Telmisartan, an anti-hypertensive drug, impedes JEV infection, possibly via the AT1/PPARγ axis.

Japanese encephalitis, caused by Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), is a vector-borne disease with no specific therapeutics available yet. Binding of angiotensin II (Ang II) to angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor induces the release of inflammatory cytokines associated with viral encephalitis. Accordingly, Ang II receptor blockers (ARBs) have been proposed to manage encephalitis.

Conformation-Driven Dual-Stage Thermal Antiglycation by Pseudo C-Symmetric bis-Arylaldimine Scaffold.

Chronic hyperglycemia brings forth a cascade of complications in diabetes through reactive dicarbonyls that drive mid-stage Amadori-glycoxidation and end-crosslinking glycation. This study imparts specifically on dual-stage inhibition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) glycation using a conformation-driven interactions at the molecular level. A combination of multi-spectroscopic, physico-biochemical, and computational studies display significant antiglycation activity (IC 17.

Water-driven modulation of multiresponsive properties in acylhydrazone-based crystals.

A pyrene-substituted acylhydrazone (PyAc) crystal undergoes a water-driven transition from elasticity to thermoplastic bending. The hydrated crystal remains two-dimensional (2D) elastic until heating, after which it becomes brittle and bent upon dehydration. While the hydrated crystal is non-photoresponsive, the anhydrous form exhibits photomechanical bending due to favorable - photoisomerization.

Antiviral efficacy of hexane extract of Hypericum gaitii Haines against Chikungunya and SARS-CoV-2 viruses: in vitro and in silico approaches.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Viral infections have become a public health concern globally. The limited efficacy of existing antivirals against emerging viruses encourages extensive research to find alternative strategies. In this scenario, various plant bioactive compounds have been reported to possess potential against a wide range of illnesses, including viral diseases.

Transcatheter closure of an aorta to left atrial fistula with a cocoon membranous ventricular septal defect occluder in a septuagenarian patient.

Unlabelled: Aorta-to-left atrial fistula is a rare cardiac anomaly that can be either congenital or acquired. It often presents with symptoms of left heart volume overload and heart failure. Early diagnosis is crucial for effective management.

Salicylic Acid Conjugate of Telmisartan Inhibits Chikungunya Virus Infection and Inflammation.

There is no approved antiviral for the management of the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). To develop an antiviral drug that can manage both CHIKV and arthritis induced by it, an ester conjugate of telmisartan (TM) and salicylic acid (SA) was synthesized (DDABT1). It showed higher potency (IC of 14.

Chikungunya virus perturbs the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway for efficient viral infection.

Being obligate parasites, viruses use various host cell machineries in effectively replicating their genome, along with virus-encoded enzymes. In order to carry out infection and pathogenesis, viruses are known to manipulate fundamental cellular processes in cells and interfere with host gene expression. Several viruses interact with the cellular proteins involved in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway; however, reports regarding the involvement of protein components of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection are scarce.

TLR4 is one of the receptors for Chikungunya virus envelope protein E2 and regulates virus induced pro-inflammatory responses in host macrophages.

Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4), a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) receptor, is known to exert inflammation in various cases of microbial infection, cancer and autoimmune disorders. However, any such involvement of TLR4 in Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection is yet to be explored. Accordingly, the role of TLR4 was investigated towards CHIKV infection and modulation of host immune responses in the current study using mice macrophage cell line RAW264.

6-Shogaol Exhibits Anti-viral and Anti-inflammatory Activity in COVID-19-Associated Inflammation by Regulating NLRP3 Inflammasomes.

Recent global health concern motivated the exploration of natural medicinal plant resources as an alternative target for treating COVID-19 infection and associated inflammation. In the current study, a phytochemical, 6-shogaol [1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)dec-4-en-3-one; 6-SHO] was investigated as a potential anti-inflammatory and anti-COVID-19 agent. In virus release assay, 6-SHO efficiently (94.

