Brief survey on phytochemicals to prevent COVID-19

BackgroundThe recent pandemic by COVID-19 is a global threat to human health. The disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2 and the infection rate is increased more quickly than MERS and SARS as their rapid adaptation to varied climatic conditions through rapid mutations. It becomes more severe due to the lack of proper therapeutic drugs, insufficient diagnostic tool, scarcity of appropriate drug, life supporting medical facility and mostly lack of awareness. Therefore, preventive measure is one of the important strategies to control. In this context, herbal medicinal plants received a noticeable attention to treat COVID-19 in Indian subcontinent. Here, 44 Indian traditional plants have been discussed with their novel phytochemicals that prevent the novel corona virus. The basic of SARS-CoV-2, their common way of transmission including their effect on immune and nervous system have been discussed. We have analysed their mechanism of action against COVID-19 following in-silico analysis. Their probable mechanism and therapeutic approaches behind the activity of phytochemicals to stimulate immune response as well as inhibition of viral multiplication discussed rationally. Thus, mixtures of active secondary metabolites/phytochemicals are the only choice to prevent the disease in countries where vaccination will take long time due to overcrowded population density.     

Modification of PAE-degrading Esterase(CarEW) for Higher Degradation Efficiency Through Integrated Homology Modeling,Molecular Docking,and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Six phthalate acid esters(PAEs) priority pollutants[dimethyl phthalate(DMP), diethyl phthalate(DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP or DNBP), di-n-octyl phthalate(DNOP), di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate(DEHP), and butyl benzyl phthalate(BBP)] were opted as the research object. PAE-degrading esterase CarEW(PDB ID:1C7I) isolated from Bacillus subtilis acting as a template and an iterative saturation mutation strategy was adopted to modify key amino acids to attain efficient PAE-degrading esterase substitutes with a reasonable structure constructed by homology modeling method. Present study designed a total of 285 unit-site and multi-site substitutions of PAE-degrading esterase using the homology modeling method. Among them, 207 PAE-degrading esterase substitutions, which contained the 6-site PAE-degrading esterase substitute 1C7I-6-9 with 84.21% enhancement intensity of degradation ability revealed better degradability to all the 6 PAEs after modification. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulation based on the Taguchi method reported the optimal external application environment for PAE-degrading esterase substitutes as follows:pH=6, T=35℃, the rhamnolipid concentration was 50 mg/L, the molar ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus(N:P) was 10:1, the concentration of H₂O₂ was 50 mg/L, and the voltage gradient was 1.5 V/cm. The degradation ability of PAE-degrading esterase substitutes was found to be elevated by 13.04% as compared to that of the blank control under the optimal condition. Moreover, 11 highly efficient PAE-degrading esterase substitutes with thermal stability were designed.     

C-methyl flavonoid from the leaves of Cleistocalyx conspersipunctatus: α-glucosidase inhibitory,molecular docking simulation and biosynthetic pathway

We extracted one new C-methyl flavonoid, farrerol 7-O-β-d-(6-O-galloyl)glucopyranoside (1), along with 11 known flavonoids, from the Cleistocalyx (C.) conspersipunctatus leaves. Elucidation of these flavonoid structures was accomplished through spectroscopic investigation and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) computation. Compared to corosolic acid (IC₅₀: 15.5 ± 0.9 μM), an established inhibitor, the compound 1 (IC₅₀: 6.9 ± 1.2 μM) was found more active in suppressing α-glucosidase. These findings imply the potential of compound 1 as a valid α-glucosidase inhibitor, which also offer evidence for future animal experiments and clinical trials. Besides, molecular docking was employed to explore the probable mechanism for α-glucosidase–compound 1 interaction. The biosynthetic pathway of these flavonoids in C. conspersipunctatus were proposed.     

Influence of the particle size on the antibacterial activity of green synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles using Dysphania ambrosioides extract,supported by molecular docking analysis

Bacteria-associated infections have increased in recent years due to treatment resistance developed by these microorganisms. Due to the high antibacterial capacity associated with their nanometric size, nanoparticles, such as zinc oxide (ZnO), have proven to be an alternative for general medical procedures. One of the methodologies to synthesize them is green synthesis, where the most commonly used resources are plant species. Using Dysphania ambrosioides extract at various synthesis temperatures (200, 400, 600, and 800 °C), zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) with average sizes ranging from 7 to 130 nm, quasi-spherical shapes, and hexagonal prism shapes were synthesized. Larger sizes were obtained by increasing the synthesis temperature. The ZnO crystalline phase was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The sizes and shapes were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The Zn-O bond vibration was identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thermogravimetry showed the stability of ZnO-NPs. The antibacterial evaluations, disk diffusion test, and minimum bactericidal concentration, demonstrated the influence of particle size. The smaller the nanoparticle size, the higher the inhibition for all pathogenic strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and dental pathogens: Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Prevotella intermedia. The molecular docking study showed a favorable interaction between ZnO-NPs and some proteins in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, such as TagF in Staphylococcus epidermidis and AcrAB-TolC in Escherichia coli, which led to proposing them as possible targets of nanoparticles.     

The novel 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase inhibitors in vivo and in silico approach: 3D-QSAR analysis,molecular docking,bioassay and molecular dynamics

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) is not only an important target enzyme for the treatment of type I tyrosinemia, but also a new target for design bleaching herbicides, and it plays key role in the biosynthesis of tocopherol and plastoquinone. Thirty-six known active pyridine derivatives were collected, and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity index analysis (CoMSIA) models based on common skeleton were constructed to obtain novel HPPD herbicides with higher activity. Two new HPPD inhibitors were rationally designed and synthesized according to the CoMFA and CoMSIA models and verified by enzyme activity, biological assays, and molecular docking. The promising compound W1 ((E)-5-(3-(4-bromophenyl)acryloyl)-6-hydroxy-2,3-dihydropyridin-4(1H)-one) showed better AtHPPD inhibitory activity, and the bioassay results revealed that some weeds showed bleaching symptoms. The good binding stability of W1 and protein was confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation in 100 ns. These results would be highly useful in the progress of new HPPD inhibitors discovery.     

In silico and in vivo study of adulticidal activity from Ayapana triplinervis essential oils nano-emulsion against Aedes aegypti

Nanoinsecticides of plant origin have advantages in the resistance of Aedes aegypti, vectors of infectious diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal potential of Ayapana triplinervis essential oil nano-emulsions using in silico and in vivo assays in an Aedes aegypti model. Molecular docking showed that minority compounds present in the morphotype A essential oil have a more significant binding affinity to inhibit acetylcholinesterase and juvenile hormone receptors. Aedes aegypti adults were susceptible to A. triplinervis at 150 µg.mL-1 in a diagnostic time of 15 min for morphotype A essential oil nano-emulsion and 45 min for morphotype B essential oil nano-emulsion. The evaluation of toxicity in Swiss albino mice indicated that the nano-emulsions had low acute dermal toxicity and presented LD₅₀ greater than 2000 mg.Kg^?1. Thus, it is possible to conclude that nano-emulsions have the potential to be used in the chemical control of A. aegypti.