Network pharmacology-based analysis of Jin-Si-Wei on the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Jin-Si-Wei (JSW), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, have cognitive enhancing effect and delay the memory decline in an animal model of AD， which has been reported. However, the therapeutic mechanism of JSW in the treatment of AD remains unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to verify the pharmacodynamics of JSW in the treatment of AD, and to explore its potential mechanism based on network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental validation both in vitro and in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the underlying mechanism of JSW against AD was investigated by the integration of network pharmacology. Then, the core pathways and biological process of JSW were verified by experiment, including behavioral test and pathological and biochemical assays with 6-month-old APPswe/PS1ΔE9 transgenic (APP/PS1) mice in vivo and verified with Aß1-42-stimulated SH-SY5Y cells in vitro. At last, molecular docking was used to show the binding activity of each active ingredient to the core genes of JSW treatment in AD. RESULTS: A Drug-Ingredient-Target network was established, which included 363 ingredients and 116 targets related to the JSW treatment of AD. The main metabolic pathway of JSW treatment for AD is neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway, and biological processes are mainly involved in Aß metabolic process. In vivo experiments, compared with APP/PS1 mice, the cognitive and memory ability of mice was significantly improved after JSW administration. In brain tissue of APP/PS1 mice, JSW could increase the contents of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP-1), enkephalinase (NEP) and Acetyl choline (ACh), and decrease the contents of Aß1-42, amyloid precursor protein (APP) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), decrease the vitality of cholinesterase (AChE) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). Besides, JSW could increase α-secretase expression and decrease ß/γ-secretase expression, and improve the number and morphology of synapses in CA1 region of the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice. In vitro experiments, Drug-Containing Serum (JSW-serum) has a neuroprotective effect by reducing the apoptosis on Aß1-42-stimulated SH-SY5Y cells. Molecular docking results showed that 2-Isopropyl-8-methylphenanthrene-3,4-dione had strong binding activity with PTGS2, which maybe a potential ingredient for the treatment of AD. CONCLUSIONS: JSW improves AD in APP/PS1 mice, and this therapeutic effect may be achieved in part by altering the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway.

Structure-based virtual screening for discovery of paederosidic acid from Paederia scandens as novel P2Y14R antagonist.

BACKGROUND: The activation of P2Y14 receptor (P2Y14R) promotes osteoclast formation and causes neuropathic pain, exhibiting possible link to osteoarthritis (OA). Given lack of P2Y14R antagonist, the present study aims to search a novel P2Y14R antagonist with low toxicity and high activity from natural products as a possible drug candidate in treatment of OA. METHODS: The role of P2Y14R on OA was verified using P2Y14R knockout (KO) rats. Molecular docking virtual screening strategy and activity test in P2Y14R stably-expressed HEK293 cells were used to screen target compound from natural product library. The MM/GBSA free energy calculation/decomposition technique was used to determine the principal interaction mechanism. Next, the binding of target compound to P2Y14R was examined using cellular thermal shift assay and drug affinity responsive target stability test. Finally, the therapeutic effect of target compound was performed in monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA mouse model. To verify whether the effect of target compound was attributed to P2Y14R, we establish the osteoarthritis model in P2Y14R KO mice to perform pharmacodynamic evaluation. Importantly, to investigate the potential mechanism by which target compound attenuate OA, expressions of the major transcription factors involved in osteoclast differentiation were detected by western blot, while markers of nerve damage in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) were evaluated by RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence techniques. RESULTS: Deficiency of P2Y14R alleviated pain behavior and cartilage destruction in MIA-induced OA rats. 14 natural compounds were screened by Glide docking-based virtual screening, among which paederosidic acid exhibited the highest antagonistic activity to P2Y14R with IC50 of 8.287 µM. As a bioactive component extracted from Paederia scandens, paederosidic acid directly interacted with P2Y14R to enhance the thermostability and decrease the protease sensitivity of target protein, which significantly inhibited receptor activator for nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)-mediated osteoclastogenesis. More importantly, paederosidic acid suppressed osteoclast formation by downregulating expressions of NFAT2 and ATP6V0D2, as well as relieved neuropathic pain by decreasing expressions of CGRP, CSF1 and galanin in DRG. CONCLUSIONS: Paederosidic acid targeted P2Y14R to improve OA through alleviating osteoclast formation and neuropathic pain, which provided an available strategy for developing novel drug leads for treatment of OA.

Development of benzoxazole deoxybenzoin oxime and acyloxylamine derivatives targeting innate immune sensors and xanthine oxidase for treatment of gout.

