Pharmacological advances in anti-retroviral therapy for human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection: A comprehensive review

The discovery of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs over the past 36 years has introduced various classes, including nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitor, fusion, and integrase strand transfer inhibitors inhibitors. The introduction of combined highly active anti-retroviral therapies in 1996 was later proven to combat further ARV drug resistance along with enhancing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) suppression. As though the development of ARV therapies was continuously expanding, the variation of action caused by ARV drugs, along with its current updates, was not comprehensively discussed, particularly for HIV-1 infection. Thus, a range of HIV-1 ARV medications is covered in this review, including new developments in ARV therapy based on the drug's mechanism of action, the challenges related to HIV-1, and the need for combination therapy. Optimistically, this article will consolidate the overall updates of HIV-1 ARV treatments and conclude the significance of HIV-1-related pharmacotherapy research to combat the global threat of HIV infection.

A green and efficient synthetic methodology towards the synthesis of 1-allyl-6-chloro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxamide derivatives

Quinolone is a privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry and 4-Quinolone-3-Carboxamides have been reported to harbor vast therapeutic potential. However, conversion of N-1 substituted 4-Quinolone 3-Carboxylate to its corresponding carbamates is highly restrictive. This motivated us to adopt a much simpler, scalable and efficient methodology for the synthesis of highly pure N-1 substituted 4- Quinolone-3-Carboxamides with excellent yields. Our adopted methodology not only provides a robust pathway for the convenient synthesis of N-1 substituted 4- Quinolone-3-Carboxamides which can then be explored for their therapeutic potential, this may also be adaptable for the derivatization of other such less reactive carboxylate species.

Plant Extracts and their Secondary Metabolites as Modulators of Kinases

Natural Products (NP), specifically from medicinal plants or herbs, have been extensively utilized to analyze the fundamental mechanisms of ultimate natural sciences as well as therapeutics. Isolation of secondary metabolites from these sources and their respective biological properties, along with their lower toxicities and cost-effectiveness, make them a significant research focus for drug discovery. In recent times, there has been a considerable focus on isolating new chemical entities from natural flora to meet the immense demand for kinase modulators, and also to overcome major unmet medical challenges in relation to signal transduction pathways. The signal transduction systems are amongst the foremost pathways involved in the maintenance of life and protein kinases play an imperative part in these signaling pathways. It is important to find a kinase inhibitor, as it can be used not only to study cell biology but can also be used as a drug candidate for cancer and metabolic disorders. A number of plant extracts and their isolated secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, phenolics, terpenoids, and alkaloids have exhibited activities against various kinases. In the current review, we have presented a brief overview of some important classes of plant secondary metabolites as kinase modulators. Moreover, a number of phytocompounds with kinase inhibition potential, isolated from different plant species, are also discussed.

Evolution of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and integrase dual inhibitors: Recent advances and developments

HIV infection is a major challenge to mankind and a definitive cure or a viable vaccine for HIV is still elusive. HIV-1 is constantly evolving and developing resistant against clinically used anti-HIV drugs thus posing serious hurdles in the treatment of HIV infection. This prompts the need to developed new anti-HIV drugs; preferentially adopting intelligent ways to counteract an evolving virus. Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART): a strategy involving multiple targeting through various drugs has proven beneficial in the management of AIDS. However, it is a complex regimen with high drug load, increased risk of drug interactions and adverse effects, which lead to poor patient compliance. Reverse transcriptase (RT) and Integrase (IN) are two pivotal enzymes in HIV-1 lifecycle with high structural and functional analogy to be perceived as drug-able targets for novel dual-purpose inhibitors. Designed multi-functional ligand (DML) is a modern strategy by which multiple targets can be exploited using a single chemical entity. A single chemical entity acting on multiple targets can be much more effective than a complex multi-drug regimen. The development of such multifunctional ligands is highly valued in anti-HIV drug discovery with the proposed advantage of being able to stop two or more stages of viral replication cycle. This review will encompass the evolution of the RT-IN dual inhibitory scaffolds reported so far and the contribution made by the leading research groups over the years in this field.

IN VITRO ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE AND BUTYRYLCHOLINESTERASE INHIBITORY POTENTIALS OF JATROPHA GOSSYPIFOLIA PLANT EXTRACTS

Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), which breakdown acetylcholine and butyrylcholine, are considered as a promising strategy in the management of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Traditional accounts of indigenous plant Jatopha gossypyfolia suggest presence of important medicinal activities including improvement of memory functioning. To establish correlation of its use as anti-Alzheimer, AChE and BuChE inhibitory activity of extracts obtained from different parts of plant Jatropha gossypyfolia belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae were tested. Extracts from leaves, stem bark and roots were prepared by maceration. Enzyme inhibitory activity was carried out by using standard in vitro AChE and BuChE inhibition assays (Ellman's assay method) and the percentage inhibition was calculated. The results showed that roots dichloromethane fraction (65.43 ± 0.11), roots methanol fraction (62.79 ± 0.34) and leaves dichloromethane fraction (57.71 ± 0.15) showed significant acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity compared to other fractions when compared with standard serine (91.29 ± 1.17). Similarly, butyrylcholinesterase enzyme inhibitory results showed that roots dichloromethane fraction (80.46 ± 0.44), JGLE (77.34 ± 0.34) showed significant BuChE enzyme inhibitory activity as compared to other fractions when compared with standard eserine (82.82 ± 1.09). Dichloromethane extracts showed higher enzyme inhibition comparatively. Highest AChE and BuChE inhibition was observed with leaf extracts of ethyl acetate fraction. In conclusion, the plant extracts exhibited presence of bioactive compounds with significant AChE and BuChE inhibition supporting traditional use of this herb in the management of AD. However, further investigation of the plant is required.