Dra. Gerli-Candia, Lorena

Derivatives of parent molecules possess similar structural activity which makes them to be the topic of equal interest. In the present work, a naturally occurring acid eugenol and its co derivatives allyl-2-methoxy-4-nitrophenol and 5-Allyl-3-nitrobenzene-1,2-diol are theoretically investigated for their antioxidant role using density functional theory (DFT). Becke’s exchange correlation functional B3LYP and Minnesota functional M062X along with the basis set 6-311++G(d,p) are used to investigate the structural property through geometry optimization, frontier molecular orbital analysis, electrostatic potential analysis, and molecular descriptive parameters. Electron donating capability of the molecules is analyzed using frontier molecular orbital analysis and molecular descriptors. Molecular surface potential analysis facilitated to locate highest and lowest potential regions in these molecules. Hydrogen atom abstraction property (radical scavenging property) of the molecules is studied with the help of hydrogen atom transfer mechanism.

Metabolite profile always hold important place for flavonoids as they are the major promoters of secondary metabolism in human body. For decades numerous flavonoids are explored for their structural activities which in turn helped them to meet various health promoting applications such as radical scavenging activity. Apart from conventional flavonoids their derivatives are also tend to exhibit similar kind of structural activity. Therefore, in the present work afzelin and juglanin – the glycosyl derivatives of kaemepferol an established flavonoid are subjected to structural activity relationship analysis using density functional theory. The structures of the two kaempferol glycosides are optimized and the optimized geometry is simulated to obtain frontier orbitals, electrostatic potential energy and molecular descriptors. The obtained results suggest that maximum amount of charge is accumulated over B-ring of two flavonoids, thus prefers to act as better electron donating region. Target predicted for two flavonoids over homosapien class reveal that the flavonoid highly prefers lyase and enzymatic targets for inhibition purpose.

A bacterial biofilm is a cluster of bacterial cells embedded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances such as DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides. Several diseases have been reported to cause by bacterial biofilms, and difficulties in treating these infections are of concern. This work aimed to identify the inhibitor with the highest binding affinity for the receptor protein by screening various inhibitors obtained from Azorella species for a potential target to inhibit dispersin B. This work shows that azorellolide has the highest binding affinity (− 8.2 kcal/mol) among the compounds tested, followed by dyhydroazorellolide, mulinone A, and 7-acetoxy-mulin-9,12-diene which all had a binding affinity of − 8.0 kcal/mol. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate and contrast several diterpene compounds as antibacterial biofilm chemicals. Methods: Here, molecular modelling techniques tested 49 diterpene compounds of Azorella and six FDA-approved antibiotics medicines for antibiofilm activity. Since protein-like interactions are crucial in drug discovery, AutoDock Vina was initially employed to carry out structure-based virtual screening. The drug-likeness and ADMET properties of the chosen compounds were examined to assess the antibiofilm activity further. Lipinski’s rule of five was then applied to determine the antibiofilm activity. Then, molecular electrostatic potential was used to determine the relative polarity of a molecule using the Gaussian 09 package and GaussView 5.08. Following three replica molecular dynamic simulations (using the Schrodinger program, Desmond 2019-4 package) that each lasted 100 ns on the promising candidates, binding free energy was estimated using MM-GBSA. Structural visualisation was used to test the binding affinity of each compound to the crystal structure of dispersin B protein (PDB: 1YHT), a well-known antibiofilm compound.

The largest threat to civilization since the Second World War is the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Therefore, there is an urgent need for innovative therapeutic medicines to treat COVID-19. Reusing bio-actives is a workable and efficient strategy in the battle against new epidemics because the process of developing new drugs is time-consuming. This research aimed to identify which herbal remedies had the highest affinity for the receptor and assess a variety of them for potential targets to suppress the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. The use of AutoDock Vina for structure-based virtual screening was done first due to the importance of protein interactions in the development of drugs. Molecular docking was used in the comparative study to assess 89 different chemicals from medicinal herbs. To anticipate their effectiveness against the primary protease of SARS-CoV-2, more analysis was done on the ADMET profile, drug-likeness, and Lipinski’s rule of five. The next step involved three replicas of 100 ns-long molecular dynamics simulations on the potential candidates, which were preceded by calculations of the binding free energy of MM-GBSA. The outcomes showed that Achyrodimer A, Cinchonain Ib, Symphonone F, and Lupeol acetate all performed well and had the highest 6LU7 binding affinities. Using RMSD, RMSF, and protein-ligand interactions, the stability of the protein-ligand complex was assessed. The studies indicate that bioactive substances obtained from herbal medicines may function as a COVID-19 therapeutic agent, necessitating additional wet lab research to confirm their therapeutic potential, efficacy, and pharmacological capacity against the condition.

In the present, study we analyzed the electronic properties of Steviol, the Stevia rebaudiana metabolite, and its interaction with antiapoptotic protein BCL-2. The ionization potential and electrophilicity index values were evaluated in the framework of the DFT, and these values suggest that Steviol may form ligand-receptor interactions. Also, the bond dissociation energy and the electrostatic potential distribution of Steviol reveal its antioxidant behavior. Docking studies were performed to evaluate the feasibility of this molecule to interact with antiapoptotic protein BCL-2. However, no hydrogen bonds were found in the pocket site, instead six interactions, including alkyl and π-alkyl type were formed, suggesting that the possible most feasible mechanism for anticancer activity would be through free radicals scavenging.