scholarly journals Application of Dithiocarbamates as Potential New Antitrypanosomatids-Drugs: Approach Chemistry, Functional and Biological

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (15) ◽  
pp. 2806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johny Wysllas de Freitas Oliveira ◽  
Hugo Alexandre Oliveira Rocha ◽  
Wendy Marina Toscano Queiroz de Medeiros ◽  
Marcelo Sousa Silva

Dithiocarbamates represent a class of compounds that were evaluated in different biomedical applications because of their chemical versatility. For this reason, several pharmacological activities have already been attributed to these compounds, such as antiparasitic, antiviral, antifungal activities, among others. Therefore, compounds that are based on dithiocarbamates have been evaluated in different in vivo and in vitro models as potential new antimicrobials. Thus, the purpose of this review is to present the possibilities of using dithiocarbamate compounds as potential new antitrypanosomatids-drugs, which could be used for the pharmacological control of Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and African trypanosomiasis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 419
Author(s):  
Rubén Martín-Escolano ◽  
Daniel Molina-Carreño ◽  
Daniel Plano ◽  
Socorro Espuelas ◽  
María J. Rosales ◽  
...  

Chagas disease is usually caused by tropical infection with the insect-transmitted protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. Currently, Chagas disease is a major public health concern worldwide due to globalization, and there are no treatments neither vaccines because of the long-term nature of the disease and its complex pathology. Current treatments are limited to two obsolete drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox, which lead to serious drawbacks. Taking into account the urgent need for strict research efforts to find new therapies, here, we describe the in vitro and in vivo trypanocidal activity of a library of selected forty-eight selenocyanate and diselenide derivatives that exhibited leishmanicidal properties. The inclusion of selenium, an essential trace element, was due to the well-known extensive pharmacological activities for selenium compounds including parasitic diseases as T. cruzi. Here we present compound 8 as a potential compound that exhibits a better profile than benznidazole both in vitro and in vivo. It shows a fast-acting behaviour that could be attributed to its mode of action: it acts in a mitochondrion-dependent manner, causing cell death by bioenergetic collapse. This finding provides a step forward for the development of a new antichagasic agent.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2786
Author(s):  
Laura Sordini ◽  
João C. Silva ◽  
Fábio F. F. Garrudo ◽  
Carlos A. V. Rodrigues ◽  
Ana C. Marques ◽  
...  

Bioelectricity drives several processes in the human body. The development of new materials that can deliver electrical stimuli is gaining increasing attention in the field of tissue engineering. In this work, novel, highly electrically conductive nanofibers made of poly [2,2′-m-(phenylene)-5,5′-bibenzimidazole] (PBI) have been manufactured by electrospinning and then coated with cross-linked poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly (styrene sulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) by spin coating or dip coating. These scaffolds have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging and attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The electrical conductivity was measured by the four-probe method at values of 28.3 S·m−1 for spin coated fibers and 147 S·m−1 for dip coated samples, which correspond, respectively, to an increase of about 105 and 106 times in relation to the electrical conductivity of PBI fibers. Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hBM-MSCs) cultured on the produced scaffolds for one week showed high viability, typical morphology and proliferative capacity, as demonstrated by calcein fluorescence staining, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)/Phalloidin staining and MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] assay. Therefore, all fiber samples demonstrated biocompatibility. Overall, our findings highlight the great potential of PEDOT:PSS-coated PBI electrospun scaffolds for a wide variety of biomedical applications, including their use as reliable in vitro models to study pathologies and the development of strategies for the regeneration of electroactive tissues or in the design of new electrodes for in vivo electrical stimulation protocols.


Author(s):  
Yasushi P. Kato ◽  
Michael G. Dunn ◽  
Frederick H. Silver ◽  
Arthur J. Wasserman

Collagenous biomaterials have been used for growing cells in vitro as well as for augmentation and replacement of hard and soft tissues. The substratum used for culturing cells is implicated in the modulation of phenotypic cellular expression, cellular orientation and adhesion. Collagen may have a strong influence on these cellular parameters when used as a substrate in vitro. Clinically, collagen has many applications to wound healing including, skin and bone substitution, tendon, ligament, and nerve replacement. In this report we demonstrate two uses of collagen. First as a fiber to support fibroblast growth in vitro, and second as a demineralized bone/collagen sponge for radial bone defect repair in vivo.For the in vitro study, collagen fibers were prepared as described previously. Primary rat tendon fibroblasts (1° RTF) were isolated and cultured for 5 days on 1 X 15 mm sterile cover slips. Six to seven collagen fibers, were glued parallel to each other onto a circular cover slip (D=18mm) and the 1 X 15mm cover slip populated with 1° RTF was placed at the center perpendicular to the collagen fibers. Fibroblast migration from the 1 x 15mm cover slip onto and along the collagen fibers was measured daily using a phase contrast microscope (Olympus CK-2) with a calibrated eyepiece. Migratory rates for fibroblasts were determined from 36 fibers over 4 days.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (30) ◽  
pp. 5609-5624
Author(s):  
Dijana Saftić ◽  
Željka Ban ◽  
Josipa Matić ◽  
Lidija-Marija Tumirv ◽  
Ivo Piantanida

