Drug Repurposing Approach against Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) through Virtual Screening Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease.

Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was identified from China in December 2019 and spread rapidly through human-to-human transmission, affecting so many people worldwide. Until now, there has been no specific treatment against the disease and repurposing of the drug. Our investigation aimed to screen potential inhibitors against coronavirus for the repurposing of drugs. Our study analyzed sequence comparison among SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV to determine the identity matrix using discovery studio. SARS-CoV-2 Mpro was targeted to generate an E-pharmacophore hypothesis to screen drugs from the DrugBank database having similar features. Promising drugs were used for docking-based virtual screening at several precisions. Best hits from virtual screening were subjected to MM/GBSA analysis to evaluate binding free energy, followed by the analysis of binding interactions. Furthermore, the molecular dynamics simulation approaches were carried out to assess the docked complex's conformational stability. A total of 33 drug classes were found from virtual screening based on their docking scores. Among them, seven potential drugs with several anticancer, antibiotic, and immunometabolic categories were screened and showed promising MM/GBSA scores. During interaction analysis, these drugs exhibited different types of hydrogen and hydrophobic interactions with amino acid residue. Besides, 17 experimental drugs selected from virtual screening might be crucial for drug discovery against COVID-19. The RMSD, RMSF, SASA, Rg, and MM/PBSA descriptors from molecular dynamics simulation confirmed the complex's firm nature. Seven promising drugs for repurposing against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), namely sapanisertib, ornidazole, napabucasin, lenalidomide, daniquidone, indoximod, and salicylamide, could be vital for the treatment of COVID-19. However, extensive in vivo and in vitro studies are required to evaluate the mentioned drug's activity.

Insightful Valorization of the Biological Activities of Pani Heloch Leaves through Experimental and Computer-Aided Mechanisms.

Pani heloch (Antidesma montanum) is traditionally used to treat innumerable diseases and is a source of wild vegetables for the management of different pathological conditions. The present study explored the qualitative phytochemicals; quantitative phenol and flavonoid contents; in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and thrombolytic effects; and in vivo antipyretic and analgesic properties of the methanol extract of A. montanum leaves in different experimental models. The extract exhibited secondary metabolites including alkaloids, flavonoids, flavanols, phytosterols, cholesterols, phenols, terpenoids, glycosides, fixed oils, emodines, coumarins, resins, and tannins. Besides, Pani heloch showed strong antioxidant activity (IC50 = 99.00 µg/mL), while a moderate percentage of clot lysis (31.56%) in human blood and significant anti-inflammatory activity (p < 0.001) was achieved with the standard. Moreover, the analgesic and antipyretic properties appeared to trigger a significant response (p < 0.001) relative to in the control group. Besides, an in silico study of carpusin revealed favorable protein-binding affinities. Furthermore, the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity analysis and toxicological properties of all isolated compounds adopted Lipinski's rule of five for drug-like potential and level of toxicity. Our research unveiled that the methanol extract of A. montanum leaves exhibited secondary metabolites that are a good source for managing inflammation, pyrexia, pain, and cellular toxicity. Computational approaches and further studies are required to identify the possible mechanism which responsible for the biological effects.

An integrated exploration of pharmacological potencies of Bischofia javanica (Blume) leaves through experimental and computational modeling.

Bischofia javanica (Blume), an edible wild plant, has both prospective nutraceutical and therapeutic properties. Here, we intended to explore the pharmacological potentials of the methanol extract of B. javanica (MEBJ) through integrated approaches. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of important phytoconstituents which were found to be safe during cytotoxicity analysis. The sedative potential of MEBJ (200 and 400 mg/kg) was determined by employing open field, hole cross, and thiopental sodium-induced sleeping time tests, where a significant reduction of the locomotor performance and an enhancement in the duration of sleeping have been observed, respectively. In addition, mice treated with MEBJ exhibited superior exploration during both elevated plus maze and hole board tests. In parallel, anti-diabetic potency was investigated via alpha-amylase inhibitory assay, where a dose-response increase in the percentage of inhibition has been marked. A similar response, such as an increased percentage of clot lysis, was observed during the thrombolytic test. Furthermore, molecular docking was performed with the identified compounds, demonstrated strong binding affinities to the target receptors of the experiments as mentioned above. Also, ADME/T and toxicological parameters verified the drug-like properties of the identified compounds. Collectively, these results indicate bioactivity of Bischofia javanica, which can be a potential candidate in the food and pharmaceutical industries.