No abstract

The antineoplastic constituents of Combretum caffrum (Eckl. and Zeyh) Kuntze (Combretaceae family), a species indigenous to South Africa, have been investigated. Subsequently we isolated a series of closely related bibenzyls, stilbenes, and phenanthrenes from C. caffrum. Some of the stilbenes proved to be potent antimitotic agents which inhibited both tubulin polymerization and the binding of colchicine to tubulin. Combretastatin A-4 has been shown to be the most potent cancer cell growth inhibitor of the series. Presently this cis-stilbene is the most effective inhibitor of colchicine binding to tubulin and the simplest natural product yet described with such potent antitubulin effects. Combretastatin A-4, A-5, and A-6 were also found to inhibit growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Details of the isolation and syntheses of combretastatins A-4 (2a), A-5 (2c), and A-6 (3a) have been described.

The principal antineoplastic constituent of the South African tree Combretum caffrum has been isolated and designated combretastatin A-1. The structure of this new cis-stilbene was unequivocally established by X-ray crystal structure determination and total synthesis. A Wittig reaction sequence in THF comprised the synthetic key step (92.5% yield) and provided a very favorable 9:1 ratio of the cis:trans [1c:2c, geometrical isomers]. Selective hydrogenation of combretastatin A-1 afforded combretastatin B-1, a companion cell growth inhibitory constituent of C. caffrum. Combretastatin A-1 provided 26-29% life extension at 2.75-11 mg/kg dose levels with ED50 0.99 microgram/ml against the murine P-388 lymphocytic leukemia in vivo and in vitro systems. Both combretastatin A-1 and combretastatin B-1 are potent inhibitors of microtubule assembly in vitro and among the most potent inhibitors of the binding of colchicine to tubulin yet described. The structural simplicity and ready synthesis of combretastatin A-1 and combretastatin B-1 suggest that these new biosynthetic products will become useful in a variety of biological endeavors.

The South African tree Combretumcaffrum has been shown to contain a constituent capable of significantly reversing astrocyte formation employing the National Cancer Institute's 9ASK system. The constituent responsible for astrocyte reversal was isolated and designated combretastatin (1). Structural elucidation was initiated employing spectral methods and completed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. By this means combretastatin was assigned structure 1. Further biological evaluation and a total synthesis are now in progress.

Extensive stalk elongation in Caulobacter and Asticcacaulis can bc obtained in a dcfincd medium by limiting thc concentration of phosphate. Caulobacter cells which wcre initiating stalk formation werc labeled with tritiatcd glucose. After rcmoval of exogenous tritiated material, the cells wcrc sul~jected to phosphate limitation whilc stalk elongation occurred. Thc location of tritiatcd material in the elongated stalks as dctected by radioautographic techniques allowed identification of the site of stalk development. Thc labeling pattern obtained was consistent with the hypothesis that the materials of the stalk are synthcsizcd at thc juncturc of the stalk with the cell. Complemcntary labcling experiments with Caulobacter and Asticcacaulis confirmed this result. In spheroplasts of C. crescentus preparcd by treatment with lysozyme, the stalks lost their normal rigid outline after several minutes of cxposurc to the enzyme, indicating that the rigid layer of the cell wall attacked by lysozyme is present in the stalk. In spheroplasts of growing cells induced with penicillin, the stalks did not appear to be affected, indicating that the stalk wall is a relatively inert, nongrowing structure. The morphogcnetic implications of these findings are discussed.