Advancing the therapeutic efficacy of bioactive molecules by delivery vehicle platforms

Drugs have to overcome numerous barriers to reach their desired therapeutic tar-gets. In several cases, drugs, especially the highly lipophilic molecules, suffer from low solubility and bioavailability and therefore their desired targeting is hampered. In addition, unde-sired metabolic products might be produced or off-targets could be recognized. Along these lines, nanopharmacology has provided new technological platforms, to overcome these boundaries. Specifically, numerous vehicle platforms such as cyclodextrins and calixarenes have been widely utilized to host lipophilic drugs such as antagonists of the angiotensin II AT1 receptor (AT1R), as well as quercetin and silibinin. The encapsulation of these drugs in supramolecules or other systems refines their solubility and metabolic stability, increases their selectivity and therefore decreases their effective dose and improves their therapeutic index. In this mini review we report on the formulations of silibinin and AT1R antagonist candesar-tan in a 2-HP-β-cyclodextrin host molecule, which displayed enhanced cytotoxicity and increased silibinin’s and candesartan’s stability, respectively. Moreover, we describe the encapsulation of quercetin in gold nanoparticles bearing a calixarene supramolecular host. Also, the encapsulation of temozolomide in a calixarene nanocapsule has been described. Finally, we report on the activity enhancement that has been achieved upon using these formulations as well as the analytical and computational methods we used to characterize these formulations and explore the molecular interactions between the host and quest molecules. © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers

A simple method for the alkaline hydrolysis of esters

A very mild and rapid procedure for the efficient alkaline hydrolysis of esters in non-aqueous conditions has been developed, by the use of dichloromethane/methanol (9:1) as solvent. This method conveniently provides both carboxylic acids and alcohols from the corresponding esters and sodium hydroxide in a few minutes at room temperature. A plausible reaction mechanism is proposed. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Ligand–Receptor Interactions and Drug Design

In silico rational drug design is one of the major pylons in the drug discovery process. Drugs usually act on specific targets such as proteins, DNA, and lipid bilayers. Thus, molecular docking is an essential part of the rational drug design process. Molecular docking uses specific algorithms and scoring functions to reveal the strength of the interaction of the ligand to its target. AutoDock is a molecular docking suite that offers a variety of algorithms to tackle specific problems. These algorithms include Monte Carlo Simulated Annealing (SA), a Genetic Algorithm (GA), and a hybrid local search GA, also known as the Lamarckian Genetic Algorithm (LGA). This chapter aims to acquaint the reader with the docking process using AutoDockTools (GUI of AutoDock). Furthermore, herein is described the docking process of calf thymus DNA with three metal complexes, as a potential metallo-therapeutics as also the docking process of the plant flavonoid quercetin to the antiapoptotic protein BcL-xL. © 2021, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Exploring the role of the membrane bilayer in the recognition of candesartan by its GPCR AT1 receptor

Cardiovascular diseases and hypertension in particular are major health risks worldwide and the improvement on their treatment will be beneficial for the human health. AT1R antagonists belong to the sartans family that targets the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) through blocking the hormone angiotensin II to exert its detrimental effects in pathological states. As a consequence, they are beneficial to treat hypertension, diabetes related kidney failure and hyperaemic episodes. Long unbiased Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations are performed in order to explore candesartan's possible 2D and 3D diffusion mechanisms towards AT1R receptor. 3D diffusion mechanism is referred to the direct binding of the AT1 antagonist candesartan to the AT1R 3D structure (PDB ID: 4YAY). 2D diffusion mechanism involves first, the incorporation of candesartan in the bilayer core and then its localization on the AT1R binding cavity, through a diffusion mechanism. The obtained results indicate that membranes interact significantly with the neutral form of candesartan, which is indeed approaching the receptors' active site through diffusion via the lipids. On the other hand, the deprotonated form of the drug is interacting with AT1R's extracellular loop and fails to enter the membrane, pointing out the importance of the pH microenvironment around the receptor. To validate the calculated diffusion coefficients of the drug in the lipid bilayers 2D DOSY NMR experiments were recorded and they were in good agreement. Information on the impact that has the interaction of candesartan with the membrane is very important for the rationally design and development of potent ARBs. Thus, its conformational features as well as its localization in the membrane core have to be thoroughly explore

The dynamic properties of angiotensin II type 1 receptor inverse agonists in solution and in the receptor site

