In silico, ADMET and Docking Analysis for the Compounds of Chloroform Extract of Tinospora cardifolia (Wild.) Identified by GC-MS and Spectral Analysis for Antidiabetic and Anti-Inflammatory Activity

The present study was aimed to phytochemical and GC-MS analysis for chloroform extract of Tinospora cardifolia. The structure of the compounds was further confirmed by UV-spectroscopy and FTIR study. The in silico study like molecular, physico-chemical and drug likeliness property was carried out by computational approaches for the identified molecules. Further toxicity potential and pharmacokinetic profile were also determined. The study was carried out using OSIRIS data warrior and Swiss ADME tools. The docking analysis was carried out for the antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory profiles. The compounds were targeted for α-glucosidase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, glucose transporter-1, cyclo-oxygenase-1 & 2 inhibitions. There were around 12 compounds identified by GC-MS analysis. All the compounds exhibited moderate to good drug likeliness and pharmacokinetic potentials. The molecules showed a good bioactivity score against enzyme receptors. The ADMET prediction showed PGP and CYP-inhibitory effects with the least toxic profile. The docking analysis showed strong binding affinity of [1S-(1α,3aα,4α,6aα)]-1H,3H-furo[3,4-c]furan tetrahydrophenyl (molecule-7) on targeted proteins under investigation.

Anti-Proliferative Activity of Piper trioicum Leaf Essential Oil Based on Phytoconstituent Analysis, Molecular Docking and In Silico ADMET Approaches

Background: The essential oils isolated from several medicinal plants are reported to have anticancer activities. Both the essential oil and extracts of many Piper species (Piperaceae) possess potential cytotoxic effect against cancer cell lines and are being used in traditional system of medicine for the treatment of cancer. There is a need to evaluate and validate the anticancer properties of essential oils extracted from other wild species of Piper. Objective: The current research was undertaken to determine the chemical composition and investigate the anti-proliferative activity of wild growing Piper trioicum leaf essential oil. The selected five major constituents were subjected to molecular docking to identify possible modes of binding against serine/threonine-protein kinase (MST3) protein Methods: The essential oil of leaf of P. trioicum was extracted by hydro distillation method and its chemical composition was carried out by GC-FID and GC-MS. The anti-proliferative activity of the essential oil was evaluated by MTT assay against normal (3T3-L1) and various cancer (HCT 116, HT-29, PC-3 and HepG2) cell lines. Molecular docking analysis was performed using AutoDock 4.2 software. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the major constituents were determined using absorption, distribution, metabolization, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) analysis. Results: The GC-MS analysis revealed the identification of 45 constituents with δ-cadinene (19.57%), germacrene-D (8.54%), β-caryophyllene (6.84%), 1-epi-cubenol (4.83%) and α-pinene (4.52%) were found to be predominant constituents in the leaf essential oil of P. trioicum. The highest cytotoxicity of essential oil was observed against HT-29 cells (IC50 value of 33.14 µg/ml). 1-epi-cubenol and δ-Cadinene exhibited low binding energy values of -6.25 and -5.92 kcal/mol, respectively. For prediction of in silico pharmacokinetic and druglike properties of the major compounds, ADMET prediction tool was also used, the results of which came within the ideal range. Conclusion: The present findings demonstrated that P. trioicum essential oil possesses significant anti-proliferative activity and could be effective against cancer treatment.

Identification of Suitable Agents against Adenine Phosphoribosyl Transferase for the Management of Leishmaniasis: Synthesis, Characterization and Computational Studies

A leishmaniasis is a group of diseases attributable to protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. It is a potential disease mostly occurring in developing nations. Various quinoline substituted derivatives (11a-f, 12a-f, and 13a-f) were synthesized by refluxing amino quinolines with an equivalent number of different alkylaminoethyl chlorides and evaluated for their in vitro antileishmanial activity against promastigotes forms of Leishmania donovani by using MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] reduction assay. Compounds 11f (IC50 = 13.61μg/mL), 12f (IC50 = 11.92 μg/mL) and 13f (IC50 =10.41 μg/mL) have shown significant antileishmanial activity when compared with standard sitamaquine (IC50= 10.09 μg/mL). Furthermore, the molecular docking analysis targeting adenine phosphoribosyltransferase of Leishmania donovani exhibits significant binding interactions. In silico, ADMET predictions revealed that these compounds, i.e., 11f, 12f, and 13f, demonstrated good absorption as well as solubility characteristics with good drug-likeness and drug score values compared to the standard drug.

