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Background: Plants are a main source of drugs for the therapy of a large number of diseases. Objective: The aim of the present work is to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and anti-α-amylase and anti-peroxidases (HPR) potentials of phenolic extracts obtained from three spontaneous plants; growing in the South of Algeria such as (Chamomilla pubescens, Pulicaria crispa, and Rhanterium adpressum). This is the first report on the study of α-amylase and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) inhibitory activity for phenolic extracts from the Chamomilla pubescens and Pulicaria crispa plants. Method: The antioxidant activity was evaluated in vitro using four tests: DPPH, CUPRAC, FRAP, and ABTS. The phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin compounds of the three selected Algerian plants were quantified. Also, the inhibition of α-amylase and HRP was evaluated. Results: The quantification of the total phenolic contents revealed that they are widely variable, and depending on extraction solvents, the highest content was recorded by the ethyl acetate extract of Chamomilla pubescens (flowers) 774.93±60.14mg/100 g of dry matter. In all the antioxidant tests, ethyl acetate extracts showed the most effective activity, which the best was (VCEAC = 65.62 ±0.50 µM/g dry matter) of Pulicaria crispa for the DPPH test. Furthermore, the results of α-amylase and peroxidase inhibitory effects indicated that all plants extracts have inhibitory effects on the two enzymes, with AEIC values ranged from 76.55±3.54 to 149.54±6.68 μM/g of dry matter for the α-amylase, and CEIC values ranged from 8.89±2.22 to 9668.31±254.42 μM/g of dry matter for the peroxidase (HRP). Conclusion: The present study results suggest that the three Algerian spontaneous plant species (Rhanterium adpressum, Pulicaria crispa, and Chamomilla pubescens) inhibit peroxidase and α-amylase and exhibit a high antioxidant activity what can be related to the treatment of diabetes and thyroid diseases.

Background: In the current study, we present an integrated in silico cheminformaticsmolecular docking approach to screen and test potential therapeutic compounds against viruses. Fluoroquinolones have been shown to inhibit HCV replication by targeting HCV NS3-helicase. Based on this observation, we hypothesized that natural analogs of fluoroquinolones will have similar or superior inhibitory potential while having potentially fewer adverse effects. Methods: To screen for natural analogs of fluoroquinolones, we devised an integrated in silico Cheminformatics-Molecular Docking approach. We used 17 fluoroquinolones as bait reference, to screen large databases of natural analogs. 10399 natural compounds and their derivatives were retrieved from the databases. From these compounds, molecules bearing physicochemical similarities with fluoroquinolones were analyzed using a cheminformatics-docking approach. Results: From the 10399 compounds screened using our cheminformatics approach, only 20 compounds were found to share physicochemical similarities with fluoroquinolones, while the remaining 10379 compounds were physiochemically different from fluoroquinolones. Molecular docking analysis showed 32 amino acids in the HCV NS3 active site that were most frequently targeted by fluoroquinolones and their natural analogues, indicating a functional similarity between the two groups of compounds. Conclusion: This study describes a speedy and inexpensive approach to complement drug discovery and design against viral agents. The in silico analyses we used here can be employed to shortlist promising compounds/putative drugs that can be further tested in wet-lab.

Background:: In the past few years, several developments have been made to understand and control the complications and harmful side-effects associated with the disorder diabetes mellitus (DM). Many new steps have been taken in a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease. With the advancement in the field of medical sciences, various novel therapies have been developed to efficiently control the pathological effects of diabetes mellitus. Recently, phytochemicals possessing various medicinal properties have opened up a new vast range of opportunities to design novel therapeutic drugs against diabetes mellitus. Objective:: The present study aims to identify and screen phytochemicals as potent and novel inhibitors against diabetes mellitus. Methods: : Three major biological targets of diabetes mellitus named Cytochrome P450, glycogen synthase kinase and PPARγ are targeted using phytochemicals by performing pharmacological properties prediction, molecular docking and density functional theory studies. Results: : Out of 108 phytochemicals, 20, 12 and 3 phytochemicals showed higher binding affinity values as compared to chemically synthesized drugs against cytochrome P450, glycogen synthase kinase and PPARγ, respectively. Conclusion: : The screened phytochemicals have strong inhibitory potential against diabetes mellitus and in future, these compounds, holding immense potential, can be considered as candidate drugs for treating diabetes mellitus.

Benzimidazole derivatives 1-24 have been synthesized and their in vitro β-glucuronidase inhibitory activitiy was evaluated. Compounds 15 (IC50 = 6.33 ± 0.40 µM), 7 (IC50 = 22.0 ± 0.33 µM), 2 (IC50 = 23.1 ± 1.78 µM), 17 (IC50 = 23.9 ± 1.46 µM), and 3 (IC50 = 33.8 ± 1.61 µM) showed more potent β-glucuronidase inhibitory activity than the standard (D-saccharic acid 1,4 lactone, IC50 = 48.4 ± 1.25 µM). This study has identified a new series of potential β-glucuronidase inhibitors. A structure-activity relationship has also been studied.