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Efimova SS, Ostroumova OS. Antibiotic Loaded Phytosomes as a Way to Develop Innovative Lipid Formulations of Polyene Macrolides. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:665. [PMID: 38794328 PMCID: PMC11124810 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16050665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The threat of antibiotic resistance of fungal pathogens and the high toxicity of the most effective drugs, polyene macrolides, force us to look for new ways to develop innovative antifungal formulations. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine how the sterol, phospholipid, and flavonoid composition of liposomal forms of polyene antibiotics, and in particular, amphotericin B (AmB), affects their ability to increase the permeability of lipid bilayers that mimic the membranes of mammalian and fungal cells. METHODS To monitor the membrane permeability induced by various polyene-based lipid formulations, a calcein leakage assay and the electrophysiological technique based on planar lipid bilayers were used. KEY RESULTS The replacement of cholesterol with its biosynthetic precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol, led to a decrease in the ability of AmB-loaded liposomes to permeabilize lipid bilayers mimicking mammalian cell membranes. The inclusion of plant flavonoid phloretin in AmB-loaded liposomes increased the ability of the formulation to disengage a fluorescent marker from lipid vesicles mimicking the membranes of target fungi. I-V characteristics of the fungal-like lipid bilayers treated with the AmB phytosomes were symmetric, demonstrating the functioning of double-length AmB pores and assuming a decrease in the antibiotic threshold concentration. CONCLUSIONS AND PERSPECTIVES The therapeutic window of polyene lipid formulations might be expanded by varying their sterol composition. Polyene-loaded phytosomes might be considered as the prototypes for innovative lipid antibiotic formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana S. Efimova
- Laboratory of Membrane and Ion Channel Modeling, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia;
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Campelo JES, Nascimento MOD, Carvalho ALM, Santos HSP, Almeida JOCSD, Alves MMDM, Arcanjo DDR, Tavares Neto JM, Muratori MCS, Costa APR. Evaluation of the acute toxicity of ellagic acid and gallic acid incorporated in Poloxamer407® gel, in Zophobas morio larvae. Toxicol In Vitro 2024; 95:105727. [PMID: 37993026 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2023.105727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Gallic acid (GA) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, while ellagic acid (EA) demonstrates anticancer, antiviral and photoprotective activity. In this study, the combination of these substances incorporated into a poloxamer gel was tested to verify the individual effect of the substances, in addition to taking advantage of a probable complementary effect, aiming to provide additional therapeutic benefits. As a result of the incorporation, formulations containing GA, EA and GA + EA were obtained, which were evaluated for the effects of the Freeze-thaw cycle on pH, which revealed a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in most samples, including the vehicle (without drug) and the gel containing both drugs. No sample showed variation outside the normal pH range for the skin, with values ranging from 4.8 to 6.0. Regarding conductivity, the GA, EA and GA + EA formulations showed a reduction (p < 0.05) after the freeze-thaw cycle. The drug content in the formulations ranged from 95.86% to 101.35% initially to 91.30% to 101.51% after the freeze-thaw cycle. Regarding the drug release, the results revealed the following cumulative percentages: GA-3% - 92.58% after 1.5 h; AE-3% - 51.60% after 6 h; GA + EA (1.5% = 1.5%) - 99.91% after 2 h; GA + EA- (1.5% = 1.5%) released 57.06%, after 6 h. Regarding toxicity, it was observed that the group treated with GA showed a lower survival rate of the larvae (40%) at the dose 3000 mg/Kg in the formulation. Following the same trend, in the acute lethal concentration (ALC50) test performed using Zophobas morio larvae, an ALC50 of 2191.51 mg/Kg was observed for GA at 48 h. Melanin analysis showed a decrease in concentrations of 30 mg/Kg in the GA group, 3 mg/Kg of EA and 3, 300, 3000 mg/Kg of GA + EA, of the pure drugs. In the groups with the drugs incorporated into the gel, there was a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in melanin in the vehicle (gel), at concentrations of 300 and 3000 mg/Kg of GA and EA. On the other hand, in the combination of GA + EA, a reduction was observed at concentrations of 3 and 30 mg/Kg when compared to the control group. Thus, the gel showed good quality as a pharmaceutical formulation for topical use and low toxicity, making it promising for use in skin therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamilly Erica Sousa Campelo
- PPGTAIR - Postgraduate Program in Technologies Applied to Animals of Regional Interest, UFPI - CCA, Piaui, Brazil
| | | | | | - Hayana Sara Pereira Santos
- DMV -CCA Department of Morphophysiology, Center for Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Piaui, Piaui, Brazil
