The present study deals with the advanced in-silico analyses of several Apigenin derivatives to explore human papillomavirus-associated cervical cancer and DNA polymerase theta inhibitor properties ...by molecular docking, molecular dynamics, QSAR, drug-likeness, PCA, a dynamic cross-correlation matrix and quantum calculation properties. The initial literature study revealed the potent antimicrobial and anticancer properties of Apigenin, prompting the selection of its potential derivatives to investigate their abilities as inhibitors of human papillomavirus-associated cervical cancer and DNA polymerase theta. In silico molecular docking was employed to streamline the findings, revealing promising energy-binding interactions between all Apigenin derivatives and the targeted proteins. Notably, Apigenin 4'-O-Rhamnoside and Apigenin-4'-Alpha-L-Rhamnoside demonstrated higher potency against the HPV45 oncoprotein E7 (PDB ID 2EWL), while Apigenin and Apigenin 5-O-Beta-D-Glucopyranoside exhibited significant binding energy against the L1 protein in humans. Similarly, a binding affinity range of - 7.5 kcal/mol to - 8.8 kcal/mol was achieved against DNA polymerase theta, indicating the potential of Apigenin derivatives to inhibit this enzyme (PDB ID 8E23). This finding was further validated through molecular dynamic simulation for 100 ns, analyzing parameters such as RMSD, RMSF, SASA, H-bond, and RoG profiles. The results demonstrated the stability of the selected compounds during the simulation. After passing the stability testing, the compounds underwent screening for ADMET, pharmacokinetics, and drug-likeness properties, fulfilling all the necessary criteria. QSAR, PCA, dynamic cross-correlation matrix, and quantum calculations were conducted, yielding satisfactory outcomes. Since this study utilized in silico computational approaches and obtained outstanding results, further validation is crucial. Therefore, additional wet-lab experiments should be conducted under in vivo and in vitro conditions to confirm the findings.
Abstract
The widespread emergence of antimalarial drug resistance has created a major threat to public health. Malaria is a life‐threatening infectious disease caused by
Plasmodium
spp., which ...includes Apicoplast DNA polymerase and
Plasmodium falciparum
cysteine protease falcipain‐2. These components play a critical role in their life cycle and metabolic pathway, and are involved in the breakdown of erythrocyte hemoglobin in the host, making them promising targets for anti‐malarial drug design. Our current study has been designed to explore the potential inhibitors from haplopine derivatives against these two targets using an in silico approach. A total of nine haplopine derivatives were used to perform molecular docking, and the results revealed that Ligands 03 and 05 showed strong binding affinity compared to the control compound atovaquone. Furthermore, these ligand‐protein complexes underwent molecular dynamics simulations, and the results demonstrated that the complexes maintained strong stability in terms of RMSD (root mean square deviation), RMSF (root mean square fluctuation), and Rg (radius of gyration) over a 100 ns simulation period. Additionally, PCA (principal component analysis) analysis and the dynamic cross‐correlation matrix showed positive outcomes for the protein‐ligand complexes. Moreover, the compounds exhibited no violations of the Lipinski rule, and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) predictions yielded positive results without indicating any toxicity. Finally, density functional theory (DFT) and molecular electrostatic potential calculations were conducted, revealing that the mentioned derivatives exhibited better stability and outstanding performance. Overall, this computational approach suggests that these haplopine derivatives could serve as a potential source for developing new, effective antimalarial drugs to combat malaria. However, further in vitro or in vivo studies might be conducted to determine their actual effectiveness.
The pharmacological effects of limonene, especially their derivatives, are currently at the forefront of research for drug development and discovery as well and structure-based drug design using huge ...chemical libraries are already widespread in the early stages of therapeutic and drug development. Here, various limonene derivatives are studied computationally for their potential utilization against the capsid protein of Herpes Simplex Virus-1. Firstly, limonene derivatives were designed by structural modification followed by conducting a molecular docking experiment against the capsid protein of Herpes Simplex Virus-1. In this research, the obtained molecular docking score exhibited better efficiency against the capsid protein of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 and hence we conducted further in silico investigation including molecular dynamic simulation, quantum calculation, and ADMET analysis. Molecular docking experiment has documented that Ligands 02 and 03 had much better binding affinities (- 7.4 kcal/mol and - 7.1 kcal/mol) to capsid protein of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 than Standard Acyclovir (- 6.5 kcal/mol). Upon further investigation, the binding affinities of primary limonene were observed to be slightly poor. But including the various functional groups also increases the affinities and capacity to prevent viral infection of the capsid protein of Herpes Simplex Virus-1. Then, the molecular dynamic simulation confirmed that the mentioned ligands might be stable during the formation of drug-protein complexes. Finally, the analysis of ADMET was essential in establishing them as safe and human-useable prospective chemicals. According to the present findings, limonene derivatives might be a promising candidate against the capsid protein of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 which ultimately inhibits Herpes Simplex Virus-induced encephalitis that causes interventions in brain inflammation. Our findings suggested further experimental screening to determine their practical value and utility.
