The Kynurenine Pathway and Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase Inhibitors

Under normal physiological conditions, the kynurenine pathway (KP) plays a critical role in generating cellular energy and catabolizing tryptophan. Under inflammatory conditions, however, there is an upregulation of the KP enzymes, particularly kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO). KMO has garnered much attention due to its production of toxic metabolites that have been implicated in many diseases and disorders. With many of these illnesses having an inadequate or modest treatment, there exists a need to develop KMO inhibitors that reduce the production of these toxic metabolites. Though prior efforts to find an appropriate KMO inhibitor were unpromising, the development of a KMO crystal structure has provided the opportunity for a rational structure-based design in the development of inhibitors. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to describe the kynurenine pathway, the kynurenine 3-monooxygenase enzyme, and KMO inhibitors and their potential candidacy for clinical use.

Pyridoxine-Dependent Epilepsy and Antiquitin Deficiency Resulting in Neonatal-Onset Refractory Seizures

Pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE) is an autosomal recessive neurometabolic disorder due to a deficiency of α-aminoadipic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (mutation in ALDH7A1 gene), more commonly known as antiquitin (ATQ). ATQ is one of the enzymes involved in lysine oxidation; thus, its deficiency leads to the accumulation of toxic metabolites in body fluids. PDE is characterized by persistent, recurrent neonatal seizures that cannot be well controlled by antiepileptic drugs but are responsive clinically and electrographically to daily pyridoxine (vitamin B6) supplementation. Although the phenotypic spectrum distinguishes between typical and atypical, pyridoxine-dependent is true for each. Diagnosis may pose a challenge mainly due to the rarity of the disorder and the fact that seizures may not occur until childhood or even late adolescence. Moreover, patients may not demonstrate an obvious clinical or electroencephalography response to the initial dose of pyridoxine. Effective treatment requires lifelong pharmacologic supplements of pyridoxine, and dietary lysine restriction and arginine enrichment should improve prognosis and avoid developmental delay and intellectual disability. The purpose of this review is to summarize briefly the latest reports on the etiology, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, and management of patients suffering from pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy.

Marine Neurotoxins’ Effects on Environmental and Human Health: An OMICS Overview

Harmful algal blooms (HAB), and the consequent release of toxic metabolites, can be responsible for seafood poisoning outbreaks. Marine wildlife can accumulate these toxins throughout the food chain, which presents a threat to consumers’ health. Some of these toxins, such as saxitoxin (STX), domoic acid (DA), ciguatoxin (CTX), brevetoxin (BTX), tetrodotoxin (TTX), and β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), cause severe neurological symptoms in humans. Considerable information is missing, however, notably the consequences of toxin exposures on changes in gene expression, protein profile, and metabolic pathways. This information could lead to understanding the consequence of marine neurotoxin exposure in aquatic organisms and humans. Nevertheless, recent contributions to the knowledge of neurotoxins arise from OMICS-based research, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the most recent research and of the available solutions to explore OMICS datasets in order to identify new features in terms of ecotoxicology, food safety, and human health. In addition, future perspectives in OMICS studies are discussed.

Chemodiversity of Brevetoxins and Other Potentially Toxic Metabolites Produced by Karenia spp. and Their Metabolic Products in Marine Organisms

In recent decades, more than 130 potentially toxic metabolites originating from dinoflagellate species belonging to the genus Karenia or metabolized by marine organisms have been described. These metabolites include the well-known and large group of brevetoxins (BTXs), responsible for foodborne neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP) and airborne respiratory symptoms in humans. Karenia spp. also produce brevenal, brevisamide and metabolites belonging to the hemi-brevetoxin, brevisin, tamulamide, gymnocin, gymnodimine, brevisulcenal and brevisulcatic acid groups. In this review, we summarize the available knowledge in the literature since 1977 on these various identified metabolites, whether they are produced directly by the producer organisms or biotransformed in marine organisms. Their structures and physicochemical properties are presented and discussed. Among future avenues of research, we highlight the need for more toxin occurrence data with analytical techniques, which can specifically determine the analogs present in samples. New metabolites have yet to be fully described, especially the groups of metabolites discovered in the last two decades (e.g tamulamides). Lastly, this work clarifies the different nomenclatures used in the literature and should help to harmonize practices in the future.

In View of Today’s Realities: What should any Work with the Plant World Actually Gain us?

Studies on plants are important evidence not only for their diversity and richness in the world, but also for revealing the relationship between the environment and the organisms. How important are the concepts of climate crisis and global warming? What is the number of people in the world, other than scientists, who are aware of the seriousness of the problem? Do we have any information about the number of people who have knowledge about what can be done? Do we want to experience the carbon richness of millions of years ago (Carboniferous) again? Let's not forget that this reality, which seems to be an advantageous situation at first glance, has actually been moved to a platform where today's leaders discuss the effects of climate balance. We need more and more plants all over the planet. With the increase in the human population, it is time to change our prejudices about “uncertain or suspicious” plants to be used. Could some toxic metabolites be usable or even edible by appropriate treatments? Can countries that are lucky in terms of endemic species make better use of these reserves? Plant biochemistry studies should be encouraged in this respect.In addition, there is evidence that the consumption of a large number of products that we use as food causes health problems that we do not know yet, but which can increase greatly with daily use and even be fatal when contaminated by pathogenic organisms.

