In silico characterization of ligand-receptor interactions for U-47700, N,N-didesmethyl-U-47700, U-50488 at mu- and kappa-opioid receptors.

The increasing misuse of novel synthetic opioids (NSOs) represents a serious public health concern. In this regard, U-47700 (trans-3,4-dichloro-N-[2-(dimethylamino)cyclohexyl]-N-methylbenzamide) and related "U-compounds" emerged on recreational drug markets as synthetic substitutes for illicit heroin and constituents of counterfeit pain medications. While the pharmacology of U-compounds has been investigated using in vitro and in vivo methods, there is still a lack of understanding about the details of ligand-receptor interactions at the molecular level. To this end, we have developed a molecular modeling protocol based on docking and molecular dynamics simulations to assess the nature of ligand-receptor interactions for U-47700, N,N-didesmethyl U-47700, and U-50488 at the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) and kappa-opioid receptor (KOR). The evaluation of ligand-receptor and ligand-receptor-membrane interaction energies enabled the identification of subtle conformational shifts in the receptors induced by ligand binding. Interestingly, the removal of two key methyl groups from U-47700, to form N,N-didesmethyl U-47700, caused a loss of hydrogen bond contact with tryptophan (Trp)229, which may underlie the lower interaction energy and reduced MOR affinity for the compound. Taken together, our results are consistent with the reported biological findings for U-compounds and provide a molecular basis for the MOR selectivity of U-47700 and KOR selectivity of U-50488.

Untargeted Lipidomics of Erythrocytes under Simulated Microgravity Conditions.

Lipidomics and metabolomics are nowadays widely used to provide promising insights into the pathophysiology of cellular stress disorders. Our study expands, with the use of a hyphenated ion mobility mass spectrometric platform, the understanding of the cellular processes and stress due to microgravity. By lipid profiling of human erythrocytes, we annotated complex lipids such as oxidized phosphocholines, phosphocholines bearing arachidonic in their moiety, as well as sphingomyelins and hexosyl ceramides associated with microgravity conditions. Overall, our findings give an insight into the molecular alterations and identify erythrocyte lipidomics signatures associated with microgravity conditions. If the present results are confirmed in future studies, they may help to develop suitable treatments for astronauts after return to Earth.

Dihydroxyphenyl- and Heteroaromatic-Based Thienopyrimidinones to Tackle HIV-1 LEDGF/p75-Dependent IN Activity.

The spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) still represents a global public health issue of major concern, and would benefit from unveiling unique viral features as targets for drug design. In this respect, HIV-1 integrase (IN), due to the absence of homologs in human cells, is a popular target for the synthesis of novel selective compounds. Moreover, as drug-resistant viral strains are rapidly evolving, the development of novel allosteric inhibitors is acutely required. Recently, we have observed that Kuwanon-L, quinazolinones and thienopyrimidinones containing at least one polyphenol unit, effectively inhibited HIV-1 IN activity. Thus, in the present research, novel dihydroxyphenyl-based thienopyrimidinone derivatives were investigated for their LEDGF/p75-dependent IN inhibitory activity. Our findings indicated a close correlation between the position of the OH group on the phenyl moiety and IN inhibitory activity of these compounds. As catechol may be involved in cytotoxicity, its replacement by other aromatic scaffolds was also exploited. As a result, compounds 21-23, 25 and 26 with enhanced IN inhibitory activity provided good lead candidates, with 25 being the most selective for IN. Lastly, UV spectrometric experiments suggested a plausible allosteric mode of action, as none of the thienopirimidinones showed Mg2+ chelation properties otherwise typical of IN strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs).

Understanding the Behaviour of Human Cell Types under Simulated Microgravity Conditions: The Case of Erythrocytes.

Erythrocytes are highly specialized cells in human body, and their main function is to ensure the gas exchanges, O2 and CO2, within the body. The exposure to microgravity environment leads to several health risks such as those affecting red blood cells. In this work, we investigated the changes that occur in the structure and function of red blood cells under simulated microgravity, compared to terrestrial conditions, at different time points using biochemical and biophysical techniques. Erythrocytes exposed to simulated microgravity showed morphological changes, a constant increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), a significant reduction in total antioxidant capacity (TAC), a remarkable and constant decrease in total glutathione (GSH) concentration, and an augmentation in malondialdehyde (MDA) at increasing times. Moreover, experiments were performed to evaluate the lipid profile of erythrocyte membranes which showed an upregulation in the following membrane phosphocholines (PC): PC16:0_16:0, PC 33:5, PC18:2_18:2, PC 15:1_20:4 and SM d42:1. Thus, remarkable changes in erythrocyte cytoskeletal architecture and membrane stiffness due to oxidative damage have been found under microgravity conditions, in addition to factors that contribute to the plasticity of the red blood cells (RBCs) including shape, size, cell viscosity and membrane rigidity. This study represents our first investigation into the effects of microgravity on erythrocytes and will be followed by other experiments towards understanding the behaviour of different human cell types in microgravity.