Both the inhibition of inflammatory flares and the treatment of hyperuricemia itself are included in the management of gout. Extending our efforts to development of gout therapy, two series of benzoxazole deoxybenzoin oxime derivatives as inhibitors of innate immune sensors and xanthine oxidase (XOD) were discovered in improving hyperuricemia and acute gouty arthritis. In vitro studies revealed that most compounds not only suppressed XOD activity, but blocked activations of NOD-like receptor (NLRP3) inflammasome and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway. More importantly, (E)-1-(6-methoxybenzo[d]oxazol-2-yl)-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanone oxime (5d) exhibited anti-hyperuricemic and anti-acute gouty arthritis activities through regulating XOD, NLRP3 and TLR4. Compound 5d may serve as a tool compound for further design of anti-gout drugs targeting both innate immune sensors and XOD.

Discovery of novel curcumin derivatives targeting xanthine oxidase and urate transporter 1 as anti-hyperuricemic agents.

A series of curcumin derivatives as potent dual inhibitors of xanthine oxidase (XOD) and urate transporter 1 (URAT1) was discovered as anti-hyperuricemic agents. These compounds proved efficient effects on anti-hyperuricemic activity and uricosuric activity in vivo. More importantly, some of them exhibited proved efficient effects on inhibiting XOD activity and suppressing uptake of uric acid via URAT1 in vitro. Especially, the treatment of 4d was demonstrated to improve uric acid over-production and under-excretion in oxonate-induced hyperuricemic mice through regulating XOD activity and URAT1 expression. Docking study was performed to elucidate the potent XOD inhibition of 4d. Compound 4d may serve as a tool compound for further design of anti-hyperuricemic drugs targeting both XOD and URAT1.

Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate ameliorates ischemia-induced myocardial inflammation and lipid accumulation in Beagle dogs through NLRP3 inflammasome.

BACKGROUND: The activation of NOD-like receptor (NLR) family, pyrin-domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome has now been proven to have a close connection with myocardial ischemia (MI) during acute phase, but the mechanisms are not completely clear. This study investigated the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in pathogenesis of MI injury including inflammation and lipid accumulation, as well as the effects of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) and diltiazem hydrochloride (DI). METHODS: Occlusion of left anterior descending (LAD) in canines was employed to induce MI. STS and DI were given intravenously 15 min after LAD occlusion. Cardiac function, inflammation and lipid levels, as well as related signaling pathways were determined. RESULTS: MI induced in Beagle dog was characterized by elevated ST-segment and increased CK-MB level in serum. Cardiac NLRP3 inflammasome was activated with elevated myocardial IL-1ß and IL-18 concentrations mediated by ROS over-production and TXNIP over-expression in MI dogs. Additionally, pro-inflammatory cytokines induced impairment of cardiac JAK2-STAT3 inflammatory pathway and insulin signaling pathway in this model, resulting in down-regulation of cardiac PPAR-α expression, subsequently causing lipid metabolism disorders characterized by elevation of myocardial lipid concentrations. These abnormalities were attenuated by the treatment of STS and DI. CONCLUSIONS: These data firstly demonstrated that cardiac NLRP3 inflammasome activation driven by cardiac ROS over-production and TXNIP up-expression resulted in impairment of the JAK2-STAT3 and insulin signaling pathways, leading to disorder of lipid metabolism in myocardial ischemic dogs through PPAR-α over-expression. STS and DI might target cardiac NLRP3 inflammasome in preventing MI injury.

Enamines as novel antibacterials and their structure-activity relationships.

Twenty-six enamines were synthesized to screen for the antimicrobial activity. Out of the compounds, 22 were reported for the first time. Their chemical structures including E/Z-configurations were clearly determined by 1H NMR, ESI mass spectra and elemental analyses, coupled with three selected single-crystal structures. In general, these synthetic compounds were shown to be more effective to inhibit growth of bacteria than fungi. The most active compound, (E)-ethyl 3-(4-hydroxyphenylamino)-2-(4-chlorophenyl)acrylate (1b), showed considerable antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 with MIC of 0.5 microg/mL and against Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 with MIC of 1.5 microg/mL, which was superior to the positive controls penicillin and kanamycin, respectively. Structure-activity relationship analysis revealed: as for A-ring, the compounds substituted at 3,5-positions were more active than 2,4-position-substituted derivatives, and halo-substituted analogs at 2-position had essentially same activities as the 4-position-substituted derivatives. Increase of steric hindrance around the nitrogen atom led to an inactive compound.