An integrated network pharmacology approach to discover therapeutic mechanisms of Commiphora wightii for the treatment of Bell's palsy.

Bell's palsy (BP) can result in facial paralysis. Inflammation or injury to the cranial nerves that regulate the facial muscles is primarily responsible for that disease. Commiphora wightii remains recognized as a cure for a few human ailments. This study focused on therapeutic phenomena of C. wightii for the treatment of Bell's palsy, utilizing the network drug discovery and molecular docking techniques. Active biological constituents of C. wightii were retrieved from literature and independent databases. Potential therapeutic targets (431) of 13 bioactive phytochemicals were fetched via SwissTargetPrediction tool. Putative intersecting targets (855) of Bell's palsy were computed through the DisGeNET and GeneCards datasets. Subsequently, by the analysis of potential shared targets (87) of C. wightii and Bell's palsy, a Venn diagram was drawn. DAVID database was used to evaluate gene functional annotations and enriched pathways that are involved in Bell's palsy. STRING database was used for generating the protein-protein relationship complex. Visual presentations of the interactions of potential targets to active chemical constituents were done by the Cytoscape. Whereas, the conformational research sorted out 10 key targets through the protein-protein interactions network. Moreover, the capacity of therapeutic ingredients to interact with a target inhibiting Bell's palsy was confirmed by molecular docking, which might ratify the findings of network pharmacology. In the molecular complex of AKT1-cholesterol, a 100-ns simulation unveiled a graceful stability, with a minimal 0.167 Å ligand shift and resilient hydrogen bonds (ASN54 and SER205). The final 20 ns showcased a P1 motif pirouette, gracefully forming aromatic bonds with H165 and W186, underscoring the complex's dynamic finesse. This study evaluated compound-target interactions and their impact on disease-related genes. It revealed that five genes (AKT1, TNF, MAPK3, EGFR and SRC) of C. wightii might be useful therapeutic targets for the treatment of Bell's palsy, as well as helping in lowering down the blood pressure.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Determination of lytic enzyme activities of indigenous Trichoderma isolates from Pakistan.

This study investigated lytic enzyme activities in three indigenous Trichoderma strains namely, Trichoderma asperellum, Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma sp. Native Trichoderma strains and a virulent strain of Rhizoctonia solani isolated from infected bean plants were also included in the study. Enzyme activities were determined by measuring sugar reduction by dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method using suitable substrates. The antagonists were cultured in minimal salt medium with the following modifications: medium A (1 g of glucose), medium B (0.5 g of glucose + 0.5 g of deactivated R. solani mycelia), medium C (1.0 g of deactivated respective antagonist mycelium) and medium D (1 g of deactivated R. solani mycelia). T asperellum showed presence of higher amounts of chitinases, ß-1, 3-glucanases and xylanases in extracellular protein extracts from medium D as compared to medium A. While, the higher activities of glucosidases and endoglucanses were shown in medium D extracts by T. harzianum. ß-glucosidase activities were lower compared with other enzymes; however, activities of the extracts of medium D were significantly different. T. asperellum exhibited maximum inhibition (97.7%). On the other hand, Trichoderma sp. did not show any effect on mycelia growth of R. solani on crude extract.

Determination of lytic enzyme activities of indigenous Trichoderma isolates from Pakistan

Abstract This study investigated lytic enzyme activities in three indigenous Trichoderma strains namely, Trichoderma asperellum, Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma sp. Native Trichoderma strains and a virulent strain of Rhizoctonia solani isolated from infected bean plants were also included in the study. Enzyme activities were determined by measuring sugar reduction by dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method using suitable substrates. The antagonists were cultured in minimal salt medium with the following modifications: medium A (1 g of glucose), medium B (0.5 g of glucose + 0.5 g of deactivated R. solani mycelia), medium C (1.0 g of deactivated respective antagonist mycelium) and medium D (1 g of deactivated R. solani mycelia). T asperellum showed presence of higher amounts of chitinases, β-1, 3-glucanases and xylanases in extracellular protein extracts from medium D as compared to medium A. While, the higher activities of glucosidases and endoglucanses were shown in medium D extracts by T. harzianum. β-glucosidase activities were lower compared with other enzymes; however, activities of the extracts of medium D were significantly different. T. asperellum exhibited maximum inhibition (97.7%). On the other hand, Trichoderma sp. did not show any effect on mycelia growth of R. solani on crude extract.

Biocontrol efficacy of different isolates of Trichoderma against soil borne pathogen Rhizoctonia solani.

In this study, the biocontrol abilities of water-soluble and volatile metabolites of three different isolates of Trichoderma (T. asperellum, T. harzianum and Trichoderma spp.) against soil borne plant pathogen Rhizoctonia solani were investigated both in vitro and in vivo. The results showed for the first time that mycelial growth inhibition of the pathogen was 74.4-67.8% with water-soluble metabolites as compared to 15.3-10.6% with volatile metabolites in vitro. In vivo antagonistic activity of Trichoderma isolates against R. solani was evaluated on bean plants under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. We observed that T. asperellum was more effective and consistent, lowering disease incidence up to 19.3% in laboratory and 30.5% in green house conditions. These results showed that three isolates of Trichoderma could be used as effective biocontrol agents against R. solani.