DNA Damage Response Signaling Is Crucial for Effective Chikungunya Virus Replication.

Viruses utilize a plethora of strategies to manipulate the host pathways and hijack host machineries for efficient replication. Several DNA and few RNA viruses are reported to interact with proteins involved in DNA damage responses (DDRs). As the DDR pathways have never been explored in alphaviruses, this investigation intended to understand the importance of the DDR pathways in chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection , , and models.

Fabrication of self-assembled nanostructures for intracellular drug delivery from diphenylalanine analogues with rigid or flexible chemical linkers.

Self-assembly of molecular building blocks is a simple and useful approach to generate supramolecular structures with varied morphologies and functions. By studying the chemical properties of the building blocks and tuning the parameters of their self-assembly process, the resultant supramolecular assemblies can be optimized for the required downstream applications. To this end, in the present study we have designed and synthesized three different molecular building blocks composed of two diphenylalanine (FF) units connected to each other through three different linkers: ethylenediamine, succinic acid, or terephthalaldehyde.

Isolation and Characterization of Five Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Strains of Different Clades and Lineages Circulating in Eastern India.

The emergence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as a serious pandemic has altered the global socioeconomic dynamics. The wide prevalence, high death counts, and rapid emergence of new variants urge for the establishment of research infrastructure to facilitate the rapid development of efficient therapeutic modalities and preventive measures. In agreement with this, SARS-CoV-2 strains were isolated from patient swab samples collected during the first COVID-19 wave in Odisha, India.

MBZM-N-IBT, a Novel Small Molecule, Restricts Chikungunya Virus Infection by Targeting nsP2 Protease Activity , , and .

The increase in disease incidences and persistent Chikungunya virus (CHIKV)-induced arthritis have been a huge burden on public health globally. In the absence of specific antivirals or vaccines, it is essential to continue efforts to develop effective anti-CHIKV strategies. Our previous study showing the anti-CHIKV potential of a novel molecule 1-[(2-methylbenzimidazol-1-yl) methyl]-2-oxo-indolin-3-ylidene] amino] thiourea (MBZM-N-IBT) encouraged us to further validate its efficacy.

Adaptable Optical Microwaveguides From Mechanically Flexible Crystalline Materials.

Flexible organic crystals (elastic and plastic) are important materials for optical waveguides, tunable optoelectronic devices, and photonic integrated circuits. Here, we present highly elastic organic crystals of a Schiff base, 1-((E)-(2,5-dichlorophenylimino)methyl)naphthalen-2-ol (1), and an azine molecule, 2,4-dibromo-6-((E)-((E)-(2,6-dichlorobenzylidene)hydrazono)methyl)phenol (2). These microcrystals are highly flexible under external mechanical force, both in the macroscopic and the microscopic regimes.

Supramolecular Structures Generated Self-Assembly of a Cell Penetrating Tetrapeptide Facilitate Intracellular Delivery of a Pro-apoptotic Chemotherapeutic Drug.

Development of drug carriers, which can chaperone xenobiotics directly to their site of action, is an essential step for the advancement of precision medicine. Cationic nanoparticles can be used as a drug delivery platform for various agents including chemotherapeutics, oligonucleotides, and antibodies. Self-assembly of short peptides facilitates the formation of well-defined nanostructures suitable for drug delivery, and varying the polarity of the self-assembly medium changes the nature of noncovalent interactions in such a way as to generate numerous unique nanostructures.

MK2a inhibitor CMPD1 abrogates chikungunya virus infection by modulating actin remodeling pathway.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) epidemics around the world have created public health concern with the unavailability of effective drugs and vaccines. This emphasizes the need for molecular understanding of host-virus interactions for developing effective targeted antivirals. Microarray analysis was carried out using CHIKV strain (Prototype and Indian) infected Vero cells and two host isozymes, MAPK activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) and MAPK activated protein kinase 3 (MK3) were selected for further analysis.

