Berberine Derivatives as Pseudomonas aeruginosa MexXY-OprM Inhibitors: Activity and In Silico Insights

The natural alkaloid berberine has been demonstrated to inhibit the Pseudomonas aeruginosa multidrug efflux system MexXY-OprM, which is responsible for tobramycin extrusion by binding the inner membrane transporter MexY. To find a structure with improved inhibitory activity, we compared by molecular dynamics investigations the binding affinity of berberine and three aromatic substituents towards the three polymorphic sequences of MexY found in P. aeruginosa (PAO1, PA7, and PA14). The synergy of the combinations of berberine or berberine derivatives/tobramycin against the same strains was then evaluated by checkerboard and time-kill assays. The in silico analysis evidenced different binding modes depending on both the structure of the berberine derivative and the specific MexY polymorphism. In vitro assays showed an evident MIC reduction (32-fold and 16-fold, respectively) and a 2–3 log greater killing effect after 2 h of exposure to the combinations of 13-(2-methylbenzyl)- and 13-(4-methylbenzyl)-berberine with tobramycin against the tobramycin-resistant strain PA7, a milder synergy (a 4-fold MIC reduction) against PAO1 and PA14, and no synergy against the ΔmexXY strain K1525, confirming the MexY-specific binding and the computational results. These berberine derivatives could thus be considered new hit compounds to select more effective berberine substitutions and their common path of interaction with MexY as the starting point for the rational design of novel MexXY-OprM inhibitors.     

Exploring Natural Product Activity and Species Source Candidates for Hunting ABCB1 Transporter Inhibitors: An In Silico Drug Discovery Study

The P-glycoprotein (P-gp/ABCB1) is responsible for a xenobiotic efflux pump that shackles intracellular drug accumulation. Additionally, it is included in the dud of considerable antiviral and anticancer chemotherapies because of the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon. In the search for prospective anticancer drugs that inhibit the ABCB1 transporter, the Natural Product Activity and Species Source (NPASS) database, containing >35,000 molecules, was explored for identifying ABCB1 inhibitors. The performance of AutoDock4.2.6 software to anticipate ABCB1 docking score and pose was first assessed according to available experimental data. The docking scores of the NPASS molecules were predicted against the ABCB1 transporter. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted for molecules with docking scores lower than taxol, a reference inhibitor, pursued by molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) binding energy estimations. On the basis of MM-GBSA calculations, five compounds revealed promising binding affinities as ABCB1 inhibitors with ΔG_binding < −105.0 kcal/mol. The binding affinity and stability of the identified inhibitors were compared to the chemotherapeutic agent. Structural and energetical analyses unveiled great steadiness of the investigated inhibitors within the ABCB1 active site throughout 100 ns MD simulations. Conclusively, these findings point out that NPC104372, NPC475164, NPC2313, NPC197736, and NPC477344 hold guarantees as potential ABCB1 drug candidates and warrant further in vitro/in vivo tests.     

基于分子对接的6-萘甲基取代HEPT类HIV-1逆转录酶抑制剂构效关系研究

采用分子对接方法得到了一系列6-萘甲基取代HEPT类逆转录酶抑制剂分子与HIV-1逆转录酶复合物模型,从中抽取出抑制剂分子的活性构象,进一步应用CoMFA和CoMSIA方法建立了具有较好预测能力的3D-QSAR模型,深入探讨了这些化合物的定量构效关系,为进一步的药物设计奠定了良好的基础.另外,以化合物13及其相应的β异构体24为代表,结合量子化学从头算分子轨道理论方法考察了它们的前线轨道,为阐明α和β系列化合物的活性差异提供了理论依据.     

The Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Effects of a Novel Quinazoline Carrying Substituted-Sulfonamides: In Vitro and Molecular Docking Study

In order to investigate for a new effective and safe anticancer drug, we synthesized a novel series of quinazoline containing biologically active substituted-sulfonamide moiety at 3- position 4a–n. The structure of the newly prepared compounds was proved by microanalysis, IR, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and mass spectral data. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity in numerous cancer cell lines including A549, HepG-2, LoVo and MCF-7 and normal HUVEC cell line. The two most active compounds 4d and 4f were then tested for their apoptosis induction using DNA content and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. Moreover, apoptosis initiation was also confirmed using RT-PCR and Western blot. To further understand the binding preferences of quinazoline sulfonamides, docking simulations were used. Among the fourteen new synthesized compounds, we found that compounds 4d and 4f exerted the strongest cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells with an IC₅₀ value of 2.5 and 5 μM, respectively. Flow cytometry data revealed the ability of compounds 4d and 4f to mediate apoptosis and arrest cell cycle growth at G1 phase. Furthermore, RT-PCR and Western blot results suggested that both 4d and 4f activates apoptotic cell death pathway in MCF-7 cells. Molecular docking assessments indicated that compounds 4d and 4f fit perfectly into Bcl2’s active site. Based on the biological properties, we conclude that both compounds 4d and 4f could be used as a new type of anticancer agent, which provides a scientific basis for further research into the treatment of cancer.     

