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2000

Letters in Drug Design & Discovery - Volume 21, Issue 13, 2024

Volume 21, Issue 13

Volume 21, Issue 13, 2024

    • Targets and Mechanisms of Resveratrol against Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Atherosclerosis: A Network Pharmacology Analysis Combined with Experiments

      https://doi.org/10.2174/1570180820666230719121428
      Background

      Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by plaque formation and endothelial dysfunction. Under pro-inflammatory conditions, the endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AS. Resveratrol (RES) is a natural polyphenol in traditional Chinese medicines, which has been proven to possess anti-AS effects. However, the mechanism of RES treating AS through EndMT is not clear at present.

      Methods

      RES targets were screened using databases such as SwissTargetPrediction and TargetNet, and AS and EndMT targets were searched using databases such as OMIM and DisGeNET. With the help of Venny 2.1, the key targets were selected by intersection. Next, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed through the STRING 11.0 platform and Cytoscape software; gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway annotations were performed using DAVID. Further, Cytoscape was used to construct a drug-component-gene target-pathway network diagram to identify the core components and genes. Subsequently, an AS rat model was established. The blood lipid level of rats was detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer, and the expression level of the target protein was measured by western blotting.

      Results

      Through network pharmacology analysis, 37 potential targets for RES treating AS and EndMT were identified, and the core targets for RES treating AS consisted of AKT1, TNF, MIMP9, and PPARG. GO enrichment analysis indicated that the treatment of AS with RES mainly involved the migration and proliferation of epithelial and endothelial cells. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the enrichment of TNF and Rap1 signaling pathways was most significant. Besides, RES effectively reduced the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the serum of AS rats, increased the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and significantly cut down the atherosclerosis index (AI). Twist1, calponin, α-SMA and VE-cadherin were considered as EndMT indexes. The results of the western blot demonstrated that the protein levels of Twist1, calponin and α-SMA were significantly decreased, while the protein expression level of VE-cadherin was notably increased in rats treated with RES. Moreover, RES could also reduce the expression levels of Rap1 and Epac1 proteins.

      Conclusion

      RES is an effective anti-AS drug. Briefly, RES can effectively improve the blood lipid level of AS patients, regulate the expression of EndMT-related proteins, and alleviate the dysfunction of endothelial cells. Notably, the functions of RES are closely associated with the EPAC1-Rap1 pathway.

    • Morphine-like Novel Compounds for the Treatment of Depressive Symptoms

      https://doi.org/10.2174/1570180820666230914114446

      Depression is a severe mental disorder characterized by a major imbalance between the levels of neurotransmitters. US11534436 B2 discloses an efficient amount of µ-opioid receptor agonists or their pharmaceutically acceptable salt for efficient treatment of depression. The patent discloses a few new compounds among which compounds , , , , and as well as derivatives of basic nucleus have good µ-opioid receptor agonist activity without risks of opioid addiction or development of addiction withdrawal symptoms. The compounds displayed E of 5% to 45% in a GTPγS binding assay while one of the derivatives displayed Emax of 15% to 35% in a GTPγS binding assay. The patent further discloses different embodiments with different potentials. The administration of an effective dose in rats resulted in 125% to 300% efflux of dopamine of baseline. At a dosage of 1-10 mg/kg, the embodiments do not diminish the thermal pain in rodents. Although the patent explored new µ-opioid receptor agonists for the treatment of depressive symptoms, the exhaustive evaluation of toxicity and further mechanisms need to be explored models.

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