scholarly journals Dual Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Activity of TcPaSK Peptide Derived from a Tribolium castaneum Insect Defensin

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 222
Author(s):  
Aida Robles-Fort ◽  
Inmaculada García-Robles ◽  
Wasundara Fernando ◽  
David W. Hoskin ◽  
Carolina Rausell ◽  
...  

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) found in the innate immune system of a wide range of organisms might prove useful to fight infections, due to the reported slower development of resistance to AMPs. Increasing the cationicity and keeping moderate hydrophobicity of the AMPs have been described to improve antimicrobial activity. We previously found a peptide derived from the Tribolium castaneum insect defensin 3, exhibiting antrimicrobial activity against several human pathogens. Here, we analyzed the effect against Staphyloccocus aureus of an extended peptide (TcPaSK) containing two additional amino acids, lysine and asparagine, flanking the former peptide fragment in the original insect defensin 3 protein. TcPaSK peptide displayed higher antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, and additionally showed antiproliferative activity against the MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cell line. A SWATH proteomic analysis revealed the downregulation of proteins involved in cell growth and tumor progression upon TcPaSK cell treatment. The dual role of TcPaSK peptide as antimicrobial and antiproliferative agent makes it a versatile molecule that warrants exploration for its use in novel therapeutic developments as an alternative approach to overcome bacterial antibiotic resistance and to increase the efficacy of conventional cancer treatments.

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 745-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marius Mioc ◽  
Sorin Avram ◽  
Vasile Bercean ◽  
Mihaela Balan Porcarasu ◽  
Codruta Soica ◽  
...  

Angiogenesis plays an important function in tumor proliferation, one of the main angiogenic promoters being the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which activates specific receptors, particularly VEGFR-2. Thus, VEGFR-2 has become an essential therapeutic target in the development of new antitumor drugs. 1,2,4-triazoles show a wide range of biological activities, including antitumor effect, which was documented by numerous reports. In the current study the selection of 5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole structure (1H-3-styryl-5-benzylidenehydrazino-carbonyl-methylsulfanil-1,2,4-triazole, Tz3a.7) was conducted based on molecular docking that emphasized it as suitable ligand for VEGFR-2 and EGFR1 receptors. Compound Tz3a.7 was synthesized and physicochemically and biologically evaluated thus revealing a moderate antiproliferative activity against breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231.


Author(s):  
B. R. Malathy ◽  
Sweetlin Ajitha P ◽  
Sangeetha K. S ◽  
Swetha Thampy ◽  
Kamala G

Essential oils (EOs) are natural extracts from the seeds, stems, roots, flowers, bark and other parts of the plant prepared by steam distillation. They are complex, volatile, natural compounds formed by aromatic plants as secondary metabolites. They are known for their bactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal, sedative, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, spasmolytic and locally anesthetic properties. They are generally composed of a combination of substances like terpenes, phenolics, aldehydes or alcohols. The complex composition and different mechanisms of action of EOs may be an advantage over other antimicrobials to prevent the development of resistance of pathogenic bacteria. With this background, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of five essential oils like basil, lime, rosemary, thyme and canada balsam against 14 microbes. The effects of essential oil on the selected microbes were determined by agar well diffusion method. The zone of inhibition was observed and measured in millimeter. Essential oils which showed inhibitory diameter >15 mm were further tested to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). S. aureus, E. coli, S. mutans, S. sanguinis, C. albicans and M. furfur were inhibited by all essential oils. K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa and E .faecalis were inhibited only by thyme and not by other essential oils. The MIC values ranged from 50% to 0.10%. The least MIC value of 0.10% was shown by thyme and basil to S. aureus, thyme to E.coli and all essential oils against C. albicans except lime.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jéssica A. Jesus ◽  
João Henrique G. Lago ◽  
Márcia D. Laurenti ◽  
Eduardo S. Yamamoto ◽  
Luiz Felipe D. Passero

