The potency of blumeatin and luteolin as caspase-1 inhibitor by molecular docking

COVID-19 infection induces inflammation by increasing cytokines such as IL-1b, IL-6, IL-18, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. IL-1b is generated by the involvement of caspase-1. Therefore, caspase-1 inhibitor can be potential for inflammation therapy caused by COVID-19 infection. This study aims to determine the potential of blumeatin and luteolin as anti-inflammatory agents by inhibiting caspase-1 using a molecular docking approach. This study was carried out by caspase-1 (PDB ID: 1RWK) preparation, blumeatin and luteolin structure optimization, docking protocol validation, and docking of blumeatin and luteolin on caspase-1. Bluematin and luteolin had a binding affinity of -5,63 kcal/mol and -5,93 kcal/mol, lower than Q158 native ligand (-3.92 kcal/mol). Similar amino acid residues in hydrogen bonds interaction were observed between Q158 native ligand, blumeatin, and luteolin with caspase-1 (GLN 283 and ARG 179). Blumeatin and luteolin are potentially anti-inflammation agents through the inhibition of the caspase-1 in silico.

Molecular docking of lutein as anti-photoaging agent in silico

The accumulation of UV exposure resulted in the loss of skin elasticity, and the appearance of wrinkles on the skin is commonly known as photoaging. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) is an enzyme that degrades type I and III fibrillar collagen. This study aims to determine the mechanism of MMP-1 inhibition by lutein, a carotenoid compound with high antioxidant activity, using in silico molecular docking. This study was conducted by optimization of lutein structure using HyperChem 8, preparation of MMP-1 (PDB ID: 966C) using Chimera 1.10.1, validation of the method, and docking lutein against MMP-1 using Autodock 4.2. The results showed lutein had binding energy of -12.28 kcal/mol, lower than RS2 native ligand (-10.83 kcal/mol). The hydrogen bond formed between lutein and MMP-1 through HIS228 residue. To conclude, lutein may be developed as an anti-photoaging agent by inhibiting the MMP-1.

MOLECULAR DOCKING STUDY OF NATURALLY OCCURRING COMPOUNDS AS INHIBITORS OF COVID -19

Objectives: The worldwide spread of COVID-19 is an emergent issue to be tackled. Currently, several works in various field have been made in rather short period. The present study aimed to assess bioactive compounds found in medicinal plants as potential COVID-19 Mpro inhibitors using molecular docking study. Methods: The docking analyses were performed by using Autodock, Discovery Studio Visualiser and Igemdock. Results: The binding energy obtained from the docking of 6LU7 with native ligand cupressuflavone is -8.9 kcal/mol. Conclusion: These findings will provide the opportunities to identify the right drug to combat COVID-19.

MOLECULAR DOCKING AND MOLECULAR DYNAMICS STUDIES OF ACALYPHA INDICA L. PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS WITH CASPASE-3

Objective: This study investigated the structure-based molecular interactions between phytochemical constituents of Acalypha indica L. and caspase-3. Methods: Thirty-three phytochemical constituents of A. indica were screened against caspase-3. The X-ray crystal structure of human caspase-3 was retrieved from https://www.rcsb.org/structure/. The molecular interactions of the phytochemicals were studied using the AutoDock 4.2 software and followed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the Amber18 software. Results: From this study, 25 screened phytochemicals were found to have a better binding mode than the native ligand. Moreover, the binding stability of the top four hits evaluated by MD indicated that the hydrogen bonds in MD were quite different from the molecular docking results due to the massive receptor and ligand movement in the MD simulations. However, with the exception of stigmasterol, all ligands were able to stabilize the protein. Conclusion: This study suggested that γ-sitosterol acetate, β-sitosterol acetate, and γ-sitosterol might be able to induce caspase-3, thereby activating apoptosis. These high-affinity compounds can bind to caspase-3 more efficiently and were able to stabilize the protein. Therefore, they have the potential to be used as lead compounds in the treatment of cancer.

