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Shen Y, Duan H, Yuan L, Asikaer A, Liu Y, Zhang R, Liu Y, Wang Y, Lin Z. Computational biology-based study of the molecular mechanism of spermidine amelioration of acute pancreatitis. Mol Divers 2024; 28:2583-2601. [PMID: 37523101 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-023-10698-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an acute inflammatory gastrointestinal disease, the mortality and morbility of which has been on the increase in the past years. Spermidine, a natural polyamine, has a wide range of pharmacological effects including anti-inflammation, antioxidation, anti-aging, and anti-tumorigenic. This study aimed to investigate the reliable targets and molecular mechanisms of spermidine in treating AP. By employing computational biology methods including network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we explored the potential targets of spermidine in improving AP with dietary supplementation. The computational biology results revealed that spermidine had high degrees (degree: 18, betweenness: 38.91; degree: 18, betweenness: 206.41) and stable binding free energy (ΔGbind: - 12.81 ± 0.55 kcal/mol, - 15.00 ± 1.00 kcal/mol) with acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and serotonin transporter (5-HTT). Experimental validation demonstrates that spermidine treatment could reduce the necrosis and AchE activity in pancreatic acinar cells. Cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) results revealed that spermidine could bind to and stabilize the 5-HTT protein in acinar cells. Moreover, spermidine treatment impeded the rise of the expression of 5-HTT in pancreatic tissues of caerulein induced acute pancreatitis mice. In conclusion, serotonin transporter might be a reliable target of spermidine in treating AP. This study provides new idea for the exploration of potential targets of natural compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Shen
- Department of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 405400, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 405400, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongtao Duan
- Department of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 405400, China
| | - Lu Yuan
- Department of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 405400, China
| | - Aiminuer Asikaer
- Department of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 405400, China
| | - Yiyuan Liu
- Department of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 405400, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, 550002, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, 550002, China
| | - Yuanqiang Wang
- Department of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 405400, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 405400, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhihua Lin
- Department of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 405400, China.
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, 405400, People's Republic of China.
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Zahra S, Zaib S, Khan I. Identification of isobenzofuranone derivatives as promising antidiabetic agents: Synthesis, in vitro and in vivo inhibition of α-glucosidase and α-amylase, computational docking analysis and molecular dynamics simulations. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 259:129241. [PMID: 38199537 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus, one of the major health challenges of the 21st century, is associated with numerous biomedical complications including retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy, cardiovascular diseases and liver disorders. To control the chronic hyperglycemic condition, the development of potential inhibitors of drug targets such as α-glucosidase and α-amylase remains a promising strategy and focus of continuous efforts. Therefore, in the present work, a concise library of isobenzofuranone derivatives (3a-q) was designed and synthesized using Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling approach. The biological potential of these heterocyclic compounds against carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes; α-glucosidase and α-amylase, was examined. In vitro inhibitory results demonstrated that the tested isobenzofuranones were considerably more effective and potent inhibitors than the standard drug, acarbose. Compound 3d having an IC50 value of 6.82 ± 0.02 μM was emerged as the lead candidate against α-glucosidase with ⁓127-folds strong inhibition than acarbose. Similarly, compound 3g demonstrated ⁓11-folds higher inhibition strength against α-amylase when compared with acarbose. Both compounds were tested in vivo and results demonstrate that the treatment of diabetic rats with α-amylase inhibitor show more pronounced histopathological normalization in kidney and liver than with α-glucosidase inhibitor. The Lineweaver-Burk plot revealed an uncompetitive mode of inhibition for 3d against α-glucosidase whereas compound 3g exhibited mixed inhibition against α-amylase. Furthermore, in silico molecular docking and dynamics simulations validated the in vitro data for these compounds whereas pharmacokinetics profile revealed the druglike properties of potent inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabab Zahra
- Department of Basic and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Sumera Zaib
- Department of Basic and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.
| | - Imtiaz Khan
- Department of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom.
