Data mining using template-based molecular docking on tetrahydroimidazo-[4,5,1-jk][1,4]-benzodiazepinone (TIBO) derivatives as HIV-1RT inhibitors

Predictions of Drug-Protein Interactions and Study of Magnetically Assisted Release Dynamics of 5-Fluorouracil from Soya Protein-Coated Iron Oxide Core-Shell Nanoparticles

In silico studies were performed using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to explore the efficacy of template docking and facilitate designing of drug nanocarrier systems. The binding of human uridine phosphorylase (huPP1) with 5-FU was found to show the following interactions: (1) hydrogen bonds were alleviated by a network of GLN217 and ARG219, (2) hydrophobic interactions were shown by PHE213, THR141, LEU272, and ILE281 (3) positive electrostatic interactions were shown by PHE213, THR141, LEU272, SER142, GLU248, and GLY143. As an experimental supplementation and validation to the adopted computational approach, 5- FU-loaded soya protein-coated iron oxide (SPCIO) core-shell nanoparticles were prepared following microemulsion and co-precipitation techniques and subsequently characterized by FTIR, particle size and zeta potential studies, TEM, XRD, and DSC techniques. Whereas the FTIR spectra confirm the presence of the soya protein and drug 5-FU in the nanoparticles, the zeta potential was found to be suppressed due to the loading of 5-FU. The XRD study confirmed the crystalline nature of the drug-loaded nanoparticles. TEM analysis suggested that the nanoparticles have sizes up to 200 nm and the morphology and size remain almost the same even after loading of the drug 5-FU onto nanoparticles. The soya protein-coated iron oxide nanoparticles demonstrated zero cytotoxicity against fibroblast cells. The controlled release of 5-FU was studied in vitro, and the effects of pH, chemical composition of nanoparticles, extent of drug loading, and simulated biofluids on the controlled release of 5-FU were studied. The swelling of nanoparticles and release of 5-FU were found to increase with increasing strength of the externally applied magnetic field.

Insights into designing the dual-targeted HER2/HSP90 inhibitors

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are two key cancer markers actively involved in several signal pathways for cancer cell growth. In this study, we focused on the designing of dual-targeted HSP and HER2 inhibitors. Comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA), and pharmacophore analysis were employed for generating the activity prediction models. The results of CoMFA model showed highly predictive r(2) value with 0.922 and 0.885 in HSP90 and HER2, respectively. In CoMSIA model, the r(2) values were 0.967 and 0.936 in HSP90 and HER2, respectively. The contour maps of both targets showed that there were similar regions of bulky favored area. Additionally, the Hypogen results for HER2 showed high cost difference as 59.13 and r-value as 0.909. At the C2 position of the benzene ring, the HER2 model favored steric bulkier substitutes more than HSP90. The Hypogen results for HSP90 also showed reliable values in cost difference, 85.82 and r-value, 0.902. Overall, we investigated the significances of QSAR models and pharmacophore features for designing the HER2/HSP90 dual-targeted inhibitors.

Therapeutic strategies underpinning the development of novel techniques for the treatment of HIV infection

The HIV replication cycle offers multiple targets for chemotherapeutic intervention, including the viral exterior envelope glycoprotein, gp120; viral co-receptors CXCR4 and CCR5; transmembrane glycoprotein, gp41; integrase; reverse transcriptase; protease and so on. Most currently used anti-HIV drugs are reverse transcriptase inhibitors or protease inhibitors. The expanding application of simulation to drug design combined with experimental techniques have developed a large amount of novel inhibitors that interact specifically with targets besides transcriptase and protease. This review presents details of the anti-HIV inhibitors discovered with computer-aided approaches and provides an overview of the recent five-year achievements in the treatment of HIV infection and the application of computational methods to current drug design.