Gene ontology enrichment analysis of α-amylase inhibitors from Duranta repens in diabetes mellitus

Molecular docking and network pharmacology study on active compounds of Cyprus rotundus for the treatment of diabetes mellitus

Background

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a complex metabolic disorder with increasing global prevalence, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic strategies. Cyprus rotundus, a medicinal plant with a long history of traditional use, has shown promising potential in managing DM.

Aim of the study

This study aims to elucidate the mechanism of action of active components of C. rotundus in managing DM using a combination of network pharmacology and molecular docking approaches.

Materials and methods

The active compounds of C. rotundus were identified through IMPPAT and CHEBI database mining. Subsequently, compound-target are taken from swiss target prediction and SEA. Collection of DM-related targets is done through DisGeNET and TTD database. After identifying both the targets, common targets were evaluated through venny 2.1.0. by constructing venn diagram. To elucidate the potential targets of these compounds, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed by utilizing STRING database. Through network analysis, we identified key targets and pathways involved in the pathogenesis of DM and targeted by the active components of C. rotundus. Furthermore, molecular docking was performed to explore the binding affinity and interactions between the active compounds and their target proteins.

Results

This, reveal that the 12 active components of C. rotundus exert their therapeutic effects on DM through multiple mechanisms, there are 141 common target genes between C. rotundus and DM. Enrichment of the KEGG pathway mainly involves in the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, Type II DM pathway. Top 10 genes were regulated by C. rotundus in DM, including MMP9, PTGS2, CASP3, CD4, EGFR, STAT3, PPARG, AKT1, NFKB1 and MAPK3. Molecular docking analysis further validates the strong binding affinity between the active compounds and their target proteins, providing insights into their mode of action at the molecular level.

Conclusions

This study provides a systematic understanding of the mechanism of action of C. rotundus in managing DM, offering a basis for further experimental validation and drug development.

Review on the pharmacological effects and pharmacokinetics of scutellarein

Scutellarein is a flavonoid from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi that has been shown to have a variety of pharmacological activities. This review aims to summarize the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic studies on scutellarein and provide useful information for relevant scholars. Pharmacological studies indicate that scutellarein possesses a diverse range of pharmacological properties, including but not limited to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, neuroprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anticancer, and cardiovascular protective effects. Further investigation reveals that the pharmacological effects of scutellarein are driven by multiple mechanisms. These mechanisms encompass the scavenging of free radicals, inhibition of the activation of inflammatory signaling pathways and expression of inflammatory mediators, inhibition of the activity of crucial viral proteins, suppression of gluconeogenesis, amelioration of insulin resistance, improvement of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, induction of apoptosis in cancer cells, and prevention of myocardial hypertrophy, among others. In summary, these pharmacological studies suggest that scutellarein holds promise for the treatment of various diseases. It is imperative to conduct clinical studies to further elucidate the therapeutic effects of scutellarein. However, it is worth noting that studies on the pharmacokinetics reveal an inhibitory effect of scutellarein on uridine 5'-diphosphate glucuronide transferases and cytochrome P450 enzymes, potentially posing safety risks.

Network pharmacology based anti-diabetic attributes of bioactive compounds from Ocimum gratissimum L. through computational approach

The present research was framed to determine the key compounds present in the plant Ocimum gratissimum L. targeting protein molecules of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) by employing In-silico approaches. Phytochemicals previously reported to be present in this herb were collated through literature survey and public phytochemical databases, and their probable targets were anticipated using BindingDB (p ≥ 0.7). STRING and KEGG pathway databases were employed for pathway enrichment analysis. Homology modelling was executed to elucidate the structures of therapeutic targets. Further, Phytocompounds from O. gratissimum were subjected for docking with four therapeutic targets of DM by using AutoDock vina through POAP pipeline implementation. 30 compounds were predicted to target 136 protein molecules including aldose reductase, DPP4, alpha-amylase, and alpha-glucosidase. Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, MAPK, PI3K-Akt, starch and insulin resistance were predicted to have potentially modulation by phytocompounds. Based on the phytocompound's binding score with the four targets of DM, Rutin scored the lowest binding energy (-11 kcal/mol) with Aldose reductase by forming 17 intermolecular interactions. In conclusion, based on the network and binding score, phytocompounds from O. gratissimum have a synergistic and considerable effect in the management of DM via multi-compound, multi-target, and multi-pathway mechanisms.

Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology in the Exploration of the Multi-Targeted Therapeutic Approach of Traditional Medicinal Plants

Metabolomic is generally characterized as a comprehensive and the most copious analytical technique for the identification of targeted and untargeted metabolite diversity in a biological system. Recently, it has exponentially been used for phytochemical analysis and variability among plant metabolites, followed by chemometric analysis. Network pharmacology analysis is a computational technique used for the determination of multi-mechanistic and therapeutic evaluation of chemicals via interaction with the genomes involved in targeted or untargeted diseases. In considering the facts, the present review aims to explore the role of metabolomics and network pharmacology in the scientific validation of therapeutic claims as well as to evaluate the multi-targeted therapeutic approach of traditional Indian medicinal plants. The data was collected from different electronic scientific databases such as Google Scholar, Science Direct, ACS publication, PubMed, Springer, etc., using different keywords such as metabolomics, techniques used in metabolomics, chemometric analysis, a bioinformatic tool for drug discovery and development, network pharmacology, methodology and its role in biological evaluation of chemicals, etc. The screened articles were gathered and evaluated by different experts for their exclusion and inclusion in the final draft of the manuscript. The review findings suggest that metabolomics is one of the recent most precious and effective techniques for metabolite identification in the plant matrix. Various chemometric techniques are copiously used for metabolites discrimination analysis hence validating the unique characteristic of herbal medicines and their derived products concerning their authenticity. Network pharmacology remains the only option for the unique and effective analysis of hundreds of chemicals or metabolites via genomic interaction and thus validating the multi-mechanistic and therapeutic approach to explore the pharmacological aspects of herbal medicines for the management of the disease.

GLUT-2 mediated glucose uptake analysis of Duranta repens: In-silico and In-vitro approach

Background

Type-2 diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance, a relative impairment in insulin secretion, and a certain degree of genetic predisposition. The rapid rise in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus around the world has assisted in the development of new pharmacologically active compounds. The current study was aimed to investigate and validate the anti-diabetic activity of wild-grown plant Duranta repens L.

Material and methods

In-silico molecular docking via AutoDock tools 4.2 and in-vitro glucose uptake assay using yeast cells was performed to investigate the anti-diabetic property of plant Duranta repens. Further, mRNA-based gene ontology enrichment analysis was performed to predict the imitated ontology by the bio-actives from Duranta repens.

Results

The in-silico study results reveal that among the 9 active phytoconstituents docked against GLUT-2 protein, α-onocerin possessed the highest binding affinity of -10.23 kcal/mol with no predicted adverse effects and also complies with Lipinski's rule of five. Also, in-vitro studies reflected in a 5 mM glucose solution, hydro-alcoholic extract of Duranta repens at different concentrations enhanced glucose uptake in yeast cells.

Conclusion

Duranta repens extract enhanced the glucose uptake in yeast cells which may be due to the presence of α-onocerin; possessed the better interaction. Also, no adverse effects were predicted for α-onocerin. Thus, it can be speculated  that Duranta repens may possess anti-diabetic activity which may be due to α-onocerin and other related bioactives; needs to be further confirmed vi a  experimental studies.

