Virulence traits and novel drug delivery strategies for mucormycosis post-COVID-19: a comprehensive review

The outbreak of a fatal black fungus infection after the resurgence of the cadaverous COVID-19 has exhorted scientists worldwide to develop a nutshell by repurposing or designing new formulations to address the crisis. Patients expressing COVID-19 are more susceptible to Mucormycosis (MCR) and thus fall easy prey to decease accounting for this global threat. Their mortality rates range around 32-70% depending on the organs affected and grow even higher despite the treatment. The many contemporary recommendations strongly advise using liposomal amphotericin B and surgery as first-line therapy whenever practicable. MCR is a dangerous infection that requires an antifungal drug administration on appropriate prescription, typically one of the following: Amphotericin B, Posaconazole, or Isavuconazole since the fungi that cause MCR are resistant to other medications like fluconazole, voriconazole, and echinocandins. Amphotericin B and Posaconazole are administered through veins (intravenously), and isavuconazole by mouth (orally). From last several years so many compounds are developed against invasive fungal disease but only few of them are able to induce effective treatment against the micorals. Adjuvant medicines, more particularly, are difficult to assess without prospective randomized controlled investigations, which are challenging to conduct given the lower incidence and higher mortality from Mucormycosis. The present analysis provides insight into pathogenesis, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, underlying fungal virulence, and growth mechanisms. In addition, current therapy for MCR in Post Covid-19 individuals includes conventional and novel nano-based advanced management systems for procuring against deadly fungal infection. The study urges involving nanomedicine to prevent fungal growth at the commencement of infection, delay the progression, and mitigate fatality risk.

Synthesis and Anticancer Evaluation of 4-Chloro-2-((5-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)amino)phenol Analogues: An Insight into Experimental and Theoretical Studies

We report herein the synthesis, docking studies and biological evaluation of a series of new 4-chloro-2-((5-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)amino)phenol analogues (6a-h). The new compounds were designed based on the oxadiazole-linked aryl core of tubulin inhibitors of IMC-038525 and IMC-094332, prepared in five steps and further characterized via spectral analyses. The anticancer activity of the compounds was assessed against several cancer cell lines belonging to nine different panels as per National Cancer Institute (NCI US) protocol. 4-Chloro-2-((5-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)amino)phenol (6h) demonstrated significant anticancer activity against SNB-19 (PGI = 65.12), NCI-H460 (PGI = 55.61), and SNB-75 (PGI = 54.68) at 10 µM. The compounds were subjected to molecular docking studies against the active site of the tubulin-combretastatin A4 complex (PDB ID: 5LYJ); they displayed efficient binding and ligand 4h (with docking score = -8.030 kcal/mol) lay within the hydrophobic cavity surrounded by important residues Leu252, Ala250, Leu248, Leu242, Cys241, Val238, Ile318, Ala317, and Ala316. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of some of the compounds was found to be promising. 4-Chloro-2-((5-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)amino)phenol (6c) displayed the most promising antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative as well as Gram-positive bacteria with MICs of 8 µg/mL and a zone of inhibition ranging from 17.0 ± 0.40 to 17.0 ± 0.15 mm at 200 µg/mL; however, the standard drug ciprofloxacin exhibited antibacterial activity with MIC values of 4 µg/mL.

Solar-Driven Thermocatalytic Synthesis of Octahydroquinazolinone Using Novel Polyvinylchloride (PVC)-Supported Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) Catalysts

The chemical industry is one of the main fossil fuel consumers, so its reliance on sustainable and renewable resources such as wind and solar energy should be increased to protect the environment. Accordingly, solar-driven thermocatalytic synthesis of octahydroquinazolinone using polyvinylchloride (PVC)-supported aluminum oxide (Al2O3) as a catalyst under natural sunlight is proposed in this work. The Al2O3/PVC catalysts were characterized by FT-IR, SEM, BET, XRD, and XPS techniques. The obtained results indicate that the yield and reaction time can be modified by adjusting the molar ratio of the catalyst. To investigate the stability of the catalyst, the spent catalyst was reused in several reactions. The results indicated that, when a 50% Al2O3 catalyst is employed in an absolute solar heat, it performs exceptionally well in terms of yield (98%) and reaction time (35 min). Furthermore, the reaction times and yield of octahydroquinazolinone derivatives with an aryl moiety were superior to those of heteroaryl. All the synthesized compounds were well characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. The current work introduces a new strategy to use solar heat for energy-efficient chemical reactions using a cost-effective, recyclable environmentally friendly PVC/Al2O3 catalyst that produces a high yield.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Octahydroquinazolinones as Phospholipase A2, and Protease Inhibitors: Experimental and Theoretical Exploration

