Annonalide and derivatives: Semisynthesis, cytotoxic activities and studies on interaction of annonalide with DNA

The annonalide diterpene extracted from Casimirella ampla (Miers) reduces inflammatory and antinociceptive events in general models of inflammation

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The plants of the genus Casimirella ampla (Miers) (C. ampla) are extensively used in folk medicine. For a long time, rural communities have been using extracts from its roots for food and therapeutic purposes. The extract is rich in diterpenoid annonalide (Annona), which has antiophidic, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties. Inflammation is the body's primary defense mechanism against cell damage and invasion by pathogens, which can trigger acute and chronic inflammatory processes. The first line of treatment for this condition consists of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but these have numerous associated collateral damages, based on scientific knowledge about diterpenoids from C. ampla, as well as their already reported antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

Evaluate the effect of Annona in classic models of inflammation and pain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Animals were pretreated with Annona (0.1, 1.0 and 10 mg/kg), or Tween 80 (2%), or indomethacin (Indo) (10 mg/kg) orally in the paw edema tests induced by carrageenan (Cg), serotonin (5-HT), histamine, bradykinin, 48/80 and, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), evaluating microscopic lesion scores, migration of leukocytes to the peritoneal cavity, concentration of myeloperoxide (MPO), malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH), abdominal contortion test by acetic acid and formalin test.

RESULTS

Treatment with Annona compound at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg was more effective in reducing inflammatory, oxidant and nociceptive parameters, as it reduced paw edema induced by carrageenan, through different mediators and migration of inflammatory cells. Furthermore, it worked by reducing the concentration of MPO, MDA, preserving GSH levels and reducing nociception caused by formalin and acetic acid.

Design, synthesis, antiviral evaluation, and In silico studies of acrylamides targeting nsP2 from Chikungunya virus

The Togaviridae family comprises several New- and Old-World Alphaviruses that have been responsible for thousands of human illnesses, including the RNA arbovirus Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Firstly, it was reported in Tanzania in 1952 but rapidly it spread to several countries from Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Since then, CHIKV has been circulating in diverse countries around the world, leading to increased morbidity rates. Currently, there are no FDA-approved drugs or licensed vaccines to specifically treat CHIKV infections. Thus, there is a lack of alternatives to fight against this viral disease, making it an unmet need. Structurally, CHIKV is composed of five structural proteins (E3, E2, E1, C, and 6k) and four non-structural proteins (nsP1-4), in which nsP2 represents an attractive antiviral target for designing novel inhibitors since it has an essential role in the virus replication and transcription. Herein, we used a rational drug design strategy to select some acrylamide derivatives to be synthesized and evaluated against CHIKV nsP2 and also screened on CHIKV-infected cells. Thus, two regions of modifications were considered for these types of inhibitors, based on a previous study of our group, generating 1560 possible inhibitors. Then, the 24 most promising ones were synthesized and screened by using a FRET-based enzymatic assay protocol targeting CHIKV nsP2, identifying LQM330, 333, 336, and 338 as the most potent inhibitors, with Ki values of 48.6 ± 2.8, 92.3 ± 1.4, 2.3 ± 1.5, and 181.8 ± 2.5 μM, respectively. Still, their Km and Vmax kinetic parameters were also determined, along with their competitive binding modes of CHIKV nsP2 inhibition. Then, ITC analyses revealed KD values of 127, 159, 198, and 218 μM for LQM330, 333, 336, and 338, respectively. Also, their ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG physicochemical parameters were determined. MD simulations demonstrated that these inhibitors present a stable binding mode with nsP2, interacting with important residues of this protease, according to docking analyzes. Moreover, MM/PBSA calculations displayed that van der Waals interactions are mainly responsible for stabilizing the inhibitor-nsP2 complex, and their binding energies corroborated with their Ki values, having -198.7 ± 15.68, -124.8 ± 17.27, -247.4 ± 23.78, and -100.6 ± 19.21 kcal/mol for LQM330, 333, 336, and 338, respectively. Since Sindbis (SINV) nsP2 is similar to CHIKV nsP2, these best inhibitors were screened against SINV-infected cells, and it was verified that LQM330 presented the best result, with an EC50 value of 0.95 ± 0.09 μM. Even at 50 μM concentration, LQM338 was found to be cytotoxic on Vero cells after 48 h. Then, LQM330, 333, and 336 were evaluated against CHIKV-infected cells in antiviral assays, in which LQM330 was found to be the most promising antiviral candidate in this study, exhibiting an EC50 value of 5.2 ± 0.52 μM and SI of 31.78. The intracellular flow cytometry demonstrated that LQM330 is able to reduce the CHIKV cytopathogenic effect on cells, and also reduce the percentage of CHIKV-positive cells from 66.1% ± 7.05 to 35.8% ± 5.78 at 50 μM concentration. Finally, qPCR studies demonstrated that LQM330 was capable of reducing the number of viral RNA copies/μL, suggesting that CHIKV nsP2 is targeted by this inhibitor as its mechanism of action.

