RESUMO
The main aim of our study is to investigate the anticancer potential of our cultivated entophytic fungal strains from Nigella sativa seeds. The strains were identified by sequencing of the partial 18S rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region as Aspergillus sp. (SA4), Penicillium sp. (SA5), and Fusarium sp. (SA6). We carried out metabolic profiling for three fungal strains to investigate their metabolites diversity. Profiling of the different extracts revealed their richness in diverse metabolites and consequently fourteen compounds (1-14) were annotated. In addition, the obtained extracts were examined against three cell lines HepG2, MCF-7 and Caco-2 showed activity with IC50 values in the range of 1.95-39.7 µg/mL. Finally, molecular docking study was performed showing questinol as the lowest glide binding score value (-5.925 kcal/mol) among all identified compounds. Our results showed Nigella sativa-associated endophytes as a promising source for further studies to look for anticancer secondary metabolites.
RESUMO
The acute respiratory syndrome caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) caused severe panic all over the world. The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has already brought massive human suffering and major economic disruption and unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19 so far. Herbal medicines and purified natural products can provide a rich resource for novel antiviral drugs. Therefore, in this review, we focused on the sterols and triterpenes as potential candidates derived from natural sources with well-reported in vitro efficacy against numerous types of viruses. Moreover, we compiled from these reviewed compounds a library of 162 sterols and triterpenes that was subjected to a computer-aided virtual screening against the active sites of the recently reported SARS-CoV-2 protein targets. Interestingly, the results suggested some compounds as potential drug candidates for the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics.
