Atomoxetine: toxicological aspects of a new treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Brazil.

Atomoxetine is a drug widely used for the treatment of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with reduced risk of adverse motor reactions and chemical dependence. However, the pharmacokinetics characteristics as well as the toxicological risk of atomoxetine deserves further investigation to comprehensively analyze the therapeutic and safety aspects of this drug. This study aimed to predict the physicochemical profile and medicinal chemistry characteristics of atomoxetine, alongside its pharmacokinetic properties-namely absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion-as well as its toxicology (ADMET) potential through the utilization of web-based in silico tools. This research emphasizes predicted physicochemical, medicinal chemistry, and absorption parameters of atomoxetine that could influence the efficacy and safety of this drug for ADHD treatment. Additionally, atomoxetine also presents noteworthy predicted risks of hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, respiratory system toxicity, skin toxicity, and carcinogenicity. These findings underscore the necessity for further assessments of atomoxetine's safety profile, particularly considering different patient populations and durations of drug treatment. The data reported here from in silico predictions suggest that closer monitoring is warranted when atomoxetine is administered to patients with ADHD. Moreover, controlled studies detailing reliable protocols for personalized dosing, considering the multifactorial variability in metabolism efficiency and toxicological potential, would enable a more comprehensive assessment of atomoxetine's safety profile.

Identification of Helicobacter pylori-carcinogenic TNF-alpha-inducing protein inhibitors via daidzein derivatives through computational approaches.

Gastric cancer is considered a class 1 carcinogen that is closely linked to infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which affects over 1 million people each year. However, the major challenge to fight against H. pylori and its associated gastric cancer due to drug resistance. This research gap had led our research team to investigate a potential drug candidate targeting the Helicobacter pylori-carcinogenic TNF-alpha-inducing protein. In this study, a total of 45 daidzein derivatives were investigated and the best 10 molecules were comprehensively investigated using in silico approaches for drug development, namely pass prediction, quantum calculations, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, Lipinski rule evaluation, and prediction of pharmacokinetics. The molecular docking study was performed to evaluate the binding affinity between the target protein and the ligands. In addition, the stability of ligand-protein complexes was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. Various parameters were analysed, including root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF), radius of gyration (Rg), hydrogen bond analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and dynamic cross-correlation matrix (DCCM). The results has confirmed that the ligand-protein complex CID: 129661094 (07) and 129664277 (08) formed stable interactions with the target protein. It was also found that CID: 129661094 (07) has greater hydrogen bond occupancy and stability, while the ligand-protein complex CID 129664277 (08) has greater conformational flexibility. Principal component analysis revealed that the ligand-protein complex CID: 129661094 (07) is more compact and stable. Hydrogen bond analysis revealed favourable interactions with the reported amino acid residues. Overall, this study suggests that daidzein derivatives in particular show promise as potential inhibitors of H. pylori.

In Silico Evaluation of the Binding Energies of Androgen Receptor Agonists in Wild-Type and Mutational Models.

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are substances with androgenic and anabolic characteristics. Among the many side effects of hormone therapy with AAS, the following stand out: heart problems, adrenal gland disorders, aggressive behavior, increased risk of prostate cancer, problems related to lack of libido and impotence. Such substances vary in the relationship between androgenic activity, and the activation of the androgen receptor (AR) is of fundamental importance for the singularity of the action of each AAS. In this sense, our study evaluates the aspects that comprise the interactions of testosterone agonists (TES), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in complex with the AR. In addition, we also evaluated the impact of ligand-receptor affinity differences in a mutation model. We apply computational techniques based on density functional theory (DFT) and use, as methodology, Molecular Fractionation with Conjugate Caps (MFCC). The energetic specificities present in the interaction between the analyzed complexes attest that the highest affinity with the AR receptor is found for AR-THG, followed by AR-DHT, AR-TES and AR-T877A-DHT, respectively. Our results also show the differences and equivalences between the different agonists, in addition to evaluating the difference between the DHT ligand in complex with the wild-type and mutant receptor, presenting the main amino acid residues that involve the interaction with the ligands. The computational methodology used proves to be an operative and sophisticated choice to help in the search for pharmacological agents for various therapies that have androgen as a target.

Computational vaccinology guided design of multi-epitope subunit vaccine against a neglected arbovirus of the Americas.

Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an arbovirus found in the Americas that can cause debilitating arthritogenic disease. Although it is an emerging virus, the only current approach is vector control, as there are no approved vaccines to prevent MAYV infection nor therapeutics to treat it. In search of an effective vaccine candidate against MAYV, we used immunoinformatics and molecular modeling to attempt to identify promiscuous T-cell epitopes of the nonstructural polyproteins (nsP1, nsP2, nsP3, and nsP4) from 127 MAYV genomes sequenced in the Americas (08 Bolivia, 72 Brazil, 04 French Guiana, 05 Haiti, 20 Peru, 04 Trinidad and Tobago, and 14 Venezuela). For this purpose, consensus sequences of 360 proteins were used to identify short protein sequences that can bind to MHC I class (MHC II). Our analysis revealed 56 potential MHC-I/TCD8+ (29 MHC-II/TCD4+) epitopes, but only 6 (16) TCD8+ (TCD4+) epitopes showed high antigenicity and conservation, non-allergenicity, non-toxicity, and excellent population coverage. Finally, classical and quantum mechanical calculations (QM:MM) were used to improve the quality of the docking calculations, with the QM part of the simulations performed using the density functional theory formalism (DFT). These results provide insights for the advancement of diagnostic platforms, vaccine development, and immunotherapeutic interventions.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Avanços sobre o Zika vírus pós-pandemia: uma revisão de literatura / Advances on the post-pandemic Zika virus: a literature review

