Asperpyridone A: An Unusual Pyridone Alkaloid Exerts Hypoglycemic Activity through the Insulin Signaling Pathway

J Nat Prod. 2019 Oct 25;82(10):2925-2930. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b00188. Epub 2019 Sep 6.

Abstract

A pyridone alkaloid, asperpyridone A (1), which possesses an unusual pyrano[3,2-c]pyridine scaffold, was isolated from solid cultures of the endophytic fungus Aspergillus sp. TJ23. Its structure, including its absolute configuration, was determined using a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, quantum chemical calculations (electronic circular dichroism), and X-ray crystallography. In vitro bioassays demonstrated that asperpyridone A (1) could function as a potential hypoglycemic agent, which exhibited pronounced glucose uptake effect in liver HepG2 cells, under both normal and insulin-resistant conditions, with higher efficacy than metformin. The underlying mechanism of asperpyridone A was elucidated by analyzing the genes expressed, the Gene Ontology (GO) function enrichment, the protein interaction network, and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, which suggested that asperpyridone A exhibits hypoglycemic activity by activating the insulin signaling pathway. Moreover, on the basis of the hypoglycemic potency, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) was determined to be a potential target for asperpyridone A.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alkaloids / chemistry
  • Alkaloids / isolation & purification*
  • Alkaloids / pharmacology
  • Aspergillus / metabolism*
  • Fibroblast Growth Factors / analysis
  • Fibroblast Growth Factors / physiology
  • Hep G2 Cells
  • Humans
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / isolation & purification*
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / pharmacology
  • Insulin / pharmacology*
  • Pyridones / chemistry
  • Pyridones / isolation & purification*
  • Pyridones / pharmacology
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects

Substances

  • Alkaloids
  • FGF21 protein, human
  • Hypoglycemic Agents
  • Insulin
  • Pyridones
  • Fibroblast Growth Factors