ANGPTL4 is a potential driver of HCV-induced peripheral insulin resistance.

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is associated with the development of metabolic disorders, including both hepatic and extra-hepatic insulin resistance (IR). Here, we aimed at identifying liver-derived factor(s) potentially inducing peripheral IR and uncovering the mechanisms whereby HCV can regulate the action of these factors. We found ANGPTL4 (Angiopoietin Like 4) mRNA expression levels to positively correlate with HCV RNA (r = 0.

Identification of selective hepatitis delta virus ribozyme inhibitors by high-throughput screening of small molecule libraries.

Background & Aims: Chronic hepatitis delta is the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis and is associated with faster progression towards cirrhosis, liver decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatitis delta virus (HDV)'s tight dependency on hepatitis B virus and the host cell machinery for its life cycle limits the development of direct-acting antivirals. Thus, we aimed to identify compounds that could block HDV replication by targeting its antigenomic ribozyme.

Discovery of potent positive allosteric modulators of the α3β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by a chemical space walk in ChEMBL.

While a plethora of ligands are known for the well studied α7 and α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), only very few ligands address the related α3β2 nAChR expressed in the central nervous system and at the neuromuscular junction. Starting with the public database ChEMBL organized in the chemical space of Molecular Quantum Numbers (MQN, a series of 42 integer value descriptors of molecular structure), a visual survey of nearest neighbors of the α7 nAChR partial agonist N-(3R)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.