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Center of Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry
(CNPMC) @ University of Jinan

Introduction

Center of Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry (CNPMC) @ University of Jinan is a modern research platform led by Prof. Hua Zhang, honored with two provincial titles of Shandong talents team of university preponderant discipline and Shandong ‘Young Taishan Scholars’ team. We are a multi- and cross-disciplinary young research group covering chemistry, pharmacy and biology, with 17 members including one professor, five associate professors, ten lecturers and one research assistant. Our work focuses on the discovery, structural modification and functional study of small natural molecules with four major research fields: Natural products chemistry, Medicinal chemistry, Pharmacology & Cell biology, and Molecular pharmacognocy.

Research Fields

1 Natural products chemistry

Discovery of bioactive small molecules from natural sources (plants, animals and microbes) for new chemotherapies of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, infectious diseases, etc.

Anti-HIV alkaloid from medicinal plant Flueggea virosa.

Antifouling cyclic peptide from marine fungus Aspergillus sp.

2 Medicinal chemistry

Design and synthesis of novel chemicals based on stereostructures of potential drug targets (such as enzyme and receptor) and structures of endogenous ligands, natural products and synthetic compounds, to develop new drug leads/candidates for cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases through in-depth pharmacological screening and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies.

Design and synthesis of novel acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

Identification of inhibitors against potential anticancer targets and discovery of tool compounds for mode-of-action studies, based on pharmacophore- and molecular docking-oriented virtual screening.

Structure-based virtual screening for inhibitors targeting protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT 5)

3 Pharmacology & Cell biology

Investigation of the underlying mechanism of hepatoprotective and anti-fibrotic bioactive natural molecules by applying model of alcoholic liver fibrosis in vivo and in vitro.

Betulin alleviated ethanol-induced alcoholic liver injury via SIRT1/AMPK signaling pathway

Investigation of the molecular mechanism of cell differentiation and death of tumor, cartilage and vascular endothelial, based on tool compounds from natural and synthetic molecule libraries.

Cross talk between autophagy and apoptosis in vascular endothelial cells

4 Molecular pharmacognocy

Source identification, true and false merits, germplasm resource, quality evaluation, production and protection, as well as the sustainable development and utilization of traditional Chinese medicine.

Study on the molecular mechanism and signal transduction of quality formation of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza)

Representative Papers：

1. Hua Zhang, Sajan L. Shyaula, Jing-Ya Li, Jia Li, and Jian-Min Yue.* “Himalensines A and B, Alkaloids from Daphniphyllum himalense”. Organic Letters, 2016, 18(5), 1202–1205.

2. Hua Zhang, Kong-Kai Zhu, Ying-Shan Han, Cheng Luo, Mark A. Wainberg, and Jian-Min Yue.* “Flueggether A and Virosinine A, Anti-HIV Alkaloids from Flueggea virosa”. Organic Letters, 2015, 17(24), 6274–6277.

3. Xi-Gong Liu, Zhi-Lin Meng, Cheng-Kun Li, Hong-Xiang Lou, and Lei Liu.* “Organocatalytic Enantioselective Oxidative C-H Alkenylation and Arylation of N-Carbamoyl Tetrahydropyridines and Tetrahydro-β-Carbolines”. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2015, 54(20), 6012–6015.

4. Di Ge, Lei Han, Shu-Ya Huang, Nan Peng, Peng-Chong Wang, Zheng Jiang, Jing Zhao, Le Su, Shang-Li Zhang, Yun Zhang, Hsiang-Fu Kung, Bao-Xiang Zhao, and Jun-Ying Miao.* “Identification of a novel MTOR activator and discovery of a competing endogenous RNA regulating autophagy in vascular endothelial cells”. Autophagy, 2014, 10(6), 957–971.

