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Background: Traditionally, molecular docking is primarily employed to screen pure compounds; the top-ranking chemicals are subsequently selected for experimental validation. Unlike synthetic chemicals, most natural products are commercially unavailable. The isolation and purification of each natural product is extremely time-consuming, which has restricted the screening of lead compounds from natural products.Purpose: We developed a protocol, Herbalog, to facilitate the identification of bioactive phytochemicals through molecular docking.Methods: We wrote a script using Python and Autodock Vina for docking; ligand displacement and adipolysis assays were used to determine the anti-fatty acid binding protein (FABP) 4 activity of bioactive extracts. An ultraperformance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry system was applied for identifying major peaks of bioactive extracts.Results: Herbalog, a natural product database, contains 5,112 phytochemicals from 197 common herbs and a script that counts the number of hits from docking in each herb and calculates the hit rate of herbs. Herbalog prioritizes herbs according to their hit rates, and top-ranking herb candidates contain a large repertoire of hits. We used Herbalog as a screening tool and identified labdane diterpenoids from Andrographis paniculata as leading candidates of FABP4 inhibitors.Conclusion: Herbalog facilitates the discovery of herbs that possess the highest number of inhibitors or activators against target proteins, which reduces the sample preparation time for preliminary validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The docking study on a series of furo[1]benzofuran derivatives with ERα has been demonstrated. The synthesis and characterization of a series of furo[1]benzofuran derivatives were described. All the target compounds were conducted to in vitro for the inhibitory activities against human breast cancer strains T-47D, MCF-7 and toxicity against human liver normal cell strains HL7702 via MTT assay. Most of the target compounds possessed anti-estrogen receptor-dependent breast cancer activities with weak toxicity to healthy cell strains. The preliminary structure–activity relationships were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inhibition of fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) by using small molecules could potentially provide therapeutic opportunities for metabolic disorders treatment. According to the results of our in-house virtual screening on the herbal molecules database, this study reports flavonols as an ideal scaffold for FABP4 inhibitors development. Among the popular flavonols examined, we identified hyperoside as a promising FABP4 inhibitor. Identical to the well-known FABP4 inhibitor BMS309403, hyperoside induced lipid accumulation and upregulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) protein expression during the adipocyte differentiation process. Furthermore, both PPARγ antagonist and FABP4 overexpression attenuated hyperoside-induced adipogenesis, indicating that hyperoside promoted adipogenesis in adipocytes via the FABP4/PPARγ pathway. We anticipate hyperoside to be a promising, novel FABP4 inhibitor for antidiabetic drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) signaling has been demonstrated to be involved in cancer invasion and migration; therefore, CXCR4 antagonist can serve as an anti-cancer drug by preventing tumor metastasis. This study aimed to identify the CXCR4 antagonists that could reduce and/or inhibit tumor metastasis from natural products. Methods and results: According to the molecular docking screening, we reported here silibinin as a novel CXCR4 antagonist. Biochemical characterization showed that silibinin blocked chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12)-induced CXCR4 internalization by competitive binding to CXCR4, therefore inhibiting downstream intracellular signaling. In human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231, which expresses high levels of CXCR4, inhibition of CXCL12-induced chemomigration can be found under silibinin treatment. Overexpression of CXCL12 sensitized MDA-MB-231 cells to the inhibition of silibinin, which was abolished by CXCR4 knockdown. The inhibition of silibinin was also observed in MCF-7/CXCR4 cells rather than MCF-7 cells that express low level of CXCR4. Conclusions: Our work demonstrated that silibinin is a novel CXCR4 antagonist that may have potential therapeutic use for prevention of tumor metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the anti-HIV activity and mechanism of action of wikstroelide M, a daphnane diterpene from Daphne acutiloba Rehder (Thymelaeaceae). Methods: The anti-HIV activities of wikstroelide M against different HIV strains were evaluated by cytopathic effect assay and p24 quantification assay with ELISA. The inhibitory effect of wikstroelide M on HIV reverse transcription was analyzed by real-time PCR and ELISA. The effect of wikstroelide M on HIV-1 integrase nuclear translocation was observed with a cell-based imaging assay. The effect of wikstroelide M on LEDGF/p75-IN interaction was assayed by molecular docking. Results: Wikstroelide M potently inhibited different HIV-1 strains, including HIV-1IIIB, HIV-1A17, and HIV-19495, induced a cytopathic effect, with EC50 values ranging from 3.81 to 15.65 ng·mL−1. Wikstroelide M also had high inhibitory activities against HIV-2ROD and HIV-2CBL-20-induced cytopathic effects with EC50 values of 18.88 and 31.90 ng·mL−1. The inhibitory activities of wikstroelide M on the three HIV-1 strains were further confirmed by p24 quantification assay, with EC50 values ranging from 15.16 to 35.57 ng·mL−1. Wikstroelide M also potently inhibited HIV-1IIIB induced cytolysis in MT-4 cells, with an EC50 value of 9.60 ng·mL−1. The mechanistic assay showed that wikstroelide M targeted HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and nuclear translocation of integrase through disrupting the interaction between integrase and LEDGF/p75. Conclusion: Wikstroelide M may be a potent HIV-1 and HIV-2 inhibitor, the mechanisms of action may include inhibition of reverse trascriptase activity and inhibition of integrase nuclear translocation through disrupting the interaction between integrase and LEDGF/p75. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]