Visible-light promoted catalyst-free (VLCF) multi-component synthesis of spiro indolo-quinazolinone-pyrrolo[3,4-a]pyrrolizine hybrids: evaluation of in vitro anticancer activity, molecular docking, MD simulation and DFT studies

A new and highly efficient visible-light-promoted catalyst free (VLCF) strategy for neat and clean synthesis of spiro indolo-quinazolinone-pyrrolo[3,4-a]pyrrolizine hybrids (6a-d) has been introduced. We have performed visible-light triggered 1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition reaction of maleimide (5a-d) with azomethine ylide generated in situ derived from tryptanthrin (3) and L-proline (4) to obtain desired products (6a-d) in good to excellent yield. Authentication and characterization of product was done using various spectroscopic techniques such as IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, Mass spectrometry and single crystal XRD analysis. To explain the reaction spontaneity, product stability, reactivity as well as possible mode of the interaction a quantum chemical investigation was performed and depicted through DFT studies. The synthesized compound 6a was also evaluated for anti-proliferative activity against a panel of five cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, HeLa, PC-3 and Ishikawa) and normal human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell line by using MTT assay. Compound 6a showed very good in vitro anti-proliferative activity (IC50  = 6.58-17.98 μM) against four cancer cell lines and no cytotoxicity against normal HEK-293. In order to evaluate the anticancer potential of compounds 6a-d, molecular docking was performed against wild type and mutant EGFR. The results suggest that all the compounds occupied the active site of both enzymes, with a strong binding energy (-10.2 to -11.5 kcal/mol). These results have been confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation by evaluating root mean square deviation (RMSD) and root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), along with principal component analysis (PCA).Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Unraveling the Puzzle of Therapeutic Peptides: A Promising Frontier in Huntington's Disease Treatment

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder characterized by a mutation in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, resulting in the production of a mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT). The accumulation of mHTT leads to the development of toxic aggregates in neurons, causing cell dysfunction and, eventually, cell death. Peptide therapeutics target various aspects of HD pathology, including mHTT reduction and aggregation inhibition, extended CAG mRNA degradation, and modulation of dysregulated signaling pathways, such as BDNF/TrkB signaling. In addition, these peptide therapeutics also target the detrimental interactions of mHTT with InsP3R1, CaM, or Caspase-6 proteins to mitigate HD. This Perspective provides a detailed perspective on anti-HD therapeutic peptides, highlighting their design, structural characteristics, neuroprotective effects, and specific mechanisms of action. Peptide therapeutics for HD exhibit promise in preclinical models, but further investigation is required to confirm their effectiveness as viable therapeutic strategies, recognizing that no approved peptide therapy for HD currently exists.

Natural product-inspired synthesis of coumarin-chalcone hybrids as potential anti-breast cancer agents

Twelve novel neo-tanshinlactone-chalcone hybrid molecules were constructed through a versatile methodology involving the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons (HWE) olefination of 4-formyl-2H-benzo [h]chromen-2-ones and phosphonic acid diethyl esters, as the key step, and evaluated for anticancer activity against a series of four breast cancers and their related cell lines, viz. MCF-7 (ER + ve), MDA-MB-231 (ER-ve), HeLa (cervical cancer), and Ishikawa (endometrial cancer). The title compounds showed excellent to moderate in vitro anti-cancer activity in a range of 6.8-19.2 µM (IC50). Compounds 30 (IC50 = 6.8 µM and MCF-7; IC50 = 8.5 µM and MDA-MB-231) and 31 (IC50 = 14.4 µM and MCF-7; IC50 = 15.7 µM and MDA-MB-231) exhibited the best activity with compound 30 showing more potent activity than the standard drug tamoxifen. Compound 30 demonstrated a strong binding affinity with tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in molecular docking studies. This is significant because TNFα is linked to MCF-7 cancer cell lines, and it enhances luminal breast cancer cell proliferation by upregulating aromatase. Additionally, virtual ADMET studies confirmed that hybrid compounds 30 and 31 met Lipinski's rule; displayed high bioavailability, excellent oral absorption, favorable albumin interactions, and strong penetration capabilities; and improved blood-brain barrier crossing. Based on the aforementioned results, compound 30 has been identified as a potential anti-breast cancer lead molecule.

