Expression and characterization of novel chimeric endolysin CHAPk-SH3bk against biofilm-forming methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The continuous evolution of antibiotic resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) due to the misuse of antibiotics lays out the need for the development of new antimicrobials with higher activity and lower resistance. In this study, we have expressed novel chimeric endolysin CHAPk-SH3bk derived from LysK to investigate its antibacterial activity against planktonic and biofilm-forming MRSA. The molecular docking and MD simulation results identified critical amino acids (ASP47, ASP56, ARG71, and Gly74) of CHAPk domain responsible for its catalytic activity. Chimeric endolysin CHAPk-SH3bk showed an effective binding to peptidoglycan fragment using 14 hydrogen bonds. The in-vitro antibacterial assays displayed higher activity of CHAPk against planktonic MRSA with 2-log10 reduction in 2 h. Both CHAPk and CHAPk-SH3bk displayed bactericidal activity against MRSA with ∼4log10 and ∼3.5log10 reduction in 24 h. Biofilm reduction activity displayed CHAPk-SH3bk reduced 33 % and 60 % of hospital-associated ATCC®BAA-44™ and bovine origin SA1 respectively. The CHAPk treatment reduced 47 % of the preformed biofilm formed by bovine-origin MRSA SA1. This study indicates an effective reduction of preformed MRSA biofilms of human and animal origin using novel chimeric construct CHAPk-SH3bk. Stating that the combination and shuffling of different domains of phage endolysin potentially increase its bacteriolytic effectiveness against MRSA.

Resealed Erythrocytes as Drug Carriers and Its Therapeutic Applications

In this pharma innovative world, there are more than 30 drug delivery systems. Today's due to lacking the target specificity, the present scenario about drug delivery is emphasizing towards targeted drug delivery systems. Erythrocytes are the most common type of blood cells travel thousands of miles from wide to narrow pathways to deliver oxygen, drugs and nutrient during their lifetime. Red blood cells have strong and targeted potential carrier capabilities for varieties of drugs. Drug-loaded carrier erythrocytes or resealed erythrocytes are promising for various passive and active targeting. Resealed erythrocyte have advantage over several drug carrier models like biocompatibility, biodegradability without toxic products, inert intracellular environment, entrapping potential for a variety of chemicals, protection of the organism against toxic effects of the drug, able to circulate throughout the body, ideal zero-order drug-release kinetics, no undesired immune response against encapsulated drug etc. Resealed erythrocytes are rapidly taken up by macrophages of the Reticuloendothelial System (RES) of the liver, lung, and spleen of the body and hence drugs also. Resealed erythrocytes method of drugs delivery is secure and effective for drugs targeting specially for a longer period of time. This chapter will explain the different method of drug loading for resealed erythrocytes, their characterization, and applications in various therapies and associated health benefits.

The modulation of erythrocyte Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity by curcumin

Curcumin, an active biphenolic molecule present in turmeric (Curcuma longa), has been reported to elicit plethora of health protective effects. The present study was carried out in vitro, in vivo and in silico to investigate the modulatory effects of curcumin on erythrocyte membrane Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity. In vitro curcumin (10⁻⁵ M to 10⁻⁸ M) was incubated with human erythrocytes membrane. In vivo curcumin (340 mg/kg b.w. and 170 mg/kg b.w.) was supplemented to wistar rats for 21 days. In silico, catalytic unit α of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (3b8e.pdb) protein was used as a receptor for the natural ligand ATP to study curcumin-mediated docking simulation using AutoDock4. The in vitro effect of curcumin on the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity in human erythrocytes was biphasic. An inhibitory response was observed at 10⁻⁵ M (p < 0.001). An activation of the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity was observed at 10⁻⁷ and 10⁻⁸ M (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01). In vivo, curcumin supplementation to rats increased the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity at doses 340 mg/kg b.w. (p < 0.001) as well as at 170 mg/kg b.w., (p < 0.01). AutoDock4 docking simulation study showed that both ligands curcumin and ATP actively interacted with amino acids Glu214, Ser215, Glu216, Thr371, Asn377, Arg378, Met379, Arg438, Val440, Ala444, Lys451 and Asp586 at the catalytic cavity of Na+/K+-ATPase. ATP had more H bonding and hydrophobic interaction with active site amino acid residues compared to curcumin. These finding may explain some of the health beneficial properties of curcumin associated with deregulated Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity or ions homeostasis.

