In Vitro and In Vivo Investigations into the Carbene Copper Bromide Anticancer Drug Candidate WBC4

Background:Tamarix Articulata (T. articulata), commonly known as Tamarisk or Athal in Arabic region, belongs to the Tamaricaece species. It is an important halophytic medicinal plant and a good source of polyphenolic phytochemical(s). In traditional medicines, T. articulata extract is commonly used, either singly or in combination with other plant extracts against different ailments since ancient times.Methods:Electronic database survey via Pubmed, Google Scholar, Researchgate, Scopus and Science Direct were used to review the scientific inputs until October 2018, by searching appropriate keywords. Literature related to pharmacological activities of T. articulata, Tamarix species, phytochemical analysis of T. articulata, biological activities of T. articulata extracts. All of these terms were used to search the scientific literature associated with T. articulata; the dosage of extract, route of administration, extract type, and in-vitro and in-vivo model.Results:Numerous reports revealed that T. articulata contains a wide spectrum of phytochemical(s), which enables it to have a wide window of biological properties. Owing to the presence of high content of phytochemical compounds like polyphenolics and flavonoids, T. articulata is a potential source of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties. In view of these pharmacological properties, T. articulata could be a potential drug candidate to treat various clinical conditions including cancer in the near future.Conclusion:In this review, the spectrum of phytochemical(s) has been summarized for their pharmacological properties and the mechanisms of action, and the possible potential therapeutic applications of this plant against various diseases discussed.

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Development of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for Orally Administered Fexuprazan in Humans

Pharmaceutics ◽

10.3390/pharmaceutics13060813 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 813

Author(s):

Yoo-Seong Jeong ◽

Min-Soo Kim ◽

Nora Lee ◽

Areum Lee ◽

Yoon-Jee Chae ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Acid ◽

Pbpk Model ◽

Pbpk Modeling ◽

Drug Candidate ◽

Metabolite Formation ◽

Pbpk Models ◽

Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic ◽

Physiologically Based

Fexuprazan is a new drug candidate in the potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB) family. As proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), P-CABs inhibit gastric acid secretion and can be used to treat gastric acid-related disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models predict drug interactions as pharmacokinetic profiles in biological matrices can be mechanistically simulated. Here, we propose an optimized and validated PBPK model for fexuprazan by integrating in vitro, in vivo, and in silico data. The extent of fexuprazan tissue distribution in humans was predicted using tissue-to-plasma partition coefficients in rats and the allometric relationships of fexuprazan distribution volumes (VSS) among preclinical species. Urinary fexuprazan excretion was minimal (0.29–2.02%), and this drug was eliminated primarily by the liver and metabolite formation. The fraction absorbed (Fa) of 0.761, estimated from the PBPK modeling, was consistent with the physicochemical properties of fexuprazan, including its in vitro solubility and permeability. The predicted oral bioavailability of fexuprazan (38.4–38.6%) was within the range of the preclinical datasets. The Cmax, AUClast, and time-concentration profiles predicted by the PBPK model established by the learning set were accurately predicted for the validation sets.

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Preclinical Studies in Anti-Trypanosomatidae Drug Development

Pharmaceuticals ◽

10.3390/ph14070644 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (7) ◽

pp. 644

Author(s):

Cintya Perdomo ◽

Elena Aguilera ◽

Ileana Corvo ◽

Paula Faral-Tello ◽

Elva Serna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Chagas Disease ◽

Murine Model ◽

Mammalian Cells ◽

Drug Candidate ◽

Murine Macrophages ◽

Causative Agents ◽

Trypanosomatid Parasites

The trypanosomatid parasites Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania are the causative agents of human African trypanosomiasis, Chagas Disease and Leishmaniasis, respectively. These infections primarily affect poor, rural communities in the developing world, and are responsible for trapping sufferers and their families in a disease/poverty cycle. The development of new chemotherapies is a priority given that existing drug treatments are problematic. In our search for novel anti-trypanosomatid agents, we assess the growth-inhibitory properties of >450 compounds from in-house and/or “Pathogen Box” (PBox) libraries against L. infantum, L. amazonensis, L.braziliensis, T. cruzi and T. brucei and evaluate the toxicities of the most promising agents towards murine macrophages. Screens using the in-house series identified 17 structures with activity against and selective toward Leishmania: Compounds displayed 50% inhibitory concentrations between 0.09 and 25 μM and had selectivity index values >10. For the PBox library, ~20% of chemicals exhibited anti-parasitic properties including five structures whose activity against L. infantum had not been reported before. These five compounds displayed no toxicity towards murine macrophages over the range tested with three being active in an in vivo murine model of the cutaneous disease, with 100% survival of infected animals. Additionally, the oral combination of three of them in the in vivo Chagas disease murine model demonstrated full control of the parasitemia. Interestingly, phenotyping revealed that the reference strain responds differently to the five PBox-derived chemicals relative to parasites isolated from a dog. Together, our data identified one drug candidate that displays activity against Leishmania and other Trypanosomatidae in vitro and in vivo, while exhibiting low toxicity to cultured mammalian cells and low in vivo acute toxicity.

