Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Metania and Drulia (Metaniidae) Freshwater Sponges from Amazonia.

Sponges from freshwater environments, unlike marine's, are poorly known producers of natural compounds with medicinal purposes. Amazonian sponges produce massive large specimens and are widely spread, taxonomically diverse and their metabolites could represent a new frontier on unusual natural products to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's and Malaria. Species of Metania and Drulia (Metaniidae) genera are major contributors to the fauna of Amazonian freshwater sponges. Methanolic extracts from several species from these genera had their inhibitory activities evaluated in vitro, for parasite Plasmodium falciparum and acetyl and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes (AChE and BChE). All extracts were able to inhibit AChE, although no activity was observed towards BChE. Drulia uruguayensis extract was the most potent, inhibiting AChE with IC50 =1.04 mg/mL. For antiplasmodial activity, all species showed inhibition to P. falciparum, but Metania reticulata being the most efficient with IC50 =2.7 µg/mL. Mass spectrometry analyses evidenced the presence of fatty acids and sterols in active extracts.

Molecular modeling studies on the interactions of 7-methoxytacrine-4-pyridinealdoxime, 4-PA, 2-PAM, and obidoxime with VX-inhibited human acetylcholinesterase: a near attack conformation approach.

7-methoxytacrine-4-pyridinealdoxime (7-MEOTA-4-PA, named hybrid 5C) is a compound formerly synthesized and evaluated in vitro, together with 4-pyridine aldoxime (4-PA) and commercial reactivators of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). This compound was designed with the purpose of being a prophylactic reactivator, capable of interacting with different subdomains of the active site of AChE. To investigate these interactions, theoretical results from docking were first compared with experimental data of hybrid 5C, 4-PA, and two commercial oximes, on the reactivation of human AChE (HssAChE) inhibited by VX. Then, further docking studies, molecular dynamics simulations, and molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area calculations, were carried out to investigate reactivation performances, considering the near attack conformation (NAC) approach, prior to the nucleophilic substitution mechanism. Our results helped to elucidate the interactions of such molecules with the different subdomains of the active site of HssAChE. Additionally, NAC poses of each oxime were suggested for further theoretical studies on the reactivation reaction.

Design of inhibitors of thymidylate kinase from Variola virus as new selective drugs against smallpox: part II.

Acknowledging the importance of studies toward the development of measures against terrorism and bioterrorism, this study aims to contribute to the design of new prototypes of potential drugs against smallpox. Based on a former study, nine synthetic feasible prototypes of selective inhibitors for thymidylate kinase from Variola virus (VarTMPK) were designed and submitted to molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and binding energy calculations. The compounds are simplifications of two more complex scaffolds, with a guanine connected to an amide or alcohol through a spacer containing ether and/or amide groups, formerly suggested as promising for the design of selective inhibitors of VarTMPK. Our study showed that, despite the structural simplifications, the compounds presented effective energy values in interactions with VarTMPK and HssTMPK and that the guanine could be replaced by a simpler imidazole ring linked to a -NH2 group, without compromising the affinity for VarTMPK. It was also observed that a positive charge in the imidazole ring is important for the selectivity toward VarTMPK and that an amide group in the spacer does not contribute to selectivity. Finally, prototype 3 was pointed as the most promising to be synthesized and experimentally evaluated. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

A systems biology approach to antimalarial drug discovery.

INTRODUCTION: In spite of significant efforts to reduce malaria deaths, this disease still kills around 445,000 people every year. Overcoming drug resistance is one of the main goals of current malaria research programs. This is challenging, since the biology of Plasmodium is not fully understood, requiring the development of advanced models for data analysis in the search for new antimalarials. Areas covered: In this review the authors introduce the importance of computational models to address the challenges of drug discovery, presenting examples of pioneering systems biology approaches in the search for new antimalarial drugs and their role in the future of drug research programs. Other related topics are discussed, e.g. regulation of malaria pathogenesis by epigenetics and the importance of new platforms for malaria network. Expert opinion: The use of a systems biology approach in antimalarial drug discovery emerges in a scenario where the most efficient antimalarial chemotherapies are showing resistance in Southeast Asia. New models for a better understanding of Plasmodium cell function have already proved to be powerful tools for uncovering complex mechanisms of resistance, and have great potential to inform the design of novel small molecules with both high antimalarial activity and transmission-blocking potential to improve the control of malaria.

A molecular dynamics study of components of the ginger (Zingiber officinale) extract inside human acetylcholinesterase: implications for Alzheimer disease.

Components of ginger (Zingiber officinale) extracts have been described as potential new drug candidates against Alzheimer disease (AD), able to interact with several molecular targets related to the AD treatment. However, there are very few theoretical studies in the literature on the possible mechanisms of action by which these compounds can work as potential anti-AD drugs. For this reason, we performed here docking, molecular dynamic simulations and mmpbsa calculations on four components of ginger extracts former reported as active inhibitors of human acetylcholinesterase (HssAChE), and compared our results to the known HssAChE inhibitor and commercial drug in use against AD, donepezil (DNP). Our findings points to two among the compounds studied: (E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)hept-4-en-3-on and 1-(3,4-dihydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)-7-(4-hydroxy-3- ethoxyphenyl) heptane-3,5-diyl diacetate, as promising new HssAChE inhibitors that could be as effective as DNP. We also mapped the binding of the studied compounds in the different binding pockets inside HssAChE and established the preferred interactions to be favored in the design of new and more efficient inhibitors.