Anthocyanins: Plant-based flavonoid pigments with diverse biological activities

Anthocyanins are flavonoid containing polyphenolic phytochemicals. They are widely present in plants and accounts for different color shades displayed by the plant organs. A broad range of health-revitalizing effects is attributed to anthocyanins, constituting a vital part of the human diet. They are also accountable for ameliorating the detrimental effects of various lifestyle diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disorders, neurological disorders, etc. These beneficial impacts highly depend on the bioavailability of anthocyanins, governed by their absorption and metabolism in the human body. The primary goal of this review is to summarize the latest anthocyanin knowledge while focusing on the chemistry, pharmacokinetics, and various biological advantages with anti-cancer, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, antioxidant, cardiovascular protective, vision improvement, antiviral, and antimicrobial effects

Quest for selective MMP9 inhibitors: a computational approach

Matrix Metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) is one of the important targets that play a vital role in various diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, etc. Traditionally, MMP-9 inhibitors have been unable to achieve selectivity to get around this target; thereby, novel mechanisms such as inhibition of activated MMP-9 zymogen (pro-MMP-9) have been discovered. The JNJ0966 was one of the few compounds that attained the requisite selectivity by inhibiting the activation of MMP-9 zymogen (pro-MMP-9). Since JNJ0966, no other small molecules have been identified. Herein, extensive in silico studies were called upon to bolster the prospect of exploring potential candidates. The key objective of this research is to identify the potential hits from the ChEMBL database via molecular docking and dynamics approach. Protein with PDB ID: 5UE4, having a unique inhibitor in an allosteric binding pocket of MMP-9, was chosen for the study. Structure-based virtual screening and MMGBSA binding affinity calculations were performed, and five potential hits were finalized. Detailed analysis of the best-scoring molecules was performed with ADMET analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. All five hits outperformed JNJ0966 in the docking assessment, ADMET analysis, and molecular dynamics simulation. Accordingly, our research findings imply that these hits can be investigated for in vitro and in vivo studies against proMMP9 and might be explored as potential anticancer drugs. The outcome of our research might contribute in expediting the exploration of drugs that inhibits proMMP-9. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma</p