| | | | | | - Daniel Dias Rufino Arcanjo
- LAFMOL - Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Studies in Physiopharmacology, UFPI - CCS, Piaui, Brazil
| | - José Moreira Tavares Neto
- LAFMOL - Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Studies in Physiopharmacology, UFPI - CCS, Piaui, Brazil
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Allemailem KS. Enhanced activity of Ellagic acid in lipid nanoparticles (EA-liposomes) against Acinetobacter baumannii in immunosuppressed mice. Saudi J Biol Sci 2023; 30:103707. [PMID: 37415860 PMCID: PMC10319833 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2023.103707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii infections have come to the surface in huge numbers in the recent decades. Furthermore, A. baumannii has adopted great ability to nullify the majority of currently available antibiotics. With the purpose of finding a nontoxic and efficient therapeutic agent, we analyzed the activity of Ellagic acid (EA) against the multidrug-resistant A. baumannii. EA not only demonstrated its activity against A. baumannii, but also inhibited the biofilm formation. Since EA shows poor solubility in an aqueous environment, a lipid nanoparticle-based (liposomal) formulation of EA (EA-liposomes) was prepared and its effectiveness was assessed to treat bacterial infection in the immunocompromised murine model. Therapy with EA-liposomes imparted greater protection to infected mice by increasing the survival and decreasing the bacterial load in the lungs. A. baumannii infected mice treated with EA-liposomes (100 mg/kg) showed 60% survival rate as compared to 20% of those treated with free EA at the same dose. The bacterial load was found to be 32778 ± 12232 in the lungs of EA-liposomes (100 mg/kg)-treated mice, which was significantly lower to 165667 ± 53048 in the lung tissues of free EA treated mice. Likewise, EA-liposomes also restored the liver function (AST and ALT) and kidney function parameters (BUN and creatinine). The broncho-alveolar fluid (BALF) from infected mice contained greater quantities of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α, which were significantly alleviated in EA-liposomes treated mice. These findings together support the possible implication of EA-liposomes to treat A. baumannii infection, especially in immunocompromised mice.
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Efimova SS, Malykhina AI, Ostroumova OS. Triggering the Amphotericin B Pore-Forming Activity by Phytochemicals. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:670. [PMID: 37505036 PMCID: PMC10384262 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13070670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The macrolide polyene antibiotic amphotericin B (AmB), remains a valuable drug to treat systemic mycoses due to its wide antifungal activity and low probability of developing resistance. The high toxicity of AmB, expressed in nephropathy and hemolysis, could be partially resolved by lowering therapeutic AmB concentration while maintaining efficacy. This work discusses the possibility of using plant polyphenols and alkaloids to enhance the pore-forming and consequently antifungal activity of AmB. We demonstrated that phloretin, phlorizin, naringenin, taxifolin, quercetin, biochanin A, genistein, resveratrol, and quinine led to an increase in the integral AmB-induced transmembrane current in the bilayers composed of palmitoyloleoylphosphocholine and ergosterol, while catechin, colchicine, and dihydrocapsaicin did not practically change the AmB activity. Cardamonin, 4'-hydroxychalcone, licochalcone A, butein, curcumin, and piperine inhibited AmB-induced transmembrane current. Absorbance spectroscopy revealed no changes in AmB membrane concentration with phloretin addition. A possible explanation of the potentiation is related to the phytochemical-produced changes in the elastic membrane properties and the decrease in the energy of formation of the lipid mouth of AmB pores, which is partially confirmed by differential scanning microcalorimetry. The possibility of AmB interaction with cholesterol in the mammalian cell membranes instead of ergosterol in fungal membranes, determines its high toxicity. The replacement of ergosterol with cholesterol in the membrane lipid composition led to a complete loss or a significant decrease in the potentiating effects of tested phytochemicals, indicating low potential toxicity of these compounds and high therapeutic potential of their combinations with the antibiotic. The discovered combinations of AmB with plant molecules that enhance its pore-forming ability in ergosterol-enriched membranes, seem to be promising for further drug development in terms of the toxicity decrease and efficacy improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana S Efimova
- Laboratory of Membrane and Ion Channel Modeling, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky 4, 194064 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Anna I Malykhina
- Laboratory of Membrane and Ion Channel Modeling, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky 4, 194064 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Olga S Ostroumova
