: Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly population, with a higher prevalence in men, independent of race and social class; it affects approximately 1.5 to 2.0% of the elderly population over 60 years and 4% for those over 80 years of age. PD is caused by the necrosis of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, which is the brain region responsible for the synthesis of the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA), resulting in its decrease in the synaptic cleft. The monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) degrades dopamine, promoting the glutamate accumulation and oxidative stress with the release of free radicals, causing excitotoxicity. The PD symptoms are progressive physical limitations such as rigidity, bradykinesia, tremor, postural instability and disability in functional performance. Considering that there are no laboratory tests, biomarkers or imaging studies to confirm the disease, the diagnosis of PD is made by analyzing the motor features. There is no cure for PD, and the pharmacological treatment consists of a dopaminergic supplement with levodopa, COMT inhibitors, anticholinergics agents, dopaminergic agonists, and inhibitors of MAO-B, which basically aims to control the symptoms, enabling better functional mobility and increasing life expectancy of the treated PD patients. Due to the importance and increasing prevalence of PD in the world, this study reviews information on the pathophysiology, symptomatology as well as the most current and relevant treatments of PD patients.

We evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antialgic potency of a nanoemulsion (NEORO) containing the essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis L. (EORO), which is composed primarily of limonene, camphor and 1,8-cineole. The EORO and NEORO were administered orally 30 min prior to starting the experiments. In a test of rat paw oedema induced by carrageenan, NEORO was effective in doses of 498 µg/kg, and it inhibited 46% of the maximum peak of the oedema; in a dose of 300 mg/kg, EORO inhibited 50% of the maximum peak of the oedema. In an acetic acid-induced writhing test, NEORO yielded a dose-dependent effect, and a dose of 830 µg/kg inhibited 84% of the algesic process; a dose of 100 mg/kg of EORO inhibited 55%. In an assay for HS production in rat stomachs, a dose of 498 µg/kg of NEORO inhibited HS production in all of the measurement phases, and a dose of 100 mg/kg EORO inhibited 60% and influenced the effect of the ethanol significantly, reducing the production of HS. We suggest that NEORO potentiated the effect of EORO, demonstrating effectiveness in doses 600 times lower than those applied with EORO. Among the major compounds of EORO, the camphor molecule exhibited the largest number of interactions with the therapeutic targets related to the inflammatory process, suggesting that it is responsible for EORO's anti-inflammatory and antialgic effects. This work paves the way for future investigations related to the therapeutic role of NEORO in the inflammation process.

No abstract

Cannabis sativa withdrawal syndrome is characterized mainly by psychological symptoms. By using computational tools, the aim of this study was to propose drug candidates for treating withdrawal syndrome based on the natural ligands of the cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1). One compound in particular, 2‐n‐butyl‐5‐n‐pentylbenzene‐1,3‐diol (ZINC1730183, also known as stemphol), showed positive predictions as a human CB1 ligand and for facile synthetic accessibility. Therefore, ZINC1730183 is a favorable candidate scaffold for further research into pharmacotherapeutic alternatives to treat C. sativa withdrawal syndrome.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that causes from vulvovaginal and oropharyngeal candidiasis to systemic infections. The enzyme 1,6-fructose bisphosphate aldolase class II (FBA II), is a macromolecule existing only in lower organisms, being essential for the survival of the pathogen due to its function of maintaining the glycolysis process. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the inhibitors of FBA II regarding their physicochemical, pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties and apply concepts of rational drug development to propose new compounds for the treatment of fungal infections of C. albicans. Physicochemical (HyperChem software and the webserver cactus) and ADME/Tox (PreADMET webserver) properties were calculated to four inhibitors described in the literature and three analogues. None of the compounds presented in this study violated RO5, however all inhibitors demonstrated low or moderate human intestinal absorption (HIA), as well as low or moderate permeability in Caco-2 and MDCK, poor plasma proteins binding (PPB) and low permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB); however, Compound 4 is the exception for BBB permeability, being also the only nonmutagenic compound, and therefore, used as a lead compound. Analogues B and C presented high HIA, weak PPB and low BBB permeability, as well as a positive prediction for carcinogenicity in rats and mouse and non-mutagenicity in the Ames test. Through the evaluations carried out, it was concluded that the analogues B and C have proved to be promising candidates for oral administration drugs in the treatment of fungal infections of the genus Candida.

Background: From the fruits and seeds of the species of Pterodon, it is possible to obtain two main products: the essential oil and oleoresin. In oleoresin, numerous vouacapan compounds have been demonstrated to have biological potential, including insecticidal activity. Objective: In silico studies were performed to identify potential candidates for natural insecticides among the vouacapans present in the genus Pterodon. Materials and Methods: Molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies were performed to analyze the interaction of vouacapan compounds with acetylcholinesterase of Drosophila melanogaster. Pharmacokinetic parameters regarding physicochemical properties, plasma protein binding, and activity in the central nervous system were evaluated. The toxicological properties of the selected molecules were predicted using Malathion as the reference compound. Results: 6α,7β-dimethoxivouacapan-17-ene (15) showed a high number of interactions and scores in molecular docking studies. This result suggests that this compound exhibits an inhibitory activity of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. Regarding physicochemical properties, this compound showed the best results, besides presenting low cutaneous permeability values, suggesting null absorption. Molecular dynamics studies demonstrated few conformational changes in the structure of the complex formed by compound 4 and acetylcholinesterase enzyme throughout the simulation time. Conclusion: It was determined that compound 4 (vouacapan 6α,7β,17β,19-tetraol) is an excellent candidate for usage as a natural insecticide.

No abstract

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.