In this article, the conformational properties of olmesartan and its methylated analogue were charted using a combination of NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling. For the molecular docking experiments three different forms of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) have been used: (a) crystal structure; (b) homology model based on CXCR4 and (c) homology model based on rhodopsin. The aim of this study was to possibly explain the differences between the experimental findings derived from mutagenesis studies on this receptor and the crystal structure of the AT1R-olmesartan complex. Molecular Dynamics (MD) experiments were performed to illustrate the stability of the AT1R-inverse agonist complex and the most prominent interactions during the simulated trajectory. The obtained results showed that olmesartan and its methyl ether exert similar interactions with critical residues justifying their almost identical in vitro activity. However, the docking and MD experiments failed to justify the mutation findings in a satisfactory matter, indicating that the real system is more complex and crystal structure or homology models of AT1R receptors cannot simulate it sufficiently. Various conformations of olmesartan and olmesartan methyl ether were simulated to provide chemical shifts. These are compared with the experimental NMR results. Useful information regarding the putative bioactive conformations of olmesartan and its methylated analogue has been obtained. Finally, comparative data regarding the binding poses and energies of olmesartan, olmesartan methyl ether and three derivative compounds of olmesartan (R239470, R781253, and R794847) were acquired using Prime/MM-GBSA calculations. © 2016 The Author

The dynamic properties of angiotensin II type 1 receptor inverse agonists in solution and in the receptor site

In this article, the conformational properties of olmesartan and its methylated analogue were charted using a combination of NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling. For the molecular docking experiments three different forms of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) have been used: (a) crystal structure; (b) homology model based on CXCR4 and (c) homology model based on rhodopsin. The aim of this study was to possibly explain the differences between the experimental findings derived from mutagenesis studies on this receptor and the crystal structure of the AT1Rolmesartan complex. Molecular Dynamics (MD) experiments were performed to illustrate the stability of the AT1R-inverse agonist complex and the most prominent interactions during the simulated trajectory. The obtained results showed that olmesartan and its methyl ether exert similar interactions with critical residues justifying their almost identical in vitro activity. However, the docking and MD experiments failed to justify the mutation findings in a satisfactory matter, indicating that the real system is more complex and crystal structure or homology models of AT1R receptors cannot simulate it sufficiently. Various conformations of olmesartan and olmesartan methyl ether were simulated to provide chemical shifts. These are compared with the experimental NMR results. Useful information regarding the putative bioactive conformations of olmesartan and its methylated analogue has been obtained. Finally, comparative data regarding the binding poses and energies of olmesartan, olmesartan methyl ether and three derivative compounds of olmesartan (R239470, R781253, and R794847) were acquired using Prime/MM-GBSA calculations. 2016 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND licens

NMR-based chemical profiling, isolation and evaluation of the cytotoxic potential of the diterpenoid siderol from cultivated sideritis euboea heldr

Diterpenes are characteristic compounds from the genus Sideritis L., possessing an array of biological activities. Siderol is the main constituent of the ent-kaurene diterpenes in Sideritis species. In order to isolate the specific compound and evaluate for the first time its cytotoxic activity, we explored the dichloromethane extract of cultivated Sideritis euboea Heldr. To track the specific natural bioactive agent, we applied NMR spectroscopy to the crude plant extract, since NMR can serve as a powerful and rapid tool both to navigate the targeted isolation process of bioactive constituents, and to also reveal the identity of bioactive components. Along these lines, from the rapid 1D 1H NMR spectrum of the total crude plant extract, we were able to determine the characteristic proton NMR signals of siderol. Furthermore, with the same NMR spectrum, we were able to categorize several secondary metabolites into chemical groups as a control of the isolation process. Therefore, this non-polar extract was explored, for the first time, revealing eleven compounds—one fatty acid ester; 2-(p-hydroxyphenyl)ethylstearate (1), three phytosterols; β-sitosterol (2), stigmasterol (3), and campesterol (4); one triterpenoid; ursolic acid (5), four diterpenoids; siderol (6), eubol (7), eubotriol (8), 7-epicandicandiol (9) and two flavonoids; xanthomicrol (10) and penduletin (11). The main isolated constituent was siderol. The antiproliferative potential of siderol was evaluated, using the MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assay, on three human cancer cell lines DLD1, HeLa, and A549, where the IC50 values were estimated at 26.4 ± 3.7, 44.7 ± 7.2, and 46.0 ± 4.9 µM, respectively. The most potent activity was recorded in the human colon cancer cell line DLD1, where siderol exhibited the lowest IC50. Our study unveiled the beneficial potential of siderol as a remarkable cytotoxic agent and the significant contribution of NMR spectroscopy towards the isolation and identification of this potent anticancer agent. © 2020 by the authors

