Key quality factors for Chinese herbal medicines entering the EU market.

Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) have unique advantages in the prevention and treatment of diseases, which are widely recognized in the world. More and more CHMs are becoming increasingly popular in the international markets. However, the quality control of CHMs is a significant issue for their acceptance and recognition in the international market.

9-Bromo-2,3-diethylbenzo[de]chromene-7,8-dione (MSN54): A novel non-intercalative topoisomerase II catalytic inhibitor.

Novel mansonone F derivative MSN54 (9-bromo-2,3-diethylbenzo[de]chromene-7,8-dione) exhibited significant cytotoxicity against twelve human tumor cell lines in vitro, with particularly strong potency against HL-60/MX2 cell line resistant to Topo II poisons. MSN54 was found to have IC of 0.69 and 1.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel perimidine o-quinone derivatives as non-intercalative topoisomerase II catalytic inhibitors.

For the development of novel anticancer agents, we designed and synthesized a total of 37 perimidine o-quinone derivatives containing the o-quinone group at the A or B ring and different substituents (alkyl groups, aryl groups or heterocycles) at the C ring of the compounds. The structure-activity relationships (SARs) were established based on the cytotoxicity data of compounds from the HL-60, Huh7, Hct116, and Hela cell lines. The cytotoxicity results showed that most compounds exhibited potent cytotoxicity.

Network pharmacology-based identification for therapeutic mechanism of Ling-Gui-Zhu-Gan decoction in the metabolic syndrome induced by antipsychotic drugs.

Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common side effect of second-generation antipsychotic drugs (SGAs), leading to poor prognosis in patients with mental illness. The traditional Chinese herbal formula Ling-Gui-Zhu-Gan decoction (LGZGD) is a clinically validated remedy for SGAs-induced MetS, but its underlying mechanism remains unclear.

Methods: A network pharmacology-based analysis was performed to explore predicted plasma-absorbed components, putative therapeutic targets, and main pathways involved in LGZGD bioactivity.

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Isaindigotone Derivatives To Downregulate c-myc Transcription via Disrupting the Interaction of NM23-H2 with G-Quadruplex.

Transcriptional control of c-myc oncogene is an important strategy for antitumor drug design. G-quadruplexes in the promoter region have been proven to be the transcriptional down-regulator of this gene. The transcriptional factor NM23-H2 can reactivate c-myc transcription by unwinding the G-quadruplex structure.

A colorimetric and fluorescent dual probe for palladium in aqueous medium and live cell imaging.

A colorimetric and fluorescent dual probe for palladium species was rationally developed by combining the resorufin fluorophore with allyl chloroformate. The probe enables the visual detection of palladium based on its vivid color change from pale yellow to pink and its fluorescence off-on response to palladium in PBS solution. The detection limit was calculated to be as low as 2.

Blocking the binding of WT1 to promoter by G-quadruplex ligand SYUIQ-FM05.

At present, , a Wilms' tumor suppressor gene, is recognized as a critical regulator of tumorigenesis and a potential therapeutic target. WT1 shows the ability to regulate the transcription of by binding to a GC-rich region in the promoter, which can then fold into a special DNA secondary structure called the G-quadruplex. This function merits the exploration of the effect of a G-quadruplex ligand on the binding and subsequent regulation of WT1 on the promoter.

Synthesis and Mechanism Studies of 1,3-Benzoazolyl Substituted Pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazine Derivatives as Nonintercalative Topoisomerase II Catalytic Inhibitors.

Novel topoisomerase II (Topo II) inhibitors have gained considerable interest for the development of anticancer agents. In this study, a series of 1,3-benzoazolyl-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazine derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as potential Topo II catalytic inhibitors. It was found that some of derivatives had good antiproliferative activity on seven cancer cell lines, especially on HL-60/MX2, a cancer cell line derivative from HL-60 that is resistant to Topo II poison.

Discovery of Small Molecules for Up-Regulating the Translation of Antiamyloidogenic Secretase, a Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase 10 (ADAM10), by Binding to the G-Quadruplex-Forming Sequence in the 5' Untranslated Region (UTR) of Its mRNA.

Up-regulation of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 (ADAM10) to prevent the formation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides might be a promising strategy to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). RNA G-quadruplex motif within the 5'-UTR of the ADAM10 mRNA is an inhibitory element for ADAM10 translation. Thus, mitigation of the suppressive effect of this motif using an RNA G-quadruplex-forming G-rich sequence (QGRS) binder might be a new approach for AD therapy.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 7-alkylamino substituted benzo[a]phenazin derivatives as dual topoisomerase I/II inhibitors.

A novel series of benzo[a]phenazin derivatives bearing alkylamino side chains were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their topoisomerases inhibitory activity as well as cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines (HL-60, K-562, HeLa, and A549). These compounds were found to be dual inhibitors of topoisomerase (Topo) I and Topo II, and exhibited excellent antiproliferative activity, in particular against HL-60 cells with submicromolar IC50 values. Further mechanistic studies showed that this class of compounds acted as Topo I poisons by stabilizing the Topo I-DNA cleavage complexes and Topo II catalytic inhibitors by inhibiting the ATPase activity of hTopo II.

Synthesis and evaluation of 7,8-dehydrorutaecarpine derivatives as potential multifunctional agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

A series of 7,8-dehydrorutaecarpine derivatives were synthesized and characterized as potential multifunctional agents for treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). All of these synthetic compounds showed high acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity with IC50 values ranged from 0.60 to 196.

Disubstituted 1,8-dipyrazolcarbazole derivatives as a new type of c-myc G-quadruplex binding ligands.

A series of 1,8-dipyrazolcarbazole (DPC) derivatives (6a-6d, 7a-7d) designed as G-quadruplex ligands have been synthesized and characterized. The FRET-melting and SPR results showed that the DPC derivatives could well recognize G-quadruplex with strong discrimination against the duplex DNA. In addition, the DPC derivatives showed much stronger stabilization activities and binding affinities for c-myc G-quadruplex rather than telomeric G-quadruplex.