Novel class of benzimidazole-thiazole hybrids: The privileged scaffolds of potent anti-inflammatory activity with dual inhibition of cyclooxygenase and 15-lipoxygenase enzymes

The present study includes design and synthesis of new molecular hybrids of 2-methylthiobenzimidazole linked to various anti-inflammatory pharmacophores through 2-aminothiazole linker, to investigate the effect of such molecular variation on cyclooxygenase (COX) and 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) enzymes inhibition as well as in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. The chemical structures of new hybrids were confirmed using different spectroscopic tools and elemental analyses. Benzimidazole-thiazole hybrids linked to acetyl moiety 13, phenyl thiosemicarbazone 14, 1,3-thiazolines 15a-c and 4-thiazolidinone 16 exhibited significant COX-2 inhibition (IC₅₀ = 0.045–0.075 µM) with significant COX-2 selectivity indices (SI = 142–294). All hybrids revealed potent 15-LOX inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 1.67–6.56 µM). Benzimidazole-thiazole hybrid 15b was the most potent dual COX-2 (IC₅₀ = 0.045 µM, SI = 294) inhibitor approximate to celecoxib (COX-2; IC₅₀ = 0.045 µM, SI = 327), with double inhibitory activity versus 15-LOX enzyme (IC₅₀ = 1.67 µM) relative to quercetin (IC₅₀ = 3.34 µM). Three hybrids (14, 15b & 16) were selected for in vivo screening using carrageenan-induced paw edema method. Benzimidazole-thiazole hybrid linked to 4-thiazolidinone 16 showed the maximum edema inhibition at both 3 h and 4 h intervals as well (~119% and 102% relative to indomethacin, respectively). The gastric ulcerogenic effect of benzimidazole-thiazole hybrid 16 was estimated compared with indomethacin showing superior gastrointestinal safety profile. In bases of molecular modeling; all new active hybrids were subjected to docking simulation into active sites of COX-2 and 15-LOX enzymes to study the binding mode of these novel potent dual COX-2/15-LOX inhibitors.     

Tetranychus evansi spider mite populations suppress tomato defenses to varying degrees

Plant defense suppression is an offensive strategy of herbivores, in which they manipulate plant physiological processes to increase their performance. Paradoxically, defense suppression does not always benefit the defense‐suppressing herbivores, because lowered plant defenses can also enhance the performance of competing herbivores and can expose herbivores to increased predation. Suppression of plant defense may therefore entail considerable ecological costs depending on the presence of competitors and natural enemies in a community. Hence, we hypothesize that the optimal magnitude of suppression differs among locations. To investigate this, we studied defense suppression across populations of Tetranychus evansi spider mites, a herbivore from South America that is an invasive pest of solanaceous plants including cultivated tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, in other parts of the world. We measured the level of expression of defense marker genes in tomato plants after infestation with mites from eleven different T. evansi populations. These populations were chosen across a range of native (South American) and non‐native (other continents) environments and from different host plant species. We found significant variation at three out of four defense marker genes, demonstrating that T. evansi populations suppress jasmonic acid‐ and salicylic acid‐dependent plant signaling pathways to varying degrees. While we found no indication that this variation in defense suppression was explained by differences in host plant species, invasive populations tended to suppress plant defense to a smaller extent than native populations. This may reflect either the genetic lineage of T. evansi—as all invasive populations we studied belong to one linage and both native populations to another—or the absence of specialized natural enemies in invasive T. evansi populations.     

A novel fast kilovoltage switching dual-energy CT with deep learning: Accuracy of CT number on virtual monochromatic imaging and iodine quantification

PurposeA novel fast kilovoltage switching dual-energy CT with deep learning [Deep learning based-spectral CT (DL-Spectral CT)], which generates a complete sinogram for each kilovolt using deep learning views that complement the measured views at each energy, was commercialized in 2020. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of CT numbers in virtual monochromatic images (VMIs) and iodine quantifications at various radiation doses using DL-Spectral CT.Materials and methodsTwo multi-energy phantoms (large and small) using several rods representing different materials (iodine, calcium, blood, and adipose) were scanned by DL-Spectral CT at varying radiation doses. Images were reconstructed using three reconstruction parameters (body, lung, bone). The absolute percentage errors (APEs) for CT numbers on VMIs at 50, 70, and 100 keV and iodine quantification were compared among different radiation dose protocols.ResultsThe APEs of the CT numbers on VMIs were <15% in both the large and small phantoms, except at the minimum dose in the large phantom. There were no significant differences among radiation dose protocols in computed tomography dose index volumes of 12.3 mGy or larger. The accuracy of iodine quantification provided by the body parameter was significantly better than those obtained with the lung and bone parameters. Increasing the radiation dose did not always improve the accuracy of iodine quantification, regardless of the reconstruction parameter and phantom size.ConclusionThe accuracy of iodine quantification and CT numbers on VMIs in DL-Spectral CT was not affected by the radiation dose, except for an extremely low radiation dose for body size.     

