(Moraceae) and In Silico Study of Their Antidiabetic Potential

Structural characterization, in-silico studies, and antifungal activity of 5-methylmellein isolated from endophytic Alternaria burnsii

The present investigation focused on exploring the potential of fungal endophytes as a valuable source of bioactive compounds with diverse applications. The phenolic compound 5-methylmellein was isolated for the first time from Alternaria burnsii, an endophytic fungus associated with Morus alba Linn. The compounds were structurally characterized using comprehensive spectral analysis, including 1H-, 13C, and 2D-NMR, as well as HRESI-MS. The study investigated the antifungal activity of 5-methylmellein against several plant pathogenic fungi, including Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Cercospora beticola, and Rhizoctonia solani. In vitro assays showed significant inhibition of various plant pathogenic fungi, and the IC50 values ranging from 34.59 ± 1.03a µg/mL to 44.76 ± 1.03b µg/mL against the tested fungi. In vivo experiments on apples and grapes revealed that 5-Methylmellein significantly reduced fruit decay caused by Botrytis cinerea. The wound incidence in the control group reached 95.78%, while the treated groups exhibited a reduction of 37.54% after 15 days. These findings underscore the potential of 5-methylmellein as a potent antifungal agent, suggesting its eco-friendly application in agriculture for managing fruit decay.

Bioactive secondary metabolites from fungal endophytes, Penicillium oxalicum and Phoma herbarum, associated with Morus nigra and Ficus sycomorus: an in silico study

Two pure fungal strains were isolated and identified from Ficus sycomorus and Morus nigra, namely, Penicillium oxalicum (OR673586) and Phoma herbarum (OR673589), respectively. The extract and fractions of secondary metabolites of each fungus were evaluated for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibiofilm, antidiabetic, and cytotoxic activities. The chloroform fraction of P. oxalicum showed potent cytotoxic activity (IC50 = 7.695 μg mL-1) against Hep-G2 cell line, alongside moderate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. On the other hand, the P. herbarum chloroform fraction showed potent antioxidant (DPPH IC50 = 5.649 μg mL-1) and antidiabetic activities (IC50 = 14.91 μg mL-1) against inhibition of α-glucosidase, in addition to moderate cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. Guided cytotoxic fractionation leads to identifying bioactive compounds using hyphenated techniques. LC-MS identified fourteen compounds for P. herbarum and thirteen compounds for P. oxalicum. Three known compounds, mevalolactone (1), glycerol monolinoleate (3), and ergosterol (7) in addition to one new compound, barcelonyl acetate (2), were isolated from P. herbarum. On the other hand, four known compounds, 4-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid (4), secalonic acid D (5), altersolanol A (6), and ergosterol (7), were isolated from P. oxalicum. Altersolanol A (6) and secalonic acid D (7) exhibited outstanding cytotoxic activity against Hep-G2 and Caco-2 cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 0.00038 to 0.208 μM. In silico study findings showed altersolanol A (6), 4-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid (4), glycerol monolinoleate (3), and barcelonyl acetate (2) displayed significant potential but may benefit from further optimization as lead for developing potent c-Jun N-terminal kinase 2 (JNK2, PDB: 3NPC) inhibitors, potentially leading to novel therapeutic strategies targeting cancer therapy.

Green preparation and evaluation of the anti-psoriatic activity of vesicular elastic nanocarriers of kojic acid from Aspergillus oryzae N12: Repurposing of a dermo-cosmetic lead

