Pharmacophore modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics studies to identify new 5-HT2AR antagonists with the potential for design of new atypical antipsychotics

Some important atypical antipsychotic drugs target the serotonergic receptor 2A (5-HT2AR). Currently, new therapeutic strategies are needed to offer faster onset of action with fewer side effects and, therefore, greater efficacy in a substantial proportion of patients with neuropsychological disorders such as Autism and Parkinson. The main objective of this work was to use SBDD methods to identify new hit compounds potentially useful as precursors of novel and selective 5-HT2AR antagonists. A structure-based pharmacophore screening study based on a selective antagonist was carried out in ten databases. The set obtained was refined using molecular docking, and the five most promising compounds were subjected to molecular dynamics simulations. The most stable and promising hit occupied a side pocket present in the 5-HT2AR, a site that can be explored to obtain selective ligands. Simulations against 5-HT2CR and D2R showed that the best hit could not form stable complexes with these targets, strengthening the hypothesis that the hit presents selective binding by the receptor of interest. The selected hits showed some predicted toxicity risk or violated some drug-likeness property. However, it can be concluded that the identified hits are the most promising for performing in vitro assays. Once the presence of activity is confirmed, they could become precursors of optimized and selective antagonists of 5-HT2AR. An SBDD study was carried out to identify new selective 5-HT2AR ligands potentially useful for designing selective atypical antipsychotics.

Using micro-synchrotron radiation x-ray fluorescence (µ-SRXRF) for trace metal imaging in the development of MRI contrast agents for prostate cancer imaging

BACKGROUND

Contrast agents (CA) are administered in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) clinical exams to measure tissue perfusion, enhance image contrast between adjacent tissues, or provide additional biochemical information in molecular MRI. The efficacy of a CA is determined by the tissue distribution of the agent and its concentration in the extracellular space of all tissues.

METHODS

In this work, micro-synchrotron radiation x-ray fluorescence (µ-SRXRF) was used to examine and characterize a gadolinium-based zinc-sensitive agent (GdL2) currently under development for detection of prostate cancer (PCa) by MRI. Prostate tissue samples were collected from control mice and mice with known PCa after an MRI exam that included injection of GdL2. The samples were raster scanned to investigate trends in Zn, Gd, Cu, Fe, S, P, and Ca.

RESULTS

Significant Zn and Gd co-localization was observed in both healthy and malignant tissues. In addition, a marked decrease in Zn was found in the lateral lobe of the prostate obtained from mice with PCa.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrate here that µ-SRXRF is a useful tool for monitoring the distribution of several elements including Zn and Gd in animal models of cancer. The optimized procedures for tissue preparation, processing, data collection, and analysis are described.

Buckminsterfullerene hybridized zinc oxide tetrapods: defects and charge transfer induced optical and electrical response

Buckminster fullerene (C60) based hybrid metal oxide materials are receiving considerable attention because of their excellent fundamental and applied aspects, like semiconducting, electron transfer, luminescent behaviors, etc. and this work briefly discusses the successful fabrication of C60 decorated ZnO tetrapod materials and their detailed structure-property relationships including device sensing applications. The electron microscopy investigations indicate that a quite dense surface coverage of ZnO tetrapods with C60 clusters is achieved. The spectroscopy studies confirmed the identification of the C60 vibrational modes and the C60 induced changes in the absorption and luminescence properties of the ZnO tetrapods. An increased C60 concentration on ZnO results in steeper ZnO bandgap absorption followed by well-defined free exciton and 3.31 eV line emissions. As expected, higher amounts of C60 increase the intensity of C60-related visible absorption bands. Pumping the samples with photons with an energy corresponding to these absorption band maxima leads to additional emission from ZnO showing an effective charge transfer phenomenon from C60 to the ZnO host. The density of states model obtained from DFT studies for pure and C60 coated ZnO surfaces confirms the experimental observations. The fabricated C60-ZnO hybrid tetrapod based micro- and nanodevices showed interesting ethanol gas sensing characteristics.