Anti-diabetic potential of Corn silk (Stigma maydis): An in-silico approach

Corn silk is known to possess anti-diabetic activity, the current study is aimed to predict the binding affinity of bio-actives from corn silk against targets involved in diabetes mellitus i.e. Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1-B (PTP1B), Glucose Transporter-1 (GLUT1), Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP4), α-glucosidase, and α-amylase. The 3D molecular structure of bio-actives was retrieved from the PubChem database and the structure of targets was retrieved from protein data bank. Later, hetero atoms were removed using Discovery studio visualizer 2019. Molecular docking was performed using Autodock4.0. Ten different poses were obtained from which the pose possessing the highest binding affinity was visualized for protein-ligand interaction in Discovery studio visualizer 2019. Twenty-six bio-actives were docked against five different targets i.e. PTPN1B, GLUT1, DPP4, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase from which flavones were found to possess the highest binding affinity towards PTPN1B with a binding energy of -8.5 kcal/mol. Similarly, β-carotene, gallotannins, 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and stigmasterol were predicted to possess the highest binding affinity towards GLUT1, DPP4, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase with binding energy -11.1 kcal/mol, -10.7 kcal/mol, -8.9 kcal/mol, and -9.8 kcal/mol respectively. Our study screened the anti-diabetic potential of 26 bio-actives towards five different diabetic proteins indicating a possibility of bio-actives from corn silk to possess anti-diabetic potential which needs to be further validated via experimental protocols; this serves as a future scope as well as lacuna for the present study. Thus, bio-actives from corn silk have anti-diabetic potential and can be used in the future to investigate and develop novel anti-diabetic molecule.

In silico discovery of 3 novel quercetin derivatives against papain-like protease, spike protein, and 3C-like protease of SARS-CoV-2

BACKGROUND

The derivatives of quercetin is known for their immune-modulating antiviral, anti-blood clotting, antioxidant, and also for its anti-inflammatory efficacy. The current study was therefore conducted to examine the noted novel derivatives of quercetin present in plant sources as an immune modulator and as an antiviral molecule in the COVID-19 disease and also to study their affinity of binding with potential three targets reported for coronavirus, i.e., papain-like protease, spike protein receptor-binding domain, and 3C-like protease. Based on the high-positive drug-likeness score, the reported derivatives of quercetin obtained from an open-source database were further filtered. Compounds with positive and high drug-likeness scores were further predicted for their potential targets using DIGEP-Pred software, and STRING was used to evaluate the interaction between modulated proteins. The associated pathways were recorded based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database. Docking was performed finally using PyRx having AutoDock Vina to identify the efficacy of binding between quercetin derivatives with papain-like protease, spike protein receptor-binding domain, and 3C-like protease. The ligand that scored minimum binding energy was chosen to visualize the interaction between protein and ligand. Normal mode analysis in internal coordinates was done with normal mode analysis to evaluate the physical movement and stability of the best protein-ligand complexes using the iMODS server.

RESULTS

Forty bioactive compounds with the highest positive drug-likeness scores were identified. These 40 bioactives were responsible for regulating different pathways associated with antiviral activity and modulation of immunity. Finally, three lead molecules were identified based on the molecular docking and dynamics simulation studies with the highest anti-COVID-19 and immunomodulatory potentials. Standard antiviral drug remdesivir on docking showed a binding affinity of - 5.8 kcal/mol with PLpro, - 6.4 kcal/mol with 3CLpro, and - 8.6 kcal/mol with spike protein receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2, the discovered hit molecules quercetin 3-O-arabinoside 7-O-rhamnoside showed binding affinity of - 8.2 kcal/mol with PLpro, whereas quercetin 3-[rhamnosyl-(1- > 2)-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside] and quercetin-3-neohesperidoside-7-rhamnoside was predicted to have a binding affinity of - 8.5 kcal/mol and - 8.8 kcal/mol with spike protein receptor-binding domain and 3CLpro respectively CONCLUSION: Docking study revealed quercetin 3-O-arabinoside 7-O-rhamnoside to possess the highest binding affinity with papain-like protease, quercetin 3-[rhamnosyl-(1- > 2)-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside] with spike protein receptor-binding domain, and quercetin-3-neohesperidoside-7-rhamnoside with 3C-like protease and all the protein-ligand complexes were found to be stable after performing the normal mode analysis of the complexes in internal coordinates.