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) promotes inflammation via lipid mediators and releases arachidonic acid (AA), and these enzymes have been found to be elevated in a variety of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, and atherosclerosis. The mobilization of AA by PLA2 and subsequent synthesis of prostaglandins are regarded as critical events in inflammation. Inflammatory processes may be treated with drugs that inhibit PLA2, thereby blocking the COX and LOX pathways in the AA cascade. To address this issue, we report herein an efficient method for the synthesis of a series of octahydroquinazolinone compounds (4a-h) in the presence of the catalyst Pd-HPW/SiO₂ and their phospholipase A2, as well as protease inhibitory activities. Among eight compounds, two of them exhibited overwhelming results against PLA2 and protease. By using FT-IR, Raman, NMR, and mass spectroscopy, two novel compounds were thoroughly studied. After carefully examining the SAR of the investigated compounds against these enzymes, it was found that compounds (4a, 4b) containing both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups on the phenyl ring exhibited higher activity than compounds with only one of these groups. DFT studies were employed to study the electronic nature and reactivity properties of the molecules by optimizing at the BLYP/cc-pVDZ. Natural bond orbitals helped to study the various electron delocalizations in the molecules, and the frontier molecular orbitals helped with the reactivity and stability parameters. The nature and extent of the expressed biological activity of the molecule were studied using molecular docking with human non-pancreatic secretory phospholipase A2 (hnps-PLA2) (PDB ID: 1DB4) and protease K (PDB ID: 2PWB). The drug-ability of the molecule has been tested using ADMET, and pharmacodynamics data have been extracted. Both the compounds qualify for ADME properties and follow Lipinski's rule of five.

Synthesis, DFT Analyses, Antiproliferative Activity, and Molecular Docking Studies of Curcumin Analogues

With 19.3 million new cases and almost 10 million deaths in 2020, cancer has become a leading cause of death today. Curcumin and its analogues were found to have promising anticancer activity. Inspired by curcumin’s promising anticancer activity, we prepared three semi-synthetic analogues by chemically modifying the diketone function of curcumin to its pyrazole counterpart. The curcumin analogues (3a−c) were synthesized by two different methods, followed by their DFT analyses to study the HOMO/LUMO configuration to access the stability of compounds (∆E = 3.55 to 3.35 eV). The curcumin analogues (3a−c) were tested for antiproliferative activity against a total of five dozen cancer cell lines in a single (10 µM) and five dose (0.001 to 100 µM) assays. 3,5-Bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxystyryl)-1H-pyrazole-1-yl-(phenoxy)ethanone (3b) and 3,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxystyryl)-1H-pyrazole-1-yl-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)ethanone (3c) demonstrated the most promising antiproliferative activity against the cancer cell lines with growth inhibitions of 92.41% and 87.28%, respectively, in a high single dose of 10 µM and exhibited good antiproliferative activity (%GIs > 68%) against 54 out of 56 cancer cell lines and 54 out of 60 cell lines, respectively. The compound 3b and 3c demonstrated the most potent antiproliferative activity in a 5-dose assay with GI50 values ranging between 0.281 and 5.59 µM and 0.39 and 0.196 and 3.07 µM, respectively. The compound 3b demonstrated moderate selectivity against a leukemia panel with a selectivity ratio of 4.59. The HOMO-LUMO energy-gap (∆E) of the compounds in the order of 3a > 3b > 3c, was found to be in harmony with the anticancer activity in the order of 3c ≥ 3b > 3a. Following that, all of the curcumin analogues were molecular docked against EGFR, one of the most appealing targets for antiproliferative activity. In a molecular docking simulation, the ligand 3b exhibited three different types of interactions: H-bond, π-π-stacking and π-cationic. The ligand 3b displayed three H-bonds with the residues Met793 (with methoxy group), Lys875 (with phenolic group) and Asp855 (with methoxy group). The π-π-stacking interaction was observed between the phenyl (of phenoxy) and the residue Phe997, while π-cationic interaction was displayed between the phenyl (of curcumin) and the residue Arg841. Similarly, the ligand 3c displayed five H-bonds with the residue Met793 (with methoxy and phenolic groups), Lys845 (methoxy group), Cys797 (phenoxy oxygen), and Asp855 (phenolic group), as well as a halogen bond with residue Cys797 (chloro group). Furthermore, all the compound 3a−c demonstrated significant binding affinity (−6.003 to −7.957 kcal/mol) against the active site of EGFR. The curcumin analogues described in the current work might offer beneficial therapeutic intervention for the treatment and prevention of cancer. Future anticancer drug discovery programs can be expedited by further modifying these analogues to create new compounds with powerful anticancer potentials.