Spectroscopic analysis of LYSO:Ce crystals

Rare earth orthosilicates are among the most widely used scintillator materials in the last decades. Particularly, lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) is known to exhibit great potentialities in the field of radiation detectors for medical imaging. Consequently, an in-depth knowledge of the material properties is of utmost interest for the mentioned applications. In this work the spectroscopic properties of commercial cerium doped lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate crystals (LYSO:Ce) were investigated by Raman spectroscopy, steady state photoluminescence, photoluminescence excitation and time resolved photoluminescence. Site selective excitation was used under steady state (325nm) and pulsed (266nm) conditions to separately investigate the temperature dependence of the 5d→4f Ce₁ and Ce₂ luminescence, allowing to establish the thermal quenching dependence of the Ce₂ optical center. In the case of the Ce₁ optical center, a luminescence quantum efficiency of 78% was obtained from 14K to room temperature with 266nm photon excitation.

Properties of the static NMR response of a confined thin nematic film of 5CB-d2 under crossed electric and magnetic fields: theory and experiments

This work describes an investigation of the static (or quasistatic) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) response in a nematic liquid crystal confined between two planar conducting plates and subject to a magnetic field and an electric field produced by a difference of voltage applied on the plates. Deuterium NMR spectroscopy of 4-pentyl-d(2)-4'-cyanobiphenyl (5CB-d(2)) under these conditions has revealed a voltage dependent inhomogeneous director distribution for a particular narrow range of voltages and for a fixed magnetic field (that of the spectrometer). In the ideal setup the two plates are assumed to be rigorously parallel, so that a difference of voltage applied on the plates leads to a constant electric field normal to them. When the magnetic field is parallel to the plates (orthogonal geometry) there exists a threshold value of the electric field for which the effect of both fields exactly compensate; moreover, for stronger electric field the director aligns with the electric field while for weaker electric field the director aligns with the magnetic field. If there is a lack of parallelism between the two plates, the electric field becomes inhomogeneous so that it may be larger than the threshold value in some region of the sample and smaller in the remaining part of the sample. In that case the director will adopt essentially two orientations within the sample, namely, parallel or perpendicular to the magnetic field, and the position of the frontier between the two domains depends on the voltage. This feature is clearly shown by deuterium NMR spectra that exhibit a transfer of intensity between two quadrupolar doublets with increase in the applied voltage. The coexistence of two director populations occurs for a range of voltages that depends on the degree of nonparallelism; accordingly, an estimation of this range by NMR yields an experimental estimation of the lack of parallelism. A tiny tilt of the magnetic field (nonorthogonal geometry) entrains a notably different behavior since a single doublet with voltage dependent splitting is observed in this case. In a first stage (simple model) of this work, the main features observed for the orthogonal and nonorthogonal geometries are interpreted within the framework of Leslie-Ericksen theory by employing the concept of a single effective field replacing the two real fields. However, the spectra reveal an additional director distribution, especially for the orthogonal geometry, that cannot be interpreted by this simple approach. In a second stage (advanced model), these less clear features have been investigated by numerical simulations of a two-dimensional model which includes the effects of inversion walls and of the high relative dielectric anisotropy of 5CB.

Biomonitoring hospital effluents by the Allium cepa L. test

Hospital effluents are serious problems in developing countries like Brazil, and when not treated adequately, can cause mutagenic effects on live organisms. Biomonitors, like Allium cepa L., which is one of the most used plant species when monitoring effluent genotoxicity, have been used to alert the world population about environmental contamination and genotoxic chemical emissions. The Allium cepa test was used to evaluate the genotoxicity of a hospital effluent in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. During the study, chromosomal disruptions, anaphasic bridges, and micronuclei during telophase were observed, indicating environmental toxicity risk.

