Current drug discovery technologies最新文献

Cannabinoids are compounds with increasing scientific interest, particularly due to their interaction with the endocannabinoid system via CBR1 and CBR2 receptors. They can interfere with appetite, pain, and sleep or develop mood changes in the individual. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a well-known cannabinoid with potential benefits, including reducing epilepsy seizures, alleviating anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, aiding in Tourette Syndrome (a neurodevelopmental disorder), depression, sleep disorders, and promising in the treatment of cancer, pain relief, and heart health. Although generally safe, CBD can have side effects, including drug metabolism interference, fertility, and liver function. In addition, it can be administered by oral, sublingual, transdermal, or inhalation via each one with different bioavailability. The application of nanotechnology, specifically through colloidal carrier systems, holds promising potential for maximizing CBD's efficacy and pharmacological profile. There are reported CBD extraction methods using ethanol, carbon dioxide, deionised water, and non-polar oils like olive or coconut oil. Green extraction methods have gained popularity due to their higher yields, shorter extraction time, and reduced costs. A specific dose with the desired effects is challenging due to individual factors, with most studies suggesting a range between less than 1 and 50 mg/kg/d. This review aims to explore the principles of CBD-based products development, focusing on extraction methods and purification processes of this cannabinoid for tinctures, topicals, and other pharmaceutical forms, as well as further research to attain the objectives.

In underdeveloped nations, tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a major source of morbidity and mortality. The currently available vaccine against tuberculosis in endemic areas is mainly ineffective, which triggers the need for a clinically effective vaccine against tuberculosis. In the present review, we emphasized the impact of genetic variations in the BCG strains, which influence the efficacy of BCG vaccines. We also discussed the current status of BCG vaccines and their potential mechanisms on the modulation of B cells and, thereby, humoral immunity, which trigger immune responses against various intracellular pathogens. Further, we also elaborated upon the pre-clinical and clinical studies demonstrating the efficacy and safety of the vaccines. Moreover, we also presented the putative novel targets such as polysaccharide-induced antibodies for the protection against Mtb, PGRS domain as an important target for Humoral immunity, HLA-E pathway-Target strategy for new TB vaccine, Coronin-1a - Novel player for Mycobacterial survival, IRGM, IFN-I3, an autophagy inducer with Irgm1 serving as a core part in the Tuberculosis vaccine development.

Repurposing of drugs through nanocarriers (NCs) based platforms has been a recent trend in drug delivery research. Various routine drugs are now being repurposed to treat challenging neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer disease (AD). AD, at present is one of the challenging neurodegenerative disorders characterized by extracellular accumulation of amyloid-β and intracellular accumulations of neurofibrillary tangles. In spite of catchy progress in drug development, effective treatment outcome in AD patients is far-fetched dream. Out of several proposed hypothesis in the development and progression of AD, potential role of microorganisms causing dementia and AD cannot be ruled out. Several recent researches have been documented a clear correlation in between microbial infection and neuronal damage leading to progression of AD. Thus, antimicrobial drugs repurposing has been emerged as alternate, potential, cost-effective strategy to check progression of AD. Further, for efficient delivery of antimicrobial drugs to brain tissue, novel NCs based platforms are the preferred option to bypass blood-brain barrier. Several polymeric and lipid NCs have been extensively studied over the past years to improve antimicrobial drug delivery to brain. The present review encompasses various repurposing strategy of antimicrobial drugs delivered through various NCs to target AD. Evidence-based research outcome compiled from authentic database like Scopus, PubMed, Web of science have been pooled to provide an updated review. Side by side some light has been thrown on the practical problems faced by nanodrug carriers during technology transfer.

Background: One of the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). The current treatment methods comprise employing chemotherapeutic medications or doing surgery to remove the developed tumors. A more affordable option for treating HPV-related diseases has emerged with the advent of medication-based therapy. The interaction between E6 protein and E6AP generates a p53 degradation complex in HPV-infected cells, which facilitates carcinogenesis.

Objective: The purpose of this work is to use a virtual screening technique to find possible small molecule inhibitors against the HPV16 E6 protein.

Methods: Compounds 5, 7, and 10 are three new HPV 16 E6 inhibitors that were created utilizing a fragment-based methodology. The trials subset in the ZINC database was screened virtually using the structural information of these three novel chemicals, yielding 9800 hits. Using the GLIDE module of the Schrodinger software, three virtual screening phases were applied to the molecules that were collected from the database. MD simulations and DFT (Density Function Theory) were also carried out.

Results: The findings indicated that when compared to the reference molecule, luteolin, the five-hit compounds (ZINC000034853956, ZINC000001534965, ZINC000095617673, ZINC000005764481, and ZINC000071606215) demonstrated superior glide scores. Important interactions between these compounds and the HPV 16 E6 protein were seen. Using the QikProp tool, the pharmacokinetic characteristics of these hit compounds were examined. The findings demonstrated that the pharmacokinetic characteristics and oral absorption by humans of all five compounds were found to be satisfactory. Except for ZINC000005764481, all five hit compounds were predicted to be toxic; the remaining four displayed drug-like characteristics.

