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Hancornia speciosa Gomes is a tree native to Brazil and has therapeutic potential for several diseases. Ethnopharmacological surveys have reported that the plant is used as a hypoglycemic agent and to lose weight. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the aqueous extract from H. speciosa latex (LxHs) in a zebrafish model of diabetes. The extract was evaluated through high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HTPLC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). We then tested treatments with LxHs (500, 1000, and 1500 mg/kg) by assessing blood glucose levels in alloxan-induced diabetic animals, and metformin was used as a control. The toxicity was evaluated through histopathology of the pancreas and biochemical assessment of serum levels of AST, ALT, creatinine, and urea. The extract was also assessed for acute toxicity through several parameters in embryos and adult animals. Finally, we performed in silico analysis through the SEA server and docking using the software GOLD. The phytochemical study showed the compounds cornoside, dihydrocornoide, and 1-O-methyl-myoinositol (bornesitol). The treatment with all doses of LxHs significantly decreased alloxan-induced hyperglycemia without any significant histological or biochemical abnormalities. No significant frequency of teratogenesis was observed in the embryos exposed to the extract, and no significant behavioral changes or deaths were observed in adult animals. In silico, the results showed a potential interaction between inositol and enzymes involved in carbohydrates’ metabolism. Overall, the results show a hypoglycemic activity of the extract in vivo, with no apparent toxicity. The computational studies suggest this could be at least partially due to the presence of bornesitol, since inositols can interact with carbohydrates’ enzymes.

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Background: The chemical dependency caused by recreational drug abuse is highly detrimental to humans and has direct implications for society. Cannabis sativa is still at the top of the ranking of most used drugs in the world, and its major chemical component is Δ9-THC. This molecule is the main cause of addiction in chronic users, and its action is measured by the CB1 receptor present in the CNS. So far there is no approved drug for the treatment of abstinence in C. sativa. Objective: In this sense, the objective of this research is to propose analogues of the Stemphol (2-methyl-5-pentylbenzene-1,3-diol) molecule that can serve as treatment for withdrawal crises in C. sativa addicts, initially through in silico methods. Methods: 28 structural modifications were carried out in the molecule stemphol. These were subjected to in silico predictions of pharmacokinetics, toxicology, pharmacological activity, synthetic viability and prediction of drug-receptor interaction through molecular docking. For this, the software and web servers PreADMET, DEREK 2.1, PASS, SEA, SYLVIA 2.4 and GOLD were used. Results: 22 analogues demonstrated good pharmacokinetic results and 16 analogues gave no warning of hepatotoxicity, mutagenicity, nephropathies and carcinogenicity in mammals. Biological activity predictions were performed on the PASS server, resulting in 28 analogues exhibiting adenylate cyclase inhibition and/or MAP kinase stimulating activity; in SEA, the performance of the CB1 receptor was analyzed, resulting in 20 analogues with action on CB1 receptors in humans. The selected analogues 1, 4, 16, 17, 19, 24, 25 and 26 were submitted to synthetic accessibility prediction in the SYLVIA software because they presented better results in their pharmacokinetic, toxicological and predictive properties. Conclusion: Of these, the analogues 17 and 25 obtained a very satisfactory result in the interaction with the CB1 receptor through the molecular docking method and can be considered great proposals for future in vitro and in vivo studies, with the ability to further elucidate their actions. Keywords: Chemical dependency, Cannabis sativa, Withdrawal Syndrome.

Search for new pharmacological alternatives for obesity is based on the design and development of compounds that can aid in weight loss so that they can be used safely and effectively over a long period while maintaining their function. The endocannabinoid system is related to obesity by increasing orexigenic signals and reducing satiety signals. Cannabis sativa is a medicinal plant of polypharmaceutical potential that has been widely studied for various medicinal purposes. The in silico evaluation of their natural cannabinoids (also called phytocannabinoids) for anti-obesity purpose stems from the existence of synthetic cannabinoid compounds that have already presented this result, but which did not guarantee patient safety. In order to find new molecules from C. sativa phytocannabinoids, with the potential to interact with the pharmacological target cannabinoid receptor 1, a pharmacophore-based virtual screening was performed, including the evaluation of physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, toxicological predictions and molecular docking. The results obtained from the ZINC12 database pointed to Zinc 69 (ZINC33053402) and Zinc 70 (ZINC19084698) molecules as promising anti-obesity agents. Molecular Dynamics (MD) studies discloses that both complexes were stable by analyzing the RMSD (Root Mean Square Deviation) values, and the binding free energy values demonstrate that the selected structures can interact and inhibit their catalytic activity.