Charting the structural and thermodynamic determinants in phenolic acid natural product - cyclodextrin encapsulations

Cyclodextrins are pliable platforms that have served to optimize the pharmaceutic profile of numerous compounds and to enhance the stability of natural food additives. Caffeic and rosmarinic acid are natural products with proven health benefits, though their full therapeutic potential has not been exploited. To enhance their pharmaceutic profile, we developed cyclodextrin-based formulates and unveiled their thermodynamic and structural principles. The complexes' stoichiometry was determined by ESI-MS. Solid-state and liquid NMR spectroscopy revealed the interactions and the topographical location of the caffeic and rosmarinic acid inside the cyclodextrin cavity. The theoretically analyzed HP-β-CD's degree of substitution (DS) of caffeic and rosmarinic acids can explain the intensities obtained by 2D NOESY experiments. The thermodynamics and the affinity of the complexes were evaluated through isothermal titration calorimetry. In addition, the rosmarinic and caffeic acids as, also, their complexes showed considerable antimicrobial activity against common food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. The generated data could provide the basis to understand the structural and thermodynamic determinants implicated in natural products - CD recognition and to develop platforms for the optimization of their pharmaceutical and stability profiles in order to be utilized as safe and stable natural antimicrobial food additives.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Deconvoluting the dual antiplatelet activity of a plant extract

A thorough evaluation of the antiplatelet activity profile of hexane olive leaf extract in human platelets indicated a potent activity accomplished through a two axis inhibition of platelet activation triggered both by ADP and thrombin. To delineate the extract components responsible for this dual activity, an NMR based method was established to determine and quantify the triterpenoid content leading to the characterization of uvaol, erythrodiol, and oleanolic acid. The antiplatelet profile of the total extract and of the 3 determined triterpenoids was evaluated against in vitro platelet aggregation induced by several platelet agonists as also on PAC-1 binding and P-selectin membrane expression both in healthy volunteers and in platelets from patients with an acute coronary syndrome receiving dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and ticagrelor. The extract was identified to inhibit ADP-induced platelet activation due to its erythrodiol content and TRAP-induced platelet activation due to the activity of uvaol and oleanolic acid

On the molecular basis of the recognition of angiotensin II (AII) : NMR structure of AII in solution compared with the X-ray structure of AII bound to the mAb Fab131

The high-resolution 3D structure of the octapeptide hormone angiotensin II (AII) in aqueous solution has been obtained by simulated annealing calculations, using high-resolution NMR-derived restraints. After final refinement in explicit water, a family of 13 structures was obtained with a backbone RMSD of 0.73 ± 0.23 Å. AII adopts a fairly compact folded structure, with its C-terminus and N-terminus approaching to within ≈ 7.2 Å of each other. The side chains of Arg2, Tyr4, Ile5 and His6 are oriented on one side of a plane defined by the peptide backbone, and the Val3 and Pro7 are pointing in opposite directions. The stabilization of the folded conformation can be explained by the stacking of the Val3 side chain with the Pro7 ring and by a hydrophobic cluster formed by the Tyr4, Ile5 and His6 side chains. Comparison between the NMR-derived structure of AII in aqueous solution and the refined crystal structure of the complex of AII with a high-affinity mAb (Fab131) [Garcia, K.C., Ronco, P.M., Verroust, P.J., Brunger, A.T., Amzel, L.M. (1992) Science257, 502–507] provides important quantitative information on two common structural features: (a) a U-shaped structure of the Tyr4-Ile5-His6-Pro7 sequence, which is the most immunogenic epitope of the peptide, with the Asp1 side chain oriented towards the interior of the turn approaching the C-terminus; (b) an Asx-turn-like motif with the side chain aspartate carboxyl group hydrogen-bonded to the main chain NH group of Arg2. It can be concluded that small rearrangements of the epitope 4–7 in the solution structure of AII are required by a mean value of 0.76 ± 0.03 Å for structure alignment and ≈ 1.27 ± 0.02 Å for sequence alignment with the X-ray structure of AII bound to the mAb Fab131. These data are interpreted in terms of a biological 'nucleus' conformation of the hormone in solution, which requires a limited number of structural rearrangements for receptor–antigen recognition and binding