Triterpenoids are the most representative group of phytochemicals, as they comprise more than 20,000 recognized molecules. These compounds are biosynthesized in plants via squalene cyclization, a C30hydrocarbon that is considered to be the precursor of all steroids. Due to their low hydrophilicity, triterpenes were considered to be inactive for a long period of time; however, evidence regarding their wide range of pharmacological activities is emerging, and elegant studies have highlighted these activities. Several triterpenic skeletons have been described, including some that have presented with pentacyclic features, such as oleanolic and ursolic acids. These compounds have displayed incontestable biological activity, such as antibacterial, antiviral, and antiprotozoal effects, which were not included in a single review until now. Thus, the present review investigates the potential use of these triterpenes against human pathogens, including their mechanisms of action, viain vivostudies, and the future perspectives about the use of compounds for human or even animal health are also discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 10734
Author(s):  
Richie R. Bhandare ◽  
Afzal Basha Shaik

Molecular hybridization (MH) of heterocyclic rings has enabled scientists to design and develop novel drugs and drug-like candidates. In our previous work, considering the importance of MH, we synthesized different kinds of chloropyrazine-tethered pyrimidine derivatives (22–40) containing either substituted phenyl or heteroaryl rings at position-6 of the pyrimidine ring and evaluated their antitubercular activity. Herein, we report the antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of 22–40. The antiproliferative activity of the target hybrids was superior to the antimicrobial activity. However, some compounds showed greater antimicrobial activity than the standard drugs. For instance, among the nineteen derivatives, compound 31 containing a 2″,4″-dichlorophenyl ring, showed the most potent antibacterial and antifungal activities (MIC 45.37 µM), followed by compounds 25 and 30 bearing 4″-nitrophenyl and 2″,4″-difluorophenyl scaffolds with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values of 48.67 µM and 50.04 µM, respectively. Compound 35, containing a bioisosteric 2″-pyridinyl ring, showed the most potent antiproliferative activity against the prostate cancer cell line (DU-145) with an IC50 value of 5 ± 1 µg/mL. Additional testing of compounds 22–40 on human normal liver cells (LO2) indicated that the compounds were more selective to cancer cell lines over normal cells. Further, molecular docking of the most potent compound 35 against dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) (PDB ID: 1U72) had a good binding affinity with a docking score of −6.834. The SwissADME program estimated the drug-likeness properties of compound 35. Hybrid 35 is a potential lead molecule for the development of new anticancer drugs, whereas 31 is a promising antimicrobial lead candidate.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amira M. Embaby ◽  
Yasmin Heshmat ◽  
Ahmed Hussein ◽  
Heba S. Marey

Bacteriocins, ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides, display potential applications in agriculture, medicine, and industry. The present study highlights integral statistical optimization and partial characterization of a bacteriocin substance from a soil bacterium taxonomically affiliated asBacillussp. YAS 1 after biochemical and molecular identifications. A sequential statistical approach (Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken) was employed to optimize bacteriocin (BAC YAS 1) production. Using optimal levels of three key determinants (yeast extract (0.48% (w/v), incubation time (62 hrs), and agitation speed (207 rpm)) in peptone yeast beef based production medium resulted in 1.6-fold enhancement in BAC YAS 1 level (470 AU/mL arbitrary units againstErwinia amylovora). BAC YAS 1 showed activity over a wide range of pH (1–13) and temperature (45–80°C). A wide spectrum antimicrobial activity of BAC YAS 1 against the human pathogens (Clostridium perfringens,Staphylococcus epidermidis,Campylobacter jejuni,Enterobacter aerogenes,Enterococcussp.,Proteussp.,Klebsiellasp., andSalmonella typhimurium), the plant pathogen (E. amylovora), and the food spoiler (Listeria innocua) was demonstrated. On top and above, BAC YAS 1 showed no antimicrobial activity towards lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus bulgaricus,L. casei,L. lactis, andL. reuteri). Promising characteristics of BAC YAS 1 prompt its commercialization for efficient utilization in several industries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-431
Author(s):  
Kishore K. Valluri ◽  
Tejeswara R. Allaka ◽  
IV Kasi Viswanath ◽  
Nagaraju PVVS

