Background Water evaporation in solar salterns creates salinity gradients that promote the adaptation of microbial species to different salinities. This competitive habitat challenges the metabolic capabilities of microorganisms and promotes alterations in their production of secondary metabolites. Thus, solar salterns are a potentially important source of new natural products. In Colombia, the most important and representative solar saltern is located in Manaure (La Guajira) in the north of Colombia. The aim of this study was to develop an alternative screening strategy to select halophilic bacteria as producers of bioactive compounds from mixed microbial cultures rather than individual environmental isolates. Brine and sediment samples from different ponds (across a salinity gradient) were inoculated in seven different culture media to grow bacteria and archaea, allowing for a total of 40 different mixed cultures. An organic extract from each mixed culture was obtained and tested against multidrug resistant pathogens, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. In addition, the extracts were tested against two human cancer cell lines, cervical adenocarcinoma (SiHa) and lung carcinoma (A-549). Results Twenty-four of the forty extracts from mixed cultures obtained from brine and sediment samples from the Manaure solar saltern showed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis. Two extracts, referred to as A1SM3-29 and A1SM3-36, were also active against a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, with the latter extract also showing slight cytotoxic activity against the assayed human lung cancer cell line. From this mixed culture, nine isolates were cultivated, and their extracts were tested against the same pathogens, resulting in the identification of a Vibrio sp. strain (A1SM3-36-8) with antimicrobial activity that was similar to that observed for the mixed culture extract. The extract of this strain was subjected to a bioautography assay, and 3 different fractions exhibited antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Based on the amount obtained for each fraction, F3 was selected to isolate and identify its metabolites. The major compound was identified by NMR and HRMS as 13-cis-docosenamide, an amide that has been previously reported to be an antimicrobial and cytotoxic compound. Conclusions Our results shows the utility of our strategy in detecting bioactive molecules in initial mixed cultures by biological assays, resulting in the isolation and characterization of Vibrio sp. A1SM3-36-8, a halophilic strain with great antibacterial and cytotoxic potential.

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Quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids, two important classes of N-based heterocyclic compounds, have attracted tremendous attention from researchers worldwide since the 19th century. Over the past 200 years, many compounds from these two classes were isolated from natural sources, and most of them and their modified analogs possess significant bioactivities. Quinine and camptothecin are two of the most famous and important quinoline alkaloids, and their discoveries opened new areas in antimalarial and anticancer drug development, respectively. In this review, we survey the literature on bioactive alkaloids from these two classes and highlight research achievements prior to the year 2008 (Part I). Over 200 molecules with a broad range of bioactivities, including antitumor, antimalarial, antibacterial and antifungal, antiparasitic and insecticidal, antiviral, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, herbicidal, antioxidant and other activities, were reviewed. This survey should provide new clues or possibilities for the discovery of new and better drugs from the original naturally occurring quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids.

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The present paper is a continuation of a series of comprehensive taxonomic treatments of cercosporoid fungi (formerly Cercospora s. lat.), belonging to Mycosphaerellaceae (Ascomycota). This fifth contribution of this series proceeds with treatments of cercosporoid fungi on dicots and comprises species occurring on hosts belonging to the families Anacardiaceae and Annonaceae, which are described and illustrated in alphabetical order under the particular cercosporoid genera, supplemented by keys to the species concerned. A detailed introduction, a survey of currently recognised cercosporoid genera, a key to the genera concerned, and a discussion of taxonomically relevant characters were published in the first part of this series. The following taxonomic novelties are introduced: Passalora cotini sp. nov., P. guoana nom. nov., P. rhois-aromaticae sp. nov., and Pseudocercospora rhoicola.

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An overview of recent progress on the total synthesis of acetogenins from Annonaceae during the past 12 years is provided. These include mono-tetrahydrofurans, adjacent bis-tetrahydrofurans, nonadjacent bis-tetrahydrofurans, tri-tetrahydrofurans, adjacent tetrahydrofuran-tetrahydropyrans, nonadjacent tetrahydrofuran-tetrahydropyrans, mono-tetrahydropyrans, and acetogenins containing only gamma-lactone. This review emphasizes only the first total synthesis of molecules of contemporary interest and syntheses that have helped to correct structures. In addition, some significant results on the novel synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of annonaceous acetogenins are also introduced.

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The EtOH extract of Asimina parviflora (Annonaceae), when subjected to activity-directed fractionation using lethality to brine shrimp, led to the isolation and identification of five bioactive compounds: asimicilone [1], which is a new 2-quinolone alkaloid, 6-cis-docosenamide [2], which is a new amide of a long hydrocarbon chain fatty acid, and three known compounds, asimicin, (+)-syringaresinol, and beta-sitosterol-beta-D- glucopyranoside. The structure determination of the new alkaloid was performed by extensive nmr analyses, including HMQC and HMBC. Selective cytotoxic activities of these compounds in three human solid tumor cell lines are also reported.

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