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.     

ACE抑制三肽与ACE相互作用的分子机制

4种食源性三肽IRP(Ile-Arg-Pro),IKP(Ile-Lys-Pro),GRP(Gly-Arg-Pro),IRA(Ile-ArgAla)的ACE抑制活性已得到实验证实,但其与ACE的相互作用模式与分子机制尚不清楚,本研究采用柔性分子对接方法解决这一问题。分子对接结果表明:4种三肽与ACE有相似的作用模式,氢键、亲水、疏水、静电等作用力共同对三肽与ACE的结合存在贡献,但以氢键作用为主;ACE分子中Lys511,His513,Tyr520,Tyr523等氨基酸残基为其与肽结合的重要结合位点;ACE抑制三肽中氮端氨基和碳端羧基对其抑制活性影响显著,其中氮端氨基的作用更为重要。通过以上分子机理研究可为开发强活性ACE抑制肽提供理论指导。     

Antioxidant Activity Evaluation of FlexirubinType Pigment from Chryseobacterium artocarpi CECT 8497 and Related Docking Study

The current research is focused on studying the biological efficacy of flexirubin, a pigment extracted from Chryseobacterium artocarpi CECT 8497.Different methods such as DPPH, H₂O_2, NO^•, O₂^•−, ^•OH, lipid peroxidation inhibition by FTC and TBA, ferric reducing and ferrous chelating activity were carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activity of flexirubin. Molecular docking was also carried out, seeking the molecular interactions of flexirubin and a standard antioxidant compound with SOD enzyme to figure out the possible flexirubin activity mechanism. The new findings revealed that the highest level of flexirubin exhibited similar antioxidant activity as that of the standard compound according to the H₂O₂, ^•OH, O₂^•−, FTC and TBA methods. On the other hand, flexirubin at the highest level has shown lower antioxidant activity than the positive control according to the DPPH and NO• and even much lower when measured by the FRAP method. Molecular docking showed that the interaction of flexirubin was in the binding cavity of the SOD enzyme and did not affect its metal-binding site. These results revealed that flexirubin has antioxidant properties and can be a useful therapeutic compound in preventing or treating free radical-related diseases.     

Synthesis,Molecular Docking Study,and Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Some Novel 1,3,4-Thiadiazole as Well as 1,3-Thiazole Derivatives Bearing a Pyridine Moiety

Pyridine, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, and 1,3-thiazole derivatives have various biological activities, such as antimicrobial, analgesic, anticonvulsant, and antitubercular, as well as other anticipated biological properties, including anticancer activity. The starting 1-(3-cyano-4,6-dimethyl-2-oxopyridin-1(2H)-yl)-3-phenylthiourea (2) was prepared and reacted with various hydrazonoyl halides 3a–h, α-haloketones 5a–d, 3-chloropentane-2,4-dione 7a and ethyl 2-chloro-3-oxobutanoate 7b, which afforded the 3-aryl-5-substituted 1,3,4-thiadiazoles 4a–h, 3-phenyl-4-arylthiazoles 6a–d and the 4-methyl-3- phenyl-5-substituted thiazoles 8a,b, respectively. The structures of the synthesized products were confirmed by spectral data. All of the compounds also showed remarkable anticancer activity against the cell line of human colon carcinoma (HTC-116) as well as hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2) compared with the Harmine as a reference under in vitro condition. 1,3,4-Thiadiazole 4h was found to be most promising and an excellent performer against both cancer cell lines (IC₅₀ = 2.03 ± 0.72 and 2.17 ± 0.83 µM, respectively), better than the reference drug (IC₅₀ = 2.40 ± 0.12 and 2.54 ± 0.82 µM, respectively). In order to check the binding modes of the above thiadiazole derivatives, molecular docking studies were performed that established a binding site with EGFR TK.     

In Vitro and In Silico Evaluation of Cholinesterase Inhibition by Alkaloids Obtained from Branches of Abuta panurensis Eichler

Alkaloids are natural products known as ethnobotanicals that have attracted increasing attention due to a wide range of their pharmacological properties. In this study, cholinesterase inhibitors were obtained from branches of Abuta panurensis Eichler (Menispermaceae), an endemic species from the Amazonian rainforest. Five alkaloids were isolated, and their structure was elucidated by a combination of 1D and 2D ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, HPLC-MS, and high-resolution MS: Lindoldhamine isomer m/z 569.2674 (1), stepharine m/z 298.1461 (2), palmatine m/z 352.1616 (3), 5-N-methylmaytenine m/z 420.2669 (4) and the N-trans-feruloyltyramine m/z 314.1404 (5). The compounds 1, 3, and 5 were isolated from A. panurensis for the first time. Interaction of the above-mentioned alkaloids with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes was investigated in silico by molecular docking and molecular dynamics. The molecules under investigation were able to bind effectively with the active sites of the AChE and BChE enzymes. The compounds 1–4 demonstrated in vitro an inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase with IC₅₀ values in the range of 19.55 µM to 61.24 µM. The data obtained in silico corroborate the results of AChE enzyme inhibition.     