Molecular Modeling Studies of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Combining Molecular Docking and 3D-QSAR Methods

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor tyrosine kinases VEGFR-2 or kinase insertdomain receptor (KDR) have emerged as attractive targets for the design of novel anticancer agents. In the present work, molecular docking method combined with three dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships (comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indice analysis (CoMSIA)) to analyze the possible interactions between KDR and those derivatives which acted as selective inhibitors. The CoMFA and CoMSIA models gave a cross-validated coefficient Q2 of 0.713 and 0.549, non-cross-validated R2 values of 0.974 and 0.878, and predicted R2 values of 0.966 and 0.823, respectively. The 3D contour maps generated by the CoMFA and CoMSIA models were used to identify the key structural requirements responsible for the biological activity. The information obtained from 3D-QSAR and docking studies were very helpful to design novel selective inhibitors of KDR with desired activity and good chemical property.     

Molecular Modeling and Design of Arylthioindole Derivatives as Tubulin Inhibitors

Three-dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship （3D-QSAR） and docking studies of a series of arylthioindole derivatives as tubulin inhibitors against human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 have been carried out. An optimal 3D-QSAR model from the comparative molecular field analysis （CoMFA） for training set with significant statistical quality （R2=0.898） and predictive ability （q2=0.654） was established. The same model was further applied to predict pIC50 values of the compounds in test set, and the resulting predictive correlation coefficient R2（pred） reaches 0.816, further showing that this CoMFA model has high predictive ability. Moreover, the appropriate binding orientations and conformations of these compounds interacting with tubulin are located by docking study, and it is very interesting to find the consistency between the CoMFA field distribution and the 3D topology structure of active site of tubulin. Based on CoMFA along with docking results, some important factors improving the activities of these compounds were discussed in detail and were summarized as follows： the substituents R3-R5 （on the phenyl ring） with higher electronegativity, the substituent R6 with higher eleetropositivity and bigger bulk, the substituent R7 with smaller bulk, and so on. In addition, five new compounds with higher activities have been designed. Such results can offer useful theoretical references for experimental works.     

Analysis of Kojic Acid Derivatives as Competitive Inhibitors of Tyrosinase: A Molecular Modeling Approach

Tyrosinases belong to the functional copper-containing proteins family, and their structure contains two copper atoms, in the active site, which are coordinated by three histidine residues. The biosynthesis of melanin in melanocytes has two stages depending on the actions of the natural substrates L-DOPA and L-tyrosine. The dysregulation of tyrosinase is involved in skin cancer initiation. In the present study, using molecular modeling tools, we analyzed the inhibition activity of tyrosinase activity using kojic acid (KA) derivatives designed from aromatic aldehydes and malononitrile. All derivatives showed conformational affinity to the enzyme active site, and a favorable distance to chelate the copper ion, which is essential for enzyme function. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the derivatives formed promising complexes, presenting stable conformations with deviations between 0.2 and 0.35 Å. In addition, the investigated KA derivatives showed favorable binding free energies. The most stable KA derivatives showed the following binding free energies: −17.65 kcal mol⁻¹ (D6), −18.07 kcal mol⁻¹ (D2), −18.13 (D5) kcal mol⁻¹, and −10.31 kcal mol⁻¹ (D4). Our results suggest that these derivatives could be potent competitive inhibitors of the natural substrates of L-DOPA (−12.84 kcal mol⁻¹) and L-tyrosine (−9.04 kcal mol⁻¹) in melanogenesis.     

Quinazoline Based HDAC Dual Inhibitors as Potential Anti-Cancer Agents

Cancer is the most devastating disease and second leading cause of death around the world. Despite scientific advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer which can include targeted therapy, chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery in some cases, cancer cells appear to outsmart and evade almost any method of treatment by developing drug resistance. Quinazolines are the most versatile, ubiquitous and privileged nitrogen bearing heterocyclic compounds with a wide array of biological and pharmacological applications. Most of the anti-cancer agents featuring quinazoline pharmacophore have shown promising therapeutic activity. Therefore, extensive research is underway to explore the potential of these privileged scaffolds. In this context, a molecular hybridization approach to develop hybrid drugs has become a popular tool in the field of drug discovery, especially after witnessing the successful results during the past decade. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have emerged as an important anti-cancer target in the recent years given its role in cellular growth, gene regulation, and metabolism. Dual inhibitors, especially based on HDAC in particular, have become the center stage of current cancer drug development. Given the growing significance of dual HDAC inhibitors, in this review, we intend to compile the development of quinazoline based HDAC dual inhibitors as anti-cancer agents.     

