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Zhou XG, Qiu WQ, Yu L, Pan R, Teng JF, Sang ZP, Law BYK, Zhao Y, Zhang L, Yan L, Tang Y, Sun XL, Wong VKW, Yu CL, Wu JM, Qin DL, Wu AG. Targeting microglial autophagic degradation of the NLRP3 inflammasome for identification of thonningianin A in Alzheimer’s disease. Inflamm Regen 2022; 42:25. [PMID: 35918778 PMCID: PMC9347127 DOI: 10.1186/s41232-022-00209-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated neuroinflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis and development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Microglial autophagic degradation not only decreases the deposits of extracellular Aβ fibrils but also inhibits the activation of NRLP3 inflammasome. Here, we aimed to identify the potent autophagy enhancers from Penthorum chinense Pursh (PCP) that alleviate the pathology of AD via inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome. Methods At first, autophagic activity-guided isolation was performed to identify the autophagy enhancers in PCP. Secondly, the autophagy effect was monitored by detecting LC3 protein expression using Western blotting and the average number of GFP-LC3 puncta per microglial cell using confocal microscopy. Then, the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome was measured by detecting the protein expression and transfected fluorescence intensity of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1, as well as the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Finally, the behavioral performance was evaluated by measuring the paralysis in C. elegans, and the cognitive function was tested by Morris water maze (MWM) in APP/PS1 mice. Results Four ellagitannin flavonoids, including pinocembrin-7-O-[4″,6″-hexahydroxydiphenoyl]-glucoside (PHG), pinocembrin-7-O-[3″-O-galloyl-4″,6″-hexahydroxydiphenoyl]-glucoside (PGHG), thonningianin A (TA), and thonningianin B (TB), were identified to be autophagy enhancers in PCP. Among these, TA exhibited the strongest autophagy induction effect, and the mechanistic study demonstrated that TA activated autophagy via the AMPK/ULK1 and Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathways. In addition, TA effectively promoted the autophagic degradation of NLRP3 inflammasome in Aβ(1–42)-induced microglial cells and ameliorated neuronal damage via autophagy induction. In vivo, TA activated autophagy and improved behavioral symptoms in C. elegans. Furthermore, TA might penetrate the blood-brain barrier and could improve cognitive function and ameliorate the Aβ pathology and the NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated neuroinflammation via the AMPK/ULK1 and Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathways in APP/PS1 mice. Conclusion We identified TA as a potent microglial autophagy enhancer in PCP that promotes the autophagic degradation of the NLRP3 inflammasome to alleviate the pathology of AD via the AMPK/ULK1 and Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathways, which provides novel insights for TA in the treatment of AD. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41232-022-00209-7.
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Ginseng volatile oil prolongs the lifespan and healthspan of Caenorhabditis elegans. Biogerontology 2022; 23:485-497. [PMID: 35939242 PMCID: PMC9358063 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-022-09956-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Ginseng volatile oil (GVO) is one of the main components of ginseng and has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to characterize GVO chemical composition, and 73 volatile components were detected from GVO. Caenorhabditis elegans was used as animal model to further elucidate the antioxidant and anti-aging effects of GVO in vivo. The results suggested that GVO significantly prolonged the lifespan of C. elegans and promoted its health without damaging its reproductive capacity. In addition, GVO increased the antioxidant capacity and survival rate of nematodes after heat shock. Transcriptional sequencing showed that autophagy-related genes atg-4.2, atg-7, lgg-2, and cyd-1 were up-regulated, and superoxide dismutase 1 (sod-1) expression was increased after GVO pretreatment. Considering the role of autophagy and antioxidant in aging, the expression of autophagy substrate P62 protein in BC12921 strain was analyzed and found to decrease by more than 50.00% after treatment with GVO. In addition, the lifespan of SOD-1 mutant nematodes was not significantly different from that of the control group. SOD activity and autophagy were activated, which is a clear expression of hormesis. All these results suggest that GVO prolongs the lifespan and healthspan of C. elegans, and its biological functions may be related to hormesis.