Background: Many pyrazole piperazine derivatives are known to exhibit a wide range, thus being attractive for the drug design and synthesis of interesting class of widely studied heterocyclic compounds. It is therefore necessary to devote continuing effort for the identification and development of New Chemical Entities (NCEs) as potential antibacterial and anticancer agents to address serious health problems. Methods: A series of new compounds containing pyrazole ring linked to a piperazine hydrochloride moiety were synthesized and screened for their antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity of novel scaffolds are described by variation in therapeutic effects of parent molecule. The structure variants were characterized by using a blend of spectroscopic 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR, Mass and chromatographic techniques. Results: When tested for in vitro antibacterial and anticancer activities, several of these compounds showed good activities. The target compounds 9b, 9a and 9e exhibited a high degree of anticancer activity against human colon cancer cell line Caco-2 and human breast cancer cell line MDAMB231. Further, 9a, 9b, 9d, and 9h showed better activity towards four medically relevant organisms; Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella Species compared to CPF. In the present investigation, cheminfomatics tools Molinspiration, 2003 and MolSoft, 2007 for the prediction of insilico molecular properties and drug likeness for the target compounds 9a-h was evaluated and positive results were observed. Conclusion: Our study revealed that the molecular framework presented here could be a useful template for the identification of novel small molecules as promising antibacterial/ anticancer agents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulviye Acar Çevik ◽  
Derya Osmaniye ◽  
Serkan Levent ◽  
Begüm Nurpelin Sağlik ◽  
Betül Kaya Çavuşoğlu ◽  
...  

AbstractCancer is one of the most common causes of death in the world. Despite the importance of combating cancer in healthcare systems and research centers, toxicity in normal tissues and the low efficiency of anticancer drugs are major problems in chemotherapy. Nowadays the aim of many medical research projects is to discover new safer and more effective anticancer agents. 1,3,4-Thiadiazole compounds are important fragments in medicinal chemistry because of their wide range of biological activities, including anticancer activities. The aim of this study was to determine the capacity of newly synthesized 1,3,4-thiadiazole compounds as chemotherapeutic agents. The structures of the obtained compounds were elucidated using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectrometry. Although the thiadiazole derivatives did not prove to be significantly cytotoxic to the tumour tissue cultures, compound 4i showed activity against the C6 rat brain cancer cell line (IC50 0.097 mM) at the tested concentrations.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1608
Author(s):  
Stephen Lo ◽  
Euphemia Leung ◽  
Bruno Fedrizzi ◽  
David Barker

Quercetin is a flavonoid that is found in many plant materials, including commonly eaten fruits and vegetables. The compound is well known for its wide range of biological activities. In this study, 5-O-acyl derivatives of quercetin were synthesised and assessed for their antiproliferative activity against the HCT116 colon cancer and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines; and their radical scavenging activity against the 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical species. Four derivatives were found to have improved the antiproliferative activity compared to quercetin whilst retaining radical scavenging activity.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Liping Liu ◽  
Hanne Ingmer ◽  
Martin Vestergaard

Resveratrol has been extensively studied due to its potential health benefits in multiple diseases, for example, cancer, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Besides these properties, resveratrol displays inhibitory activity against a wide range of bacterial species; however, the cellular effects of resveratrol in bacteria remain incompletely understood, especially in the human pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus. In this study, we aimed to identify intrinsic resistance genes that aid S. aureus in tolerating the activity of resveratrol. We screened the Nebraska Transposon Mutant Library, consisting of 1920 mutants with inactivation of non-essential genes in S. aureus JE2, for increased susceptibly to resveratrol. On agar plates containing 0.5× the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), 17 transposon mutants failed to grow. Of these, four mutants showed a two-fold reduction in MIC, being the clpP protease mutant and three mutants with deficiencies in the electron transport chain (menD, hemB, aroC). The remaining 13 mutants did not show a reduction in MIC, but were confirmed by spot-assays to have increased susceptibility to resveratrol. Several genes were associated with DNA damage repair (recJ, xerC and xseA). Treatment of S. aureus JE2 with sub-inhibitory concentrations of resveratrol did not affect the expression of recJ, xerC and xseA, but increased expression of the SOS–stress response genes lexA and recA, suggesting that resveratrol interferes with DNA integrity in S. aureus. Expression of error-prone DNA polymerases are part of the SOS–stress response and we could show that sub-inhibitory concentrations of resveratrol increased overall mutation frequency as measured by formation of rifampicin resistant mutants. Our data show that DNA repair systems are important determinants aiding S. aureus to overcome the inhibitory activity of resveratrol. Activation of the SOS response by resveratrol could potentially facilitate the development of resistance towards conventional antibiotics in S. aureus.


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