Metabolomics and lipid profile analysis of Coccomyxa melkonianii SCCA 048.

With an unsupervised GC-MS metabolomics approach, polar metabolite changes of the microalgae Coccomyxa melkonianii SCCA 048 grown under standard conditions for seven weeks were studied. C. melkonianii was sampled at the Rio Irvi River, in the mining site of Montevecchio-Ingurtosu (Sardinia, Italy), which is severely contaminated by heavy metals and shows high concentrations of sulfates. The partial-least-square (PLS) analysis of the GC-MS data indicated that growth of C. melkonianii was characterized by an increase of the levels of threonic acid, myo-inositol, malic acid, and fumaric acid. Furthermore, at the sixth week of exponential phase the lipid fingerprint of C. melkonianii was studied by LC-QTOF-MS. C. melkonianii lipid extract characterized through an iterative MS/MS analysis showed the following percent levels: 61.34 ± 0.60% for triacylglycerols (TAG); 11.55 ± 0.09% for diacylglyceryltrimethyl homoserines (DGTS), 11.34 ± 0.10% for sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerols (SQDG) and, 5.29 ± 0.04% for lysodiacylglyceryltrimethyl homoserines (LDGTS). Noteworthy, we were able to annotate different fatty acid ester of hydroxyl fatty acid, such as FAHFA (18:1_20:3), FAHFA (18:2_20:4), FAHFA (18:0_20:2), and FAHFA (18:1_18:0), with relevant biological activity. These approaches can be useful to study the biochemistry of this extremophile algae in the view of its potential exploitation in the phycoremediation of polluted mining areas.

A Brønsted acid catalyzed tandem reaction for the diastereoselective synthesis of cyclobuta-fused tetrahydroquinoline carboxylic esters.

A novel Brønsted acid catalyzed tandem reaction provides highly functionalized cyclobuta-fused tetrahydroquinoline carboxylic esters from anilines and 2-alkylenecyclobutanones in good to high yield. During the reaction a dynamic diastereoselective cyclization is achieved, resulting in the formation of three contiguous stereocenters with high stereoselectivity.

Flavonoids and Acid-Hydrolysis derivatives of Neo-Clerodane diterpenes from Teucrium flavum subsp. glaucum as inhibitors of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase-associated RNase H function.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract from Teucrium flavum subsp. glaucum, endowed with inhibitory activity towards the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase-associated RNase H function, led to the isolation of salvigenin (1), cirsimaritin (2) and cirsiliol (3) along with the neo-clerodanes teuflavin (4) and teuflavoside (5). Acid hydrolysis of the inactive teuflavoside provided three undescribed neo-clerodanes, flavuglaucins A-C (7-9) and one known neo-clerodane (10). Among all neo-clerodanes, flavuglaucin B showed the highest inhibitory activity towards RNase H function with a IC50 value of 9.1 µM. Molecular modelling and site-directed mutagenesis analysis suggested that flavuglaucin B binds into an allosteric pocket close to RNase H catalytic site. This is the first report of clerodane diterpenoids endowed with anti-reverse transcriptase activity. Neo-clerodanes represent a valid scaffold for the development of a new class of HIV-1 RNase H inhibitors.

Untargeted lipidomics of ovine milk to analyse the influence of different diet regimens.

In this work we report a lipidomics approach to study the effects of two diet systems on the composition of ovine milk. Milk from two groups of Sarda sheep grazing on 40% (P40) and 60% (P60) of pasture were analyzed by a UHPLC-QTOF-MS analytical platform and data submitted to multivariate statistical analysis. Pairwise partial least square discriminant analysis of the lipid profile of the data was carried out to classify samples and to find discriminant lipids. The two dietary groups were characterized by differences in triacylglycerols, phosphocholines and phosphatidylethanolamines levels. Discriminants of the P40 group were TG and PC containing in their backbone saturated medium chain FA thus suggesting greater de novo fatty synthesis in the mammary gland. On the other hand, the P60 group was characterized by TG and PC formed by unsaturated long chain FA originating from the diet or from lipid mobilization.

