Identification of novel dual acting ligands targeting the adenosine A2A and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors.

GPCRs are a family of transmembrane receptors that are profoundly linked to various neurological disorders, among which is Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is the second most ubiquitous neurological disorder after Alzheimer's disease, characterized by the depletion of dopamine in the central nervous system due to the impairment of dopaminergic neurons, leading to involuntary movements or dyskinesia. The current standard of care for PD is Levodopa, a dopamine precursor, yet the chronic use of this agent can exacerbate motor symptoms. Recent studies have investigated the effects of combining A2AR antagonist and 5-HT1A agonist on dyskinesia and motor complications in animal models of PD. It has been proved that the drug combination has significantly improved involuntary movements while maintaining motor activity, highlighting as a result new lines of therapy for PD treatments, through the regulation of both receptors. Using a combination of ligand-based pharmacophore modelling, virtual screening, and molecular dynamics simulation, this study intends on identifying potential dual-target compounds from IBScreen. Results showed that the selected models displayed good enrichment metrics with a near perfect receiver operator characteristic (ROC) and Area under the accumulation curve (AUAC) values, signifying that the models are both specific and sensitive. Molecular docking and ADMET analysis revealed that STOCK2N-00171 could be potentially active against A2AR and 5-HT1A. Post-MD analysis confirmed that the ligand exhibits a stable behavior throughout the simulation while maintaining crucial interactions. These results imply that STOCK2N-00171 can serve as a blueprint for the design of novel and effective dual-acting ligands targeting A2AR and 5-HT1A.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

In silico studies of natural product-like caffeine derivatives as potential MAO-B inhibitors/AA2AR antagonists for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease is considered the second most frequent neurodegenerative disease. It is described by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the mid-brain. For many decades, L-DOPA has been considered as the gold standard for treating Parkinson's disease motor symptoms, however, due to the decrease of efficacy, in the long run, there is an urgent need for novel antiparkinsonian drugs. Caffeine derivatives have been reported several times for their neuroprotective properties and dual blockade of monoamine oxidase (MAO) and adenosine A2A receptors (AA2AR). Natural products are currently attracting more focus due to structural diversity and safety in contrast to synthetic drugs. In the present work, computational studies were conducted on natural product-like caffeine derivatives to search for novel potent candidates acting as dual MAO-B inhibitors/AA2AR antagonists for Parkinson's disease. Our findings revealed two natural products among the top hits: CNP0202316 and CNP0365210 fulfill the requirements of drugs acting on the brain. The selected lead compounds were further studied using molecular dynamics simulation to assess their stability with MAO-B. Current findings might shift the interest towards natural-based compounds and could be exploited to further optimize caffeine derivatives into a successful dual-target-directed drug for managing and halting the neuronal damage in Parkinson's disease patients.

Optical method for detecting oxygen via the chromogenic reaction catalyzed by polyphenol oxidase.

The present work describes a method for detecting the ingress of gas phase oxygen into packed food. It uses the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO)from Mushroom and Mediterranean dwarf palm. The PPO is incorporated into an indubiose film along with a non-toxic polyphenol such as gallic acid or chlorogenic acid. If exposed to oxygen, the test spot undergoes an irreversible and visible color change from pale to deep brown due to the PPO catalyzed oxidation of the respective polyphenol by oxygen. The color change can be detected visually or by spectrophotometry at 470 nm. The effect of the amount of oxygen or substrate, type of enzyme substrate, enzyme source, temperature and duration of storage on the response were studied. Air oxygen can be detected within 30 min under optimized condition. The smallest amount of oxygen that can be detected with acceptable response time (120 min) is 5%. The test is highly selective for oxygen and the detector is stable over time. The detector may be used in any application as long as the presence or absence of oxygen in a sealed space is determined prior to the application using the detector.