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Zaib S, Rana N, Ali HS, Hussain N, Areeba, Ogaly HA, Al-Zahrani FAM, Khan I. Discovery of druggable potent inhibitors of serine proteases and farnesoid X receptor by ligand-based virtual screening to obstruct SARS-CoV-2. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 253:127379. [PMID: 37838109 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus, a subfamily of the coronavirinae family, is an RNA virus with over 40 variations that can infect humans, non-human mammals and birds. There are seven types of human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, is responsible for the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The current study is focused on the identification of drug molecules for the treatment of COVID-19 by targeting human proteases like transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), furin, cathepsin B, and a nuclear receptor named farnesoid X receptor (FXR). TMPRSS2 and furin help in cleaving the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, while cathepsin B plays a critical role in the entry and pathogenesis. FXR, on the other hand, regulates the expression of ACE2, and its inhibition can reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection. By inhibiting these four protein targets with non-toxic inhibitors, the entry of the infectious agent into host cells and its pathogenesis can be obstructed. We have used the BioSolveIT suite for pharmacophore-based computational drug designing. A total of 1611 ligands from the ligand library were docked with the target proteins to obtain potent inhibitors on the basis of pharmacophore. Following the ADMET analysis and protein ligand interactions, potent and druggable inhibitors of the target proteins were obtained. Additionally, toxic substructures and the less toxic route of administration of the most potent inhibitors in rodents were also determined computationally. Compounds namely N-(diaminomethylene)-2-((3-((1R,3R)-3-(2-(methoxy(methyl)amino)-2-oxoethyl)cyclopentyl)propyl)amino)-2-oxoethan-1-aminium (26), (1R,3R)-3-(((2-ammonioethyl)ammonio)methyl)-1-((4-propyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)methyl)piperidin-1-ium (29) and (1R,3R)-3-(((2-ammonioethyl)ammonio)methyl)-1-((1-propyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methyl)piperidin-1-ium (30) were found as the potent inhibitors of TMPRSS2, whereas, 1-(1-(1-(1H-tetrazol-1-yl)cyclopropane-1‑carbonyl)piperidin-4-yl)azepan-2-one (6), (2R)-4-methyl-1-oxo-1-((7R,11S)-4-oxo-6,7,8,9,10,11-hexahydro-4H-7,11-methanopyrido[1,2-a]azocin-9-yl)pentan-2-aminium (12), 4-((1-(3-(3,5-dimethylisoxazol-4-yl)propanoyl)piperidin-4-yl)methyl)morpholin-4-ium (13), 1-(4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-yl)-N-(3-oxocyclohex-1-en-1-yl)piperidine-4-carboxamide (14), 1-(4-(1,5-dimethyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)piperidin-1-yl)-3-(3,5-dimethylisoxazol-4-yl)propan-1-one (25) and N,N-dimethyl-4-oxo-4-((1S,5R)-8-oxo-5,6-dihydro-1H-1,5-methanopyrido[1,2-a][1,5]diazocin-3(2H,4H,8H)-yl)butanamide (31) inhibited the FXR preferentially. In case of cathepsin B, N-((5-benzoylthiophen-2-yl)methyl)-2-hydrazineyl-2-oxoacetamide (2) and N-([2,2'-bifuran]-5-ylmethyl)-2-hydrazineyl-2-oxoacetamide (7) were identified as the most druggable inhibitors whereas 1-amino-2,7-diethyl-3,8-dioxo-6-(p-tolyl)-2,3,7,8-tetrahydro-2,7-naphthyridine-4‑carbonitrile (5) and (R)-6-amino-2-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-1H-benzo[de]isoquinoline-1,3(2H)-dione (20) were active against furin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumera Zaib
- Department of Basic and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.
| | - Nehal Rana
- Department of Basic and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Hafiz Saqib Ali
- INEOS Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research and Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Nadia Hussain
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Al Ain, P.O. Box 64141, United Arab Emirates; AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 144534, United Arab Emirates
| | - Areeba
- Department of Basic and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Hanan A Ogaly
- Chemistry Department, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fatimah A M Al-Zahrani
- Chemistry Department, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
| | - Imtiaz Khan
- Department of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom.