Virulence Variability of Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae Isolates Collected in Three Counties from Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

Using isolates collected in three counties of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, the goals of this work were to determine (i) the pattern of virulence or avirulence of the isolates to 25 Pc resistance genes, (ii) the similarity in virulence among Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae isolates considering their pattern of virulence or avirulence, (iii) the race code for each isolate by the North American system of nomenclature, and (iv) the supplemental Pc genes potentially useful as local differentials for P. coronata f. sp. avenae races. The results indicate that the southern Brazilian rust isolates presented a high level of virulence, because 66% of inoculations manifested the high infection type. Only the Pc 68 gene was effective against all tested isolates. In general, each isolate presented a different pattern of virulence or avirulence, which indicates the high variability for virulence that the fungus presents at the sampled sites. However, the North American system of nomenclature was not completely sufficient in distinguishing southern Brazilian races. Thus, the genes Pc 36, Pc 53, Pc 55, and Pc 63 represent a possible gene combination to be incorporated into the North American system of nomenclature.

High prevalence of metallo-beta-lactamase-mediated resistance challenging antimicrobial therapy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Brazilian teaching hospital

The prevalence of metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) production among Pseudomonas aeruginosa nosocomial isolates from a Brazilian teaching hospital was determined. A total of 512 P. aeruginosa isolates were recovered from 245 patients during a 10-month period. Ninety-four (38.4%, 95% CI 32.2-44.8%) isolates were MBL producers. Most resistance to beta-lactams was mediated by MBL. Forty-one (16.7%) were resistant to all drugs except polymyxin B and 33 (80.5%) of these were MBL producers. Clonal dissemination, documented by DNA macrorestriction, played a major role for the spread of MBL isolates. The blaSPM-1 gene was demonstrated by PCR in 14 randomly selected MBL isolates. The extremely high prevalence of MBL production found challenges the choice of therapeutics for P. aeruginosa, and measures to control horizontal dissemination of MBL producers are urgently required.

Interference in the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay for endotoxin determination in peritoneal dialysis fluids and concentrates for hemodialysis

The interference of the saline concentration of fluids for peritoneal dialysis and concentrates for hemodialysis on the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay for endotoxins was investigated. The experiments were carried out individually with each substance that compose fluids for hemodialysis, to determine the possible inhibition or enhancement effects that they could cause on the LAL assay. The compositions were also assayed to investigate the possibility of synergistic effect. They were assayed by the gel-clot method from two different suppliers, and the samples that showed inhibition effect were also assayed by the chromogenic method. The samples were analysed at successive dilutions, with different LAL sensitivities, to satisfy the endotoxin limits of 5 EU/ml for the concentrate and 0.25 EU/ml for the fluid for dialysis peritoneal. The results showed that the major interference on the gel-clot assay occurs in presence of acetic acid and in concentrates containing acid acetic, even the pH being adjusted between 6.5 and 7.5. However, the test, after an adequate dilution, could be validating for all samples. Chromogenic test can be used for peritoneal dialysis fluids considering a limit of 0.25 EU/ml and sample dilution of eight times, but it cannot be used for concentrates for hemodialysis without further dilution. Considering the results and that the chromogenic is a more time-consuming method, endotoxins in fluids for hemodialysis can be satisfactorily assayed by the gel-clot method.

Development and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of clomazone residues in surface water

A method is described for the determination of clomazone residues in surface water by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. The method involves solid-phase extraction with C18 extraction tubes. Clomazone was separated on a C18 column with a mobile phase of methanol-water (65:35, v/v) at pH 4.0 and a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min. After optimization of the extraction and separation conditions, the method was validated. The method developed can be used for determination of clomazone in surface water, at the limit of 0.1 mcirog/l set by the European Union drinking water directive, with a 400-fold preconcentration.