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Orientin Prolongs the Longevity of Caenorhabditis elegans and Postpones the Development of Neurodegenerative Diseases via Nutrition Sensing and Cellular Protective Pathways. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2022; 2022:8878923. [PMID: 35237385 PMCID: PMC8885179 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8878923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Age is the major risk factor for most of the deadliest diseases. Developing small molecule drugs with antiaging effects could improve the health of aged people and retard the onset and progress of aging-associated disorders. Bioactive secondary metabolites from medicinal plants are the main source for development of medication. Orientin is a water-soluble flavonoid monomer compound widely found in many medicinal plants. Orientin inhibits fat production, antioxidation, and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, we explored whether orientin could affect the aging of C. elegans. We found that orientin improved heat, oxidative, and pathogenic stress resistances through activating stress responses, including HSF-1-mediated heat shock response, SKN-1-mediated xenobiotic and oxidation response, mitochondria unfolded responses, endoplasmic unfolded protein response, and increased autophagy activity. Orientin also could activate key regulators of the nutrient sensing pathway, including AMPK and insulin downstream transcription factor FOXO/DAF-16 to further improve the cellular health status. The above effects of orientin reduced the accumulation of toxic proteins (α-synuclein, β-amyloid, and poly-Q) and delayed the onset of neurodegenerative disorders in AD, PD, and HD models of C. elegans and finally increased the longevity and health span of C. elegans. Our results suggest that orientin has promising antiaging effects and could be a potential natural source for developing novel therapeutic drugs for aging and its related diseases.
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Xu Q, Ji Y, Chen M, Shao X. 4-Hydroxyl-oxoisoaporphine, one small molecule as theranostic agent for simultaneous fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy as type II photosensitizer. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2021; 20:501-512. [PMID: 33743176 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-021-00030-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Oxoisoaporphine (OA) is a plant phototoxin isolated from Menispermaceae, however, its weak fluorescence and low water solubility impede it for theranostics. We developed here 4-hydroxyl-oxoisoaporphine (OHOA), which has good singlet oxygen-generating ability (0.06), strong fluorescence (0.72) and improved water solubility. OHOA displays excellent fluorescence for cell imaging and exhibits light-induced cytotoxicity against cancer cell. In vitro model of human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cell proved that singlet oxygen generated by OHOA triggered photosensitized oxidation reactions and exert toxic effect on tumor cells. The MTT assay using HeLa cells verified the low cytotoxicity of OHOA in the dark and high phototoxicity. Confocal experiment indicates that OHOA mainly distributes in mitochondria and western blotting demonstrated that OHOA induces cell apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway in the presence of light. Our molecule provides an alternative choice as a theranostic agent against cancer cells which usually are in conflict with each other for most traditional theranostic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yunfan Ji
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Meijun Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Xusheng Shao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
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Pourshojaei Y, Eskandari K, Asadipour A. Highly Significant Scaffolds to Design and Synthesis Cholinesterase Inhibitors as Anti-Alzheimer Agents. Mini Rev Med Chem 2019; 19:1577-1598. [DOI: 10.2174/1389557519666190719143112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 06/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
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Alzheimer, a progressive disease, is a common term for memory loss which interferes with
daily life through severe influence on cognitive abilities. Based on the cholinergic hypothesis, and Xray
crystallographic determination of the structure of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme, the level of
acetylcholine (ACh, an important neurotransmitter associated with memory) in the hippocampus and
cortex area of the brain has a direct effect on Alzheimer. This fact encourages scientists to design and
synthesize a wide range of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) to control the level of ACh in the
brain, keeping in view the crystallographic structure of AChE enzyme and drugs approved by the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA).
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AChEIs have slightly diverse pharmacological properties, but all of them work by inhibiting the segregation
of ACh by blocking AChE. We reviewed significant scaffolds introduced as AChEIs. In some
studies, the activity against butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) has been evaluated as well because BuChE
is a similar enzyme to neuronal acetylcholinesterase and is capable of hydrolyzing ACh. In order to
study AChEIs effectively, we divided them structurally into 12 classes and briefly explained effective
AChEIs and compared their activities against AChE enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaghoub Pourshojaei
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutics Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Khalil Eskandari
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutics Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Ali Asadipour