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Co1−XZnxFe2O4 based nanocarriers for dual-targeted anticancer drug delivery: Synthesis, characterization and in vivo and in vitro biocompatibility study

Journal of Molecular Liquids ◽

10.1016/j.molliq.2018.10.083 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 274 ◽

pp. 60-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Mostafa Zamani ◽

Ehsan Naderi ◽

Mozhgan Aghajanzadeh ◽

Mahmoud Naseri ◽

Ali Sharafi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Anticancer Drug ◽

Anticancer Drug Delivery ◽

In Vitro Biocompatibility ◽

Biocompatibility Study

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Hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective and molecular docking studies of 5-[(4-chlorophenoxy) methyl]-1, 3, 4-oxadiazole-2-thiol

Bangladesh Journal of Pharmacology ◽

10.3329/bjp.v13i2.35514 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 149 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Naureen Shehzadi ◽

Khalid Hussain ◽

Nadeem Irfan Bukhari ◽

Muhammad Islam ◽

Muhammad Tanveer Khan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Docking ◽

Video Clip ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Docking Studies ◽

Normal Serum ◽

Yeast Cells ◽

Drug Candidate ◽

Molecular Docking Studies

The present study aimed at the evaluation of anti-hyperglycemic and hepatoprotective potential of a new drug candidate, 5-[(4-chlorophenoxy) methyl]-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (OXCPM) through in vitro and in vivo assays, respectively. The compound displayed excellent dose-dependent ɑ-amylase (28.0-92.0%), ɑ-glucosidase (40.3-93.1%) and hemoglobin glycosylation (9.0%-54.9%) inhibitory effects and promoted the uptake of glucose by the yeast cells (0.2 to 26.3%). The treatment of the isoniazid- and rifampicin- (p.o., 50 mg/kg of each) intoxicated rats with OXCPM (100 mg/kg, p.o.) resulted in restoring the normal serum levels of the non-enzymatic (total bilirubin, total protein and albumin) and bringing about a remarkable decrease in the levels of enzymatic (alanine transaminases, aspartate transaminases and alkaline phosphatase) biomarkers. The molecular docking studies indicated high binding affinity of the compound for hyperglycemia-related protein targets; fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, beta2-adrenergic receptors and glucokinase. The results indicate that OXCPM may not only reduce hyperglycemia by enzyme inhibition but also the disease complications through protection of hemoglobin glycosylation and hepatic injury.Video Clip of Methodology:Glucose uptake by yeast cells: 4 min 51 sec <a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/8cJkuMtV0Wc">Full Screen</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cJkuMtV0Wc">Alternate</a>

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Naringenin: A Promising Therapeutic Agent against Organ Fibrosis

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity ◽

10.1155/2021/1210675 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Yanfei Du ◽

Jun Ma ◽

Yu Fan ◽

Xinyu Wang ◽

Shuzhan Zheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protein Kinase ◽

Transforming Growth Factor ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽

Drug Candidate ◽

Wide Range ◽

Fibrotic Disorders ◽

Organ Fibrosis

Fibrosis is the final common pathology of most chronic diseases as seen in the heart, liver, lung, kidney, and skin and contributes to nearly half of death in the developed countries. Fibrosis, or scarring, is mainly characterized by the transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts and the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) secreted by myofibroblasts. Despite immense efforts made in the field of organ fibrosis over the past decades and considerable understanding of the occurrence and development of fibrosis gained, there is still lack of an effective treatment for fibrotic diseases. Therefore, identifying a new therapeutic strategy against organ fibrosis is an unmet clinical need. Naringenin, a flavonoid that occurs naturally in citrus fruits, has been found to confer a wide range of pharmacological effects including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer benefits and thus potentially exerting preventive and curative effects on numerous diseases. In addition, emerging evidence has revealed that naringenin can prevent the pathogenesis of fibrosis in vivo and in vitro via the regulation of various pathways that involved signaling molecules such as transforming growth factor-β1/small mother against decapentaplegic protein 3 (TGF-β1/Smad3), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), sirtuin1 (SIRT1), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), or reactive oxygen species (ROS). Targeting these profibrotic pathways by naringenin could potentially become a novel therapeutic approach for the management of fibrotic disorders. In this review, we present a comprehensive summary of the antifibrotic roles of naringenin in vivo and in vitro and their underlying mechanisms of action. As a food derived compound, naringenin may serve as a promising drug candidate for the treatment of fibrotic disorders.

