ABSTRACT
ObjectiveNocardia is an apathogen that causes opportunistic infections in humans and has a global distribution. In recent years， resistance of Nocardia to commonly used drugs have been observed， highlighting the urgent need for the identification of new drug targets and the development of novel antimicrobial agents against Nocardia. MethodsThirty-one complete genome sequences of Nocardia strains were retrieved from the GenBank database. Pan-genomic analysis was performed using BPGA， and drug target candidates were screened using subtractive proteomics. Homology modeling was employed to predict the 3D structures of target proteins， and potential drugs targeting these proteins were predicted using DrugBank. Molecular docking techniques were utilized to validate the binding activity between the drugs and target proteins. ResultsThe pan-genomic analysis of the 31 Nocardia strains revealed 1 421 core proteins. Fifteen candidate drug target proteins were identified through subtractive proteomics analysis. Among them， the physicochemical properties of the OG1493 protein （such as amino acid count， molecular weight， isoelectric point， grand average of hydropathicity， fat index，and instability index Ⅱ） were found to be most suitable for a drug target protein. Using the DrugBank database， seven compounds， namely Adenosine-5'-Rp-Alpha-Thio-Triphosphate， alpha，beta-Methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate， Phosphoaminophosphonic Acid-Adenylate Ester ，Radicicol，2-Hydroxyestradiol， p-Coumaric acid， and Ethylmercurithiosalicylic acid were identified as potential compounds capable of exerting anti-Nocardia effects by targeting this protein. Molecular docking results indicated a strong binding affinity between the target protein and these compounds. The experimental result showed that that Radicicol could be a potential antibacterial drug targeting this particular protein. ConclusionPan-genomic analysis and subtractive proteomics are valuable approaches for mining novel anti-Nocardia drug targets.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of ethanol extract of Phellinus igniarius in lowering uric acid and changing the gut microbiome in hyperuricemia rats. A total of 36 SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, model control group, positive drug control group, and high-dose, middle-dose and low-dose P. igniarius ethanol extract groups, with 6 rats in each group. Hyperuricemia rats were established by D-fructose combined with oteracil potassium(OAPS). One week later, the positive control group was given allopurinol 50 mg·kg~(-1) intragastrically, and P. igniarius ethanol extract groups were treated with 30, 60 and 90 mg·kg~(-1) drugs for 14 consecutive days. Body weight, blood glucose and serum uric acid(SUA) were monitored every week. After the model rats were administered with the ethanol extracts of P. igniarius by gavage for two weeks, the activities of creatinine, BUN, xanthine oxidase(XOD) and adenosine deaminase(ADA) were detected. The right kidney was taken to analyze the histological and morphological changes and the degree of damage to main organs of the extract of P. igniarius. The 16 S rDNA gene sequence technique was used to analyze the guts microbiota composition in feces. The results indicated that ethanol extract of P. igniarius could significantly lower the SUA level(P<0.01), while inhibiting the activities of XOD and ADA(P<0.05, P<0.01). Histological examination showed that the allopurine group showed slight renal tubular dilation and inflammatory cell infiltration compared with the normal group, with no significant difference between the P. igniarius ethanol extract groups and the normal group. The 16 S sequencing results showed that the composition of gut microbiota has changed in each group. Therefore, ethanol extracts of P. igniarius may reduce the level of SUA in rats by inhibiting the activities of XOD and ADA, with a certain effect on the composition of gut microbiota.
Subject(s)
Animals , Rats , Ethanol , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Hyperuricemia , Phellinus , Plant Extracts , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Uric AcidABSTRACT
The present study is to elucidate the mechanisms underlying Gleevec-induced apoptosis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) K562 cells in vitro. The apoptotic cell death and cell cycle distribution after Gleevec treatment and the effect of PDCD4 siRNA on Gleevec-induced apoptosis of K562 cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. The effect of Gleevec on p-Crkl, caspase-3, PARP and PDCD4 protein levels, and the knockdown efficacy of PDCD4 siRNA were detected by Western blotting. The results showed that Gleevec dramatically suppressed the phosphorylation level of Crkl in a dose-dependent manner and induced significant apoptosis and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest of K562 cells in time- and dose-dependent manners. In addition, Gleevec activated caspase-3 and its downstream substrates PARP, and the caspase pan inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK (50 micromol x L(-1)) markedly reduced Gleevec-induced apoptosis from 47.97% +/- 10.56% to 31.05% +/- 9.206% (P < 0.05). Moreover, Gleevec significantly increased the protein expression of programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4). PDCD4 knockdown by siRNA reduced Gleevec-induced apoptosis from 46.97% +/- 14.32% to 42.8% +/- 11.43%. In summary, Gleevec induced apoptosis in K562 cells via caspase-3 activation.