Pharmaceutics
July 2025
: The incorporation of bioactive molecules into mesoporous carriers is a promising strategy to improve stability, solubility, and therapeutic efficacy. In this study, we report for the first time the encapsulation of the synthetic chalcone 4-Cl into KIT-6 mesoporous silica and evaluate its cytotoxicity, toxicological profile, and pharmacological activities (antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and anxiolytic) using an in vivo zebrafish (Danio rerio) model. : Zebrafish were orally dosed with 4-Cl, 4-Cl/KIT-6, or KIT-6 (4, 20, 40 mg/kg) and mortality was recorded for 96 h.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrob Pathog
August 2025
The White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) is a highly virulent pathogen that affects crustaceans, causing significant mortality in aquaculture. Despite its impact, computational studies on WSSV prophylaxis remain limited. This study investigates the potential of acyclovir (ACY) analogs in controlling WSSV using molecular docking/dynamics simulations and ecotoxicological studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Omega
July 2025
Neurological disorders are a major contributor to disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide, with anxiety and epilepsy being particularly prevalent. Among them, anxiety is among the top ten diseases and causes an annual cost of 42.3 billion dollars in the United States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Biodivers
July 2025
Nicandrin B (Nic B), a withanolide isolated from Datura ferox leaves, was investigated for its antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). Animals treated with Nic B (4, 20, and 40 mg/kg) showed no toxicity and maintained normal locomotor activity. The compound significantly reduced nociception induced by formalin and hypertonic saline; these effects were reversed by TRPA1 and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 antagonists, indicating neuromodulation of these targets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Biodivers
June 2025
Benzodiazepines are widely used in the treatment of anxiety, but their use may be interrupted due to side effects. This study evaluated the indole alkaloids isocarapanaubine (indole alkaloid 1 [AIN1]) and 18-β-hydroxy-3-epi-α-yohimbine (indole alkaloid 2 [AIN2]), extracted from Rauvolfia ligustrina, in adult zebrafish. Three doses (4, 12, and 20 mg/kg) were tested, along with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) 3% and Diazepam (4 mg/kg) in toxicity, locomotion, and anxiolytic effect assays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Present new bioactive compounds, created by De novo Drug Design and artificial intelligence (AI), as possible inhibitors of polymerase.
Materials & Methods: MolAICal's AI module was configured to identify FDA-approved molecular fragments with therapeutic effectiveness against polymerase, where the model with optimized synthetic accessibility and structural complexity was subjected to docking and molecular dynamics simulations and pharmacokinetic prediction.
Results: Among 1,722 new forms, the Hit-960 compound stood out for its high bioaffinity and stability, with a binding energy of -9.
Microb Pathog
July 2025
Hydrazones are organic compounds with promising antimicrobial properties, particularly in the fight against resistant microorganisms. The aim of this study was to synthesize and evaluate the antibacterial activity of the hydrazone derivative of isoniazid N'-[[4-({[(pyridin-4-yl)formamido]imino] methyl)phenyl]methylidene]pyridine-4 carbohydrazide (BISHDZHI) against Staphylococcus aureus overexpressing NorA and MepA efflux pumps. The broth microdilution methodology was used in the microbiological tests to evaluate the antibacterial potential of the BISHDZHI compound and its ability to inhibit efflux pump resistance mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrob Pathog
June 2025
Bacterial resistance is a major challenge in the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections, with efflux mechanisms highlighted as reducing the efficacy of antibiotics. In this study, we investigated the potential of naringenin, a natural flavonoid, as an antibacterial agent and efflux pump inhibitor in S. aureus strains 1199 and 1199B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntibiotics (Basel)
March 2025
The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria poses a significant challenge to global public health, contributing to increased morbidity and mortality rates. In this context, the repurposing of existing drugs has emerged as a promising strategy. In this study, hydralazine (HDZ), a vasodilator used as an antihypertensive since 1952, demonstrated antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Biophys Res Commun
April 2025
Chalcones are a class of natural or synthetic compounds with an α, β-unsaturated carbonyl system. From a pharmacological standpoint, they are highly promising substances, particularly due to their diverse pharmacological properties, among them anticancer activity. The present study aims to evaluate through in vitro and in silico studies the cytotoxicity of chalcones derived of the natural product 2-hydroxy-3,4,6-trimethoxyacetophenone isolated from Croton anisodontus, in order to identify compounds with greater antitumor activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochimie
July 2025
Biofilm formation is considered one of the most important virulence factors for Candida species, which presents an extracellular matrix of polymeric substances that limits the passage of antifungals, leading to fungal resistance. Therefore, the present study investigated the biofilm eradication effect of synthetic chalcones against Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. Molecular docking studies were conducted to verify the mechanism of action of chalcones on Candida species proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Biophys Res Commun
April 2025
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of nosocomial infections, posing a significant health threat due to its resistance mechanisms, particularly involving β-lactamase enzymes and efflux pumps. Targeting these mechanisms is crucial to restore the efficacy of antibiotics. This study characterized the electronic properties of riparins I, II, III, and IV and evaluated their effects on the β-lactamase enzyme and the QacC efflux pump in the S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRev Bras Parasitol Vet
May 2025
