Investigation of the binding free energies of FDA approved drugs against subtype B and C-SA HIV PR: ONIOM approach.

Human immune virus subtype C is the most widely spread HIV subtype in Sub-Sahara Africa and South Africa. A profound structural insight on finding potential lead compounds is therefore necessary for drug discovery. The focus of this study is to rationalize the nine Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) HIV antiviral drugs complexed to subtype B and C-SA PR using ONIOM approach. To achieve this, an integrated two-layered ONIOM model was used to optimize the geometrics of the FDA approved HIV-1 PR inhibitors for subtype B. In our hybrid ONIOM model, the HIV-1 PR inhibitors as well as the ASP 25/25' catalytic active residues were treated at high level quantum mechanics (QM) theory using B3LYP/6-31G(d), and the remaining HIV PR residues were considered using the AMBER force field. The experimental binding energies of the PR inhibitors were compared to the ONIOM calculated results. The theoretical binding free energies (?Gbind) for subtype B follow a similar trend to the experimental results, with one exemption. The computational model was less suitable for C-SA PR. Analysis of the results provided valuable information about the shortcomings of this approach. Future studies will focus on the improvement of the computational model by considering explicit water molecules in the active pocket. We believe that this approach has the potential to provide much improved binding energies for complex enzyme drug interactions.

In vitro evaluation of metal chelators as potential metallo- ß -lactamase inhibitors.

AIMS: This study aimed at investigating the use of metal chelators as potential metallo-ß-lactamase inhibitors (MBL). METHODS AND RESULTS: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of meropenem was ascertained alone and in combination with various concentrations of macrocyclic (1,4,7- triazacyclononane-1-glutaric acid-4,7-diacetic acid = NODAGA) peptide derivatives and acyclic (N,N,N',N'-Tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine = TPEN and di-(2-picolyl)amine = DPA) metal chelators using the broth microdilution method. MICs of meropenem against carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) producing MBLs were decreased to concentrations as low as 0·06 mg l(-1) in the presence of some metal chelators. TPEN at 4 and 8 mg l(-1) showed the best activity by decreasing meropenem MICs to 0·5 and 0·06 mg l(-1) , respectively, for some New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) and Verona integron-encoded metallo-ß-lactamase (VIM) -producing enterobacteriaceae. DPA at 8 and 16 mg l(-1) was also able to decrease meropenem MICs to 1 and 0·125 mg l(-1) , respectively, for these CREs. NODAGA peptide derivatives showed the least inhibition as 32 mg l(-1) was required for meropenem MICs to be decreased to 0·06 mg l(-1) against an NDM-1 producing isolate. CONCLUSION: The various metal chelators, TPEN, DPA and NODAGA peptide derivatives were able to inhibit the MBLs in decreasing order of activity, rendering CREs susceptible to meropenem. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: In the absence of new antibiotics, this study evaluated metal chelators as potential MBL inhibitors.

Structure elucidation of 11-amino-8-hydroxypentacyclo[5.4.0.0(2, 6).0(3, 10).0(5, 9)]undecane-8,11-lactam through selective acetylation and complete 1H and 13C NMR spectral assignment of the mono-, di- and triacetates.

NMR techniques cannot unambiguously distinguish between 11-amino-8-hydroxypentacyclo[5.4.0.0(2, 6).0(3, 10).0(5, 9)]undecane-8,11-lactam and 8-amino-11-hydroxypentacyclo[5.4.0.0(2, 6).0(3, 10).0(5, 9)]undecane-8,11-lactam, both of which are possible products during the reaction of pentacyclo[5.4.0.0(2, 6).0(3, 10).0(5, 9)]undecane-8,11-dione with Strecker reagents. Treatment of 11-amino-8-hydroxy-pentacyclo[5.4.0.0(2, 6).0(3, 10).0(5, 9)]undecane-8,11-lactam with acetic anhydride at room temperature produced a monoacetate. With acetic anhydride containing sodium acetate, a triacetate was obtained at reflux temperature. Treatment with acetyl chloride and N,N-dimethylaniline produced a diacetate. High-field 1H and 13C NMR techniques were used in the structure elucidation and assignment of the different NMR resonances of these three acetylated compounds.