System biology-based investigation of Silymarin to trace hepatoprotective effect

Silymarin is used as a hepatoprotective agent since ancient times which could be via its potent anti-oxidant effect. However, the mode of silymarin for the hepatoprotective effect has not been established with the targets involved in hepatic cirrhosis. The present study investigated the multiple interactions of the flavonolignans from Silybum marianum with targets involved in hepatic cirrhosis using a series of system biology approaches. Chemo-informative tools and databases i.e. DIGEP-Pred and DisGeNET were used to predict the targets of flavonolignans and proteins involved in liver cirrhosis respectively. Further, STRING was used to enrich the protein-protein interaction for the flavonolignans-modulated targets. Similarly, molecular docking was performed using AutoDock Vina. Additionally, molecular dynamics simulation and MM-PBSA calculations were carried out for the lead-hit complexes by GROMACS. Thirteen flavonolignans were identified from S. marianum, in which silymonin exhibited the highest drug-likeness score i.e. 1.09. Similarly, CTNNB1 was found to be regulated by the 12 different flavonolignans and was majorly expressed within the compound(s)-protein(s)-pathway(s) network. Further, silymonin had the highest binding affinity; binding energy -9.2 kcal/mol with the CTNNB1 and formed very stable hydrogen bond interactions with Arg332, Ser336, Lys371, and Arg475 throughout 100 ns molecular dynamic production run. The binding free energy of CTNNB1-silymonin complex was found to be -15.83 ± 2.71 kcal/mol. The hepatoprotective property of S. marianum may be due to the presence of silymonin and silychristin; this could majorly modulate CTNNB1, HMOX1, and CASP8 in combination with other flavonolignans. Our findings further suggest designing the in-vitro and in-vivo studies to validate the interaction of flavonolignans with identified targets to strengthen present findings of S. marianum as a hepatoprotective..

Cyperus rotundus L. reverses the olanzapine-induced weight gain and metabolic changes-outcomes from network and experimental pharmacology

Cyperus rotundus L. is used to treat multiple clinical conditions like inflammation, diarrhea, pyrosis, and metabolic disorders including diabetes and obesity. The present study aimed to predict the interaction of reported bioactives from Cyperus rotundus against obesity via network pharmacology and to evaluate the efficacy of hydroalcoholic extract of Cyperus rotundus against the olanzapine-induced weight gain and metabolic disturbances in experimental animals. Reported phytochemicals of Cyperus rotundus were retrieved from the open-source database(s) and published literature and their targets were predicted using SwissTargetPrediction, enriched in STRING, and bioactives-proteins-pathways network was constructed using Cytoscape. Further, the hydroalcoholic extract of Cyperus rotundus (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg/day, p.o.) was co-administered with olanzapine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) for 21 days in Sprague Dawley rats. During treatment, body weight and food intake were recorded; after the successful completion of 21 days of treatment, animals were fasted to perform oral glucose and insulin tolerance tests. Further, the animals were euthanized; blood and abdominal fat were collected for lipid profiling and histopathological examination respectively. Herein, network pharmacology predicted neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction as a primarily modulated pathway and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1b as a majorly triggered protein via the combined action of bioactives. Further, Cyperus rotundus significantly reversed weight gain, cumulative food intake, ameliorated the lipid and glucose metabolism, and promoted energy expenditure.

Identification of α-amylase inhibitors from flavonoid fraction of Feronia elephantum and its integration with in-silico studies

