Terretonin M: A new meroterpenoid from the thermophilic Aspergillus terreus TM8 and revision of the absolute configuration of penisimplicins

Terretonin M (1), a new highly oxygenated tetracyclic meroterpenoid, was isolated from the thermophilic fungus Aspergillus terreus TM8 together with 10 known metabolites: terrelumamide A, asterrelenin, 7-prenyl-indolyl-3-carbaldehyde, (3β,5α,6β)-3,5,6-trihydroxy-ergosta-7,22-diene, sitostenone, linoleic acid, ergosterol, uracil, p-hydroxy-benzoic acid, and indole-3-carboxylic acid. The chemical structure of the new compound was elucidated by extensive 1D, 2D NMR, and ESI HR mass measurements, and by comparison with literature data. The absolute configuration of 1 was resolved by analysis of its NOESY spectrum and comparison of its experimental ECD spectrum with DFT calculations. In parallel to this work, revision of the absolute configuration of penisimplicins 3a and 3b is proposed on the basis of their ECD and ORD data. The isolation and taxonomic characterisation of A. terreus TM8 is reported, and the antimicrobial activity of the crude extract and the isolated compounds was studied as well.     

Production of Terretonin N and Butyrolactone I by Thermophilic Aspergillus terreus TM8 Promoted Apoptosis and Cell Death in Human Prostate and Ovarian Cancer Cells

The anticancer activity of terretonin N (1) and butyrolactone I (2), obtained from the thermophilic fungus Aspergillus terreus TM8, was intensively studied against prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) and ovary adenocarcinoma (SKOV3) human cell lines. According to this study, both compounds showed potent cytotoxicity towards ovarian adenocarcinoma cells (SKOV3) with IC₅₀ 1.2 and 0.6 μg/mL, respectively. With respect to metastatic prostate cells (PC-3), the two compounds 1 and 2 showed a significantly promising cytotoxicity effect with IC₅₀ of 7.4 and 4.5 μg/mL, respectively. The tested fungal metabolites showed higher rates of early and late apoptosis with little or no necrotic apoptotic pathway in all treated prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) and ovary adenocarcinoma (SKOV3) human cell lines, respectively. The results reported in this study confirmed the promising biological properties of terretonin N (1) and butyrolactone I (2) as anticancer agents via the induction of cellular apoptosis. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which cellular apoptosis is induced in cancer cells.     

Exponential repulsion improves structural predictability of molecular docking

Molecular docking is a powerful tool for theoretical prediction of the preferred conformation and orientation of small molecules within protein active sites. The obtained poses can be used for estimation of binding energies, which indicate the inhibition effect of designed inhibitors, and therefore might be used for in silico drug design. However, the evaluation of ligand binding affinity critically depends on successful prediction of the native binding mode. Contemporary docking methods are often based on scoring functions derived from molecular mechanical potentials. In such potentials, nonbonded interactions are typically represented by electrostatic interactions between atom‐centered partial charges and standard 6–12 Lennard–Jones potential. Here, we present implementation and testing of a scoring function based on more physically justified exponential repulsion instead of the standard Lennard–Jones potential. We found that this scoring function significantly improved prediction of the native binding modes in proteins bearing narrow active sites such as serine proteases and kinases. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Synthesis and X-ray structural investigation of zinc 2-methyl-8-selanylquinolinate. Comparative crystallographic analysis of the zinc 8-sulfanyl-, 8-selanyl-, and 2-methyl-8-selanylquinolinate molecules

Zinc 2-Methyl-8-selanylquinolinate Zn[C₉H₅(Me)NSe]₂ has been synthesized and its structure proved by X-ray analysis. The effect of different ligand atoms (Se or S) and a methyl group in position 2 of the ligand on the geometry of the coordinated zinc atom polyhedron has been studied for zinc 8-sulfanyl-, 8-selanyl-, and 2-methyl-8-selanylquinolinate. Dedicated to Academician E. Lukevics in recognition of his service to organometallic chemistry __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 123–128, January, 2007.     