Simulations of flow-induced director structures in nematic liquid crystals through leslie-ericksen equations. I. Computational methodology in two dimensions

A computational treatment of the constitutive equations of nematodynamics, based on the Leslie-Ericksen approach, is presented and discussed for a rotating planar nematic sample subjected to a constant magnetic field. The dynamics of the velocity v and director n fields is taken into account exactly. Coupled partial differential equations suitable to be solved numerically are worked out, in terms of derived functionals of v and n and of their spatial and time derivatives. Time-dependent patterns of the director are obtained using a finite-difference scheme in a spatial polar grid. Several experimental situations are analyzed, corresponding to common experimental setups: continuously rotating samples for different values of the rotational speed; 30 degrees and 90 degrees step-rotation experiments. A comparison is made to existing approximate treatments. Dependence upon the sample dimension is also discussed.

Simulations of flow-induced director structures in nematic liquid crystals through leslie-ericksen equations. II. Interpretation Of NMR experiments in liquid crystal polymers

Computationally exact and approximate solutions of the Leslie-Ericksen equations for nematic liquid crystals in two dimensions are employed to calculate director distributions in cylindrical samples, rotating under the influence of a magnetic field. In particular, the time evolution of systems prepared initially in metastable states with respect to the magnetic field is investigated, and calculated director distributions are used to interpret rheo-NMR experiments in nematic liquid crystal polymers.

Determination of deltamethrin in cattle dipping baths by high-performance liquid chromatography

Deltamethrin (S)-alpha-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl) (1R,3R)-3-(2, 2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylate is classified as a pyrethroid pesticide that is largely used as an acaricide and scabicide. For bovines, especially, the treatment is done with the aid of dipping baths of the pyrethroid solution. Analytical control of the concentration of deltamethrin in these baths must be done periodically in order to guarantee treatment efficacy. In the proposed procedure, the sample is prepared by centrifugation followed by filtration and measurement by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with spectrophotometric detection at 275 nm. Separation is done in a Nucleosil C-18 column with acetonitrile-water as the mobile phase. A calibration curve was constructed with external standards, and a detection limit of 0.2 mg L(-)(1) was obtained. In the samples analyzed, only ca. 20% of the total deltamethrin content was found in the solution. The results obtained demonstrate the potential of the described procedure for the determination of deltamethrin in animal baths.

Effect of lead acetate on neurobehavioral development of rats

We investigated the effects of lead exposure during the pre- and postnatal period on the neurobehavioral development of female Wistar rats (70-75 days of age, 120-150 g) using a protocol of lead intoxication that does not affect weight gain. Wistar rats were submitted to lead acetate intoxication by giving their dams 1.0 mM lead acetate. Control dams received deionized water. Growth and neuromotor development were assessed by monitoring daily the following parameters in 20 litters: body weight, ear unfolding, incisor eruption, eye opening, righting, palmar grasp, negative geotaxis, cliff avoidance and startle reflex. Spontaneous alternation was assessed on postnatal day 17 using a T maze. The animals' ability to equilibrate on a breaker rim was measured on postnatal day 19. Lead intoxication was confirmed by measuring renal, hepatic and cerebral lead concentration in dams and litters. Lead treatment hastened the day of appearance of the following parameters: eye opening (control: 13.5 +/- 0.6, N = 88; lead: 12.9 +/- 0.6, N = 72; P < 0.05), startle reflex (control: 13.0 +/- 0.8, N = 88; lead: 12.0 +/- 0.7, N = 72; P < 0.05) and negative geotaxis. On the other hand, spontaneous alternation performance was hindered in lead-exposed animals (control: 37.6 +/- 19.7; lead: 57.5 +/- 28.3% of alternating animals; P < 0.05). These results suggest that lead exposure without concomitant undernutrition alters rat development, affecting specific subsets of motor skills.

