ABSTRACT
We report benzo[b]thiophene derivatives synthesized according to a dual strategy. 8j, 9c, and 9e with affinity values toward 5-HT(7)R and 5-HTT were selected to probe their antidepressant activity in vivo using the forced swimming text (FST). The results showed significant antidepressant activity after chronic treatment. 9c was effective in reducing the immobility time in FST even after acute treatment. These findings identify these compounds as a new class of antidepressants with a rapid onset of action.
Subject(s)
Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use , Thiophenes/therapeutic use , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Spectrophotometry, InfraredABSTRACT
Protein microarray technology possesses some of the greatest potential for providing direct information on protein function and potential drug targets. For example, functional protein microarrays are ideal tools suited for the mapping of biological pathways. They can be used to study most major types of interactions and enzymatic activities that take place in biochemical pathways and have been used for the analysis of simultaneous multiple biomolecular interactions involving protein-protein, protein-lipid, protein-DNA and protein-small molecule interactions. Because of this unique ability to analyze many kinds of molecular interactions en masse, the requirement of very small sample amount and the potential to be miniaturized and automated, protein microarrays are extremely well suited for protein profiling, drug discovery, drug target identification and clinical prognosis and diagnosis. The aim of this review is to summarize the most recent developments in the production, applications and analysis of protein microarrays.
Subject(s)
Protein Array Analysis/methods , Protein Array Analysis/trends , Drug Delivery Systems , Enzymes, Immobilized/chemistry , Models, Molecular , Proteomics/methods , Surface PropertiesABSTRACT
This paper describes the synthesis and in vitro antimalarial activity against a P. falciparum 3D7 strain of some new 1-aryl-3-substituted propanol derivatives. Twelve of the tested compounds showed an IC(50) lower than 1 microM. These compounds were also tested for cytotoxicity in murine J774 macrophages. The most active compounds were evaluated for in vivo activity against P. berghei in a 4-day suppressive test. Compound 12 inhibited more than 50% of parasite growth at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day. In addition, an FBIT test was performed to measure the ability to inhibit ferriprotoporphyrin biocrystallization. This data indicates that 1-aryl-3-substituted propanol derivatives hold promise as a new therapeutic option for the treatment of malaria.
Subject(s)
Antimalarials/chemistry , Plasmodium berghei/drug effects , Plasmodium falciparum/drug effects , Propanols/chemistry , Animals , Antimalarials/chemical synthesis , Antimalarials/pharmacology , Cell Line , Inhibitory Concentration 50 , Macrophages/drug effects , Mice , Propanols/chemical synthesis , Propanols/pharmacologyABSTRACT
This review outlines the use of expressed protein ligation (EPL) to study protein structure, function and stability. EPL is a chemoselective ligation method that allows the selective ligation of unprotected polypeptides from synthetic and recombinant origin for the production of semi-synthetic protein samples of well-defined and homogeneous chemical composition. This method has been extensively used for the site-specific introduction of biophysical probes, unnatural amino acids, and increasingly complex post-translational modifications. Since it was introduced 10 years ago, EPL applications have grown increasingly more sophisticated in order to address even more complex biological questions. In this review, we highlight how this powerful technology combined with standard biochemical analysis techniques has been used to improve our ability to understand protein structure and function.