The bitter barricading of prostaglandin biosynthesis pathway: understanding the molecular mechanism of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition by amarogentin, a secoiridoid glycoside from Swertia chirayita

: A trategy to nalyze lant Extracts Taste n epth. Application to the complex taste of Swertia chirayita (Roxb.) H.Karst

Analyzing bitterness is challenging because of the diverse range of bitter compounds, the variability in sensory perception, and its complex interaction with other tastes. To address this, we developed an untargeted approach to deconvolute the taste and molecular composition of complex plant extracts. We applied our methodology to an ethanolic extract of Swertia chirayita (Roxb.) H.Karst., a plant recognized for its distinctive bitterness. Chemical characterization was performed through nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy experiments together with untargeted liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry analysis coupled to a charged aerosol detector. After clustering the fractions based on chemical similarity, we performed free sensory analysis and classical descriptive analysis on each cluster. Our results confirmed the attribution of bitterness to iridoids and highlighted the role of other important compounds in the overall taste. This method provides a systematic approach for analyzing and potentially enhancing the taste profiles of plant-based beverages.

Computational Analysis and Biological Activities of Oxyresveratrol Analogues, the Putative Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors

Polyphenols are a large family of naturally occurring phytochemicals. Herein, oxyresveratrol was isolated from ethanolic crude extracts of Artocarpus lacucha Buch.-Ham., and chemically modified to derive its lipophilic analogues. Biological screening assays showed their inhibitory potency against cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) with very low cytotoxicity to the MRC-5 normal cell lines. At the catalytic site of COX-2, docking protocols with ChemPLP, GoldScore and AutoDock scoring functions were carried out to reveal hydrogen bonding interactions with key polar contacts and hydrophobic pi-interactions. For more accurate binding energetics, COX-2/ligand complexes at the binding region were computed in vacuo and implicit aqueous solvation using M06-2X density functional with 6-31G+(d,p) basis set. Our computational results confirmed that dihydrooxyresveratrol (4) is the putative inhibitor of human COX-2 with the highest inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ of 11.50 ± 1.54 µM) among studied non-fluorinated analogues for further lead optimization. Selective substitution of fluorine provides a stronger binding affinity; however, lowering the cytotoxicity of a fluorinated analogue to a normal cell is challenging. The consensus among biological activities, ChemPLP docking score and the binding energies computed at the quantum mechanical level is obviously helpful for identification of oxyresveratrol analogues as a putative anti-inflammatory agent.

N. M, Sonavane U, Joshi R. Natural plant products as potential inhibitors of RNA dependent RNA polymerase of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2

Drug repurposing studies targeting inhibition of RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have exhibited the potential effect of small molecules. In the present work a detailed interaction study between the phytochemicals from Indian medicinal plants and the RdRP of SARS-CoV-2 has been performed. The top four phytochemicals obtained through molecular docking were, swertiapuniside, cordifolide A, sitoindoside IX, and amarogentin belonging to Swertia chirayita, Tinospora cordifolia and Withania somnifera. These ligands bound to the RdRP were further studied using molecular dynamics simulations. The principal component analysis of these systems showed significant conformational changes in the finger and thumb subdomain of the RdRP. Hydrogen bonding, salt-bridge and water mediated interactions supported by MM-GBSA free energy of binding revealed strong binding of cordifolide A and sitoindoside IX to RdRP. The ligand-interacting residues belonged to either of the seven conserved motifs of the RdRP. These residues were polar and charged amino acids, namely, ARG 553, ARG 555, ASP 618, ASP 760, ASP 761, GLU 811, and SER 814. The glycosidic moieties of the phytochemicals were observed to form favourable interactions with these residues. Hence, these phytochemicals may hold the potential to act as RdRP inhibitors owing to their stability in binding to the druggable site.

Application of per-residue energy decomposition to identify the set of amino acids critical for in silico prediction of COX-2 inhibitory activity

The enormous magnitude of scientific research carried out in the field of NSAIDs and cyclooxygenases (COXs) is known. They are crucial in pain management. COX-2 inhibitors have evolved over the years; from traditional NSAIDs to isoform-specific. The present study is aimed to identify a cluster of amino acids in the catalytic site whose energy contribution can better explain COX-2 inhibitory activity accurately than the binding energy of the whole protein. Initially, MD simulations (25 ns) and MM-PBSA calculations were performed for 8 diarylheterocyclic inhibitors. Per-residue energy decomposition studies were carried out to elucidate the energy contribution of each amino acid, and their correlation with COX-2 inhibitory activity was enumerated. A cluster of catalytic amino acids whose free energy sum has a high correlation with biological data was identified. The cluster of Gln178, Ser339, Tyr341, Arg499, Phe504, Val509 and Ala513 showed the correlation of -0.60. Further, the study was extended to a total of 26 COX-2 inhibitors belonging to different classes to validate the applicability of the cluster of amino acids identified. Results clearly suggest that the cluster of amino acids identified provide accurate screening method, and can be applied to predict COX-2 inhibitory activity of small molecules.