Psoriasis is a skin disorder characterized by impaired epidermal differentiation that is regularly treated by systemic drugs with undesirable side effects. Based on its anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and anti-melanoma attributes, the fungal metabolite kojic acid represents an attractive candidate for anti-psoriatic research. The present work aims to investigate an efficient topical bio-friendly vesicular system loaded with kojic acid isolated from Aspergillus oryzae as an alternative way for the management of psoriasis to avoid systemic toxicity. Kojic acid-loaded spanlastics were prepared by ethanol injection technique, employing span 60 along with brij 35 and cremophor rh40 as edge activators, with the complete in vitro characterization of the developed nanoplatform. The selected formulation displayed a spherical morphology, an optimum particle size of 234.2 ± 1.65 nm, high entrapment efficiency (87.4% ± 0.84%) and significant sustained drug release compared with the drug solution. In vivo studies highlighted the superior relief of psoriasis symptoms and the ability to maintain healthy skin with the least changes in mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines, achieved by the developed nanoplatform compared to kojic acid solution. Moreover, the in vivo histopathological studies confirmed the safety of the topically applied spanlastics. In addition, the molecular mechanism was approached through in vitro assessment of cathepsin S and PDE-4 inhibitory activities and in silico investigation of kojic acid docking in several anti-psoriatic drug targets. Our results suggest that a topically applied vesicular system loaded with kojic acid could lead to an expansion in the dermo-cosmetic use of kojic acid as a natural bio-friendly alternative for systemic anti-psoriatic drugs.

The Underrepresented Quinolinone Alkaloids in Genera Penicillium and Aspergillus: Structure, Biology, and Biosynthetic Machinery

Quinolone alkaloids are N-heterocycles with extensive structural diversity, mainly derived from in fungi from anthranilic acid and amino acids as precursors with a wide range of biological activities as antifungal, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and insecticidal activities. The quinolone basic skeleton comprised of either 2-quinolones or 4-quinolones generated more than one hundred compounds. Several reviews discussed quinolones; particularly, the fluoroquinolones, yet few studies tackled natural quinolones. Many of these quinolones were not assayed for their antimicrobial potential despite their unique stereospecificity, which can supersede synthetic quinolones if their discovery is coupled with OMICS techniques, biochemical and molecular strategies as heterologous expression to maximize their yield. Herein, we conducted a comprehensive review of the quinolone's family in Aspergillus and Penicillium species, the exclusive producers of quinolones whether they are soil, endophytic or marine derived highlighting their isolation, chemical structures, pharmacological effects, structure activity relationships if any, and biosynthetic machinery. We believe that our initiative will pave the way for further development of natural quinolones as future antimicrobial agents.

Family Malvaceae: a potential source of secondary metabolites with chemopreventive and anticancer activities supported with in silico pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles

Introduction

Cancer is the second most widespread cause of mortality following cardiovascular disorders, and it imposes a heavy global burden. Nowadays, herbal nutraceutical products with a plethora of bioactive metabolites represent a foundation stone for the development of promising chemopreventive and anticancer agents. Certain members of the family Malvaceae have traditionally been employed to relieve tumors. The literature concerning the chemopreventive and anticancer effects of the plant species along with the isolated cytotoxic phytometabolites was reviewed. Based on the findings, comprehensive computational modelling studies were performed to explore the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of the reported cytotoxic metabolites to present basis for future plant-based anticancer drug discovery.

Methods

All the available information about the anticancer research in family Malvaceae and its cytotoxic phytometabolites were retrieved from official sources. Extensive search was carried out using the keywords Malvaceae, cancer, cytotoxicity, mechanism and signalling pathway. Pharmacokinetic study was performed on the cytotoxic metabolites using SWISS ADME model. Acute oral toxicity expressed as median lethal dose (LD50) was predicted using Pro Tox 3.0 web tool. The compounds were docked using AutoDock Vina platform against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR kinase enzyme) obtained from the Protein Data Bank. Molecular dynamic simulations and MMGBSA calculations were performed using GROMACS 2024.2 and gmx_MMPBSA tool v1.5.2.

Results

One hundred forty-five articles were eligible in the study. Several tested compounds showed safe pharmacokinetic properties. Also, the molecular docking study showed that the bioactive metabolites possessed agreeable binding affinities to EGFR kinase enzyme. Tiliroside (25), boehmenan (30), boehmenan H (31), and isoquercetin (22) elicited the highest binding affinity toward the enzyme with a score of -10.4, -10.4, -10.2 and -10.1 Kcal/mol compared to the reference drug erlotinib having a binding score equal to -9 Kcal/mol. Additionally, compounds 25 and 31 elicited binding free energies equal to -42.17 and -42.68 Kcal/mol, respectively, comparable to erlotinib.