Postprandial hyperglycemia is associated with an increase in blood glucose levels after a meal, which is further associated with various risk factors like cardiovascular diseases. α-amylase is a digestive enzyme and secreted by the salivary glands and pancreas, which helps to catalyze the hydrolysis of the internal α-1,4-glycosidic linkages in starch breaking them into smaller units. Hence, the present study is aimed to identify flavonoids from the fruit pulp of Feronia elephantum as α-amylase inhibitors via in-silico and in-vitro protocols. In-silico tools like ADVERPred, PubChem, MolSoft, Discovery studio 2019, and Autodock 4.0 were used to predict the information related to phytoconstituents, drug-likeness character, and probable side effects. In-vitro α-amylase inhibitory activity was performed with five different concentrations of flavonoid fraction of hydroalcoholic extract of the fruit pulp of Feronia elephantum using 1% starch solution and DNS reagent. Four flavonoids were identified from 25 bio-actives present in the fruit pulp of Feronia elephantum. Three bio-actives were predicted to possess a positive drug-likeness score, from which 5,4-dihydroxy3-3(3-methyl-but2-enyl)3,5,6-trimethoxy-flavone-7-O-β-d-Glucopyranoside was predicted to possess the highest drug-likeness score of 0.70. Vitexin and 5,4-dihydroxy3-3(3-methyl-but2-enyl)3,5,6-trimethoxy-flavone-7-O-β-d-Glucopyranoside were predicted to possess nephrotoxicity as an adverse effect. The percent inhibition of α-amylase by a flavonoid-rich fraction at 100 μg/ml was found to be 45.95% as compared to standard acarbose with 74.79% inhibition at 100 μg/ml. Further, docking studies predicted that vitexin possessed the highest binding affinity (binding energy - 7.98 kcal/mol) as compared to standard acarbose with binding energy - 5.24 kcal/mol. There were no significant side effects predicted, in-vitro α-amylase inhibitory activity of the flavonoid-rich fraction may be due to the presence of vitexin, predicted via in-silico molecular docking; further, which needs to be further validated via in-vivo protocols.

Gene set enrichment analysis of PPAR-γ regulators from Murraya odorata Blanco

BACKGROUND

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) is reported to regulate insulin sensitivity and progression of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Hence the present study is aimed to identify PPAR-γ regulators from Murraya odorata Blanco and predict their role to manage T2DM.

METHODS

Multiple in-silico tools and databases like SwissTargetPrediction, ADVERPred, PubChem, and MolSoft, were used to retrieve the information related to bioactives, targets, druglikeness character, and probable side effects as applicable. Similarly, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database was used to identify the regulated pathways. Further, the bioactives-protein-pathways network interaction was constructed using Cytoscape. Finally, molecular docking was performed using Autodock4.

RESULTS

Twenty-five bioactives were shortlisted in which six were predicted as PPAR-γ modulators. Among them, stigmasterol was predicted to possess the best binding affinity towards PPAR-γ and possessed no side effects. Similarly, n-hexadecanoic acid was predicted to modulate the highest number of proteins, and protein CD14 was targeted by the highest number of bioactives. Further, the PI3K-Akt pathway was predicted as the maximum modulated genes.

CONCLUSIONS

The anti-diabetic property of the Murraya odorata Blanco of fruit pulp may be due to the presence of n-hexadecanoic acid and stigmasterol; may also involve in the regulation of the PI3K-Akt pathway which needs further investigated by in-vitro and in-vivo protocols.

Luffa cylindrica: a promising herbal treatment in progesterone induced obesity in mice

OBJECTIVE

The present study investigates the anti-obesity activity of Luffa cylindrica in progesterone induced obesity model.

METHOD

Swiss albino mice were grouped into 7 (n = 6). Obesity was induced by administration of progesterone (10 mg/kg s.c.) for 28 days. Normal group received ad libitum and water. Disease control, positive control and treatment groups received progesterone (10 mg/kg s.c.). Further positive control group received Orlistat (10 mg/kg p.o). Treatment groups received hydro-alcoholic and fractionation extract of Luffa cylindrica at doses 400, 200, 100 mg/kg b.w. Food and water intake were recorded daily, Body weight, BMI and blood glucose were checked weekly. On completion of the study, animals were sacrificed and blood serum being utilized to accesses in vitro to estimate the various biochemical parameters. Serotonin levels and antioxidant biomarkers were also estimated. Histopathology of liver and adipose tissue was studied.

RESULT

After the 28 days of treatment with plant extract and fraction, it was observed to improve the progestrogen-induced obesity by improving BMI, body weight, brain serotionin, locomotor activity, blood glucose level, anti-oxidant biomarkers, and lipid profile.

CONCLUSION

After assimilating the In vivo and in vitro studies Luffa cylindrical extract highlighted the antilipidemic, anti-hyperglycaemic, antioxidant potential in hormone-induced obesity.

Beneficial effect of Zingiber officinale on olanzapine-induced weight gain and metabolic changes

AIM

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Zingiber officinale (ZO) extract on weight gain, food intake, locomotor activity, and lipid and glucose metabolism in olanzapine-treated rats.

