1
|
Remya C, Variyar EJ, Omkumar RV, Sadasivan C, Dileep KV. Unveiling the molecular basis of lobeline's allosteric regulation of NMDAR: insights from molecular modeling. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22418. [PMID: 38104236 PMCID: PMC10725453 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49835-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurological and psychiatric disorders contribute significantly to the global disease burden, adversely affecting the quality of life for both patients and their families. Impaired glutamatergic signaling is considered to be a major cause for most of the neurological and psychiatric disorders. Glutamate receptors are over activated in excitotoxic conditions, leading to dysregulation of Ca2+ homeostasis, triggering the production of free radicals and oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and eventually cell death. Excitotoxicity primarily results from the overactivity of NMDARs, a subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors, due to their pronounced Ca2+ permeability and conductance characteristics. NMDAR antagonists are suggested to have therapeutic use as they can prevent excitotoxicity. Our previous studies demonstrated lobeline, an alkaloid, exerts neuroprotective action in excitotoxic conditions by blocking NMDAR. However, the atomic level interactions of lobeline with NMDAR was not characterized yet. Structural comparison of lobeline with a known NMDAR antagonist ifenprodil, followed by molecular docking and dynamics simulations revealed that lobeline could bind to the ifenprodil binding site i.e., in the heterodimer interface of GluN1-GluN2B subunits and exert ifenprodil like activities. By in silico structure guided modifications on lobeline and subsequent free energy calculations, we propose putative NMDAR antagonists derived from lobeline.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chandran Remya
- Laboratory for Computational and Structural Biology, Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur, Kerala, 680005, India
| | - E J Variyar
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University, Dr. Janaki Ammal Campus, Thalassery, Kerala, 670661, India
| | - R V Omkumar
- Neurobiology Division, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thycaud PO, Trivandrum, Kerala, 695014, India
| | - C Sadasivan
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University, Dr. Janaki Ammal Campus, Thalassery, Kerala, 670661, India
- Inter University Centre for Bioscience, Kannur University, Dr. Janaki Ammal Campus, Thalassery, Kerala, 670661, India
| | - K V Dileep
- Laboratory for Computational and Structural Biology, Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur, Kerala, 680005, India.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Remya C, Dileep KV, Variyar EJ, Omkumar RV, Sadasivan C. Lobeline: A multifunctional alkaloid modulates cholinergic and glutamatergic activities. IUBMB Life 2023; 75:844-855. [PMID: 37335270 DOI: 10.1002/iub.2762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Developing drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an extremely challenging task due to its devastating pathology. Previous studies have indicated that natural compounds play a crucial role as lead molecules in the development of drugs. Even though, there are remarkable technological advancements in the isolation and synthesis of natural compounds, the targets for many of them are still unknown. In the present study, lobeline, a piperidine alkaloid has been identified as a cholinesterase inhibitor through chemical similarity assisted target fishing method. The structural similarities between lobeline and donepezil, a known acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor encouraged us to hypothesize that lobeline may also exhibit AChE inhibitory properties. It was further confirmed by in silico, in vitro and biophysical studies that lobeline could inhibit cholinesterase. The binding profiles indicated that lobeline has a higher affinity for AChE than BChE. Since excitotoxicity is one of the major pathological events associated with AD progression, we also investigated the neuroprotective potential of lobeline against glutamate mediated excitotoxicity in rat primary cortical neurons. The cell based NMDA receptor (NMDAR) assay with lobeline suggested that neuroprotective potential of lobeline is mediated through the blockade of NMDAR activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chandran Remya
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University, Thalassery, Kerala, India
- Laboratory for Computational and Structural Biology, Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur, Kerala, India
| | - Kalarickal V Dileep
- Laboratory for Computational and Structural Biology, Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur, Kerala, India
| | - Elessery J Variyar
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University, Thalassery, Kerala, India
- Inter University Centre for Bioscience, Kannur University, Thalassery, Kerala, India
| | | | - Chittalakkottu Sadasivan
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University, Thalassery, Kerala, India
- Inter University Centre for Bioscience, Kannur University, Thalassery, Kerala, India
