Supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of small cardamom and yellow mustard seeds have fasting hypoglycaemic effects: diabetic rat, predictive iHOMA2 models and molecular docking study

Virtual screening of natural products inspired in-house library to discover potential lead molecules against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease

SARS-CoV-2, a new coronavirus emerged in 2019, causing a global healthcare epidemic. Although a variety of drug targets have been identified as potential antiviral therapies, and effective candidate against SARS-CoV-2 remains elusive. One of the most promising targets for combating COVID-19 is SARS-CoV-2 Main protease (M^pro, a protein responsible for viral replication. In this work, an in-house curated library was thoroughly evaluated for druggability against M^pro. We identified four ligands (FG, Q5, P5, and PJ4) as potential inhibitors based on docking scores, predicted binding energies (MMGBSA), in silico ADME, and RMSD trajectory analysis. Among the selected ligands, FG, a natural product from Andrographis nallamalayana, exhibited the highest binding energy of -10.31 kcal/mol close to the docking score of clinical candidates Boceprevir and GC376. Other ligands (P5, natural product from cardiospermum halicacabum and two synthetic molecules Q5 and PJ4) have shown comparable docking scores ranging -7.65 kcal/mol to -7.18 kcal/mol. Interestingly, we found all four top ligands had Pi bond interaction with the main amino acid residues HIS41 and CYS145 (catalytic dyad), H-bonding interactions with GLU166, ARG188, and GLN189, and hydrophobic interactions with MET49 and MET165 in the binding site of M^pro. According to the ADME analysis, Q5 and P5 are within the acceptable range of drug likeliness, compared to FG and PJ4. The interaction stability of the lead molecules with viral protease was verified using replicated MD simulations. Thus, the present study opens up the opportunity of developing drug candidates targeting SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^pro) to mitigate the disease.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Stimulation of glucose uptake by glycosides from Alectra parasitica subsp. chitrakutensis (M.A. Rau) K.K. Khanna & An. Kumar: An in-vitro study of TNF-α induced insulin resistance in L6 myoblasts

Alectra parasitica subsp. chitrakutensis (M.A. Rau) K.K. Khanna & An. Kumar (Orobanchaceae) is a parasitic plant indigenous to India. Locally, the plant is known as 'Midaki and Nirgundikand'. It is used to treat fever, piles, cardiovascular disorders, and blood-borne non-infectious diseases by ethnic communities. The phytochemical investigation of A. parasitica subsp. chitrakutensis rhizome led to the isolation of azafrin (1), rehmaionoside-C (2), and mussaenoside (3). Compounds (2) and (3) are being reported for the first time from this plant. Compounds were evaluated for their intercellular glucose uptake activity in basal and insulin-TNF-α-stimulated L6 muscle cells. In particular, rehmaionoside C exhibited activity comparative to metformin, increasing uptake by basal- and insulin-TNF-α-stimulated cells by 4.88- and 3.90-fold and 5.04- and 4.04-fold. While azafrin and mussaenoside have produced 3.03- and 2.36-fold; 4.03- and 3.22-fold increase in intercellular glucose uptake. Compounds did not show toxicities in rat L6 myoblast cells. The study suggests that rehmaionoside-C from A. parasitica subsp. chitrakutensis might activate glucose uptake by insulin mimics and could be a nontoxic anti-diabetes lead for drug discovery.

The effect of Elettaria cardamomum (cardamom) on the metabolic syndrome: Narrative review

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), as a health-threatening factor, consists of various symptoms including insulin resistance, high blood sugar, hypertension, dyslipidemia, inflammation, and abdominal obesity that raise the risk of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular diseases are important causes of mortality among the world population. Recently, there has been a growing interest in using phytomedicine and natural compounds in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. The data was gathered by searching various standard electronic databases (Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed) for English articles with no time limitations. All in vivo, in vitro, and clinical studies were included. Elettaria cardamomum (cardamom) is a rich source of phenolic compounds, volatile oils, and fixed oils. Cardamom and its pharmacologically effective substances have shown broad-spectrum activities including antihypertensive, anti-oxidant, lipid-modifying, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-thrombotic, hepatoprotective, hypocholesterolemic, anti-obesity, and antidiabetic effects. This review aims to highlight the therapeutic effects of cardamom on MetS and its components including diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and high blood pressure as well as the underlying mechanisms in the management of MetS. Finally, it can be stated that cardamom has beneficial effects on the treatment of MetS and its complications.