- Laboratory of Membrane and Ion Channel Modeling, Institute of Cytology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky 4, 194064 Saint Petersburg, Russia
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Barazorda-Ccahuana HL, Goyzueta-Mamani LD, Candia Puma MA, Simões de Freitas C, de Sousa Vieria Tavares G, Pagliara Lage D, Ferraz Coelho EA, Chávez-Fumagalli MA. Computer-aided drug design approaches applied to screen natural product's structural analogs targeting arginase in Leishmania spp. F1000Res 2023; 12:93. [PMID: 37424744 PMCID: PMC10323282 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.129943.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Leishmaniasis is a disease with high mortality rates and approximately 1.5 million new cases each year. Despite the new approaches and advances to fight the disease, there are no effective therapies. Methods: Hence, this study aims to screen for natural products' structural analogs as new drug candidates against leishmaniasis. We applied Computer-aided drug design (CADD) approaches, such as virtual screening, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) binding free estimation, and free energy perturbation (FEP) aiming to select structural analogs from natural products that have shown anti-leishmanial and anti-arginase activities and that could bind selectively against the Leishmania arginase enzyme. Results: The compounds 2H-1-benzopyran, 3,4-dihydro-2-(2-methylphenyl)-(9CI), echioidinin, and malvidin showed good results against arginase targets from three parasite species and negative results for potential toxicities. The echioidinin and malvidin ligands generated interactions in the active center at pH 2.0 conditions by MM-GBSA and FEP methods. Conclusions: This work suggests the potential anti-leishmanial activity of the compounds and thus can be further in vitro and in vivo experimentally validated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruna Luz Barazorda-Ccahuana
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Luis Daniel Goyzueta-Mamani
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru
- Sustainable Innovative Biomaterials Department, Le Qara Research Center, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Mayron Antonio Candia Puma
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru
- Universidad Católica de Santa María, Facultad de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Bioquímicas y Biotecnológicas, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Camila Simões de Freitas
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Grasiele de Sousa Vieria Tavares
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Daniela Pagliara Lage
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Antonio Ferraz Coelho
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Miguel Angel Chávez-Fumagalli
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru
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Fan G, Xu Z, Liu X, Yin W, Sun L, Wu D, Wei M, Wang W, Cai Y. Antifungal Efficacy of Gallic Acid Extracted From Pomegranate Peel Against Trichophyton rubrum: In Vitro Case Study. Nat Prod Commun 2023. [DOI: 10.1177/1934578x221148607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Trichophyton rubrum is one of the main pathogens causing superficial dermatophytosis, producing symptoms such as skin itching and pain, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Pomegranate peel extract is rich in gallic acid (GA), which has been reported to have biological effects including antifungal activity. However, the morphological and molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of GA on T rubrum are not well understood. The objectives of this study were to determine the antifungal efficacy of GA extracted from pomegranate peel against T rubrum in vitro, and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: The effects of 0-, 0.5-, and 1 mg/mL GA in pomegranate peel extract on T rubrum was investigated by detecting cell viability using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to analyze the ultrastructure of T. rubrum, and transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze the enrichment pathway of differentially expressed genes. The identification of biosynthesis-related and key genes in the pathways involved using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) technology. Terbinafine hydrochloride (TERB) as a positive control group. Results: Pomegranate peel extract has a GA content of 1.0 mg/mL. Compared with untreated group, following treatment with 1.0 mg/mL GA content is rich in pomegranate peel extract, and the microstructure of T rubrum is destroyed. TEM results show that the number of lipid droplets in T rubrum was significantly increased, mitochondrial vacuoles degenerated, the serosa were damaged, and the boundary of thallus was unclear. In addition, 1 mg/mL GA can significantly inhibit T rubrum proliferation, and its inhibition ability is better than TERB. Transcriptomics results show that GA can change the gene expression profile of T rubrum, specifically: The biosynthesis was blocked, drug resistance was weakened, the transport of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drugs transporter was increased, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway was significantly inhibited. Conclusions: Pomegranate peel extract is rich in GA, which strongly inhibited the growth of T rubrum and reduced its drug resistance. This extract is a promising natural antifungal agent for clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- GaoFu Fan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hefei Technology College, Chaohu, Anhui, China