METHODS

The hydroalcoholic extract of ZO was prepared by macerating the coarse dry powder in 70% v/v ethanol for 7 days, filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure. Animals were divided into six groups containing six animals in each. Three doses of extract (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) were co-administered with olanzapine 2 mg/kg i.p for 21 days. Bodyweight and food intake were recorded at the interval of three days and locomotor activity once a week. At the end of the study oral glucose tolerance test was performed followed by the estimation of lipid profile.

RESULTS

Co-administration of hydroalcoholic extract of ZO with olanzapine ameliorated olanzapine-induced weight gain and hyperphagia. Similarly, ZO extract also improved pancreatic β-cell function and glucose and lipid metabolism.

CONCLUSIONS

ZO extract ameliorated olanzapine-induced weight gain and hyperphagia by improving pancreatic β-cell functions and lipid metabolism.

Identification of PTP1B regulators from Cymbopogon citratus and its enrichment analysis for diabetes mellitus

PTP1B is identified as the insulin signaling pathway downregulator; involved in pancreatic β-cell apoptosis. Further, it associates in regulating multiple pathways in diabetes mellitus; kindled us to identify the binding affinity of bioactives from Cymbopogon citratus by targeting PTP1B and identify the probably associated with it; further identifying the probable pathways involved in diabetes mellitus. In this regard, ChEBI database was used to retrieve bio-actives from C. citrates and 3D structures for the same were obtained from the PubChem database. The energy of bioactives was minimized and converted into ligand and the docking was carried using autodock 4.0 against PTP1B. Further, multiple characters of bio-actives like drug-likeness score, ADMET profile, probable adverse effects, and boiled egg model for bioavailability were also studied. Swertiajaponin was predicted for the highest drug-likeness score i.e. 0.26. However, swertiajaponin was predicted with the highest probable side effect of nephrotoxicity with pharmacological activity of 0.478. Similarly, swertiajaponin was predicted for the highest binding affinity with PTP1B with the binding energy of - 8.3 kcal/mol. Likewise, KEGG identified 80 pathways associated with PTP1B modulation in which 7 pathways were involved in diabetes mellitus in which FoxO signaling pathway was predicted to have the least false discovery rate by modulating 7 genes. Swertiajaponin could act as the potent inhibitor of PTP1B; scored highest druglikeness score but possessed minimum GIT absorptivity; further, PTP1B was identified to be linked with multiple pathways that are concerned with diabetes mellitus.

Withanolides from Withania somnifera as an immunity booster and their therapeutic options against COVID-19

Traditionally, Withania somnifera is widely used as an immune booster, anti-viral, and for multiple medicinal purposes. The present study investigated the withanolides as an immune booster and anti-viral agents against the coronavirus-19. Withanolides from Withania somnifera were retrieved from the open-source database, their targets were predicted using DIGEP-Pred, and the protein-protein interaction was evaluated. The drug-likeness score and intestinal absorptivity of each compound were also predicted. The network of compounds, proteins, and modulated pathways was constructed using Cytoscape, and docking was performed using autodock4.0, and selected protein-ligand complexes were subjected to 100 ns Molecular Dynamics simulations. The molecular dynamics trajectories were subjected to free energy calculation by the MM-GBSA method. Withanolide_Q was predicted to modulate the highest number of proteins, showed human intestinal absorption, and was predicted for the highest drug-likeness score. Similarly, combined network interaction identified Withanolide_Q to target the highest number of proteins; RAC1 was majorly targeted, and fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis associated pathway were chiefly regulated. Similarly, Withanolide_D and Withanolide_G were predicted to have a better binding affinity with PLpro, Withanolide_M with 3CLpro, and Withanolide_M with spike protein based on binding energy and number of hydrogen bond interactions. MD studies suggested Withanoside_I with the highest binding free energy (ΔG_bind-31.56 kcal/mol) as the most promising inhibitor. Among multiple withanolides from W. somnifera, Withanolide_D, Withanolide_G, Withanolide_M, and Withanolide_Q were predicted as the lead hits based on drug-likeness score, modulated proteins, and docking score to boost the immune system and inhibit the COVID-19 infection, which could primarily act against COVID-19. HighlightsWithanolides are immunity boosters.Withanolides are a group of bio-actives with potential anti-viral properties.Withanolide_G, Withanolide_I, and Withanolide_M from Withania somnifera showed the highest binding affinity with PLpro, 3CLpro, and spike protein, respectively.Withanolides from Withania somnifera holds promising anti-viral efficacy against COVID-19.Communicated by Vsevolod Makeev.