Design,Synthesis, Biological Activity and Molecular Docking Study of Coumarin Derivatives Bearing 2-Methylbiphenyl Moiety

A hybrid pharmacophore approach was used to design and synthesize a series of coumarin derivatives bearing 2-methylbiphenyl moiety, which were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activities against four cancer cell lines(MCF-75 A549, H460 and HT29) and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory activities. Moreover, several compounds with excellent anticancer activities were selected to evaluate the cytotoxicities against one normal cell line(HEK-293). The most promising compound llo showed the best anticancer activities against the four tested cancer cell lines with the IC50 values of 6.45, 8.65, 6,57 and 8.13 gmol/L, respectively, and displayed weak cytotoxicity on the normal cell(HEK-293). Furthermore, screening of PD-1 /PD-L1 inhibitory activity revealed that compound llo could effectively inhibit the binding of PD-1/PD-L1, and the binding interactions of compound llo with PD-L1 protein were explored by molecular docking. All above evidences showed that compound llo might be worthy of further study as a valuable leading compound for the treatment of cancer.     

Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitory Assay-Screened Isolation and Molecular Docking Model from Bauhinia pulla Active Compounds

The aim of this research was to establish the constituents of Bauhinia pulla as anti-diabetic agents. A phytochemistry analysis was conducted by chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. The alpha-glucosidase inhibitory assay screening resulted in the isolation of eight known compounds of quercetin, quercitrin, luteolin, 5-deoxyluteolin, 4-methyl ether isoliquiritigenin, 3,2′,4′-trihydroxy-4-methoxychalcone, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol. Ethanol leaf extracts showed potential effects, which led to a strong inhibitory activity of isolated quercetin at 138.95 µg/mL and 5.41 µg/mL of IC₅₀, respectively. The docking confirmed that flavonoids and chalcones had the same potential binding sites and responsibilities for their activity. This study was the first report of Bauhinia pulla chemical constituents and its alpha-glucosidase inhibition.     

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.     

Novel 4-Azapregnene Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents: Synthesis,Antiproliferative Activity and Molecular Docking Studies

A series of novel 21E-arylidene-4-azapregn-5-ene steroids has been successfully designed, synthesized and structurally characterized, and their antiproliferative activity was evaluated in four different cell lines. Within this group, the 21E-(pyridin-3-yl)methylidene derivative exhibited significant cytotoxic activity in hormone-dependent cells LNCaP (IC₅₀ = 10.20 µM) and T47-D cells (IC₅₀ = 1.33 µM). In PC-3 androgen-independent cells, the steroid 21E-p-nitrophenylidene-4-azapregn-5-ene was the most potent of this series (IC₅₀ = 3.29 µM). Considering these results, the 21E-(pyridin-3-yl)methylidene derivative was chosen for further biological studies on T47-D and LNCaP cells, and it was shown that this azasteroid seems to lead T47-D cells to apoptotic death. Finally, molecular docking studies were performed to explore the affinity of these 4-azapregnene derivatives to several steroid targets, namely 5α-reductase type 2, estrogen receptor α, androgen receptor and CYP17A1. In general, compounds presented higher affinity to 5α-reductase type 2 and estrogen receptor α.     

基于MOE软件的虚拟仿真实验*——多奈哌齐与乙酰胆碱酯酶的分子对接

基于MOE软件设计了多奈哌齐与乙酰胆碱酯酶的分子对接虚拟仿真实验。通过分子结构预处理、分子对接以及数据分析等内容,帮助学生掌握分子对接的基本技能,深入理解立体化学结构对药物-靶分子相互作用的影响。本实验可以作为药物化学、生物化学等基础课的扩展内容,提高学生研究式学习的兴趣和能力。     

Synthesis,In Vitro Biological Evaluation and In Silico Molecular Docking Studies of Indole Based Thiadiazole Derivatives as Dual Inhibitor of Acetylcholinesterase and Butyrylchloinesterase

The current study was conducted to obtain hybrid analogues of indole-based thiadiazole derivatives (1–16) in which a number of reaction steps were involved. To examine their biological activity in the presence of the reference drug Donepezil (0.21 ± 0.12 and 0.30 ± 0.32 M, respectively), the inhibitory potentials of AChE and BuChE were determined for these compounds. Different substituted derivatives showing a varied range of inhibitory profiles, when compared to the reference drug, analogue 8 was shown to have potent activity, with IC50 values for AchE 0.15 ± 0.050 M and BuChE 0.20 ± 0.10, respectively, while other substituted compounds displayed good to moderate potentials. Varied spectroscopic techniques including ¹H, ¹³CNMR and HREI-MS were used to identify the basic skeleton of these compounds. Furthermore, all analogues have a known structure–activity relationship (SAR), and molecular docking investigations have verified the binding interactions of molecule to the active site of enzymes.     