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Computer-Aided Drug Discovery Identifies Alkaloid Inhibitors of Parkinson's Disease Associated Protein, Prolyl Oligopeptidase. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2021; 2021:6687572. [PMID: 33897801 PMCID: PMC8052153 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6687572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder marked by the accumulation of the protein alpha synuclein. Studies have indicated the role of prolyl oligopeptidase (POP), a serine protease, in alpha synuclein accumulation. Therefore, POP emerges as an attractive medicinal target. Traditionally, most of the early medicines have been plant-based owing to their ready availability and negligible side effects. Alkaloids owing to their neurotransmitter modulatory, anti-amyloid, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities have shown potential in neurodegenerative disease. In this work, we computationally evaluated alkaloid class of phytochemicals for their therapeutic efficacy against POP. Alkaloids were retrieved from the publically available database, Chemical Entities of Biological Interest (ChEBI), and screened for their drug likeness (Lipinski's rule of 5) and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) in Discovery Studio by ensuring parameters suitable for a central nervous system disease such as blood-brain barrier (BBB) level set to ≤2, absorption level set to 0 and solubility level permitted set to 2, 3, or 4. Next, molecular docking was performed to learn about the affinity of the filtered alkaloids with the POP. Subsequently, molecular dynamic simulations were conducted to assess the reliability and stability of the alkaloid-protein complex. Our study identified metergoline, pipercallosine, celacinnine, lobeline, cystodytin G, lycoperine A, hookerianamide J, and martefragin A as putative lead compounds against POP. Among these, metergoline, pipercallosine, hookerianamide J, and lobeline showed the most promising results. These compounds demonstrated better or equivalent molecular docking scores in comparison to three POP inhibitors that had reached clinical trials, i.e., Z-321, S-17092, and JTP-4819. MD simulations indicated that these compounds remained intact at the active site while adhering to the binding mode and interaction patterns as that of the reported inhibitors. The research conducted here, therefore, provides evidence for conducting in vitro POP inhibitory studies of these newly identified plant-based POP inhibitors.
Collapse
|
4
|
Zheng Q, Wang Y, Zhang S. Beyond Alkaloids: Novel Bioactive Natural Products From Lobelia Species. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:638210. [PMID: 33762957 PMCID: PMC7982472 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.638210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work, we reviewed the progress in the phytochemical and biological investigations of bioactive components derived from medicinally valuable Lobelia species. In the last 60 years, Lobelia has garnered significant attention from the phytochemist from around the world, majorly due to the discovery of bioactive piperidine alkaloids (e.g., lobinaline and lobeline) in the early 1950s. Later, lobeline underwent clinical trials for several indications including the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a multicenter phase three trial for smoking cessation. Subsequently, several other alkaloids derived from different species of Lobelia were also investigated for their pharmacological characteristics. However, in the last few years, the research focus has started shifting to the characterization of the other novel chemical classes. The major shift has been noticed due to the structurally similar alkaloid components, which essentially share similar pharmacological, physicochemical, and toxicological profiles. In this review, we present an up-to-date overview of their progress with special attention to understanding the molecular mechanisms of the novel bioactive components.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qinfang Zheng
- Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.,Key Laboratory of Dong Medical Research of Hunan Province, Hunan University of Medicine, Huaihua, China
| | - Ye Wang
- Key Laboratory of Dong Medical Research of Hunan Province, Hunan University of Medicine, Huaihua, China
| | - Shuihan Zhang
- Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.,2011 Collaboration and Innovation Center for Digital Chinese Medicine in Hunan, Changsha, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hussain G, Rasul A, Anwar H, Aziz N, Razzaq A, Wei W, Ali M, Li J, Li X. Role of Plant Derived Alkaloids and Their Mechanism in Neurodegenerative Disorders. Int J Biol Sci 2018; 14:341-357. [PMID: 29559851 PMCID: PMC5859479 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.23247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are conventionally demarcated as disorders with selective loss of neurons. Conventional as well as newer molecules have been tested but they offer just symptomatic advantages along with abundant side effects. The discovery of more compelling molecules that can halt the pathology of these diseases will be considered as a miracle of present time. Several synthetic compounds are available but they may cause several other health issues. Therefore, natural molecules from the plants and other sources are being discovered to replace available medicines. In conventional medicational therapies, several plants have been reported to bestow remedial effects. Phytochemicals from medicinal plants can provide a better and safer alternative to synthetic molecules. Many phytochemicals have been identified that cure the human body from a number of diseases. The present article reviews the potential efficacy of plant-derived alkaloids, which possess potential therapeutic effects against several NDDs including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington disease (HD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Epilepsy, Schizophrenia, and stroke. Alkaloids include isoquinoline, indole, pyrroloindole, oxindole, piperidine, pyridine, aporphine, vinca, β-carboline, methylxanthene, lycopodium, and erythrine byproducts. Alkaloids constitute positive roles in ameliorating pathophysiology of these illnesses by functioning as muscarinic and adenosine receptors agonists, anti-oxidant, anti-amyloid and MAO inhibitors, acetylcholinestrase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitor, inhibitor of α-synuclein aggregation, dopaminergic and nicotine agonist, and NMDA antagonist.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ghulam Hussain