Carvacrol is isolated from essential oils and possesses activity against gastrointestinal nematodes of small ruminants. Benzoylation has been proposed to improve its pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the ovicidal activity of benzoyl-carvacrol (BC) against Haemonchus contortus, the in silico interaction of BC with the β-tubulin protein and the toxicity of this compound.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe mosquito is the primary vector of dengue, a neglected disease and a serious public health problem in tropical countries. The control of this vector has been carried out using chemical insecticides, which impact human health. Thus, it is essential to develop natural larvicides that are less harmful to the environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Biodivers
July 2025
Benzodiazepines are medications used to treat anxiety and epilepsy disorders. However, because of the existing adverse effects, new and safer medications are being sought. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the chemical composition and the anxiolytic and anticonvulsant actions of the essential oil of Marlierea eugeniopsoides and its majority constituents α-pinene and β-pinene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Malaria continues to be the primary cause of mortality worldwide, and timely recognition and prompt intervention are crucial in mitigating adverse consequences. This review article aims to examine the effectiveness and structural characteristics of quinoline-based compounds as antimalarial agents. It specifically focuses on their therapeutic effects as well as potential prospects for exploring structure-activity relationship (SAR).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrob Pathog
March 2025
The NorA and TetK efflux pumps mediate resistance to fluoroquinolone and tetracycline antibiotics by actively extruding these compounds and reducing their intracellular concentrations. Consequently, intense research has focused on inhibiting these efflux mechanisms using antimicrobial agents derived from natural or synthetic sources. This study used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) to analyze the various functional groups present in p-coumaric acid.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExp Parasitol
March 2025
The current treatment of leishmaniasis is confronted with significant challenges, including limited efficacy, adverse effects, and parasite resistance to drugs. The search for alternative therapeutic options, including the utilisation of natural products, has demonstrated considerable promise. In this study, the antileishmanial activity of the flavonoid hesperetin against Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, was reported for the first time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochimie
April 2025
Thiadiazines are heterocyclic compounds known for some pharmacological activities. However, the ability of these compounds and their derivatives to act as antibacterial agents and inhibitors of the efflux system in resistant bacteria remains unknown. This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial and NorA efflux pump inhibitory activities of thiadiazine-derived compounds (IJ14, IJ15, IJ16, IJ17, IJ18, IJ19, and IJ20) against the Staphylococcus aureus 1199B strain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Chem
December 2024
Ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R) is a leading cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in conditions like kidney transplants, cardiac surgeries, and nephrectomy, contributing to high global mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to analyze the protective effects of 2'-hydroxychalcones in treating I/R-induced AKI by targeting key pathological pathways. Considering strong antioxidant action along with other pharmacological roles of chalcone derivatives, six 2'-hydroxychalcones were synthesized via Claisen-Schmidt condensation and analyzed for their protective effects in an I/R induced AKI model using HK-2 cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrob Pathog
February 2025
The study investigates the synthesis, characterization, and antibacterial activity of an ibuprofen-derived hydrazide (HIDZ). It was synthesized and characterized using NMR spectroscopy, DFT Calculations, and ADMET studies. Furthermore, HIDZ cytotoxicity on L929 cells was evaluated using the MTT reduction assay.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Biodivers
May 2025
This study investigated the anxiolytic, anticonvulsant and memory preservation effects of the flavonoid robinin. The compound, administered at doses of 4, 20 and 40 mg/kg, did not show toxicity after 96 h of monitoring. In behavioural experiments with zebrafish, robinin did not cause significant changes in motor functions, but it impairs locomotor activity and demonstrates anxiolytic properties, evidenced by the increase in the time spent in the clean zone of the protector.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceutics
November 2024
The work investigates the effect of the estragole complex encapsulated in beta-cyclodextrin (ES/β-CD) in modulating bacterial resistance, specifically in strains expressing NorA and MepA efflux pumps. Efflux pumps are mechanisms that bacteria use to resist antibiotics by expelling them from the cell. Methodology: Several compounds and antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, were used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and the ability of the ES/β-CD complex to reverse resistance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceuticals (Basel)
October 2024
Nanoemulsions (NEs) possess properties that enhance the solubility, bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy of drugs. Chalcones are compounds known for their antifungal properties. In this study, we evaluated different emulsification techniques to create alginate nanoemulsions containing chalcone (1E,4E)-1,5-bis (4-methoxyphenyl) penta-1,4-dien-3-one (DB4OCH).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Biodivers
February 2025
This study investigated the anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effects and safety profile of limonene enantiomers and their oxidized derivatives. The toxicity test was performed by monitoring the animals for 96 hours, with no deaths or significant toxicity observed up to the highest dose, which allowed the determination of the LD50. Doses of 4, 20 and 40 mg/kg were tested, with no toxicity observed up to 96 h (LD50>40 mg/kg).
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