Ingavirin might be a promising agent to combat Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

The Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2 (SARS--CoV-2) and Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the virus, have changed the world in just half a year. Lack of effective treatment, coupled with etiology of COVID-19, has resulted in more than 500,000 confirmed deaths at the time of writing, and the global economy is at an unseen unprecedented low level with unknown near- and long-term consequences. Ingavirin has been considered a non-toxic broad-spectrum antiviral with a complex mechanism of action. The molecule was originally designed for the prophylaxis and treatment of flu caused by both Influenza A and B viruses and for the treatment of viral causes of acute respiratory illness. The article hypothesized that the efficiency of given 1H-imidazol-4-yl heterocyclic scaffold-containing compound against SARS-CoV-2 might be connected with its ability to interfere with specific heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (A1, for example). These specific cellular RNA-binding proteins showed affinity to Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) nucleocapsid (N) protein, which shared high homology with the N protein of SARS-CoV-2 and the fact was expressed by a sequence identity of 90.52%. Impairing of the interactions between nuclear ribonucleoproteins and nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 might result in the inhibition of a viral replication cycle. Additional immunomodulating properties of ingavirin could be favorable for induction of adaptive immunity of host cells.

Insight into antimicrobial activity of substituted phenylcarbamoyloxypiperazinylpropanols.

3-[4-(Substituted)phenyl-/4-(diphenylmethyl)phenylpiperazin-1-yl]-2-hydroxypropyl-1-[(substituted)phenyl]carbamates and their salts with hydrochloric acid were synthesized, characterized, and tested in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 as reference and quality control strains, against three methicillin-resistant isolates of S. aureus, and three isolates of vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis. All the compounds were evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra/ATCC 25177, M. kansasii DSM 44162, and M. smegmatis ATCC 700084. All of the tested compounds demonstrated very good activity against all the tested strains/isolates comparable with or better than that of clinically used drugs (ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, isoniazid). 1-[{(3-Trifluoromethyl)phenyl}carbamoyloxy-2-hydroxypropyl]-4-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride demonstrated the highest potency against all the tested strains/isolates (MICs ranged from 3.78 to 30.2 µM), and 1-[{(3-trifluoromethyl)phenyl}carbamoyloxy-2-hydroxypropyl]-4-(diphenylmethyl)piperazin-1-ium chloride was the most effective against all the screened mycobacterial strains (MICs ranged from 3.64 to 14.5 µM). All the investigated derivatives had strong antibiofilm activity against S. aureus ATCC 29123 and a synergistic or additive effect with gentamicin against isolates of E. faecalis with both intrinsic and acquired resistance to gentamicin. The screening of the cytotoxicity of the compounds was performed using human monocytic leukemia THP-1 cells. The IC50 values of the most effective compounds ranged from ca. 2.8 to 7.3 µM; thus, it can be stated that the antimicrobial effect is closely connected with their cytotoxicity. These observations disqualify these compounds from further development as antimicrobial agents, but they can be considered potential multi-target drugs with a preferred anticancer effect with good water solubility and additional anti-infectious activity.

(Hetero)Aryloxyaminopropanols with N-Phenylpiperazine Structural Fragment - Review of Cardiovascular Activity.

Aryloxyphenylpiperazinylpropanols are a group of compounds exhibiting a wide range of biological activities, affecting the central nervous system and many cardiovascular mechanisms among them. As cardiovascular agents, aryloxyphenylpiperazinylpropanols work as antihypertensives, antiarrhythmics, cardiotonics or antiaggregants. The mechanism of action is almost always an α1-adrenolytic or combined α1- and ß-adrenolytic effect, but sometimes other mechanisms (e.g., Ca2+ antagonism or phosphodiesterase inhibition) can positively participate. In some cases, compounds with a small modification of the connecting chain also exhibit the desired cardiovascular effects. Several studies dealt with chirality of aryloxyphenylpiperazinylpropanols and determined the differences between the particular activities of racemic and enantiomeric compounds.

Indol-2-Carboxylic Acid Esters Containing N-Phenylpiperazine Moiety - Preparation and Cholinesterase-inhibiting Activity.

