Synthesis, Molecular Docking, In Silico ADME Predictions, and Toxicity Studies of N-Substituted-5-(4-Chloroquinolin-2-yl)-1,3,4-Thiadiazol-2-Amine Derivatives as COVID-19 Inhibitors

The present study aimed to synthesis N-substituted-5-(4-chloroquinolin-2-yl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine derivatives. Molecular docking study of the synthesized compounds was carried out. COVID-19 docked with the synthesized compounds and the results indicated that the binding energies of docking 6LU7 with native ligand, and the synthesized compounds were -8.1, -8.0, -7.7, -7.5, -7.4, -7.3, -7.2, -6.7, -6.6, -6.5, and -5.4 kcal/mol.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1134/S1068162021010155.

Development, synthesis, and biological evaluation of sulfonyl-α-l-amino acids as potential anti-Helicobacter pylori and IMPDH inhibitors

Inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) catalyzes a crucial step in the biosynthesis of DNA and RNA, and it has been exploited as a promising target for antimicrobial therapy. The present study discusses the development and synthesis of a series of sulfonyl-α-l-amino acids coupled with the anisamide scaffold and evaluates their activities as anti-Helicobacter pylori and IMPDH inhibitors. Twenty derivatives were synthesized and their structures were established by high-resolution mass spectrometry and ¹ H and ¹³ C nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. Four compounds (6, 10, 11, and 21) were found to be the most potent and selective molecules in the series with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values <17 µM, which were selected to test their inhibitory activities against HpIMPDH and human (h)IMPDH2 enzymes. In all tests, amoxicillin and clarithromycin were used as reference drugs. Compounds 6 and 10 were found to have a promising activity against the HpIMPDH enzyme, with IC₅₀  = 2.42 and 2.56 µM, respectively. Moreover, the four compounds were found to be less active and safer against hIMPDH2 than the reference drugs, with IC₅₀  > 17.17 µM, which makes sure that their selectivity is toward HpIMPDH and reverse to that of amoxicillin and clarithromycin. Also, the synergistic antibacterial activity of compounds 6, 10, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin was investigated in vitro. The combination of amoxicillin/compound 6 (2:1 by weight) exhibited a significant antibacterial activity against H. pylori, with MIC = 0.12 µg/ml. The molecular docking study and ADMET analysis of the most active compounds were used to elucidate the mode-of-action mechanism.

Expression profiling of Sudanese visceral leishmaniasis patients pre- and post-treatment with sodium stibogluconate

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Sudan caused by Leishmania donovani is fatal in susceptible individuals if untreated. Treatment with sodium stibogluconate (SSG) leads to post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) in 58% of patients. Here, Affymetrix microarrays were used to identify genes differentially expressed in lymph nodes (N=9 paired samples) pre- and post-treatment with SSG. Using the Bioconductor package limma, 438 genes from 28 869 post-quality-control probe sets were differentially expressed (P_nominal ≤.02) post- vs pretreatment. Canonical pathway analysis using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis™ identified "role of nuclear factor of activated T-cell in regulation of immune response" (P_nominal =1.35×10^-5 ; P_BH-adjusted =4.79×10^-3 ), "B-cell development" (P_nominal =2.04×10^-4 ; P_BH-adjusted =.024), "Fcγ receptor-mediated phagocytosis in macrophages and monocytes" (P_nominal =2.04×10^-4 ; P_BH-adjusted =.024) and "OX40 signalling" (P_nominal =2.82×10^-4 ; P_BH-adjusted =.025) as pathways differentially regulated post- vs pretreatment. Major network hub genes included TP53, FN1, MYC, BCL2, JUN, SYK, RUNX2, MMP1 and ACTA2. Top endogenous upstream regulators included IL-7 (P=2.28×10^-6 ), TNF (P=4.26×10^-6 ), Amyloid Precursor Protein (P=4.23×10^-5 ) and SPI1/PI.1 (P=1.17×10^-7 ). Top predicted chemical drug regulators included the flavonoid genistein (P=4.56×10^-7 ) and the quinoline alkaloid camptothecin (P=5.14×10^-5 ). These results contribute to our understanding of immunopathology associated with VL and response to SSG treatment. Further replication could identify novel therapeutic strategies that improve on SSG treatment and reduce the likelihood of progression to PKDL.

