Palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes of N-butyl-N-phenyldithiocarbamate: Synthesis, characterization, biological activities and molecular docking studies

In silico identification and validation of phenolic lipids as potential inhibitor against bacterial and viral strains

The recurrence of coronavirus disease and bacterial resistant strains has drawn attention to naturally occurring bioactive molecules that can demonstrate broad-spectrum efficacy against bacteria as well as viral strains. The drug-like abilities of naturally available "anacardic acids" (AA) and their derivatives against different bacterial and viral protein targets through in-silico tools were explored. Three viral protein targets [P DB: 6Y2E (SARS-CoV-2), 1AT3 (Herpes) and 2VSM (Nipah)] and four bacterial protein targets [P DB: 2VF5 (Escherichia coli), 2VEG (Streptococcus pneumoniae), 1JIJ (Staphylococcus aureus) and 1KZN (E. coli)] were selected to evaluate the activity of bioactive AA molecules. The potential ability to inhibit the progression of microbes has been discussed based on the structure, functionality and interaction ability of these molecules on the selected protein targets for multi-disease remediation. The number of interactions, full-fitness value and energy of the ligand-target system were determined from the docked structure in SwissDock and Autodock Vina. In order to compare the efficacy of these active derivatives to that of commonly used drugs against bacteria and viruses, a few of the selected molecules were subjected to 100 ns long MD simulations. It was found that the phenolic groups and alkyl chains of AA derivatives are more likely to bind with microbial targets, that could be responsible for the improved activity against these targets. The results suggest that the proposed AA derivatives have demonstrated potential to become active drug ingredients against microbial protein targets. Further, experimental investigations are essential for clinical verification of the drug-like abilities of AA derivatives.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Inhibitors of glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase as potential antimicrobials or antidiabetics - synthesis and properties

Glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase (GlcN-6-P synthase) is known as a promising target for antimicrobial agents and antidiabetics. Several compounds of natural or synthetic origin have been identified as inhibitors of this enzyme. This set comprises highly selective l-glutamine, amino sugar phosphate or transition state intermediate cis-enolamine analogues. Relatively low antimicrobial activity of these inhibitors, poorly penetrating microbial cell membranes, has been improved using the pro-drug approach. On the other hand, a number of heterocyclic and polycyclic compounds demonstrating antimicrobial activity have been presented as putative inhibitors of the enzyme, based on the results of molecular docking to GlcN-6-P synthase matrix. The most active compounds of this group could be considered promising leads for development of novel antimicrobial drugs or antidiabetics, provided their selective toxicity is confirmed.

Dithiocarbamate Complexes of Platinum Group Metals: Structural Aspects and Applications

The incorporation of dithiocarbamate ligands in the preparation of metal complexes is largely prompted by the versatility of this molecule. Fascinating coordination chemistry can be obtained from the study of such metal complexes ranging from their preparation, the solid-state properties, solution behavior as well as their applications as bioactive materials and luminescent compounds, to name a few. In this overview, the dithiocarbamate complexes of platinum-group elements form the focus of the discussion. The structural aspects of these complexes will be discussed based upon the intriguing findings obtained from their solid- (crystallographic) and solution-state (NMR) studies. At the end of this review, the applications of platinum-group metal complexes will be discussed.

Recent Studies on the Antimicrobial Activity of Transition Metal Complexes of Groups 6–12

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires innovative solutions to counteract new resistance mechanisms emerging and spreading globally in infectious pathogens. Classic organic antibiotics are rapidly exhausting the structural variations available for an effective antimicrobial drug and new compounds emerging from the industrial pharmaceutical pipeline will likely have a short-term and limited impact before the pathogens can adapt. Inorganic and organometallic complexes offer the opportunity to discover and develop new active antimicrobial agents by exploiting their wide range of three-dimensional geometries and virtually infinite design possibilities that can affect their substitution kinetics, charge, lipophilicity, biological targets and modes of action. This review describes recent studies on the antimicrobial activity of transition metal complexes of groups 6–12. It focuses on the effectiveness of the metal complexes in relation to the rich structural chemical variations of the same. The aim is to provide a short vade mecum for the readers interested in the subject that can complement other reviews.

Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Properties of Polyacrylonitrile-Moringa Extract Nanofibers

A simple and cost-effective material composed of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers containing different concentrations of moringa (MR) leaf extracts was fabricated for antimicrobial properties and wound dressing. The fabricated materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy. The antibacterial sensitivity of the developed polyacrylonitrile-moringa extract nanofibers was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by the agar diffusion method. A pronounced antibacterial activity was observed with the increase in the incorporated moringa leaf extract concentration within the polyacrylonitrile-moringa extract nanofibers against the bacterial strains. The best antibacterial sensitivity was observed for nanofibers containing 0.5 g of moringa leaf extract which had an inhibitory zone of 15 mm for E. coli and 12 mm for S. aureus. Furthermore, the cost-effective and biodegradable nanofibrous polyacrylonitrile-moringa extract nanofiber was also used to conduct further studies regarding wound dressing. The result reveals that the increase in the concentrations of moringa leaf extract influenced the healing properties of the material. For days 1, 4, and 7 of the wound dressing experiment, the % wound closure of the rat was the highest for the nanofiber containing 0.5 g of moringa leaf extract (35, 87, and 95%, respectively) compared to the positive control medical gauze (29, 75, and 93%, respectively).