Kefiran is a polysaccharide present in kefir grains that have been widely explored due to its potential health benefits. The objective of this work was to characterize and quantify the components present in the ethanolic extract of milk kefir grains; to study its pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties in silico and evaluate the acute toxicity of the kefiran in zebrafish. The prediction of pharmacokinetic properties was performed by QikProp software. In silico toxicity assessment was performed using the DEREK (deductive estimate of risk from existing knowledge) software. In the chromatographic, kefiran was identified as the major component. Results showed that the kefiran had low human oral absorption and intestinal absorption its due poor solubility profile; low logP value, indicating its lipophilicity and the low MDCK and Caco-2 cells permability, and unable to cross the blood–brain barrier. Kefiran did not present any structural warning for in silico toxicity. In zebrafish, the dose of 2,000 mg/kg of kefiran produced nonsignificant alterations in the analyzed organs. It can be said then that kefiran has an acceptable degree of safety for use in the development of drugs or functional foods. Further research such as in vivo testing to confirm its pharmacological potential is currently underway.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative pathology common in the elderly, and it may be related to several factors, such as excessive and continuous use of drugs, alcoholism, cerebral ischemia, among others. Emphasizing that there is still no cure for PD, current pharmacological treatment aims to restore reduced dopaminergic activity in the central nervous system and manage symptoms. However, due to the different side effects caused by antiparkinsonian drugs, their use is recommended just when symptoms are considerably impairing professional performance or the patient's daily tasks. Therefore, studies for the development of new drugs have been conducted, and natural products are gaining importance due to the possibility of discovering new bioactive molecular. In this sense, this research aimed to perform the in silico study of molecules of natural origin for the treatment of PD. Methods: A search for molecules from medicinal plants was carried out, they underwent a pharmacokinetic and toxicological prediction with subsequent molecular docking study, being coupled with the MAO-B enzyme and the dopamine receptor 2. Results: The ginsenosides compounds present an unfavorable pharmacokinetic pattern, which can be explained by their molecular mass, while the other molecules present average patterns, with the exception of kavains, which obtained very satisfactory results. When it comes to toxicity, the molecules curcumin, dihydrokavain, vitexin, kavain and tetrahydrocurcumin did not exhibit any toxic alert. As for the molecular docking study, the compound curcumin stood out with a considerable number of interactions at many amino acid residues relevant to antiparkinsonian activity, both in the MAO-B enzyme and in the D2 receptor. Conclusion: Of 25 molecules of natural products, 3 are good candidates for studies of oral drugs, owing to their excellent pharmacokinetic profile and low probability of being toxic. The curcumin molecule has a great notoriety, as it obtained relevant interactions with the two proteins studied in molecular docking, speciallyin the MAO-B enzyme.

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition and the most common type of dementia among the elderly. The enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) have a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of this disease. Objective: This study aimed to select medicinal plant-derived molecules with reported inhibition of AChE and design optimized molecules that could inhibit not only AChE, but also NOS, potentially increasing its efficacy against AD. Methods: 24 compounds were selected from the literature based on their known AChE inhibitory activity. Then, we performed molecular orbital calculations, maps of electrostatic potential, molecular docking study, identification of the pharmacophoric pattern, evaluation of pharmacokinetic and Toxicological Properties of these molecules. Next, ten analogs were generated for each molecule to optimize their effect where the best molecules of natural products had failed. Results: The most relevant correlation was between HOMO and GAP in the correlation matrix of the molecules’ descriptors. The pharmacophoric group’s derivation found these pharmacophoric features: two hydrogen bond acceptors and one aromatic ring. The studied molecules interacted with the active site of AChE through hydrophobic and hydrogen bonds and with NOS through hydrogen interactions only but in a meaningful manner. In the pharmacokinetic and toxicological prediction, the compounds showed satisfactory results. Conclusion: The design of natural products analogs demonstrated good affinities with the pharmacological targets AChE and NOS, with satisfactory pharmacokinetics and toxicology profiles. Thus, the results could identify promising molecules in treating Alzheimer’s disease.