Publications by authors named "Luciane B Silva"

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by digenetic protozoa of the genus , transmitted by infected female sandflies of the subfamily. Current treatments are limited, relying on drugs that were not specifically developed for this disease and are often associated with high toxicity and elevated costs. Among alternative therapeutic strategies, antifolate compounds have been investigated due to their ability to inhibit dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), an enzyme essential for folate metabolism in the parasite.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study involved screening around 2.5 million compounds from various databases to identify potential inhibitors of a chimeric tyrosine kinase, focusing on their antiproliferative activity and pharmacokinetic properties.
  • - Nine compounds were identified as having desirable ADME/Tox properties, with their biological activity predictions indicating that they could be effective protein kinase inhibitors, showing varied activity percentages.
  • - Two promising compounds, LMQC01 and LMQC04, demonstrated strong molecular docking results and stability in simulations, suggesting they have good potential for inhibiting the enzyme function of the target kinase and are easy to synthesize.
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is a microorganism with high morbidity and mortality due to antibiotic-resistant strains, making the search for new therapeutic options urgent. In this context, computational drug design can facilitate the drug discovery process, optimizing time and resources. In this work, computational methods involving ligand- and structure-based virtual screening were employed to identify potential antibacterial agents against the MRSA and VRSA strains.

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Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzymes play an essential role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Its excessive activity causes several neuronal problems, particularly psychopathies and neuronal cell death. A bioactive pose on the AChE B site of the human acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme employed in this investigation, which was obtained from the Protein Data Bank (PDB ID 4EY6), allowed for the prediction of the binding affinity and free binding energy between the protein and the ligand.

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Skin Cancer (SC) is among the most common type of cancers worldwide. The search for SC therapeutics using molecular modeling strategies as well as considering natural plant-derived products seems to be a promising strategy. The phytochemical Rocaglamide A (Roc-A) and its derivatives rise as an interesting set of reference compounds due to their cytotoxic activity with SC cell lines.

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This article presents a simplified view of integrins with emphasis on the α4 (α4β1/VLA-4) integrin. Integrins are heterodimeric proteins expressed on the cell surface of leukocytes that participate in a wide variety of functions, such as survival, growth, differentiation, migration, inflammatory responses, tumour invasion, among others. When the extracellular matrix is degraded or deformed, cells are forced to undergo responsive changes that influence remodelling during physiological and pathological events.

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Adenosine Receptor Type 2A (AAR) plays a role in important processes, such as anti-inflammatory ones. In this way, the present work aimed to search for compounds by pharmacophore-based virtual screening. The pharmacokinetic/toxicological profiles of the compounds, as well as a robust QSAR, predicted the binding modes via molecular docking.

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Leukemias are neoplasms that affect hematopoietic cells, which are developed by genetic alterations (mutations) that lead to the loss of proliferation control mechanisms (maturation and/or cell death). The α4β1 integrin receptor is a therapeutic target for inflammation, autoimmune diseases and lymphoid tumors. This study was carried out to search through the antagonists-based virtual screening for α4β1 receptor.

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Inflammation is a complex reaction involving cellular and molecular components and an unspecific response to a specific aggression. The use of scientific and technological innovations as a research tool combining multidisciplinary knowledge in informatics, biotechnology, chemistry and biology are essential for optimizing time and reducing costs in the drug design. Thus, the integration of these in silico techniques makes it possible to search for new anti-inflammatory drugs with better pharmacokinetic and toxicological profiles compared to commercially used drugs.

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The plant species L. is used in the north of Brazil for the treatment of a range of illnesses, such as tuberculosis, flu, cough, and rheumatism and as an anti-inflammatory agent; besides, hydroethanolic formulations with this species are popularly used as a female aphrodisiac agent. However, currently, there are no studies performed evaluating its effect on embryonic development.

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The Protein Kinase Receptor type 2 (RIPK2) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases; it signals downstream of the NOD1 and NOD2 intracellular sensors and promotes a productive inflammatory response. However, excessive NOD2 signaling has been associated with various diseases, including sarcoidosis and inflammatory arthritis; the pharmacological inhibition of RIPK2 is an affinity strategy that demonstrates an increased expression of pro-inflammatory secretion activity. In this study, a pharmacophoric model based on the crystallographic pose of ponatinib, a potent RIPK2 inhibitor, and 30 other ones selected from the BindingDB repository database, was built.

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About 132 thousand cases of melanoma (more severe type of skin cancer) were registered in 2014 according to the World Health Organization. This type of cancer significantly affects the quality of life of individuals. Caffeine has shown potential inhibitory effect against epithelial cancer.

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