Mairá-Potato (Casimirella sp.): Botanical, Food, Pharmacological, and Phytochemical Aspects

Millions of people in the world live in food insecurity, so identifying a tuber with characteristics capable of meeting the demand for food and also identifying active compounds that can be used to minimize harm to human health is of great value. The aim was to carry out a review based on systematic review tools and the main objective was to seek information on botanical, food, pharmacological, and phytochemical aspects of Casimirella sp. and propose possible applications. This review showed papers that addressed botanical, food, pharmacological, and phytochemical aspects of the Mairá-potato and presented suggestions for using this tuber allied to the information described in the works found in the Google Academic, Scielo, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. This review synthesized knowledge about the Mairá-potato that can contribute to the direction of further research on the suggested technological applications, both on the use of this tuber as a polymeric material and its use as biomaterial, encapsulation, bioactive use, and 3D printing, because this work collected information about this non-conventional food plant (PANC) that shows great potential for use in various areas of study.

Coumarin-Based Compounds as Inhibitors of Tyrosinase/Tyrosine Hydroxylase: Synthesis, Kinetic Studies, and In Silico Approaches

Cancer represents the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, constituting a serious health problem. In this context, melanoma represents the most aggressive and fatal type of skin cancer, with death rates increasing every year. Scientific efforts have been addressed to the development of inhibitors targeting the tyrosinase enzyme as potential anti-melanoma agents due to the importance of this enzyme in melanogenesis biosynthesis. Coumarin-based compounds have shown potential activity as anti-melanoma agents and tyrosinase inhibitors. In this study, coumarin-based derivatives were designed, synthesized, and experimentally evaluated upon tyrosinase. Compound FN-19, a coumarin-thiosemicarbazone analog, exhibited potent anti-tyrosinase activity, with an IC50 value of 42.16 ± 5.16 µM, being more active than ascorbic acid and kojic acid, both reference inhibitors. The kinetic study showed that FN-19 acts as a mixed inhibitor. Still, for this compound, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to determine the stability of the complex with tyrosinase, generating RMSD, RMSF, and interaction plots. Additionally, docking studies were performed to elucidate the binding pose at the tyrosinase, suggesting that the hydroxyl group of coumarin derivative performs coordinate bonds (bidentate) with the copper(II) ions at distances ranging from 2.09 to 2.61 Å. Then, MM/PBSA calculations revealed that van der Waals interactions are the most relevant intermolecular forces for complex stabilization. Furthermore, it was observed that FN-19 has a binding energy (ΔEMM) value similar to tropolone, a tyrosinase inhibitor. Therefore, the data obtained in this study will be useful for designing and developing novel coumarin-based analogs targeting the tyrosinase enzyme.

Synthesis and Catalytic Property of Ribonucleoside-Derived Carbon Dots

Exploring appropriate precursors has been proposed to be a promising strategy for the creation of artificial enzymes that are emerging as alternatives of natural enzymes. Herein, inspired by the catalytic activities of ribose nucleic acid, using ribonucleosides as precursors including adenosine, guanosine, cytidine, and uridine, respectively, four carbonic aggregates, namely, carbon dots (A-CDs, G-CDs, C-CDs, and U-CDs) to mimic artificial enzymes are synthesized. All the CDs show a planar graphene-like structure and thus can intercalatively bind with DNA double helix. Different from the other three CDs, the uridine-derived U-CDs exhibit unique catalytic property, which can mediate the topological transformation of DNA from supercoiled to nicked open-circular conformation. U-CDs can catalyze oxidation of O₂ to generate singlet oxygen ¹ O₂ via a Haber-Weiss reaction, and consequently mediate oxidative cleavage of phosphate backbone in DNA and release the torsional energy stored in supercoiled DNA. Explorations reveal that the unique highly active oxygenated species, namely, quinone groups that are on the edge of U-CDs, play a key role in the catalytic production of ¹ O₂ . This work represents a new insight that using natural biomolecules in living systems as precursors can create new species beyond life.

Repurposing FDA-approved Drugs Targeting SARS-CoV2 3CLpro: a study by applying Virtual Screening, Molecular Dynamics, MM-PBSA Calculations and Covalent Docking

Background:

Since the end of 2019, the etiologic agent SAR-CoV-2 responsible for one of the most significant epidemics in history has caused severe global economic, social, and health damages. The drug repurposing approach and application of Structure-based Drug Discovery (SBDD) using in silico techniques are increasingly frequent, leading to the identification of several molecules that may represent promising potential.

