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Goel KK, Thapliyal S, Kharb R, Joshi G, Negi A, Kumar B. Imidazoles as Serotonin Receptor Modulators for Treatment of Depression: Structural Insights and Structure-Activity Relationship Studies. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2208. [PMID: 37765177 PMCID: PMC10535231 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15092208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Serotoninergic signaling is identified as a crucial player in psychiatric disorders (notably depression), presenting it as a significant therapeutic target for treating such conditions. Inhibitors of serotoninergic signaling (especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI)) are prominently selected as first-line therapy for the treatment of depression, which benefits via increasing low serotonin levels and norepinephrine by blocking serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake and thereby increasing activity. While developing newer heterocyclic scaffolds to target/modulate the serotonergic systems, imidazole-bearing pharmacophores have emerged. The imidazole-derived pharmacophore already demonstrated unique structural characteristics and an electron-rich environment, ultimately resulting in a diverse range of bioactivities. Therefore, the current manuscript discloses such a specific modification and structural activity relationship (SAR) of attempted derivatization in terms of the serotonergic efficacy of the resultant inhibitor. We also featured a landscape of imidazole-based development, focusing on SAR studies against the serotoninergic system to target depression. This study covers the recent advancements in synthetic methodologies for imidazole derivatives and the development of new molecules having antidepressant activity via modulating serotonergic systems, along with their SAR studies. The focus of the study is to provide structural insights into imidazole-based derivatives as serotonergic system modulators for the treatment of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kapil Kumar Goel
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Gurukul Kangri (Deemed to Be University), Haridwar 249404, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Somesh Thapliyal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, HNB Garhwal University, Chauras Campus, Srinagar Garhwal 246174, Uttarakhand, India (G.J.)
| | - Rajeev Kharb
- Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Amity University, Noida 201313, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Gaurav Joshi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, HNB Garhwal University, Chauras Campus, Srinagar Garhwal 246174, Uttarakhand, India (G.J.)
| | - Arvind Negi
- Department of Bioproduct and Biosystems, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
| | - Bhupinder Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, HNB Garhwal University, Chauras Campus, Srinagar Garhwal 246174, Uttarakhand, India (G.J.)
- Department of Chemistry, Graphic Era (Deemed to Be University), Dehradun 248002, Uttarakhand, India
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Adeyemi OS, Ishii K, Kato K. L-tryptophan-titanium oxide nanoparticles showed selective anti-Toxoplasma gondii activity and improved host biocompatibility. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 162:114597. [PMID: 36989712 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii, the etiological agent of toxoplasmosis, currently affects nearly one-third of the human population. Treatment options for toxoplasmosis are limited, which underscores the need for new drugs. In the present study, we screened nanoparticles (NPs) of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and molybdenum (Mo) for their potential to inhibit the growth of T. gondii in vitro. NPs of TiO2 and Mo showed non-dose-dependent anti-T. gondii activity with EC50 values of 157.6 and 253 µg/mL, respectively. Previously, we showed that amino acid modification of NPs enhances their selective anti-parasite toxicity. Therefore, to enhance the selective anti-parasitic action of TiO2, we modified the NP surface using alanine, aspartate, arginine, cysteine, glutamate, tryptophan, tyrosine, and bovine serum albumin. The bio-modified TiO2 showed anti-parasite activity with EC50 values ranging from 45.7 to 286.4 µg/mL. At effective anti-parasite concentrations, modified-TiO2 showed no appreciable host cytotoxicity. Of the eight bio-modified TiO2, tryptophan-TiO2 showed the most promising anti-T. gondii specificity and improved host biocompatibility with a selectivity index (SI) of 49.1 versus 7.5 for TiO2 (note, pyrimethamine, a standard drug for toxoplasmosis, has an SI of 2.3). Furthermore, our data indicate that redox modulation may be part of the anti-parasite action of these NPs. Indeed, augmentation with trolox and l-tryptophan reversed the growth restriction caused by the tryptophan-TiO2 NPs. Collectively, these findings suggest that the parasite toxicity was selective and not a result of general cytotoxic action. Furthermore, surface modification with amino acids such as l-tryptophan not only enhanced the anti-parasitic action of TiO2 but also improved the host biocompatibility. Overall, our findings indicate that the nutritional requirements of T. gondii represent a viable target for the development of new and effective anti-T. gondii agents.