In silico analysis of phytoconstituents from Tinospora cordifolia with targets related to diabetes and obesity

Traditionally, Tinospora cordifolia is commonly used in the treatment of diabetes and obesity; has been evaluated for their anti-diabetic and anti-obese potency in experimental animal models. However, the binding affinity of multiple bioactives with various proteins involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes and obesity has not been reported yet. Hence, the present study aimed to assess the binding affinity of multiple bioactives from T. cordifolia with various targets involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes and obesity. The ligands and targets were retrieved from the PubChem and Protein Data Bank respectively and docked using autodock4.0. Druglikeness and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity profile were predicted using Molsoft and admetSAR1 respectively. The multiple bioactives from T. cordifolia were identified to interact with multiple proteins involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes/obesity, i.e., isocolumbin (- 9 kcal/mol) with adiponectin (PDB: 4DOU), β-sitosterol (- 10.9 kcal/mol) with cholesteryl ester transfer protein (PDB: 2OBD), tinocordiside (- 6.9 kcal/mol) with lamin A/C (PDB: 3GEF), berberine (- 9.5 kcal/mol) with JNK1 (PDB:3ELJ), β-sitosterol & isocolumbin (- 10.1 kcal/mol) with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PDB:4CI5), berberine (- 7.5 kcal/mol) with suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (PDB: 2BBU), isocolumbin (- 9.6 kcal/mol) with pancreatic α-amylase (PDB: 1B2Y), isocolumbin (- 9 kcal/mol) with α-glucosidase (PDB: 3TOP), and β-sitosterol (- 10.8 kcal/mol) with aldose reductase (PDB: 3RX2). Similarly, among the selected bioactives, tembetarine scored highest druglikeness score, i.e., 1.21. In contrast, isocolumbin scored lowest drug-likeness character i.e. - 0.52. The predicted result of phytochemicals from T. cordifolia for acute oral toxicity, rat acute toxicity, fish toxicity, drug-likeness score, and aqueous solubility showed the probability of lower side/adverse effects in human consumption. The study suggests processing for bioactives from T. cordifolia against diabetes and obesity via in-vitro and in-vivo approaches.

Integration of in silico, in vitro and ex vivo pharmacology to decode the anti-diabetic action of Ficus benghalensis L. bark

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, Ficus benghalensis L. is used to treat metabolic disorders and is also recorded in the Ayurvedic pharmacopeia of India. The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-diabetic property of hydroalcoholic extract/fraction(s) of F. benghalensis L. bark via in silico, in vitro, and ex vivo approach.

METHODS

Enzyme inhibitory activity, glucose uptake in rat hemidiaphragm, and glucose permeability, and adsorption assays were performed using in vitro and ex vivo methods as applicable. Further, the PASS was used to identify the probable lead enzyme inhibitors. The presence of predicted enzyme inhibitors was confirmed via the LC-MS. Similarly, the docking of ligands with respective targets was performed using autodock4.0.

RESULTS

Flavonoids rich fraction possessed the highest α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity followed by maximum efficacy for glucose uptake in rat hemidiaphragm. Similarly, the hydroalcoholic extract showed the highest efficacy to inhibit glucose diffusion. Likewise, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid was predicted for the highest pharmacological activity for α-amylase, ursolic acid for PTP1B, and apigenin for α-glucosidase inhibition respectively. The LC-MS analysis also identified the presence of the above hit molecules in the hydroalcoholic extract.