Molecular docking and dynamics simulations studies of OmpATb identifies four potential novel natural product-derived anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis compounds

The outer membrane protein A (OmpATb) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a virulence factor that neutralizes the host pH to impede the uptake of hydrophilic antitubercular drugs. Identifying natural compounds with the potential to inhibit OmpATb could allow circumvention of the porin-like activities of OmpATb. Four potential leads comprising ZINC000003958185, ZINC000000157405, ZINC000000001392 and ZINC000034268676 were obtained by virtual screening of 6394 diverse natural products. Characterization of the binding interactions of the potential leads with OmpATb revealed nine critical residues comprising ARG86, LEU110, LEU113, LEU114, ALA115, PHE142, SER145, VAL146, and PHE151. Molecular dynamics simulations also revealed very stable protein-lead complexes. Most residues contributed lower binding energies to the overall molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) binding free energies of the interactions between the molecules and OmpATb protein. Induced Fit Docking (IFD) of the compounds regenerated poses of the molecular docking using AutoDock Vina. These molecules could be starting templates for designing inhibitors to bypass the pore mediating activities of OmpATb. Based on structural similarity, ZINC000034268676 was suggested as a potential scaffold for designing efflux pump inhibitors of the gate mediating activities of OmpATb and may enhance the uptake of hydrophilic drugs to reduce the duration time of tuberculosis treatment. Furthermore, structurally similar compounds available in the DrugBank database with a similarity threshold of 0.7 have been reported to exhibit antitubercular and anti-mycobacterial activities. These biomolecules can be further characterized experimentally to corroborate their antitubercular activity. Also, the skeletons of the molecules can be adopted as sub-structures for the design of future anti-mycobacterial drugs.

Computer-assisted engineering of programmed drug releasing multilayer nanomedicine via indomethacin-mediated ternary complex for therapy against a multidrug resistant tumor

Nanomedicine with programmed drug release can give full play to the synergistic effect of multi-component system in complicated tumor environment. However, the construction of these programmed drug delivery systems often depends on the sophisticated materials design and synthesis. In this study, we successfully designed an indomethacin (IND)-mediated ternary complex system based on a PEG cleavable polyethyleneimine (PEI), indomethacin (IND) and benzene ring containing chemotherapeutic drugs (such as paclitaxel (PTX), doxorubicin and docetaxel). Based on the difference of hydrophobicity in these components, these components were one-pot self-assembled into drug-loaded IND mediated PEGylation cleavable nanoassemblies (IPCNs) in multilayer structure. In drug-loaded IPCNs, PEG fragments, PEI/IND, and chemotherapeutic drug were respectively distributed from the out layer to core of nanomedicine. When drug-loaded IPCNs reached tumor site through EPR effect, the PEG fragment would firstly responsively release to the acidic tumor microenvironment to expose the intermediate layer of drug-loaded IPCNs that composed by mixture of PEI and IND for increasing the surface potential to promote the uptake by tumor cells. After entering cells, IND would be released faster than chemotherapeutic drug encapsulated in core to efficiently inhibit the expression of multidrug resistance protein 1 to reverse MDR of tumor cells before chemotherapeutic drug releasing. Contributed by the staged responsively releasing of PEG fragments, IND and encapsulated chemotherapeutic drug, the drug-loaded IPCNs exhibited a superior antitumor efficacy against A549/MDR tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The way to develop programmed released drug delivery system is commonly relied on complicated material design and synthesis. Herein, under the computer-assist design, we successfully designed a ternary complex derived from indomethacin (IND), paclitaxel (PTX) and a pH-responsive PEGylated polyethyleneimine (PEG-s-PEI), and employed this ternary complex to successfully prepare a high drug loading and multilayer structured nanomedicine of PTX (PTX IPCNs). Contribute by the different location of PTX, IND and PEG-s-PEI in PTX IPCNs, PEG fragments, IND and PTX molecules could programmed release after reaching tumor for perfectly realizing the synergistic anti-tumor effect of tumor targeting, reversal of MDR and chemotherapy. Based on a fusion of these multiple mechanisms, PTX IPCNs showed a superior antitumor efficacy in mice loading A549/MDR tumor.

