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Zaa CA, Espitia C, Reyes-Barrera KL, An Z, Velasco-Velázquez MA. Neuroprotective Agents with Therapeutic Potential for COVID-19. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1585. [PMID: 38002267 PMCID: PMC10669388 DOI: 10.3390/biom13111585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 patients can exhibit a wide range of clinical manifestations affecting various organs and systems. Neurological symptoms have been reported in COVID-19 patients, both during the acute phase of the illness and in cases of long-term COVID. Moderate symptoms include ageusia, anosmia, altered mental status, and cognitive impairment, and in more severe cases can manifest as ischemic cerebrovascular disease and encephalitis. In this narrative review, we delve into the reported neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19, as well as the underlying mechanisms contributing to them. These mechanisms include direct damage to neurons, inflammation, oxidative stress, and protein misfolding. We further investigate the potential of small molecules from natural products to offer neuroprotection in models of neurodegenerative diseases. Through our analysis, we discovered that flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and other natural compounds exhibit neuroprotective effects by modulating signaling pathways known to be impacted by COVID-19. Some of these compounds also directly target SARS-CoV-2 viral replication. Therefore, molecules of natural origin show promise as potential agents to prevent or mitigate nervous system damage in COVID-19 patients. Further research and the evaluation of different stages of the disease are warranted to explore their potential benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- César A. Zaa
- School of Biological Sciences, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM), Lima 15081, Peru;
| | - Clara Espitia
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (C.E.); (K.L.R.-B.)
| | - Karen L. Reyes-Barrera
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (C.E.); (K.L.R.-B.)
| | - Zhiqiang An
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Marco A. Velasco-Velázquez
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
- School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City 04510, Mexico
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2
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Gunaga SS, Bryce DL. Modulation of Rotational Dynamics in Halogen-Bonded Cocrystalline Solids. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:19005-19017. [PMID: 37586107 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c06343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic processes are responsible for the functionality of a range of materials, biomolecules, and catalysts. We report a detailed systematic study of the modulation of methyl rotational dynamics via the direct and the indirect influence of noncovalent halogen bonds. For this purpose, a novel series of cocrystalline architectures featuring halogen bonds (XB) to tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) is designed and prepared using gas-phase, solution, and solid-state mechanochemical methods. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals the capacity of molecular bromine as well as weak chloro-XB donors to act as robust directional structure-directing elements. Methyl rotational barriers (Ea) measured using variable-temperature deuterium solid-state NMR range from 3.75 ± 0.04 kJ mol-1 in 1,3,5-trichloro-2,4,6-trifluorobenzene·TMP to 7.08 ± 0.15 kJ mol-1 in 1,4-dichlorotetrafluorobenzene·TMP. Ea data for a larger series of TMP cocrystals featuring chloro-, bromo-, and iodo-XB donors are shown to be governed by a combination of steric and electronic factors. The average number of carbon-carbon close contacts to the methyl group is found to be a key steric metric capable of rationalizing the observed trends within each of the Cl, Br, and I series. Differences between each series are accounted for by considering the strength of the σ-hole on the XB donor. One possible route to modulating dynamics is therefore via designer cocrystals of variable stoichiometry, maintaining the core chemical features of interest between a given donor and acceptor while simultaneously modifying the number of carbon close contacts affecting dynamics. These principles may provide design opportunities to modulate more complex geared or cascade dynamics involving larger functional groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubha S Gunaga
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation, and Nexus for Quantum Technologies, University of Ottawa, 10 Marie Curie Private, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5 Canada
| | - David L Bryce
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation, and Nexus for Quantum Technologies, University of Ottawa, 10 Marie Curie Private, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5 Canada
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Johari S, Halim SNA, Johan MR, Khaligh NG. Synthesis and characterization of 1,4-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl) butane dihydrate and 1,4-di(1H-2-methylimidazol-1-yl) butane tetrahydrate: A study of the methyl group effect on spectroscopic data, thermal properties, and the crystal structures. J Mol Struct 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.133823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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4
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Mamontov E, Boone C, Frost MJ, Herwig KW, Huegle T, Lin JYY, McCormick B, McHargue W, Stoica AD, Torres P, Turner W. A concept of a broadband inverted geometry spectrometer for the Second Target Station at the Spallation Neutron Source. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2022; 93:045101. [PMID: 35489951 DOI: 10.1063/5.0086451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BWAVES is an acronym for Broadband Wide-Angle VElocity Selector spectrometer, indicating that a novel WAVES (Wide-Angle VElocity Selector) device will be used to select the velocity/wavelength of the detected neutrons after they are scattered by the sample. We describe a conceptual design of BWAVES, a time-of-flight broadband inverted-geometry neutron spectrometer for the Second Target Station at the Spallation Neutron Source operated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Being the first inverted geometry spectrometer where the energy of the detected neutrons can be chosen by a WAVES device mechanically, irrespective of the limitations imposed by the crystal analyzers or filters, BWAVES will feature a uniquely broad, continuous dynamic range of measurable energy transfers, spanning 4.5 decades. This will enable measurements of both vibrational and relaxational excitations within the same, continuous scattering spectra. Novel approaches that are necessary for the implementation of a WAVES device at the BWAVES spectrometer will result in a spectrometer with the design and characteristics much different from those displayed by the neutron spectrometers in existence today.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Mamontov