Isolation of New Secondary Metabolites from New Zealand Marine Invertebrates

<p>This study describes the isolation and structure elucidation of several known and 13 new compounds from New Zealand marine organisms. Furthermore, it describes the development of a digital mask program for the analysis of HSQC spectra of crude sponge extracts. This was used as a screening tool to identify secondary metabolite producers that warranted further analysis. As reports of metabolites from New Zealand nudibranchs are poorly represented in the literature, a study of five New Zealand nudibranch species was undertaken. These coloured and seemingly undefended nudibranchs are known to concentrate or sequester toxic metabolites from their prey, facilitating rapid isolation and structure elucidation of these metabolites. This study resulted in the isolation of a variety of metabolite classes; two new compounds, 13alpha- acetoxypukalide diol (30) and lopholide diol (31) from the nudibranch Tritonia incerta, are described. Examination of the sponge Raspailia agminata resulted in the isolation of a novel family of partially acetylated glycolipids which contain up to six glucose residues. The chromatographic separation of these compounds was a challenge due to the similarity of the congeners and their lack of a chromophore. MSguided isolation eventually led to the purification of agminosides A-E (145-149). An unidentified sponge of the order Dictyoceratida was found to contain a new isomer (186) of the known sesterterpene variabilin. As variabilin-type compounds are predominantly found from sponges of the family Irciniidae, the unidentified sponge is most likely an irciniid. In addition, the sponge contained two prenylated quinones, one of which, 189, is a new isomer of a known sponge metabolite. The sponge Darwinella oxeata contained four new nitrogenous diterpenes of the aplysulphurane (rearranged spongian) skeleton, oxeatamide A (214), isooxeatamide A (215), oxeatamide A 23-methyl ester (216) and oxeatamide B (217).</p>

Isolation of New Secondary Metabolites from New Zealand Marine Invertebrates

<p>This study describes the isolation and structure elucidation of several known and 13 new compounds from New Zealand marine organisms. Furthermore, it describes the development of a digital mask program for the analysis of HSQC spectra of crude sponge extracts. This was used as a screening tool to identify secondary metabolite producers that warranted further analysis. As reports of metabolites from New Zealand nudibranchs are poorly represented in the literature, a study of five New Zealand nudibranch species was undertaken. These coloured and seemingly undefended nudibranchs are known to concentrate or sequester toxic metabolites from their prey, facilitating rapid isolation and structure elucidation of these metabolites. This study resulted in the isolation of a variety of metabolite classes; two new compounds, 13alpha- acetoxypukalide diol (30) and lopholide diol (31) from the nudibranch Tritonia incerta, are described. Examination of the sponge Raspailia agminata resulted in the isolation of a novel family of partially acetylated glycolipids which contain up to six glucose residues. The chromatographic separation of these compounds was a challenge due to the similarity of the congeners and their lack of a chromophore. MSguided isolation eventually led to the purification of agminosides A-E (145-149). An unidentified sponge of the order Dictyoceratida was found to contain a new isomer (186) of the known sesterterpene variabilin. As variabilin-type compounds are predominantly found from sponges of the family Irciniidae, the unidentified sponge is most likely an irciniid. In addition, the sponge contained two prenylated quinones, one of which, 189, is a new isomer of a known sponge metabolite. The sponge Darwinella oxeata contained four new nitrogenous diterpenes of the aplysulphurane (rearranged spongian) skeleton, oxeatamide A (214), isooxeatamide A (215), oxeatamide A 23-methyl ester (216) and oxeatamide B (217).</p>

Hypoxia Reduction Sensitizes Refractory Cancers to Immunotherapy

In order to fuel their relentless expansion, cancers must expand their vasculature to augment delivery of oxygen and essential nutrients. The disordered web of irregular vessels that results, however, leaves gaps in oxygen delivery that foster tumor hypoxia. At the same time, tumor cells increase their oxidative metabolism to cope with the energetic demands of proliferation, which further worsens hypoxia due to heightened oxygen consumption. In these hypoxic, nutrient-deprived environments, tumors and suppressive stroma evolve to flourish while antitumor immunity collapses due to a combination of energetic deprivation, toxic metabolites, acidification, and other suppressive signals. Reversal of cancer hypoxia thus has the potential to increase the survival and effector function of tumor-infiltrating T cells, as well as to resensitize tumors to immunotherapy. Early clinical trials combining hypoxia reduction with immune checkpoint blockade have shown promising results in treating patients with advanced, metastatic, and therapeutically refractory cancers. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Medicine, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.