Flavonoids as emerging notch signaling pathway modulators in cancer

Notch signaling is an evolutionary conserved pathway important for the developmental processes and implicated in the tumor formation. Notch signaling pathway (NSP) inhibitors have been tested in clinical trials alone or in combination with the chemotherapy but none got clinical approval due to severe toxicity in patients. Flavonoids inhibit NSP by inhibiting notch receptor cleavage and/or inhibiting transcriptional regulation by Notch intracellular domain (NICD). Interestingly, some flavonoids are reported to inhibit NSP by mediating the microRNA expression. NSP inhibitory flavonoid(s) in combination with standard therapy is might be an effective strategy in cancer treatment.

Ancistrobrevinium A, the first N-methylated, cationic naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid, from the tropical liana Ancistrocladus abbreviatus (Ancistrocladaceae)

Ancistrobrevinium A (1) is the first N-methylated and non-hydrogenated, and thus cationic naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid. It was discovered in the root bark extract of the phytochemically productive West African liana Ancistrocladus abbreviatus (Ancistrocladaceae). Its constitution was elucidated by HR-ESI-MS and 1D and 2D NMR. Due to the steric hindrance in the proximity of the linkage between the naphthalene and isoquinoline parts, the biaryl axis is rotationally hindered. It thus constitutes a stable element of chirality - the only one in the new alkaloid since, different from most other naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids, it has no stereogenic centers. The axial configuration of 1 was assigned by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) investigations, which gave a positive couplet, indicating a 'positive chirality', here corresponding to a P-configuration. Ancistrobrevinium A (1) showed a weak cytotoxic activity against A549 lung cancer cells (IC50 = 50.6 μM).

Role of ONECUT family transcription factors in cancer and other diseases

Members of ONECUT transcription factor play an essential role in several developmental processes, however, the atypical expression of ONECUT proteins lead to numerous diseases, including cancer. ONECUT family proteins promote cell proliferation, progression, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and stemness. This family of proteins interacts with other proteins such as KLF4, TGF-β, VEGFA, PRC2, SMAD3 and alters their expression involved in the regulation of various signaling pathways including Jak/Stat3, Akt/Erk, TGF-β, Smad2/3, and HIF-1α. Furthermore, ONECUT proteins are proposed as predictive biomarkers for pancreatic and gastric cancers. The present review summarizes the involvement of ONECUT family proteins in the development and progression of various human cancers and other diseases.

Acarbose Potentially Binds to the Type I Peptide Deformylase Catalytic Site and Inhibits Bacterial Growth: An In Silico and In Vitro Study

BACKGROUND

In bacteria, peptide deformylase (PDF), a metalloenzyme, removes N-formyl methionine from a nascent protein, which is a critical step in the protein maturation process. The enzyme is ubiquitously present in bacteria and possesses therapeutic target potential. Acarbose, an FDA-approved antidiabetic drug, is an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor of microbial origin. Clinical studies indicate that acarbose administration in humans can alter gut microbiota. As per the best of our knowledge, the antibacterial potential of acarbose has not been reported.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to check the binding ability of acarbose to the catalytic site of E. coli PDF and assess its in vitro antibacterial activity.

METHODS

Molecular docking, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation, and MM-PBSA experiments were performed to study the binding potential of the catalytic site, and a disc diffusion assay was also employed to assess the antibacterial potential of acarbose.

RESULTS

Acarbose was found to form a hydrogen bond and interact with the metal ion present at the catalytic site. The test compound showed a better docking score in comparison to the standard inhibitor of PDF. MD simulation results showed energetically stable acarbose-PDF complex formation in terms of RMSD, RMSF, Rg, SASA, and hydrogen bond formation throughout the simulation period compared to the actinonin-PDF complex. Furthermore, MM-PBSA calculations showed better binding free energy (ΔG) of acarbose PDF than the actinonin-PDF complex. Moreover, acarbose showed in vitro antibacterial activity.

CONCLUSION

Acarbose forms conformational and thermodynamically stable interaction with the E. coli peptide deformylase catalytic site. Results of the present work necessitate in-depth antimicrobial potential studies on the effect of acarbose on drug resistance and nonresistant bacteria.