Discussion

Overall, the current study presents helpful insights into the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the reported cytotoxic metabolites belonging to family Malvaceae members. The molecular docking and dynamic simulations results intensify the roles of secondary metabolites from medicinal plants in fighting cancer.

Could Mushrooms' Secondary Metabolites Ameliorate Alzheimer Disease? A Computational Flexible Docking Investigation

Herein, we highlight the significance of molecular modeling approaches prior to in vitro and in vivo studies; particularly, in diseases with no recognized treatments such as neurological abnormalities. Alzheimer disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes irreversible cognitive decline. Toxicity and ADMET studies were conducted using the Qikprop platform in Maestro software and Discovery Studio 2.0, respectively, to select the promising skeletons from more than 45 reviewed compounds isolated from mushrooms in the last decade. Using rigid and flexible molecular docking approaches such as induced fit docking (IFD) in the binding sites of β-secretase (BACE1) and acetylcholine esterase (ACHE), promising structures were screened through high precision molecular docking compared with standard drugs donepezil and (2E)-2-imino-3-methyl-5,5-diphenylimidazolidin-4-one (OKK) using Maestro and Cresset Flare platforms. Molecular interactions, binding distances, and RMSD values were measured to reveal key interactions at the binding sites of the two neurodegenerative enzymes. Analysis of IFD results revealed consistent bindings of dictyoquinazol A and gensetin I in the pocket of 4ey7 while inonophenol A, ganomycin, and fornicin fit quite well in 4dju demonstrating binding poses very close to native ligands at ACHE and BACE1. Respective key amino acid contacts manifested the least steric problems according to their Gibbs free binding energies, Glide XP scores, RMSD values, and molecular orientation respect to the key amino acids. Molecular dynamics simulations further confirmed our findings and prospected these compounds to show significant in vitro results in their future pharmacological studies.

The limitless endophytes: their role as antifungal agents against top priority pathogens

Multi resistant fungi are on the rise, and our arsenal compounds are limited to few choices in the market such as polyenes, pyrimidine analogs, azoles, allylamines, and echinocandins. Although each of these drugs featured a unique mechanism, antifungal resistant strains did emerge and continued to arise against them worldwide. Moreover, the genetic variation between fungi and their host humans is small, which leads to significant challenges in new antifungal drug discovery. Endophytes are still an underexplored source of bioactive secondary metabolites. Many studies were conducted to isolate and screen endophytic pure compounds with efficacy against resistant yeasts and fungi; especially, Candida albicans, C. auris, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus, which encouraged writing this review to critically analyze the chemical nature, potency, and fungal source of the isolated endophytic compounds as well as their novelty features and SAR when possible. Herein, we report a comprehensive list of around 320 assayed antifungal compounds against Candida albicans, C. auris, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus in the period 1980-2024, the majority of which were isolated from fungi of orders Eurotiales and Hypocreales associated with terrestrial plants, probably due to the ease of laboratory cultivation of these strains. 46% of the reviewed compounds were active against C. albicans, 23% against C. neoformans, 29% against A. fumigatus and only 2% against C. auris. Coculturing was proved to be an effective technique to induce cryptic metabolites absent in other axenic cultures or host extract cultures, with Irperide as the most promising compounds MIC value 1 μg/mL. C. auris was susceptible to only persephacin and rubiginosin C. The latter showed potent inhibition against this recalcitrant strain in a non-fungicide way, which unveils the potential of fungal biofilm inhibition. Further development of culturing techniques and activation of silent metabolic pathways would be favorable to inspire the search for novel bioactive antifungals.