Effect of mercuric chloride intoxication and dimercaprol treatment on delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase from brain, liver and kidney of adult mice

Dimercaprol is a compound used in the treatment of mercury intoxication, however with low therapeutic efficacy. It is assumed that dimercaprol acts by reactivating target sulfhydryl-containing proteins. In the present investigation we studied the inhibitory effect of mercuric chloride treatment (3 days with 2.3 or 4.6 mg/kg HgCl2, sc) in mice on cerebral, renal and hepatic delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase (ALA-D) activity, and a possible reversal of the effect of mercury by dimercaprol (0.25 mmol/kg, 24 hr after the last mercury injection). Mercuric chloride did not inhibit cerebral ALA-D at the doses injected. Dimercaprol treatment did not restore the normal enzyme activity of the liver after the 25% inhibition caused by 4.6 mg/kg HgCl2. In the kidney, dimercaprol enhanced the inhibitory effect of 4.6 mg/kg mercuric chloride (from 35% after mercury treatment alone to 65% after mercury plus dimercaprol treatment). Mercury content increased in kidney after exposure to 2.3 or 4.6 mg/kg and the levels attained were higher than in any other organ Mercury accumulated in liver only after exposure to 4.6 mg/kg HgCl2, and dimercaprol further increased mercury deposition. Dimercaprol treatment also increased the levels of mercury in brain of animals exposed to 4.6 mg/kg HgCl2 The enzymes from all sources presented similar sensitivity to the combined effect of HgCl2 and dimercaprol in vitro. In the absence of preincubation, 0-500 muM dimercaprol potentiated the inhibitory effect of HgCl2 on ALA-D activity. In the presence of preincubation, and 100 and 250 muM dimercaprol enhanced ALA-D sensitivity to mercury, whereas 500 muM dimercaprol partially protected the enzyme from mercury inhibition. Dimercaprol (500 muM) inhibited renal and hepatic ALA-D when preincubated with the enzymes. These data suggested that the dimercaprol-Hg complex may have a more toxic effect on ALA-D activity than Hg2+. Furthermore, the present data show that dimercaprol did not acts by reactivating mercury-inhibited sulfhydryl-containing ALA-D, and that indeed it may have an inhibitory effect per se depending on the tissue.

Ocular changes in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy with dense vitreous opacities

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is a hereditary disease which eventually causes serious ocular problems. Seven eyes from patients with FAP 1 were vitrectomised, and the insoluble proteins from the vitreous were purified, the amyloid protein isolated, and the prealbumin characterised with a monoclonal antibody against amyloid fibril protein. Before surgery, visual acuity was very poor, due to abundant deposits in the vitreous, frequently attached to the posterior lens capsule. The pupil had peculiar indentations and the pupillary reflexes were abnormal. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was at the upper limit of normal. In the ocular fundus an intraretinal perifoveal gray ring was sometimes seen. Vitrectomy improved visual acuity, but the reappearance of vitreous deposits reduced it to 8.8/10 after 33.4 months, when treatment was needed for most of the eyes to control IOP. Amyloid and the mutant form of prealbumin characteristic of FAP 1, TTR Met 30, were shown to be present in the vitreous.

[Determination of microelements in the human placenta. III. Commun.: atomic-absorption spectrophotometric determination of Zn, Cu, Cd, Mn, Fe, and Mg contents of human placentas (author's transl)]

In human placentas from the West Berlin area is the content on Zn, Cu, Cd, Mn, Fe, and Mg determined by means of the flameless and the flame atom absorption spectrophotometry, respectively.

[Determination of microelements in human placenta II. Commun.: Spectrophotometric determination of zinc content in human placenta (author's transl)]

The zinc content of human placenta is determinaed by means of an improved combined dithizone-zincon-method. The results obtained are given as follows: 11.13 +/- 0.62 ppm in the fresh and 64.98 +/- 3.34 ppm in the dried material.

[Determination of microelements in placenta I. Commun.: spectrophotometric determination of copper content of human placentas (author's transl)]

The copper content of human placenta determined by means of the Bathocuproinemethod lies at 1,21 +/- 0,18 ppm in the fresh and 7,06 +/- 1,04 ppm in the dried material. Furthermore an improved generally applicable method for decomposition of biological materials that prevents the volatilization of trace elements is described.