Effect of an Autotaxin Inhibitor, 2-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-methyl-8-pentylimidazo[1,2-] Pyrimidin-5(8)-one (CBT-295), on Bile Duct Ligation-Induced Chronic Liver Disease and Associated Hepatic Encephalopathy in Rats.

The role of autotaxin (ATX)-lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is yet to be explored in the context of liver cirrhosis and associated encephalopathy. Our objective of this study was to evaluate the role of an ATX inhibitor in biliary cirrhosis and associated hepatic encephalopathy in rats. The preliminary investigation revealed significant impairment in liver function, which eventually led to the development of hepatic encephalopathy.

Identification of 5-(3-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)-3H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine as novel orally bioavailable and metabolically stable antimalarial compound for further exploration.

Malaria continues to be a significant public health problem threatened by the emergence and spread of resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies and marked half a million deaths in 2016. A new imidazopyridine chemotype has been envisaged through scaffold-hopping approach combined with docking studies for putative-binding interactions with Plasmodium falciparum phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase (PfPI4K) target. The docking results steered to the synthesis of compound 1 [5-(3-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)-3-(4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)-3H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine] followed by the in vitro screening for antiplasmodial activity and ADME-PK studies.

Inhibition of Autotaxin Ameliorates LPA-Mediated Neuroinflammation and Alleviates Neurological Dysfunction in Acute Hepatic Encephalopathy.

Growing evidence suggests an essential role of neuroinflammation in behavioral abnormalities associated with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Here, we report the involvement of autotaxin-lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) signaling in HE's pathogenesis. We demonstrate that the autotaxin (ATX) inhibitor PF-8380 attenuates neuroinflammation and improves neurological dysfunction in the mouse model of HE.

Structure-based discovery of (S)-2-amino-6-(4-fluorobenzyl)-5,6,11,11a-tetrahydro-1H-imidazo[1',5':1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,3(2H)-dione as low nanomolar, orally bioavailable autotaxin inhibitor.

Inhibition of extracellular secreted enzyme autotaxin (ATX) represents an attractive strategy for the development of new therapeutics to treat various diseases and a few inhibitors entered in clinical trials. We herein describe structure-based design, synthesis, and biological investigations revealing a potent and orally bioavailable ATX inhibitor 1. During the molecular docking and scoring studies within the ATX enzyme (PDB-ID: 4ZGA), the S-enantiomer (Gscore = -13.

Antinociceptive properties of shikonin: in vitro and in vivo studies.

Shikonin possess a diverse spectrum of pharmacological properties in multiple therapeutic areas. However, the nociceptive effect of shikonin is not largely known. To investigate the antinociceptive potential of shikonin, panel of GPCRs, ion channels, and enzymes involved in pain pathogenesis were studied.

EN3427: a novel cationic aminoindane with long-acting local anesthetic properties.

Background: Currently approved local anesthetic drugs provide relatively brief local anesthesia that is appropriate and even desirable in some settings, but an extended duration of action beyond their capabilities would be a distinct benefit in other clinical situations. We implemented a drug discovery program that sought to identify novel local anesthetic molecules that specifically demonstrated a long-acting, preferential action on nociceptor sensory afferents that expressed transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. The hypothesis we tested was whether relatively membrane-impermeant local anesthetic molecules could confer long-lasting anesthesia if neuronal access was facilitated by TRP channel activation.

Novel β-ketoiminato complexes of zirconium: synthesis, characterization and evaluation for solution based processing of ZrO2 thin films.

Treatment of tetrakis(diethylamido)zirconium(IV); [Zr(NEt2)4] with a series of β-ketoimines ({[RHN]C(CH3)=C(H)C(CH3)=O} where R is a functionalized side-chain; 4-(2-methoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-one, Hmeap; 4-(3-methoxypropylamino)pent-3-en-2-one, Hmpap; 4-(2-(dimethylamino)ethylamino)pent-3-en-2-one, Hdeap; 4-(3-(dimethylamino)propylamino)pent-3-en-2-one, Hdpap) leads to an amine substitution reaction that yielded novel monomeric heteroleptic mixed amido-ketoiminato complexes of the type bis(4-(2-methoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)bis(diethylamido)zirconium(IV) (1), bis(4-(3-methoxypropylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)bis(diethylamido)zirconium(IV) (2), and bis(4-(3-(dimethylamino)propylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)bis(diethylamido)zirconium(IV) (3), and eight-coordinated homoleptic complexes tetrakis(4-(2-methoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)zirconium(IV) (4) and tetrakis(4-(2-(dimethylamino)ethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)zirconium(IV) (5), depending on the ratio of the ligand to zirconium. Adopting a similar strategy with zirconium alkoxide, namely [Zr(O(i)Pr)4·(i)PrOH], with β-ketoimine Hmeap, leads to the formation of a dimer, bis(μ2-isopropoxo)bis(4-(2-methoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)tetrakis(isopropoxo)dizirconium(IV) (6). The newly synthesised complexes were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis and thermal analysis.

CuO/ZnO nanocomposite gas sensors developed by a plasma-assisted route.

CuO/ZnO nanocomposites were synthesized on Al(2)O(3) substrates by a hybrid plasma-assisted approach, combining the initial growth of ZnO columnar arrays by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) and subsequent radio frequency (RF) sputtering of copper, followed by final annealing in air. Chemical, morphological, and structural analyses revealed the formation of high-purity nanosystems, characterized by a controllable dispersion of CuO particles into ZnO matrices. The high surface-to-volume ratio of the obtained materials, along with intimate CuO/ZnO intermixing, resulted in the efficient detection of various oxidizing and reducing gases (such as O(3), CH(3)CH(2)OH, and H(2)).

Pharmacological profile of AW-814141, a novel, potent, selective and orally active inhibitor of p38 MAP kinase.

The p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) is a key signaling molecule that plays a crucial role in the progression of various inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of a p38 MAPK inhibitor, AW-814141. AW-814141 inhibited enzymatic activity of recombinant p38-alpha and beta isoforms with IC(50) value of 100nM and 158nM, respectively.

Ceramide kinase: a potential anti-inflammatory target?

Ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P) possesses emerging and diversified roles in the regulation of various physiological and pathological processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis and inflammation. Data have established a proinflammatory role for C1P and have also produced information on the structure, function, substrate specificity and regulatory mechanisms of its synthesizing enzyme, ceramide kinase (CERK). This review focuses on the rationale for designing specific inhibitors of CERK and provides evidence for the potential of CERK inhibition as a promising anti-inflammatory therapy.

Modulation of inflammatory mediators by ibuprofen and curcumin treatment during chronic inflammation in rat.

Inflammation is a protective tissue response occurring in three distinct phases, acute, subacute and a chronic proliferative phase. We undertook the present study to understand the overall immune response of the body during adjuvant induced chronic inflammation in rat and the effect of ibuprofen and curcumin on this response. Inflammatory mediators were estimated on day 21 and day 35 after adjuvant injection.

Effect of alternaria pathotoxin(s) on expression of p53-like apoptotic protein in calli and leaves of Brassica campestris.

Possible involvement of apoptosis was investigated in pathotoxin-treated and nutritionally-depleted in vitro cultured calli by comparing levels of p53-like protein. Antibodies raised against human p53 were used to detect and quantify p53 in B. campestris.