4-acetamido-3-nitrobenzoic acid - structural, quantum chemical studies, ADMET and molecular docking studies of SARS-CoV2.

In December 2019, a new type of SARS corona virus emerged from China and caused a globally pandemic corona virus disease (COVID-19). This highly infectious virus has been named as SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee of the Taxonomy of Viruses. It has severely affected a large population and economy worldwide. Globally various scientific communities have been involved in studying this newly emerged virus and is lifecycle. Multiple diverse studies are in progress to design novel therapeutic agents, in which understanding of interactions between the target and drug ligand is a significant key for this challenge. Structures of proteins involved in the life cycle of the virus have been revealed in RCSB PDB by researchers. In this study, we employed molecular docking study of 4-Acetamido-3-nitrobenzoic acid (ANBA) with corona virus proteins (spike protein, spike binding domain with ACE2 receptor and Main protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase). Single crystal X-ray analysis and density functional theory calculations were carried out for ANBA to explore the structural and chemical-reactive parameters. Intermolecular interactions which are involved in the ligand-protein binding process are validated by Hirshfeld surface analysis. To study the behaviour of ANBA in a living organism and to calculate the physicochemical parameters, ADMET analysis was done using SwissADME and Osiris data warrior tools. Further, Toxicity of ANBA was predicted using pkCSM online software. Based on the molecular docking analysis, we introduce here a potent drug molecule that binds to the COVID-19 proteins.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Design, synthesis of pyridine coupled pyrimidinone/pyrimidinthione as anti-MRSA agent: Validation by molecular docking and dynamics simulation.

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of severe hospital and infections acquired by the population and related morbidity and mortality. In this unique situation, there is a need of dynamic strong drug candidates to control MRSA diseases. Thus, the present work focuses on the synthesis and characterization of pyrimidinones and pyrimidinthiones coupled pyridine derivatives as anti-MRSA agent. The synthesized compounds were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques and evaluated against MRSA strain. Among them, 4e and 4 g possessed better antibacterial activity with MIC values of 10 µg and 8 µg respectively. The key determinant of the wide range beta-lactam resistance in MRSA strains is the Penicillin-Binding Protein 2a (PBP2a) but the gene encodes PBP2a which has a low affinity towards ß-lactam antibiotics. Because of this, the present investigation focused on the mechanism of PBP2a protein binding studies by in-silico studies. The synthesized compounds showed very good interactions with PBP2A compared with standard drug Vancomycin, among them compound 4 g showed better interaction with the binding score of -9.8 kcal/mol. Antibacterial activity was validated with molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation. Simulation results revealed that protein-ligand interactions of 4 g compound stably sustained up to 20,000ps.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Synthesis of Biogenic Copper Nanoparticles Embedded in Graphene Oxide-Chitosan Composite and Its Anti-Bacterial and Cytotoxic Activities.

In the current scenario, nanoparticle synthesis has been fascinated by biogenic approaches than the chemical methods. However, reproducibility of the source stands essentially in nanoparticle synthesis. Nanoparticle synthesis by fungi has more advantages such as the potential for bioaccumulation, immunity towards toxicity, relatively easier to handle, simpler in synthesis and downstream processing. In this study, biogenic copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) were embedded within graphene oxide-chitosan (GO-CS) polymer to endure the biocompatibility and toxicological effects on both normal and cancer cells. The characteristics of the copper nanoparticles/graphene oxide-chitosan (CuNPs/GO-CS) nanocomposites was found to be superior to the GO-CS. This is evident from the results obtained from X-ray diffraction technique, UV-visible spectroscopy, atomic force microscope, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, confocal laser scanning microscope and scanning electron microscopy. The synthesized new copper nanoparticles/graphene oxide-chitosan (CuNPs/GO-CS) nanocomposites were studied for their anti-bacterial activity against Escherichia coli MTCC 443 and anti-cancer activity on breast cancer MCF7 cell lines.

Low-dose chemotherapeutic drugs induce reactive oxygen species and initiate apoptosis-mediated genomic instability.

Prolonged cancer cell survival, acquiring drug resistance, and secondary cancer development despite chemotherapy are the major challenges during cancer treatment, whose underlying mechanism still remains elusive. In this study, low-doses of chemotherapeutic drugs (LDCD) - doxorubicin (DOX), etoposide (ETOP), and busulfan (BUS) were used to ascertain the effect of residual concentrations of drugs on breast cancer cells. Our results showed that exposure to LDCD caused significant induction of ROS, early signs of apoptosis and accumulation of cells in S and G2-M phases of the cell cycle in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Under drug-free recovery conditions, a decrease in the number of apoptotic cells and an increase in the number of colonies formed were observed. Analysis of the molecular mechanism showed lower expression of cleaved products of caspase 3, 9, PARP and occurrence of DNA strand breaks in recovered cells compared to LDCD-treated cells, suggesting incomplete cell death activation and survival of cells with genomic damage after therapeutic insult. Thus, LDCD induces defective apoptosis in cancer cells allowing a small population of cells to escape from cell cycle check points and survive with accumulated genetic damage that could eventually result in secondary cancers that warrants further studies for better therapeutic strategies.

Polymer-cobalt(III) complexes: structural analysis of metal chelates on DNA interaction and comparative cytotoxic activity.

