Four bioactive compounds have been isolated from the fungus Oidiodendron griseum UBOCC-A-114129 cultivated from deep subsurface sediment. They were structurally characterized using a combination of LC–MS/MS and NMR analyses as fuscin and its derivatives (dihydrofuscin, dihydrosecofuscin, and secofuscin) and identified as polyketides. Albeit those compounds were already obtained from terrestrial fungi, this is the first report of their production by an Oidiodendron species and by the deepest subseafloor isolate ever studied for biological activities. We report a weak antibacterial activity of dihydrosecofuscin and secofuscin mainly directed against Gram-positive bacteria (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) equal to Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC), in the range of 100 μg/mL). The activity on various protein kinases was also analyzed and revealed a significant inhibition of CDC2-like kinase-1 (CLK1) by dihysecofuscin.

The purpose of this work is to investigate the protein kinase inhibitory activity of constituents from Acacia auriculiformis stem bark. Column chromatography and NMR spectroscopy were used to purify and characterize betulin from an ethyl acetate soluble fraction of acacia bark. Betulin, a known inducer of apoptosis, was screened against a panel of 16 disease-related protein kinases. Betulin was shown to inhibit Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 (ABL1) kinase, casein kinase 1ε (CK1ε), glycogen synthase kinase 3α/β (GSK-3 α/β), Janus kinase 3 (JAK3), NIMA Related Kinase 6 (NEK6), and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 kinase (VEGFR2) with activities in the micromolar range for each. The effect of betulin on the cell viability of doxorubicin-resistant K562R chronic myelogenous leukemia cells was then verified to investigate its putative use as an anti-cancer compound. Betulin was shown to modulate the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway, with activity similar to that of imatinib mesylate, a known ABL1 kinase inhibitor. The interaction of betulin and ABL1 was studied by molecular docking, revealing an interaction of the inhibitor with the ABL1 ATP binding pocket. Together, these data demonstrate that betulin is a multi-target inhibitor of protein kinases, an activity that can contribute to the anticancer properties of the natural compound and to potential treatments for leukemia.

2,7-Disubstituted oxazolo[5,4-f]quinoxalines were synthesized from 6-amino-2-chloroquinoxaline in four steps (iodination at C5, substitution of the chloro group, amidation and copper-catalysed cyclization) affording 28 to 44% overall yields. 2,8-Disubstituted oxazolo[5,4-f]quinoxaline was similarly obtained from 6-amino-3-chloroquinoxaline (39% overall yield). For the synthesis of other oxazolo[5,4-f]quinoxalines, amidation was rather performed before substitution; moreover, time-consuming purification steps were avoided between the amines and the final products (38 to 54% overall yields). Finally, a more efficient method involving merging of the last two steps in a sequential process was developed to access more derivatives (37 to 65% overall yields). Most of the oxazolo[5,4-f]quinoxalines were evaluated for their activity on a panel of protein kinases, and a few 2,8-disubstituted derivatives proved to inhibit GSK3 kinase. While experiments showed an ATP-competitive inhibition on GSK3β, structure–activity relationships allowed us to identify 2-(3-pyridyl)-8-(thiomorpholino)oxazolo[5,4-f]quinoxaline as the most potent inhibitor with an IC₅₀ value of about 5 nM on GSK3α.