Synthesis of alkylsulfonyl and substituted benzenesulfonyl curcumin mimics as dual antagonist of L-type Ca(2+) channel and endothelin A/B2 receptor

Benefits of Curcumin in the Vasculature: A Therapeutic Candidate for Vascular Remodeling in Arterial Hypertension and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension?

Growing evidence suggests that hypertension is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality since uncontrolled high blood pressure increases the risk of myocardial infarction, aortic dissection, hemorrhagic stroke, and chronic kidney disease. Impaired vascular homeostasis plays a critical role in the development of hypertension-induced vascular remodeling. Abnormal behaviors of vascular cells are not only a pathological hallmark of hypertensive vascular remodeling, but also an important pathological basis for maintaining reduced vascular compliance in hypertension. Targeting vascular remodeling represents a novel therapeutic approach in hypertension and its cardiovascular complications. Phytochemicals are emerging as candidates with therapeutic effects on numerous pathologies, including hypertension. An increasing number of studies have found that curcumin, a polyphenolic compound derived from dietary spice turmeric, holds a broad spectrum of pharmacological actions, such as antiplatelet, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiangiogenic effects. Curcumin has been shown to prevent or treat vascular remodeling in hypertensive rodents by modulating various signaling pathways. In the present review, we attempt to focus on the current findings and molecular mechanisms of curcumin in the treatment of hypertensive vascular remodeling. In particular, adverse and inconsistent effects of curcumin, as well as some favorable pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics profiles in arterial hypertension will be discussed. Moreover, the recent progress in the preparation of nano-curcumins and their therapeutic potential in hypertension will be briefly recapped. The future research directions and challenges of curcumin in hypertension-related vascular remodeling are also proposed. It is foreseeable that curcumin is likely to be a therapeutic agent for hypertension and vascular remodeling going forwards.

Topological and system-level protein interaction network (PIN) analyses to deduce molecular mechanism of curcumin

Curcumin is an important bioactive component of turmeric and also one of the important natural products, which has been investigated extensively. The precise mode of action of curcumin and its impact on system level protein networks are still not well studied. To identify the curcumin governed regulatory action on protein interaction network (PIN), an interectome was created based on 788 key proteins, extracted from PubMed literatures, and constructed by using STRING and Cytoscape programs. The PIN rewired by curcumin was a scale-free, extremely linked biological system. MCODE plug-in was used for sub-modulization analysis, wherein we identified 25 modules; ClueGo plug-in was used for the pathway’s enrichment analysis, wherein 37 enriched signalling pathways were obtained. Most of them were associated with human diseases groups, particularly carcinogenesis, inflammation, and infectious diseases. Finally, the analysis of topological characteristic like bottleneck, degree, GO term/pathways analysis, bio-kinetics simulation, molecular docking, and dynamics studies were performed for the selection of key regulatory proteins of curcumin-rewired PIN. The current findings deduce a precise molecular mechanism that curcumin might exert in the system. This comprehensive in-silico study will help to understand how curcumin induces its anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial effects in the human body.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of isochroman-4-one hybrids bearing piperazine moiety as antihypertensive agent candidates

7,8-Dihydroxy-3-methyl-isochromanone-4 (XJP), is a polyphenolic natural product with moderate antihypertensive activity. To obtain new agents with stronger potency and safer profile, we employed XJP and naftopidil as the lead compounds to design and synthesize a novel class of hybrids as antihypertensive agent candidates. In the present study, a series of hybrids (6a-r) of XJP bearing arylpiperazine moiety, which is identified as the pharmacophore of naftopidil, were designed and synthesized as novel α₁-adrenergic receptor antagonists. The biological evaluation showed that target compounds 6c, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6m and 6q possessed potent in vitro vasodilation potency and α₁-adrenergic receptor antagonistic activity. Furthermore, the most potent compound 6e significantly reduced the systolic and diastolic blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), which was comparable to that of naftopidil, and it had no observable effects on the basal heart rate, suggesting that 6e deserves to be further investigated as a potential clinical candidate for the treatment of hypertension.

Effects of curcumin on ion channels and pumps: A review

Curcumin, an orange-yellow lipophilic polyphenolic molecule, is the active component of Curcuma longa, which is extensively used as a spice in most of the Asian countries. This natural compound is able to interact with a large number of molecular structures like proteins, enzymes, lipids, DNA, RNA, transporter molecules, and ion channels. It has been reported to possess several biological effects such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiangiogenic, antimutagenic, and antiplatelet aggregation properties. These beneficial effects of curcumin are because of its extraordinary chemical interactions such as extensive hydrogen and covalent bonding, metal chelation, and so on. Therefore, the aim of this review was to outline the evidence in which curcumin could affect different types of ion channels and ion channel-related diseases, and also to elucidate basic molecular mechanisms behind it. © 2019 IUBMB Life, 2019.

Endothelium-independent and calcium channel-dependent relaxation of the porcine cerebral artery by different species and strains of turmeric

Objective

To clarify the underlying mechanism of turmeric, which is traditionally used as a medicinal plant for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders, such as hypertension, and palpitations.

Methods

Methanol extracts of different turmeric were used. A tissue-organ-bath system was used to investigate the vasoactive effects of methanol extracts from 5 kinds of turmeric on isolated porcine basilar arteries. The arterial rings were suspended in physiological solution that was maintained at 37 °C temperature with a continuous supply of 95% O₂ and 5% CO₂.

Results

All turmeric extracts (20–800 μg/mL) induced concentration-dependent relaxation of the isolated porcine basilar artery pre-contracted with U46619 (1-5 × 10⁻⁹ M) in arterial rings with or without endothelium. There were no significant differences in the relaxation induced by different turmeric or between the endothelium-intact and denuded arteries. In depolarized, Ca²⁺-free medium, the turmeric extracts inhibited CaCl₂-induced contractions and caused a concentration-dependent rightward shift of the response curves. In addition, propranolol (a non-specific β-adrenoceptor antagonist) slightly inhibited the relaxation induced by turmeric. In contrast, Nω-nitro-l-arginine, indomethacin, tetraethylammonium, glibenclamide and 4-aminopyridine did not affect turmeric-induced relaxation.

Conclusion

These results demonstrated that turmeric induced endothelium-independent relaxation of the porcine basilar artery, which may be due to the inhibition of extracellular and intracellular Ca²⁺ receptors and the partial inhibition of β-adrenergic receptors in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Biological activities of curcuminoids, other biomolecules from turmeric and their derivatives - A review

In recent years, several drugs have been developed deriving from traditional products and current drug research is actively investigating the possible therapeutic roles of many Ayruvedic and Traditional Indian medicinal therapies. Among those being investigated is Turmeric. Its most important active ingredient is curcuminoids. Curcuminoids are phenolic compounds commonly used as a spice, pigment and additive also utilized as a therapeutic agent used in several foods. Comprehensive research over the last century has revealed several important functions of curcuminoids. Various preclinical cell culture and animals studies suggest that curcuminoids have extensive biological activity as an antioxidant, neuroprotective, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-acidogenic, radioprotective and arthritis. Different clinical trials also suggest a potential therapeutic role for curcuminoids in numerous chronic diseases such as colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases. The aim of this review is to summarize the chemistry, analog, metal complex, formulations of curcuminoids and their biological activities.