Benzylidene-6-hydroxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalenone chalconoids as potent tyrosinase inhibitors

Computational studies of tyrosinase inhibitors

Computational studies have significantly advanced the understanding of tyrosinase (TYR) function, mechanism, and inhibition, accelerating the development of more effective and selective inhibitors. This chapter provides an overview of in silico studies on TYR inhibitors, emphasizing key inhibitory chemotypes and the main residues involved in ligand-target interactions. The chapter discusses tools applied in the context of TYR inhibitor development, e.g., structure-based virtual screening, molecular docking, artificial intelligence, and machine learning algorithms.

Icaritin attenuates 6-OHDA-induced MN9D cell damage by inhibiting oxidative stress

Background

We assessed whether ICT can alleviate 6-OHDA-induced cell damage via inhibition of oxidative stress by evaluating the protective effect of icaritin (ICT) against 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced MN9D cell damage and further determined the mechanism by which ICT reduces oxidative stress.

Methods

MN9D cells were treated with 6-OHDA, to study the mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effect of ICT. MN9D cell damage was assessed by the CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry was performed to measure the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells, a superoxide dismutase (SOD) kit was used to evaluate SOD activity, and Western blotting was used to measure the expression of α-synuclein (α-Syn), Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1).

Results

ICT reduced damage to MN9D cells induced by 6-OHDA. ICT increased SOD activity and TH expression and reduced ROS production and α-Syn expression. ICT promoted the translocation of Nrf2 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and further increased the protein expression of HO-1.

Conclusions

ICT protects against 6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic neuronal cell injury by attenuating oxidative stress, and the mechanism is related to modulate the activities of Nrf2, HO-1 protein, and SOD.