Ligand and Structure-Based Virtual Screening in Combination, to Evaluate Small Organic Molecules as Inhibitors for the XIAP Anti-Apoptotic Protein: The Xanthohumol Hypothesis

Novel systems biology experimental pipeline reveals matairesinol's antimetastatic potential in prostate cancer: an integrated approach of network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and experimental validation

Matairesinol (MAT), a plant lignan renowned for its anticancer properties in hormone-sensitive cancers like breast and prostate cancers, presents a promising yet underexplored avenue in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer (mPC). To elucidate its specific therapeutic targets and mechanisms, our study adopted an integrative approach, amalgamating network pharmacology (NP), bioinformatics, GeneMANIA-based functional association (GMFA), and experimental validation. By mining online databases, we identified 27 common targets of mPC and MAT, constructing a MAT-mPC protein-protein interaction network via STRING and pinpointing 11 hub targets such as EGFR, AKT1, ERBB2, MET, IGF1, CASP3, HSP90AA1, HIF1A, MMP2, HGF, and MMP9 with CytoHuba. Utilizing DAVID, Gene Ontology (GO) analysis highlighted metastasis-related processes such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, positive regulation of cell migration, and key Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, including cancer, prostate cancer, PI3K-Akt, and MAPK signaling, while the web resources such as UALCAN and GEPIA2 affirmed the clinical significance of the top 11 hub targets in mPC patient survival analysis and gene expression patterns. Our innovative GMFA enrichment method further enriched network pharmacology findings. Molecular docking analyses demonstrated substantial interactions between MAT and 11 hub targets. Simulation studies confirmed the stable interactions of MAT with selected targets. Experimental validation in PC3 cells, employing quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR and various cell-based assays, corroborated MAT's antimetastatic effects on mPC. Thus, this exhaustive NP analysis, complemented by GMFA, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and experimental validations, underscores MAT's multifaceted role in targeting mPC through diverse therapeutic avenues. Nevertheless, comprehensive in vitro validation is imperative to solidify these findings.

Synthesis and investigation of new indole-containing vinyl sulfide derivatives: In silico and in vitro studies for potential therapeutic applications

Indoles featuring organosulfur compounds serve as privileged structural scaffolds in various biologically active compounds. This study investigates the biological properties of five synthetic sulphenyl vinyl indoles (3 a-e) using both in silico and in vitro methods. Computational analyses employing Swiss ADME and Molinspiration software reveal the remarkable inhibitory activity of compound 3 d against proteases and kinases (scores of 0.18 and 0.06, respectively). Furthermore, it demonstrates the ability to modulate ionic and G protein-coupled receptors (scores: -0.06 and 0.31, respectively) and serves as a ligand for nuclear receptors (score 0.15). In vitro investigations highlight the compounds' efficacy in countering ABTS+ radical attacks and reducing lipid peroxidation levels. Particularly noteworthy is the superior efficacy of compounds 3 a, 3 b, and 3 e in DPPH (EC50 3 a: 268.5 μM) and TEAC assays (EC50 3 a: 49.9 μM; EC50 3 b: 133.4 μM, and EC50 3 e: 84.9 μM), as well as TBARS levels. Compound 3 c significantly reduces acetylcholinesterase activity, positioning itself as a noteworthy enzyme inhibitor. This study emphasizes the versatile biological potential of synthetic indole derivatives, suggesting their applicability for therapeutic purposes.