In Vitro Bioaccessibility Assessment of Phenolic Compounds from Encapsulated Grape Pomace Extract by Ionic Gelation.

Grape pomace is a by-product of winemaking characterized by a rich chemical composition from which phenolics stand out. Phenolics are health-promoting agents, and their beneficial effects depend on their bioaccessibility, which is influenced by gastrointestinal digestion. The effect of encapsulating phenol-rich grape pomace extract (PRE) with sodium alginate (SA), a mixture of SA with gelatin (SA-GEL), and SA with chitosan (SA-CHIT) on the bioaccessibility index (BI) of phenolics during simulated digestion in vitro was studied. A total of 27 individual phenolic compounds (IPCs) were quantified by UHPLC. The addition of a second coating to SA improved the encapsulation efficiency (EE), and the highest EE was obtained for SA-CHIT microbeads (56.25%). Encapsulation affected the physicochemical properties (size, shape and texture, morphology, crystallinity) of the produced microbeads, which influenced the delivery of phenolics to the intestine and their BI. Thus, SA-GEL microbeads had the largest size parameters, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the highest BI for total phenolic compounds and IPCs (gallic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid and o-coumaric acid, epicatechin, and gallocatechin gallate) ranged from 96.20 to 1011.3%. The results suggest that encapsulated PRE has great potential to be used as a functional ingredient in products for oral administration.

Mechanistic Insights of Polyphenolic Compounds from Rosemary Bound to Their Protein Targets Obtained by Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Free-Energy Calculations.

Rosemary represents an important medicinal plant that has been attributed with various health-promoting properties, especially antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic activities. Carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmanol, as well as the phenolic acid ester rosmarinic acid, are the main compounds responsible for these actions. In our earlier research, we carried out an inverse molecular docking at the proteome scale to determine possible protein targets of the mentioned compounds. Here, we subjected the previously identified ligand-protein complexes with HIV-1 protease, K-RAS, and factor X to molecular dynamics simulations coupled with free-energy calculations. We observed that carnosic acid and rosmanol act as viable binders of the HIV-1 protease. In addition, carnosol represents a potential binder of the oncogene protein K-RAS. On the other hand, rosmarinic acid was characterized as a weak binder of factor X. We also emphasized the importance of water-mediated hydrogen-bond networks in stabilizing the binding conformation of the studied polyphenols, as well as in mechanistically explaining their promiscuous nature.

Biological Evaluation of 8-Hydroxyquinolines as Multi-Target Directed Ligands for Treating Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggests that multi-target directed ligands have great potential for the treatment of complex diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate novel chimeric 8-hydroxyquinoline ligands with merged pharmacophores as potential multifunctional ligands for AD. METHODS: Nitroxoline, PBT2 and compounds 2-4 were evaluated in-vitro for their inhibitory potencies on cathepsin B, cholinesterases, and monoamine oxidases. Furthermore, chelation, antioxidative properties and the permeability of Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) were evaluated by spectroscopy-based assays and the inhibition of Amyloid ß (Aß) aggregation was determined in immunoassay. Cell-based assays were performed to determine cytotoxicity, neuroprotection against toxic Aß species, and the effects of compound 2 on apoptotic cascade. RESULTS: Compounds 2-4 competitively inhibited cathepsin B ß-secretase activity, chelated metal ions and were weak antioxidants. All of the compounds inhibited Aß aggregation, whereas only compound 2 had a good BBB permeability according to the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay. Tested ligands 2 and 3 were not cytotoxic to SH-SY5Y and HepG2 cells at 10 µM. Compound 2 exerted neuroprotective effects towards Aß toxicity, reduced the activation of caspase-3/7 and diminished the apoptosis of cells treated with Aß1-42. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our data suggest that compound 2 holds a promise to be used as a multifunctional ligand for AD.

Methylation of selenocysteine catalysed by thiopurine S-methyltransferase.

BACKGROUND: Methylation driven by thiopurine S-methylatransferase (TPMT) is crucial for deactivation of cytostatic and immunosuppressant thiopurines. Despite its remarkable integration into clinical practice, the endogenous function of TPMT is unknown. METHODS: To address the role of TPMT in methylation of selenium compounds, we established the research on saturation transfer difference (STD) and 77Se NMR spectroscopy, fluorescence measurements, as well as computational molecular docking simulations. RESULTS: Using STD NMR spectroscopy and fluorescence measurements of tryptophan residues in TPMT, we determined the binding of selenocysteine (Sec) to human recombinant TPMT. By comparing binding characteristics of Sec in the absence and in the presence of methyl donor, we confirmed S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)-induced conformational changes in TPMT. Molecular docking analysis positioned Sec into the active site of TPMT with orientation relevant for methylation reaction. Se-methylselenocysteine (MeSec), produced in the enzymatic reaction, was detected by 77Se NMR spectroscopy. A direct interaction between Sec and SAM in the active site of rTPMT and the formation of both products, MeSec and S-adenosylhomocysteine, was demonstrated using NMR spectroscopy. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence on in vitro methylation of Sec by rTPMT in a SAM-dependant manner. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest novel role of TPMT and demonstrate new insights into enzymatic modifications of the 21st amino acid.

Recent Advances in the Development of Undecaprenyl Pyrophosphate Synthase Inhibitors as Potential Antibacterials.

Expanding antibiotic use in clinical practice and emergence of bacterial resistance are fueling research efforts for the development of novel antibacterials. Underexploited or completely novel mechanistic approaches and biological targets are of especial interest. Undecaprenyl pyrophosphate synthase (UppS) is an essential enzyme in the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall. Although UppS is a validated target, no selective inhibitors occur in materia medica. Nevertheless, several native substrate analogues have been reported and used in enzyme kinetics studies or as pharmacological probes. The majority of small-molecule UppS inhibitors belong to the well-known class of bisphosphonates that are primarily used for treatment of bone resorption disorders. The most potent compound of this class has an IC50 of 0.59 µM. Inherently, the selectivity and suitability of such compounds for antimicrobial drug design can be questioned. Therefore, highthroughput and virtual screenings for non-bisphosphonate inhibitors were performed, and nanomolar inhibitors of UppS were identified, some with antimicrobial activities towards clinically relevant strains. The reported scaffolds belong to tetramic and tetronic acids with IC50 in the 100-nM range, and to dihydropyridines with IC50 down to 40 nM, all with antibacterial activity. Aryl-diketo acids are also potent inhibitors with MRSA antimicrobial activity, with the allosteric inhibitor methylisoxazole-4-carboxamide (IC50, 50 nM) active on several pathogenic Streptococcus pneumoniae strains. Clomiphene is a well-known oestrogen receptor modulator, and it has been reported to inhibit UppS. Although conclusions on the structure activity relationships cannot be drawn from all these data, these compound series represent an important contribution to the field of antibiotics.