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutics Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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Wang J, Li W, Qin J, Wang L, Wei S, Tang H. Assessment of novel azaanthraquinone derivatives as potent multi-target inhibitors of inflammation and amyloid-β aggregation in Alzheimer’s disease. Bioorg Chem 2019; 83:477-486. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2018.10.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Wang H, Zhang H. Reconsideration of Anticholinesterase Therapeutic Strategies against Alzheimer's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:852-862. [PMID: 30521323 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is well-known as a severe neurodegeneration disease involving complicated etiologies, and cholinesterase inhibition remain the prevailing mode of clinical intervention in AD management. Although most clinically applied cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) achieve limited clinical outcomes, research on the central cholinergic system is still thriving. Recently, an impressive amount of knowledge regarding novel acetylcholinesterase functions, as well as the close association between the central cholinergic system and other key elements for AD pathogenesis, has accumulated, highlighting that this field still has great potential for future drug development. In contrast to the overwhelmingly disappointing clinical therapeutic effects of various disease-modifying drug candidates, interesting evidence has continued to emerge over the past 20 years from the wealth of preclinical and clinical data on the usage of ChEIs, indicating underestimated clinical benefits due to physician ambivalence, a lack of persistent treatment, and inappropriate medication times or doses. Here we pinpoint several topics fit for future attention, focusing on the updated cholinergic hypothesis, especially the pleiotropic relationships with key pathogenetic signaling pathways and functions in AD, as well as possible novel therapeutic strategies, including novel ChEIs and cholinesterase inhibition-based innovative multifunctional therapeutic candidates. We intend to strengthen the future value of the precise application of cholinergic drugs, especially novel ChEIs, as a cornerstone pharmacological approach to AD treatment, either alone or in combination with other targets, to relieve symptoms and to modify disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Haiyan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zu Chong Zhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
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Chen Y, Su C, Wang L, Qin J, Wei S, Tang H. Hybrids of oxoisoaporphine-tetrahydroisoquinoline: novel multi-target inhibitors of inflammation and amyloid-β aggregation in Alzheimer's disease. Mol Divers 2019; 23:709-722. [PMID: 30603938 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-018-9905-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
A series of 8- and 11-substituted hybrids of oxoisoaporphine-tetrahydroisoquinoline have been designed and synthesized. The new derivatives strongly suppressed NO and iNOS production and modulated the production of cytokines by decreasing TNF-α and IL-1β formation in lipopolysaccharide-activated BV-2 microglia and RAW 264.7 macrophages. Meanwhile, incubation of these derivatives with SH-SY5Y cells that were transfected with human APP containing the Swedish mutations significantly decreased the secretion of Aβ42. Moreover, these hybrids could strongly inhibit the activity of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. Further investigations in vivo indicated that the 8-substituted hybrid 3b significantly delayed paralysis caused by Aβ1-42 toxicity in GMC101. In sum, these new hybrids could target multiple pathogenetic factors in Alzheimer's disease and merit further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusi Chen
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin City, Guangxi, China
| | - Chunlin Su
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin City, Guangxi, China
| | - Li Wang
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin City, Guangxi, China
| | - Jingfang Qin
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin City, Guangxi, China
| | - Shenqi Wei
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin City, Guangxi, China
| | - Huang Tang
- State Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin City, Guangxi, China.
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Yang ZZ, Yu YT, Lin HR, Liao DC, Cui XH, Wang HB. Lonicera japonica extends lifespan and healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans. Free Radic Biol Med 2018; 129:310-322. [PMID: 30266681 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2018.09.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Lonicera japonica (LJ) is widely used as the local medicine to improve body and prevent ills in China, but mechanisms of its healthy beneficial effects remain largely unclear. Here, we evaluated the anti-aging and healthspan promoting activities of 75% ethanol extract of LJ (LJ-E) in the animal model Caenorhabditis elegans. Our results showed that LJ-E (500 μg/mL) treatment enhanced the mean lifespan of worms by over 21.87% and significantly improved age-associated physiological functions in C. elegans. The 500 μg/mL concentration of LJ-E enhanced the survival rates under oxidative and thermal stresses, and decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and fat accumulation in the worms. Gene-specific mutant studies showed that LJ-E-mediated lifespan extension was dependent on mev-1, daf-2, daf-16, and hsf-1, but not eat-2 genes. LJ-E could upregulate stress-inducible genes, viz., hsp-16.2, sod-3 and mtl-1. Moreover, we found that the D1086.10 protein interacted with superoxide dismutase (SOD)-3 by functional protein association networks analysis according to RNA-sequencing results. It was confirmed that D1086.10 was needed to promote longevity, and positively regulated expression of sod-3 by using D1086.10 mutants. Furthermore, LJ-E significantly delayed amyloid β-protein induced paralysis in CL4176 strain. Given the important role of autophagy in aging and protein homeostasis, we observed that LJ-E could remarkably increase the mRNA expression of autophagy gene bec-1 in CL4176 strain, and decrease expression of autophagy substrate p62 protein by more than 40.0% in BC12921 strain. Finally, we found that combination composed of three major compounds (54 μg/mL chlorogenic acid, 15 μg/mL 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 7.5 μg/mL 1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid) of 500 μg/mL LJ-E could significantly delay paralysis in CL4176 worms caused by Aβ toxicity, comparable to that of LJ-E. Overall, our study may have important implications in using Lonicera japonica to promote healthy aging and have a potency to design therapeutics for age-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Zhou Yang
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Ying-Ting Yu
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Hong-Ru Lin
