Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders. A theoretical approach of our previous experiments reporting the cytoprotective effects of the Valeriana officinalis compounds extract for PD is suggested. In addiction to considering the PD as a result of mitochondrial metabolic imbalance and oxidative stress, such as in our previous in vitro model of rotenone, in the present manuscript we added a genomic approach to evaluate the possible underlying mechanisms of the effect of the plant extract. Microarray of substantia nigra (SN) genome obtained from Allen Brain Institute was analyzed using gene set enrichment analysis to build a network of hub genes implicated in PD. Proteins transcribed from hub genes and their ligands selected by search ensemble approach algorithm were subjected to molecular docking studies, as well as 20 ns Molecular Dynamics (MD) using a Molecular Mechanic Poison/Boltzman Surface Area (MMPBSA) protocol. Our results bring a new approach to Valeriana officinalis extract, and suggest that hesperidin, and probably linarin are able to relieve effects of oxidative stress during ATP depletion due to its ability to binding SUR1. In addition, the key role of valerenic acid and apigenin is possibly related to prevent cortical hyperexcitation by inducing neuronal cells from SN to release GABA on brain stem. Thus, under hyperexcitability, oxidative stress, asphyxia and/or ATP depletion, Valeriana officinalis may trigger different mechanisms to provide neuronal cell protection.
Background: Dengue is a Neglected tropical disease (NTDs) with high incidence in Brazil. This disease is caused by Dengue virus and is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquito. The search for new approaches for controlling of this disease is the subject of numerous studies. The aaNAT is a key enzyme in the metabolism of A. aegypti and is crucial in the sclerotization process, as well as regulation of circadian rhythm and inactivation of neurotransmitters. Computational techniques applied to studies of biological systems become an effective weapon in the mapping and management of 3D data structures, giving direction and guidance of potential ligands that can form stable complexes with targets of interest, using a Molecular Docking approach. The present study was conducted by a virtual screening, followed by docking calculations, in order to find molecules that could inhibit aaNAT. In this study, we used available compounds in SAM database (Bioinformatics and
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