Method:

In this context, here we use in silico methods of virtual screening (VS), pharmacophore modeling (PM), and fragment-based drug design (FBDD), in addition to molecular dynamics (MD), molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM -PBSA) calculations, and covalent docking (CD) for the identification of potential treatments against SARS-CoV-2. We initially validated the docking protocol followed by VS in 1,613 FDA-approved drugs obtained from the ZINC database. Thus, we identified 15 top hits, of which three of them were selected for further simulations. In parallel, for the compounds with a fit score value ≤ of 30, we performed the FBDD protocol, where we designed 12 compounds

Result:

By applying a PM protocol in the ZINC database, we identified three promising drug candidates. Then, the 9 top hits were evaluated in simulations of MD, MM-PBSA, and CD. Subsequently, MD showed that all identified hits showed stability at the active site without significant changes in the protein's structural integrity, as evidenced by the RMSD, RMSF, Rg, SASA graphics. They also showed interactions with the catalytic dyad (His41 and Cys145) and other essential residues for activity (Glu166 and Gln189) and high affinity for MM-PBSA, with possible covalent inhibition mechanism.

Conclution:

Finally, our protocol helped identify potential compounds wherein ZINC896717 (Zafirlukast), ZINC1546066 (Erlotinib), and ZINC1554274 (Rilpivirine) were more promising and could be explored in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials to prove their potential as antiviral agents.

Targeting Chikungunya Virus Entry: alternatives for new inhibitors in drug discovery

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an Alphavirus (Togaviridae) responsible for Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) that is mainly characterized by a severe polyarthralgia, in which it is transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. Nowadays, there no licensed vaccines or approved drugs to specifically treat this viral disease. Structural viral proteins participate in key steps of its replication cycle, such as viral entry, membrane fusion, nucleocapsid assembly, and virus budding. In this context, envelope E3-E2-E1 glycoproteins complex could be targeted for designing new drug candidates. In this review, aspects of the CHIKV entry process are discussed to provide insights to assist the drug discovery process. Moreover, several natural, nature-based and synthetic compounds, as well as repurposed drugs and virtual screening, are also explored as alternatives for developing CHIKV entry inhibitors. Finally, we provided a complimentary analysis of studies involving inhibitors that were not explored by in silico methods. Based on this, Phe118, Val179, and Lys181 were found to be the most frequent residues, being present in 89.6, 82.7, and 93.1% of complexes, respectively. Lastly, some chemical aspects associated with interactions of these inhibitors and mature envelope E3-E2-E1 glycoproteins' complex were discussed to provide data for scientists worldwide, supporting their search for new inhibitors against this emerging arbovirus.

Computer-aided design of 1,4-naphthoquinone-based inhibitors targeting cruzain and rhodesain cysteine proteases

Chagas disease and Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) are caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and T. brucei parasites, respectively. Cruzain (CRZ) and Rhodesain (RhD) are cysteine proteases that share 70% of identity and play vital functions in these parasites. These macromolecules represent promising targets for designing new inhibitors. In this context, 26 CRZ and 5 RhD 3D-structures were evaluated by molecular redocking to identify the most accurate one to be utilized as a target. Posteriorly, a virtual screening of a library containing 120 small natural and nature-based compounds was performed on both of them. In total, 14 naphthoquinone-based analogs were identified, synthesized, and biologically evaluated. In total, five compounds were active against RhD, being three of them also active on CRZ. A derivative of 1,4-naphthoquinonepyridin-2-ylsulfonamide was found to be the most active molecule, exhibiting IC₅₀ values of 6.3 and 1.8 µM for CRZ and RhD, respectively. Dynamic simulations at 100 ns demonstrated good stability and do not alter the targets' structures. MM-PBSA calculations revealed that it presents a higher affinity for RhD (-25.3 Kcal mol^-1) than CRZ, in which van der Waals interactions were more relevant. A mechanistic hypothesis (via C3-Michael-addition reaction) involving a covalent mode of inhibition for this compound towards RhD was investigated by covalent molecular docking and DFT B3LYP/6-31 + G* calculations, exhibiting a low activation energy (ΔG^‡) and providing a stable product (ΔG), with values of 7.78 and - 39.72 Kcal mol^-1, respectively; similar to data found in the literature. Nevertheless, a reversibility assay by dilution revealed that JN-11 is a time-dependent and reversible inhibitor. Finally, this study applies modern computer-aided techniques to identify promising inhibitors from a well-known chemical class of natural products. Then, this work could inspire other future studies in the field, being useful for designing potent naphthoquinones as RhD inhibitors.

