Water-soluble essential oil components of flowers of Paeonia × suffruticosa cultivars and in silico analysis with antidepressant targets

The present study focused on water-soluble essential oil recovered from the hydrolate of ten Paeonia × suffruticosa cultivars. Thirty-seven components, mostly oxygenated compounds (94.6-99.6%), were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC-flame ionisation detector (GC-FID). The geranic acid chemotype was discovered (in cultivar 'Lan BaoShi'). Eight key oxygenated components were analysed in silico with antidepressant targets sodium-dependent serotonin transporter (SERT), 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1 A (5-HT1A), and monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A). Geraniol, nerol, citronellol, and geranic acid presented superior docking properties. Phenylethyl alcohol and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene were also well docked. These molecules were bound to the active sites successfully (with partial occupancy in SERT). They might increase serotonin level or mimic its effect in central nervous system. (Z)-3-Hexen-1-ol and 1-hexanol showed weak binding. The in silico analysis revealed for the first time that the key water-soluble essential oil components of P. × suffruticosa potentially targeted antidepressant targets.

Non-Nucleoside Agonists of the Adenosine Receptors: An Overview

Potent and selective adenosine receptor (AR) agonists are of pharmacological interest for the treatment of a wide range of diseases and conditions. Among these derivatives, nucleoside-based agonists represent the great majority of molecules developed and reported to date. However, the limited availability of compounds selective for a specific AR subtype (i.e., A2BAR) and a generally long and complex synthetic route for largely substituted nucleosides are the main drawbacks of this category of molecules. Non-nucleoside agonists represent an alternative set of compounds able to stimulate the AR function and based on simplified structures. This review provides an updated overview on the structural classes of non-nucleoside AR agonists and their biological activities, with emphasis on the main derivatives reported in the literature. A focus is also given to the synthetic routes employed to develop these derivatives and on molecular modeling studies simulating their interaction with ARs.