High affinity interaction of Solanum tuberosum and Brassica juncea residue smoke water compounds with proteins involved in coronavirus infection

Untargeted metabolomics-based identification of bioactive compounds from Mangifera indica L. seed extracts in drug discovery through molecular docking and assessment of their anticancer potential

BACKGROUND

Mangifera indica L. (mango), a medicinal plant rich in biologically active compounds, has potential to be used in disease-preventing and health-promoting products. The present investigation reveals and uncovers bioactive metabolites with remarkable therapeutic efficiency from mango (family: Anacardiaceae) seeds.

RESULTS

Biological activity was determined by antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer assays, and metabolite profiling was performed on gas chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF-MS) and liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) platforms. Validation of active metabolites was carried out by in silico molecular docking (Molinspiration Cheminformatics Server and PASS). Extracted and identified metabolites were screened; 54 compounds associated with various groups were selected for the in silico interaction study.

CONCLUSIONS

Molecular docking revealed lead molecules with a potential binding energy score, efficacy and stable modulation with a selected protein domain. Investigation, directed by in vitro and in silico analysis, confirms mango seeds as an excellent source of potential metabolites as a therapeutic agent. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

The Extraction, Determination, and Bioactivity of Curcumenol: A Comprehensive Review

Curcuma wenyujin is a member of the Curcuma zedoaria (zedoary, Zingiberaceae) family, which has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) due to its abundant biologically active constituents. Curcumenol, a component of Curcuma wenyujin, has several biological activities. At present, despite different pharmacological activities being reported, the clinical usage of curcumenol remains under investigation. To further determine the characteristics of curcumenol, the extraction, determination, and bioactivity of the compound are summarized in this review. Existing research has reported that curcumenol exerts different pharmacological effects in regard to a variety of diseases, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bactericidal, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer activity, and also ameliorates osteoporosis. This review of curcumenol provides a theoretical basis for further research and clinical applications.

Phytochemical characterization of Typha domingensis and the assessment of therapeutic potential using in vitro and in vivo biological activities and in silico studies

Typha domingensis, a medicinal plant with significant traditional importance for curing various human diseases, has potentially bioactive compounds but was less explored previously. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the therapeutic potential of T. domingensis by evaluating the phytochemical profile through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques and its biological activities (in vitro and in vivo) from the methanolic extract derived from the entire plant (TDME). The secondary metabolite profile of TDME regulated by reverse phase ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (RP-UHPLC-MS) revealed some bioactive compounds by -ve and +ve modes of ionization. The HPLC quantification study showed the precise quantity of polyphenols (p-coumaric acid, 207.47; gallic acid, 96.25; and kaempferol, 95.78 μg/g extract). The enzyme inhibition assays revealed the IC50 of TDME as 44.75 ± 0.51, 52.71 ± 0.01, and 67.19 ± 0.68 µgmL-1, which were significant compared to their respective standards (indomethacin, 18.03 ± 0.12; quercetin, 4.11 ± 0.01; and thiourea, 8.97 ± 0.11) for lipoxygenase, α-glucosidase, and urease, respectively. Safety was assessed by in vitro hemolysis (4.25% ± 0.16% compared to triton × 100, 93.51% ± 0.36%), which was further confirmed (up to 10 g/kg) by an in vivo model of rats. TDME demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) potential in analgesic activity by hot plate and tail immersion tests and anti-inflammatory activity by the carrageenan-induced hind paw edema model. Pain latency decreased significantly, and the anti-inflammatory effect increased in a dose-dependent way. Additionally, in silico molecular docking revealed that 1,3,4,5-tetracaffeoylquinic acid and formononetin 7-O-glucoside-6″-O-malonate possibly contribute to enzyme inhibitory activities due to their higher binding affinities compared to standard inhibitors. An in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicological study also predicted the pharmacokinetics and safety of the chosen compounds identified from TDME. To sum up, it was shown that TDME contains bioactive chemicals and has strong biological activities. The current investigations on T. domingensis could be extended to explore its potential applications in nutraceutical industries and encourage the isolation of novel molecules with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

Bioactive compounds as potential angiotensin-converting enzyme II inhibitors against COVID-19: a scoping review

Objective and design

The current study aimed to summarize the evidence of compounds contained in plant species with the ability to block the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-II), through a scoping review.

Methods

PubMed and Scopus electronic databases were used for the systematic search and a manual search was performed

Results

Studies included were characterized as in silico. Among the 200 studies retrieved, 139 studies listed after the exclusion of duplicates and 74 were included for the full read. Among them, 32 studies were considered eligible for the qualitative synthesis. The most evaluated class of secondary metabolites was flavonoids with quercetin and curcumin as most actives substances and terpenes (isothymol, limonin, curcumenol, anabsinthin, and artemisinin). Other classes that were also evaluated were alkaloid, saponin, quinone, substances found in essential oils, and primary metabolites as the aminoacid l-tyrosine and the lipidic compound 2-monolinolenin.

