomyces hygroscopicus. It inhibits tyrosine kinases and heat shock protein 90 (HSP90). Geldanamycin and 11 derivatives were subjected to molecular docking to HSP90, and 17-desmethoxy-17-N,N-dimethylamino-geldanamycin (17-DMAG) was the compound with the highest binding affinity (-7.

Ancistrobrevinium A, the first -methylated, cationic naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid, from the tropical liana (Ancistrocladaceae).

Ancistrobrevinium A () is the first -methylated and non-hydrogenated, and thus cationic naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid. It was discovered in the root bark extract of the phytochemically productive West African liana (Ancistrocladaceae). Its constitution was elucidated by HR-ESI-MS and 1D and 2D NMR.