The Lassa virus (LASV), an RNA virus prevalent in West and Central Africa, causes severe hemorrhagic fever with a high fatality rate. However, no FDA-approved treatments or vaccines exist. Two crucial proteins, LASV glycoprotein and nucleoprotein, play vital roles in pathogenesis and are potential therapeutic targets. As effective treatments for many emerging infections remain elusive, cutting-edge drug development approaches are essential, such as identifying molecular targets, screening lead molecules, and repurposing existing drugs. Bioinformatics and computational biology expedite drug discovery pipelines, using data science to identify targets, predict structures, and model interactions. These techniques also facilitate screening leads with optimal drug-like properties, reducing time, cost, and complexities associated with traditional drug development. Researchers have employed advanced computational drug design methods such as molecular docking, pharmacokinetics, drug-likeness, and molecular dynamics simulation to investigate evodiamine derivatives as potential LASV inhibitors. The results revealed remarkable binding affinities, with many outperforming standard compounds. Additionally, molecular active simulation data suggest stability when bound to target receptors. These promising findings indicate that evodiamine derivatives may offer superior pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness properties, serving as a valuable resource for professionals developing synthetic drugs to combat the Lassa virus.
In the present study leaf tissue of host plant Calotropis procera was screened for the presence of endophytic fungi. The crude extract of the isolated endophytic fungi was tested for various chemical groups like alkaloids, flavonoids, diterpenoids and phenols. Our study showed the presence of 25 endophytic fungi isolated from the leaf tissue which constituted15 Hyphomycetes, 3 Ascomycetes, 3 Coelomycetes and 4 sterile forms. The qualitative analysis in all the 25 isolates showed the presence of alkaloid, phenol in 23 fungi, flavonoid in 19 and diterpenoids in 18 fungi. Fifteen endophytic fungi produced all chemical groups tested in the crude extract. Bipolaris sp a hyphomycete produced only one compound in culture. Among the four groups endophytic fungi Coelomycetes group able to produce all chemical groups tested.
Keywords: Endophytic fungi; Alkaloid; Flavonoid; Diterpenoids
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