Potential of Gentiana lutea for the Treatment of Obesity-associated Diseases

BACKGROUND

Obesity, diabetes, and associated diseases are increasing all over the world, and pose a great burden on public health. According to the latest reports, 440 million people are suffering from diabetes. Diabetes is caused by impaired ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin consequently resulting in hyperglycemia.

METHODS

Data used for this review was obtained by using PUBMED/MEDLINE (1987-2018). The main data search terms were: Gentiana lutea, Gentiana lutea extract, Gentiana lutea constituents, obesity, diabetes mellitus, diabetic complications.

RESULTS

In the present review, we describe the potential of root powder of yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea) for the prevention of obesity and diabetes including complications related to this disease.

CONCLUSION

Reasonably effective, low-cost alternatives could fulfill an important role for a large part of the human population and could be of great value for the food market. Even a modest reduction of morbidity and mortality with respect to this disease translates into millions of lives saved.

Differential Substrate Recognition by Maltose Binding Proteins Influenced by Structure and Dynamics

The genome of the hyperthermophile Thermotoga maritima contains three isoforms of maltose binding protein (MBP) that are high-affinity receptors for di-, tri-, and tetrasaccharides. Two of these proteins (tmMBP1 and tmMBP2) share significant sequence identity, approximately 90%, while the third (tmMBP3) shares less than 40% identity. MBP from Escherichia coli (ecMBP) shares 35% sequence identity with the tmMBPs. This subset of MBP isoforms offers an interesting opportunity to investigate the mechanisms underlying the evolution of substrate specificity and affinity profiles in a genome where redundant MBP genes are present. In this study, the X-ray crystal structures of tmMBP1, tmMBP2, and tmMBP3 are reported in the absence and presence of oligosaccharides. tmMBP1 and tmMBP2 have binding pockets that are larger than that of tmMBP3, enabling them to bind to larger substrates, while tmMBP1 and tmMBP2 also undergo substrate-induced hinge bending motions (∼52°) that are larger than that of tmMBP3 (∼35°). Small-angle X-ray scattering was used to compare protein behavior in solution, and computer simulations provided insights into dynamics of these proteins. Comparing quantitative protein-substrate interactions and dynamical properties of tmMBPs with those of the promiscuous ecMBP and disaccharide selective Thermococcus litoralis MBP provides insights into the features that enable selective binding. Collectively, the results provide insights into how the structure and dynamics of tmMBP homologues enable them to differentiate between a myriad of chemical entities while maintaining their common fold.

Mechanistic insights into the anticancer mode of action of an herbal drug

Medicinal plants are a vast repository of natural compounds with therapeutic effects against various ailments. Bioactive compounds of these plants have shown to possess anticancer activities. Cancer is one of the fatal diseases causing premature deaths across the world. Two important metabolites, serpentine, a major secondary metabolite of Rauwolfia serpentina, and amarogentin, isolated from Swertia chirata, are found to possess anticancer properties. A comparable in silico analysis of the two anticancer agents serpentine and amarogentin has been done to evaluate their ability to inhibit two potential molecular targets for cancer, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2). The least binding energies of amarogentin with NF-κB and COX-2 are −7·173 and −7·649, respectively, which are better than that of serpentine. The molecular simulation of amarogentin and serpentine suggests that amarogentin has better binding affinities with both cancer targets. Amarogentin is thermodynamically more stable with COX-2 than with NF-κB. Amarogentin is a potent anticancer agent as evidenced by the inhibition of COX-2. This finding would be beneficial to people with cancer.

Design and evaluation of an apta-nano-sensor to detect Acetamiprid in vitro and in silico

Pesticide detection is a main concern of food safety experts. Therefore, it is urgent to design an accurate, rapid, and cheap test. Biosensors that detect pesticide residues could replace current methods, such as HPLC or GC-MC. This research designs a biosensor based on aptamer (Oligonucleotide ss-DNA) in the receptor role, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as optical sensors and salt (NaCl) as the aggregative inducer of AgNPs to detect the presence of Acetamiprid. After optimization, .6 μM aptamer and 100 mM salt were employed. The selectivity and sensitivity of the complex were examined by different pesticides and different Acetamiprid concentrations. To simulate in vitro experimental conditions, bioinformatics software was used as in silico analysis. The results showed the detection of Acetamiprid at the .02 ppm (89.8 nM) level in addition to selectivity. Docking outputs introduced two loops as active sites in aptamer and confirmed aptamer-Acetamiprid bonding. Circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) confirmed upon Acetamiprid binding, aptamer was folded due to stem-loop formation. Stability of the Apt-Acetamiprid complex in a simulated aqueous media was examined by molecular dynamic studies.