Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effects of synthesised tanshinone I and isotanshinone I analogues in zebrafish

Abstract

During inflammation, dysregulated neutrophil behaviour can play a major role in chronic inflammatory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for which current treatments are generally ineffective. Recently, tanshinones have shown promising antiinflammatory effects by targeting neutrophils in vivo, yet are still an underexplored general group of compounds. Here, an existing six step synthetic route was optimised and used to prepare a small family of substituted tanshinone and isomeric isotanshinone analogues, together with the synthesis of other structurally similar molecules. Evaluation of these using a transgenic zebrafish model of inflammation revealed that many of these compounds exhibit promising anti-inflammatory effects in vivo. Several compounds affect neutrophil recruitment and/or resolution of neutrophilic inflammation, and broad structure-activity relationships were constructed. In particular, the methoxy-substituted tanshinone 39 specifically accelerates resolution of inflammation without affecting organism host defence, making this a particularly attractive candidate for potential pro-resolution therapeutics. On the other hand, {beta}-lapachones exhibit effects on neutrophil recruitment yet not on resolution. Notable differences in toxicity profiles between compound classes were also observed.