In silico molecular docking of quercetin as anti-colorectal cancer agents by inhibiting LT4AH

Colorectal cancer is a malignant neoplasm originating from the colon or rectum. Overexpression of leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) increases the growth of HCT116 colon cancer cells, therefore, this enzyme becomes an attractive target for commercial drug bestatin. Meanwhile, quercetin is a member of flavonoids possessing a wide variety of anticancer. This study aimed to determine the potential of quercetin as anti-colorectal cancer by inhibiting LTA4H through in silico molecular docking. The docking process involved optimizing quercetin structure, preparing LTA4H protein (PDB ID: 3U9W), validating the molecular docking method, and docking quercetin and bestatin on LTA4H. The binding energy of quercetin to LTA4H was -9.57 kcal/mol, while 28P native ligand and bestatin yielded -10.22 kcal/mol and -9.10 kcal/mol, respectively. Based on the binding energy value, quercetin has a potential inhibitory against the LTA4H.

Molecular docking of gallic acid as anti-photoaging in silico

Skin aging caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet is known as photoaging. The mechanism underlying skin photoaging relates to collagen degradation in the extracellular matrix (ECM) by overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1). Gallic acid is a phenolic antioxidant found in many types of plants and can be used as an anti-photoaging agent due to its antioxidant activity. This study aims to determine the potential effect of gallic acid as an anti-photoaging against MMP-1 using in silico molecular docking. The stages included gallic acid structure optimization using the HyperChem 8, preparation of protein target MMP-1 (PDB ID: 966C) using the Chimera1.10.1, validation the molecular docking protocol, and docking gallic acid on MMP-1 with the Autodock 1.5.6. The results showed that gallic acid had an affinity for MMP-1 with a binding energy of -6.0 kcal/mol. There are similar amino acid residues in hydrogen bonds between the native ligand RS2 with MMP-1 and gallic acid with MMP-1, namely ALA 182, LEU 181, and HIS 218. The results suggest that gallic acid has the potential as the anti-photoaging agent through the inhibition of the MMP-1 enzyme.

Nuclear progesterone receptor regulates blood coagulation facilitating ovulation in zebrafish

Ovulation is a remodeling process including blood capillary rupture and coagulation. Until now, there is no regulation and functional studies of coagulation factors in ovulation. Here, we report dramatic increases of coagulation factors (f5, f3a) in zebrafish preovulatory follicles. This upregulation was induced by progestin (DHP: 17α, 20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one), a native ligand for nuclear progestin receptor (Pgr) that is essential for ovulation in zebrafish; but was abolished in pgr-/-. In addition, promoter activities of f5 and f3a were significantly enhanced by progestin via zebrafish Pgr. Similarly, we found promoter activities of human F5 were significantly stimulated by progesterone (P4) via human PGRB. Moreover, a dramatic increase of erythrocyte numbers in capillaries on ovarian follicles was associated with ovulation. Importantly, heparin, an anticoagulant, inhibited ovulation. Furthermore, reduced fecundity and impaired ovulation were observed in f5+/- female zebrafish. Together, our results provide plausible evidence for an exceptional function of coagulation factors in ovulation.

Design, Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and In Silico Prediction Study of Novel Isoxazole Linked Pyranopyrimidinone Conjugates as New Targets for Searching Potential Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents

A series of novel naphthopyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidin-11(12H)-one containing isoxazole nucleus 4 was synthesized under microwave irradiation and classical conditions in moderate to excellent yields upon 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction using various arylnitrile oxides under copper(I) catalyst. A one-pot, three-component reaction, N-propargylation and Dimroth rearrangement were used as the key steps for the preparation of the dipolarophiles3. The structures of the synthesized compounds were established by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS-ES means. The present study aims to also predict the theoretical assembly of the COVID-19 protease (SARS-CoV-2 Mpro) and to discover in advance whether this protein can be targeted by the compounds 4a–1 and thus be synthesized. The docking scores of these compounds were compared to those of the co-crystallized native ligand inhibitor (N3) which was used as a reference standard. The results showed that all the synthesized compounds (4a–l) gave interesting binding scores compared to those of N3 inhibitor. It was found that compounds 4a, 4e and 4i achieved greatly similar binding scores and modes of interaction than N3, indicating promising affinity towards SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. On the other hand, the derivatives 4k, 4h and 4j showed binding energy scores (−8.9, −8.5 and −8.4 kcal/mol, respectively) higher than the Mpro N3 inhibitor (−7.0 kcal/mol), revealing, in their turn, a strong interaction with the target protease, although their interactions were not entirely comparable to that of the reference N3.

