10.3390/toxins11010042
The research investigates the bioactivity and structural properties of novel synthetic analogues of the protozoan toxin climacostol, a resorcinolic lipid produced by the protozoan Climacostomum virens for defense against predators. The study synthesized two new analogues, AN1 (2-methyl-5[(2Z)-non-2-en-1-yl]benzene-1,3-diol) and AN2 (5-[(2Z)-non-2-en-1-yl]benzene-1,2,3-triol), with the aim of increasing the activity of the native toxin. The research evaluated the effects of these analogues on prokaryotic and free-living protists, as well as on mammalian tumor cells. The results showed that AN1 exhibited higher toxicity against pathogen microbes and protists than climacostol, while AN2 demonstrated the ability to induce programmed cell death in protistan cells. The study provides insights into the structure–activity relationships of climacostol and its analogues, suggesting that modifications to the aromatic ring can effectively modulate their potency and mechanism of action. The chemicals involved in this research include the native climacostol, its synthetic analogues AN1 and AN2, and various reagents used in the synthesis and analysis processes, such as n-BuLi, MeI, TBAF, DMP, and others.