The 5q31 region in two African populations as a facet of natural selection by infectious diseases

Cases of extreme natural selection could lead either to rapid fixation or extinction of alleles depending on the population structure and size. It may also manifest in excess of heterozygosity and the locus concerned will be displaying such drastic features of allele change. We suspect the 5q31 in chromosome 5 to mirror situation of such extreme natural selection particularly that the region encompasses genes of type 2 cytokine known to associate with a number of infectious and non-infectious diseases. We typed two sets of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPS) in two populations: an initial limited set of only 4 SNP within the genes of IL-4, IL-13, IL-5 and IL-9 in 108 unrelated individuals and a replicating set of 14 SN P in 924 individuals from the same populations with disregard to relatedness. The results suggest the 5q31 area to be under intense selective pressure as indicated by marked heterozygosity independent of Linkage Disequilibrium (LD); difference in heterozygosity, allele, and haplotype frequencies between generations and departure from Hardy-Weinberg expectations (DHWE). The study area is endemic for several infectious diseases including malaria and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Malaria caused by Plasmodiumfalciparum, however, occurs mostly with mild clinical symptoms in all ages, which makes it unlikely to account for these indices. The strong selection signals seems to emanate from recent outbreaks of VL which affected both populations to varying extent.

Interleukin 10 gene polymorphisms and development of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in a selected sudanese population

Background

Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a cutaneous form of disease that develops at variable times after individuals have received treatment for clinical visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The study aimed to investigate the possible role of interleukin 10 (IL−10) and development of PKDL.

Methods

77 families composed of 41 complete case-parent trios and 36 case-parent pairs from the Masalit ethnic group were genotyped for 3 IL10 promoter polymorphisms: −1082A/G, −819C/T and −592C/A.

Results

Single point analysis using the transmission disequilibrium test showed no evidence of association between any of these IL10 promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and development of PKDL. Haplotype analysis performed using TRANSMIT showed borderline significance between PKDL and the haplotype AA across −592C/A and −1082A/G (p = 0.053). Haplotypes GCC (0.33) and ATA (0.30) were the common haplotypes in this Sudanese population. Allele frequencies for the 3 SNPs differed significantly in Sudan compared to other African (Gambian, Malawian, YRI) populations.

Conclusion

There is no evidence for an association between 3 SNPs in the IL10 gene promoter and susceptibility to PKDL in the Masalit ethnic group in Sudan, although some evidence for haplotype association was observed.

Differential expression of cytokine genes among sickle-cell-trait (HbAS) and normal (HbAA) children infected with Plasmodium falciparum

The human immune response to Plasmodium falciparum infection involves the release of cytokines that may contribute to the control of the parasites' replication. These cytokines are also involved in the pathogenesis of the malaria caused by the infection, leading to the appearance of symptoms of varying severity. In a cross-sectional study, the expression of the genes that code for pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor, interferon-gamma, interleukin-6 and interleukin-12) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-10 and interleukin-4) among 80 children infected with P. falciparum (from a malaria-endemic area of Sudan) and five healthy controls (from a non-endemic area) was explored. The infected children were either non-sicklers, with severe malaria (18 children), mild malaria (30) or no symptoms of malaria (18), or asymptomatic sicklers (14). Interleukin-12 was found to be weakly expressed by all the groups of children. In general, compared with the other groups, the asymptomatic non-sicklers had lower expression of all the cytokines studied. The asymptomatic sicklers had significantly lower expression of tumour necrosis factor than the non-sicklers with severe malaria, but these two groups showed similar expression of interferon-gamma, interleukin-4 and interleukin-6. Gene expression of the regulatory cytokine, interleukin-10, by the asymptomatic sicklers was significantly lower than that by the non-sicklers with severe malaria but higher than that recorded in the non-sicklers with mild malaria. Their regulation of cytokine release appears to protect sicklers from clinical malaria.