Synthesis and molecular docking study of novel COVID-19 inhibitors

In 2020, the world tried to combat the corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic. A proven treatment method specific to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still not found. In this study, seven new antiviral compounds were designed for COVID-19 treatment. The ability of these compounds to inhibit COVID-19’s RNA processing was calculated by the molecular docking study. It has been observed that the compounds can have high binding affinities especially against NSP12 (between -9.06 and -8.00 kcal/mol). The molecular dynamics simulation of NSP12-ZG 7 complex proved the stability of interaction. The synthesis of two most active molecules was performed by one-pot reaction and characterized by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, and mass spectroscopy. The compounds presented with their synthesis are inhibitory core structures against SARS-CoV-2 infection.     

Fluorescence quenching and molecular docking study on the binding of four hydroxyanthraquinones to FTO

In this work, the binding of four hydroxyanthraquinones (HAQs) to fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) protein has been studied using fluorescence, UV-vis absorption and circular dichroism spectroscopy as well as molecular docking analysis. Analysis of fluorescence data showed that the binding of HAQs to FTO occurred via a static quenching mechanism. Thermodynamic analysis and molecular docking results suggested that hydrophobic force played a major role in stabilising the HAQ-FTO complex. Circular dichroism spectra indicated that the secondary structure of FTO was changed by the addition of HAQs. Results also showed that emodin had the strongest quenching and binding ability among four HAQs.     

Antimicrobial activity and molecular docking studies of a novel anthraquinone from a marine-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor

A novel anthraquinone, 2-(dimethoxymethyl)-1-hydroxyanthracene-9,10-dione (1), together with nine known compounds (2–10), were isolated from the fermentation of Aspergillus versicolor derived from deep sea sediment. Their structures were established through spectroscopic methods. Compound 1 exhibited strong inhibitory activities against MRSA ATCC 43300 and MRSA CGMCC 1.12409 (with MIC values of 3.9 and 7.8 μg/mL respectively) and moderate activities against tested strains of Vibrio (with MIC values ranging from 15.6 to 62.5 μg/mL). Compound 1 was subjected to molecular docking studies for inhibition of topoisomerase IV and AmpC β-lactamase enzymes indicating its usefulness as antimicrobial agent.     

One-pot,four-component synthesis of benzylpyrazolyl naphthoquinone derivatives and molecular docking studies

A highly efficient, green, one-pot, four-component approach for the synthesis of benzylpyrazolyl naphthoquinone derivatives (5a–p) have been developed by the domino reaction of 2-hydroxy naphthoquinone, aromatic aldehyde, ethyl acetoacetate, and phenyl hydrazine derivatives in water and employed p-toluene sulfonic acid (p-TSA) as the right choice of catalyst at reflux. Docking simulation was performed to position compounds 5a, 5b, and 5g into the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) structure active site to determine the probable binding model.     

Diorganotin(IV) carboxylates of 3-methylphenyl ethanoic acid: Synthesis,crystal structure,antibacterial, anticancer and molecular docking studies

Abstract

Di-n-butyl- (1) and diethyltin(IV) (2) derivatives of 3-methylphenylethanoic acid were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, atomic absorption, IR, ¹H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The spectroscopic data and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies for complex 2 have confirmed a bidentate coordination mode of the carboxylate ligand and the presence of hexacoordinated tin atoms in the complexes. The complexes were screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against selected gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains. The anticancer potential was assessed against prostate cancer cell lines. Both complexes have shown higher activities than the ligand acid. Complex 1 with an IC₅₀ value of 4.97?±?0.27?μg/mL was found to be better anti prostate cancer agent than complex 2 (IC₅₀ = 11.26?±?2.18?μg/mL). Molecular docking study has suggested antibacterial action of the complexes in terms of their ability to develop hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions with vital residues of the target proteins like tyrosyl-tRNA synthase from Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive bacteria) and undecaprenyl diphosphate synthase from Escherichia coli (gram-negative bacteria).     

