Exploration of a Library of 3,4‐(Methylenedioxy)aniline‐Derived Semicarbazones as Dual Inhibitors of Monoamine Oxidase and Acetylcholinesterase: Design,Synthesis, and Evaluation

A library of 3,4‐(methylenedioxy)aniline‐derived semicarbazones was designed, synthesized, and evaluated as monoamine oxidase (MAO) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Most of the new compounds selectively inhibited MAO‐B and AChE, with IC₅₀ values in the micro‐ or nanomolar ranges. Compound 16 , 1‐(2,6‐dichlorobenzylidene)‐4‐(benzo[1,3]dioxol‐5‐yl)semicarbazide presented a balanced multifunctional profile of MAO‐A (IC₅₀=4.52±0.032 μm ), MAO‐B (IC₅₀=0.059±0.002 μm ), and AChE (IC₅₀=0.0087±0.0002 μm ) inhibition without neurotoxicity. Kinetic studies revealed that compound 16 exhibits competitive and reversible inhibition against MAO‐A and MAO‐B, and mixed‐type inhibition against AChE. Molecular docking studies further revealed insight into the possible interactions within the enzyme–inhibitor complexes. The most active compounds were found to interact with the enzymes through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Additionally, in silico molecular properties and ADME properties of the synthesized compounds were calculated to explore their drug‐like characteristics.     

Secondary Metabolites in Ramalina terebrata Detected by UHPLC/ESI/MS/MS and Identification of Parietin as Tau Protein Inhibitor

Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry is an outstanding methodology for fast analysis of phenolic compounds in biological samples. Twenty two compounds were quickly and accurately identified in the methanolic extract of the Antarctic lichen Ramalina terebrata for the first time using ultra high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector and high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-PDA-Q/Orbitrap/MS/MS). In addition, the extract and the four compounds isolated from this species were tested for the inhibitory activity of tau protein aggregation, which is a protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). All compounds showed null activity with the exception of parietin, which it was able to inhibit aggregation process of tau in a concentration range between 3 µg/mL (10 µM) to 28 µg/mL (100 µM). In addition, we show how parietin interact with tau ³⁰⁶VQIVYK³¹¹ hexapeptide inside of the microtubule binding domain (4R) with the help of molecular docking experiments. Finally, the constituents present in the methanolic extract could possibly contribute to the established anti-aggregation activity for this extract and this in-depth analysis of the chemical composition of R. terebrata could guide further research into its medicinal properties and potential uses.     

压力对空间对接摩擦材料摩擦磨损性能的影响

通过粉末冶金方法制备了铜基摩擦材料,在经技术改进后的MM-1000摩擦试验机上对其在不同压力下的摩擦磨损性能进行了研究,结果表明:随着压力的增大,材料的摩擦系数呈降低趋势,在真空中的摩擦系数小于大气中的摩擦系数;真空中材料的摩擦系数稳定度高于大气环境中的,材料的磨损随压力的变化在两种环境下呈现出相反的变化形式。摩擦表面形成的摩擦膜对材料的摩擦磨损性能具有重要的影响;随着压力的增大,材料在真空中的磨损机理由以磨粒磨损为主逐渐转变为以黏着磨损为主。     

Rational Optimization of Dihydropyrimidinone-Quinoline Hybrids as Plasmodium falciparum Glutathione Reductase Inhibitors

A series of dihydropyrimidinone-based antimalarial compounds were designed and synthesised based on the previously identified amide-based quinoline hybrids which showed good resistance reversal ability against the resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum. The aromatic ring on the dihydropyrimidinone of the original hits was exchanged for a methyl group to bring the molecular weights below 500 Da and also determine the effect of the aromatic ring count on the resistance reversal ability of the hybrids. Apart from the previously used amide bond, the hybrid linker was also extended to the triazole linker. Although the triazole linker is synthetically easier to access, the use of an amide linker seems to have an activity advantage. The synthesised compounds in addition to the previously identified hits were subjected to molecular docking particularly targeting the orthosteric site of Plasmodium falciparum glutathione reductase (PfGR) protein. The ligand with the best binding interaction was rationally optimised to increase its suitability as a competitive inhibitor against the cofactor of the PfGR. Two of the optimised ligands showed better binding affinities than the cofactor while one of the two ligands displayed hydrophobically packed correlated hydrogen-bond which is very important in maintaining the ligand stability within the protein. In silico ADME predictions of the synthesised compounds indicate that these compounds possess good pharmacokinetic properties.     

