Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Formerly Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Allergy Agents) - Volume 24, Issue 1, 2025

Inflammatory, immune, and neurodegenerative diseases constitute a category of persistent and debilitating conditions affecting millions worldwide, with intertwined pathophysiological pathways. Recent research has spotlighted naturally occurring compounds like naringenin for potential therapeutic applications across multiple ailments.

This review offers an encompassing exploration of naringenin's anti-inflammatory, immune-protective, and neuroprotective mechanisms, elucidating its pharmacological targets, signal transduction pathways, safety profile, and insights from clinical investigations.

Data for this review were amassed through the scrutiny of various published studies via search engines such as PubMed and Google Scholar. Content from reputable publishers including Bentham Science, Taylor and Francis, Nature, PLOS ONE, among others, was referenced.

Naringenin exhibits substantial anti-inflammatory effects by restraining the NF-κB signaling pathway. It activates Nrf2, renowned for its anti-inflammatory properties, inducing the release of hemeoxynase-1 by macrophages. Furthermore, naringenin treatment downregulates the expression of Th1 cytokines and inflammatory mediators. It also impedes xanthine oxidase, counteracts reactive oxygen species (ROS), scavenges superoxide radicals, mitigates the accessibility of oxygen-induced K+ erythrocytes, and reduces lipid peroxidation. Naringenin's antioxidant prowess holds promise for addressing neurological conditions.

Extensive research has been undertaken to establish the anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and neuroprotective attributes of naringenin across various medical domains, lending credence to its pharmacological utility. The principal obstacle to naringenin's adoption as a therapeutic agent remains the dearth of in vivo data. Efforts should focus on rendering naringenin delivery patient-friendly, economically viable, and technologically advanced.

Cyclophosphamide (CYP), a widely used cancer chemotherapeutic agent has been linked with male gonadotoxicity, resulting in infertility. The notion that potent antioxidants could be beneficial in mitigating CYP-induced gonadotoxicity necessitated this research. Therefore, we examined the effects of feed-added quercetin on CYP-induced gonadotoxicity in male rats.

Male postpubertal rats were randomly assigned into six groups of 10 rats each. The normal control (fed standard rodent diet) and two groups fed quercetin-supplemented diet at 100 and 200 mg/kg of feed received normal saline intraperitoneally at 2 ml/kg daily. A fourth group which served as the CYP control (fed standard rodent diet) and the last two groups fed quercetin at 100 and 200 mg/kg of feed were administered CYP at 150 mg/kg/day. Rats were administered normal saline or CYP intraperitoneally on days 1 and 2, while standard diet or feed-added quercetin was administered daily for 21 days. On day 22, half of the animals were either sacrificed or paired with age-matched females for fertility assessment. Estimation of testosterone levels, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory markers, and histomorphological examination of the testis and epididymis was also assessed.

The administration of CYP was associated with weight loss, decreased food intake, decreased antioxidant capacity, increased gonadosomatic index, increased lipid peroxidation, sub-fertility, and histological evidence of gonadal injury. However, administration of quercetin reversed CYP-induced changes.

The result of this study suggests that dietary quercetin supplementation has the ability to mitigate CYP induced gonadotoxicity and mitigate subfertility in male rats. However, further studies are required to assess its possible use in humans.

A pivotal impetus has driven the development of numerous small molecules aiming to improve therapeutic strategies for type 2 diabetes. Glucokinase (GK) activation has been offered a new realm of therapeutic antidiabetic activity with novel heterocyclic derivatives. In the context of antidiabetic drug design, GK is an interesting and newly validated target. A key enzyme needed for blood glucose homeostasis is Glucokinase, which is dysfunctional in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Heterocyclic derivatives are utilized in this innovative approach to activate GK enzymes as medicinal agents that will significantly improve type 2 diabetes management.

To address type 2 diabetes, as well as minimize unwanted side effects, this research endeavor aimed to develop activators of glucokinase.

A rigorous scrutiny was conducted of the Maybridge online repository, which houses a formidable collection of 53,000 lead compounds. A collection of 125 compounds that contain the thiazolidinedione core was selected from this extensive collection. The structures were generated using ChemDraw 2D, stabilized conformation with ChemBioDraw Ultra, and docked using Auto Dock Vina 1.5.6 in this methodology. In addition, log P was predicted online using the Swiss ADME algorithm. The PKCSM software was used to predict the toxicity of the leading compounds.

The highest binding affinity was found for AS72 and AS108 to GK receptors. GI absorption and excretion of these compounds were efficient due to Lipinski's Rule of Five compliance. When compared with the standard drugs Dorzagliatin (GKA) and MRK (co-crystallized ligand), these substances demonstrated a notable lack of AMES toxicity, skin sensitization, and hepatotoxicity.

In recent studies, lead molecules that possess enhanced pharmacokinetic profiles, increased binding affinity, and lower toxicity were developed to act as glucokinase activators.