A Molecular docking study to predict enantioseparation of some chiral carboxylic acid derivatives by methyl-β-cyclodextrin

Hepatoprotective Effect Associated with Alkaloids from Corydalis tomentella Franch. based on Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking and in Vitro Experiment

Liver is an important metabolic organ with numerous functions in human body. Hepatitis is defined as the inflammation of the liver tissue, which could lead to acute liver failure, liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Corydalis tomentella Franch., a precious herb in China, is often used in the treatment of hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. In this study, 41 isoquinoline alkaloids and derivatives isolated by our lab from C. tomentella and 61 related targets were analyzed by network pharmacology. Their activities were further verified by cell assay evaluated for antitumor activity against HepG2 cells and molecular docking. The results confirmed that the alkaloids from C.tomentella had extensive hepatoprotective effects, and TNF-α was the key target of hendersinate B methyl ester against acute liver damage by viral hepatitis and HCC, which provided a foundation for further in vivo studies.

β-Cyclodextrin/Isopentyl Caffeate Inclusion Complex: Synthesis, Characterization and Antileishmanial Activity

Isopentyl caffeate (ICaf) is a bioactive ester widely distributed in nature. Our patented work has shown promising results of this molecule against Leishmania. However, ICaf shows poor solubility, which limits its usage in clinical settings. In this work, we have proposed the development of an inclusion complex of ICaf in β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), with the aim to improve the drug solubility, and thus, its bioavailability. The inclusion complex (ICaf:β-CD) was developed applying three distinct methods, i.e., physical mixture (PM), kneading (KN) or co-evaporation (CO) in different molar proportions (0.25:1, 1:1 and 2:1). Characterization of the complexes was carried out by thermal analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and molecular docking. The ICaf:β-CD complex in a molar ratio of 1:1 obtained by CO showed the best complexation and, therefore, was selected for further analysis. Solubility assay showed a marked improvement in the ICaf:β-CD (CO, 1:1) solubility profile when compared to the pure ICaf compound. Cell proliferation assay using ICaf:β-CD complex showed an IC50 of 3.8 and 2.7 µg/mL against L. amazonesis and L. chagasi promastigotes, respectively. These results demonstrate the great potential of the inclusion complex to improve the treatment options for visceral and cutaneous leishmaniases.

Virtual screening of active compounds from jasminum lanceolarium and potential targets against primary dysmenorrhea based on network pharmacology

In present study, multi-target and multi-pathway mechanisms of Jasminum lanceolarium Roxb (JL) on primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) treatment were predicted by the approach of network pharmacology and molecular docking, leading to the obtaining of 22 predicted targets for 69 compounds in JL. The Compound-Target analysis displayed intimate association among targets and compounds. Meanwhile, the Compound-Target-Target revealed PTGS2, OPRD1 and NOS3 were the key targets with intensive interaction. The Compound-Target-Pathway network indicated these pathways were closely related to hormone regulation, central analgesia, spasmolysis and inflammation. The anti-inflammation pathways might be the key mechanism of JL for the treatment of PDM based on KEGG pathway enrichment analysis and pharmacological experiment, and 10-hydroxyoleoside dimethyl ester might be a promising leading compound due to its good molecular docking scores and previous experimental evaluation.