Bioassay-Guided Identification of the Antiproliferative Compounds of Cissus trifoliata and the Transcriptomic Effect of Resveratrol in Prostate Cancer Pc3 Cells.

The bioassay-guided fractionation of a CHCl3-MeOH extract from the stems of Cissus trifoliata identified an active fraction against PC3 prostate cancer cells. The treatment for 24 h showed an 80% reduction in cell viability (p ≤ 0.05) by a WST-1 assay at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. The HPLC-QTOF-MS analysis of the fraction showed the presence of coumaric and isoferulic acids, apigenin, kaempferol, chrysoeriol, naringenin, ursolic and betulinic acids, hexadecadienoic and octadecadienoic fatty acids, and the stilbene resveratrol. The exposure of PC3 cells to resveratrol (IC25 = 23 µg/mL) for 24 h induced significant changes in 847 genes (Z-score ≥ ±2). The functional classification tool of the DAVID v6.8 platform indicates that the underlying molecular mechanisms against the proliferation of PC3 cells were associated (p ≤ 0.05) with the process of differentiation and metabolism. These findings provide experimental evidence suggesting the potential of C. trifoliata as a promising natural source of anticancer compounds.

Scaffold hopping and optimisation of 3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl- containing thienopyrimidinones: synthesis of quinazolinone derivatives as novel allosteric inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase-associated ribonuclease H.

Bioisosteric replacement and scaffold hopping are powerful strategies in drug design useful for rationally modifying a hit compound towards novel lead therapeutic agents. Recently, we reported a series of thienopyrimidinones that compromise dynamics at the p66/p51 HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT)-associated Ribonuclease H (RNase H) dimer interface, thereby allosterically interrupting catalysis by altering the active site geometry. Although they exhibited good submicromolar activity, the isosteric replacement of the thiophene ring, a potential toxicophore, is warranted. Thus, in this article, the most active 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,6-dimethylthieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one 1 was selected as the hit scaffold and several isosteric substitutions of the thiophene ring were performed. A novel series of highly active RNase H allosteric quinazolinone inhibitors was thus obtained. To determine their target selectivity, they were tested against RT-associated RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (RDDP) and integrase (IN). Interestingly, none of the compounds were particularly active on (RDDP) but many displayed micromolar to submicromolar activity against IN.

Coumarins from Magydaris pastinacea as inhibitors of the tumour-associated carbonic anhydrases IX and XII: isolation, biological studies and in silico evaluation.

In an in vitro screening for human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) inhibiting agents from higher plants, the petroleum ether and ethyl acetate extracts of Magydaris pastinacea seeds selectively inhibited hCA IX and hCA XII isoforms. The phytochemical investigation of the extracts led to the isolation of ten linear furocoumarins (1-10), four simple coumarins (12-15) and a new angular dihydrofurocoumarin (11). The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated based on 1 D and 2 D NMR, MS, and ECD data analysis. All isolated compounds were inactive towards the ubiquitous cytosolic isoform hCA I and II (Ki > 10,000 nM) while they were significantly active against the tumour-associated isoforms hCA IX and XII. Umbelliprenin was the most potent coumarin inhibiting hCA XII isoform with a Ki of 5.7 nM. The cytotoxicity of the most interesting compounds on HeLa cancer cells was also investigated.

Metabolomics Fingerprint Induced by the Intranigral Inoculation of Exogenous Human Alpha-Synuclein Oligomers in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is considered a synucleinopathy because of the intraneuronal accumulation of aggregated α-synuclein (αSyn). Recent evidence points to soluble αSyn-oligomers (αSynO) as the main cytotoxic species responsible for cell death. Given the pivotal role of αSyn in PD, αSyn-based models are crucial for the investigation of toxic mechanisms and the identification of new therapeutic targets in PD. By using a metabolomics approach, we evaluated the metabolic profile of brain and serum samples of rats infused unilaterally with preformed human αSynOs (HαSynOs), or vehicle, into the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Three months postinfusion, the striatum was dissected for striatal dopamine (DA) measurements via High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis and mesencephalon and serum samples were collected for the evaluation of metabolite content via gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. Multivariate, univariate and correlation statistics were applied. A 40% decrease of DA content was measured in the HαSynO-infused striatum as compared to the contralateral and the vehicle-infused striata. Decreased levels of dehydroascorbic acid, myo-inositol, and glycine, and increased levels of threonine, were found in the mesencephalon, while increased contents of fructose and mannose, and a decrease in glycine and urea, were found in the serum of HαSynO-infused rats. The significant correlation between DA and metabolite content indicated that metabolic variations reflected the nigrostriatal degeneration. Collectively, the metabolomic fingerprint of HαSynO-infused rats points to an increase of oxidative stress markers, in line with PD neuropathology, and provides hints for potential biomarkers of PD.

