Kukoamine A analogs with lipoxygenase inhibitory activity.

Kukoamine A (KukA) is a spermine (SPM) conjugate with dihydrocaffeic acid (DHCA), with interesting biological activities. The four possible regioisomers of KukA, as well as a series of KukA analogs incorporating changes in either the SPM or the DHCA structural units, were evaluated for their antioxidant activity and their inhibitory activity on soybean lipoxygenase (LOX) and lipid peroxidation. The reducing properties of the compounds were evaluated using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and found to be in the range 5-97.5%. KukA significantly inhibits LOX with IC(50) 9.5 microM. All tested analogs inhibited lipid peroxidation in the range of 11-100%. The most potent compounds KukA and its analog 3, in which the DHCA units had been replaced by O,O9-dimethylcaffeic acid units, were studied for their anti-inflammatory activity in vivo on rat paw edema induced by carrageenan and found to be of comparable activity to indomethacin. The results of the biological tests are discussed in terms of structural characteristics.