Design, molecular modelling and synthesis of novel benzothiazole derivatives as BCL-2 inhibitors.

Apoptosis plays a crucial role in cancer pathogenesis and drug resistance. BCL-2 family of enzymes is considered as one of the key enzymes which is involved in apoptosis. When there is disruption in the balance between anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic members of the BCL-2 family apoptosis is dysregulated in the affected cells. Herein, 33 novel benzothiazole-based molecules 7a-i, 8a-f, 9a-b, 12a-e, 13a-d, 14a,b, and 17a-j were designed, synthesized and tested for their BCL-2 inhibitory activity. Scaffold hopping strategy was applied in designing of the target compounds. Compounds 13c and 13d showed the highest activity with IC50 values equal to 0.471 and 0.363 µM, respectively. Molecular docking studies of the synthesized compounds showed comparable binding interactions with the lead compound. Structure activity relationship study was performed to show the effects of structural modifications on the inhibitory activities on BCL-2.

Isatin-pyrimidine hybrid derivatives as enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase (InhA) inhibitors against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis is a worldwide problem that impose a burden on the economy due to continuous development of resistant strains. The development of new antitubercular drugs is a need and can be achieved through inhibition of druggable targets. Mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase (InhA) is an important enzyme for Mycobacterium tuberculosis survival. In this study, we report the synthesis of isatin derivatives that could treat TB through inhibition of this enzyme. Compound 4l showed IC50 value (0.6 ± 0.94 µM) similar to isoniazid but is also effective against MDR and XDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains (MIC of 0.48 and 3.9 µg/mL, respectively). Molecular docking studies suggest that this compound binds through the use of relatively unexplored hydrophobic pocket in the active site. Molecular dynamics was used to investigate and support the stability of 4l complex with the target enzyme. This study paves the way for the design and synthesis of novel antitubercular drugs.

Pyrazole-sulfonamide scaffold featuring dual-tail strategy as apoptosis inducers in colon cancer.

Dual-tail strategy has been successfully utilized in the development of novel carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) inhibitors. Herein we adopted this approach in the design and synthesis of a series of novel pyridine sulfonamide-pyrazole hybrid scaffold mimicking dual-tail inhibitors of CA IX. A library of 15 compounds was synthesized and assessed for their potential cytotoxic effects against colorectal cancer cells. Compounds 3, and 11 induced potential cytotoxic effects against the three cancer cell lines (HCT-116, HT-29, and SW-620) with IC50s' of 45.88, 28.27, and 16.57 uM, 25.01, 8.99, and 3.27 µM, respectively. Both compounds induced cellular apoptosis on HCT-116 and SW-620 cells, while compound 3 induced necrosis as well. In addition, both compounds induced cell cycle arrest on G0/G1, and S phases. Also, compound 11 showed potential autophagy induction on both colon cancer cell lines (HCT-116, and HT-29), and a little bit on metastatic type. Both compounds were less cytotoxic than the reference drug on normal epithelial cell. The migration rates of HCT-116 and the metastatic one SW-620 were reduced by both compounds. Finally, molecular docking of compounds 3 and 11 into the active site of CA IX confirmed in vitro inhibitory activity for both compounds.

The effects of a self-learning package on mothers' knowledge and practices towards caring for their children with phenylketonuria.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a self-learning package on mothers' knowledge and practices towards caring for their children with phenylketonuria. A pre/post quasi-experimental study was conducted, including 128 mothers of children diagnosed with phenylketonuria. A specifically designed and validated questionnaire was used to evaluate mothers' knowledge and reported practices toward their children before and after participating in the educational program. There was a highly positive association between knowledge and reported practice (.674 and .398). The self-learning package had a positive impact on mothers' knowledge and practices. Consequently, educational programs should be provided to all mothers of newly diagnosed cases to improve their children's adherence to the therapeutic regimen.

Challenging breast cancer through novel sulfonamide-pyridine hybrids: design, synthesis, carbonic anhydrase IX inhibition and induction of apoptosis.

