Design of novel pyrimidine based remdesivir analogues with dual target specificity for SARS CoV-2: A computational approach.

As the world undergone unpreceded time of tragedy with the corona virus, many researchers have raised to showcase their scientific contributions in terms of novel configured anti-viral drugs until now. Herein, we designed pyrimidine based nucleotides and assessed for the binding capability with SARS-CoV-2 viral replication targets of nsp12 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and M main protease. Molecular docking studies showed all the designed compounds to possess good binding affinity, with a few compounds which outperforms the control drug remdesivir GS-5743 and its active form GS-441524.

Purification of PaTx-II from the Venom of the Australian King Brown Snake and Characterization of Its Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Activities.

Infections caused by multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are a global threat to human health. As venoms are the source of biochemically diverse bioactive proteins and peptides, we investigated the antimicrobial activity and murine skin infection model-based wound healing efficacy of a 13 kDa protein. The active component PaTx-II was isolated from the venom of (Australian King Brown or Mulga Snake).

A-kinase anchor protein 12 (AKAP12) inhibits cell migration in breast cancer.

A-kinase anchor protein 12 (AKAP12) also known as Gravin and SSeCKS, is a novel potent scaffold protein for many key signaling factors, such as protein kinase C (PKC), PKA, cyclins as well as F-actin. AKAP12 expression is known to be suppressed in several human malignancies including breast, prostate, gastric and colon cancers. In this study, we evaluated the role of AKAP12 in the migration of breast cancer cells, an important cellular process in cancer progression.

PPARγ Ligand-induced Annexin A1 Expression Determines Chemotherapy Response via Deubiquitination of Death Domain Kinase RIP in Triple-negative Breast Cancers.

Metastatic breast cancer is still incurable so far; new specifically targeted and more effective therapies for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are required in the clinic. In this study, our clinical data have established that basal and claudin-low subtypes of breast cancer (TNBC types) express significantly higher levels of Annexin A1 (ANXA1) with poor survival outcomes. Using human cancer cell lines that model the TNBC subtype, we observed a strong positive correlation between expression of ANXA1 and PPARγ.

Identification of natural peptides as a new class of antimalarial drugs by approaches.

Malaria is one of the most widespread and serious parasitic diseases worldwide. Currently available antimalarial drugs have side effects, and many strains of have developed resistance to such drugs. The present review examines the use of annexins and of natural peptides from snake venom as a new class of anti-malarial agents, with the key property of reducing inflammation.

ANXA1 inhibits miRNA-196a in a negative feedback loop through NF-kB and c-Myc to reduce breast cancer proliferation.

MiRNAs are endogenous ~22 nt RNAs which play critical regulatory roles in a wide range of biological and pathological processes, which can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes depending on their target genes. We have recently shown that ANXA1 inhibits the expression of miRNAs including miR196a. Here, we show that miR196a was highly expressed in ER+ MCF-7 breast cancer cells when compared to normal mammary gland cells, with expression levels negatively correlating to ANXA1.

A brief update on potential molecular mechanisms underlying antimicrobial and wound-healing potency of snake venom molecules.

Infectious diseases remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A wide range of diverse, novel classes of natural antibiotics have been isolated from different snake species in the recent past. Snake venoms contain diverse groups of proteins with potent antibacterial activity against a wide range of human pathogens.

New frontiers for anti-biofilm drug development.

Pathogenic microbial biofilm, a consortium of microbial cells protected by a self-produced polymer matrix, is considered a worldwide challenge due to the inherent antibiotic resistance conferred by its lifestyle. Living, as it does, in a community of microbial organisms in a clinical situation, makes it responsible for severe and dangerous cases of infection. Combating this organisation of cells usually requires high antibiotic doses for a prolonged time, and these approaches often fail, contributing to infection persistence.

Viperatoxin-II: A novel viper venom protein as an effective bactericidal agent.

Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have become a rising threat to public health. There is an urgent need for development of promising new therapeutic agents against drug resistant bacteria like S. aureus.

Ageing and the telomere connection: An intimate relationship with inflammation.

Telomeres are the heterochromatic repeat regions at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, whose length is considered to be a determinant of biological ageing. Normal ageing itself is associated with telomere shortening. Here, critically short telomeres trigger senescence and eventually cell death.

Targeting transcription factor STAT3 for cancer prevention and therapy.

Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STATs) comprise an important class of transcription factors that have been implicated in a wide variety of essential cellular functions related to proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis. Among various STAT members, STAT3 is frequently overexpressed in tumor cells as well as tissue samples, and regulates the expression of numerous oncogenic genes controlling the growth and metastasis of tumor cells. The current review briefly discusses the importance of STAT3 as a potential target for cancer therapy and also provides novel insights into various classes of existing pharmacological inhibitors of this transcription factor that can be potentially developed as anti-cancer drugs.