Both diabetes and cancer pose significant threats to public health. To overcome these challenges, nanobiotechnology offers innovative solutions for the treatment of these diseases. However, the ...synthesis of nanoparticles can be complex, costly and environmentally toxic. Therefore, in this study, we successfully synthesized Camellia sinensis silver nanoparticles (CS‐AgNPs) biologically from methanolic leaf extract of C. sinensis and as confirmed by the visual appearance which exhibited strong absorption at 456 nm in UV‐visible spectroscopy. The fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed that phytochemicals of C. sinensis were coated with AgNPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed the spherical shape of CS‐AgNPs, with a size of 15.954 nm, while X‐ray diffraction spectrometry (XRD) analysis detected a size of 20.32 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated the thermal stability of CS‐AgNPs. The synthesized CS‐AgNPs significantly inhibited the ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cell growth with 53.42±1.101 %. The EAC cell line induced mice exhibited increased level of the serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), however this elevated serum parameter significantly reduced and controlled by the treatment with CS‐AgNPs. Moreover, in a streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mice model, CS‐AgNPs greatly reduced blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) and creatinine levels. These findings highlight that the synthesized CS‐AgNPs have significant anticancer and antidiabetic activities that could be used as promising particles for the treatment of these major diseases. However, pre‐clinical and clinical trial should be addressed before use this particles as therapeutics agents.
Abstract
The current work attempts to explore the influence of three extraction solvents on phytochemical composition, content of polyphenols, antioxidant potential, and antibacterial capacity of ...hydroethanolic, acetonic, and aqueous extracts from Moroccan
Mentha longifolia
leaves. To achieve this goal, the chemical composition was identified using an HPLC–DAD examination. The contents of polyphenols were assessed, while the total antioxidant capacity (TAC), the DPPH test, and the reducing power test (RP) were utilized to determine antioxidant capacity. To assess the antibacterial activity, the microdilution technique was carried out to calculate the minimum inhibitory (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of extracts against four nosocomial bacteria (
Bacillus cereus
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
,
Escherichia coli
,
S
taphylococcus aureus
). Additionally, the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of all tested extracts were examined in silico against the proteins NADPH oxidase and
Bacillus cereus
phospholipase C. Study reveals that
M. longifolia
extracts contain high phenolic and flavonoids. Additionally, the hydroethanolic extract contained the highest amounts of phenolic and flavonoid content, with values of 23.52 ± 0.14 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight and 17.62 ± 0.36 mg Quercetin Equivalent/g dry weight, respectively compared to the other two extracts. The same extract showed the best antioxidant capacity (IC
50
= 39 µg/mL ± 0.00), and the higher RP (EC
50
of 0.261 ± 0.00 mg/mL), compared to the acetonic and aqueous extract regarding these tests. Furthermore, the hydroethanolic and acetonic extracts expressed the highest TAC (74.40 ± 1.34, and 52.40 ± 0.20 mg EAA/g DW respectively), compared with the aqueous extract. Regarding antibacterial activity, the MIC value ranges between 1.17 and 12.50 mg/mL. The in-silico results showed that the antibacterial activity of all extracts is principally attributed to kaempferol and ferulic acid, while antioxidant capacity is attributed to ferulic acid.
Breast and lung cancer are two of the most lethal forms of cancer, responsible for a disproportionately high number of deaths worldwide. Both doctors and cancer patients express alarm about the ...rising incidence of the disease globally. Although targeted treatment has achieved enormous advancements, it is not without its drawbacks. Numerous medicines and chemotherapeutic drugs have been authorized by the FDA; nevertheless, they can be quite costly and often fall short of completely curing the condition. Therefore, this investigation has been conducted to identify a potential medication against breast and lung cancer through structural modification of genistein. Genistein is the active compound in
Glycyrrhiza glabra
(licorice), and it exhibits solid anticancer efficiency against various cancers, including breast cancer, lung cancer, and brain cancer. Hence, the design of its analogs with the interchange of five functional groups—COOH, NH
2
and OCH
3
, Benzene, and NH-CH
2
-CH
2
-OH—have been employed to enhance affinities compared to primary genistein. Additionally, advanced computational studies such as PASS prediction, molecular docking, ADMET, and molecular dynamics simulation were conducted. Firstly, the PASS prediction spectrum was analyzed, revealing that the designed genistein analogs exhibit improved antineoplastic activity. In the prediction data, breast and lung cancer were selected as primary targets. Subsequently, other computational investigations were gradually conducted. The mentioned compounds have shown acceptable results for
in silico
ADME, AMES toxicity, and hepatotoxicity estimations, which are fundamental for their oral medication. It is noteworthy that the initial binding affinity was only −8.7 kcal/mol against the breast cancer targeted protein (PDB ID: 3HB5). However, after the modification of the functional group, when calculating the binding affinities, it becomes apparent that the binding affinities increase gradually, reaching a maximum of −11.0 and −10.0 kcal/mol. Similarly, the initial binding affinity was only −8.0 kcal/mol against lung cancer (PDB ID: 2P85), but after the addition of binding affinity, it reached −9.5 kcal/mol. Finally, a molecular dynamics simulation was conducted to study the molecular models over 100 ns and examine the stability of the docked complexes. The results indicate that the selected complexes remain highly stable throughout the 100-ns molecular dynamics simulation runs, displaying strong correlations with the binding of targeted ligands within the active site of the selected protein. It is important to further investigate and proceed to clinical or wet lab experiments to determine the practical value of the proposed compounds.
