Improvement of the novel inhibitor for Mycobacterium enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (InhA): a structure-activity relationship study of KES4 assisted by in silico structure-based drug screening

Decarboxylation and Tandem Reduction/Decarboxylation Pathways to Substituted Phenols from Aromatic Carboxylic Acids Using Bimetallic Nanoparticles on Supported Ionic Liquid Phases as Multifunctional Catalysts

Valuable substituted phenols are accessible via the selective decarboxylation of hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives using multifunctional catalysts composed of bimetallic iron-ruthenium nanoparticles immobilized on an amine-functionalized supported ionic liquid phase (Fe25Ru75@SILP+IL-NEt2). The individual components of the catalytic system are assembled using a molecular approach to bring metal and amine sites into close contact on the support material, providing high stability and high decarboxylation activity. Operating under a hydrogen atmosphere was found to be essential to achieve high selectivity and yields. As the catalyst materials enable also the selective hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation of various additional functional groups (i.e., formyl, acyl, and nitro substituents), direct access to the corresponding phenols can be achieved via integrated tandem reactions. The approach opens versatile synthetic pathways for the production of valuable phenols from a wide range of readily available substrates, including compounds derived from lignocellulosic biomass.

Identification of novel inhibitors for mycobacterial polyketide synthase 13 via in silico drug screening assisted by the parallel compound screening with genetic algorithm-based programs

Identifying small compounds capable of inhibiting Mycobacterium tuberculosis polyketide synthase 13 (Pks13), in charge of final step of mycolic acid biosynthesis, could lead to the development of a novel antituberculosis drug. This study screened for lead compounds capable of targeting M. tuberculosis Pks13 from a chemical library comprising 154,118 compounds through multiple in silico docking simulations. The parallel compound screening (PCS), conducted via two genetic algorithm-based programs was applied in the screening strategy. Out of seven experimentally validated compounds, four compounds showed inhibitory effects on the growth of the model mycobacteria (Mycobacterium smegmatis). Subsequent docking simulation of analogs of the promising leads with the assistance of PCS resulted in the identification of three additional compounds with potent antimycobacterial effects (compounds A1, A2, and A5). Further, molecular dynamics simulation predicted stable interaction between M. tuberculosis Pks13 active site and compound A2, which showed potent antimycobacterial activity comparable to that of isoniazid. The present study demonstrated the efficacy of in silico structure-based drug screening through PCS in antituberculosis drug discovery.

Inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis InhA (Enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase) by synthetic Chalcones: a molecular modelling analysis and in-vitro evidence

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.8 million people die each year from TB, with 10 million new cases being registered each year. In this study, 50 Chalcones were developed, five of which were synthesized, and their inhibitory effects against Mtb were studied. The discovery of new powerful inhibitors with IC₅₀ values in the sub-micro molar range resulted from the development of structure-activity relationships (SAR). The goal of the molecular modelling studies was to uncover the most important structural criteria underpinning the binding affinity and selectivity of this class of inhibitors as possible anti-TB drugs. Because of their great efficacy and selectivity, our developed nitro and benzyloxy substituted Chalcones compounds appear to be promising anti-TB therapies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.