量子化学计算及分子对接技术对豌豆蛋白源抗氧化肽YLVN、TFY的抗氧化作用机制研究

目的 探究豌豆蛋白源抗氧化肽YLVN、TFY的抗氧化机制。方法 利用量子化学理论计算构建抗氧化肽的优势构象,前线轨道分布及能级差(ΔE)和福井函数(Fukui)中的f⁰(r)对二者活性位点进行了推测;分子对接技术对抗氧化肽与1,1-二苯基-2-三硝基苯肼(1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine,DPPH)和2,2-联氮-二(3-乙基-苯并噻唑-6-磺酸)二铵盐[2,2-diazo-di(3-ethyl-benzothiazol-6-sulfonic acid)diamiammonium salt,ABTS]自由基的清除作用机制进行了探究,并通过体外自由基清除实验验证肽的活性,将理论计算和实验测定进行分析比对。结果 前线分子轨道中的最高占据分子轨道(highest occupied molecular orbital, HOMO)及轨道能级确定酪氨酸(Tyr)残基是肽YLVN、TFY重要的活性位点,与Fukui函数f⁰(r)推断肽YLVN中Tyr的酚羟基O14-H47和肽TFY中Tyr的酚羟基O26-H52...     

茶多酚对酪氨酸酶的抑制作用及分子机制研究

目的 研究茶多酚对酪氨酸酶的抑制作用及分子机制。方法 通过生化分析法,测定茶多酚对酪氨酸酶的抑制作用并分析其抑制动力学;采用荧光光谱、圆二色谱和分子模拟技术,剖析茶多酚对酪氨酸酶抑制作用的分子机制。结果 茶多酚对酪氨酸酶有良好的抑制作用,对其单酚和多酚活性的半数抑制浓度分别为0.66mg/mL和1.76mg/mL,为竞争性抑制;茶多酚可使酪氨酸酶出现明显的荧光淬灭和最大发射波长红移,并使酪氨酸酶二级结构中的α-螺旋结构显著增加, β-折叠、β-转角和无规则卷曲结构显著减少,显著改变酪氨酸酶的三级和二级结构。结论 茶多酚主要通过氢键和静电相互作用与酪氨酸酶进行结合,从而改变酪氨酸酶的空间结构并阻碍其与底物进行结合,进而抑制酪氨酸酶的活性。     

盖子环替换及定点突变提高菜豆环氧化物水解酶对邻甲基苯基缩水甘油醚的催化性能

菜豆环氧化物水解酶1和2（PvEH1、PvEH2）能够动力学拆分外消旋邻甲基苯基缩水甘油醚（rac-oMGE）,从而保留(R)-oMGE。基于对PvEH1和PvEH2结构的同源模拟和分析,发现二者分子中的盖子环差异较大,故本文选择盖子环作为研究目标。经融合聚合酶链式反应（FPCR）,获得了PvEH2的盖子环区域被PvEH1对应区域替换的杂合酶Pv2Pv1。用全细胞酶E. coli/pv2pv1催化rac-oMGE,当(S)-oMGE刚好水解完全时,产物(S)-3-邻甲苯基-1,2-丙二醇（(S)-oTPD）的ee_p由PvEH2的58.3%提高至75.5%。为进一步提高酶的性质,在Pv2Pv1中选取11个氨基酸位点进行丙氨酸(A)突变,获得最优突变子E. coli/pv2pv1^K176A,活性为E. coli/pv2pv1（4.2U/g）的2.1倍,且当S构型的底物刚好完全水解时,(S)-oTPD的ee_p进一步提高为80.3%。分子对接分析发现,盖子环替换和K176位点突变为A,均使(R)-oMGE环氧环中的C_α更易受到酶中D101位点的攻击。利用E. coli/pv2pv1^K176A催化150mmol/L rac-oMGE水解制备(R)-oMGE（ee_s＞99%）和(S)-oTPD（ee_p=80.4%）,二者的产率Y_S和Y_P分别为32.7%和60.1%,时空产率STY_S和STY_P为1.6g/(L·h)和3.3g/(L·h)。本实验为改善EH的催化性质提供了一种有效策略。     