Conclusion: To create HPV 16 E6 inhibitors for the treatment of HPV-related disorders, the four hit compounds (ZINC000034853956, ZINC000001534965, ZINC000095617673, and ZINC00007160- 6215) can be employed as lead molecules.

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease of high levels of glucose in the blood and affecting 536.6 million people in the world between the age group of 20-79 with management spent of 11% of the total worldwide. Wound healing in diabetics is impaired due to many factors like high blood sugar, poor blood circulation, damaged blood vessels, diabetic neuropathy, decreased immune responses etc. The presently used synthetic drugs have high costs, a toxic nature, and are full of adverse effects drawing attention to the need to identify new and successful treatment approaches for diabetic wounds. In silico drug screening methods of drug development made it easy to screen thousands of active constituents against a target specifically responsible for diabetes and wound healing. Thus the current review compiled the naturally available active compounds screened by in silico docking from natural resources and has the potential to treat diabetic wound healing with their specificity and target-based mechanism. This information will be helpful for further screening of non-reported natural compounds having antidiabetic as well as wound healing potential.

Introduction: Cannabigerol (CBG), being one of the non-psychotropic phyto-cannabinoid, has been labelled and recognized to be antioxidant and neuroprotective; it may conceivably hold depression-relieving activity. Consequently, the objective of the present research procedure was to explore the depression-alleviating competence of cannabigerol in both stressed and unstressed mice using computational/in-silico modelling, followed by in-vivo analysis.

Methods: Target genes for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) were identified using GeneCards and Swiss Target Prediction, with common targets screened via Venny software. STRING database analysis established protein-protein interactions (PPI), identifying CNR2 (CB2 receptor) as a key target. Molecular docking of CBG with CB2 (PDB ID: 8GUR) showed strong binding, prompting in-vivo evaluation. ADME profiling via Schrödinger Maestro v10.5 confirmed CBG's high oral absorption and favorable pharmacokinetics. Male Swiss albino mice underwent chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for three successive weeks, with CBG (10, 20, 40 mg/kg) and imipramine (15 mg/kg) administered and various behavioral and biochemical parameters being analyzed.

Results and discussion: Cannabigerol demonstrated maximum oral absorption in ADME predictions using Schrödinger's Maestro (v10.5). Wayne diagram illustrated MDD-related targets, with CB2 (CNR2) rankings in top targets, based on SwissADME and Venny software analysis. Docking analysis revealed a high binding affinity (-10.53) for CB2, outperforming cannabidiol (-9.56) and comparable to Δ9-THC (-10.11). During in-vivo evaluation, CBG (40 mg/kg) and Imipramine 15 mg/kg significantly reduced CUMS-induced exalted plasma corticosterone, nitrite quantities, and monoamine oxidase-A action in the brain of stressed mice. Additionally, both treatments substantially reversed the unpredictable chronic stress-induced decline in catalase action, demonstrating CBG's possible potential in alleviating depression-like symptoms in mice.

Conclusion: Cannabigerol has shown significant depressive alleviating potential in mice exposed to chronic and unpredictable stress regimes, possibly via interaction with cannabinoid receptors as indicated by in-silico modelling, which has been validated by our findings of the in-vivo protocol.

Introduction: Vitamin D plays a crucial role in maintaining muscle and bone health and has been increasingly implicated in neurological disorders, including depression and anxiety, which are conditions closely associated with dysregulation of the serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1A receptor). This study employs molecular modeling techniques to investigate the potential agonistic activity of Vitamin D on the 5-HT1A receptor. Additionally, it seeks to elucidate the key structural motifs and molecular interactions that underline the binding affinity between Vitamin D and the receptor. The insights gained from this research may inform the design of Vitamin D-derived compounds with optimized pharmacological profiles, contributing to therapeutic advancements in related neurological conditions.

Methods: We selected five structures of the 5-HT1A receptor (PDB IDs: 7E2Y, 7E2Z, 8W8B, 8JSP, and 8JT6) for Protein-Ligand Interaction Fingerprint (PLIF) analysis. We conducted molecular docking to evaluate the binding efficiency of two forms of Vitamin D, ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol, to the 5-HT1A receptor. Following this, we performed Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to assess the stability of these interactions.

Results and discussion: Docking results revealed binding energies below -6.64 kcal/mol for both forms of Vitamin D, with ergocalciferol achieving a maximum binding energy of -7.78 kcal/mol. ASP116 emerged as a pivotal residue in stabilizing these interactions. MD simulations indicated that the Vitamin D-5-HT1A complexes exhibited stability comparable to the serotonin-bound 5-HT1A receptor complex.