Genetics and visceral leishmaniasis: of mice and man

Ninety per cent of the 500,000 annual new cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) occur in India/Bangladesh/Nepal, Sudan and Brazil. Importantly, 80-90% of human infections are sub-clinical or asymptomatic, usually associated with strong cell-mediated immunity. Understanding the environmental and genetic risk factors that determine why two people with the same exposure to infection differ in susceptibility could provide important leads for improved therapies. Recent research using candidate gene association analysis and genome-wide linkage studies (GWLS) in collections of families from Sudan, Brazil and India have identified a number of genes/regions related both to environmental risk factors (e.g. iron), as well as genes that determine type 1 vs. type 2 cellular immune responses. However, until now all of the allelic association studies carried out have been underpowered to find genes of small effect sizes (odds ratios or OR < 2), and GWLS using multicase pedigrees have only been powered to find single major genes, or at best oligogenic control. The accumulation of large DNA banks from India and Brazil now makes it possible to undertake genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which are ongoing as part of phase 2 of the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. Data from this analysis should seed research into novel genes and mechanisms that influence susceptibility to VL.

IFNG and IFNGR1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in Sudan

Post-kala-azar dermal leishmanaisis (PKDL) in Sudan is associated with elevated interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). To study interferon-gamma pathways in PKDL, we genotyped 80 trios from the Masalit ethnic group for polymorphisms at -470 ins/delTT, -270T/C, -56T/C and +95T/C in IFNGR1 and at -179G/A and +874T/A in IFNG. No associations occurred at IFNG. Global association with haplotypes comprising all four markers at IFNGR1 (chi(2)(10df)=21.97, P=0.015) was observed, associated with a significant (chi(2)(1df)=4.54, P=0.033) bias in transmission of the haplotype insTT T T T and less (chi(2)(1df)=5.59, P=0.018) than expected transmission of insTT C C C. When compared with data on malaria associations from Gambia, the results suggest a complex pattern of haplotypic variation at the IFNGR1 promoter locus associated with different infectious disease in African populations that reflect the complex roles of IFN-gamma in parasite killing versus inflammation and pathogenesis.

Uncommon clinical presentations of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sudan

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sudan is caused by Leishmania major zymodeme LON1. Self-healing usually occurs within 1 year but occasionally its duration is prolonged and treatment is required. The clinical forms are ulcers, nodules and noduloulcerative lesions. Here we describe seven patients with uncommon lesions that were difficult to recognize as Leishmania infections. These included mycetoma-like lesions, lesions that resembled L. tropica infection and others. One HIV/AIDS patient had Kaposi's sarcoma with Leishmania parasites in the Kaposi lesions. Most of these uncommon clinical forms were difficult to treat. The diagnosis depended on a high degree of suspicion and the demonstration of parasites in smears or culture. PCR was used to characterize parasites from the patients described here. Leishmania major was found by kDNA PCR in all patients, except one, who had a leishmanioma due to L. donovani. In three patients, including one with a L. tropica like-lesion, the parasites were confirmed as L. major by gp63 PCR-RFLP.

Allele frequency and genotype distribution of polymorphisms within disease-related genes is influenced by ethnic population sub-structuring in Sudan

Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism located within disease associated/causing genes were typed in four populations of different tribal and ethnic affiliation from the Sudan. The genotype and allele frequencies were compared with those of other groups from published and unpublished data of world populations. The combined Sudanese sample conformed with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) expectation. However, population sub-structuring according to ethnic/linguistic group indicated at least two SNPs in departure from HWE. Differences in allele frequencies and genotype distribution between groups was also noted in three of the four SNPs. The other loci were distributed homogeneously within the populations studied with genotype frequencies in agreement with HWE expectation. These results highlight the importance of inter-population stratification for polymorphic markers, as well as the potential influence of evolutionary history and ethnic variation of loci, in the general distribution of SNPs and other polymorphisms.