An efficient click synthesis of chalcones derivatized with two 1-(2-quinolon-4-yl)-1,2,3-triazoles

Chalcones derivatized with 1-(2-quinolonyl)-1,2,3-triazoles were synthesized by reaction of 4-azido-2-quinolones with 1-phenyl-3-(4-propargyloxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one, or by aldol reaction of 4-{[1-(2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinolin-4-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]methoxy}benzaldehydes with acetophenone. Whereas, chalcones bearing two 1-(2-quinolonyl)-1,2,3-triazoles were synthesized by reaction of 1,3-bis(4-propargyloxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one with 4-azido-2-quinolones, or by aldol condensation between 4-{4-[(4-acetylphenoxy)methyl]-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl}quinolin-2(1H)-ones and 4-{[1-(2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinolin-4-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]methoxy}benzaldehydes.

Synthetic molecules as DprE1 inhibitors: A patent review

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, the advent of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), the extensively-resistant TB (XDR-TB), and the total drug-resistant-TB (TDR-TB) have led the community to develop new antitubercular molecules. The decaprenylphosphoryl-β-D-ribose-2'-epimerase-1 (DprE1) is an established target to developed new anti-TB drugs. This enzyme is required to synthesize the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).

AREA COVERED

This patent review focuses on the granted patents and patent applications related to the chemical entities developed as DprE1 inhibitors for TB treatment from the publication year of the BTZ-043 compound patent application (2007) till 30 September 2020.

EXPERT OPINION

The DprE1 has many advantages in the development of new antitubercular molecules, for example, its location in the periplasm of the Mtb cell wall and its absence in the human body. This indicates that the DprE1 inhibitors are selective for Mtb, and their toxic and side effects on the human body may be negligible or small. Accordingly, the use of DprE1 inhibitors may be benefic for patients with drug-resistant bacteria that require long-term medication. Four molecules are in clinical trials, which could become the drugs of the future for TB-therapy.

Synthesis of potentially new schiff bases of N-substituted-2-quinolonylacetohydrazides as anti-COVID-19 agents

We report herein a new series of synthesized N-substituted-2-quinolonylacetohydrazides aiming to evaluate their activity towards SARS-CoV-2. The structures of the obtained products were fully confirmed by NMR, mass, IR spectra and elemental analysis as well. Molecular docking calculations showed that most of the tested compounds possessed good binding affinity to the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^pro) comparable toRemdesivir.

An Improved Synthesis of Key Intermediate to the Formation of Selected Indolin-2-Ones Derivatives Incorporating Ultrasound and Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) Blend of Techniques, for Some Biological Activities and Molecular Docking Studies

We have developed a new idea to synthesize a key intermediate molecule by utilizing deep eutectic solvent (DES) and ultrasound in a multistep reaction to ensure process cost-effectiveness. To confirm the stability of reagents with DES, electronic energies were calculated at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory. DES stabilized the reagents mainly due to strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Key intermediate (3) and final compounds (4a-n) were synthesized in a higher yield of 95% and 80%-88%, respectively. Further, final compounds (4a-n) were assessed for their anti-inflammatory, analgesic, ulcerogenic, and lipid peroxidation. The compounds 4f, 4g, 4j, 4l, and 4m showed good anti-inflammatory activity, while 4f, 4i, and 4n exhibited very good analgesic activity as compared to the standard drug. The ulcerogenicity of selected compounds was far less than the indomethacin. The ligands had also shown a good docking score (4f = -6.859 kcal/mol and 4n = -7.077 kcal/mol) as compared to control indomethacin (-6.109 kcal/mol) against the target protein COX-2. These derivatives have the potential to block this enzyme and can be used as NSAID. The state-of-art DFT theory was used to validate the lipid peroxidation mechanism of the active compounds which was in good agreement with the variations of BDEs and IP of the tested compounds.