Theoretical investigation of the molecular structure,vibrational spectra,and molecular docking of tramadol using density functional theory

The optimized molecular structures, harmonic vibrational wavenumbers, and the corresponding vibrational assignments of (1S,2S)-tramadol and (1R,2R)-tramadol are computationally examined using the B3LYP density functional theory method together with the standard 6–311++G(d,p) and def2-TVZP basis sets. The optimized structures show that phenolic rings of both 1R,2R and 1S,2S tramadol adopt planar geometry, which are slightly distorted due to the substitution at the meta-position; and the six-membered cyclohexane adopts a slightly distorted chair conformation. The 1S,2S enantiomer is energetically more favorable than 1R,2R with the energy differences of 1.32 and 1.03 kcal/mol obtained at B3LYP/6–311++G(d,p) and B3LYP/Def2-TVZP levels, respectively. The analysis of the binding pocket in the silico molecular docking with the m-opioid receptor shows that it originated two clusters with the 1S,2S enantiomer and one cluster with the 1R,2R enantiomer of tramadol. The results point to a more stable complex of the m-opioid receptor with the 1R,2R enantiomer of tramadol.     

Five new cobalt(II) complexes based on indazole derivatives: synthesis,DNA binding and molecular docking study

Five cobalt(II) complexes based on 1H-indazole-3-carboxylic acid (H₂L), [Co(phen)(HL)₂]·2H₂O (1), [Co(5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipy)(HL)₂] (2), [Co(2,2′-bipy)₂(HL)₂]·5H₂O (3), [Co₂(2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phen)₂(L)₂] (4) and [Co₂(6,6′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipy)₂(L)₂]·H₂O (5) (2,2'-bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), have been synthesized and structurally characterized by elemental analyses, IR and UV-vis spectroscopies and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The results indicate that 1–3 possess mononuclear Co(II) structures, while 4 and 5 exhibit binuclear structure. 1D water tape which is linked by the multiple hydrogen bonds was embedded in the 3D motif of complex 3. Complexes 4 and 5 show two orthogonal planes of motif that was constituted by phen/2,2′-bipy and indazole acid, respectively. The intermolecular interactions including hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking interactions are stabilizing these complexes. The interactions of the synthesized complexes with calf-thymus DNA (CT-DNA) have been investigated by UV-vis absorption titration, ethidium bromide displacement assay and viscosity measurements. The results reveal that the complexes could interact with CT-DNA via a groove binding mode. Their behavior rationalization was further theoretically studied by molecular docking.     

Synthesis,structural characterization,molecular docking,and urease inhibition studies of dinuclear cobalt(II) complexes derived from 3,5-bis(pyridin-2-yl)-4-amino-1,2,4-triazole

Two dinuclear Co(II) complexes, [Co₂(L)₂(EtOH)₄]·4ClO₄ (1) and [Co₂(L)₂(H₂O)₂(NO₃)₂]·2NO₃ (2) (L?=?4-amino-3,5-bis(pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazole), have been obtained and characterized by IR, elemental analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The stabilization of their crystal lattices is maintained by strong H-bonds between counterions and host framework, which lead to various supramolecular architectures. The urease inhibitory properties of 1, 2, and L were investigated, where the two complexes revealed strong urease inhibition activities. Docking simulations of 2 have been performed with H. pylori urease (PDB code: 1E9Z) to rationalize their binding models.     

鲍曼不动杆菌LpxC的同源模建及分子对接

鲍曼不动杆菌已成为最普遍的医院致病菌,且耐药情况严峻.LpxC作为新抗菌药物靶点被大量研究,但鲍曼不动杆菌LpxC晶体尚未解析得到,基于其结构的药物设计等工作无法开展.以铜绿假单胞菌LpxC晶体结构为模板,通过同源模建方法获得鲍曼不动杆菌LpxC结构模型.较好的Ramachandran plot分布和Profile-3D结果验证了模型的合理性.用分子动力学模拟优化鲍曼不动杆菌LpxC模型,修补部分不合理构象.后续分子对接结果显示S构型的苄氧乙酰基羟肟酸类抑制剂比R构型分子能更有效地结合在F191,H237和K238组成的较浅口袋中,这可能是S构型抑制剂活性更高的主要因素,模拟结果与实验数据吻合较好.     