Natural DNA Intercalators as Promising Therapeutics for Cancer and Infectious Diseases

Cancer and infectious diseases are one of the greatest challenges of modern medicine. An unhealthy lifestyle, the improper use of drugs, or their abuse are conducive to the increase of morbidity and mortality caused by these diseases. The imperfections of drugs currently used in therapy for these diseases and the increasing problem of drug resistance have forced a search for new substances with therapeutic potential. Throughout history, plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms have been rich sources of biologically active compounds. Even today, despite the development of chemistry and the introduction of many synthetic chemotherapeutics, a substantial part of the new compounds being tested for treatment are still of natural origin. Natural compounds exhibit a great diversity of chemical structures, and thus possess diverse mechanisms of action and molecular targets. Nucleic acids seem to be a good molecular target for substances with anticancer potential in particular, but they may also be a target for antimicrobial compounds. There are many types of interactions of small-molecule ligands with DNA. This publication focuses on the intercalation process. Intercalators are compounds that usually have planar aromatic moieties and can insert themselves between adjacent base pairs in the DNA helix. These types of interactions change the structure of DNA, leading to various types of disorders in the functioning of cells and the cell cycle. This article presents the most promising intercalators of natural origin, which have aroused interest in recent years due to their therapeutic potential.

(9βH)- and 17-Nor-Pimaranes from Icacina oliviformis

Eleven pimarane-type diterpenoids were isolated from the tubers of Icacina oliviformis, including three new compounds, icacinlactone M (9), icacinlactone H 2-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (10), and icacinlactone N 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (11), together with an artifact of acrenol (8). Among the known structures, icacinlactone A (2), icacinlactone B (3), icacinlactone H (4), 12-hydroxyicacinlactone A (5), 14α-methoxyhumirianthol (6), and annonalide (7) are reported from I. oliviformis for the first time, whereas icacinol (1) has previously been found in this plant. Icacinol, 14α-methoxyhumirianthol, and annonalide displayed moderate cytotoxic activity in a panel of human cancer cell lines.

Phytochemicals and biological properties of Annona coriacea Mart. (Annonaceae): A systematic review from 1971 to 2020

Annona coriacea Mart., popularly known as "marolo", "araticum" and "araticum-liso" is a species distributed in Paraguay and Brazil, and easily found in Caatinga, Cerrado, and Pantanal biomes. The araticum has been used in folk medicine to treat stomatitis, neuralgia, rheumatism, headaches, furuncle, ulcers, and dermatitis. This systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the ethnomedicinal use, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activity of A. coriacea. A search for scientific articles of electronic databases (Science Direct, PubMed, Lilacs, Scopus, Google Scholar, Scielo, and Web of Science) was performed identifying studies published until November 2020. All papers considering traditional medicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties were included. Forty-six articles (n = 212 subjects) met the inclusion criteria set for this review. Of the 46 articles reviewed, 34 were focused on biological activity investigations, while 12 were limited to phytochemical studies. These studies showed the presence of a diversity of secondary metabolites such as acetogenins, sesquiterpenes, alkaloids, flavonoids, and diterpenes. To date, pharmacological tests have demonstrated significant biological activities of this plant, being the most promising anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, and insecticide activities. Additionally, the medicinal utilization of A. coriacea appears to be promising, supporting its possible uses for human health with antioxidant, anxiolytic, antiulcer, insecticide, and antiparasitic activities. Ultimately, comprehensive studies involving clinical trials are required to validate the existing traditional practices and their related health benefits scientifically.

Neto JDB, de Abreu FC, Figueiredo IM, Carinhanha C. Santos J, Pessoa CDÓ, da Silva-Júnior EF, de Araújo-Júnior JX, M. de Aquino T. Synthesis of hybrids thiazole–quinoline, thiazole–indole and their analogs: in vitro anti-proliferative effects on cancer cell lines, DNA binding properties and molecular modeling

A quinoline–thiazole hybrid was synthesized, which showed cytotoxicity against the HL-60 cell line. Electrochemical and spectroscopic experiments suggested DNA as the biological target.