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228 Antagonistic pH-selective VISTA antibody SNS-101 potentiates anti-PD-1/PD-L1-induced anti-tumor immunity

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer ◽

10.1136/jitc-2021-sitc2021.228 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (Suppl 3) ◽

pp. A243-A243

Author(s):

Thomas Thisted ◽

Arnab Mukherjee ◽

Kanam Malhotra ◽

Zuzana Biesova ◽

Yuliya Kleschenko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Flow Cytometry ◽

T Cell ◽

T Cell Activation ◽

Drug Disposition ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Tumor Rejection ◽

Therapeutic Window ◽

Drug Candidate

BackgroundImmunotherapies, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors, have become a cornerstone of cancer treatment. Remarkable clinical responses have been observed blocking the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) axis across a spectrum of indications. However, innate and/or acquired resistance to anti-PD-1 blockade remains a major challenge. V-domain Ig suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA) is a B7-family member, which promotes T-cell and myeloid quiescence and represents a promising target, particularly in combination with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. Recently, the interaction of VISTA with its receptor PSGL-1 was demonstrated to be significantly enhanced by the acidic tumor microenvironment (TME). As VISTA is highly expressed on myeloid cells, including those in the blood, antibodies binding VISTA at physiological pH 7.4 could result in rapid elimination from circulation through targeted-mediated drug disposition, making efficacious drug occupancy levels difficult to reach and potentially narrowing the therapeutic window. An antibody engineered to selectively bind and block VISTA at low pH in the TME may therefore be an ideal drug candidate.MethodsIn this study, fully human anti-VISTA antibodies were generated through pH-selective enrichment strategies of a yeast-based display library comprising highly diverse synthetic immune repertoires. The ‘parental’ antibodies have been extensively characterized using in vitro flow-cytometry, surface-plasmon resonance (SPR) and PSGL-1/VISTA inhibition assays in primary human CD4 and CD8 T-cells at pH 6.0 and pH 7.4. Eight parental antibodies were identified and tested for combinatorial efficacy with anti-PD-1 in vivo in human VISTA knock-in mice inoculated with syngeneic MC-38 tumors. These antibodies underwent further optimization for enhanced binding affinity at pH 6.0 and decreased binding at pH 7.4. ‘Progeny’ antibody ranking was based on the same in vitro and in vivo characterization as parental antibodies.ResultsEighty four parental antibodies were initially discovered. Flow-cytometry and SPR analysis revealed candidates displaying pH-dependent binding to endogenously expressed native VISTA on cells, and a PSGL-1/VISTA inhibition assay at pH 6.0 was run to identify and rank potent interface blockers. Eight candidate antibodies were tested in an in vivo intervention study in combination with anti-murine PD-1 demonstrating varied combinatorial efficacy with a subset leading to superior tumor rejection. Characterization of optimized progeny antibodies led to identification of anti-VISTA antibody SNS-101.ConclusionsEnrichment of highly diverse antibody libraries led to the identification of a pH-selective inhibitory anti-VISTA antibody SNS-101, which exerts excellent combinability with anti-PD-1 leading to superior anti-tumor activity in a mouse model.

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Modeling of SARS-CoV-2 Treatment Effects for Informed Drug Repurposing

Frontiers in Pharmacology ◽

10.3389/fphar.2021.625678 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Charlotte Kern ◽

Verena Schöning ◽

Carlos Chaccour ◽

Felix Hammann

Keyword(s):

Drug Repurposing ◽

Antiviral Effect ◽

Drug Candidate ◽

Appreciable Effect ◽

Viral Kinetics ◽

Future Drug ◽

Dosing Regimens ◽

Clinical Trial Results

Several repurposed drugs are currently under investigation in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Candidates are often selected solely by their effective concentrations in vitro, an approach that has largely not lived up to expectations in COVID-19. Cell lines used in in vitro experiments are not necessarily representative of lung tissue. Yet, even if the proposed mode of action is indeed true, viral dynamics in vivo, host response, and concentration-time profiles must also be considered. Here we address the latter issue and describe a model of human SARS-CoV-2 viral kinetics with acquired immune response to investigate the dynamic impact of timing and dosing regimens of hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, ivermectin, artemisinin, and nitazoxanide. We observed greatest benefits when treatments were given immediately at the time of diagnosis. Even interventions with minor antiviral effect may reduce host exposure if timed correctly. Ivermectin seems to be at least partially effective: given on positivity, peak viral load dropped by 0.3–0.6 log units and exposure by 8.8–22.3%. The other drugs had little to no appreciable effect. Given how well previous clinical trial results for hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir are explained by the models presented here, similar strategies should be considered in future drug candidate prioritization efforts.

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