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Adeyemi OS, Ishii K, Kato K. The In Vitro Anti-Parasitic Activities of Emodin toward Toxoplasma gondii. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:ph16030447. [PMID: 36986545 PMCID: PMC10053859 DOI: 10.3390/ph16030447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, toxoplasmosis affects nearly one-third of the world’s population, but the available treatments have several limitations. This factor underscores the search for better therapy for toxoplasmosis. Therefore, in the current investigation, we investigated the potential of emodin as a new anti-Toxoplasma gondii while exploring its anti-parasitic mechanism of action. We explored the mechanisms of action of emodin in the presence and absence of an in vitro model of experimental toxoplasmosis. Emodin showed strong anti-T. gondii action with an EC50 value of 0.03 µg/mL; at this same effective anti-parasite concentration, emodin showed no appreciable host cytotoxicity. Likewise, emodin showed a promising anti-T. gondii specificity with a selectivity index (SI) of 276. Pyrimethamine, a standard drug for toxoplasmosis, had an SI of 2.3. The results collectively imply that parasite damage was selective rather than as a result of a broad cytotoxic effect. Furthermore, our data confirm that emodin-induced parasite growth suppression stems from parasite targets and not host targets, and indicate that the anti-parasite action of emodin precludes oxidative stress and ROS production. Emodin likely mediates parasite growth suppression through means other than oxidative stress, ROS production, or mitochondrial toxicity. Collectively, our findings support the potential of emodin as a promising and novel anti-parasitic agent that warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluyomi Stephen Adeyemi
- Laboratory of Sustainable Animal Environment, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 232-3 Yomogida, Naruko-onsen, Osaki 989-6711, Miyagi, Japan
- Medicinal Biochemistry and Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Landmark University, Omu-Aran 251101, Kwara State, Nigeria
| | - Kosei Ishii
- Laboratory of Sustainable Animal Environment, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 232-3 Yomogida, Naruko-onsen, Osaki 989-6711, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Kentaro Kato
- Laboratory of Sustainable Animal Environment, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 232-3 Yomogida, Naruko-onsen, Osaki 989-6711, Miyagi, Japan
- Correspondence: ; Tel./Fax: +81-229-84-7391
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Yao L, Zhang G, Yu L, Liu S, Wang X, Fan T, Kang H, Feng W. Development of 1,3,4-Oxadiazole Derived Antifungal Agents and Their Application in Maize Diseases Control. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:912091. [PMID: 35599869 PMCID: PMC9114798 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.912091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Maize is an important food crop and its fungal disease has become a limiting factor to improve the yield and quality of maize. In the control of plant pathogens, commercial fungicides have no obvious effect on corn diseases due to the emergence of drug resistance. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop new fungicides with novel structure, high efficiency, and low toxicity to control maize diseases. In this paper, a series of 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives were designed and synthesized from benzoyl hydrazine and aromatic aldehydes through condensation and oxidation cyclization reaction. The antifungal activity of oxadiazole derivatives against three maize disease pathogens, such as Rhizoctonia solani (R. solani), Gibberella zeae (G. zeae), and Exserohilum turcicum (E. turcicum), were evaluated by mycelium growth rate method in vitro. The results indicated that most of the synthesized derivatives exhibited positive antifungal activities. Especially against E. turcicum, several compounds demonstrated significant antifungal activities and their EC 50 values were lower than positive control carbendazim. The EC 50 values of compounds 4k, 5e, and 5k were 50.48, 47.56, 32.25 μg/ml, respectively, and the carbendazim was 102.83 μg/ml. The effects of active compounds on E. turcicum microstructure were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that compounds 4k, 5e, and 5k could induce the hyphae of E. turcicum to shrink and collapse obviously. In order to elucidate the preliminary mechanism of oxadiazole derivatives, the target compounds 5e and 5k were docked with the theoretical active site of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). Compounds 5e and 5k could bind to amino acid residues through hydrophobic contact and hydrogen bonds, which explained the possible mechanism of binding between the inhibitor and target protein. In addition, the compounds with antifungal activities had almost no cytotoxicity to MCF-7. This study showed that 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives were worthy for further attention as potential antifungal agents for the control of maize diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Yao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Additives for Industry, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, China
- College of Pharmacy, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Guanghua Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Additives for Industry, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, China
| | - Lili Yu
- College of Pharmacy, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Shaojing Liu
- College of Pharmacy, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xiaoku Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Tao Fan
- College of Pharmacy, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Hui Kang
- College of Pharmacy, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Wenzhi Feng
- College of Pharmacy, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
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