DAMPs and influenza virus infection in ageing.

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a serious global health problem worldwide due to frequent and severe outbreaks. IAV causes significant morbidity and mortality in the elderly population, due to the ineffectiveness of the vaccine and the alteration of T cell immunity with ageing. The cellular and molecular link between ageing and virus infection is unclear and it is possible that damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) may play a role in the raised severity and susceptibility of virus infections in the elderly.

Novel phospholipase A2 inhibitors from python serum are potent peptide antibiotics.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play a vital role in defense against resistant bacteria. In this study, eight different AMPs synthesized from Python reticulatus serum protein were tested for bactericidal activity against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Burkholderia pseudomallei (KHW and TES strains), and Proteus vulgaris) using a disc-diffusion method (20 μg/disc). Among the tested peptides, phospholipase A2 inhibitory peptide (PIP)-18[59-76], β-Asp65-PIP[59-67], D-Ala66-PNT.

Clostridium and bacillus binary enterotoxins: bad for the bowels, and eukaryotic being.

Some pathogenic spore-forming bacilli employ a binary protein mechanism for intoxicating the intestinal tracts of insects, animals, and humans. These Gram-positive bacteria and their toxins include Clostridium botulinum (C2 toxin), Clostridium difficile (C. difficile toxin or CDT), Clostridium perfringens (ι-toxin and binary enterotoxin, or BEC), Clostridium spiroforme (C.

Wound healing activity and mechanisms of action of an antibacterial protein from the venom of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus).

Basic phospholipase A2 was identified from the venom of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. The Crotalus adamanteus toxin-II (CaTx-II) induced bactericidal effects (7.8 µg/ml) on Staphylococcus aureus, while on Burkholderia pseudomallei (KHW), and Enterobacter aerogenes were killed at 15.

Plant-based hydrocarbon esters from Tragia involucrata possess antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities.

Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of hydrocarbon esters obtained from Tragia involucrata were evaluated by disk-diffusion (250 µg/ml), and broth-dilution (500-7.8 µg/ml), methods against bacteria. Among the compounds, shellsol showed the most potent activity against Burkholderia pseudomallei (KHW), Aeromonas hydrophila, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Emodin suppresses migration and invasion through the modulation of CXCR4 expression in an orthotopic model of human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Accumulating evidence(s) indicate that CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling cascade plays an important role in the process of invasion and metastasis that accounts for more than 80% of deaths in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Thus, identification of novel agents that can downregulate CXCR4 expression and its associated functions have a great potential in the treatment of metastatic HCC. In the present report, we investigated an anthraquinone derivative, emodin for its ability to affect CXCR4 expression as well as function in HCC cells.

Identification of a novel Calotropis procera protein that can suppress tumor growth in breast cancer through the suppression of NF-κB pathway.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. To date, improvements in hormonal and cytotoxic therapies have not yet led to a sustained remission or cure. In the present study, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities of a novel Calotropis procera protein (CP-P) isolated from root bark.

Zinc supplementation prevents cardiomyocyte apoptosis and congenital heart defects in embryos of diabetic mice.

Oxidative stress induced by maternal diabetes plays an important role in the development of cardiac malformations. Zinc (Zn) supplementation of animals and humans has been shown to ameliorate oxidative stress induced by diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, the role of Zn in the prevention of oxidative stress induced by diabetic cardiac embryopathy remains unknown.

Carboxylate microsphere-induced cellular toxicity in human lung fibroblasts.

Carboxylate microspheres (CMs) are mainly used in industrial, biomedical and various household products. In this study, we assessed the cytotoxic effects of CMs on human MRC-5 lung fibroblasts by using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Oxidative stress was determined by measurements of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant (superoxide dismutase and catalase) levels and proinflammatory cytokines quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Excessive neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps contribute to acute lung injury of influenza pneumonitis.

Complications of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are common among critically ill patients infected with highly pathogenic influenza viruses. Macrophages and neutrophils constitute the majority of cells recruited into infected lungs, and are associated with immunopathology in influenza pneumonia. We examined pathological manifestations in models of macrophage- or neutrophil-depleted mice challenged with sublethal doses of influenza A virus H1N1 strain PR8.

Therapeutic potential of peptides with neutralizing ability towards the venom and toxin (CaTx-I) of crotalus adamanteus.

The CaTx-I (PLA2) toxin of Crotalus adamanteus venom is responsible for most of the symptoms observed during envenomation. Synthetic peptides were designed and screened for venom (0.8 μg/ml) and CaTx-I (0.