Structures of N-Hydroxy-Type Tetrodotoxin Analogues and Bicyclic Guanidinium Compounds Found in Toxic Newts

J Nat Prod. 2020 Sep 25;83(9):2706-2717. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.0c00623. Epub 2020 Sep 8.

Abstract

The biosynthesis of tetrodotoxin (TTX, 1), a potent neurotoxin widely distributed in marine and terrestrial metazoans, remains unresolved. A significant issue has been identifying intermediates and shunt products associated with the biosynthetic pathway of TTX. We investigated TTX biosynthesis by screening and identifying new TTX-related compounds from Cynops ensicauda popei and Taricha granulosa. Mass spectrometry (MS)-guided screening identified two new N-hydroxy TTX analogues in newts: 1-hydroxy-8-epiTTX (2) and 1-hydroxy-8-epi-5,11-dideoxyTTX (3, previously reported as 1-hydroxy-5,11-dideoxyTTX). We prepared a new analogue, 8-epi-5,11-dideoxyTTX (4), from 3 via N-OH reduction and confirmed the presence of 4 in T. granulosa using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)-LCMS. The presence of 8-epi-type TTX analogues in both Cynops and Taricha supports a branched biosynthetic pathway of terrestrial TTX, which produces 6- and 8-epimers. In addition, new bicyclic guanidinium compounds Tgr-238 (5) and Tgr-240 (6) were identified as putative shunt products of our proposed TTX biosynthesis pathway. A structural analysis of Cep-228A (7), another bicyclic compound, was performed using NMR. Based on the structures of 5-7 and their analogues, we propose a model of the shunt and metabolic pathways of the terrestrial TTX biosynthesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Poisonous*
  • Bacteria / drug effects
  • Bridged Bicyclo Compounds / chemistry
  • Bridged Bicyclo Compounds / isolation & purification
  • Bridged Bicyclo Compounds / toxicity
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Fungi / drug effects
  • Guanidine / chemistry*
  • Guanidine / isolation & purification
  • Guanidine / toxicity
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Molecular Structure
  • Salamandridae*
  • Sodium Channel Blockers / pharmacology
  • Tetrodotoxin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Tetrodotoxin / chemistry*
  • Tetrodotoxin / toxicity

Substances

  • Bridged Bicyclo Compounds
  • Sodium Channel Blockers
  • Tetrodotoxin
  • Guanidine