Conclusion

This review suggests the most active substance from each class of metabolites, which presented the strongest affinity to the ACE-II receptor, what contributes as a basis for choosing compounds and directing the further experimental and clinical investigation on the applications these compounds in biotechnological and health processes as in COVID-19 pandemic.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00011-022-01642-7.

Potential plants for inflammatory dysfunction in the SARS-CoV-2 infection

The inflammatory process is a biological response of the organism to remove injurious stimuli and initiate homeostasis. It has been recognized as a key player in the most severe forms of SARS-CoV-2, characterized by significantly increased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, the so-called "cytokine storm" that appears to play a pivotal role in this disease. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to select clinical trials with anti-inflammatory plants and relate the activity of these plants to inflammatory markers of SARS-CoV-2 infection. PRISMA guidelines are followed, and studies of interest are indexed in PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov databases. As a result, 32 clinical trials encompassing 22 plants were selected. The main anti-inflammatory mechanisms described in the studies are the inhibition of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, TNF-a, IFN-γ, and IL-1; decreased CRP and oxidative marker levels; increased endogenous antioxidant levels; modulation of cardiovascular risk markers. The data found are not directly related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, they provide possibilities for new studies as plants have a wide array of phytochemicals, and detecting which ones are responsible for anti-inflammatory effects can provide invaluable contribution to studies aiming to evaluate efficacy in scenarios of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Molecular Modeling Targeting Transmembrane Serine Protease 2 (TMPRSS2) as an Alternative Drug Target Against Coronaviruses

Since November 2019, the new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the etiological agent SARS-CoV-2 has been responsible for several cases worldwide, becoming pandemic in March 2020. Pharmaceutical industries and academics have joined their efforts to discover new therapies to control the disease, since there are no specific drugs to combat this emerging virus. Thus, several targets have been explored, among them the transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) has gained greater interest in the scientific community. In this context, this review will describe the importance of TMPRSS2 protease and the significant advances in virtual screening focused on discovering new inhibitors. In this review, it was observed that molecular modeling methods could be powerful tools in identifying new molecules against SARS-CoV-2. Thus, this review could be used to guide researchers worldwide to explore the biological and clinical potential of compounds that could be promising drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2, acting by inhibition of TMPRSS2 protein.

An epigenome-wide DNA methylation study of patients with COVID-19

In the early 2000s, emerging SARS‐CoV‐2, which is highly pathogenic, posed a great threat to public health. During COVID‐19, epigenetic regulation is deemed to be an important part of the pathophysiology and illness severity. Using the Illumina Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip (850 K), we investigated genome‐wide differences in DNA methylation between healthy subjects and COVID‐19 patients with different disease severities. We conducted a combined analysis and selected 35 “marker” genes that could indicate a SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, including 12 (ATHL1, CHN2, CHST15, CPLX2, CRHR2, DCAKD, GNAI2, HECW1, HYAL1, MIR510, PDE11A, and SMG6) situated in the promoter region. The functions and pathways of differentially methylated genes were enriched in biological processes, signal transduction, and the immune system. In the “Severe versus Mild” group, differentially methylated genes, after eliminating duplicates, were used for PPI analyses. The four hub genes (GNG7, GNAS, PRKCZ, and PRKAG2) that had the highest degree of nodes were identified and among them, GNG7 and GNAS genes expressions were also downregulated in the severe group in sequencing results. Above all, the results suggest that GNG7 and GNAS may play a non‐ignorable role in the progression of COVID‐19. In conclusion, the identified key genes and related pathways in the current study can be used to study the molecular mechanisms of COVID‐19 and may provide possibilities for specific treatments.

High affinity interaction of Solanum tuberosum and Brassica juncea residue smoke water compounds with proteins involved in coronavirus infection

The world is in an immediate need of treatment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Chronic exposure of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 may have multiple adverse effects on human physiology, such as cardiac arrhythmias. Natural compounds need to be evaluated as treatment and preventive agents in coronavirus infection. A total of 30 compounds of Solanum tuberosum and Brassica juncea residue smoke water were selected for the virtual screening against SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 and cellular proteins involved in the mechanism of infection. Docking analysis identified lead molecules with favorable binding energy, number of poses and hydrogen bond interactions, which indicates the effective modulation of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 receptors. Results indicated (a) curcumenol, (b) N-desmethylselegiline, (c) phentermine and (d) sphingolipid derivatives as a selective and potent candidates in comparison to hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment. Our in silico findings, therefore, warrant further in vitro validations of the selected compounds for the discovery of novel preventive and therapeutic drug against SARS-CoV-2 infection.