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Mandour YM, Refaat E, Hassanein HD. Anticancer activity, phytochemical investigation and molecular docking insights of Citrullus colocynthis (L.) fruits. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20038. [PMID: 37973959 PMCID: PMC10654702 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46867-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer disease is regarded as one of the most significant public health issues, regardless of economic standards. Medicinal plants are now regarded as a natural source of anticancer medicines due to their antioxidant and anti-mutagenic actions. Cucurbitaceae is considered to be one of the most economically significant families. One family species is Citrullus colocynthis (L.), which has a high concentration of many active secondary chemical metabolites. Various C. colocynthis plant extracts showed cytotoxicity against some cancer cells. This study aims to identify the C. colocynthis fruit components and determine whether they have anticancer action against MIA PaCa-2 and A431 cells. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Quadrupole Time of Flight/Mass Spectrometry (HPLC/QTOF/MS); the technique was accustomed to investigate the compounds of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fruit extract. Anticancer activity was investigated on both MIAPaCa-2 and A-431 cell lines. DPPH assay for antioxidant activity was carried out. Molecular modelling was employed to help understand the molecular basis for the observed anticancer activity. 24 compounds were tentatively identified by comparing the extract's fragmentation pattern in positive mode against reference compounds spectra and literature. The EtOAc extract of C. colocynthis had effective positive results on cancer cells (MIAPaCa-2 and A-431) and was characterized by slight or no harmful effect on normal (healthy) cells. For the DPPH assay, EtOAc and BuOH extracts exhibited high antioxidant activity (86 and 76%, respectively) compared with the oxidative potential of the standard compound (Caffeic acid, 98%). One of the major cucurbitacin derivatives that LC/MS tentatively identified in the EtOAc extract was Cucurbita-5(10),6,23-triene-3β,25-diol. During this study, docking experiments and MD simulations were carried out, which suggested the anti-pancreatic cancer activity of C. colocynthis extract to be attributed to EGFR inhibition by Cucurbita-5(10),6,23-triene-3β,25-diol. Therefore, expansion of this type of research should be encouraged in the hope of obtaining natural therapeutics for cancerous tumors in the future, having the advantage of being cheaper, safer, and with fewer side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmine M Mandour
- School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire Hosted by Global Academic Foundation, New Administrative Capital, Cairo, 11578, Egypt
| | - Esraa Refaat
- Pharmacognosy Department, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Heba D Hassanein
- Chemistry of Medicinal Plant Department, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
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Kamal M, Badary HA, Omran D, Shousha HI, Abdelaziz AO, El Tayebi HM, Mandour YM. Virtual Screening and Biological Evaluation of Potential PD-1/PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors as Anti-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Agents. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:33242-33254. [PMID: 37744828 PMCID: PMC10515376 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c00279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Blockade of the programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) immune checkpoint pathway is an efficient immunotherapeutic modality that provided significant advances in cancer treatment especially in solid tumors highly resistant to traditional therapy. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and small-molecule inhibitors are the two main strategies used to block this axis with mAbs suffering from many limitations. Accordingly, the current alternative is the development of small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Here, we present a sequential virtual screening (VS) protocol involving pharmacophore screening followed by molecular docking for the discovery of novel PD-L1 inhibitors. The VS protocol resulted in the discovery of eight novel compounds. A 100 ns MD simulation showed two compounds, H4 and H6, exhibiting a stable binding mode at the PD-L1 dimer interface. Upon evaluation of their immunological activities, the two compounds induced higher cytokines levels (IL-2, IL-6, and INF-γ) relative to BMS-202, 72 h post treatment of PBMCs of HCC patients. Thus, the discovered hits represent potential leads for the development of novel classes targeting the PD-L1 receptor as anti-hepatocellular carcinoma agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica
A. Kamal
- Molecular
Pharmacology Research Group, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology,
Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German
University in Cairo, 11835 Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hedy A. Badary
- Endemic
Medicine and Hepato-gastroenterology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, 11562 Cairo, Egypt
| | - Dalia Omran
- Endemic
Medicine and Hepato-gastroenterology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, 11562 Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hend I. Shousha
- Endemic
Medicine and Hepato-gastroenterology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, 11562 Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ashraf O. Abdelaziz
- Endemic
Medicine and Hepato-gastroenterology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, 11562 Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hend M. El Tayebi
- Molecular
Pharmacology Research Group, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology,
Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German
University in Cairo, 11835 Cairo, Egypt
| | - Yasmine M. Mandour
- School
of Life and Medical Sciences, University
of Hertfordshire Hosted by Global Academic Foundation, New Administrative Capital, 11578 Cairo, Egypt
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German University in Cairo, 11835 Cairo, Egypt
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Mind the Gap—Deciphering GPCR Pharmacology Using 3D Pharmacophores and Artificial Intelligence. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15111304. [DOI: 10.3390/ph15111304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are amongst the most pharmaceutically relevant and well-studied protein targets, yet unanswered questions in the field leave significant gaps in our understanding of their nuanced structure and function. Three-dimensional pharmacophore models are powerful computational tools in in silico drug discovery, presenting myriad opportunities for the integration of GPCR structural biology and cheminformatics. This review highlights success stories in the application of 3D pharmacophore modeling to de novo drug design, the discovery of biased and allosteric ligands, scaffold hopping, QSAR analysis, hit-to-lead optimization, GPCR de-orphanization, mechanistic understanding of GPCR pharmacology and the elucidation of ligand–receptor interactions. Furthermore, advances in the incorporation of dynamics and machine learning are highlighted. The review will analyze challenges in the field of GPCR drug discovery, detailing how 3D pharmacophore modeling can be used to address them. Finally, we will present opportunities afforded by 3D pharmacophore modeling in the advancement of our understanding and targeting of GPCRs.