基于HPPD靶标酶的分子对接研究

对羟基苯丙酮酸双氧化酶(HPPD)是一类新型化学除草剂的重要靶标酶.首先研究了底物小分子与HPPD的对接模型,分析了不同价态铁离子对对接结果的影响,并最终确定铁离子是以二价的方式与底物发生作用.随后,采用类似方法,对文献报道的一系列环己二酮类HPPD抑制剂进行了对接研究,并得到了对接结合自由能与除草活性之间良好的线性关系,其相关性系数达到0.916.这一结果为设计新的HPPD抑制剂提供一定的理论指导.     

Design,Synthesis and Bioactivity Evaluation of Coumarin–BMT Hybrids as New Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

Coumarin possesses the aromatic group and showed plentiful activities, such as antioxidant, preventing asthma and antisepsis. In addition, coumarin derivatives usually possess good solubility, low cytotoxicity and excellent cell permeability. In our study, we synthesized the compound bridge methylene tacrine (BMT), which has the classical pharmacophore structure of Tacrine (THA). Based on the principle of active substructure splicing, BMT was used as a lead compound and synthesized coumarin–BMT hybrids by introducing coumarin to BMT. In this work, 21 novel hybrids of BMT and coumarin were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity on AChE. All obtained compounds present preferable inhibition. Compound 8b was the most active compound, with the value of K_i as 49.2 nM, which was higher than Galantamine (GAL) and lower than THA. The result of molecular docking showed that the highest binding free energy was −40.43 kcal/mol for compound 8b, which was an identical trend with the calculated K_i.     

Synthesis,Biological Evaluation and Molecular Docking of Novel Phenylpyrimidine Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

Based on our previous researches, a novel phenylpyrimidine pharmacophore model was proposed and fifteen derivatives were synthesized and characterized by means of spectroscopy methods. The inhibitory effects of them were screened against HeLa cell line by virtue of MTT assay in vitro. The results indicate some of the phenylpyrimidine derivatives exhibit potent biological activities. Among them, compounds 6g and 6h exhibit the best activity at half maximal inhibitory concentrations of 1.5 and 2.8 μmol/L, respectively. These compounds also exhibit good activities against HepG2 cell line and MCF-7 cell line. FLT-3 kinase was screened as the most potent molecular target. Computational docking between compound 6g and FLT-3 was carried out to interpret the binding mode. The results show phenylpyrimidine derivatives have effective antitumor activities, which provides a base for further research of them as antitumor agents.     

Synthesis,Antifungal Activity, 3D-QSAR,and Molecular Docking Study of Novel Menthol-Derived 1,2,4-Triazole-thioether Compounds

A series of novel menthol derivatives containing 1,2,4-triazole-thioether moiety were designed, synthesized, characterized structurally, and evaluated biologically to explore more potent natural product-based antifungal agents. The bioassay results revealed that at 50 μg/mL, some of the target compounds exhibited good inhibitory activity against the tested fungi, especially against Physalospora piricola. Compounds 5b (R = o-CH₃ Ph), 5i (R = o-Cl Ph), 5v (R = m,p-OCH₃ Ph) and 5x (R = α-furyl) had inhibition rates of 93.3%, 79.4%, and 79.4%, respectively, against P. piricola, much better than that of the positive control chlorothalonil. Compounds 5v (R = m,p-OCH₃ Ph) and 5g (R = o-Cl Ph) held inhibition rates of 82.4% and 86.5% against Cercospora arachidicola and Gibberella zeae, respectively, much better than that of the commercial fungicide chlorothalonil. Compound 5b (R = o-CH₃ Ph) displayed antifungal activity of 90.5% and 83.8%, respectively, against Colleterichum orbicalare and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum. Compounds 5m (R = o-I Ph) had inhibition rates of 88.6%, 80.0%, and 88.0%, respectively, against F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinu, Bipolaris maydis and C. orbiculare. Furthermore, compound 5b (R = o-CH₃ Ph) showed the best and broad-spectrum antifungal activity against all the tested fungi. To design more effective antifungal compounds against P. piricola, 3D-QSAR analysis was performed using the CoMFA method, and a reasonable 3D-QSAR model (r² = 0.991, q² = 0.514) was established. The simulative binding pattern of the target compounds with cytochrome P450 14α-sterol demethylase (CYP51) was investigated by molecular docking.     