Biological and Cheminformatics Studies of Newly Designed Triazole Based Derivatives as Potent Inhibitors against Mushroom Tyrosinase

A series of nine novel 1,2,4-triazole based compounds were synthesized through a multistep reaction pathway and their structures were scrutinized by using spectral methods such as FTIR, LC-MS, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR. The synthesized derivatives were screened for inhibitory activity against the mushroom tyrosinase and we found that all the synthesized compounds demonstrated decent inhibitory activity against tyrosinase. However, among the series of compounds, N-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(5-(2-fluorophenyl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-ylthio) acetamide exhibited more prominent activity when accompanied with the standard drug kojic acid. Furthermore, the molecular docking studies identified the interaction profile of all synthesized derivatives at the active site of tyrosinase. Based on these results, N-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(5-(2-fluorophenyl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-ylthio) acetamide could be used as a novel scaffold to design some new drugs against melanogenesis.     

Synthesis, Biological Activity Evaluation and Molecular Modeling Study on the New Isoconessimine Derivatives as Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

New isoconessimine derivatives were synthesized from conessine （1） and evaluated as acetylcholinesterase （ACHE） inhibitors. The derivatives were prepared via two reaction steps, N-demethylation and nuc]eophilic substi- tution. All of the synthesized derivatives exhibited more potential anti-acetylcholinesterase activities than conessine （1） （IC50=16μmol·L^-1） and isoconessimine （2） （IC50〉300 μmol·L ^-1）. Compound 7b （3fl-[methyl-[2-（4-nitro- phenoxy）ethyl]amino]con-5-enine） showed the most potent inhibitory activity with an IC50 of 110 μmol/L which is close to that of reference compound huperzine A （IC50= 70 μmol/L）. The mode of AChE inhibition by 7h was re- versible and non-competitive. In addition, molecular modeling was performed to explore the binding mode of in- hibitor 7b at the active site of AChE and the results showed that 7b could be docked into the acetylcholinesterase active site and compound 7h had hydrophobic interactions with Trp279 and Leu282.     

5-N-甲基苯并呋喃［3,2-b］喹啉衍生物的合成及其作为DNA嵌插剂的光谱学研究

以生物碱白叶藤碱为出发点,依据生物电子等排体原则,设计了5-N-甲基苯并呋喃[3,2-b]喹啉母体,并参考安吖啶结构特征,合成了一系列5-N-甲基苯并呋喃喹啉的11-位苯胺衍生物,通过波谱手段确认其结构。运用紫外-可见光谱法和分子对接测定了衍生物与DNA的结合常数K和对接分数。紫外光谱实验中,衍生物与小牛胸腺DNA结合后吸收峰出现减色效应和红移现象;离子强度实验排除了表面结合模式的可能性;结合EB置换实验和分子模拟的结果,可初步推断作用模式为嵌插作用。     

光谱和分子模拟法研究乙硫异烟胺与木瓜蛋白酶的分子作用机制

利用荧光光谱、紫外光谱和分子模拟方法研究了乙硫异烟胺(TH1314)与木瓜蛋白酶之间的相互作用, 求得了不同温度下的结合常数K. 研究结果表明, 静态猝灭是导致乙硫异烟胺对木瓜蛋白酶荧光猝灭的主要原因. 通过计算热力学参数, 可知乙硫异烟胺与木瓜蛋白酶相互作用的吉布斯自由能表现为较大的负值, 并结合作用过程的焓变和熵变推断出乙硫异烟胺与木瓜蛋白酶之间的作用力是以疏水和氢键作用为主. 同时, 利用紫外光谱和同步荧光光谱定性讨论了乙硫异烟胺对木瓜蛋白酶构象的影响. 分子模拟研究表明, 乙硫异烟胺与木瓜蛋白酶的相互作用不仅存在疏水作用, 而且有氢键作用, 这与光谱及热力学研究结果是一致的.     