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Pavan M, Bassani D, Bolcato G, Bissaro M, Sturles M, Moro S. Computational strategies to identify new drug candidates against neuroinflammation. Curr Med Chem 2022; 29:4756-4775. [PMID: 35135446 DOI: 10.2174/0929867329666220208095122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The even more increasing application of computational approaches in these last decades has deeply modified the process of discovery and commercialization of new therapeutic entities. This is especially true in the field of neuroinflammation, in which both the peculiar anatomical localization and the presence of the blood-brain barrier makeit mandatory to finely tune the candidates' physicochemical properties from the early stages of the discovery pipeline. The aim of this review is therefore to provide a general overview to the readers about the topic of neuroinflammation, together with the most common computational strategies that can be exploited to discover and design small molecules controlling neuroinflammation, especially those based on the knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of the biological targets of therapeutic interest. The techniques used to describe the molecular recognition mechanisms, such as molecular docking and molecular dynamics, will therefore be eviscerated, highlighting their advantages and their limitations. Finally, we report several case studies in which computational methods have been applied in drug discovery on neuroinflammation, focusing on the last decade's research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Pavan
- Molecular Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences University of Padova, via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Davide Bassani
- Molecular Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences University of Padova, via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Molecular Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences University of Padova, via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Giovanni Bolcato
- Molecular Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences University of Padova, via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Maicol Bissaro
- Molecular Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences University of Padova, via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Mattia Sturles
- Molecular Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences University of Padova, via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Stefano Moro
- Molecular Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences University of Padova, via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
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Mielcarska S, Kula A, Dawidowicz M, Kiczmer P, Chrabańska M, Rynkiewicz M, Wziątek-Kuczmik D, Świętochowska E, Waniczek D. Assessment of the RANTES Level Correlation and Selected Inflammatory and Pro-Angiogenic Molecules Evaluation of Their Influence on CRC Clinical Features: A Preliminary Observational Study. Medicina (B Aires) 2022; 58:medicina58020203. [PMID: 35208526 PMCID: PMC8880690 DOI: 10.3390/medicina58020203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Assessment of RANTES level and concentrations of inflammatory cytokines: programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), interferon gamma IFN-γ, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), transforming growht factor β (TGF-β) (and angiogenesis factors: vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF C) in tumor and margin tissues of colorectal cancer (CRC,) and evaluation of RANTES influence on histopathological parameters (microvessel density (MVD), budding, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs)), in relation to patients’ clinical features. Materials and Methods: The study used 49 samples of tumor and margin tissues derived from CRC patients. To determinate the concentration of RANTES, PD-L1, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TGF-β, VEGF-A, and VEGF-C, we used the commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Additionally, RANTES and PD-L1 expression was assessed with the use of IHC staining in both tumor cells and TILS in randomly selected cases. MVD was assessed on CD34-stained specimens. The MVD and budding were assessed using a light microscope. Results: We found significantly higher levels of RANTES, PD-L1, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TGF-β, VEGF-A, and VEGF-C in the tumor in comparison with the margin. The RANTES tumor levels correlated significantly with those of PD-L1, TNF-α, TGF-β, VEGF-A, and VEGF-C. The RANTES margin levels were significantly associated with the margin levels of all proteins investigated—PD-L1, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TGF-β, VEGF-A, and VEGF-C. Additionally, we observed RANTES- and PD-L1-positive immunostaining in TILs. In a group of 24 specimens, 6 different CRC tumors were positive for RANTES and PD-L1 immunostaining. The IFN-gamma concentration in both tumor and margin and TGF-β in tumor correlated with TILs. TILs were negatively associated with the patients’ disease stage and N parameter. Conclusions: RANTES activity might be associated with angiogenesis, lymphogenesis, and immune escape in CRC. RANTES is an important chemokine that is a part of the chemokine–cytokine network involved in the modulation of TME composition in CRC. Further research may verify which processes are responsible for the associations observed in the study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylwia Mielcarska
- Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 19 Jordana, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland;
- Correspondence:
| | - Agnieszka Kula
- Department of Oncological Surgery, Faculty of Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Katowice, Poland; (A.K.); (M.D.); (D.W.)
| | - Miriam Dawidowicz
- Department of Oncological Surgery, Faculty of Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Katowice, Poland; (A.K.); (M.D.); (D.W.)
| | - Paweł Kiczmer
- Department and Chair of Pathomorphology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 13-15 3 Maja, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland; (P.K.); (M.C.); (M.R.)
| | - Magdalena Chrabańska
- Department and Chair of Pathomorphology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 13-15 3 Maja, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland; (P.K.); (M.C.); (M.R.)
| | - Magdalena Rynkiewicz
- Department and Chair of Pathomorphology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 13-15 3 Maja, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland; (P.K.); (M.C.); (M.R.)
| | - Daria Wziątek-Kuczmik
- Department of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 20-24 Francuska, 40-027 Katowice, Poland;
| | - Elżbieta Świętochowska
- Department of Medical and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 19 Jordana, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland;
| | - Dariusz Waniczek
- Department of Oncological Surgery, Faculty of Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Katowice, Poland; (A.K.); (M.D.); (D.W.)
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