Pentafuhalol-B, a Phlorotannin from Brown Algae, Strongly Inhibits the PLK-1 Overexpression in Cancer Cells as Revealed by Computational Analysis

Polo-like kinase-1 (PLK-1) is an essential mitotic serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) kinase that belongs to the Polo-like kinase (PLK) family and is overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) via promotion of cell division. Therefore, PLK-1 may act as a promising target for the therapeutic cure of various cancers. Although a variety of anti-cancer drugs, both synthetic and naturally occurring, such as volasertib, onvansertib, thymoquinone, and quercetin, are available either alone or in combination with other therapies, they have limited efficacy, especially in the advanced stages of cancer. To the best of our knowledge, no anticancer agent has been reported from marine algae or microorganisms to date. Thus, the aim of the present study is a high-throughput virtual screening of phlorotannins, obtained from edible brown algae, using molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation analysis. Among these, Pentafuhalol-B (PtB) showed the lowest binding energy (best of triplicate runs) against the target protein PLK-1 as compared to the reference drug volasertib. Further, in MD simulation (best of triplicate runs), the PtB-PLK-1 complex displayed stability in an implicit water system through the formation of strong molecular interactions. Additionally, MMGBSA calculation (best of triplicate runs) was also performed to validate the PtB-PLK-1 complex binding affinities and stability. Moreover, the chemical reactivity of PtB towards the PLK-1 target was also optimised using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which exhibited a lower HOMO-LUMO energy gap. Overall, these studies suggest that PtB binds strongly within the pocket sites of PLK-1 through the formation of a stable complex, and also shows higher chemical reactivity than the reference drug volasertib. The present study demonstrated the inhibitory nature of PtB against the PLK-1 protein, establishing its potential usefulness as a small molecule inhibitor for the treatment of different types of cancer.

An ultrasound assisted, ionic liquid-molecular iodine synergy driven efficient green synthesis of pyrrolobenzodiazepine-triazole hybrids as potential anticancer agents

Herein, we report an efficient and eco-friendly, ultrasound assisted synthetic strategy for the construction of diversified pyrrolobenzodiazepine-triazole hybrids, which are potentially pharmaceutically important scaffolds, via a domino reaction involving intermolecular electrophilic substitution followed by intramolecular Huisgen 1,3-dipolar azide-alkyne cycloaddition. The USP of the reported protocol is the use of benign and inexpensive, recyclable molecular iodine-ionic liquid synergistic catalytic system cum reaction media for achieving the synthesis. The other salient features of this method are the use of mild reaction conditions, high yield and atom economy, operational simplicity, broad substrate scope and easy workup and purification. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for in vitro anti-proliferative activity against various cancer cell lines. From among the synthesized title compounds, 9,9-dimethyl-8-phenyl-9H-benzo [b]pyrrolo [1,2-d][1,2,3]triazolo[5,1-g][1,4]diazepine (7) was found most to be the most active compound exhibiting IC₅₀ value of 6.60, 5.45, 7.85, 11.21, 12.24, 10.12, and 11.32 µM against MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, HeLa, SKOV-3, A549, HCT-116 and DLD-1 cell lines, respectively. Further the compounds were found to be non-toxic against normal human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell line.

Mucormycosis: A hidden mystery of fungal infection, possible diagnosis, treatment and development of new therapeutic agents

Mucormycosis is a fungal infection which got worsens with time if not diagnosed and treated. The current COVID-19 pandemic has association with fungal infection specifically with mucormycosis. Already immunocompromised patients are easy target for COVID-19 and mucormycosis as well. COVID-19 infection imparts in weak immune system so chances of infection is comparatively high in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, diabetes, corticosteroid medicines, and a weakened immune system are the most prevalent risk factors for this infection as we discussed in case studies here. The steroid therapy for COVID-19 patients sometimes have negative impact on the patient health and this state encounters many infections including mucormycosis. There are treatments available but less promising and less effective. So, researchers are focusing on the promising agents against mucormycosis. It is reported that early treatment with liposomal amphotericin B (AmB), manogepix, echinocandins isavuconazole, posacanazole and other promising therapeutic agents have overcome the burden of mucormycosis. Lipid formulations of AmB have become the standard treatment for mucormycosis due to their greater safety and efficacy. In this review article, we have discussed case studies with the infection of mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, we focused on anti-mucormycosis agents with mechanism of action of various therapeutics, including coverage of new antifungal agents being investigated as part of the urgent global response to control and combat this lethal infection, especially those with established risk factors.

Analysis of structures, functions, and transgenicity of phytopeptides defensin and thionin: a review

Background

Antimicrobial peptides are very primitive innate defense molecules of almost all organisms, from microbes to mammalians and vascular seed-bearing plants. Antimicrobial peptides of plants categorized into cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) and others and most of the antimicrobial peptides belong to CRPs group. These peptides reported showing the great extent of protecting property against bacteria, fungi, viruses, insect, nematode, and another kind of microbes. To develop a resistant plant against pathogenic fungi, there have been several studies executed to understand the efficiency of transgenicity of these antimicrobial peptides.