Background: Among the important key modulators of the tumor microenvironment and hypoxia is a family of enzymes named carbonic anhydrases. Herein, 11 novel sulfonamide-pyridine hybrids (2-12) were designed, synthesized and biologically evaluated for their potential use in targeting breast cancer. Methods & results: The para chloro derivative 7 reported the highest cytotoxic activity against the three breast cancer cell lines used. In addition, compound 7 was found to induce cell cycle arrest and autophagy as well as delaying wound healing. The IC50 of compound 7 against carbonic anhydrase IX was 253 ± 12 nM using dorzolamide HCl as control. Conclusion: This study encourages us to expand the designed library, where more sulfonamide derivatives would be synthesized and studied for their structure-activity relationships.

Enaminone-based carboxylic acids as novel non-classical carbonic anhydrases inhibitors: design, synthesis and in vitro biological assessment.

In searching for new molecular drug targets, Carbonic Anhydrases (CAs) have emerged as valuable targets in diverse diseases. CAs play critical functions in maintaining pH and CO2 homeostasis, metabolic pathways, and much more. So, it is becoming attractive for medicinal chemists to design novel inhibitors for this class of enzymes with improved potency and selectivity towards the different isoforms. In the present study, three sets of carboxylic acid derivatives 5a-q, 7a-b and 12a-c were designed, developed and evaluated for the hCA inhibitory effects against hCA I, II, IX and XII. Compounds 5l, 5m, and 5q elicited the highest inhibitory activities against hCA II, IX and XII. In summary, structural rigidification, regioisomerism and structural extension, all played obvious roles in the degree of hCA inhibition. This present work could be a good starting point for the design of more non-classical selective hCA inhibitors as potential targets for several diseases.

Induction of apoptosis, cytotoxicity and radiosensitization by novel 3,4-dihydroquinazolinone derivatives.

Twenty new quinazolinone derivatives bearing a piperonyl moiety were designed and synthesized. The structures of the target compounds were in agreement with the microanalytical and spectral data. Compounds 4-10, 13, 14 and 17-27 were screened for their cytotoxic activity against HepG-2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. The target compounds showed IC50 in the range of 2.46-36.85 µM and 3.87-88.93 µM for HepG-2 and MCF-7, respectively. The promising compounds 7, 19, 26 and 27 were selected to measure their EGFR inhibitory activity. The IC50 values of the promising compounds were in the range of 146.9-1032.7 nM for EGFR in reference to Erlotinib (IC50 = 96.6 nM). In further studies on compounds 7, 19, 26 and 27 using HepG-2 cell line, there was significant overexpression of p21 and downregulation of two members of IAPs protein family; Survivin and XIAP, relative to their controls. Annexin V-FITC and caspase-3 analyses have established a significant increase in early apoptosis. Moreover, the four selected compounds have impaired cell proliferation by cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase compared to their respective control. Considering radiotherapy as the primary treatment for many types of solid tumors, the radiosensitizing abilities of compounds 7, 19, 26 and 27 were measured against HepG-2 and MCF-7 cell lines combined with a single dose of 8 Gy gamma radiation. Measurement of the IC50 of the promising compounds after irradiation revealed their ability to sensitize the cells to the lethal effect of gamma irradiation (IC50 = 1.56-4.32 µM and 3.06-5.93 µM for HepG-2 and MCF-7 cells, respectively). Molecular docking was performed to gain insights into the ligand-binding interactions of 7, 19, 26 and 27 inside the EGFR binding sites and revealed their essential interactions, explaining their good activity towards EGFR.

Genetically encoded multivalent liquid glycan array displayed on M13 bacteriophage.

The central dogma of biology does not allow for the study of glycans using DNA sequencing. We report a liquid glycan array (LiGA) platform comprising a library of DNA 'barcoded' M13 virions that display 30-1,500 copies of glycans per phage. A LiGA is synthesized by acylation of the phage pVIII protein with a dibenzocyclooctyne, followed by ligation of azido-modified glycans. Pulldown of the LiGA with lectins followed by deep sequencing of the barcodes in the bound phage decodes the optimal structure and density of the recognized glycans. The LiGA is target agnostic and can measure the glycan-binding profile of lectins, such as CD22, on cells in vitro and immune cells in a live mouse. From a mixture of multivalent glycan probes, LiGAs identify the glycoconjugates with optimal avidity necessary for binding to lectins on living cells in vitro and in vivo.

