Insilico Molecular Docking - A tool to understand the action of Rasaushadhis

Rasashastra, a branch of Ayurveda consists of many metallo-mineral preparations which are explained as highly efficacious in smaller doses and even in shorter duration. We know the functions of Rasaushadhis (herbo-mineral preparations), but we are lacking the knowledge of their Pharmacodynamics which may benefit us in understanding the exact site where, how and which active principle work and at what rate a drug will interact with its target biomolecule. The advent of new Sciences like Bioinformatics has made drug discovery faster and economical. Bioinformatics research focuses on biology at a molecular level by identifying the effect of drugs at the level of individual genes, DNA, RNA and proteins. It utilizes existing information to model disease pathways and identifies precise targets of the drug. The unclearly answered questions can be clarified by understanding and adopting the concept of ‘Insilico Molecular Docking’, means a computational study of binding of Ligand to specific Receptor. The action between the receptor and ligand is by selectivity and affinity; Lock and Key concept. It encompasses all theoretical methods and computational techniques to model and the behavior of molecules and by scoring function we can come to know the best suitable receptor for particular ligand. The working methodology includes preparation of Ligand, Receptor, Docking and inspection by X-Ray Crystallography, NMR techniques. The process of standardization is needed in Rasashastra but, there are some difficulties. One can overcome this by understanding the mode of action of Rasaushadhis -Rasabhasmas through molecular Docking which helps in drug discovery and development, optimisation of action and inhibition of harmful effects

Alteration of Proteins and Pigments Influence the Function of Photosystem I under Iron Deficiency from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

BACKGROUND: Iron is an essential micronutrient for all organisms because it is a component of enzyme cofactors that catalyze redox reactions in fundamental metabolic processes. Even though iron is abundant on earth, it is often present in the insoluble ferric [Fe (III)] state, leaving many surface environments Fe-limited. The haploid green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is used as a model organism for studying eukaryotic photosynthesis. This study explores structural and functional changes in PSI-LHCI supercomplexes under Fe deficiency as the eukaryotic photosynthetic apparatus adapts to Fe deficiency. RESULTS: 77K emission spectra and sucrose density gradient data show that PSI and LHCI subunits are affected under iron deficiency conditions. The visible circular dichroism (CD) spectra associated with strongly-coupled chlorophyll dimers increases in intensity. The change in CD signals of pigments originates from the modification of interactions between pigment molecules. Evidence from sucrose gradients and non-denaturing (green) gels indicates that PSI-LHCI levels were reduced after cells were grown for 72 h in Fe-deficient medium. Ultrafast fluorescence spectroscopy suggests that red-shifted pigments in the PSI-LHCI antenna were lost during Fe stress. Further, denaturing gel electrophoresis and immunoblot analysis reveals that levels of the PSI subunits PsaC and PsaD decreased, while PsaE was completely absent after Fe stress. The light harvesting complexes were also susceptible to iron deficiency, with Lhca1 and Lhca9 showing the most dramatic decreases. These changes in the number and composition of PSI-LHCI supercomplexes may be caused by reactive oxygen species, which increase under Fe deficiency conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Fe deficiency induces rapid reduction of the levels of photosynthetic pigments due to a decrease in chlorophyll synthesis. Chlorophyll is important not only as a light-harvesting pigment, but also has a structural role, particularly in the pigment-rich LHCI subunits. The reduced level of chlorophyll molecules inhibits the formation of large PSI-LHCI supercomplexes, further decreasing the photosynthetic efficiency

A Novel Neurotrophic Drug for Cognitive Enhancement and Alzheimer's Disease

Currently, the major drug discovery paradigm for neurodegenerative diseases is based upon high affinity ligands for single disease-specific targets. For Alzheimer's disease (AD), the focus is the amyloid beta peptide (Aß) that mediates familial Alzheimer's disease pathology. However, given that age is the greatest risk factor for AD, we explored an alternative drug discovery scheme that is based upon efficacy in multiple cell culture models of age-associated pathologies rather than exclusively amyloid metabolism. Using this approach, we identified an exceptionally potent, orally active, neurotrophic molecule that facilitates memory in normal rodents, and prevents the loss of synaptic proteins and cognitive decline in a transgenic AD mouse model