Methods and Applications of In Silico Aptamer Design and Modeling

Aptamers are nucleic acid analogues of antibodies with high affinity to different targets, such as cells, viruses, proteins, inorganic materials, and coenzymes. Empirical approaches allow the design of in vitro aptamers that bind particularly to a target molecule with high affinity and selectivity. Theoretical methods allow significant expansion of the possibilities of aptamer design. In this study, we review theoretical and joint theoretical-experimental studies dedicated to aptamer design and modeling. We consider aptamers with different targets, such as proteins, antibiotics, organophosphates, nucleobases, amino acids, and drugs. During nucleic acid modeling and in silico design, a full set of in silico methods can be applied, such as docking, molecular dynamics (MD), and statistical analysis. The typical modeling workflow starts with structure prediction. Then, docking of target and aptamer is performed. Next, MD simulations are performed, which allows for an evaluation of the stability of aptamer/ligand complexes and determination of the binding energies with higher accuracy. Then, aptamer/ligand interactions are analyzed, and mutations of studied aptamers made. Subsequently, the whole procedure of molecular modeling can be reiterated. Thus, the interactions between aptamers and their ligands are complex and difficult to understand using only experimental approaches. Docking and MD are irreplaceable when aptamers are studied in silico.     

Rapid Discovery of Aspartyl Protease Inhibitors Using an Anchoring Approach

Pharmacophore searches that include anchors, fragments contributing above average to receptor binding, combined with one-step syntheses are a powerful approach for the fast discovery of novel bioactive molecules. Here, we are presenting a pipeline for the rapid and efficient discovery of aspartyl protease inhibitors. First, we hypothesized that hydrazine could be a multi-valent warhead to interact with the active site Asp carboxylic acids. We incorporated the hydrazine anchor in a multicomponent reaction and created a large virtual library of hydrazine derivatives synthetically accessible in one-step. Next, we performed anchor-based pharmacophore screening of the libraries and resynthesized top-ranked compounds. The inhibitory potency of the molecules was finally assessed by an enzyme activity assay and the binding mode confirmed by several soaked crystal structures supporting the validity of the hypothesis and approach. The herein reported pipeline of tools will be of general value for the rapid generation of receptor binders beyond Asp proteases.     

Combined Modeling Study of the Binding Characteristics of Natural Compounds,Derived from Psoralea Fruits,to β-Amyloid Peptide Monomer

A dysfunctional protein aggregation in the nervous system can lead to several neurodegenerative disorders that result in intracellular inclusions or extracellular aggregates. An early critical event within the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease is the accumulation of amyloid beta peptide within the brain. Natural compounds isolated from Psoralea Fructus (PF) have significant anti-Alzheimer effects as strong inhibitors of Aβ42 aggregation. Computer simulations provide a powerful means of linking experimental findings to nanoscale molecular events. As part of this research four prenylated compounds, the active ingredients of Psoralea Fructus (PF), were studied as Aβ42 accumulation inhibitors using molecular simulations modeling. In order to resolve the binding modes of the ligands and identify the main interactions of Aβ42 residues, we performed a 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy calculations starting from the model of the compounds obtained from the docking study. This study was able to pinpoint the key amino acid residues in the Aβ42 active site and provide useful information that could benefit the development of new Aβ42 accumulation inhibitors.