: Among the most intensively studied classes of small molecules (molecular weight < 650) in biomedical research are small molecules that non-covalently bind to DNA/RNA, and another intensively studied class is nucleobase derivatives. Both classes have been intensively elaborated in many books and reviews. However, conjugates consisting of DNA/RNA binder covalently linked to nucleobase are much less studied and have not been reviewed in the last two decades. Therefore, this review summarized reports on the design of classical DNA/RNA binder – nucleobase conjugates, as well as data about their interactions with various DNA or RNA targets, and even in some cases protein targets are involved. According to these data, the most important structural aspects of selective or even specific recognition between small molecule and target are proposed, and where possible related biochemical and biomedical aspects were discussed. The general conclusion is that this, rather new class of molecules showed an amazing set of recognition tools for numerous DNA or RNA targets in the last two decades, as well as few intriguing in vitro and in vivo selectivities. Several lead research lines show promising advancements toward either novel, highly selective markers or bioactive, potentially druggable molecules.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaik Ibrahim Khalivulla ◽  
Arifullah Mohammed ◽  
Kokkanti Mallikarjuna

Background: Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting a large population worldwide and stands as one of the major global health challenges to be tackled. According to World Health Organization, about 400 million are having diabetes worldwide and it is the seventh leading cause of deaths in 2016. Plant based natural products had been in use from ancient time as ethnomedicine for the treatment of several diseases including diabetes. As a result of that, there are several reports on plant based natural products displaying antidiabetic activity. In the current review, such antidiabetic potential compounds reported from all plant sources along with their chemical structures are collected, presented and discussed. This kind of reports are essential to pool the available information to one source followed by statistical analysis and screening to check the efficacy of all known compounds in a comparative sense. This kind of analysis can give rise to few numbers of potential compounds from hundreds, whom can further be screened through in vitro and in vivo studies, and human trails leading to the drug development. Methods: Phytochemicals along with their potential antidiabetic property were classified according to their basic chemical skeleton. The chemical structures of all the compounds with antidiabetic activities were elucidated in the present review. In addition to this, the distribution and their other remarkable pharmacological activities of each species is also included. Results: The scrutiny of literature led to identification of 44 plants with antidiabetic compounds (70) and other pharmacological activities. For the sake of information, the distribution of each species in the world is given. Many plant derivatives may exert antidiabetic properties by improving or mimicking the insulin production or action. Different classes of compounds including sulfur compounds (1-4), alkaloids (5-11), phenolic compounds (12-17), tannins (18-23), phenylpropanoids (24-27), xanthanoids (28-31), amino acid (32), stilbenoid (33), benzofuran (34), coumarin (35), flavonoids (36-49) and terpenoids (50-70) were found to be active potential compounds for antidiabetic activity. Of the 70 listed compounds, majorly 17 compounds are from triterpenoids, 13 flavonoids and 7 are from alkaloids. Among all the 44 plant species, maximum number (7) of compounds are reported from Lagerstroemia speciosa followed by Momordica charantia (6) and S. oblonga with 5 compounds. Conclusion: This is the first paper to summarize the established chemical structures of phytochemicals that have been successfully screened for antidiabetic potential and their mechanisms of inhibition. The reported compounds could be considered as potential lead molecules for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. Further, molecular and clinical trials are required to select and establish the therapeutic drug candidates.


Author(s):  
Roohi Mohi-ud-din ◽  
Reyaz Hassan Mir ◽  
Prince Ahad Mir ◽  
Saeema Farooq ◽  
Syed Naiem Raza ◽  
...  

Background: Genus Berberis (family Berberidaceae), which contains about 650 species and 17 genera worldwide, has been used in folklore and various traditional medicine systems. Berberis Linn. is the most established group among genera with around 450-500 species across the world. This comprehensive review will not only help researchers for further evaluation but also provide substantial information for future exploitation of species to develop novel herbal formulations. Objective: The present review is focussed to summarize and collect the updated review of information of Genus Berberis species reported to date regarding their ethnomedicinal information, chemical constituents, traditional/folklore use, and reported pharmacological activities on more than 40 species of Berberis. Conclusion: A comprehensive survey of the literature reveals that various species of the genus possess various phytoconstituents mainly alkaloids, flavonoid based compounds isolated from different parts of a plant with a wide range of pharmacological activities. So far, many pharmacological activities like anti-cancer, anti-hyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory both in vitro & in vivo and clinical study of different extracts/isolated compounds of different species of Berberis have been reported, proving their importance as a medicinal plant and claiming their traditional use.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 509-520
Author(s):  
Cauê B. Scarim ◽  
Chung M. Chin