Chemical Composition, In vitro and In silico Evaluation of Essential Oil Extracted from Mentha Piperita L. for Lung Cancer

Background:

Mentha piperita, a naturally occurring herb, is utilized in medicinal formulations. It possesses abundant bioactive elements, including flavonoids and phenolic acid compounds,that exhibit various properties such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer.

Objective:

In the present study, chemical constituents of essential oil extracted from Mentha piperita were analyzed and identified through GC-MS. In vitro antiproliferative activity was performed on A549 lung cancer cell line lines. In silico study was conducted by Schrodinger’s Maestro’s software to identify chemical constituents in the plant as potential EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors) inhibitors

Methods:

Hydro-distilled essential oil was analyzed by GC-MS to identify chemical components based on the retention index and mass fragmentation pattern, which was then tested for its antiproliferative activity by MTT assay against human lung cancer cell lines. All the identified constituents were investigated in silico for their affinity towards EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors).

Results:

A total of thirty constituents were identified where D-carvone (56.69%), L-limonene (12.36%), squalene (3.36%), cis-carveol (2.93%), and α-amorphene (2.36%) were observed as major constituents of the essential oil. The essential mentha oil also exhibited antiproliferative activity against lung cancer cell lines with an IC50 value of 86.05 µg/ml. Furthermore, from the in silico study, five constituents were identified to have a better affinity for EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors) than that of the standard drug Osimertinib.

Conclusion:

In the present study, the aerial part of the plant Mentha piperita was hydrodistilled.Thirty phytoconstituents were identified through GC-MS data. An in-silico study was performed using Schrodinger software, and a further in vitro study was performed in which essential oil showedgood antiproliferative activity against the A549 cancer cell line.

Techno-economic analysis of production and purification of lipase from Bacillus subtilis (NCIM 2193)

Lipase is one of the essential enzymes from the hydrolase family, which can be produced from multiple sources like bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. Due to the various industrial applications, it is necessary to produce and purify lipase cost-effectively. The present study is concerned with the techno-economic analysis of the production and purification of lipase using Bacillus subtilis. In the lab experiment, a purification fold of 1347.5 was achieved with 50% recovery upon purification. The experimental data fit into a model, simulate, and economically assess a more extensive industrial setup Using SuperPro designer. Annual production of 64 batches with 26.4 kg of lipase produced per batch, and a total yearly operating cost of $16,021,000, with a payback time of around 1.37 years, were retrieved upon simulating experimental data. This study indicates the potential of the used bacteria for industrial lipase production with its techno-economic feasibility.

Withaferin A alters the expression of microRNAs 146a-5p and 34a-5p and associated hub genes in MDA-MB-231 cells

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly metastatic subtype of breast cancer. Due to the absence of obvious therapeutic targets, microRNAs (miRNAs) provide possible hope to treat TNBC. Withaferin A (WA), a steroidal lactone, possesses potential anticancer activity with lesser side effects. The present study identifies hub genes (CDKN3, TRAF6, CCND1, JAK1, MET, AXIN2, JAG1, VEGFA, BRCA1, E2F3, WNT1, CDK6, KRAS, MYB, MYCN, TGFβR2, NOTCH1, SIRT1, MYCN, NOTCH2, WNT3A) from the list of predicted targets of the differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) in WA-treated MDA-MB-231 cells using in silico protein-protein interaction network analysis. CCND1, CDK6, and TRAF6 hub genes were predicted as targets of miR-34a-5p and miR-146a-5p, respectively. The study found the lower expression of miR-34a-5p and miR-146a-5p in MDA-MB-231 cells, and further, it was observed that WA treatment effectively restored the lost expression of miR-34a-5p and miR-146a-5p in MDA-MB-231 cells. An anti-correlation expression pattern was found among the miR-34a-5p and miR-146a-5p and the respective target hub genes in WA-treated TNBC cells. In conclusion, WA might exert anti-cancer effect in TNBC cells by inducing miR-34a-5p and miR-146a-5p expressions and decreasing CCND1, CDK6, and TARF6 target hub genes in TNBC cells.

