scholarly journals Creation of an Anti-Inflammatory, Leptin-Dependent Anti-Obesity Celastrol Mimic with Better Druggability

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Zhou ◽  
Yaxia Yuan ◽  
Le Shi ◽  
Sheng Hu ◽  
Dong Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Natural Abundance ◽  
Pharmacological Treatments ◽  
Pentacyclic Triterpenoid ◽  
Diet Induced Obesity ◽  
Simple Chemical ◽  
Hypothalamic Inflammation ◽  
High Yields

Obesity is characterized by an excessive body mass, but is also closely associated with metabolic syndrome. And, so far, only limited pharmacological treatments are available for obesity management. Celastrol, a pentacyclic triterpenoid from a traditional Chinese medicine (Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f.), has shown remarkable potency against obesity, inflammation and cancer, but its high toxicity, low natural abundance and tedious chemical synthesis hindered its translation into clinics. In the present work, a triterpenoid library was screened for compounds with both high natural abundance and structural similarity to celastrol; from this library, glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), a compound present in extremely high yields in Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. ex DC., was selected as a possible scaffold for a celastrol mimic active against obesity. A simple chemical modification of GA resulted in GA-02, a derivative that suppressed 68% of food intake in diet-induced obesity mice and led to 26.4% weight loss in 2 weeks. GA-02 plays a role in obesity treatment by re-activating leptin signaling and reducing systemic and, more importantly, hypothalamic inflammation. GA-02 was readily bioavailable with unnoticeable in vitro and in vivo toxicities. The strategy of scaffold search and modification on the basis of bio-content and structural similarity has proved to be a green, economic, efficient and practical way of widening the medicinal applications of “imperfect” bioactive natural compounds.

scholarly journals Ultramicronized Palmitoylethanolamide (um-PEA): A New Possible Adjuvant Treatment in COVID-19 patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 336
Author(s):  
Annalisa Noce ◽  
Maria Albanese ◽  
Giulia Marrone ◽  
Manuela Di Lauro ◽  
Anna Pietroboni Zaitseva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adjuvant Treatment ◽  
Pulmonary Involvement ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Pharmacological Treatments ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Coronavirus Infection ◽  
Ultramicronized Palmitoylethanolamide ◽  
Potential Use

The Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more than 100,000,000 cases of coronavirus infection in the world in just a year, of which there were 2 million deaths. Its clinical picture is characterized by pulmonary involvement that culminates, in the most severe cases, in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, COVID-19 affects other organs and systems, including cardiovascular, urinary, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Currently, unique-drug therapy is not supported by international guidelines. In this context, it is important to resort to adjuvant therapies in combination with traditional pharmacological treatments. Among natural bioactive compounds, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) seems to have potentially beneficial effects. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an ongoing clinical trial with ultramicronized (um)-PEA as an add-on therapy in the treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In support of this hypothesis, in vitro and in vivo studies have highlighted the immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and pain-relieving effects of PEA, especially in its um form. The purpose of this review is to highlight the potential use of um-PEA as an adjuvant treatment in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

scholarly journals N-palmitoyl-D-glucosamine, A Natural Monosaccharide-Based Glycolipid, Inhibits TLR4 and Prevents LPS-Induced Inflammation and Neuropathic Pain in Mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Iannotta ◽  
Carmela Belardo ◽  
Maria Consiglia Trotta ◽  
Fabio Arturo Iannotti ◽  
Rosa Maria Vitale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sciatic Nerve ◽  
Inflammatory Cytokines ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Antagonistic Activity ◽  
Critical Function ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key receptors through which infectious and non-infectious challenges act with consequent activation of the inflammatory cascade that plays a critical function in various acute and chronic diseases, behaving as amplification and chronicization factors of the inflammatory response. Previous studies have shown that synthetic analogues of lipid A based on glucosamine with few chains of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, bind MD-2 and inhibit TLR4 receptors. These synthetic compounds showed antagonistic activity against TLR4 activation in vitro by LPS, but little or no activity in vivo. This study aimed to show the potential use of N-palmitoyl-D-glucosamine (PGA), a bacterial molecule with structural similarity to the lipid A component of LPS, which could be useful for preventing LPS-induced tissue damage or even peripheral neuropathies. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations showed that PGA stably binds MD-2 with a MD-2/(PGA)3 stoichiometry. Treatment with PGA resulted in the following effects: (i) it prevented the NF-kB activation in LPS stimulated RAW264.7 cells; (ii) it decreased LPS-induced keratitis and corneal pro-inflammatory cytokines, whilst increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines; (iii) it normalized LPS-induced miR-20a-5p and miR-106a-5p upregulation and increased miR-27a-3p levels in the inflamed corneas; (iv) it decreased allodynia in peripheral neuropathy induced by oxaliplatin or formalin, but not following spared nerve injury of the sciatic nerve (SNI); (v) it prevented the formalin- or oxaliplatin-induced myelino-axonal degeneration of sciatic nerve. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We report that PGA acts as a TLR4 antagonist and this may be the basis of its potent anti-inflammatory activity. Being unique because of its potency and stability, as compared to other similar congeners, PGA can represent a tool for the optimization of new TLR4 modulating drugs directed against the cytokine storm and the chronization of inflammation.