Tick-borne Babesiosis is a parasitic infection caused by
Babesia microti
that can infect both animals and humans and may spread by tick, blood transfusions, and organ transplantation. The current ...therapeutic options for
B. microti
are limited, and drug resistance is a concern. This study proposes using computational drug design approaches to find and design an effective drug against
B. microti
. The study investigated the potentiality of nine natural compounds against the pathogenic human
B. microti
parasite and identified Vasicinone and Evodiamine as the most promising drugs. The ligand structures were optimized using density functional theory, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, quantum mechanics such as HOMO–LUMO, drug-likeness and theoretical absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET), and pharmacokinetics characteristics performed. The results showed that Vasicinone (−8.6 kcal/mol and −7.8 kcal/mol) and Evodiamine (−8.7 kcal/mol and −8.5 kcal/mol) had the highest binding energy and anti-parasitic activity against
B. microti
lactate dehydrogenase and
B. microti
lactate dehydrogenase apo form. The strongest binding energy was reported by Vasicinone and Evodiamine; the compounds were evaluated through molecular dynamics simulation at 100 ns, and their stability when they form complexes with the targeted receptors was determined. Finally, the pkCSM web server is employed to predict the ADMET qualities of specific molecules, which can help prevent negative effects that arise from taking the treatment. The SwissADME web server is used to assess the Lipinski rule of five and drug-likeness properties including topological polar surface area and bioavailability. The Lipinski rule is used to estimate significant drug-likeness. The theoretical pharmacokinetics analysis and drug-likeness of the selected compounds are confirmed to be accepted by the Lipinski rule and have better ADMET features. Thus, to confirm their experimental value, these mentioned molecules should be suggested to carry out in wet lab, pre-clinical, and clinical levels.
Owing to the extensive prevalence of resistant bacteria to numerous antibiotic classes, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a well-known hazard to world health. As an alternate approach in the field ...of antimicrobial drug discovery, repurposing the available medications which are also called antibiotic resistance breakers has been pursued for the treatment of infections with antimicrobial resistance pathogens. In this study, we used Haloperidol, Metformin and Hydroxychloroquine as repurposing drugs in in vitro (Antibacterial Antibiotic Sensitivity Test and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration-MIC) and in vivo (Shigellosis in Swiss albino mice) tests in combination with traditional antibiotics (Oxytetracycline, Erythromycin, Doxycycline, Gentamicin, Ampicillin, Chloramphenicol, and Penicillin) against a group of AMR resistance bacteria (
Bacillus cereus
,
Escherichia coli
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus
, and
Shigella boydii)
. After observing the results of the conducted in vitro experiments we studied the effects of the above non antibiotic drugs in combination with the said antibiotics. As an repurposing adjuvant antibiotic drug, Metformin exhibited noteworthy activity in almost all
in vitro, in vivo
and
in silico
tests (Zone of inhibition for 30 to 43 mm for
E.coli
in combination with Doxycycline; MIC value decreased 50 µM to 0.781 µM with Doxycycline on
S. boydii
).In rodents Doxycycline and Metformin showed prominent against Shigellosis in White blood cell count (6.47 ± 0.152 thousand/mm
3
) and Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (10.5 ± 1.73 mm/hr). Our findings indicated that Metformin and Doxycycline combination has a crucial impact on Shigellosis. The molecular docking study was performed targeting the Acriflavine resistance protein B (AcrB) (PDB ID: 4CDI) and MexA protein (PDB ID: 6IOK) protein with Metformin (met8) drug which showed the highest binding energy with − 6.4 kcal/mol and − 5.5 kcal/mol respectively. Further, molecular dynamics simulation revealed that the docked complexes were relatively stable during the 100 ns simulation period. This study suggest Metformin and other experimented drugs can be used as adjuvants boost up antibiosis but further study is needed to find out the safety and efficacy of this non-antibiotic drug as potent antibiotic adjuvant.