Introdução: A infecção emergente pelo Zika vírus (ZIKV) tornou-se uma ameaça à saúde global devido à associação com anormalidades neurológicas graves: a síndrome de Guillain-Barré (SGB) em adultos e a síndrome congênita do Zika vírus (SCZ) em neonatos. O presente trabalho tem como intuito descrever os avanços sobre esta infecção relacionados aos aspectos epidemiológicos, clínicos, diagnóstico, prevenção e tratamento. Revisão da Literatura: Realizou-se uma revisão literária por meio de buscas bibliográficas nas bases de dados online LILACS, MEDLINE, Scopus e Web of Science, utilizando os descritores "Zika Virus", "Guillain-Barre Syndrome", "Zika Virus Infection", "Microcephaly", e "Congenital abnormalities", enfatizando os estudos realizados após o surto 2015- 2016 no Brasil. Discussão: O ZIKV já circulava no Brasil em 2013, um ano antes do que foi sugerido durante o surto. O teste molecular RT-PCR é o primeiro procedimento para a confirmação da doença, seguido pelo ensaio sorológico MACELISA. Embora a SCZ apresente achados neurológicos não patognomônicos nos fetos, exames radiológicos revelaram anormalidades mais comumente encontradas, destacando a microcefalia com padrão singular de "gaveta". Até o momento, não existem tratamentos antivirais e as vacinas não demonstram ser uma alternativa conveniente. Os alvos candidatos para o desenvolvimento destes medicamentos são as proteínas flavivirais NS1 e NS5, e a protease NS2B-NS3. Conclusão: Estes aspectos discutidos apontam a necessidade da criação de medicamentos antivirais e contribuem para o desenvolvimento de protocolos eficientes tanto no combate a novos surtos, como ao diagnóstico voltado a detecção do ZIKV e achados neurológicos da SCZ, possibilitando um tratamento mais eficaz ao paciente.

Introduction: The emerging Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has become a threat to global health due to the association with severe neurological abnormalities, being Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in adults, and the congenital Zika virus syndrome (SCZ) in neonates. The present work aims to describe the advances in this infection, which refer to epidemiological, clinical, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment aspects. Literature Review: A literary review was carried out through bibliographic searches in the online databases LILACS, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science, using the descriptors "Zika Virus", "Guillain-Barre Syndrome", "Zika Virus Infection", "Microcephaly", and "Congenital abnormalities", emphasizing the studies carried out after the outbreak in Brazil (2015-2016). Discussion: The ZIKV was already circulating in Brazil in 2013, one year before what was suggested during the outbreak. The first procedure for confirming the disease is through the RT-PCR molecular test, followed by the MAC-ELISA serological test. Although SCZ presents non-pathognomonic neurological findings, radiological exams revealed abnormalities most found in fetuses with the syndrome, highlighting microcephaly due to the unique "drawer" pattern. There is no antiviral treatment, and vaccines have not proved to be a convenient alternative. Candidate targets for the development of these drugs are the flaviviral proteins NS1 and NS5, and the protease NS2B-NS3. Conclusion: These aspects discussed point to the need for the creation of antiviral drugs and contribute to the development of efficient protocols both to combat new outbreaks, as well as to the diagnosis aimed at the detection of ZIKV and neurological findings of SCZ, enabling a more effective treatment for the patient.

Study of comparative proteome between normal and inverted karyotypes of human mesenchymal stem cells

Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells have been expanded in vitro for cellular therapy in numerous clinical settings without standardized culture conditions or quality-control schemes. The in vitro expansion is necessary to obtain sufficient cells for clinical applications. However, the expansion may induce genetic and functional abnormalities which may affect the safety and functionality of MSC, especially the chromosomal stability. This study aimed to investigate the protein profile of umbilical cord-derived MSC with normal and inverted karyotypes after expansion in the laboratory. Mass spectrometry analysis was performed and the Bradford method, Scaffold software, String and Cytoscape databases were employed to measure and characterize the protein content of umbilical cord-derived MSC. Networks of protein interactions, hub and bottleneck proteins were identified by proteomics and systems biology approaches. We found that proteins related to cellular stress were super expressed in inverted karyotype cells. Moreover, a high expression of Serpine 1, RHOA, and CTSB was found in these cells, which are proteins related to cancer. The albumin and ubiquitin proteins have been associated with a positive prognosis in cancer and cellular stress, and were up- and down-regulated in normal karyotype cells, respectively. The results suggests that the paracentric inversion inv(3)(p25p13) induced some type of cellular stress and genetic instability in human mesenchymal stem cells. These analyses showed the importance of carrying out studies related to the genetic instability of human mesenchymal stem cells using the protein expression profile as a parameter.