| | - ZhenGuo Xu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hefei Technology College, Chaohu, Anhui, China
| | - XiuShu Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hefei Technology College, Chaohu, Anhui, China
| | - Wei Yin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hefei Technology College, Chaohu, Anhui, China
| | - LiHua Sun
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hefei Technology College, Chaohu, Anhui, China
| | - Dan Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hefei Technology College, Chaohu, Anhui, China
| | - MengQiang Wei
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hefei Technology College, Chaohu, Anhui, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hefei Food and Drug Inspection Center, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - YuHua Cai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hefei Technology College, Chaohu, Anhui, China
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Orabi MAA, Alqahtani OS, Alyami BA, Al Awadh AA, Abdel-Sattar ES, Matsunami K, Hamdan DI, Abouelela ME. Human Lung Cancer (A549) Cell Line Cytotoxicity and Anti- Leishmania major Activity of Carissa macrocarpa Leaves: A Study Supported by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS Metabolites Profiling and Molecular Docking. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15121561. [PMID: 36559012 PMCID: PMC9784246 DOI: 10.3390/ph15121561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer and cutaneous leishmaniasis are critical diseases with a relatively higher incidence in developing countries. In this research, the activity of Carissa macrocarpa leaf hydromethanolic extract and its solvent-fractions (n-hexane, EtOAc, n-butanol, and MeOH) against the lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549) and Leishmania major was investigated. The MeOH fraction exhibited higher cytotoxic activity (IC50 1.57 ± 0.04 μg/mL) than the standard drug, etoposide (IC50 50.8 ± 3.16 μg/mL). The anti-L. major results revealed strong growth inhibitory effects of the EtOAc fraction against L. major promastigotes (IC50 27.52 ± 0.7 μg/mL) and axenic amastigotes (29.33 ± 4.86% growth inhibition at 100 μg/mL), while the butanol fraction exerted moderate activity against promastigotes (IC50 73.17 ± 1.62), as compared with miltefosine against promastigotes (IC50 6.39 ± 0.29 μg/mL) and sodium stibogluconate against axenic amastigotes (IC50 22.45 ± 2.22 μg/mL). A total of 102 compounds were tentatively identified using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of the total extract and its fractions. The MeOH fraction was found to contain several flavonoids and flavan-3-ol derivatives with known cytotoxic properties, whereas the EtOAc fractions contained triterpene, hydroxycinnamoyl, sterol, and flavanol derivatives with known antileishmanial activity. Molecular docking of various polyphenolics of the MeOH fraction with HDAC6 and PDK3 enzymes demonstrates high binding affinity of the epicatechin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and catechin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside toward HDAC6, and procyanidin C2, procyanidin B5 toward PDK3. These results are promising and encourage the pursuit of preclinical research using C. macrocarpa's MeOH fraction as anti-lung cancer and the EtOAc fraction as an anti-L. major drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A. A. Orabi
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Najran University 1988, Najran 66454, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +966-557-398-835
| | - Omaish Salman Alqahtani
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Najran University 1988, Najran 66454, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bandar A. Alyami
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Najran University 1988, Najran 66454, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed Abdullah Al Awadh
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University 1988, Najran 66454, Saudi Arabia
| | - El-Shaymaa Abdel-Sattar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
| | - Katsuyoshi Matsunami
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-Ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan
| | - Dalia I. Hamdan
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, Menoufia University, Shibin Elkom 32511, Egypt
| | - Mohamed E. Abouelela
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut-Branch, Assiut 71524, Egypt