Synthesis, Antimicrobial, Anticancer, PASS, Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamic Simulations and Pharmacokinetic Predictions of Some Methyl β-d-Galactopyranoside Analogs

A series of methyl β-D-galactopyranoside (MGP, 1) analogs were selectively acylated with cinnamoyl chloride in anhydrous N,N-dimethylformamide/triethylamine to yield 6-O-substitution products, which were subsequently converted into 2,3,4-tri-O-acyl analogs with different acyl halides. Analysis of the physicochemical, elemental, and spectroscopic data of these analogs revealed their chemical structures. In vitro antimicrobial testing against five bacteria and two fungi and the prediction of activity spectra for substances (PASS) showed promising antifungal functionality comparing to their antibacterial activities. Minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) tests were conducted for four compounds (4, 5, 6, and 9) based on their activity. MTT assay showed low antiproliferative activity of compound 9 against Ehrlich’s ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells with an IC50 value of 2961.06 µg/mL. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to calculate the thermodynamic and physicochemical properties, whereas molecular docking identified potential inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (6Y84). A 150-ns molecular dynamics simulation study revealed the stable conformation and binding patterns in a stimulating environment. In silico ADMET study suggested all the designed molecules to be noncarcinogenic, with low aquatic and nonaquatic toxicity. In summary, all of these antimicrobial, anticancer and in silico studies revealed that newly synthesized MGP analogs possess promising antiviral activity, to serve as a therapeutic target for COVID-19.

Essential oils of Uvaria boniana – chemical composition, in vitro bioactivity, docking, and in silico ADMET profiling of selective major compounds

Phytochemical investigation applying GC (gas chromatography)-MS (mass spectrometry)/GC-FID (flame ionization detection) on the hydro-distilled essential oils of the Vietnamese medicinal plant Uvaria boniana leaf and twig lead to the detection of 35 constituents (97.36%) in the leaf oil and 52 constituents (98.75%) in the twig oil. Monoterpenes, monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenes, and sesquiterpenoids were characteristic of U. boniana essential oils. The leaf oil was represented by major components (E)-caryophyllene (16.90%), bicyclogermacrene (15.95%), α-humulene (14.96%), and linalool (12.40%), whereas four compounds α-cadinol (16.16%), epi-α-muurolol (10.19%), α-pinene (11.01%), and β-pinene (8.08%) were the main ones in the twig oil. As compared with the leaf oil, the twig oil was better in antimicrobial activity. With the same MIC value of 40 mg/mL, the twig oil successfully controlled the growth of Gram (+) bacterium Bacillus subtilis, Gram (−) bacterium Escherichia coli, fungus Aspergillus niger, and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition, both two oil samples have induced antiinflammatory activity with the IC50 values of 223.7–240.6 mg/mL in NO productive inhibition when BV2 cells had been stimulated by LPS. Docking simulations of four major compounds of U. boniana twig oil on eight relevant antibacterial targets revealed that epi-α-muurolol and α-cadinol are moderate inhibitors of E. coli DNA gyrase subunit B, penicillin binding protein 2X and penicillin binding protein 3 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with similar free binding energies of −30.1, −29.3, and −29.3 kJ/mol, respectively. Furthermore, in silico ADMET studies indicated that all four docked compounds have acceptable oral absorption, low metabolism, and appropriated toxicological profile to be considered further as drug candidates.

Development of Novel Chalcone Analogs as Potential Multi-Targeted Therapies for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequently diagnosed malignancy, as well as a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men globally. Despite the initial response to hormonal targeted therapy, the majority of patients ultimately progress to a lethal form of the disease, castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Therefore, the objective of this study was to discover and develop novel treatment modalities for CRPC. Chalcones are among the highly attractive scaffolds being investigated for their antitumor activities. A library of 26 chalcone analogs were designed, synthesized and evaluated as potential therapies for CRPC. The design was guided by in-silico ADMET prediction in which analogs with favorable drug-likeness properties were prioritized. The new compounds were synthesized, purified and characterized by extensive structural elucidation studies. The compounds in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated against two androgen receptor (AR)-negative prostate cancer cell lines (PC3 and DU145). Among the tested compounds, pyridine containing analogs (13, 15 and 16) showed potent antiproliferative activities with IC50 values ranging between 4.32-6.47 µM against PC3 and DU145 cell lines. Detailed biological studies of the lead molecule 16 revealed that it can significantly induce apoptosis through upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2. In addition, compound 16 potently inhibited colony formation and reduced cell migration of AR-negative PCa cell lines (PC3 and DU145). The molecular pathway analysis showed that the anticancer activity of compound 16 is associated with blocking of ERK1/2 and Akt activities. Furthermore, compound 16 inhibited angiogenesis in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model as compared to control. Structure-activity relationship study revealed that the cytotoxicity could dramatically improve via changing the methoxylation pattern by more than 2-folds (IC50 << 2.5 μM). These results indicate that pyridine-based chalcones could serve as promising lead molecules for the treatment of CRPC; thus, further in vitro and in vivo studies are warranted.