In silico antiplasmodial effects of phytocompounds derived from Andrographis paniculata on validated drug targets of different stages of Plasmodium falciparum

Background:Andrographis paniculata has been widely reported as an herbal plant for malaria treatment.The increasing rate of resistance to recommended antimalarial drugs has justified the need for a continuous search for new and more potent drugs that target all stages of the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle from natural plant sources.This study aimed to determine the antiplasmodial effect of phytocompounds derived from A.paniculata on the stages of plasmodium falciparum.Methods:Phytocompounds from A.paniculata were identified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrophotometry(GCMS)analysis.The phytocompounds were screened for their druggability using Lipinski’s rule of five and subjected to Absorption,Distribution,Metabolism,Excretion,Toxicity(ADMET)and druglikeness analysis.The phytocompounds were docked against some validated drug targets at different stages of Plasmodium falciparum(hepatic,asexual,sexual,and vector targets)using PyRx software to analyze the inhibitory potential and protein-ligand interaction.Thereafter,the stability and flexibility of the best complexes were assessed through molecular dynamics simulations at 50ns using WebGRO.Result:The 7a-Isopropenyl-4,5-dimethyloctahydroinden-4-yl exhibited a higher binding affinity and better stability throughout the simulation period with P.falciparum dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase and Plasmodium falciparum M1 alanyl aminopeptidase for asexual blood stage and gametocyte stage of Plasmodium falciparum,respectively than the existing drugs.Meanwhile,N-Ethyl-3-methoxy-4-methylphenethylamine was also found to have a higher binding affinity and more stability throughout the simulation period with P.falciparum purine nucleoside phosphorylase and Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte surface protein for Hepatic schizonts stage of Plasmodium falciparum and gametocyte transmission blocking stage,respectively,than the existing drugs.Conclusion:The 7a-Isopropenyl-4,5-dimethyloctahydroinden-4-yl and N-Ethyl-3-methoxy-4 methylphenethylamine from A.paniculata are predicted as an antimalarial drug candidate.Thus,it is recommended that in vitro and in vivo bioassays be conducted on these hit compounds to validate these predictions.

Elucidating the molecular targets of Curcuma longa for breast cancer treatment using network pharmacology,molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation

Background:To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of Curcuma longa(C.longa)in breast cancer treatment.Methods:Phytocompounds of C.longa were obtained from Dr.Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Database.Potential active targets were retrieved from Bindingdb,SEA and Swiss Target Prediction databases.Breast cancer targets were retrieved from the Therapeutic Target Database.Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were done using DAVID and KOBAS3.0 databases respectively.The Cytoscape software was used to construct the phytocompound-target-pathway network.The PyRx and Desmond software were utilized for molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation respectively.Results:Out of one hundred and fifty-six phytocompounds,fifty-four modulated proteins involved in breast cancer.Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis indicated C.longa exerts its therapeutic effect through regulating several key pathways.Molecular docking analysis revealed that most phytocompounds of C.longa had a good affinity with the key targets.Molecular dynamics simulation showed that ethinylestradiol formed stable ligand-protein complexes.Conclusion:The results of this study will enhance our understanding of the potential molecular mechanisms by which C.longa inhibits breast cancer and lay a foundation for future experimental studies.