Gaussia分泌型萤光素酶的研究进展及其应用

Gaussia分泌型萤光素酶是近年发现的一种来源于海洋桡脚类动物Gaussia princeps的新型分泌型萤光素酶,是目前已知的可自然分泌的最小萤光素酶,因其分子小、灵敏度高、半衰期短和可高效分泌,而成为一种理想的报告基因,广泛应用于体内外研究。我们就Gaussia分泌型萤光素酶的发光原理、荧光特性及其应用等进行简要综述。     

人p53启动子萤光素酶报告基因的构建及其活性测定

目的：克隆p53基因的启动子,插入萤光素酶报告基因载体,并检测启动子活性。方法：采用PCR技术从人肝癌细胞系HepG2基因组中扩增人p53启动子,插入萤光素酶报告基因载体pGL4．0-empty,将重组质粒转染293T、ZR75-1、HepG2、A549细胞,测定p53启动子的转录活性。结果：构建了p53启动子的萤光素酶报告基因;通过测序及质粒酶切鉴定,所构建的p53启动子正确;活性实验表明,报告基因在多种细胞中显示构建的p53启动子活性,并呈现一定的剂量效应;转录因子USF能以剂量效应方式提高p53报告基因的转录活性。结论：克隆了人p53启动子,为进一步研究调控p53的转录因子奠定了基础。     

Exploring structural features of EGFR–HER2 dual inhibitors as anti-cancer agents using G-QSAR approach

Abstract

Simultaneous inhibition of EGFR and HER2 by dual-targeting inhibitors is an established anti-cancer strategy. Therefore, a recent trend in drug discovery involves understanding the features of such dual inhibitors. In this study, three different G-QSAR models were developed corresponding to individual EGFR, HER2 and the dual-model for both receptors. The dual-model provided site-specific information wherein (i) increasing electronegative character and higher index of saturated carbon at R4 position; (ii) presence of chlorine atom at R2 position; (iii) decreasing alpha modified shape index at R1 and R3 positions; and (iv) less electronegativity at R2 position; were found important for enhancing the dual activity. Also, comparison of dual-model with the EGFR/HER2 individual models revealed that it incorporates the properties of both models and, thus, represents a combination of EGFR/HER2. Further, fragment analysis revealed that R2 and R4 are important for imparting high potency while specificity is decided by R1/R3 fragment. We also checked the predictive ability of the dual-model by determining applicability domain using William’s plot. Also, analysis of active molecules showed they show favorable substitutions that agree with the constructed dual-model. Thus, we have been successful in developing a single dual-response QSAR model to get an insight into various structural features influencing EGFR/HER2 activity.     

Tailoring the Peptide-Binding Specificity Of An RNA by Combinations of Specificity-Altering Mutations

In this study, the ability to tailor the peptide-binding specificity of an RNA was investigated. First, variants of the Rev-response element (RRE) RNA with different specificities toward the natural binding partner, Rev, and two RRE-binding aptamers, the RSG-1.2 and the Kl peptides, were identified. Next, hybrid RRE mutants with combinations of two sets of specificity-altering substitutions were tested for peptide-binding specificity. It was shown that in most cases the results of the combination of individual mutations were of an additive nature, therefore providing a way to manipulate the peptide-binding specificity of an RNA in a predictable manner.     

Development of rapid and highly sensitive HSPA1A promoter-driven luciferase reporter system for assessing oxidative stress associated with low-dose photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a regulatory-approved modality for treating a variety of malignant tumors. It induces tumor tissue damage via photosensitizer-mediated oxidative cytotoxicity. The heat shock protein 70 (HSP70-1) is a stress protein encoded by the HSPA1A gene and is significantly induced by oxidative stress associated with PDT. The aim of this study was to identify the functional region of the HSPA1A promoter that responds to PDT-induced oxidative stress and uses the stress responsiveness of HSPA1A expression to establish a rapid and cost-effective photocytotoxic assessment bioassay to evaluate the photodynamic potential of photosensitizers. By constructing luciferase vectors with a variety of hspa1a promoter fractions and examining their relative luciferase activity, we demonstrated that the DNA sequence from −218 to +87 of the HSPA1A gene could be used as a functional promoter to detect the PDT-induced oxidative stress. The maximal relative luciferase activity level of HSPA1A (HSP70-1) induced by hypericin-PDT was nearly nine times that of the control. Our results suggest that the novel reporter gene assay using a functional region of the HSP70A1A promoter has significant advantages for the detection of photoactivity in terms of both speed and sensitivity, when compared with a cell viability test based on ATP quantification and ROS levels. Furthermore, phthalocyanine zinc and methylene blue both induced significantly elevated levels of relative luciferase activity in a dose-dependent manner.