Main text

Apart from the intrinsic property of the higher organism for identifying and activating microbial attack defense device, it also involves innate defense mechanism and molecules. In the current review article, apart from the structural and functional characterization of peptides defensin and thionin, we have attempted to provide a succinct overview of the transgenic development of these defense peptides, that are expressed in a constitutive and or over-expressive manner when biotic and abiotic stress inflicted. Transgenic of different peptides show different competence in plants. Most of the transgenic studies made for defensin and thionin revealed the effective transgenic capacity of these peptides.

Conclusion

There have been several studies reported successful development of transgenic plants based on peptides defensin and thionin and observed diverse level of resistance-conferring potency in different plants against phytopathogenic fungi. But due to long regulatory process, there has not been marketed any antimicrobial peptides based transgenic plants yet. However, success report state that possibly in near future transgenic plants of AMPs would be released with devoid of harmful effect, with good efficiency, reproducibility, stability, and least production cost.

Primed for global coronavirus pandemic: Emerging research and clinical outcome

The global effort to combat and contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the recently discovered severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is now proceeding on a war footing. The world was slow to react to the developing crisis, but once the contours of the impending calamity became evident, the different state and non-state actors have raced to put their act together. The COVID-19 pandemic has blatantly exposed the shortcomings of our healthcare system and the limitations of medical science, despite considerable advances in recent years. To effectively tackle the current pandemic, almost unprecedented in the modern age, there is an urgent need for a concerted, sustained, and coordinated effort towards the development of new diagnostics, therapeutic and vaccines, and the ramping up of the healthcare infrastructure, especially in the poorer underprivileged nations. Towards this end, researchers around the world are working tirelessly to develop new diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics. Efforts to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 are presently underway in several countries around the world, but a new vaccine is expected only by the end of the year-at the earliest. New drug development against COVID-19 and its approval may take even longer. Under such circumstances, drug repurposing has emerged as a realistic and effective strategy to counter the current menace, and several antiviral and antimalarial medicines are currently in different stages of clinical trials. Researchers are also experimenting with nutrients, vitamins, monoclonal antibodies, and convalescent plasma as immunity boosters against the SARS-CoV-2. This report presents a critical analysis of the global clinical trial landscape for COVID-19 with an emphasis on the therapeutic agents and vaccines currently being tested at pandemic speed.

Mediterranean Cypress “Cupressus sempervirens”: A Review on Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties

Background:

Cupressus sempervirens (C. sempervirens), commonly known as Mediterranean cypress is native to the eastern Mediterranean region, North America and subtropical Asia at higher altitudes. The crude, semi-purified and purified extracts of C. sempervirens have long been recognized for its pharmacological activities as evidenced by its extensive use by indigenous cultures in herbal medicines, tonics and infusion. Pharmacological properties displayed the prodigious biological activities that could be further explored for development of new herbal formulations or therapeutic agents.

Aims:

This review presents a critical analysis of the current state of knowledge about the ethno medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of C. sempervirens L and its future applications.

Materials and Methods:

Literature related to C. sempervirens and its synonyms were searched on the available online literature databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, SciFinder, Scopus, Springer, ScienceDirect, Wiley, ACS, Scielo and Web of Science, thesis, dissertations, books, reports, local herbal encyclopedias and other relevant websites.

Results:

A review of literature showed that decoction of cones and young branches of C. sempervirens gave astonishing effect in the treatment of hemorrhoids and to treat excessive sweating in the feet. Enormous pharmacological properties have been found including antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, wound-healing, anticoagulant, antihyperlipidemic, anticancer, neurobiological, antidiabetic, and antiosteoporotic. Approximately 109 phytochemical constituents have been searched out as isolates from various parts of this plant comprising mostly diterpenoids and biflavonoids.

Conclusion:

Numerous in vivo and in vitro studies have provided support for the traditional uses of C. sempervirens but further research work is required towards isolating more active constituents and for validating its clinical utilization in the herbal formulations for humans as well as investigating any potential toxicity for future clinical studies.