4-甲氧基-N-(4-(3-吗啉基丙氧基)苯基)-3-(4-(吡啶-3-基)嘧啶-2-基氨基)苯甲酰胺与人血清白蛋白的相互作用研究

应用分子对接模拟技术结合荧光猝灭法、同步荧光法、三维荧光法和紫外-可见光谱法,模拟生理条件(p H 7.4),在298 K和310 K温度下,研究了人血清白蛋白(HSA)与4-甲氧基-N-(4-(3-吗啉基丙氧基)苯基)-3-(4-(吡啶-3-基)嘧啶-2-基氨基)苯甲酰胺(1z)之间的相互作用。发现1z的加入引起了HSA内源荧光的静态猝灭,蛋白构象发生改变。理论研究与实验结果相结合研究了蛋白与药物的作用机理,从而为进一步寻找治疗慢性粒细胞白血病的药物小分子提供了实验依据。     

芳香噻嗪类衍生物作为选择性醛糖还原酶抑制剂的分子对接和基于受体的三维定量构效关系研究

芳香噻嗪类衍生物被证明是一类选择性较好的高活性醛糖还原酶抑制剂(ARIs).本文对44个芳香噻嗪类化合物进行了分子对接(docking)和三维定量构效关系(3D-QSAR)研究,并探索了此类化合物与醛糖还原酶(ALr²)的作用机理.醛糖还原酶与醛还原酶(ALR1)活性位点的叠加结果显示, ALr²中残基Leu 300和Cys298的存在是化合物1m具有高选择性的原因.分别建立了比较分子场分析方法(CoMFA, q² = 0.649, r² =0.934; q²:交叉验证相关系数, r²:非交叉验证相关系数)和比较分子相似性指数分析方法(CoMSIA, q² = 0.746, r² = 0.971)模型,并对影响此类化合物生物活性的结构进行了鉴定.结果显示,两个模型均具有较高预测能力,并通过测试集中的7个化合物进行了验证,其中CoMFA模型和CoMSIA模型的预测相关系数(r_Pred²)分别为0.748和0.828. 3D-QSAR模型中的三维等值线图表明,在化合物1m的苄基环上C3和C4位置以及苯并噻嗪母核上C5和C7位置进行改进可能对生物活性的提高有利,此预测与我们前期报道的苯并噻嗪母核C7位改进结果一致.本文所建3D-QSAR模型能够在理性设计具有更高生物活性的新型ARIs中发挥重要作用.     

Newly Designed Quinazolinone Derivatives as Novel Tyrosinase Inhibitor: Synthesis,Inhibitory Activity,and Mechanism

We synthesized a series of quinazolinone derivates as tyrosinase inhibitors and evaluated their inhibition constants. We synthesized 2-(2,6-dimethylhepta-1,5-dien-1-yl)quinazolin-4(3H)-one (Q1) from the natural citral. The concentration, which led to 50% activity loss of Q1, was 103 ± 2 μM (IC₅₀ = 103 ± 2 μM). Furthermore, we considered Q1 to be a mixed-type and reversible tyrosinase inhibitor, and determined the K_I and K_IS inhibition constants to be 117.07 μM and 423.63 μM, respectively. Our fluorescence experiment revealed that Q1 could interact with the substrates of tyrosine and L-DOPA in addition to tyrosinase. Molecular docking studies showed that the binding of Q1 to tyrosinase was driven by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobicity. Briefly, the current study confirmed a new tyrosinase inhibitor, which is expected to be developed into a novel pigmentation drug.     

Oxazinethione Derivatives as a Precursor to Pyrazolone and Pyrimidine Derivatives: Synthesis,Biological Activities,Molecular Modeling,ADME, and Molecular Dynamics Studies

In this study, we used oxazinethione as a perfect precursor to synthesize new pyrimidine and pyrazole derivatives with potent biological activities. Biological activities were determined for all compounds against A. flavus, E. coli, S. aureus, and F. moniliform. Compounds 3, 4a-b, and 5 exhibited higher activities toward A. flavus, E. coli, S. aureus, and F. moniliform; this was indicated through the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration). At the same time, anticancer activities were determined through four cell lines, Ovcar-3, Hela, MCF-7, and LCC-MMk. The results obtained indicated that compound 5 was the most potent compound for both cell lines. Molecular docking was studied by the MOE (molecular operating environment). The in silico ADME of compounds 2 and 5 showed good pharmacokinetic properties. The present research strengthens the applicability of these compounds as encouraging anticancer and antibacterial drugs. Moreover, JAGUAR module MD simulations were carried out at about 100 ns. In addition, spectroscopic studies were carried out to establish the reactions of the synthesized structure derivatives.     