Potential anti-obesity effect of saponin metabolites from adzuki beans: A computational approach

In contrast to its widespread traditional and popular culinary use to reduce weight, Vigna angularis (adzuki beans) was not subjected to sufficient scientific scrutiny. Particularly, its saponins whose role was never investigated before to unveil the beans' antidiabetic and anti-obesity effects. Four vital pancreatic and intestinal carbohydrate enzymes were selected to assess the potency of the triterpenoidal saponins of V. angularis to bind and activate these proteins through high-precision molecular modeling and dynamics mechanisms with accurate molecular mechanics Generalized Born Surface Area (MMGBSA) energy calculations; thus, recognizing their anti-obesity potential. Our results showed that adzukisaponin VI and adzukisaponin IV were the best compounds in the α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymatic grooves, respectively. Adzukisaponin VI and angulasaponin C were the best fitting in the N-termini of sucrase-isomaltose (SI) enzyme, and angulasaponin C was the best scoring compound in maltase-glucoamylase C-termini. All of them outperformed the standard drug acarbose. These compounds in their protein complexes were selected to undergo molecular simulations of the drug-bound protein compared to the apo-protein through 100 ns, which confirmed the consistency of binding to the key amino acid residues in the four enzyme pockets with the least propensity of unfolding. Detailed analysis is given of the different polar and hydrophobic binding interactions of docked compounds. While maltase-adzukisaponin VI complex scored the lowest MMGBSA free energy of -67.77 Kcal/mol, α-amylase complex with angulasaponin B revealed the free binding energy of -74.18 Kcal/mol with a dominance of van der Waals energy (ΔEVDW) and the least change from the start to the end of the simulation time. This study will direct researchers to the significance of isolating the pure adzuki saponin components to conduct future in vitro and in vivo experimental works and even clinical trials.

Endophytes: a uniquely tailored source of potential antibiotic adjuvants

Multidrug microbial resistance is risking an annual loss of more than 10 million people' lives by 2050. Solutions include the rational use of antibiotics and the use of drugs that reduce resistance or completely obliterate them. Here endophytes come to play due to their high-yield production and inherent nature to produce antimicrobial molecules. Around 40%, 45% and 17% of antibacterial agents were obtained from fungi, actinomycetes, and bacteria, respectively, whose secondary metabolites revealed effectiveness against resistant microbes such as MRSA, MRSE, and Shigella flexneri. Endophyte's role was not confined to bactericidal effect but extended to other mechanisms against MDR microbes, among which was the adjuvant role or the "magic bullets". Scarce focus was given to antibiotic adjuvants, and many laboratories today just screen for the antimicrobial activity without considering combinations with traditional antibiotics, which means real loss of promising resistance combating molecules. While some examples of synthetic adjuvants were introduced in the last decade, the number is still far from covering the disused antibiotics and restoring them back to clinical use. The data compiled in this article demonstrated the significance of quorum sensing as a foreseen mechanism for adjuvants from endophytes secondary metabolites, which call for urgent in-depth studies of their molecular mechanisms. This review, comprehensively and for the first time, sheds light on the significance of endophytes secondary metabolites in solving AMR problem as AB adjuvants.

Role of Nutraceuticals in Obesity Management: A Mechanism and Prospective Supported by Molecular Docking Studies

Obesity and its comorbidities represent a major health problem worldwide. Treatment by reducing food intake and physical activity interventions has limited success especially with elderly people with chronic diseases. Nutraceuticals are naturally originated and successfully used for their physiological and nutritional benefit in health care. They might be alternative means to help lose weight and reduce obesity-associated metabolic disorders with the improvement of health, delay the aging process, prevention of chronic diseases, increase of life expectancy, or support to the structure or function of the body. The current study enumerates the inherent role of nutraceuticals in the management of obesity and its related comorbidities. The study is supported with the molecular docking studies discussing the mechanism of action. An attempt to optimize the role of nutraceuticals is made in this article in addition to widen the scope of its use in this chronic worldwide disease.