scholarly journals Diet, Obesity, and Cancer Progression: Are Adipocytes the Link?

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. LPI.S10871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Toren ◽  
Benjamin C. Mora ◽  
Vasundara Venkateswaran
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Tumor Biology ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
In Vivo Model ◽  
Diet Induced Obesity ◽  
Breast And Prostate Cancer ◽  
Obesity And Cancer

Obesity has been linked to more aggressive characteristics of several cancers, including breast and prostate cancer. Adipose tissue appears to contribute to paracrine interactions in the tumor microenvironment. In particular, cancer-associated adipocytes interact reciprocally with cancer cells and influence cancer progression. Adipokines secreted from adipocytes likely form a key component of the paracrine signaling in the tumor microenvironment. In vitro coculture models allow for the assessment of specific adipokines in this interaction. Furthermore, micronutrients and macronutrients present in the diet may alter the secretion of adipokines from adipocytes. The effect of dietary fat and specific fatty acids on cancer progression in several in vivo model systems and cancer types is reviewed. The more common approaches of caloric restriction or diet-induced obesity in animal models establish that such dietary changes modulate tumor biology. This review seeks to explore available evidence regarding how diet may modulate tumor characteristics through changes in the role of adipocytes in the tumor microenvironment.

scholarly journals Exposure to the Widely Used Pyrethroid Pesticide Deltamethrin, Does Not Exacerbate High Fat Diet Induced Obesity or Insulin Resistance in C57BL/6J Mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A45-A46
Author(s):  
Evangelia Evelyn Tsakiridis ◽  
Marisa Morrow ◽  
Andrea Llanos ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
Alison Holloway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Glycemic Control ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Uncoupling Protein ◽  
Diet Induced Obesity ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Pyrethroid Pesticide ◽  
First Time

Abstract Deltamethrin is a commonly used pesticide for the control of mosquito populations. Despite widespread use, the effects of deltamethrin on adiposity and glucose homeostasis have been equivocal with some studies showing increased, decreased and no effect on adiposity and glycemic control. However, no study to date has investigated the effect of deltamethrin in mice housed at thermoneutral temperatures, which is important for modelling metabolic diseases in rodents due to reduced thermal stress and constitutive activation of brown adipose tissue. In the current study we demonstrate for the first time that deltamethrin reduces uncoupling protein-1 expression in brown adipocytes cultured in vitro at concentrations as low as 1pm. Meanwhile, in-vivo deltamethrin does not appear to alter glycemic control or promote adiposity at exposures equivalent to 0.01, 0.1 or 1.0 mg/kg/day. Together, our study demonstrates environmentally relevant exposure to deltamethrin does not exacerbate diet induced obesity or insulin resistance.

scholarly journals GPR18, GPR55 and GPR119 (version 2019.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen P.H. Alexander ◽  
Andrew J. Irving
Keyword(s):  
Cannabinoid Receptors ◽  
Cannabinoid Receptor ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Synthetic Cannabinoid ◽  
Receptor Ligands ◽  
Orphan Status ◽  
Endogenous Cannabinoid

GPR18, GPR55 and GPR119 (provisional nomenclature), although showing little structural similarity to CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, respond to endogenous agents analogous to the endogenous cannabinoid ligands, as well as some natural/synthetic cannabinoid receptor ligands [98]. Although there are multiple reports to indicate that GPR18, GPR55 and GPR119 can be activated in vitro by N-arachidonoylglycine, lysophosphatidylinositol and N-oleoylethanolamide, respectively, there is a lack of evidence for activation by these lipid messengers in vivo. As such, therefore, these receptors retain their orphan status.

scholarly journals Considerable Improvement of Ursolic Acid Water Solubility by Its Encapsulation in Dendrimer Nanoparticles: Design, Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterization

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvana Alfei ◽  
Anna Maria Schito ◽  
Guendalina Zuccari
Keyword(s):  
Ursolic Acid ◽  
Water Solubility ◽  
Drug Loading ◽  
Physicochemical Characterization ◽  
Systemic Toxicity ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Design Synthesis ◽  
Pentacyclic Triterpenoid

Ursolic acid (UA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid found in many medicinal plants and aromas endowed with numerous in vitro pharmacological activities, including antibacterial effects. Unfortunately, UA is poorly administered in vivo, due to its water insolubility, low bioavailability, and residual systemic toxicity, thus making urgent the development of water-soluble UA formulations. Dendrimers are nonpareil macromolecules possessing highly controlled size, shape, and architecture. In dendrimers with cationic surface, the contemporary presence of inner cavities and of hydrophilic peripheral functions, allows to encapsulate hydrophobic non-water-soluble drugs as UA, to enhance their water-solubility and stability, and to promote their protracted release, thus decreasing their systemic toxicity. In this paper, aiming at developing a new UA-based antibacterial agent administrable in vivo, we reported the physical entrapment of UA in a biodegradable not cytotoxic cationic dendrimer (G4K). UA-loaded dendrimer nanoparticles (UA-G4K) were obtained, which showed a drug loading (DL%) much higher than those previously reported, a protracted release profile governed by diffusion mechanisms, and no cytotoxicity. Also, UA-G4K was characterized by principal components analysis (PCA)-processed FTIR spectroscopy, by NMR and elemental analyses, and by dynamic light scattering experiments (DLS). The water solubility of UA-G4K was found to be 1868-fold times higher than that of pristine UA, thus making its clinical application feasible.

Role of Pentacyclic Triterpenoid Acids in the Treatment of Bladder Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anindita Ghosh ◽  
Chinmay Kumar Panda
Keyword(s):  
Bladder Cancer ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Pentacyclic Triterpenoids ◽  
Pentacyclic Triterpenoid ◽  
Anticancer Effects ◽  
Antitumor Compounds ◽  
Resistance To Chemotherapy

: Bladder cancer carries a poor prognosis and has proven resistance to chemotherapy. Pentacyclic Triterpenoid Acids (PTAs) are natural bioactive compounds that have a well-known impact on cancer research because of their cytotoxic and chemopreventive activities. This review focuses on bladder cancer which can no longer be successfully treated by DNA damaging drugs. Unlike most of the existing drugs against bladder cancer, PTAs are non-toxic to normal cells. Collecting findings from both in vitro and in vivo studies, it has been concluded that PTAs may serve as promising agents in future bladder cancer therapy. In this review, the roles of various PTAs in bladder cancer have been explored, and their mechanisms of action in the treatment of bladder cancer have been described. Specific PTAs have been shortlisted from each of the chief skeletons of pentacyclic triterpenoids, which could be effective against bladder cancer because of their mode of action. This review thereby throws light on the multi targets and mechanisms of PTAs, which are responsible for their selective anticancer effects and provides guidelines for further research and development of new natural antitumor compounds.

scholarly journals Antiplasmodial profile of selected compounds from Malaria Box: in vitro evaluation, speed of action and drug combination studies

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Eduardo de Souza ◽  
Renata Vieira Bueno ◽  
Juliana Oliveira de Souza ◽  
Camila Lima Zanini ◽  
Fábio Cardoso Cruz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Combination Therapy ◽  
Inhibitory Activity ◽  
Similarity Index ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Neutral Red ◽  
Molecular Target ◽  
Benzodiazepine Derivatives ◽  
Malaria Box