Behavior of the extremophile green alga Coccomyxa melkonianii SCCA 048 in terms of lipids production and morphology at different pH values.

The extremophile green alga Coccomyxa melkonianii SCCA 048 was investigated to evaluate its ability to grow in culture media with different pH. Specifically, Coccomyxa melkonianii was sampled in the Rio Irvi river (Sardinia, Italy) which is severely polluted by heavy metals as a result of abandoned mining activities. In this study, the strain was cultivated in growth media where the pH was kept fixed at the values of 4.0, 6.8 and 8.0, respectively. During the investigation, a significant phenotypic plasticity of this strain was observed. The strain grew well in the pH range 4.0-8.0, while the optimal value for its growth was 6.8. Furthermore, maximum lipid contents of about 24 and 22 %wt were achieved at the end of cultivation when using pH 4.0 and 8.0, respectively. Finally, the analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) highlights the presence of suitable amounts of compounds which can be profitably exploited in the food, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industry. This aspect, coupled with the possibility of cultivating Coccomyxa melkonianii under extreme pH conditions in economic open ponds, makes this strain an interesting candidate for several biotechnological applications.

Synthesis of ß-sulfinyl cyclobutane carboxylic amides via a formal α to ß sulphoxide migration process.

An original tandem reaction consisting of a thermal elimination-addition process was developed. Highly substituted ß-sulfinyl cyclobutane carboxylic acid derivatives were obtained from isomeric α-sulfinyl derivatives in a single operation in good to high yields and with high trans diastereoselectivity.

Tannin profile, antioxidant properties, and antimicrobial activity of extracts from two Mediterranean species of parasitic plant Cytinus.

BACKGROUND: Cytinus is small genus of endophytic parasitic plants distributed in South Africa, Madagascar, and in the Mediterranean region. In the latter area, two species occur, Cytinus hypocistis and C. ruber, distinguished by both morphological characters and ecological traits. We characterized the ethanolic and aqueous extracts obtained from the inflorescences of C. hypocistis and C. ruber collected in Sardinia, Italy, and explored their tannin content, antioxidant properties and antimicrobial activities. METHODS: Total phenolic contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu spectrophotometric method. Tannin content was determined by HPLC. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was tested with both electron transfer-based (FRAP, TEAC, DPPH) and spectrophotometric HAT methods (ORAC-PYR). The antimicrobial activities of extracts/compounds were evaluated using the broth microdilution method. The bactericidal activity was evaluated using the time-kill method. Biofilm formation was evaluated by crystal violet (CV) staining assay. RESULTS: Characterization of the tannin profile of C. hypocistis and C. ruber revealed a significant amount of gallotannins, in particular 1-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucose. In addition, pentagalloyl-O-ß-D-glucose was present in all extracts, reaching the concentration of 0.117 g/kg in the ethanolic extract of C. hypocistis. C. hypocistis extracts displayed a strongest antioxidant activity than C. ruber extracts. Three Gram-positive bacterial species tested (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecium) resulted sensitive to both Cytinus extracts, with MICs ranging from 125 to 500 µg/ml for aqueous extracts and from 31.25 to 250 µg/ml for ethanolic extracts; on the contrary, Gram-negative strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae) were not affected by Cytinus extracts. Intriguingly, we observed the suppressive activity of ethanolic extracts of C. hypocistis and C. ruber on biofilm formation of S. epidermidis. Experiments performed with synthetic compounds indicated that pentagalloyl-O-ß-D-glucose is likely to be one of the active antimicrobial components of Cytinus extracts. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that Cytinus extracts have antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, suggesting a possible application of Cytinus as sources of natural antimicrobials and antioxidants.

