The effects of ten natural cadinane sesquiterpenoids isolated from Heterotheca inuloides on the pathways of the NF-κB, Nrf2 and STAT3 transcription factors were studied for the first time. The main constituent in this species, 7-hydroxy-3,4-dihydrocadalene (1), showed anti-NF-κB activity and activated the antioxidant Nrf2 pathway, which may explain the properties reported for the traditional use of the plant. In addition to the main metabolite, a structurally similar compound, 7-hydroxy-cadalene (2), also displayed anti-NF-κB activity. Thus, both natural compounds were used as templates for the preparation of a novel semi-synthetic derivative set, including esters and carbamates, which were evaluated for their potential in vitro antiproliferative activities against six human cancer cell lines. Carbamate derivatives 32 and 33 were found to exhibit potent activity against human colorectal adenocarcinoma and showed important selectivity in cancer cells. Among ester derivatives, compound 13 was determined to be a more potent NF-κB inhibitor and Nrf2 activator than its parent, 7-hydroxy-3,4-dihydrocadalene (1). Furthermore, this compound decreases levels of phospho-IκBα, a protein complex involved in the NF-κB activation pathway. Molecular simulations suggest that all active compounds interact with the activation loop of the IKKβ subunit in the IKK complex, which is the responsible of IκBα phosphorylation. Thus, we identified two natural, and one semi-synthetic, NF-κB and Nrf2 modulators and two new promising cytotoxic compounds.
Keywords: Antiproliferative activity; Cadinanes; Heterotheca inuloides; Semisynthesis; Transcription factors.
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