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Isopropyl Gallate, a Gallic Acid Derivative: In Silico and In Vitro Investigation of Its Effects on Leishmania major. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14122701. [PMID: 36559198 PMCID: PMC9787715 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14122701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Isopropyl gallate (IPG) is a polyphenol obtained from alterations in the gallic acid molecule via acid catalysis with previously reported leishmanicidal and trypanocidal activities. The present study aims to evaluate in silico binding activity towards some targets for antileishmanial chemotherapy against Leishmania major species, and ADMET parameters for IPG, as well as in vitro antileishmanial and cytotoxic effects. Molecular docking was performed using AutoDockVina and BIOVIA Discovery Studio software, whereas in silico analysis used SwissADME, PreADMET and admetSAR software. In vitro antileishmanial activity on promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania major, cytotoxicity and macrophages activation were assessed. IPG exhibited affinity for pteridine reductase (PTR1; -8.2 kcal/mol) and oligopeptidase B (OPB; -8.0 kcal/mol) enzymes. ADMET assays demonstrated good lipophilicity, oral bioavailability, and skin permeability, as well as non-mutagenic, non-carcinogenic properties and low risk of cardiac toxicity for IPG. Moreover, IPG inhibited the in vitro growth of promastigotes (IC50 = 90.813 µM), presented significant activity against amastigotes (IC50 = 13.45 μM), promoted low cytotoxicity in macrophages (CC50 = 1260 μM), and increased phagocytic capacity. These results suggest IPG is more selectively toxic to the parasite than to mammalian cells. IPG demonstrated acceptable in silico pharmacokinetics parameters, and reduced infection and infectivity in parasitized macrophages, possibly involving macrophage activation pathways and inhibition of leishmania enzymes.
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Chestnut Wood Mud as a Source of Ellagic Acid for Dermo-Cosmetic Applications. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11091681. [PMID: 36139755 PMCID: PMC9495433 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11091681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ellagic acid (EA) has long been recognized as a very active antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial agent. However, its low bioavailability has often hampered its applications in health-related fields. Here, we report a phospholipid vesicle-based controlled release system for EA, involving the exploitation of chestnut wood mud (CWM), an industrial by-product from chestnut tannin production, as a largely available and low-cost source of this compound. Two kinds of CWM with different particle size distributions, indicated as CWM-A and CWM-B (<100 and 32 µm, respectively), containing 5 ± 1% w/w EA, were incorporated into transfersomes. The latter were small in size (~100 nm), homogeneously dispersed, and negatively charged. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assays indicated up to three-fold improvement in the antioxidant properties of CWM upon incorporation into transfersomes. The kinetics of EA released under simulated physiological conditions were evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopy and HPLC analysis. The best results were obtained with CWM-B (100% of EA gradually released after 37 days at pH 7.4). A stepwise increase in the antioxidant properties of the released material was also observed. Cell-based experiments confirmed the efficacy of CWM-B transfersomes as antioxidant agents in contrasting photodamage.
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Evaluation and identification of antioxidative components of Radix Rhodomyrti by DPPH–UPLC–PDA coupled with UPLC–QTOF-MS/MS. CHEMICAL PAPERS 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11696-021-01544-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Natural Products That Target the Arginase in Leishmania Parasites Hold Therapeutic Promise. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9020267. [PMID: 33525448 PMCID: PMC7911663 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasites of the genus Leishmania cause a variety of devastating and often fatal diseases in humans worldwide. Because a vaccine is not available and the currently small number of existing drugs are less than ideal due to lack of specificity and emerging drug resistance, the need for new therapeutic strategies is urgent. Natural products and their derivatives are being used and explored as therapeutics and interest in developing such products as antileishmanials is high. The enzyme arginase, the first enzyme of the polyamine biosynthetic pathway in Leishmania, has emerged as a potential therapeutic target. The flavonols quercetin and fisetin, green tea flavanols such as catechin (C), epicatechin (EC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and cinnamic acid derivates such as caffeic acid inhibit the leishmanial enzyme and modulate the host’s immune response toward parasite defense while showing little toxicity to the host. Quercetin, EGCG, gallic acid, caffeic acid, and rosmarinic acid have proven to be effective against Leishmania in rodent infectivity studies. Here, we review research on these natural products with a focus on their promise for the development of treatment strategies as well as unique structural and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic features of the most promising agents.
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