Telmisartan Restricts Chikungunya Virus Infection and through the AT1/PPAR-γ/MAPKs Pathways.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has reemerged as a global public health threat. The inflammatory pathways of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) are usually involved in viral infections. Thus, telmisartan (TM), which is known to block the angiotensin 1 (AT1) receptor and activate PPAR-γ, was investigated for activity against CHIKV.

Micromanipulation of Mechanically Compliant Organic Single-Crystal Optical Microwaveguides.

Flexible organic single crystals are evolving as new materials for optical waveguides that can be used for transfer of information in organic optoelectronic microcircuits. Integration in microelectronics of such crystalline waveguides requires downsizing and precise spatial control over their shape and size at the microscale, however that currently is not possible due to difficulties with manipulation of these small, brittle objects that are prone to cracking and disintegration. Here we demonstrate that atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be used to reshape, resize and relocate single-crystal microwaveguides in order to attain spatial control over their light output.

The design and development of short peptide-based novel smart materials to prevent fouling by the formation of non-toxic and biocompatible coatings.

Biofouling refers to the undesirable process that leads to the accumulation of microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi on substrates. This is one of the major concerns associated with several components of our regular life such as food, health, water and energy. In the healthcare sector, biofouling on medical devices is known to cause infections, which are often resistant to conventional antibiotics and lead to increase in the number of hospital and surgery-related deaths.

Elastic flexibility tuning via interaction factor modulation in molecular crystals.

We report the design of a series of nonhalogenated and halogenated molecular crystals with specific structural features, which are essential for pronounced elasticity. These features involve (a) isotropic weak and dispersive interactions, and (b) corrugated molecular packing with interlocked structures. The effects of intermolecular interactions on the elastic properties of the crystals are ascertained using nano-scale mechanical characterization methods.

Dual Stress and Thermally Driven Mechanical Properties of the Same Organic Crystal: 2,6-Dichlorobenzylidene-4-fluoro-3-nitroaniline.

An elastic organic crystal, 2,6-dichlorobenzylidine-4-fluoro-3-nitroaniline (DFNA), which also shows thermosalient behavior, is studied. The presence of these two distinct properties in the same crystal is unusual and unprecedented because they follow respectively from isotropy and anisotropy in the crystal packing. Therefore, while both properties lead from the crystal structure, the mechanisms for bending and thermosalience are quite independent of one another.

Designing elastic organic crystals: highly flexible polyhalogenated N-benzylideneanilines.

The intermolecular interactions and structural features in crystals of seven halogenated N-benzylideneanilines (Schiff bases), all of which exhibit remarkable flexibility, were examined to identify the common packing features that are the raison d'être for the observed elasticity. The following two features, in part related, were identified as essential to obtain elastic organic crystals: 1) A multitude of weak and dispersive interactions, including halogen bonds, which may act as structural buffers for deformation through easy rupture and reformation during bending; and 2) corrugated packing patterns that would get interlocked and, in the process, prevent long-range sliding of molecular planes.

Spatially resolved analysis of short-range structure perturbations in a plastically bent molecular crystal.

The exceptional mechanical flexibility observed with certain organic crystals defies the common perception of single crystals as brittle objects. Here, we describe the morphostructural consequences of plastic deformation in crystals of hexachlorobenzene that can be bent mechanically at multiple locations to 360° with retention of macroscopic integrity. This extraordinary plasticity proceeds by segregation of the bent section into flexible layers that slide on top of each other, thereby generating domains with slightly different lattice orientations.

Molecular mechanics of elastic and bendable caffeine co-crystals.

Complementing recent experimental results, here we report a computational study of remarkably flexible, elastically bendable caffeine cocrystals (cocrystal solvate 1), formed from caffeine (CAF), 4-chloro-3-nitrobenzoic acid (CNB), and methanol, and compare with its unsolvated brittle form, 1 (dry). We show that 1 is able to maintain stable cocrystal structures at temperatures between 100 K and 400 K. The tensile and compressive Young's modulus of 1 are close to ~10 GPa.