24-Epibrassinolide (EBR) Confers Tolerance against NaCl Stress in Soybean Plants by Up-Regulating Antioxidant System, Ascorbate-Glutathione Cycle, and Glyoxalase System

: The present research was performed to assess the effect of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) on salt-stressed soybean plants. Salt stress suppressed growth, biomass yield, gas exchange parameters, pigment content, and chlorophyll fluorescence, but all these parameters were up-regulated by EBR supply. Moreover, salt stress increased hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, and electrolyte leakage. EBR supplementation reduced the accumulation of oxidative stress biomarkers. The activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, and the accumulation of proline, glycinebetaine, total phenols, and total flavonoids increased with NaCl stress, but these attributes further increased with EBR supplementation. The activities of enzymes and the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants involved in the Asc-Glu cycle also increased with NaCl stress, and further enhancement in these attributes was recorded by EBR supplementation. Salinity elevated the methylglyoxal content, but it was decreased by the EBR supplementation accompanying with up-regulation of the glyoxalase cycle (GlyI and GlyII). Salinity enhanced the Na+ uptake in root and shoot coupled with a decrease in uptake of Ca2+, K+, and P. However, EBR supplementation declined Na+ accumulation and promoted the uptake of the aforementioned nutrients. Overall, EBR supplementation regulated the salt tolerance mechanism in soybean plants by modulating osmolytes, activities of key enzymes, and the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of some branded tea: Optimization based on polyphenol content, antioxidant potential and thermodynamic study

Tea is one of the top beverages used around the world every day, which contains a high amount of polyphenols and antioxidants. The main aim of this research is to quantify some marketed black tea (Rabea, Lipton, Alkbous, Green gold and Haritham) for phenolic contents and antioxidant potential evaluation by ultrasound solvent extraction and was compared with conventional extraction. Ultrasonic extraction was optimized by considering frequencies (26 kHz, 40 kHz), temperature (30, 40 and 50 °C), and power (30, 40 and 50%) at a fixed time of 30 min. In both the ultrasonic frequencies, 40 °C temperature and 40% power combination exhibited highest cumulative yield (mg/100 g DW), total phenolic content (mg gallic acid/g DW), flavonoids (mg/g DW) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (%) in all branded tea. Within each brand of tea, at any temperature-power combination at particular frequency results were not significantly different. But, at a similar condition of temperature power results were found significantly different between two frequencies. Furthermore, ultrasonic extraction process was analyzed thermodynamically by selecting some basic parameters. Thermodynamics results showed the extraction process was feasible, spontaneous and irreversible. Also, 26 kHz ultrasonic probe is more appropriate for the extraction purpose and thermodynamically more acceptable as compared to 40 kHz ultrasonic bath. Moreover, Haritham was selected as the best tea brand due to its high polyphenol contents and antioxidant potential.

Dibenzepinones, dibenzoxepines and benzosuberones based p38α MAP kinase inhibitors: Their pharmacophore modelling, 3D-QSAR and docking studies

In the present study, a series of dibenzepinones, dibenzoxepines, and benzosuberones targeting p38α MAP kinase were subjected to pharmacophore modelling, 3D-QSAR and molecular docking studies. The IC₅₀ values for these 67 compounds ranged between 0.003 and 6.80 μM. A five-point model (DDHHR.8) was generated using these compounds. This model was found to be statistically significant and was found to have high correlation (R² = 0.98), cross-validation coefficient (Q² = 0.95) and F (330) values at six component PLS factor. Tests were performed to ascertain the efficacy of the generated model. These tests included external validation, Tropsha's test for predictive ability, Y-randomisation test and domain of applicability (APD). In order to check the restrictivity of the model, enrichment studies were performed with inactive compounds by using decoy set molecules. To evaluate the effectiveness of the docking protocol, the co-crystallised ligand was extracted from the ligand-binding domain of the protein and was re-docked into the same position. Both the conformers were then superimposed, suggesting satisfactory docking parameters with an RMSD value of less than 1.0 Å (0.853 Å). A 10 ns molecular dynamics simulation confirmed the docking results of the 3UVP-ligand complex and the presumed active conformation. The outcome of the present study provides insight into the molecular features that promote bioactivity and can be exploited for the prediction of novel potent p38α MAP kinase inhibitors before carrying out their synthesis and anticancer evaluation.