Recent advances in the targeting of human DNA ligase I as a potential new strategy for cancer treatment

The emergence of drug resistance, coupled with the issue of low tumor selectivity and toxicity is a major pitfall in cancer chemotherapy. It has necessitated the urgent need for the discovery of less toxic and more potent new anti-cancer pharmaceuticals, which target the interactive mechanisms involved in division and metastasis of cancer cells. Human DNA ligase I (hligI) plays an important role in DNA replication by linking Okazaki fragments on the lagging strand of DNA, and also participates in DNA damage repair processes. Dysregulation of the functioning of such ligases can severely impact DNA replication and repair pathways events that are generally targeted in cancer treatment. Although, several human DNA ligase inhibitors have been reported in the literature but unfortunately not a single inhibitor is currently being used in cancer chemotherapy. Results of pre-clinical studies also support the fact that human DNA ligases are an attractive target for the development of new anticancer agents which work by the selective inhibition of rapidly proliferating cancer cells. In this manuscript, we discuss, in brief, the structure, synthesis, structure-activity-relationship (SAR) and anticancer activity of recently reported hLigI inhibitors.

Unmodified household coffee maker assisted extraction and purification of anticancer agents from Dillenia indica fruits

Bioassay targeted, 80% aqueous ethanol crude extract of the fruits of Dillenia indica Linn, using the unmodified household coffee maker, afforded five compounds, namely betulinic acid (1), rhamnazin (2), dillenetin (3), luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucoside (4) and hypolaetin-8-O-β-D-glucoside (5). The crude extract, fractions and purified compounds were tested against MDA MB-231, A549 and HeLa cancer cell lines by MTT assay, using betulinic acid 1, as a positive control. Compound 3 showed the best activity against A549 (IC₅₀ = 26.60 ± 2.5 µM) and HeLa cancer cell lines (IC₅₀ =19.35 ± 0.9 µM), whereas compound 5 was found to show the best activity against MDA MB-231 (IC₅₀ = 34.62 ± 5.2µM) cancer cell line. These highly potent anticancer compounds obtained from the fruits of D. indica may be suitable for herbal drug development and formulations.

In vitro and in vivo antidiabetic effect of extracts of Melia azedarach, Zanthoxylum alatum, and Tanacetum nubigenum

BACKGROUND

To investigate the antidiabetic effect of Himalayan Medicinal plants from India viz. Melia azedarach (Family: Meliaceae), Zanthoxylum alatum (Family: Rutaceae), Tanacetum nubigenum (Family: Asteraceae) using in-vitro as well as in-vivo approaches.

METHODS

Their effects were examined on stimulation of glucose uptake by C2C12 cultured cell line, inhibitory effect on human recombinant Protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP-1B) and followed by the hypoglycaemic activity of extracts in Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats.

RESULTS

All prepared extracts had been found to enrich with polyphenolic, flavonoids, terpenoids, anthraquinones and saponins type of compounds. n-Butanol fraction of Zanthoxylum alatum showed maximum PTP-1B inhibition (61.9%) whereas ethanol extract of Tanacetum nubigenum showed strong stimulation of glucose uptake (+61.2%) in C2Cl2 myotubes. In STZ induced Sprague-Dawley rats, significant decrease in blood glucose level was observed in ethanol extract of Melia azaderach treated group as 14.8% (p < 0.01) whereas in the ethanol extract of Tanacetum nubigenum treated group, it was observed as 15.5% (p < 0.01) compare to metformin which showed 26.8% (p < 0.01) lowering of blood glucose in the same time duration of 5 h study.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that these plants have a significant therapeutic value in type-2-diabetes mellitus and related complications thus supporting their traditional uses in Indian traditional system of medicine.

A Novel Benzocoumarin-Stilbene Hybrid as a DNA ligase I inhibitor with in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activity in breast cancer models

Existing cancer therapies are often associated with drug resistance and toxicity, which results in poor prognosis and recurrence of cancer. This necessitates the identification and development of novel therapeutics against existing as well as novel cellular targets. In this study, a novel class of Benzocoumarin-Stilbene hybrid molecules were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against various cancer cell lines followed by in vivo antitumor activity in a mouse model of cancer. The most promising molecule among the series, i.e. compound (E)-4-(3,5-dimethoxystyryl)-2H-benzo[h]chromen-2-one (19) showed maximum antiproliferative activity in breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and 4T1) and decreased the tumor size in the in-vivo 4T1 cell-induced orthotopic syngeneic mouse breast cancer model. The mechanistic studies of compound 19 by various biochemical, cell biology and biophysical approaches suggest that the compound binds to and inhibits the human DNA ligase I enzyme activity that might be the cause for significant reduction in tumor growth and may constitute a promising next-generation therapy against breast cancers.

