Application of desirability-based multi(bi)-objective optimization in the design of selective arylpiperazine derivates for the 5-HT1A serotonin receptor

Eco-alternative treatments for Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. cholerae biofilms from shrimp industry through Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) and Guava (Psidium guajava) extracts: A road for an Ecuadorian sustainable economy

Understanding how environmental variables influence biofilm formation becomes relevant for managing Vibrio biofilm-related infections in shrimp production. Therefore, we evaluated the impact of temperature, time, and initial inoculum in the biofilm development of these two Vibrio species using a multifactorial experimental design. Planktonic growth inhibition and inhibition/eradication of Vibrio biofilms, more exactly V. parahaemolyticus (VP87 and VP275) and V. cholerae (VC112) isolated from shrimp farms were evaluated by Eucalyptus and Guava aqueous leaf extracts and compared to tetracycline and ceftriaxone. Preliminary results showed that the best growth conditions of biofilm development for V. parahaemolyticus were 24 h and 24°C (p <0.001), while V. cholerae biofilms were 72 h and 30°C (p <0.001). Multivariate linear regression ANOVA was applied using colony-forming unit (CFU) counting assays as a reference, and R-squared values were applied as goodness-of-fit measurements for biofilm analysis. Then, both plant extracts were analyzed with HPLC using double online detection by diode array detector (DAD) and mass spectrometry (MS) for the evaluation of their chemical composition, where the main identified compounds for Eucalyptus extract were cypellogin A, cypellogin B, and cypellocarpin C, while guavinoside A, B, and C compounds were the main compounds for Guava extract. For planktonic growth inhibition, Eucalyptus extract showed its maximum effect at 200 μg/mL with an inhibition of 75% (p < 0.0001) against all Vibrio strains, while Guava extract exhibited its maximum inhibition at 1600 μg/mL with an inhibition of 70% (p < 0.0001). Both biofilm inhibition and eradication assays were performed by the two conditions (24 h at 24°C and 72 h at 30°C) on Vibrio strains according to desirability analysis. Regarding 24 h at 24°C, differences were observed in the CFU counting between antibiotics and plant extracts, where both plant extracts demonstrated a higher reduction of viable cells when compared with both antibiotics at 8x, 16x, and 32x MIC values (Eucalyptus extract: 1600, 3200, and 6400 μg/mL; while Guava extract: 12800, 25600, and 52000 μg/mL). Concerning 72 h at 30°C, results showed a less notorious biomass inhibition by Guava leaf extract and tetracycline. However, Eucalyptus extract significantly reduced the total number of viable cells within Vibrio biofilms from 2x to 32x MIC values (400-6400 μg/mL) when compared to the same MIC values of ceftriaxone (5-80 μg/mL), which was not able to reduce viable cells. Eucalyptus extract demonstrated similar results at both growth conditions, showing an average inhibition of approximately 80% at 400 μg/mL concentration for all Vibrio isolates (p < 0.0001). Moreover, eradication biofilm assays demonstrated significant eradication against all Vibrio strains at both growth conditions, but biofilm eradication values were substantially lower. Both extract plants demonstrated a higher reduction of viable cells when compared with both antibiotics at 8x, 16x, and 32x MIC values at both growth sets, where Eucalyptus extract at 800 μg/mL reduced 70% of biomass and 90% of viable cells for all Vibrio strains (p < 0.0001). Overall results suggested a viable alternative against vibriosis in the shrimp industry in Ecuador.

Multi-objective optimization methods in novel drug design

Introduction: In multi-objective drug design, optimization gains importance, being upgraded to a discipline that attracts its own research. Current strategies are broadly classified into single - objective optimization (SOO) and multi-objective optimization (MOO).Areas covered: Starting with SOO and the ways used to incorporate multiple criteria into it, the present review focuses on MOO techniques, their comparison, advantages, and restrictions. Pareto analysis and the concept of dominance stand in the core of MOO. The Pareto front, Pareto ranking, and limitations of Pareto-based methods, due to high dimensions and data uncertainty, are outlined. Desirability functions and the weighted sum approaches are described as stand-alone techniques to transform the MOO problem to SOO or in combination with pareto analysis and evolutionary algorithms. Representative applications in different drug research areas are also discussed.Expert opinion: Despite their limitations, the use of combined MOO techniques, as well as being complementary to SOO or in conjunction with artificial intelligence, contributes dramatically to efficient drug design, assisting decisions and increasing success probabilities. For multi-target drug design, optimization is supported by network approaches, while applicability of MOO to other fields like drug technology or biological complexity opens new perspectives in the interrelated fields of medicinal chemistry and molecular biology.

