RESUMO
Breast cancer remains a major global health issue, particularly affecting women and contributing significantly to mortality rates. Current treatments for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers, such as aromatase inhibitors, are effective but often come with side effects and resistance issues. This study addresses these gaps by targeting aromatase, an enzyme crucial for estrogen synthesis, which plays a pivotal role in breast cancer progression. The innovative approach involves synthesizing novel bis-triazolopyridopyrimidines, designed to leverage the combined pharmacological benefits of pyridopyrimidine and 1,2,4-triazole structures, known for their potent aromatase inhibition and anti-cancer properties. These compounds were synthesized and characterized using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and MS spectral analyses, and their anticancer efficacy was evaluated through MTT assays against MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines inâ vitro. Molecular docking analyses revealed strong binding energies with aromatase, particularly for compounds 5 b, 5 c, 10 a, and 10 b, indicating their potential as effective aromatase inhibitors. The study highlights these compounds as promising candidates for further development as therapeutic agents against breast cancer.
RESUMO
Protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP-1B) is a well-known therapeutic target for diabetes and obesity as it suppresses insulin and leptin signaling. PTP-1B deletion or pharmacological suppression boosted glucose homeostasis and insulin signaling without altering hepatic fat storage. Inhibitors of PTP-1B may be useful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and shikonin, a naturally occurring naphthoquinone dye pigment, is reported to inhibit PTP-1B and possess antidiabetic properties. Since the cell contains a large number of phosphatases, PTP-1B inhibitors must be effective and selective. To explore more about the mechanism underlying the inhibitor's efficacy and selectivity, we investigated its top four pharmacophores and used site-directed mutagenesis to insert amino acid mutations into PTP-1B as an extension of our previous study where we identified 4 pharmacophores of shikonin. The study aimed to examine the site-directed mutations like R24Y, S215E, and S216C influence the binding of shikonin pharmacophores, which act as selective inhibitors of PTP-1B. To achieve this purpose, docking and molecular dynamics simulations of wild-type (WT) and mutant PTP-1B with antidiabetic compounds were undertaken. The simulation results revealed that site-directed mutations can change the hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interactions between shikonin pharmacophores and many residues in PTP-1B's active site, influencing the drug's binding affinity. These findings could aid researchers in better understanding PTP-1B inhibitors' selective binding mechanism and pave the path for the creation of effective PTP-1B inhibitors.
Assuntos
Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 , Humanos , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/tratamento farmacológico , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/genética , Monoéster Fosfórico Hidrolases/uso terapêutico , Inibidores Enzimáticos/farmacologia , Inibidores Enzimáticos/química , Ligação Proteica , Hipoglicemiantes/farmacologia , Hipoglicemiantes/uso terapêutico , Insulina/uso terapêuticoRESUMO
The use of pharmaceuticals to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has several drawbacks, including severe side effects. Natural compounds with great efficacy and few side effects are in high demand due to the global rise in MDD and ineffective treatment. Yohimbine, a natural compound, has been used to treat various ailments, including neurological conditions, since ancient times. Serotonergic neurotransmission plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of depression; thus, serotonergic receptor agonist/antagonistic drugs are promising anti-depressants. Yohimbine was investigated in this study to determine its antidepressant activity using molecular docking and pharmacokinetic analyses. Additionally, the in silico mutational study was carried out to understand the increase in therapeutic efficiency using site-directed mutagenesis. Conformational changes and fluctuations occurring during wild type and mutant serotonergic receptor, 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors 1A (5HT1A) and yohimbine were assessed by molecular dynamics MD simulation studies. Yohimbine was found to satisfy all the parameters for drug-likeness and pharmacokinetics analysis. It was found to possess a good dock score and hydrogen-bond interactions with wild type 5HT1A structure. Our findings elaborate the substantial efficacy of yohimbine against MDD; however, further bench work studies may be carried out to prove the same.
