Zinc(II) catalyzed synthesis of 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-(2-pyridyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole: Characterizations, crystal structure, DFT calculation, Hirshfeld surface analysis, and molecular docking analysis

Insight the confirmation of benzothiazolidinone-derived thiadiazole scaffolds as promising antiurease and anti-Alzheimer agents: synthesis, in vitro, and in silico investigations

Alzheimer's disease is a serious neurological disorder, and traditional therapies for Alzheimer's, like radiation and surgical procedures, as well as chemotherapeutics, are usually linked with multiple negative consequences. Finding a novel therapeutic anti-Alzheimer agent with high efficacy and minimal side effects, we have designed and synthesized benzothiazolidinone-derived thiadiazole-based Schiff base derivatives (1-15). Biological assessment of these compounds was carried out against acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, and all the derivatives showed varying degrees of inhibitory activity. Analog 8 (IC50 = 3.60 ± 0.20 and 4.10 ± 0.20 μM for acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, respectively) demonstrated spellbinding efficacy in contrast to standard donepezil (IC50 = 50 ± 0.10 and 8.10 ± 0.20 μM). The surpassing inhibition of analog 8 is due to highly reactive CF3 moiety at the para-position, inhibiting the enzymes via strong hydrogen bond. Analog 7 with IC50 value of 5.70 ± 0.10 and 6.20 ± 0.40 μM was also found with strong therapeutic potential than standard drug. The strong inhibition potential of lead compounds was also evaluated under enzyme kinetics and spellbinding potential was observed. Biological effectiveness of potent compounds was validated by visualizing the binding interactions via in silico molecular docking study and prediction of drug-likeness via ADME analysis. All the synthesized compounds were analyzed for their structural confirmation via 1HNMR, 13CNMR, and HREI-MS.

Network pharmacology reveals the potential of Dolastatin 16 as a diabetic wound healing agent

Dolastatin 16, a marine cyclic depsipeptide, was initially isolated from the sea hare Dolabella Auricularia by Pettit et al. Due to the lack of information regarding its bioactivity, target identification becomes an indispensable strategy for revealing the potential targets and mechanisms of action of Dolastatin 16. Network pharmacology was utilized to identify targets associated with the disease, gene ontology, and KEGG pathways. The results highlighted Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) as a potential target of Dolastatin 16 through network pharmacology analysis. This target was found to be primarily involved in the TNF signaling pathway and in foot ulceration-associated diabetic polyneuropathy. Furthermore, the binding mode and dynamic behavior of the complex were investigated through molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies. In the docking study, a native ligand (a hydroxamate inhibitor) and (R)-ND-336 were employed as ligand controls, demonstrating binding energy values of - 6.6 and - 8.9 kcal/mol, respectively. The Dolastatin 16 complex exhibited a strong affinity for MMP9, with a binding energy value of - 9.7 kcal/mol, indicating its high potential as an inhibitor. Molecular dynamics also confirmed the stability of the MMP9-Dolastatin complex throughout the simulation process. Dolastatin 16 has the potential to act as an MMP9 inhibitor, offering promise for accelerating the wound healing process in diabetic foot conditions.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40203-023-00161-5.

Synthesis, Molecular Docking, Dynamics, Quantum-Chemical Computation, and Antimicrobial Activity Studies of Some New Benzimidazole-Thiadiazole Hybrids

In this study, some new compounds, which are 2-aminothiadiazole derivatives linked by a phenyl bridge to the 2-position of the benzimidazole ring, were designed and synthesized as antimicrobial agents. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. The antifungal activities of the synthesized compounds were tested on Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Candida glabrata, and Candida parapsilosis. Compound 5f is more active against C. albicans and C. glabrata than standard fluconazole and varicanazole. Compounds were also evaluated for their counteracting activity against Gram-positive Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-negative Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Compounds 5c and 5h had minimum inhibitory concentrations against E. faecalis close to that of the standard azithromycin. Molecular docking studies were performed against Candida species' 14-α demethylase enzyme. 5f was the most active compound against Candida species, which gave the highest docking interaction energy. The stabilities of compounds 5c and 5f with CYP51 were tested using 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations. According to the theoretical ADME calculations, the profiles of the compounds are suitable in terms of limiting rules. HOMO-LUMO analysis showed that 5h is chemically more reactive (represented with the lower ΔE = 3.432 eV) than the other molecules, which is compatible with the highest antibacterial activity result.