BACKGROUND: The indole derivatives and the N-phenylpiperazine fragment represent interesting molecular moieties suitable for the research of new potentially biologically active compounds. This study was undertaken to identify if indol-2-carboxylic acid esters containing N-phenylpiperazine moiety possess acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study dealt with the synthesis of a novel series of analogs of 1H-indole-2- carboxylic acid and 3-methyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid. The structure of the derivatives was represented by the indolylcarbonyloxyaminopropanol skeleton with the attached N-phenylpiperazine or diethylamine moiety, which formed a basic part of the molecule. The final products were synthesized as dihydrochloride salts, fumaric acid salts, and quaternary ammonium salts. The first step of the synthetic pathway led to the preparation of esters of 1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid from the commercially available 1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid. The Fischer indole synthesis was used to synthesize derivatives of 3-methyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Final 18 indolylcarbonyloxyaminopropanols in the form of dihydrochlorides, fumarates, and quaternary ammonium salts were prepared using various optimization ways. The very efficient way for the formation of 3-methyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylate (Fischer indole cyclization product) was the one-pot synthesis of phenylhydrazine with methyl 2-oxobutanoate with acetic acid and sulphuric acid as catalysts. CONCLUSION: Most of the derivatives comprised of an attached N-phenylpiperazine group, which formed a basic part of the molecule and in which the phenyl ring was substituted in position C-2 or C-4. The synthesized compounds were subjected to cholinesterase-inhibiting activity evaluation, by modified Ellman method. Quaternary ammonium salt of 1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid which contain N-phenylpiperazine fragment with nitro group in position C-4 (7c) demonstrated the most potent activity against acetylcholinesterase.

Antioxidative Activity of 1,3,5-Triazine Analogues Incorporating Aminobenzene Sulfonamide, Aminoalcohol/Phenol, Piperazine, Chalcone, or Stilbene Motifs.

A series of 1,3,5-triazine analogues, incorporating aminobenzene sulfonamide, aminoalcohol/phenol, piperazine, chalcone, or stilbene structural motifs, were evaluated as potential antioxidants. The compounds were prepared by using step-by-step nucleophilic substitution of chlorine atoms in starting 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine. Reactions were catalyzed by Cu(I)-supported on a weakly acidic resin. The radical scavenging activity was determined in terms of %inhibition activity and EC50, using the ABTS method. Trolox and ascorbic acid (ASA) were used as standards. In the lowest concentration 1 × 10-4 M, the %inhibition activity values at 0 min were comparable with both standards at least for 10 compounds. After 60 min, compounds 5, 6, 13, and 25 showed nearly twice %inhibition (73.44-87.09%) in comparison with the standards (Trolox = 41.49%; ASA = 31.07%). Values of EC50 at 60 min (17.16-27.78 µM) were 5 times lower for compounds 5, 6, 13, and 25 than EC50 of both standards (trolox = 178.33 µM; ASA = 147.47 µM). Values of EC50 correlated with %inhibition activity. Based on these results, the presented 1,3,5-triazine analogues have a high potential in the treatment of illnesses caused or related to oxidative stress.

Antioxidant Activity of Selected Stilbenoid Derivatives in a Cellular Model System.

The stilbenoids, a group of naturally occurring phenolic compounds, are found in a variety of plants, including some berries that are used as food or for medicinal purposes. They are known to be beneficial for human health as anti-inflammatory, chemopreventive, and antioxidative agents. We have investigated a group of 19 stilbenoid substances in vitro using a cellular model of THP-1 macrophage-like cells and pyocyanin-induced oxidative stress to evaluate their antioxidant or pro-oxidant properties. Then we have determined any effects that they might have on the expression of the enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and heme oxygenase-1, and their effects on the activation of Nrf2. The experimental results showed that these stilbenoids could affect the formation of reactive oxygen species in a cellular model, producing either an antioxidative or pro-oxidative effect, depending on the structure pinostilbene (2) worked as a pro-oxidant and also decreased expression of catalase in the cell culture. Piceatannol (4) had shown reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activity, whereas isorhapontigenin (18) had a mild direct antioxidant effect and activated Nrf2-antioxidant response element (ARE) system and elevated expression of Nrf2 and catalase. Their effects shown on cells in vitro warrant their further study in vivo.

Morphinome Database - The database of proteins altered by morphine administration - An update.

