A dysregulation of the cell-death mechanism contributes to poor prognosis in lung cancer. New potent chemotherapeutic agents targeting apoptosis-deregulating molecules have been discovered. In this study, 22-(4-pyridinecarbonyl) jorunnamycin A (22-(4′py)-JA), a synthetic derivative of bistetrahydroisoquinolinequinone from the Thai blue sponge, was semisynthesized by the Steglich esterification method, and its pharmacological mechanism in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was elucidated by a network pharmacology approach. All predicted targets of 22-(4′py)-JA and genes related to NSCLC were retrieved from drug-target and gene databases. A total of 78 core targets were identified, and their associations were analyzed by STRING and Cytoscape. Gene ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed that molecules in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling were potential targets of 22-(4′py)-JA in the induction of NSCLC apoptosis. In silico molecular docking analysis displayed a possible interaction of ERK1/2 and MEK1 with 22-(4′py)-JA. In vitro anticancer activity showed that 22-(4′py)-JA has strong cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing effects in H460, H292 and A549 NSCLC cells. Furthermore, immunoblotting confirmed that 22-(4′py)-JA induced apoptotic cell death in an ERK/MEK/Bcl-2-dependent manner. The present study demonstrated that 22-(4′py)-JA exhibited a potent anticancer effect that could be further developed for clinical application and showed that network pharmacology approaches are a powerful tool to illustrate the molecular pathways of new drugs or compounds.

A series of tetrahydro-ß-carbolines substituted with an alkyl or acyl side chain was synthesized and screened for its antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi (Bipolaris oryzae, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium semitectum, and Fusarium fujikuroi). The structure activity relationship revealed that the substituent at the piperidine nitrogen plays an important role for increasing antifungal activities. In this series, 2-octyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole (3g) displayed potent antifungal activities with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.1 μg/mL, including good inhibitory activity to the radial growth of fungus at a concentration of 100 μg/mL compared to amphotericin B.

The semisynthesis of renieramycin-type derivatives was achieved under mild and facile conditions by attaching a 1,3-dioxole-bridged phenolic moiety onto ring A of the renieramycin structure and adding a 4′-pyridinecarbonyl ester substituent at its C-5 or C-22 position. These were accomplished through a light-induced intramolecular photoredox reaction using blue light (4 W) and Steglich esterification, respectively. Renieramycin M (4), a bis-tetrahydroisoquinolinequinone compound isolated from the Thai blue sponge (Xestospongia sp.), served as the starting material. The cytotoxicity of the 10 natural and semisynthesized renieramycins against non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines was evaluated. The 5-O-(4′-pyridinecarbonyl) renieramycin T (11) compound exhibited high cytotoxicity with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of 35.27 ± 1.09 and 34.77 ± 2.19 nM against H290 and H460 cells, respectively. Notably, the potency of compound 11 was 2-fold more than that of renieramycin T (7) and equal to those of 4 and doxorubicin. Interestingly, the renieramycin-type derivatives with a hydroxyl group at C-5 and C-22 exhibited weak cytotoxicity. In silico molecular docking and dynamics studies confirmed that the mitogen-activated proteins, kinase 1 and 3 (MAPK1 and MAPK3), are suitable targets for 11. Thus, the structure–cytotoxicity study of renieramycins was extended to facilitate the development of potential anticancer agents for NSCLC cells.

The development of steroid 5α-reductase inhibitors for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia remains challenging, primarily due to the unavailability of a crystal structure for human steroid 5α-reductase type-1 (SRD5A1) and the adverse effects associated with existing steroidal therapeutic agents such as finasteride and dutasteride. In this study, hydroxycinnamate derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against SRD5A1 using an immortalized human keratinocyte cell-based assay coupled with nonradioactive high-performance thin-layer chromatography analysis. Three ferulate derivatives featuring 2',5'-, 3',4'-, and 3',5'-bis-(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl substituents (10a, 10b, and 10c) demonstrated inhibitory activity with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) of 8.50, 10.06, and 8.05 μM, respectively, exhibiting low cytotoxicity and favorable predicted lipophilicity. Compound 10a was chosen for further investigation to assess its effect on SRD5A1 protein expression. Treatment of HaCaT cells with compound 10a at concentrations of 10-15 μM for 24 h significantly downregulated SRD5A1 protein expression, suggesting its inhibitory effect on both SRD5A1 activity and expression. An in silico model identified key binding interactions between the AlphaFold-generated SRD5A1 catalytic pocket and the residues R98, M119, A120, E202, and F228, among which M119 is recognized as a crucial residue for the stereoselective and irreversible reduction catalyzed by SRD5A1. Structure-activity relationship analysis indicated that the 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy core facilitates hydrogen bonding with R98, whereas the cinnamoyl and bis-(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl moieties enhance hydrophobic and halogen interactions with key residues, improving binding affinity and molecular orientation. Thus, these bis-(trifluoromethyl)-substituted phenyl ferulate derivatives present a promising class of nonsteroidal inhibitors for SRD5A1, with potential applications in developing topical antiandrogenic agents for the treatment androgen-related conditions.