Biosciences Tag

Identifying the Issue

COVID-19 is the largest global pandemic currently and it has emerged as the deadliest infection of the century. It’s still critical to find novel compounds that can inhibit viral replication, in turn reducing the pace of infection.

Objective of the Research

• To design and synthesise benzoxazole-thiazolidinone hybrids (B-T hybrids) using a facile synthetic route.
• To analyse the inhibitory potential of designed B-T hybrids against the SARS-CoV-2 proteases using an in-silico approach.

Who should read this?

COVID-19 Researchers, Medicinal Chemists and Pharmaceutical Industry.

Solution

Hybrid molecules represent a relatively recent area in drug research with promising results.

The two scaffolds (benzoxazole and thiazolidinone) exhibit a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities and showed antiviral efficacy (both in vitro and in vivo) against a variety of viruses.

The hybrids derived from these two scaffolds share a similarity (structurally) with some of the active compounds screened in vitro against SARS-CoV-2.

This motivated us to screen the benzoxazole–thiazolidinone hybrids as SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitors. In order to achieve this, a combination of docking, dynamics, and free energy studies were employed in this study.

Key Features and Benefits

• Established the key interactions between the B-T hybrids and SARS-CoV-2 proteases.
• A simple four-step synthetic procedure was developed to synthesise the B-T hybrids.
• Identifying a novel compound (MBT9) that could act as an allosteric inhibitor of PLp, thus inhibits viral replication, in turn reducing the pace of infection.

Impact

• This study is related to the COVID-19 research and contributes to the understanding of SARS-CoV-2.
• The in-vivo and in-vitro studies could be carried out to further evaluate the therapeutic potential of the proposed ligands.
• The potential of the B-T hybrids as covalent binders to 3CLp can also be explored, as the conjugate amide group present in the thiazolidinone scaffold of the molecule can serve as a Michael acceptor.

Team

Vijay Sai Krishna Cheerala, Research Scholar, Department of Chemistry, Brindavan Campus, SSSIHL

Prasanth Ghanta, Research Scholar, Department of Biosciences, Prasanthi Nilayam Campus, SSSIHL

Prof. C N Sundaresan, Professor (Hon.), Department of Chemistry, Brindavan Campus, SSSIHL

Paper Published in: RSC Advances (Royal Society of Chemistry)

Title: Design, synthesis and in silico screening of benzoxazole–thiazolidinone hybrids as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 proteases

Read Paper Here: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/ra/d1ra07504g

Identifying the Issue

• EPDS is a validated screening tool used in the assessment of perinatal depression (PND)
• Responders answer EPDS questions differently due to PND associated stigma depending on the mode of administration
• This study evaluates the differences in EPDS scores used for assessment of PND over a span of 9 months

Objective of the Research

• Assessment of the difference in the EPDS scores between self and interviewer mode of administration
• Investigation of the baseline clinical and psychosocial characteristics of the study subjects associated with the difference between the two modes of administration
• Evaluation of the differences in antenatal depression, postnatal depression and PND rates using the two modes of EPDS administration

Who should read this?

This article is an outcome of study parameters based on socio-psychological assessments and is recommended for psychiatrists, mental health clinicians, physicians, students of mental health and obstetrics & gynaecology practitioners.

Solution

EPDS is a self-administered screening tool for assessing PND. However, the EPDS usage in the Indian population is predominantly interviewer-administered. It is extremely necessary to address the limitations involved in the assessment of PND in rural settings. The present longitudinal observational study was intended to evaluate the differences in EPDS administration between the self-administered and interviewer-administered modes to understand and improve the test score interpretations.

Key Features and Benefits

• The study helps in bridging the knowledge gap in PND assessment and health care catering to pregnant women and new mothers in the rural South-Indian population
• The study includes data related to preclinical, clinical and socio-demographics relevant to psychiatry and details the socio-cultural diversity of the region as it relates to mental health

Impact

• This study has a direct societal relevance, particularly in rural settings, with respect to healthcare administration for perinatal women
• The current research work sheds light on the possibility of systematic bias involved in administering EPDS questionnaires in the Indian population that needs to be still understood
• This study increases the awareness on the impact of the mode of EPDS administration, especially in non-English speaking, culturally diverse and low or middle-income countries such as India

Team

Pradeep Kumar Badiya, Sasidhar Siddabattuni, Venkatesh Srinivasan and Sai Sathish Ramamurthy
STAR Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, 515134, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India

Debarshi Dey
Independent Researcher, Biostatistician, Munich, 82152, Germany.

Akkamahadevi C. Hiremath
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Whitefield, Bangalore, 560066, India.

Raj Lakshmi Nalam
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Prasanthi Nilayam, 515134, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Sridhar Vaitheswaran and Aarthi Ganesh
Schizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai 600101, Tamil Nadu, India

Yendluri Prabhakar
Department of Psychiatry, Government medical college/Government General Hospital, Anantapur, 515001, Andhra Pradesh, India

Paper Published in: Asian Journal of Psychiatry

Title: Effect of mode of administration on Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in the South Indian population: A comparative study on self-administered and interviewer-administered scores

Read Paper Here: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1d~HG6gcL74Lx8

The workshop brought together distinguished professors and scientists in the areas of Biosciences and Medicine.

Talks and discussions cantered on various topics: The importance of translational research and its applications, Green Chemistry: Plants as a Source of Bioactive Metabolites, Stem Cells: Their scope in Regenerative Research, How do we tackle resurgent drug-resistant Tuberculosis, Pharmaceuticals to Nutraceuticals – Why This Paradigm Shift, Oxylipid signaling in Health and Disease in plants and animals, and Hybridoma Technology in Health Care.

External experts and guests from: North Maharashtra University, National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Institute of Science, Central Food Technological Research Institute, University of Hyderabad, Defence Food Research Laboratory, DRDO

Prof. Arun Sreekumar, Charles C Bell Jr. Endowed Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas and Visiting Faculty, Dept. of Biosciences, SSSIHL, an expert on Cancer Biology delivered a keynote lecture on Re-wired Metabolism Drives Breast Cancer at SSSIHL on 22 Jan 2020.

The talk focused on how breast cancer modifies its metabolism to escape host immune response and become aggressive (metastatic). The mechanism underpinnings that drive this immune escape was determined. The potential translation of these findings to develop treatment strategies for patients was discussed.

#SSSIHL #SSSIHLResearch #SSSIHLChemistry #cancerbiology#breastcancerresearch.