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - De-Chun Liao
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xiang-Huan Cui
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Hong-Bing Wang
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
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Zhang J, Chen L, Sun J. Oxoisoaporphine Alkaloids: Prospective Anti-Alzheimer's Disease, Anticancer, and Antidepressant Agents. ChemMedChem 2018; 13:1262-1274. [PMID: 29696800 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201800196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 04/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Oxoisoaporphine alkaloids are a family of oxoisoquinoline-derived alkaloids that were first isolated from the rhizome of Menispermum dauricum DC. (Menispermaceae). It has been demonstrated that oxoisoaporphine alkaloids possess various biological properties, such as cholinesterase and β-amyloid inhibition, acting as a topoisomerase intercalator, monoamine oxidase A inhibition, and are expected to become anti-Alzheimer's disease, anticancer, and antidepressant drugs. This review provides an overview of natural sources, synthetic routes, bioactivities, structure-function relationship, and modification investigations into oxoisoaporphine alkaloids, with the aim of providing references to the structure-activity relationships for the design and development of oxoisoaporphine derivatives with higher efficacy and therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayao Zhang
- Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjia Lane, Nanjing, 210009, P.R. China
| | - Li Chen
- Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjia Lane, Nanjing, 210009, P.R. China
| | - Jianbo Sun
- Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjia Lane, Nanjing, 210009, P.R. China
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Weber OC, Uversky VN. How accurate are your simulations? Effects of confined aqueous volume and AMBER FF99SB and CHARMM22/CMAP force field parameters on structural ensembles of intrinsically disordered proteins: Amyloid-β 42 in water. INTRINSICALLY DISORDERED PROTEINS 2017; 5:e1377813. [PMID: 30250773 DOI: 10.1080/21690707.2017.1377813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Revised: 09/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid-β42 (Aβ42) is an intrinsically disordered peptide intimately related to the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are extensively utilized in the characterization of the structures and conformational dynamics of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) including Aβ42, with AMBER and CHARMM parameters being commonly used in these studies. Recently, comparison of the effects of force field parameters on the Aβ42 structures has started to gain significant attention. In this study, the structures of Aβ42 are simulated using AMBER FF99SB and CHARMM22/CMAP parameters via replica exchange MD simulations utilizing a widely used clustering algorithm. These analyses show that the structural properties (extent and positioning of the elements of secondary and tertiary structure), radius of gyration values, number and position of salt bridges are extremely dependent on the chosen force field parameters notably with the usage of clustering algorithms. For example, predicted secondary structure elements, which are of the great importance for better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, deviate enormously in models generated using currently available force field parameters for proteins. Based on the derived models, chemical shift values are calculated and compared to the experimentally determined data. This comparison revealed that although both force field parameters yield results in agreement with experiments, the obtained structural properties were rather different using a clustering algorithm. In other words, these results show that the predicted structures depend heavily on the force field parameters. Importantly, since none of the force field parameters currently utilized in MD studies were developed specifically taking into account the disordered nature of IDPs, these findings clearly indicate that new force field parameters have to be developed for IDPs considering their rapid flexibility and dynamics with high amplitude. Furthermore, molecular simulations of IDPs are typically conducted using one water volume. We show that the confined aqueous volume impacts the predicted structural properties of Aβ42 in water. Although up to date, confined aqueous volume effects have been ignored in the MD simulations of IDPs in water, our data indicate that these effects have to be taken into account in predicting the structural and thermodynamic properties of disordered proteins in solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orkid Coskuner Weber
- Department of Chemistry and Neurosciences Institute, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.,Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität zu Köln, Köln, Germany.,Molecular Biotechnology Division, Turkisch-Deutsche Universität, Istanbul Turkey
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine, USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.,Laboratory of New Methods in Biology, Institute for Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
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Advances toward multifunctional cholinesterase and β-amyloid aggregation inhibitors. Future Med Chem 2017; 9:1835-1854. [PMID: 28925729 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2017-0094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of a multitarget design approach in the development of new potential anti-Alzheimer's disease agents has resulted in the discovery of many multifunctional compounds focusing on various targets. Among them the largest group comprises inhibitors of both cholinesterases, with additional anti-β-amyloid aggregation activity. This review describes recent advances in this research area and presents the most interesting compounds reported over a 2-year span (2015-2016). The majority of hybrids possess heterodimeric structures obtained by linking structurally active fragments interacting with different targets. Multipotent cholinesterase inhibitors with β-amyloid antiaggregating activity may additionally possess antioxidative, neuroprotective or metal-chelating properties or less common features such as anti-β-secretase or τ-antiaggregation activity.
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