CONCLUSION

The analogs of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, apigenin, and ursolic acid could be the choice of lead hits as the α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and PTP1B inhibitors respectively. Additionally, the majority of secondary metabolites from the hydroalcoholic extract of F. benghalensis may be involved in enhancing the glucose uptake to support the process of glycogenesis.

Integration of network and experimental pharmacology to decipher the antidiabetic action of Duranta repens L

OBJECTIVE

Duranta repens is reported to contain a wide array of secondary metabolites, including α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors, and - has potent antioxidant activity. The present study evaluated the network pharmacology of D. repens (whole plant) with targets related to diabetes mellitus and assessed its outcome by evaluating the effects of the hydroalcoholic extract of D. repens in streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetes mellitus in rats.

METHODS

Phytoconstituents of D. repens were retrieved from an open-source database and published literature, and their targets were predicted for diabetes mellitus using BindingDB and the therapeutic target database. Protein-protein interaction was predicted using STRING, and pathways involved in diabetes mellitus were identified using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway browser. Druglikeness, ADMET profile (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) and cytotoxicity of compounds modulating proteins involved in diabetes were predicted using MolSoft, admetSAR2.0 and CLC-Pred, respectively. The interaction network among phytoconstituents, proteins and pathways was constructed using Cytoscape, and the docking study was performed using AutoDock4.0. The hydroalcoholic extract of D. repens was evaluated using streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetes mellitus animal model for 28 d, followed by an oral glucose tolerance test. At the end of the study, biochemical parameters like glycogen content, hepatic enzymes, antioxidant biomarkers and lipid profiles were quantified. Further, the liver and pancreas were collected for a histopathology study.

RESULTS

Thirty-six different secondary metabolites from D. repens were identified to regulate thirty-one targets involved in diabetes mellitus, in which protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) was primarily targeted. Enrichment analysis of modulated proteins identified 12 different pathways in diabetic pathogenesis in which the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) signaling pathway was chiefly regulated. The docking study found that durantanin I possessed the highest binding affinity (-8.9 kcal/mol) with PTP1B. Similarly, ADMET profiling showed that the majority of bioactive constituents from D. repens had higher human intestinal absorptivity and minimal cytotoxicity to normal cell lines, than tumor cell lines. Further, an in vivo animal study reflected the efficacy of the hydroalcoholic extract of D. repens to lower the elevated blood glucose level by stimulating insulin secretion, maintaining pancreatic β cell mass, regulating glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and enhancing the glucose uptake in skeletal muscles.

CONCLUSION

The present study reflected the probable network interaction of bioactive constituents from D. repens, their targets and modulated pathways, which identified the prime regulation of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and PTP1B protein. Modulation of PTP1B protein and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway could contribute to enhancing glucose uptake, insulin production and glycolysis and decreasing gluconeogenesis in diabetes, which was evaluated via the experimental study.

Anthraquinone Derivatives as an Immune Booster and their Therapeutic Option Against COVID-19

Anthraquinone derivatives are identified for their immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral efficacy. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the reported anthraquinone derivatives as immune booster molecules in COVID-19 infection and evaluate their binding affinity with three reported targets of novel coronavirus i.e. 3C-like protease, papain-like protease, and spike protein. The reported anthraquinone derivatives were retrieved from an open-source database and filtered based on a positive druglikeness score. Compounds with positive druglikeness scores were predicted for their targets using DIGEP-Pred and the interaction among modulated proteins was evaluated using STRING. Further, the associated pathways were recorded concerning the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database. Finally, the docking was performed using autodock4 to identify the binding efficacy of anthraquinone derivatives with 3C-like protease, papain-like protease, and spike protein. After docking the pose of ligand scoring minimum binding energy was chosen to visualize the ligand-protein interaction. Among 101 bioactives, 36 scored positive druglikeness score and regulated multiple pathways concerned with immune modulation and (non-) infectious diseases. Similarly, docking study revealed torososide B to possess the highest binding affinity with papain-like protease and 3C-like protease and 1,3,6-trihydroxy-2-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone-3-O-(6'-O-acetyl)-β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-glucopyranoside with spike protein.