吲哚并喹啉衍生物与G-四链体相互作用的分子模拟研究

G-四链体是富含鸟嘌呤碱基的DNA序列通过氢键相互作用形成的四链螺旋结构. 通过小分子化合物诱导与稳定端粒G-四链体从而抑制端粒酶活性是一种新的抗癌策略. 为了研究一系列吲哚并喹啉衍生物与端粒G-四链体的相互作用, 探究其相互作用模式, 从而为实现基于G-四链体结构的药物合理设计提供依据, 使用分子对接的方法构建了吲哚并喹啉衍生物与G-四链体复合物结构, 在此基础上进行分子动力学模拟, 并使用线性相互作用能(LIE)方法计算了化合物与G-四链体的结合自由能. 结果表明: 化合物与G-四链体的主要相互作用方式由氢键、静电与π-π堆积作用构成, 侧链末端基团类型和侧链的长短是影响相互作用强弱的重要因素. 通过LIE方法计算的结合自由能与实验结果基本吻合, 相关度达到r²＝0.79. 并且, 基于预测的结合模式, 总结了拥有更高活性的新型吲哚并喹啉衍生物应具有的几个结构特征.     

Design,Synthesis, Biological Evaluation,and Molecular Modeling of 2-Difluoromethylbenzimidazole Derivatives as Potential PI3Kα Inhibitors

PI3Kα is one of the potential targets for novel anticancer drugs. In this study, a series of 2-difluoromethylbenzimidazole derivatives were studied based on the combination of molecular modeling techniques 3D-QSAR, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics. The results showed that the best comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) model had q² = 0.797 and r² = 0.996 and the best comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) model had q² = 0.567 and r² = 0.960. It was indicated that these 3D-QSAR models have good verification and excellent prediction capabilities. The binding mode of the compound 29 and 4YKN was explored using molecular docking and a molecular dynamics simulation. Ultimately, five new PI3Kα inhibitors were designed and screened by these models. Then, two of them (86, 87) were selected to be synthesized and biologically evaluated, with a satisfying result (22.8 nM for 86 and 33.6 nM for 87).     

Exploring Amantadine Derivatives as Urease Inhibitors: Molecular Docking and Structure–Activity Relationship (SAR) Studies

This article describes the design and synthesis of a series of novel amantadine-thiourea conjugates (3a–j) as Jack bean urease inhibitors. The synthesized hybrids were assayed for their in vitro urease inhibition. Accordingly, N-(adamantan-1-ylcarbamothioyl)octanamide (3j) possessing a 7-carbon alkyl chain showed excellent activity with IC₅₀ value 0.0085 ± 0.0011 µM indicating that the long alkyl chain plays a vital role in enzyme inhibition. Whilst N-(adamantan-1-ylcarbamothioyl)-2-chlorobenzamide (3g) possessing a 2-chlorophenyl substitution was the next most efficient compound belonging to the aryl series with IC₅₀ value of 0.0087 ± 0.001 µM. The kinetic mechanism analyzed by Lineweaver–Burk plots revealed the non-competitive mode of inhibition for compound 3j. Moreover, in silico molecular docking against target protein (PDBID 4H9M) indicated that most of the synthesized compounds exhibit good binding affinity with protein. The compound 3j forms two hydrogen bonds with amino acid residue VAL391 having a binding distance of 1.858 Å and 2.240 Å. The interaction of 3j with amino acid residue located outside the catalytic site showed its non-competitive mode of inhibition. Based upon these results, it is anticipated that compound 3j may serve as a lead structure for the design of more potent urease inhibitors.     

Studying the Binding Modes of Novel 2-Aminopyridine Derivatives as Effective and Selective c-Met Kinase Type 1 Inhibitors Using Molecular Modeling Approaches

The mesenchymal epithelial cell transforming factor c-Met, encoded by c-Met proto-oncogene and known as a high-affinity receptor for Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF), is one of the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) members. The HGF/c-Met signaling pathway has close correlation with tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. Thus, c-Met kinase has emerged as a prominent therapeutic target for cancer drug discovery. Recently a series of novel 2-aminopyridine derivatives targeting c-Met kinase with high biological activity were reported. In this study, 3D quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR), molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations (MD) were employed to research the binding modes of these inhibitors.The results show that both the atom-based and docking-based CoMFA (Q² = 0.596, R² = 0.950 in atom-based model and Q² = 0.563, R² = 0.985 in docking-based model) and CoMSIA (Q² = 0.646, R² = 0.931 in atom-based model and Q² = 0.568, R² = 0.983 in docking-based model) models own satisfactory performance with good reliabilities and powerful external predictabilities. Molecular docking study suggests that Tyr1230 and Arg1208 might be the key residues, and electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions were shown to be vital to the activity, concordance with QSAR analysis. Then MD simulation was performed to further explore the binding mode of the most potent inhibitor. The obtained results provide important references for further rational design of c-Met Kinase type I inhibitors.