scholarly journals A Computational Approach with Biological Evaluation: Combinatorial Treatment of Curcumin and Exemestane Synergistically Regulates DDX3 Expression in Cancer Cell Lines

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 857
Author(s):  
Shailima Rampogu ◽  
Seong Min Kim ◽  
Minky Son ◽  
Ayoung Baek ◽  
Chanin Park ◽  
...  

DDX3 belongs to RNA helicase family that demonstrates oncogenic properties and has gained wider attention due to its role in cancer progression, proliferation and transformation. Mounting reports have evidenced the role of DDX3 in cancers making it a promising target to abrogate DDX3 triggered cancers. Dual pharmacophore models were generated and were subsequently validated. They were used as 3D queries to screen the InterBioScreen database, resulting in the selection of curcumin that was escalated to molecular dynamics simulation studies. In vitro anti-cancer analysis was conducted on three cell lines such as MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and HeLa, which were evaluated along with exemestane. Curcumin was docked into the active site of the protein target (PDB code 2I4I) to estimate the binding affinity. The compound has interacted with two key residues and has displayed stable molecular dynamics simulation results. In vitro analysis has demonstrated that both the candidate compounds have reduced the expression of DDX3 in three cell lines. However, upon combinatorial treatment of curcumin (10 and 20 μM) and exemestane (50 μM) a synergism was exhibited, strikingly downregulating the DDX3 expression and has enhanced apoptosis in three cell lines. The obtained results illuminate the use of curcumin as an alternative DDX3 inhibitor and can serve as a chemical scaffold to design new small molecules.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Lin ◽  
Wenxiu Sun ◽  
Tao Zeng ◽  
Hengda Li ◽  
Chenming Xu ◽  
...  

Glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) is a promising target for cancer prevention and therapy, particularly because of its involvement in promoting cancer cell survival and resistance of tumors to therapeutic agents....


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trina Ekawati Tallei ◽  
Fatimawali ◽  
Afriza Yelnetty ◽  
Rinaldi Idroes ◽  
Diah Kusumawaty ◽  
...  

The rapid spread of a novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 has compelled the entire world to seek ways to weaken this virus, prevent its spread and also eliminate it. However, no drug has been approved to treat COVID-19. Furthermore, the receptor-binding domain (RBD) on this viral spike protein, as well as several other important parts of this virus, have recently undergone mutations, resulting in new virus variants. While no treatment is currently available, a naturally derived molecule with known antiviral properties could be used as a potential treatment. Bromelain is an enzyme found in the fruit and stem of pineapples. This substance has been shown to have a broad antiviral activity. In this article, we analyse the ability of bromelain to counteract various variants of the SARS-CoV-2 by targeting bromelain binding on the side of this viral interaction with human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation approaches. We have succeeded in making three-dimensional configurations of various RBD variants using protein modelling. Bromelain exhibited good binding affinity toward various variants of RBDs and binds right at the binding site between RBDs and hACE2. This result is also presented in the modelling between Bromelain, RBD, and hACE2. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulations study revealed significant stability of the bromelain and RBD proteins separately up to 100 ns with an RMSD value of 2 Å. Furthermore, despite increases in RMSD and changes in Rog values of complexes, which are likely due to some destabilized interactions between bromelain and RBD proteins, two proteins in each complex remained bonded, and the site where the two proteins bind remained unchanged. This finding indicated that bromelain could have an inhibitory effect on different SARS-CoV-2 variants, paving the way for a new SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor drug. However, more in vitro and in vivo research on this potential mechanism of action is required.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajal Kumar Halder ◽  
Fatiha Elma

ABSTRACTTuberculosis (TB) continuously pose a major public health concern around the globe, with a mounting death toll of approximately 1.4 million in 2019. The reduced bioavailability, increased toxicity and resistance of several first-line and second-line anti-TB drugs such as isoniazid, ethionamide have necessitated the search for new medications. In this research, we have identified several novel chemical compounds with anti-TB properties using various computational tools like molecular docking analysis, drug-likeness evaluation, ADMET profiling, P450 site of metabolism prediction and molecular dynamics simulation study. This study involves fifty drug-like compounds with antibacterial activity that inhibit InhA and EthR involved in the synthesis of one of the major lipid components, mycolic acid, which is crucial for the viability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Among these fifty compounds, 3-[3-(4-Fluorophenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl]-N-(2-methylphenyl) piperidine-1-carboxamide (C22) and 5-(4-Ethyl-phenyl)-2-(1H-tetrazol-5-ylmethyl)-2H-tetrazole (C29) were found to pass the two-step molecular docking, P450 site of metabolism prediction and pharmacokinetics filtering analysis successfully. Their binding stability for target proteins have been evaluated through RMSD, RMSF, Radius of gyration analysis from 10 ns Molecular Dynamics Simulation (MDS) run. Our identified drugs could be a capable therapeutic for Tuberculosis drug discovery, having said that more in vitro and in vivo testing is required to justify their potential as novel drug and mode of action.


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