Morphine is considered a gold standard in pain treatment. Nevertheless, its use could be associated with severe side effects, including drug addiction. Thus, it is very important to understand the molecular mechanism of morphine action in order to develop new methods of pain therapy, or at least to attenuate the side effects of opioids usage. Proteomics allows for the indication of proteins involved in certain biological processes, but the number of items identified in a single study is usually overwhelming. Thus, researchers face the difficult problem of choosing the proteins which are really important for the investigated processes and worth further studies. Therefore, based on the 29 published articles, we created a database of proteins regulated by morphine administration - The Morphinome Database (addiction-proteomics.org). This web tool allows for indicating proteins that were identified during different proteomics studies. Moreover, the collection and organization of such a vast amount of data allows us to find the same proteins that were identified in various studies and to create their ranking, based on the frequency of their identification. STRING and KEGG databases indicated metabolic pathways which those molecules are involved in. This means that those molecular pathways seem to be strongly affected by morphine administration and could be important targets for further investigations. SIGNIFICANCE: The data about proteins identified by different proteomics studies of molecular changes caused by morphine administration (29 published articles) were gathered in the Morphinome Database. Unification of those data allowed for the identification of proteins that were indicated several times by distinct proteomics studies, which means that they seem to be very well verified and important for the entire process. Those proteins might be now considered promising aims for more detailed studies of their role in the molecular mechanism of morphine action.

Synthesis, Analysis, Cholinesterase-Inhibiting Activity and Molecular Modelling Studies of 3-(Dialkylamino)-2-hydroxypropyl 4-[(Alkoxy-carbonyl)amino]benzoates and Their Quaternary Ammonium Salts.

Tertiary amines 3-(dialkylamino)-2-hydroxypropyl 4-[(alkoxycarbonyl)amino]benzoates and their quaternary ammonium salts were synthesized. The final step of synthesis of quaternary ammonium salts was carried out by microwave-assisted synthesis. Software-calculated data provided the background needed to compare fifteen new resulting compounds by their physicochemical properties. The acid dissociation constant (pKa) and lipophilicity index (log P) of tertiary amines were determined; while quaternary ammonium salts were characterized by software-calculated lipophilicity index and surface tension. Biological evaluation aimed at testing acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase-inhibiting activity of synthesized compounds. A possible mechanism of action of these compounds was determined by molecular modelling study using combined techniques of docking; molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics calculations.

An integrative study to identify novel scaffolds for sphingosine kinase 1 inhibitors.

Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), the enzyme that produces the bioactive sphingolipid metabolite, sphingosine-1-phosphate, is a promising new molecular target for therapeutic intervention in cancer and inflammatory diseases. In view of its importance, the main objective of this work was to find new and more potent inhibitors for this enzyme possessing different structural scaffolds than those of the known inhibitors. Our theoretical and experimental study has allowed us to identify two new structural scaffolds (three new compounds), which could be used as starting structures for the design and then the development of new inhibitors of SphK1. Our study was carried out in different steps: virtual screening, synthesis, bioassays and molecular modelling. From our results, we propose a new dihydrobenzo[b]pyrimido[5,4-f]azepine and two alkyl{3-/4-[1-hydroxy-2-(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)ethyl]phenyl}carbamates as initial structures for the development of new inhibitors. In addition, our molecular modelling study using QTAIM calculations, allowed us to describe in detail the molecular interactions that stabilize the different Ligand-Receptor complexes. Such analyses indicate that the cationic head of the different compounds must be refined in order to obtain an increase in the binding affinity of these ligands.

Synthesis and Determination of Physicochemical Properties of New 3-(4-Arylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-hydroxypropyl 4-Alkoxyethoxybenzoates.

Nine new dihydrochloride salts of 3-(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-hydroxypropyl 4-alkoxyethoxybenzoates were designed and synthesized. The physicochemical properties such as lipophilicity index (log kw) and dissociation constant (pKa) were experimentally determined and compared to the software calculated data. The lipophilicity index was determined by means of reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The pKa values were determined by means of capillary zone electrophoresis. The "drug-likeness" properties according to the Lipinski Rule of Five and prediction of possible blood-brain barrier penetration were computed and discussed.

Synthesis and Characterization of New 3-(4-Arylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-hydroxypropyl 4-Propoxybenzoates and Their Hydrochloride Salts.

Five new 3-(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-hydroxypropyl 4-propoxybenzoates were designed and synthesized as potential dual antihypertensive agents. The compounds were prepared as free bases and subsequently transformed to hydrochloride salts. The position of protonation of nitrogen atoms in the piperazine ring of hydrochloride salts was determined by means of (13)C-CP/MAS and (15)N-CP/MAS NMR and IR spectroscopy. Using these solid-state analytical techniques, it was found that both nitrogen atoms were protonated when excess hydrogen chloride was used for preparation of salts. On the other hand, when the equimolar amount of hydrogen chloride was used, piperazine nitrogen substituted by aryl was protonated.