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of MOE, Institute of Genetics and Cytology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000 Pakistan
| | - Azhar Rasul
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000 Pakistan
- Chemical Biology Research Group, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science. 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 Japan
| | - Haseeb Anwar
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000 Pakistan
| | - Nimra Aziz
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000 Pakistan
| | - Aroona Razzaq
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000 Pakistan
| | - Wei Wei
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of MOE, Institute of Genetics and Cytology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
- Dental Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Muhammad Ali
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000 Pakistan
| | - Jiang Li
- Dental Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Xiaomeng Li
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of MOE, Institute of Genetics and Cytology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Schwenkgrub J, Zaremba M, Joniec-Maciejak I, Cudna A, Mirowska-Guzel D, Kurkowska-Jastrzębska I. The phosphodiesterase inhibitor, ibudilast, attenuates neuroinflammation in the MPTP model of Parkinson's disease. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0182019. [PMID: 28753652 PMCID: PMC5533435 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Aims Since the degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with the inflammation process and decreased levels of cyclic nucleotides, inhibition of up-regulated cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs) appears to be a promising therapeutic strategy. We used ibudilast (IBD), a non-selective PDE3,4,10,11 inhibitor, due to the abundant PDE 4 and 10 expression in the striatum. The present study for the first time examined the efficacy of IBD in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of PD. Methods IBD [0, 20, 30, 40, or 50 mg/kg] was injected b.i.d. subcutaneously for nine days to three-month-old male C57Bl/10Tar mice, beginning two days prior to MPTP (60 mg/kg) intoxication. High-pressure liquid chromatography, Western blot analysis, and real time RT-PCR methods were applied. Results Our study demonstrated that chronic administration of IBD attenuated astroglial reactivity and increased glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) production in the striatum. Moreover, IBD reduced TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β expression. Conclusion IBD had a well-defined effect on astroglial activation in the mouse model of PD; however, there was no protective effect in the acute phase of injury. Diminished inflammation and an increased level of GDNF may provide a better outcome in the later stages of neurodegeneration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Schwenkgrub
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CePT), Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Zaremba
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CePT), Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Small Animals, Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, PAS, Warsaw, Poland
- * E-mail:
| | - Ilona Joniec-Maciejak
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CePT), Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Cudna
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CePT), Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- 2 Department of Neurology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Dagmara Mirowska-Guzel
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CePT), Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Barron S, Hawkey A, Fields L, Littleton JM. Animal Models for Medication Development and Application to Treat Fetal Alcohol Effects. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2016; 126:423-40. [PMID: 27055621 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2016.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Ethanol consumption during pregnancy can have lifelong consequences for the offspring, their family and society. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) include a range of physical and behavioral effects with the most significant impact occurring as a result of the effects of ethanol on the developing central nervous system (CNS). To date, there are no FDA approved drugs that have been tested that prevent/reduce or specifically treat the symptoms of FASD. There are several promising lines of research from rodent models aimed at reducing the neurotoxic effects of ethanol on the developing CNS or in treating the resulting behavioral impairments but these have not yet moved to clinical testing. The current review discusses some of the most promising targets for intervention and provides a review of the past and ongoing efforts to develop and screen pharmacological treatments for reducing the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Barron
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States.
| | - A Hawkey
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - L Fields
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - J M Littleton
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States; Naprogenix, Inc., Lexington, KY, United States
| |
Collapse
|