A new series of pendant-type polymer-cobalt(III) complexes, [Co(LL)2(BPEI)Cl](2+), (where BPEI = branched polyethyleneimine, LL = dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c](6,7,8,9-tetrahydro)phenazine (dpqc), dipyrido[3,2-d:2',3'-f]quinoxaline (dpq) and imidazo[4,5-f]1,10-phenanthroline (ip)) each with three different degrees of coordination have been synthesized and characterized. Studies to know the mode and strength of interaction between these polymer-metal complexes and calf thymus DNA have been performed by UV-Visible absorption and emission techniques. Among these series, each polymer metal complex having higher binding strength with DNA has been selected to test against human cancer/normal cell lines. On the basis of these spectral studies, it is proposed that our polymer-metal complexes bind with DNA mainly through intercalation along with some electrostatic binding. The order of binding strength for the complexes with ligand, dpqc > dpq > ip. The analysis of the results suggests that polymer-cobalt(III) complexes with higher degree of coordination effectively binds with DNA due to the presence of large number of positively charged cobalt(III) chelates in the polymer chain which cooperatively act to increase the overall binding strength. These polymer-cobalt(III) complexes with hydrophobic ligands around the cobalt(III) metal centre favour the base stacking interactions via intercalation. All the complexes show very good anticancer activities and increasing of binding strength results in higher inhibition value. The polymer-cobalt(III) complex with dpqc ligand possess two fold increased anticancer activity when compared to complexes with other ligands against MCF-7 cells. Besides, the complexes were insensitive towards the growth of normal cells (HEK-293) at the IC50 concentration.

An investigation on the cytotoxicity and caspase-mediated apoptotic effect of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles using Podophyllum hexandrum on human cervical carcinoma cells.

Now-a-days synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) through biological entity is quite interesting to employ AgNPs for various biomedical applications in general and treatment of cancer in particular. This paper presents the green synthesis of AgNPs using leaf extract of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle and optimized with various parameters such as pH, temperature, reaction time, volume of extract and metal ion concentration for synthesis of AgNPs. TEM, XRD and FTIR were adopted for characterization. The synthesized nanoparticles were found to be spherical shaped with average size of 14 nm. Effects of AgNPs were analyzed against human cervical carcinoma cells by MTT Assay, quantification of ROS, RT-PCR and western blotting techniques. The overall result indicates that AgNPs can selectively inhibit the cellular mechanism of HeLa by DNA damage and caspase mediated cell death. This biological procedure for synthesis of AgNPs and selective inhibition of cancerous cells gives an alternative avenue to treat human cancer effectively.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of antioxidant and antigenotoxic potential of Punica granatum leaf extract.

CONTEXT: Several studies have reported the antioxidant activity and potential therapeutic properties of Punica granatum L. (Lythraceae) fruit. Medicinal properties have also been attributed to other parts of P. granatum tree, which are rich in bioactive phytochemicals. OBJECTIVE: To explore the phytochemical characteristics, in vitro and in vivo antioxidant and in vivo antigenotoxic potential of P. granatum leaf extract (PLE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The in vitro antioxidant potential of PLE was assessed by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Inhibition of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the total phenolic content of the samples were also determined. Thirty-six male Swiss albino mice were divided into six groups (six animals each). Group 1 (control) and group 2 mice received vehicle and genotoxin alone, respectively. Groups 3, 4 and 5 were pretreated with PLE (400, 600 and 800 mg/kg body weight, respectively) prior to the administration of genotoxin. Group 6 received highest test dose of PLE. DNA damage in the bone marrow cells, hepatic LPO and antioxidants were recorded. RESULTS: Phytochemical analysis of PLE showed the presence of flavonoids, phenols, phytosterols, tannins and carbohydrates. Aqueous PLE demonstrated free radical scavenging activity, reducing power and inhibition of LPO with the EC50 values of 10.25, 59.88 and 20.05, respectively. A significant protective effect was observed against cyclophosphamide induced DNA damage and inhibition of hepatic LPO with concomitant increase in reduced glutathione (GSH) glutathione S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in mice pretreated with PLE. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: PLE demonstrated a significant antioxidant and antigenotoxic potential and hence can be a potential natural source in health and medicine.

Role of Syzygium cumini seed extract in the chemoprevention of in vivo genomic damage and oxidative stress.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: [corrected] The seeds of Syzygium cumini, Skeels (Jamun) are extensively used in India for treatment of diabetes and other ailments. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this work was to assess the role of Jamun seed extract (JSE) as a chemoprotective agent against in vivo oxidative stress and genomic damage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experiments were carried out to evaluate in vitro protective effects of JSE against hydroxyl radical induced damage in pBR322 DNA, and in vivo genomic damage and oxidative stress in mice which received JSE orally for 5 days before exposure to genotoxic carcinogens urethane (URE) and 7,12-dimethyl benz(a)anthracene (DMBA). RESULTS: Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of JSE showed significant protective effects against hydroxyl radical induced strand breaks in pBR322 DNA. The in vivo experiments with aqueous JSE showed significant protective effects against chromosomal damage induced by the genotoxic carcinogens URE and DMBA. Biochemical assays registered significant inhibition of hepatic lipid peroxidation and increase in GSH level and activity of GST, SOD and CAT. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that JSE can possibly play an important role as a chemopreventive agent against oxidative stress and genomic damage.