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - C Boone
- SNS Second Target Station Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - M J Frost
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - K W Herwig
- SNS Second Target Station Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - T Huegle
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - J Y Y Lin
- SNS Second Target Station Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - B McCormick
- SNS Second Target Station Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - W McHargue
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - A D Stoica
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - P Torres
- SNS Second Target Station Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
| | - W Turner
- SNS Second Target Station Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
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Chen CC, Krogsaeter E, Kuo CY, Huang MC, Chang SY, Biel M. Endolysosomal cation channels point the way towards precision medicine of cancer and infectious diseases. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 148:112751. [PMID: 35240524 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.112751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases and cancer are among the key medical challenges that humankind is facing today. A growing amount of evidence suggests that ion channels in the endolysosomal system play a crucial role in the pathology of both groups of diseases. The development of advanced patch-clamp technologies has allowed us to directly characterize ion fluxes through endolysosomal ion channels in their native environments. Endolysosomes are essential organelles for intracellular transport, digestion and metabolism, and maintenance of homeostasis. The endolysosomal ion channels regulate the function of the endolysosomal system through four basic mechanisms: calcium release, control of membrane potential, pH change, and osmolarity regulation. In this review, we put particular emphasis on the endolysosomal cation channels, including TPC2 and TRPML2, which are particularly important in monocyte function. We discuss existing endogenous and synthetic ligands of these channels and summarize current knowledge of their impact on channel activity and function in different cell types. Moreover, we summarize recent findings on the importance of TPC2 and TRPML2 channels as potential drug targets for the prevention and treatment of the emerging infectious diseases and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Chang Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | | | - Ching-Ying Kuo
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Min-Chuan Huang
- Graduate Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Sui-Yuan Chang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Martin Biel
- Department of Pharmacy, Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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Mamontov E, Bordallo HN, Delaire O, Nickels J, Peters J, Schneider GJ, Smith JC, Sokolov AP. Broadband Wide-Angle VElocity Selector (BWAVES) neutron spectrometer designed for the SNS Second Target Station. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/202227202003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A recently proposed wide-angle velocity selector (WAVES) device for choosing the velocity of detected neutrons after they have been scattered by the sample paves the way for inverted geometry neutron spectrometers with continuously adjustable final neutron wavelength. BWAVES broadband inverted geometry spectrometer proposed for the Second Target Station at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is designed using WAVES to simultaneously probe dynamic processes spanning 4.5 decades in time (energy transfer). This makes BWAVES a uniquely flexible instrument which can be viewed as either a quasielasitc neutron scattering (QENS) spectrometer with a practically unlimited (overlapping with the vibrational excitations) range of energy transfers, or a broadband inelastic vibrational neutron spectrometer with QENS capabilities, including a range of accessible momentum transfer (Q) and a sufficiently high energy resolution at the elastic line. The new capabilities offered by BWAVES will expand the application of neutron scattering in ways not possible with existing neutron spectrometers.
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Melting and Re-Freezing Leads to Irreversible Changes in the Morphology and Molecular-Level Dynamics of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2021; 57:medicina57121343. [PMID: 34946288 PMCID: PMC8706477 DOI: 10.3390/medicina57121343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: As an mRNA-based vaccine, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has stringent cold storage requirements to preserve functionality of the mRNA active ingredient. To this end, lipid components of the vaccine formulation play an important role in stabilizing and protecting the mRNA molecule for long-term storage. The purpose of the current study was to measure molecular-level dynamics as a function of temperature in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to gain microscopic insight into its thermal stability. Materials and Methods: We used quasielastic and inelastic neutron scattering to probe (1) the vaccine extracted from the manufacturer-supplied vials and (2) unperturbed vaccine in the original manufacturer-supplied vials. The latter measurement was possible due to the high penetrative power of neutrons. Results: Upon warming from the low-temperature frozen state, the vaccine in its original form exhibits two-step melting, indicative of a two-phase morphology. Once the melting is completed (above 0 °C), vaccine re-freezing cannot restore its original two-phase state. This observation is corroborated by the changes in the molecular vibrational spectra. The molecular-level mobility measured in the resulting single-phase state of the re-frozen vaccine greatly exceeds the mobility measured in the original vaccine. Conclusions: Even a brief melting (above 0 °C) leads to an irreversible alteration of the two-phase morphology of the original vaccine formulation. Re-freezing of the vaccine results in a one-phase morphology with much increased molecular-level mobility compared to that in the original vaccine, suggesting irreversible deterioration of the vaccine’s in-storage stability. Neutron scattering can be used to distinguish between the vibrational spectra characteristic of the original and deteriorated vaccines contained in the unperturbed original manufacturer-supplied vials.
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