Designing of some Novel Methyl 2-((4-(Benzamido)Phenyl)Sulfanyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-Methylpyrimidine-5-carboxylate Derivatives as Potential Glucokinase Activators through Molecular Docking

Aims: Glucokinase (GK) is a cytoplasmic enzyme that metabolizes the glucose to glucose- 6-phosphate and supports the adjusting of blood glucose levels within the normal range in humans. In pancreatic β-cells, it plays a leading role by governing the glucose-stimulated secretion of insulin and in liver hepatocyte cells, it controls the metabolism of carbohydrates. GK acts as a promising drug target for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Study Design: In the current study, the goal is to identify new substituted benzamide derivatives and test them via molecular docking as possible anti-diabetic drugs. Place and Duration of Study: The present work has been carried out at S.N.J.B’s S.S.D.J. College of Pharmacy, Neminagar, Chandwad, Nashik, Maharashtra, India during the time period of December-2020 to February-2021. Methodology: This work involved designing novel methyl 2-((4-(benzamido)phenyl)sulfanyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-methylpyrimidine-5-carboxylate derivatives and their screening by molecular docking studies to determine the binding interactions for the best-fit conformations in the binding site of the GK enzyme. Autodockvina 1.1.2 in PyRx 0.8 was used to perform the docking studies of all the designed novel derivatives and native ligand against the crystal structure of GK. Based on the results of docking studies, the selected molecules will be tested for their antidiabetic activity in the animal models. Results: Amongst the designed derivatives, compounds A2, A3, A8, A10, A11, A13, A14, A16, A17, and A18 have shown better binding free energy (between -8.7 to -10.3 kcal/mol) than the native ligand present in the enzyme structure. In present investigation, many molecules had formed strong hydrogen bond with Arg-63 which indicate the potential to activate GK. Conclusion: From above results it has been observed that these designed benzamide derivatives have potential to activate the human GK which enables us to proceed for the syntheses of these derivatives.

DOCKING MOLEKULER SENYAWA AKTIF BUAH DAN DAUN JAMBU BIJI (Psidium guajava L.) TERHADAP PROTEIN SARS-CoV-2

Pada akhir 2019, terjadi wabah pneumonia baru berasal dari Wuhan, Provinsi Hubei yang disebabkan oleh virus SARS-CoV-2. Sehingga perlu dilakukan penghambatan protein virus tersebut sebagai salah satu penemuan kandidat obat baru. Tujuan penelitian untuk mencari bahwa senyawa metabolit sekunder yang terdapat dalam pada buah dan daun jambu biji (Psidium guajava L) mempunyai aktivitas sebagai antivirus dengan cara menghambat protein SARS-CoV-2. Metode penambatan molekul (docking molecular) untuk prediksi struktur kompleks senyawa-protein yang dinamakan docking ligan-protein. Penelitian dilakukan dengan cara analisis secara In Silico senyawa metabolit sekunder tanaman jambu biji dan memodelkan interaksi senyawa pada protein SARS-CoV-2 yang berperan sebagai antivirus. Software yang digunakan adalah PLANTS, YASARA, ChemSketch, dan Ligplus. Penelitian diawali dengan validasi internal pada salah satu reseptor SARS-CoV-2 dengan kode protein PDB.ID 6LU7. Proses docking dilakukan terhadap native ligand, senyawa kimia pada tanaman jambu biji, dan senyawa pembanding sebagai kontrol positif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa score docking dari tiga senyawa metabolit sekunder terbaik masih lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan ligan native-nya. Score docking kaemferol, kuersetin dan hyperin adalah -90.399, -92.012 dan -92.231 kkal/mol. Ikatan kompleks dengan ligan native masih lebih stabil (kuat) dibandingkan dengan kompleks antara protein dan senyawa aktif dari Jambu Biji.