Italian cohort of patients affected by inflammatory bowel disease is characterised by variation in glycerophospholipid, free fatty acids and amino acid levels.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease is a group of pathologies characterised by chronic inflammation of the intestine and an unclear aetiology. Its main manifestations are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Currently, biopsies are the most used diagnostic tests for these diseases and metabolomics could represent a less invasive approach to identify biomarkers of disease presence and progression. OBJECTIVES: The lipid and the polar metabolite profile of plasma samples of patients affected by inflammatory bowel disease have been compared with healthy individuals with the aim to find their metabolomic differences. Also, a selected sub-set of samples was analysed following solid phase extraction to further characterise differences between pathological samples. METHODS: A total of 200 plasma samples were analysed using drift tube ion mobility coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography for the lipid metabolite profile analysis, while liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was used for the polar metabolite profile analysis. RESULTS: Variations in the lipid profile between inflammatory bowel disease and healthy individuals were highlighted. Phosphatidylcholines, lyso-phosphatidylcholines and fatty acids were significantly changed among pathological samples suggesting changes in phospholipase A2 and arachidonic acid metabolic pathways. Variations in the levels of cholesteryl esters and glycerophospholipids were also found. Furthermore, a decrease in amino acids levels suggests mucosal damage in inflammatory bowel disease. CONCLUSIONS: Given good statistical results and predictive power of the model produced in our study, metabolomics can be considered as a valid tool to investigate inflammatory bowel disease.

Synthesis of 2,2-bis(pyridin-2-yl amino)cyclobutanols and their conversion into 5-(pyridin-2-ylamino)dihydrofuran-2(3H)-ones.

A two-step protocol is presented for the preparation of 5-(pyridin-2-ylamino)dihydrofuran-2(3H)-ones from 2-hydroxycyclobutanone and some 2-aminopyridines via a catalyst-free synthesis of 2,2-bis(pyridin-2-ylamino)cyclobutanols followed by Dess-Martin periodinane mediated ring expansion.

Phenylpropenoids from Bupleurum fruticosum as Anti-Human Rhinovirus Species A Selective Capsid Binders.

The dichloromethane extract of the leaves of Bupleurum fruticosum was found to inhibit the replication of human rhinovirus (HRV) serotypes 14 and 39. Bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of seven phenylpropenol derivatives (3-9), two polyacetylenes (1 and 2), and one monoterpene (10). Compounds 1 and 10 were identified as previously undescribed secondary metabolites after extensive 1D and 2D NMR experiments as well as high-resolution mass spectrometry. Compounds 2, 4, and 5 showed a selective inhibition of viral replication against HRV39 serotype, with 2 and 4 being the most active, with EC50 values of 1.8 ± 0.02 and 2.4 ± 0.04 µM. Mechanism of action studies indicated that 4 behaves not only as a capsid binder, interfering with the early phases of virus replication, but also as a late-phase replication inhibitor. Docking experiments were performed to confirm the ability of the antiviral phenylpropenoids to selectively fit into the hydrophobic pocket of VP1-HRV39.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics of goat milk with different polymorphism at the αS1-casein genotype locus.

Hyphenated gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and multivariate data analysis techniques were used to uncover milk metabolite differences in different αS1-casein genotypes of goats. By a discriminant GC-MS metabolomics approach, we characterized milk polar metabolites of 28 goats. Animals were selected on the basis of their genotypes as 7 goats classified heterozygous for weak or null alleles, 5 for the genotype EE, 9 for the genotypes AE and BE, and finally 7 for the strong genotype AA. Low molecular weight polar metabolite profile was tightly related to the different goat genotypes, milk production, and protein levels. Results of multivariate statistical analysis of GC-MS data demonstrate that different heterozygous and homozygous genotypes expressed different metabolites such as citric and aconitic acid for the strong allele class with different sugars and polyols for the weak class.

Exploring the Role of Different Neonatal Nutrition Regimens during the First Week of Life by Urinary GC-MS Metabolomics.

In this study, a gas-chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics study was applied to examine urine metabolite profiles of different classes of neonates under different nutrition regimens. The study population included 35 neonates, exclusively either breastfed or formula milk fed, in a seven-day timeframe. Urine samples were collected from intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), large for gestational age (LGA), and appropriate gestational age (AGA) neonates. At birth, IUGR and LGA neonates showed similarities in their urine metabolite profiles that differed from AGA. When neonates started milk feeding, their metabolite excretion profile was strongly characterized by the different diet regimens. After three days of formula milk nutrition, urine had higher levels of glucose, galactose, glycine and myo-inositol, while up-regulated aconitic acid, aminomalonic acid and adipic acid were found in breast milk fed neonates. At seven days, neonates fed with formula milk shared higher levels of pseudouridine with IUGR and LGA at birth. Breastfed neonates shared up-regulated pyroglutamic acid, citric acid, and homoserine, with AGA at birth. The role of most important metabolites is herein discussed.