Bioactivity Potential of Marine Natural Products from Scleractinia-Associated Microbes and In Silico Anti-SARS-COV-2 Evaluation.

Marine organisms and their associated microbes are rich in diverse chemical leads. With the development of marine biotechnology, a considerable number of research activities are focused on marine bacteria and fungi-derived bioactive compounds. Marine bacteria and fungi are ranked on the top of the hierarchy of all organisms, as they are responsible for producing a wide range of bioactive secondary metabolites with possible pharmaceutical applications. Thus, they have the potential to provide future drugs against challenging diseases, such as cancer, a range of viral diseases, malaria, and inflammation. This review aims at describing the literature on secondary metabolites that have been obtained from Scleractinian-associated organisms including bacteria, fungi, and zooxanthellae, with full coverage of the period from 1982 to 2020, as well as illustrating their biological activities and structure activity relationship (SAR). Moreover, all these compounds were filtered based on ADME analysis to determine their physicochemical properties, and 15 compounds were selected. The selected compounds were virtually investigated for potential inhibition for SARS-CoV-2 targets using molecular docking studies. Promising potential results against SARS-CoV-2 RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and methyltransferase (nsp16) are presented.

Impact of maternal HBsAg carrier status on pregnancy outcomes in Duhok city, Iraq

Objective:To investigate the relationship between hepatitis B virus (HBV) positivity and pregnancy outcomes.Also,the association between HBV-related risk factors and HBV status was studied.Methods:A total of 100 HBV positive pregnant women were recruited and the pregnancy outcomes were compared with 301 HBV negative women.Blood samples were collected and tested for HBV by HBsAg ELISA.Data were collected for recruited subjects using interview questionnaire.Results:Data analysis showed that 51/100 (51％) of the HBV-positive subjects gave a history of HBV in the family which was significantly higher than that of HBV-negative patients [41/301 (13.6％) P =0.001].A significant association was found between positive history of surgery and HBsAg positivity (P =0.009).Then,pregnancy outcomes were stratified according to the HBV positivity.No significant association was found between HBV status and pregnancy outcomes (P ＞ 0.05 for all).Conclusions:Positive family history of HBV and previous surgical procedures are associated with higher rate of HBV positivity.No association is found between HBV positivity and pregnancy outcomes.

Analysis and effect of water sources used as diluents on Newcastle disease vaccine efficacy in chickens in the Sudan.

Samples of artesian well, shallow well, surface water, tap water, and bottled water were collected from different areas in Khartoum; these were chemically analyzed and used as diluents to vaccinate chicks against Newcastle disease. Immune response in vaccinated chicks, as measured by the hemagglutination inhibition test, was significantly better in birds which received the vaccine diluted in bottled water followed by those vaccinated using tap water. It appears that water with low turbidity and total dissolved solids were the best water for vaccine dilution. The order of preference of water source, according to this study was bottled water, tap water, shallow well water, artesian well water, and finally surface water.

Molecular modeling study and synthesis of novel pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines and pyrrolotriazolopyrimidines of expected antitumor and radioprotective activities.

Novel pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives 4a-e, 10, 14, 15, pyrazolopyrrolopyrimidine 13, pyrrolotriazolopyrimidine 5-9, 17 and pyrrolopyrimidotriazine 18 are reported herein. The design of these compounds was based upon the molecular modeling simulation of the fitting values and conformational energy values of the best-fitted conformers to VEGFRTK inhibitor hypothesis. This hypothesis was generated from its corresponding lead compounds using CATALYST software. The structures of these compounds were confirmed by microanalyses, IR, (1)H NMR, and mass spectral data. Compounds 6 and 15 showed interesting in vitro antitumor activity compared to doxorubicin as positive control. These results are nearly consistent with the molecular modeling studies. Docking studies were made on compound 15 to predict its binding mode. Moreover, compound 10 exhibited a significant radioprotective activity.