Antiviral activity of baicalin against influenza virus H1N1-pdm09 is due to modulation of NS1-mediated cellular innate immune responses.

OBJECTIVES: Baicalin, a flavonoid, has been shown to have antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities, although the mechanism of action has been unknown. Therefore, attempts were made to analyse the mechanism behind the antiviral effects of baicalin using an influenza A virus (IAV) model in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Baicalin's anti-influenza activity was elucidated (in vitro and in vivo) utilizing pandemic influenza strain A/H1N1/Eastern India/66/pdm09 (H1N1-pdm09). Anti-influenza activity was measured by plaque inhibition, fluorescent focus-forming units (ffu) and quantifying viral transcripts using quantitative real-time PCR following treatment with baicalin in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The role of the IAV non-structural protein 1 (NS1) gene in modulating host responses was measured by immunoblotting, co-immunoprecipitation and molecular docking. RESULTS: Baicalin treatment following IAV infection revealed up-regulation of interferon (IFN)-induced antiviral signalling and decreased phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt (PI3K/Akt) activation compared with infected, untreated controls. Baicalin exerts its antiviral effects by modulating the function of the IAV-encoded NS1 protein. NS1 has been shown to counteract cellular antiviral responses by down-regulating IFN induction and up-regulating PI3K/Akt signalling. Baicalin disrupted NS1-p85ß binding. Molecular docking predicted the binding site of baicalin in the RNA binding domain (RBD) of NS1. Site-directed mutagenesis within the RBD region of NS1 and the difference in the fluorescence quenching pattern of full-length NS1 and mutant NS1 proteins in the presence of baicalin confirmed the interaction of baicalin with the NS1 RBD. Amino acid residues 39-43 of the NS1 RBD were found to be crucial for the baicalin-NS1 interaction. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study highlights that baicalin exerts its anti-influenza virus activity by modulating viral protein NS1, resulting in up-regulation of IFN-induced antiviral signalling and a decrease in PI3K/Akt signalling in cells.

False-Positive Findings on Dopamine Transporter SPECT Due to Therapeutic Dextroamphetamine and Amphetamine.

Dopamine transporter SPECT is an accurate adjunct to clinical evaluation for Parkinson disease when the diagnosis is difficult. Dopaminergic medications may significantly affect dopamine transporter availability and, thus, uptake of dopamine transporter tracers. A patient had a false-positive dopamine transporter SPECT result while she was taking dextroamphetamine and amphetamine for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The SPECT findings normalized after amphetamine therapy was withheld. An accurate medication history combined with knowledge of drugs that interfere with dopamine transporter imaging is critical to ensure accuracy.

Structural and functional characterization of the Vindoline biosynthesis pathway enzymes of Catharanthus roseus.

Vinblastine and its related compound vincristine are important mono terpenoid indole alkaloids accumulated in the leaves of Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle). They serve as major anticancer drugs. Vinblastine is formed by the condensation of vindoline and catharanthine. The vindoline moiety is derived from tabersonine via vindoline biosynthesis pathway. The reaction sequence from tabersonine to vindoline is now well established and the enzymes involved in this pathway are identified. However, to date, the structures of the enzymes involved in the vindoline biosynthesis pathway are not known, leading to limited mechanistic understanding of the substrate binding and catalysis. The purpose of this work is to provide structural insight regarding all the steps of the vindoline pathway via rigorous homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics analyses. Substrate and cofactors required for each step were docked onto the computationally built and validated three-dimensional (3D) model of the corresponding enzyme, and the catalytic reaction was analyzed from the structural point of view. Possible binding modes of the substrates and cofactors were generated and corresponding binding residues were identified. Enzyme-substrate models were verified based on structure evaluation methods and molecular dynamics based approaches. Findings of our analysis would be useful in rational designing of these important enzymes aimed toward bio-production of vindoline.