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Zaib S, Rana N, Ali HS, Ur Rehman M, Awwad NS, Ibrahium HA, Khan I. Identification of potential inhibitors targeting yellow fever virus helicase through ligand and structure-based computational studies. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-18. [PMID: 38109183 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2294839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Yellow fever is a flavivirus having plus-sensed RNA which encodes a single polyprotein. Host proteases cut this polyprotein into seven nonstructural proteins including a vital NS3 protein. The present study aims to identify the most effective inhibitor against the helicase (NS3) using different advanced ligand and structure-based computational studies. A set of 300 ligands was selected against helicase by chemical structural similarity model, which are similar to S-adenosyl-l-cysteine using infiniSee. This tool screens billions of compounds through a similarity search from in-built chemical spaces (CHEMriya, Galaxi, KnowledgeSpace and REALSpace). The pharmacophore was designed from ligands in the library that showed same features. According to the sequence of ligands, six compounds (29, 87, 99, 116, 148, and 208) were taken for pharmacophore designing against helicase protein. Subsequently, compounds from the library which showed the best pharmacophore shared-features were docked using FlexX functionality of SeeSAR and their optibrium properties were analyzed. Afterward, their ADME was improved by replacing the unfavorable fragments, which resulted in the generation of new compounds. The selected best compounds (301, 302, 303 and 304) were docked using SeeSAR and their pharmacokinetics and toxicological properties were evaluated using SwissADME. The optimal inhibitor for yellow fever helicase was 2-amino-N-(4-(dimethylamino)thiazol-2-yl)-4-methyloxazole-5-carboxamide (302), which exhibits promising potential for drug development.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumera Zaib
- Department of Basic and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Nehal Rana
- Department of Basic and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Hafiz Saqib Ali
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the INEOS Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mujeeb Ur Rehman
- Department of Basic and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Nasser S Awwad
- Department of Chemistry, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hala A Ibrahium
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Imtiaz Khan
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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de Menezes RPB, Viana JDO, Muratov E, Scotti L, Scotti MT. Computer-Assisted Discovery of Alkaloids with Schistosomicidal Activity. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2022; 44:383-408. [PMID: 35723407 PMCID: PMC8929062 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44010028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic disease caused by trematodes of the genus Schistosoma; it is commonly caused by Schistosoma mansoni, which is transmitted by Bioamphalaria snails. Studies show that more than 200 million people are infected and that more than 90% of them live in Africa. Treatment with praziquantel has the best cost–benefit result on the market. However, hypersensitivity, allergy, and drug resistance are frequently presented after administration. From this perspective, ligand-based and structure-based virtual screening (VS) techniques were combined to select potentially active alkaloids against S. mansoni from an internal dataset (SistematX). A set of molecules with known activity against S. mansoni was selected from the ChEMBL database to create two different models with accuracy greater than 84%, enabling ligand-based VS of the alkaloid bank. Subsequently, structure-based VS was performed through molecular docking using four targets of the parasite. Finally, five consensus hits (i.e., five alkaloids with schistosomicidal potential), were selected. In addition, in silico evaluations of the metabolism, toxicity, and drug-like profile of these five selected alkaloids were carried out. Two of them, namely, 11,12-methylethylenedioxypropoxy and methyl-3-oxo-12-methoxy-n(1)-decarbomethoxy-14,15-didehydrochanofruticosinate, had plausible toxicity, metabolomics, and toxicity profiles. These two alkaloids could serve as starting points for the development of new schistosomicidal compounds based on natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Priscila Barros de Menezes
- Post-Graduate Program in Natural Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa 58051-900, PB, Brazil; (R.P.B.d.M.); (J.d.O.V.); (L.S.)
| | - Jéssika de Oliveira Viana
- Post-Graduate Program in Natural Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa 58051-900, PB, Brazil; (R.P.B.d.M.); (J.d.O.V.); (L.S.)
| | - Eugene Muratov
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA;
| | - Luciana Scotti
- Post-Graduate Program in Natural Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa 58051-900, PB, Brazil; (R.P.B.d.M.); (J.d.O.V.); (L.S.)
| | - Marcus Tullius Scotti
- Post-Graduate Program in Natural Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa 58051-900, PB, Brazil; (R.P.B.d.M.); (J.d.O.V.); (L.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-83-998690415
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King E, Aitchison E, Li H, Luo R. Recent Developments in Free Energy Calculations for Drug Discovery. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:712085. [PMID: 34458321 PMCID: PMC8387144 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.712085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The grand challenge in structure-based drug design is achieving accurate prediction of binding free energies. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations enable modeling of conformational changes critical to the binding process, leading to calculation of thermodynamic quantities involved in estimation of binding affinities. With recent advancements in computing capability and predictive accuracy, MD based virtual screening has progressed from the domain of theoretical attempts to real application in drug development. Approaches including the Molecular Mechanics Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA), Linear Interaction Energy (LIE), and alchemical methods have been broadly applied to model molecular recognition for drug discovery and lead optimization. Here we review the varied methodology of these approaches, developments enhancing simulation efficiency and reliability, remaining challenges hindering predictive performance, and applications to problems in the fields of medicine and biochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward King
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Erick Aitchison
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Han Li
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Ray Luo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
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