Genetic susceptibility to visceral leishmaniasis in The Sudan: linkage and association with IL4 and IFNGR1

Longitudinal studies in Sudan show ethnic differences in incidence and clinical phenotypes associated with Leishmania donovani. Immunologically, bias in type 1 vs type 2 cytokine responses is important. To determine whether polymorphisms at IL4/IL9 or IFNGR1 contribute to susceptibility, we examined 59 multicase families of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) with/without post Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). Multipoint nonparametric analysis (Allegro) linked IL4/IL9 to VL per se (P=0.002). Transmission disequilibrium testing with robust variance estimates confirmed association in the presence of linkage between VL per se and IL4 (P=0.008) but not IL9. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed both IL4RP2 and IL4RP1 markers contributed significantly to the association, suggesting a common disease-associated haplotype. In contrast, IFNGR1 was linked (P=0.031) and associated (P=0.007) to PKDL but not VL or VL per se. Hence, polymorphism in a type 2 cytokine gene influences underlying susceptibility to VL, whereas IFNGR1 is specifically related to susceptibility to PKDL.

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of new substituted anilinobenzimidazoles

A series of benzimidazole derivatives carrying different heterocycles such as 1,2,3-thiadiazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, thiazolidine, 2,3-dihydro-thiazole, 1,3,4-oxadiazole, semicarbazone and substituted thiosemi-carbazones were synthesized. Also a series of 1-methylbenzimidazole carrying hydroxy ethyl-amide, substituted sulfonyl hydrazide and benzoyl hydrazide from aminobenzoyl group at position 2 of 1-methylbenzimidazole were synthesized. The antimicrobial evaluation of some of the new compounds was carried out.

Synthesis, antimicrobial and molluscicidal activities of new benzimidazole derivatives

A series of benzimidazole Schiff's bases, thiosemicarbazides were synthesized, azole ring systems as 1,3,4-triazole, 1,3,4-oxadiazole were prepared. 1-Methylbenzimidazole incorporated to substituted dithio-carbamate, thiophenol, diethylamine via acetamido group were synthesized. A series of pyrimidinobenzimidazoles, triazinobenz-imidazoles, and 2-(acetonylamino)-1-methylbenzimidazole were prepared. The antimicrobial and molluscicidal activities of some newly prepared compounds were carried out.

Influence of prolactin, androgens and bromocriptine on seminal vesicular and prostatic adenosine triphosphatases in castrated adult monkeys Macaca radiata

E ects of prolactin (PRL), bromocriptine (Br), testosterone propionate (TP), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and the combinations of these androgens with PRL/Br on specific activities of adenosine triphosphatases (ATPases) of seminal vesicles and cranial and caudal prostates were studied in castrated adult bonnet monkeys. Castration decreased all ATPases (sodium/potassium, magnesium and calcium dependent) of seminal vesicles and both the lobes of prostate. PRL restored the normal activities of all ATPases in both the organs. Br given alone decreased all ATPases of prostate but caused no significant alteration, particularly calcium dependent ATPases of seminal vesicles and caudal prostate. TP/DHT replacement restored all ATPases of both the organs to the normal levels. PRL + TP/DHT further enhanced all the ATPases activities of all the regions studied. Br + TP/DHT decreased all ATPases but it did not produce any alteration in the calcium ATPases of seminal vesicles. The results suggest that prolactin facilitates membrane transport enzymes in the cranial and caudal prostate and seminal vesicles of adult castrated bonnet monkeys.