Antifungal activity of compounds isolated from Aspergillus niger and their molecular docking studies with tomatinase

Abstract

Using a dual culture antagonism assay, Aspergillus niger exhibited 51.5?±?1.1% growth inhibition against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, the wilt pathogen of tomato. For enhanced production of antifungal metabolites, nutrient optimization was performed and in vitro well-diffusion antifungal assays demonstrated that crude extract obtained from GPYB culture showed a maximum zone of inhibition (8.8?±?0.4?mm) against the wilt pathogen, which is corroborated by the comparative LCMS profiles of the extracts from all three media i.e. GPYB, YEB and PDB. Two known compounds, Asperazine (m/z 665 [M?+?H]⁺) and Nigerone (m/z 571 [M?+?H]⁺), were isolated from A. niger and their antifungal activity is reported here for the first time. In MIC experiments, Asperazine and Nigerone inhibited the pathogen at 60 and 80?µg·mL^?1 respectively. Molecular docking studies of Nigerone and Asperazine with F. oxysporum tomatinase showed five and six binding interactions respectively.     

Synthesis,bioevaluation and molecular docking study of new piperazine and amide linked dimeric 1,2,3-triazoles

Abstract

In search of more potent new antitubercular agents, a library of novel piperazine tethered dimeric 1,2,3-triazoles were designed by assembling 1,2,3-triazoles and piperazine in a single molecular architectural framework. The titled compounds (3a–m) were synthesized by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 1,4-di(prop-2-yn-1-yl)piperazine (1) and various azides (2a–m) using click chemistry approach with good yields. All the synthesized compounds (3a–m) have been screened for their in vitro antitubercular, antifungal and antioxidant activities against their respective strains. Among them, 3b, 3d, and 3i have revealed promising antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv with MIC 12.5?µg/mL. Molecular docking results provided well-clustered solutions to the mode of binding for these molecules into the active site of Mtb enoyl reductase (InhA). In addition to this, most of synthesized compounds were found to have potential antifungal as well as antioxidant activity.     

Cytotoxicity activity,in silico molecular docking,protein- and DNA-binding study of a new Ni(II) Schiff base complex

Abstract

One new nickel(II) complex, [Ni(L)] (1), was synthesized from the Schiff base ligand derived from pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde and 1,3-diaminopropane. Complex 1 was characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis and ESI mass spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and single-crystal X-ray structure analysis. Crystallographic results show that two Ni(II) monomeric moieties are present with similar structural features but with slightly different bond lengths and bond angles. The geometry around the Ni(II) center is distorted square planar. DNA-binding properties of complex 1 were well explored by employing UV-Vis and fluorescence spectral methods, cyclic voltammetry, and by viscosity measurements. Similarly the protein-binding study was studied by multispectroscopic techniques using both BSA and HSA. The cytotoxicity study of the compound has also been evaluated. Notably, the in vitro cytotoxicity of complex 1 on two cancer cell lines (AGS and A549) demonstrates that complex 1 has very good anticancer activity. MTT assay, cell-cycle analysis, and annexin-V assay have been performed to know the extent of effect of complex 1 as anticancer agent. Further, in silico molecular docking study revealed that the nickel(II) complex fits into the minor groove of duplex DNA by hydrophobic interaction with functional groups of B-DNA.     

The MM2QM tool for combining docking,molecular dynamics,molecular mechanics,and quantum mechanics†

The use of the MM2QM tool in a combined docking + molecular dynamics (MD) + molecular mechanics (MM) + quantum mechanical (QM) binding affinity prediction study is presented, and the tool itself is discussed. The system of interest is Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) pantothenate synthetase in complexes with three highly similar sulfonamide inhibitors, for which crystal structures are available. Starting from the structure of MTB pantothenate synthetase in the “open” conformation and following the combined docking + MD + MM + QM procedure, we were able to capture the closing of the enzyme binding pocket and to reproduce the position of the ligands with an average root mean square deviation of 1.6 Å. Protein–ligand interaction energies were reproduced with an average error lower than 10%. The discussion on the MD part and a protein flexibility importance is carried out. The presented approach may be useful especially for finding analog inhibitors or improving drug candidates. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Chemical Profiling,Docking Study,and Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of the Endophytic fungi Aspergillus sp. AP5