Conclusion: Our study suggests that Vitamin D may function as an agonist for the 5-HT1A receptor, with ASP116 playing a critical role in binding. Yet, further in vitro and in vivo studies are necessary to validate these findings and explore the therapeutic potential of Vitamin D-derived compounds.

Background: The development of antimicrobial agents is crucial for several reasons, primarily to combat infectious diseases and to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. The need for the continued development of antimicrobial drugs persists despite the presence of many existing drugs for several reasons, viz emerging new pathogens and diseases, resistance to existing drugs, and propagation of multidrug resistance to existing drugs.

Objective: The objective of the study was to synthesize and evaluate the antimicrobial potential of newly synthesized benzothiazole derivatives.

Methods: A new series of 2-(substituted amino)-N-(6-substituted-1,3-benzothiazol-2yl)acetamide BTC(a-t) has been synthesized by reacting it with chloracetyl chloride with substituted 2-amino benzothiazole and further refluxed with various substituted amines to obtain target compounds. The synthesized compounds were screened experimentally for their antimicrobial property against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and fungi. The zone of inhibition and minimum inhibitory concentration of compounds were determined against selected bacterial and fungal strains. Further docking study was carried out to check the probable interactions with the selected protein using V-life MDS 3.5 software (DNA gyrase, PDB: 3G75).

Results: Compounds BTC-j N-(6-methoxy-1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)-2-(pyridine-3-ylamino)acetamide and BTC-r N-(6-nitro-1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)-2-(pyridine-3-ylamino)acetamide were found to have good antimicrobial potential. The compound BTC-j showed good antibacterial activity against S. aureus at an MIC value of 12.5 μg/mL, B. subtilis at MIC of 6.25μg/mL, E. coli at MIC of 3.125μg/mL, and P. aeruginosa at MIC of 6.25μg/mL. Thus, from the result, it was observed that compounds BTC-j, BTC-f, BTC-n, and BTC-r exhibited significant antibacterial and antifungal potential at different concentrations.

Conclusion: The present study resulted in the successful synthesis of 2-acetamido substituted benzothiazole derivatives BTC(a-t) with good yields. The dock score of the compounds and the antimicrobial activity were found to be consistent. No statistical difference in the antimicrobial activity of the standard and test compounds was found, indicating that the test compounds have comparable activity. Therefore, benzothiazole linked to heterocyclic rings with an acetamide linkage may serve as promising lead molecules for further optimization in the journey to discover potent antibacterial agents. Thus, we conclude that the synthesized compounds have the potential for further development as novel antimicrobial agents.

In medicine, bioavailability is the percentage of a drug that enters the bloodstream and can be used to treat a patient. It has proven challenging throughout time to develop techniques that allow oral administration of most drugs, regardless of their properties, to achieve therapeutic systemic availability. This will be an impressive feat, considering that over 90% of pharmaceuticals are known to have limitations on their oral bioavailability. Improving bioavailability is crucial for optimizing the efficacy and safety of drugs. This review covers a wide range of techniques, including physical, chemical, and formulation approaches, highlighting their mechanisms, advantages, and limitations. Inhibitions of efflux pumps, inhibition of presystemic metabolism, and innovative drug delivery systems that capitalize on the gastrointestinal regionality of medicines are some of the new techniques that have drawn increased interest. Nanotechnology in pharmaceuticals is also being used in this field. We have collected the literature data from 2009 to 2024 using Science Direct, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar.

Background: The study focuses on evaluating the parasitic potential of novel metronidazole analogs using computational methods. Specifically, it aims to target key enzymes of oral anaerobes, including UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 1-carboxyvinyltransferase (MurA) of Fusobacterium nucleatum and DNA topoisomerase (Topo) of Prevotella intermedia.

Objective: The objective is to assess the pharmacokinetic and toxicity properties of 368 novel nitroimidazole candidates through virtual screening. Additionally, the study aims to determine the binding affinity of the most promising candidates with the target proteins through molecular docking analyses.

Methods: A combinatorial library of nitroimidazole candidates was constructed, and virtual screening was performed. Molecular docking analyses were conducted to evaluate the binding affinity of selected compounds with MurA and Topo. Further investigation involved molecular dynamic simulation to assess the stability of the compounds within the active sites of MurA and Topo.

Results: All selected compounds exhibited activity against both MurA and Topo. Among them, Mnz11, Mnz12, and Mnz15 demonstrated the lowest binding free energies and IC₅₀ values. Molecular dynamic simulation indicated that these three compounds remained stable within the active sites of MurA and Topo, with RMSD values consistently below 2 Å. Additionally, the antibacterial potential of the most potent compound, Mnz15, was evaluated against a series of oral microbes.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the newly identified nitroimidazole candidates show promise as anti-parasitic agents, based on their activity against key enzymes of oral anaerobes and their pharmacokinetic properties evaluated through computational methods.