5. Jin-Hai Yu, Qun-Fang Liu, Li Sheng, Guo-Cai Wang, Jia Li, and Jian-Min Yue.* “Cipacinoids A−D, Four Limonoids with Spirocyclic Skeletons from Cipadessa cinerascens”. Organic Letters, 2016, 18(3), 444–447.

6. Ting Bai, Yong Yang, You-Li Yao, Peng Sun, Li-Hua Lian, Yan-Ling Wu, and Ji-Xing Nan.* “Betulin alleviated ethanol-induced alcoholic liver injury via SIRT1/AMPK signaling pathway”. Pharmacological Research, 2016, 105, 1–12.

7. Kong-Kai Zhu, Jun-Yan Lu, Zhong-Jie Liang, Xiang-Qian Kong, Lu Jin, He-Ji Geng, Yong Chen, Ming-Yue Zheng, Hua-Liang Jiang, Jun-Qian Li, and Cheng Luo.* “A Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Study on the Hydrolysis Mechanism of New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase-1”. Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design, 2013, 27(3), 247–256.

8. Na Liu, Rui-Juan Li, Xiao-Ning Wang, Rong-Xiu Zhu, Lei Wang, Zhao-Min Lin, Yu Zhao, and Hong-Xiang Lou.* “Highly Oxygenated ent-Pimarane-Type Diterpenoids from the Chinese Liverwort Pedinophyllum interruptum and Their Allelopathic Activities”. Journal of Natural Product, 2013, 76(9), 1647–1653.

9. Ning Meng, Nan Peng, Shu-Ya Huang, Sheng-Qing Wang, Jing Zhao, Le Su, Yun Zhang, Shang-Li Zhang, Bao-Xiang Zhao,* and Junying Miao.* “Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein E1 regulates protein disulphide isomerase translation in oxidized low-density lipoprotein-activated endothelial cells”. Acta Physiol (Oxf), 2015, 213(3), 664–675.

10. Kai-Ming Wang, Ying Wang, Qiu-Chen Qi, Fang Zhang, Yong-Chun Zhang, Xiao-Song Zhu, Guang-Pu Liu, Yu-Xia Luan, and Zhong-Xi Zhao.* “Inhibitory effects of S-allylmercaptocysteine against benzo(a)pyrene-induced precancerous carcinogenesis in human lung cells”. International Immunopharmacology, 2016, 34(2), 37–43.

11. Jie Bao, Jin-Feng Luo, Xiao-Chu Qin, Xin-Ya Xu, Xiao-Yong Zhang, Zheng-Chao Tu, and Shu-Hua Qi.* “Dihydrothiophene-condensed chromones from a marine-derived fungus Penicillium oxalicum and their structure–bioactivity relationship”. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2014, 24(11), 2433–2436.

12. Jie Zhou, Lei Fang, Xiao Wang, Lan-Ping Guo, Lu-Qi Huang.* “La dramatically enhances the accumulation of tanshinones in Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy root cultures”. Earth Science Research, 2013, 2 (1), 187–192.

13. Yu-Ying Zhang, Fan-Hua Wei, Chuan-Ju Liu.* “Overexpression of ADAMTS-7 leads to accelerated initiation and progression of collagen-induced arthritis in mice”. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 2015, 404(1), 171–179.

14. Cheng-Shi Jiang, Yan Fu, Li Zhang, Jing-Xu Gong, Zhen-Zhong Wang, Wei Xiao, Hai-Yan Zhang, and Yue-Wei Guo.* “Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel marine-derived indole-based 1,2,4-oxadiazoles derivatives as multifunctional neuroprotective agents”. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2015, 25(2), 216–220.

15. Jia-Cheng Li, Juan Zhang, Mosar Corrêa Rodrigues, De-Jun Ding, João Paulo Figueiró Longo, Ricardo Bentes Azevedo, Luis Alexandre Muehlmann, and Cheng-Shi Jiang.* “Synthesis and evaluation of novel 1,2,3-triazole-based acetylcholinesterase inhibitors with neuroprotective activity”. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2016, 26(16), 3881–3885.