Chemometrically assisted RP-HPLC method development for efficient separation of ivabradine and its eleven impurities

The aim of this study was to develop a novel reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for efficient separation of ivabradine and its 11 impurities. Similar polarity of impurities in the sample mixture made method optimization challenging and accomplishable only when different chemometric tools, such as principal component analysis (PCA), Box–Behnken design (BBD), and desirability function as a multicriteria approach, were employed. The presence of 3 positional isomers (impurities III, V, and VI), keto–enol tautomerism of impurity VII, and diastereoisomers of impurity X made separation of this complex mixture even more challenging. Chromatographic retention parameters obtained with the mobile phase consisting of 30 mM phosphate buffer and acetonitrile (80:20, v/v) on four different RP-HPLC columns at varying pH values (3.0, 4.0, and 5.0) were subjected to the PCA analysis to select the column with the most appropriate selectivity. Then the column temperature, pH of the aqueous component of mobile phase, phosphate buffer molarity and the organic solvent content in the mobile phase were estimated employing BBD. Valid and reliable mathematical models towards resolution of twelve critical peak pairs were obtained. After determination of the desirability making criteria for all responses, desirability functions were established and used in optimization. The proposed optimal chromatographic conditions included the Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 chromatographic column (100 × 4.6 mm, 3.5 μm), the column temperature of 34 °C, the mobile phase flow rate of 1.6 mL min−1 and the UV detection at 220 nm. The mobile phase consisted of the 28 mM phosphate buffer at pH 6.0 and acetonitrile (85:15, v/v). Separation of one pair of positional isomers was not achieved, so methanol was added to the organic part of mobile phase in small increments with the optimal ratio of methanol to acetonitrile 59:41, v/v. The overall organic component of the mobile phase also increased to 18%, accelerating the chromatographic analysis.

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship for High Affinity 5-HT1A Receptor Ligands Based on Norm Indexes

Arylpiperazine derivatives are promising 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor ligands which can inhibit serotonin reuptake effectively. In this work, some norm index descriptors were proposed and further utilized to develop a model for predicting 5-HT1A receptor affinity (pKi) of 88 arylpiperazine derivatives. Results showed that this new model could provide satisfactory predictions with the square of the correction coefficient (R(2)) of 0.8891 and the squared correlation coefficient of cross-validation (Q(2)) of 0.8082, respectively. In addition, the applicability domain of this model was validated by using the leverage approach and results which suggested potential large scale for further utilization of this model. The results of statistical values and validation tests demonstrated that our proposed norm index based model could be successfully applied for predicting the affinity 5-HT1A receptor ligands of arylpiperazine derivatives.

Prioritizing Hits with Appropriate Trade-Offs Between HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitory Efficacy and MT4 Blood Cells Toxicity Through Desirability-Based Multiobjective Optimization and Ranking

Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors (NNRTIs) constitute a promising therapeutic option for AIDS. However, the emergence of virus-NNRTIs resistance was found to be a major problem in the field. Toward that goal, a "knock-out" strategy stands out between the several options to circumvent the problem. However the high drug or drug-drug concentrations often used generate additional safety concerns. The need for approaches able to early integrate drug- or lead-likeness, toxicity and bioavailability criteria in the drug discovery phase is an emergent issue. Given that, we propose a combined strategy based on desirability-based multiobjective optimization (MOOP) and ranking for the prioritization of HIV-1 NNRTIs hits with appropriate trade-offs between inhibitory efficacy over the HIV-1 RT and toxic effects over MT4 blood cells. Through the MOOP process, the theoretical levels of the predictive variables required to reach a desirable RT inhibitor candidate with the best possible compromise between efficacy and safety were found. This information is used as a pattern to rank the library of compounds according to a similarity-based structural criterion, providing a ranking quality of 64 %/71 %/73 % in training/validation/test set. A comparative study between the sequential, parallel and multiobjective virtual screening revealed that the multiobjective approach can outperform the other approaches. These results suggest that the identification of NNRTIs hits with appropriate trade-offs between potency and safety, rather than fully optimized hits solely based on potency, can facilitate the hit to lead transition and increase the likelihood of the candidate to evolve into a successful antiretroviral drug.