Background: In recent years, there has been an improvement in the in vitro and in vivo methodology for the screening of anti-chagasic compounds. Millions of compounds can now have their activity evaluated (in large compound libraries) by means of high throughput in vitro screening assays. Objective: Current approaches to drug discovery for Chagas disease. Method: This review article examines the contribution of these methodological advances in medicinal chemistry in the last four years, focusing on Trypanosoma cruzi infection, obtained from the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Results: Here, we have shown that the promise is increasing each year for more lead compounds for the development of a new drug against Chagas disease. Conclusion: There is increased optimism among those working with the objective to find new drug candidates for optimal treatments against Chagas disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boniface Pone ◽  
Ferreira Igne Elizabeth

: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are responsible for over 500,000 deaths annually and are characterized by multiple disabilities. Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are among the most severe NTDs, and are caused by the Leishmania sp, and Trypanosoma cruzi, respectively. Glucantime, pentamidine and miltefosine are commonly used to treat leishmaniasis, whereas nifurtimox, benznidazole are current treatments for Chagas disease. However, these treatments are associated with drug resistance, and severe side effects. Hence, the development of synthetic products, especially those containing N02, F, or Cl, which chemical groups are known to improve the biological activity. The present work summarizes the information on the antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activity of nitro-, chloro-, and fluoro-synthetic derivatives. Scientific publications referring to halogenated derivatives in relation to antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activities were hand searched in databases such as SciFinder, Wiley, Science Direct, PubMed, ACS, Springer, Scielo, and so on. According to the literature information, more than 90 compounds were predicted as lead molecules with reference to their IC50/EC50 values in in vitro studies. It is worth to mention that only active compounds with known cytotoxic effects against mammalian cells were considered in the present study. The observed activity was attributed to the presence of nitro-, fluoro- and chloro-groups in the compound backbone. All in all, nitro and h0alogenated derivatives are active antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal compounds and can serve as baseline for the development of new drugs against leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. However, efforts on in vitro and in vivo toxicity studies of the active synthetic compounds is still needed. Pharmacokinetic studies, and the mechanism of action of the promising compounds need to be explored. The use of new catalysts and chemical transformation can afford unexplored halogenated compounds with improved antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Najmi Mohamad Anuar ◽  
Nurul Iman Natasya Zulkafali ◽  
Azizah Ugusman

: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a group of zinc-dependent metallo-endopeptidase that are responsible towards the degradation, repair and remodelling of extracellular matrix components. MMPs play an important role in maintaining a normal physiological function and preventing diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Natural products derived from plants have been used as traditional medicine for centuries. Its active compounds, such as catechin, resveratrol and quercetin, are suggested to play an important role as MMPs inhibitors, thereby opening new insights into their applications in many fields, such as pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. This review summarises the current knowledge on plant-derived natural products with MMP-modulating activities. Most of the reviewed plant-derived products exhibit an inhibitory activity on MMPs. Amongst MMPs, MMP-2 and MMP-9 are the most studied. The expression of MMPs is inhibited through respective signalling pathways, such as MAPK, NF-κB and PI3 kinase pathways, which contribute to the reduction in cancer cell behaviours, such as proliferation and migration. Most studies have employed in vitro models, but a limited number of animal studies and clinical trials have been conducted. Even though plant-derived products show promising results in modulating MMPs, more in vivo studies and clinical trials are needed to support their therapeutic applications in the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1147-1156
Author(s):  
Ruchi Singh ◽  
Syed M. Hasan ◽  
Amit Verma ◽  
Sanjay K. Panda

Background: A plant is a reservoir of potentially useful active chemical entities which act as drugs as well as intermediates for the discovery of newer molecules and provide newer leads for modern drug synthesis. The demand for new compounds in the field of medicine and biotechnology is centuries old and with a rise in chronic diseases and resistance to existing drugs in the field of anti-infective agents, the chemicals obtained from plant sources have been an area of attraction. The whole plant has possessed multiple pharmacological activities. This is scientifically established by in-vivo and in-vitro studies. Methods: Various electronic databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Google were searched to collect the data of the present review. All the collected information is categorized into different sections as per the aim of the paper. Results: Fifty-six research and review papers have been studied and were included in this review article. After a detailed study, we provide a significant description of various phytochemicals present in Nyctanthes arbor-tristis Linn., which is responsible for various pharmacological activities. Twenty of studied articles gives a general introduction and ethnobotanical information about the plant, two papers contained microscopic detail of leaf and fruit. Twenty papers contained information about the phytoconstituents present in different parts of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis plant and fourteen articles reported pharmacological activities like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, antimicrobial and immunobiotic activity. Conclusion: This review explores the published research work comprising the ethnobotanical description of the subjected plant, distribution, phytochemical profile, and arthritis-related pharmacological activities.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document