Assuntos
Antidepressivos/química , Antidepressivos/farmacologia , Modelos Moleculares , Ioimbina/química , Ioimbina/farmacologia , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Sítios de Ligação , Barreira Hematoencefálica/efeitos dos fármacos , Barreira Hematoencefálica/metabolismo , Humanos , Conformação Molecular , Estrutura Molecular , Mutação , Permeabilidade , Ligação Proteica , Conformação Proteica , Receptor 5-HT1A de Serotonina/química , Receptor 5-HT1A de Serotonina/metabolismo , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
Microorganisms are ubiquitously present in the environment and exert significant influence on numerous natural phenomena. The soil and groundwater systems, precipitation, and effluent outfalls from factories, refineries, and waste treatment facilities are all sources of heavy metal contamination. For example, Madinah, Saudi Arabia, has alarmingly high levels of lead and cadmium. The non-essential minerals cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) have been linked to damage to vital organs. Bioremediation is an essential component in the process of cleaning up polluted soil and water where biological agents such as bacteria are used to remove the contaminants. It is demonstrated that Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) isolated from activated sludge was able to remove Cd and Pb from water. The protein sequence of metallothionein from P. aeruginosa was retrieved to explore it for physicoparameters, orthologs, domain, family, motifs, and conserved residues. The homology structure was generated, and models were validated. Docking of the best model with the heavy metals was carried out to inspect the intramolecular interactions. The target protein was found to belong to the "metallothionein_pro" family, containing six motifs, and showed a close orthologous relationship with other heavy metal-resistant bacteria. The best model was generated by Phyre2. In this study, three key residues of metallothionein were identified that participate in heavy metal (Pb and Cd) binding, viz., Ala33, Ser34, and Glu59. In addition, the study provides an essential basis to explore protein engineering for the optimum use of metallothionein protein to reduce/remove heavy metals from the environment.
RESUMO
Heavy metals, specifically cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), contaminating water bodies of Madinah (Saudi Arabia), is a significant environmental concern that necessitates prompt action. Madinah is exposed to toxic metals from multiple sources, such as tobacco, fresh and canned foods, and industrial activities. This influx of toxic metals presents potential hazards to both human health and the surrounding environment. The aim of this study is to explore the viability of utilizing metallothionein from Pseudomonas putida (P. putida) as a method of bioremediation to mitigate the deleterious effects of pollution attributable to Pb and Cd. The use of various computational approaches, such as physicochemical assessments, structural modeling, molecular docking, and protein-protein interaction investigations, has enabled us to successfully identify the exceptional metal-binding properties that metallothionein displays in P. putida. The identification of specific amino acid residues, namely GLU30 and GLN21, is crucial in understanding their pivotal role in facilitating the coordination of lead and cadmium. In addition, post-translational modifications present opportunities for augmenting the capacity to bind metals, thereby creating possibilities for focused engineering. The intricate web of interactions among proteins serves to emphasize the protein's participation in essential cellular mechanisms, thereby emphasizing its potential contributions to detoxification pathways. The present study establishes a strong basis for forthcoming experimental inquiries, offering potential novel approaches in bioremediation to tackle the issue of heavy metal contamination. Metallothionein from P. putida presents a highly encouraging potential as a viable remedy for environmental remediation, as it is capable of proficiently alleviating the detrimental consequences related to heavy metal pollution.
RESUMO
The human coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, had a negative impact on both the economy and human health, and the emerging resistant variants are an ongoing threat. One essential protein to target to prevent virus replication is the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Sofosbuvir, a uridine nucleotide analog that potently inhibits viral polymerase, has been found to help treat SARS-CoV-2 patients. This work combines molecular docking and dynamics simulation (MDS) to test 14 sofosbuvir-based modifications against SARS-CoV-2 RdRp. The results reveal comparable (slightly better) average binding affinity of five modifications (compounds 3, 4, 11, 12, and 14) to the parent molecule, sofosbuvir. Compounds 3 and 4 show the best average binding affinities against SARS-CoV-2 RdRp (- 16.28 ± 5.69 and - 16.25 ± 5.78 kcal/mol average binding energy compared to - 16.20 ± 6.35 kcal/mol for sofosbuvir) calculated by Molecular Mechanics Generalized Born Surface Area (MM-GBSA) after MDS. The present study proposes compounds 3 and 4 as potential SARS-CoV-2 RdRp blockers, although this has yet to be proven experimentally.