Jacob Claus
Division of Bioorganic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Universität des Saarlandes, Postfach 151150, D-66041, Saarbrücken, Germany.
Nat Prod Rep. 2006 Dec;23(6):851-63. doi: 10.1039/b609523m. Epub 2006 Sep 28.
A range of sulfur-containing natural products from plants, fungi, bacteria and animals have recently been investigated to determine their therapeutic potential. Preliminary in vitro and in vivo studies of compounds such as ergothioneine, ovothiols, allicin, leinamycin, varacin, lenthionine and diallyltetrasulfide have provided evidence for antioxidant, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal and anticancer properties. The biological activity of these compounds is the result of specific chemical properties which converge in chemotypes such as thiols, disulfides, sulfenic and sulfinic acids,thiosulfinates, sulfoxides, sulfones and polysulfides. Redox-activity, catalysis, metal binding, enzyme inhibition and radical generation allow reactive sulfur species to interact with oxidative stressors, to affect the function of redox-sensitive cysteine proteins and to disrupt the integrity of DNA and cellular membranes. In some cases, the biological activity of sulfur-containing plant products depends on initial enzymatic activation, which allows thiosulfinates and isothiocyanates to be generated with high target selectivity. Not surprisingly, research into the biochemical and pharmacological properties of the lesser known sulfur chemotypes is rapidly gathering momentum.
最近，人们对来自植物、真菌、细菌和动物的一系列含硫天然产物进行了研究，以确定它们的治疗潜力。对麦角硫因、卵硫醇、大蒜素、链霉黑素、varacin、香菇嘌呤和二烯丙基四硫化物等化合物进行的初步体外和体内研究，为其抗氧化、抗菌、抗微生物、抗真菌和抗癌特性提供了证据。这些化合物的生物活性是特定化学性质的结果，这些化学性质集中在硫醇、二硫化物、亚磺酸和亚磺酸、硫代亚磺酸盐、亚砜、砜和多硫化物等化学类型中。氧化还原活性、催化作用、金属结合、酶抑制和自由基生成使活性硫物种能够与氧化应激源相互作用，影响氧化还原敏感的半胱氨酸蛋白的功能，并破坏DNA和细胞膜的完整性。在某些情况下，含硫植物产品的生物活性取决于初始酶促激活，这使得硫代亚磺酸盐和异硫氰酸盐能够以高目标选择性生成。不出所料，对鲜为人知的硫化学类型的生化和药理特性的研究正在迅速发展。