Abstract Background Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is used as the first-line treatment of uncomplicated malaria caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite and chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium vivax parasites. Evidence of resistance to ACT has been reported in Cambodia, and without new and effective anti-malarial agents, malaria burden and mortality will rise. Methods The used MolPrint 2D fingerprints and the Tanimoto similarity index were used to perform a structural similarity search within the Malaria Box collection to select diverse molecular scaffolds that are different from artesunate. Next, the inhibitory potency against the P. falciparum 3D7 strain (SYBR Green I inhibition assay) and the cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells (MTT and neutral red assays) were evaluated. Then, the speed of action, the combination profile of selected inhibitors with artesunate, and the P. berghei in vivo activity of the best compounds were assessed. Results A set of 11 structurally diverse compounds from the Malaria Box with a similarity threshold of less than 0.05 was selected and compared with artesunate. The in vitro inhibitory activity of each compound confirmed the reported potencies (IC50 values ranging from 0.005 to 1 µM). The cytotoxicity of each selected compound was evaluated and used to calculate the selectivity index (SI values ranging from 15.1 to 6100). Next, both the speed of action and the combination profile of each compound with artesunate was assessed. Acridine, thiazolopyrimidine, quinoxaline, benzimidazole, thiophene, benzodiazepine, isoxazole and pyrimidoindole derivatives showed fast in vitro inhibitory activity of parasite growth, whereas hydrazinobenzimidazole, indenopyridazinone and naphthalenone derivatives were slow-acting in vitro inhibitors. Combinatory profile evaluation indicated that thiazolopyrimidinone and benzodiazepine derivatives have an additive profile, suggesting that the combination of these inhibitors with artesunate is favourable for in vitro inhibitory activity. The remaining compounds showed an antagonistic combinatory profile with artesunate. The collected data indicated that the indenopyridazinone derivative, a bc1 complex inhibitor, had a similar association profile in combination with proguanil when compared to atovaquone combined with proguanil, thereby corroborating the correlation between the molecular target and the combination profile. Lastly, the in vivo activity of the thiazolopyrimidinone and benzodiazepine derivatives were assessed. Both compounds showed oral efficacy at 50 mg/kg in a mouse model of Plasmodium berghei malaria (64% and 40% reduction in parasitaemia on day 5 post-infection, respectively). Conclusions The findings in this paper shed light on the relationship among the speed of action, molecular target and combinatory profile and identified new hits with in vivo activity as candidates for anti-malarial combination therapy.

scholarly journals Co-Administration of Fendiline Hydrochloride Enhances Chemotherapeutic Efficacy of Cisplatin in Neuroblastoma Treatment

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (22) ◽  
pp. 5234
Author(s):  
Antonella Brizzolara ◽  
Patrizia Garbati ◽  
Serena Vella ◽  
Matilde Calderoni ◽  
Alessandro Quattrone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abc Transporters ◽  
Pharmacological Treatments ◽  
Growth Reduction ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Animal Survival ◽  
Recent Treatment ◽  
In Vivo Effects ◽  
Novel Therapeutic

Despite significant improvement of neuroblastoma (NB) patients’ survival due to recent treatment advancements in recent years, NB is still associated with high mortality rate. In search of novel strategies to increase NB’s susceptibility to pharmacological treatments, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo effects of fendiline hydrochloride as an enhancer of cisplatin antitumor activity. To assess the modulation of fendiline treatment on cisplatin responses, we used in vitro (evaluating NB cell proliferation by XCELLigence technology and colony formation, and gene expression by RT-PCR) and in vivo (NB cell grafts in NOD-SCID mice) models of NB. NB cell treatment with fendiline induced the expression of the ncRNA NDM29, leading to cell differentiation and to the reduction of the expression of MDRs/ABC transporters linked to multidrug resistance. These events were correlated to higher NB cell susceptibility to cisplatin and, consequently, increased its cytotoxic potency. In vivo, this drug interaction causes an enhanced ability of cisplatin to induce apoptosis in NB masses, resulting in tumor growth reduction and prolonged animal survival rate. Thus, the administration of fendiline might be a possible novel therapeutic approach to increase cisplatin efficacy in aggressive and poorly responsive NB cases.

Effects of flavonoids on intestinal inflammation, barrier integrity and changes in gut microbiota during diet-induced obesity

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Gil-Cardoso ◽  
Iris Ginés ◽  
Montserrat Pinent ◽  
Anna Ardévol ◽  
Mayte Blay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Intestinal Inflammation ◽  
Mucosal Barrier ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Barrier Integrity ◽  
Diet Induced Obesity

AbstractDiet-induced obesity is associated with low-grade inflammation, which, in most cases, leads to the development of metabolic disorders, primarily insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Although prior studies have implicated the adipose tissue as being primarily responsible for obesity-associated inflammation, the latest discoveries have correlated impairments in intestinal immune homeostasis and the mucosal barrier with increased activation of the inflammatory pathways and the development of insulin resistance. Therefore, it is essential to define the mechanisms underlying the obesity-associated gut alterations to develop therapies to prevent and treat obesity and its associated diseases. Flavonoids appear to be promising candidates among the natural preventive treatments that have been identified to date. They have been shown to protect against several diseases, including CVD and various cancers. Furthermore, they have clear anti-inflammatory properties, which have primarily been evaluated in non-intestinal models. At present, a growing body of evidence suggests that flavonoids could exert a protective role against obesity-associated pathologies by modulating inflammatory-related cellular events in the intestine and/or the composition of the microbiota populations. The present paper will review the literature to date that has described the protective effects of flavonoids on intestinal inflammation, barrier integrity and gut microbiota in studies conducted using in vivo and in vitro models.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document