Protective effect of theaflavin on erythrocytes subjected to in vitro oxidative stress

Antioxidant and free radical scavenging effect of black tea theaflavins has been shown in many epidemiological studies. In the present work we report the protective mechanism of tea theaflavins on biomarkers of oxidative stress, which are elevated during stress conditions. We hereby report the in vitro effect of theaflavins on erythrocyte malondialdehyde (MDA), intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH), and plasma membrane redox system (PMRS) of rats. The effect of theaflavin on PMRS has also been validated through an in silico docking simulation study using Molegro Virtual Docker (MVD). We report that theaflavins show significant protection to erythrocyte against oxidative stress induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP). The findings suggest a possible protective role of theaflavins as antioxidant.

Computation-based virtual screening for designing novel antimalarial drugs by targeting falcipain-III: a structure-based drug designing approach

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

Cysteine proteases (falcipains), a papain-family of enzymes of Plasmodium falciparum, are responsible for haemoglobin degradation and thus necessary for its survival during asexual life cycle phase inside the human red blood cells while remaining non-functional for the human body. Therefore, these can act as potential targets for designing antimalarial drugs. The P. falciparum cysteine proteases, falcipain-II and falcipain- III are the enzymes which initiate the haemoglobin degradation, therefore, have been selected as targets. In the present study, we have designed new leupeptin analogues and subjected to virtual screening using Glide at the active site cavity of falcipain-II and falcipain-III to select the best docked analogues on the basis of Glide score and also compare with the result of AutoDock. The proposed analogues can be synthesized and tested in vivo as future potent antimalarial drugs.

METHODS

Protein falcipain-II and falcipain-III together with bounds inhibitors epoxysuccinate E64 (E64) and leupeptin respectively were retrieved from protein data bank (PDB) and latter leupeptin was used as lead molecule to design new analogues by using Ligbuilder software and refined the molecules on the basis of Lipinski rule of five and fitness score parameters. All the designed leupeptin analogues were screened via docking simulation at the active site cavity of falcipain-II and falcipain-III by using Glide software and AutoDock.

RESULTS

The 104 new leupeptin-based antimalarial ligands were designed using structure-based drug designing approach with the help of Ligbuilder and subjected for virtual screening via docking simulation method against falcipain-II and falcipain-III receptor proteins. The Glide docking results suggest that the ligands namely result_037 shows good binding and other two, result_044 and result_042 show nearly similar binding than naturally occurring PDB bound ligand E64 against falcipain-II and in case of falcipain-III, 15 designed leupeptin analogues having better binding affinity compared to the PDB bound inhibitor of falcipain-III. The docking simulation results of falcipain-III with designed leupeptin analogues using Glide compared with AutoDock and find 80% similarity as better binder than leupeptin.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION

These results further highlight new leupeptin analogues as promising future inhibitors for chemotherapeutic prevention of malaria. The result of Glide for falcipain-III has been compared with the result of AutoDock and finds very less differences in their order of binding affinity. Although there are no extra hydrogen bonds, however, equal number of hydrogen bonds with variable strength as compared to leupeptin along with the enhanced hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions in case of analogues supports our study that it holds the ligand molecules strongly within the receptor. The comparative e-pharmacophoric study also suggests and supports our predictions regarding the minimum features required in ligand molecule to behave as falcipain- III inhibitors and is also helpful in screening the large database as future antimalarial inhibitors.

Plant polyphenols as electron donors for erythrocyte plasma membrane redox system: validation through in silico approach

Background

The plasma membrane redox system (PMRS) has extensively been studied in erythrocytes. The PMRS plays an important role in maintaining plasma redox balance and provides a protective mechanism against oxidative stress. Earlier it was proposed that only NADH or NADPH provided reducing equivalents to PMRS; however, now it is acknowledged that some polyphenols also have the ability to donate reducing equivalents to PMRS.

Methods

Two different docking simulation softwares, Molegro Virtual Docker and Glide were used to study the interaction of certain plant polyphenols viz. quercetin, epigallocatechin gallate, catechin epicatechin and resveratrol with human erythroyte NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase, which is a component of PMRS and together with the identification of minimum pharmacophoric feature using Pharmagist.

Results

The derived common minimum pharmacophoric features show the presence of minimum bioactive component in all the selected polyphenols. Our results confirm wet lab findings which show that these polyphenols have the ability to interact and donate protons to the Human NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase.

Conclusion

With the help of these comparative results of docking simulation and pharmacophoric features, novel potent molecules can be designed with higher efficacy for activation of the PMRS system.