Growing data suggest that Aspergillus niger, an endophytic fungus, is a rich source of natural compounds with a wide range of biological properties. This study aimed to examine the antimicrobial and antibiofilm capabilities of the Phragmites australis-derived endophyte against a set of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The endophytic fungus Aspergillus sp. AP5 was isolated from the leaves of P. australis. The chemical profile of the fungal crude extract was identified by spectroscopic analysis using LC-HRESIMS. The fungal-derived extract was evaluated for its antimicrobial activity towards a set of pathogenic bacterial and fungal strains including Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella sp., Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. Moreover, antibiofilm activity toward four resistant biofilm-forming bacteria was also evaluated. Additionally, a neural-networking pharmacophore-based visual screening predicted the most probable bioactive compounds in the obtained extract. The AP5-EtOAc extract was found to have potent antibacterial activities against S. aureus, E. coli, and Klebsiella sp., while it exhibited low antibacterial activity toward P. Vulgaris and P. aeruginosa and displayed anticandidal activity. The AP5-EtOAc extract had significant antibiofilm activity in S. aureus, followed by P. aeruginosa. The active metabolites’ antifungal and/or antibacterial activities may be due to targeting the fungal CYP 51 and/or the bacterial Gyr-B.     

3D-QSAR and molecular docking study of LRRK2 kinase inhibitors by CoMFA and CoMSIA methods

Three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship (3D-QSAR) modelling was conducted on a series of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) antagonists using CoMFA and CoMSIA methods. The data set, which consisted of 37 molecules, was divided into training and test subsets by using a hierarchical clustering method. Both CoMFA and CoMSIA models were derived using a training set on the basis of the common substructure-based alignment. The optimum PLS model built by CoMFA and CoMSIA provided satisfactory statistical results (q² = 0.589 and r² = 0.927 and q² = 0.473 and r² = 0.802, respectively). The external predictive ability of the models was evaluated by using seven compounds. Moreover, an external evaluation set with known experimental data was used to evaluate the external predictive ability of the porposed models. The statistical parameters indicated that CoMFA (after region focusing) has high predictive ability in comparison with standard CoMFA and CoMSIA models. Molecular docking was also performed on the most active compound to investigate the existence of interactions between the most active inhibitor and the LRRK2 receptor. Based on the obtained results and CoMFA contour maps, some features were introduced to provide useful insights for designing novel and potent LRRK2 inhibitors.     

Exploring the potential of fluoro-flavonoid derivatives as anti-lung cancer agents: DFT,molecular docking,and molecular dynamics techniques

The present investigation utilized in silico methodologies to explore the diverse pharmacological activities, toxicity profiles, and chemical reactivity of a series of fluoro-flavonoid compounds ( 1 – 14 ), which are secondary metabolites of plants known for their broad range of biological effects. A comprehensive strategy is utilized, incorporating methods such as prediction of activity spectra for substances (PASS) prediction, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) assessments, and density functional theory (B3LYP) calculations using three basis sets: 6-31G(d,p), 6-311G(d,p), and 6-311++G(d,p). Furthermore, the study employed molecular docking technique to identify target proteins, including HER2 (7JXH), EGFR (4UV7), FPPS (1YQ7), HPGDS (1V40), DCK (1P60), and KEAP1 on Nrf2 (1X2J), for the investigated compounds, with cianidanol and genistein serving as reference drugs for the docking process. The investigated fluoro-flavonoid compounds exhibited significantly greater binding affinities (ranging from −8.3 to −10.6 kcal mol⁻¹) toward HER2, HPGDS, and KEAP1 compared to the reference drugs, cianidanol and genistein, which displayed binding affinities ranging from −8.4 to −9.4 kcal mol⁻¹. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to assess the stability of the protein-ligand interaction, using the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF), Radius of gyration (Rg) parameters and principle component analysis (PCA). Among the tested fluoro-flavonoid analogs, analog 11 showed a RMSD value of .15 nm with the HER2 protein target, indicating a stable interaction. Based on in silico results, it appears that the fluoro-flavonoid compound 11 has the potential to serve as a targeted anti-lung cancer drug. However, additional in vivo and in vitro studies are necessary to confirm this hypothesis.