Ohmyungsamycins A and B (1 and 2), which are new cyclic peptides, were isolated from a marine bacterial strain belonging to the Streptomyces genus collected from a sand beach on Jeju, a volcanic island in the Republic of Korea. Based on the interpretation of the NMR, UV, and IR spectroscopic and MS data, the planar structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated as cyclic depsipeptides bearing unusual amino acid units, including N-methyl-4-methoxytrytophan, β-hydroxyphenylalanine, and N,N-dimethylvaline. The absolute configurations of the α-carbons of the amino acid residues were determined using the advanced Marfey's method. The configurations of the additional stereogenic centers at the β-carbons of the threonine, N-methylthreonine, and β-hydroxyphenylalanine units were assigned by GITC (2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate) derivatization and the modified Mosher's method. We have developed a new method utilizing PGME (phenylglycine methyl ester) derivatization coupled with chromatographic analysis to determine the absolute configuration of N,N-dimethylvaline. Our first successful establishment of the absolute configuration of N,N-dimethylvaline using PGME will provide a general and convenient analytical method for determining the absolute configurations of amino acids with fully substituted amine groups. Ohmyungsamycins A and B showed significant inhibitory activities against diverse cancer cells as well as antibacterial effects.
Penicillipyrones A (1) and B (2), two novel meroterpenoids, were isolated from the marine-derived fungus Penicillium sp. On the basis of the results of combined spectroscopic analyses, these compounds were structurally elucidated to be sesquiterpene γ-pyrones from a new skeletal class derived from a unique linkage pattern between the drimane sesquiterpene and pyrone moieties. Compound 2 elicited significant induction of quinone reductase.
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract has an intriguing and critical role beyond digestion in both modern and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), as demonstrated by its link with the immune system. In this review, we attempted to explore the interrelationships between increased GI permeability and phlegm, an important pathological factor in CAM, syndrome, and therapeutic herbs for two disorders. The leaky gut and phlegm syndromes look considerably similar with respect to related symptoms, diseases, and suitable herbal treatment agents, including phytochemicals even though limitations to compare exist. Phlegm may be spread throughout the body along with other pathogens via the disruption of the GI barrier to cause several diseases sharing some parts of symptoms, diseases, and mechanisms with leaky gut syndrome. Both syndromes are related to inflammation and gut microbiota compositions. Well-designed future research should be conducted to verify the interrelationships for evidence based integrative medicine to contribute to the promotion of public health. In addition, systems biology approaches should be adopted to explore the complex synergistic effects of herbal medicine and phytochemicals on conditions associated with phlegm and leaky gut syndromes.
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