# New Ethylated Derivatives of Sulfur- and Nitrogen-Containing Artifacts from Tenodera sinensis Egg Pod and Their Anti-Renal Fibrosis

## TL;DR

New ethylated compounds from Tenodera sinensis egg pods show potential in reducing kidney fibrosis by inhibiting specific proteins.

## Contribution

The discovery of new ethylated derivatives with anti-renal fibrosis activity and their structural characterization.

## Key findings

- New compounds 1 and 2 significantly inhibit fibronectin, collagen I, and α-SMA proteins in NRK-52e cells.
- Biological activity of compounds 1 and 2 increases with higher concentrations.
- Compounds 1 and 2 remain novel even without the ethoxy group.

## Abstract

Three pairs of enantiomers and one achiral molecule that are new ethylated derivatives of sulfur and nitrogen-containing compounds named mantidisamides E–H (1–4), along with twenty known ones (5–24), were derived from the ethanol extract of Tenodera sinensis Saussure. The structures of these new compounds and their absolute configurations were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic analyses and computational methods. The assessment of activities in NRK-52e cells induced by TGF-β1 demonstrated that the previously undescribed compounds 1 and 2 exhibited a significant capacity to inhibit the expression of proteins (fibronectin, collagen I, and α-SMA). Moreover, the biological activity of these compounds was found to increase with rising concentrations. Notably, compounds 1–4 should be artifacts; however, undescribed compounds 1 and 2, which possessed obvious biological activity, might be attractive for chemists and biologists due to the potential for more detailed exploration of their properties. It is worth mentioning that compounds 1 and 2 remain novel structures even in the absence of the ethoxy group.