Computer-Aided Design, Synthesis, and Antiviral Evaluation of Novel Acrylamides as Potential Inhibitors of E3-E2-E1 Glycoproteins Complex from Chikungunya Virus

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes an infectious disease characterized by inflammation and pain of the musculoskeletal tissues accompanied by swelling in the joints and cartilage damage. Currently, there are no licensed vaccines or chemotherapeutic agents to prevent or treat CHIKV infections. In this context, our research aimed to explore the potential in vitro anti-CHIKV activity of acrylamide derivatives. In silico methods were applied to 132 Michael’s acceptors toward the six most important biological targets from CHIKV. Subsequently, the ten most promising acrylamides were selected and synthesized. From the cytotoxicity MTT assay, we verified that LQM330, 334, and 336 demonstrate high cell viability at 40 µM. Moreover, these derivatives exhibited anti-CHIKV activities, highlighting the compound LQM334 which exhibited an inhibition value of 81%. Thus, docking simulations were performed to suggest a potential CHIKV-target for LQM334. It was observed that the LQM334 has a high affinity towards the E3-E2-E1 glycoproteins complex. Moreover, LQM334 reduced the percentage of CHIKV-positive cells from 74.07 to 0.88%, 48h post-treatment on intracellular flow cytometry staining. In conclusion, all virtual simulations corroborated with experimental results, and LQM334 could be used as a promising anti-CHIKV scaffold for designing new drugs in the future.

5-Nitro-Thiophene-Thiosemicarbazone Derivatives Present Antitumor Activity Mediated by Apoptosis and DNA Intercalation

BACKGROUND

Considering the need for the development of new antitumor drugs, associated with the great antitumor potential of thiophene and thiosemicarbazonic derivatives, in this work we promote molecular hybridization approach to synthesize new compounds with increased anticancer activity.

OBJECTIVE

Investigate the antitumor activity and their likely mechanisms of action of a series of N-substituted 2-(5-nitro-thiophene)-thiosemicarbazone derivatives.

METHODS

Methods were performed in vitro (cytotoxicity, cell cycle progression, morphological analysis, mitochondrial membrane potential evaluation and topoisomerase assay), spectroscopic (DNA interaction studies), and in silico studies (docking and molecular modelling).

RESULTS

Most of the compounds presented significant inhibitory activity; the NCIH-292 cell line was the most resistant, and the HL-60 cell line was the most sensitive. The most promising compound was LNN-05 with IC50 values ranging from 0.5 to 1.9 µg.mL-1. The in vitro studies revealed that LNN-05 was able to depolarize (dose-dependently) the mitochondrial membrane, induceG1 phase cell cycle arrest noticeably, promote morphological cell changes associated with apoptosis in chronic human myelocytic leukaemia (K-562) cells, and presented no topoisomerase II inhibition. Spectroscopic UV-vis and molecular fluorescence studies showed that LNN compounds interact with ctDNA forming supramolecular complexes. Intercalation between nitrogenous bases was revealed through KI quenching and competitive ethidium bromide assays. Docking and Molecular Dynamics suggested that 5-nitro-thiophene-thiosemicarbazone compounds interact against the larger DNA groove, and corroborating the spectroscopic results, may assume an intercalating interaction mode.

CONCLUSION

Our findings highlight 5-nitro-thiophene-thiosemicarbazone derivatives, especially LNN-05, as a promising new class of compounds for further studies to provide new anticancer therapies.

Semisynthesis and absolute configuration of a novel rearranged 19,20-δ-lactone (9βH)-pimarane diterpene

Annonalide (3β,20-epoxy-3α,16-dihydroxy-15-oxo-7-pimaren-19,6β-olide, C₂₀H₂₆O₆, 1) is the major (9βH)-pimarane diterpene isolated from tubers of Cassimirella ampla, and it exhibits cytotoxic properties upon interaction with ctDNA. We have prepared new derivatives of 1 by modification of the (9βH)-pimarane backbone and report here the semisynthesis and absolute configuration of a novel rearranged 19,20-δ-lactone (9βH)-pimarane. Our approach was the reduction of the carbonyl groups of 1 with sodium borohydride, at positions C15 (no stereoselectivity) and C3 (stereoselective reduction), followed by rearrangement of the 6,19-γ-lactone ring into the six-membered 19,20-δ-lactone ring in 4a (3β,6β,16-trihydroxy-7-pimaren-19,20β-olide monohydrate, C₂₀H₃₀O₆·H₂O). The absolute structure of the new compound, 4a, was determined unambiguously with a Flack parameter x of -0.01 (11), supporting the stereochemistry assignment of 1 redetermined here. Besides the changes in the pattern of covalent bonds caused by reduction and lactone rearrangement, the conformation of one of the three fused cyclohexane rings is profoundly different in 4a, adopting a chair conformation instead of the boat shape found in 1. Furthermore, the intramolecular hydrogen bond present in 1 is lost in new compound 4a, due to hydrogen bonding between the 3-OH group and the solvent water molecule.