Inhibitory effect of 2-(piperidinoethoxyphenyl)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2H-benzo(b)pyran (K-1) on human primary endometrial hyperplasial cells mediated via combined suppression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and PI3K/Akt survival pathway

Endometrial hyperplasia is a precursor to the most common gynecologic cancer diagnosed in women. Apart from estrogenic induction, aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signal is well known to correlate with endometrial hyperplasia and its carcinoma. The benzopyran compound 2-(piperidinoethoxyphenyl)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2H-benzo (b) pyran(K-1), a potent antiestrogenic agent, has been shown to have apoptosis-inducing activity in rat uterine hyperplasia. The current study was undertaken to explore the effect of the benzopyran compound K-1 on growth and Wnt signaling in human endometrial hyperplasial cells. Primary culture of atypical endometrial hyperplasial cells was characterized by the epithelial cell marker cytokeratin-7. Results revealed that compound K-1 reduced the viability of primary endometrial hyperplasial cells and expression of ERα, PR, PCNA, Wnt7a, FZD6, pGsk3β and β-catenin without affecting the growth of the primary culture of normal endometrial cells. The β-catenin target genes CyclinD1 and c-myc were also found to be reduced, whereas the expression of axin2 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitor Dkk-1 was found to be upregulated, which caused the reduced interaction of Wnt7a and FZD6. Nuclear accumulation of β-catenin was found to be decreased by compound K-1. K-1 also suppressed the pPI3K/pAkt survival pathway and induced the cleavage of caspases and PARP, thus subsequently causing the apoptosis of endometrial hyperplasial cells. In conclusion, compound K-1 suppressed the growth of human primary endometrial hyperplasial cells through discontinued Wnt/β-catenin signaling and induced apoptosis via inhibiting the PI3K/Akt survival pathway.

The anti-proliferative effect of 2-[piperidinoethoxyphenyl]-3-[4-hydroxyphenyl]-2H-benzo(b) pyran is potentiated via induction of estrogen receptor beta and p21 in human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells

In an effort to develop novel therapeutic agents for endometrial cancer, benzopyran derivatives synthesized at our institute display significant inhibitory activity on cellular growth in uterine cancer cells. The current study was undertaken to demonstrate and explore the estrogen receptor (ER) subtype mediated mechanism of action of benzopyran derivative 2-[piperidinoethoxyphenyl]-3-[4-hydroxyphenyl]-2H-benzo(b) pyran (K-1) in human endometrial cancer cells. K-1 competitively inhibited the estradiol binding to human ERα and ERβ and showed growth inhibitory activity in human endometrial Ishikawa, HEC1B and primary endometrial adenocarcinoma cells. Transient transactivation assays carried out in COS-1 cells have demonstrated the diminished ERα-ERE mediated- and induced the ERβ-ERE mediated-transactivation triggered by compound. It also induced ER-mediated transactivation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKI) p21(WAF-1) in both COS-1 cells and in Ishikawa cells. ERβ inducing effects of compound were blocked by ICI182,780. In endometrial adenocarcinoma cells, it induced ERβ and p21 expression significantly whereas the expression of fos, jun and ERα were significantly reduced. In addition, compound promoted ERα-β heterodimerization as observed in Ishikawa cells. These results demonstrate that the benzopyran compound suppressed the cellular growth via ERβ agonism, induction of p21 and via promoting the ERα-β heterodimerization, in addition to its antagonistic effects exerted on ERα, in human endometrial cancer cells. The study suggests that the dual action of benzopyran molecule may be of significant therapeutic value in ERα/β-positive cases of endometrial cancer.

Anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous extract of ficus deltoidea

Ficus deltoidea (Family Moraceae) leaves have been used traditionally by the Malays to treat ailments such as wounds, sores, and rheumatism. The aim of the present study was to determine the anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous extract of F. deltoidea leaf (FDA) using acute and chronic inflammatory models. FDA, in the doses of 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg, was administered intraperitoneally in rats (n = 6) before the animals were subjected to the carrageenan-induced paw edema test, cotton pellet-induced granuloma test, and formalin test. The first two tests represent acute and chronic models of inflammation, respectively. The first and second phases of the formalin test represent neurogenic pain and inflammatory-mediated pain, respectively; thus, only the second phase was measured in the present study. Results showed that FDA exerted significant (p < .05) anti-inflammatory activity in all assays, with dose-response effects seen in the paw edema and formalin tests. In conclusion, the leaf of F. deltoidea possesses anti-inflammatory activity against acute and chronic inflammatory responses and against pain-associated inflammatory response. These findings justify the traditional uses of F. deltoidea leaves for treatment of inflammatory-mediated ailments.