Specific Genetic Polymorphisms Contributing in Differential Binding of Gliadin Peptides to HLA-DQ and TCR to Elicit Immunogenicity in Celiac Disease

Immunogenicity of gliadin peptides in celiac disease (CD) is majorly determined by the pattern of molecular interactions with HLA-DQ and T-cell receptors (TCR). Investigation of the interactions between immune-dominant gliadin peptides, DQ protein, and TCR are warranted to unravel the basis of immunogenicity and variability contributed by the genetic polymorphisms. Homology modeling of HLA and TCR done using Swiss Model and iTASSER, respectively. Molecular interactions of eight common deamidated immune-dominant gliadin with HLA-DQ allotypes and specific TCR gene pairs were evaluated. Docking of the three structures was performed with ClusPro2.0 and ProDiGY was used to predict binding energies. Effects of known allelic polymorphisms and reported susceptibility SNPs were predicted on protein-protein interactions. CD susceptible allele, HLA-DQ2.5 was shown to have considerable binding affinity to 33-mer gliadin (ΔG = - 13.9; Kd = 1.5E - 10) in the presence of TRAV26/TRBV7. Higher binding affinity was predicted (ΔG = - 14.3, Kd = 8.9E - 11) when TRBV28 was replaced with TRBV20 paired with TRAV4 suggesting its role in CD predisposition. SNP rs12722069 at HLA-DQ8 that codes Arg76α forms three H-bonds with Glu12 and two H-bonds with Asn13 of DQ2 restricted gliadin in the presence of TRAV8-3/TRBV6. None of the HLA-DQ polymorphisms was found to be in linkage disequilibrium with reported CD susceptibility markers. Haplotypic presentations of rs12722069-G, rs1130392-C, rs3188043-C and rs4193-A with CD reported SNPs were observed in sub-ethnic groups. Highly polymorphic sites of HLA alleles and TCR variable regions could be utilized for better risk prediction models in CD. Therapeutic strategies by identifying inhibitors or blockers targeting specific gliadin:HLA-DQ:TCR binding sites could be investigated.

Synthesis, In silico mapping for anti-cancer proviso, hardness studies of d-gluconic acid monohydrate crystals for usage in electronic, mechanical and biological sectors

d-Gluconic acid monohydrate - DGAMH crystals are grown in a period of 61 days by using the customary slow evaporation method with a, b and c as 8.4309, 5.409 and 10.4071 in Å units; β as 96.87°; monoclinic system, space group as P21. The material is an anticancer stipulation to inhibit them with the docked score of the DGAMH as -6.0 and -7.1 for both cases. Considering the mechanic behaviour of the DGAMH; the n as 7.57 of the DGAMH - work hardening coefficient value as Reverse ISE (indentation size effect) response for DGAMH. The computational structural info of DGAMH provides the supercell proviso, VanderWaal's impact with the nano-tubular proviso of DGAMH for cell impacting, weak type of interactions and devices with nano-tube impact. The electronic fluxing is in microns for macro-DGAMH; micro-DGAMH; thin-film DGAMH and nano-DGAMH for filtering property confirmations. The frequency by IC741 is twice over the input values with DGAMH crystal.

Synthesis, characterizations of D32DMBC-crystals for applications in biomedical, tribological, electronic filters and in device constructions by theory and practice

The single crystalline diethyl 3,3[Formula: see text]-[(2,4-dichlorophenyl)methylidene]bis(1H-indole-2-carboxylate) (D32DMBC) samples are fully grown-up in a proper and in a successful manner by the prevailing slowly evaporating methodology. The lattice cell frameworks by XRD modus operandi also corroborated that the D32DMBC crystal system is monoclinic in nature. The structural properties by a conceptual way authenticate the elucidation and also the proper vindication for bond parameters. The nano influx is 3.2768 micron and the film-coated influx of 2.9977 microns as a mid-value between the macro as well as the nano assessment is suitable for electronic filters by D32DMBC crystals, and also used for tribological-coated utility as well as in frequency multipliers. Diabetes mellitus is the repetitive disease in the way of life and sustaining approach of D32DMBC — organic crystals are properly, accurately experimented by the use of the software pertaining to the D32DMBC by docking effect. The affinity inhibitory activity of A74DME and exploratory molecule of D32DMBC are −8.1[Formula: see text]kJ/mole and −8.4[Formula: see text]kJ/mole correspondingly. The computational effect of Hirshfeld portrays the internal/external fields as well as the electron higher/lower profile in the shape index proviso for optical utility identification and proper electronic utility.