Inhibitory Effect of Fisetin on α-Glucosidase Activity: Kinetic and Molecular Docking Studies

The inhibition of α-glucosidase is a clinical strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and many natural plant ingredients have been reported to be effective in alleviating hyperglycemia by inhibiting α-glucosidase. In this study, the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of fisetin extracted from Cotinus coggygria Scop. was evaluated in vitro. The results showed that fisetin exhibited strong inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀ value of 4.099 × 10⁻⁴ mM. Enzyme kinetic analysis revealed that fisetin is a non-competitive inhibitor of α-glucosidase, with an inhibition constant value of 0.01065 ± 0.003255 mM. Moreover, fluorescence spectrometric measurements indicated the presence of only one binding site between fisetin and α-glucosidase, with a binding constant (lgKa) of 5.896 L·mol⁻¹. Further molecular docking studies were performed to evaluate the interaction of fisetin with several residues close to the inactive site of α-glucosidase. These studies showed that the structure of the complex was maintained by Pi-Sigma and Pi-Pi stacked interactions. These findings illustrate that fisetin extracted from Cotinus coggygria Scop. is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of T2DM.     

2,5-Diketopiperazine Derivatives as Potential Anti-Influenza (H5N2) Agents: Synthesis,Biological Evaluation,and Molecular Docking Study

2,5-Diketopiperazine derivatives, consisting of benzylidene and alkylidene substituents at 3 and 6 positions, have been considered as a core structure for their antiviral activities. Herein, the novel N-substituted 2,5-Diketopiperazine derivatives were successfully prepared and their antiviral activities against influenza virus were evaluated by monitoring viral propagation in embryonated chicken eggs. It was found that (3Z,6Z)-3-benzylidene-6-(2-methyl propylidene)-4-substituted-2,5-Diketopiperazines (13b–d), (3Z,6E)-3-benzylidene-6-(2-methylpropyli dene)-1-(1-ethyl pyrrolidine)-2,5-Diketopiperazine (14c), and Lansai-C exhibited negative results in influenza virus propagation at a concentration of 25 µg/mL. Additionally, molecular docking study revealed that 13b–d and 14c bound in 430-cavity of neuraminidase from H5N2 avian influenza virus and the synthesized derivatives also strongly interacted with the key amino acid residues, including Arg371, Pro326, Ile427, and Thr439.     

Lipase-Catalyzed Synthesis,Antioxidant Activity,Antimicrobial Properties and Molecular Docking Studies of Butyl Dihydrocaffeate

Green chemistry approaches, such as lipase-catalyzed esterification, are promising methods for obtaining valuable chemical compounds. In the case of the use of lipases, unlike in aqueous environments, the processes of the ester bond formations are encountered in organic solvents. The aim of the current research was to carry out the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of an ester of dihydrocaffeic acid. The synthesized compound was then evaluated for antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. However, the vast majority of its antioxidant activity was retained, which was demonstrated by means of DPPH· (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and CUPRAC (cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity) methods. Regarding its antimicrobial properties, the antifungal activity against Rhizopus oryzae is worth mentioning. The minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations were 1 and 2 mM, respectively. The high antifungal activity prompted the use of molecular docking studies to verify potential protein targets for butyl ester of dihydrocaffeic ester. In the case of one fungal protein, namely 14-α sterol demethylase B, it was observed that the ester had comparable binding energy to the triazole medication, isavuconazole, but the interacted amino acid residues were different.     

VEGFR-2 与抑制剂Sunitinib 的分子对接及分子动力学研究

用分子对接方法研究了VEGFR-2 和抑制剂Sunitinib 的相互作用模式, 并对其复合物进行了10 ns 的分子动力学(Molecular Dynamics, MD)模拟. 结果表明, 抑制剂Sunitinib 能与VEGFR-2 中位于活性空腔的Glu885, Ile888, His1026,Asp1028, Asp1046 五个氨基酸残基形成疏水作用; 另外, VEGFR-2 中His1026, Cys1024, Asp1046 三个氨基酸残基能与Sunitinib 形成三个作用强度不同的氢键. 这些基团之间的相互作用是Sunitinib 抑制VEGFR-2 活性的关键因素. 研究结果可为VEGFR-2 抑制剂的结构改良、分子设计、合成提供理论参考, 并有助于寻找活性更高、效果更好的抗肿瘤药物.