Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biological Research

Thermal Stress Induced Lipidogenic Changes in The Testis and Ovaries of The Silkworm Hybrids and Their Economic Parameters

Niveditha S Rao — 2024-12-30

In the present era Silkworm Bombyx mori L, a very important economical insect and backbone of the silk industry, is fully reliant on humans for its life cycle. In India, the tropical climate prevails in most of the sericulture belt, where temperature goes beyond the ambient during summer, adversely affecting the silkworm rearing relating to qualitative and quantitative traits. In order to investigate the environmental stress, effect of Thermal Stress (TS) on silkworm, Bombyx mori organs and its quantitative traits, an experiment was conducted using different breeds, PM × CSR2 (Crossbreed) and FC1 × FC2 (Double hybrid) in male and female larvae. Further, 5th instar silkworm male and female larvae were exposed to 35±1˚C temperature and the lipidogenic consistent changes in testis and ovaries was observed compared to unexposed batches, which was noticed higher temperature on lipid content of testis and ovaries was reduced. With respect to quantitative traits, larvae exhibit the differentiation in male and female silkworm. It has been noticed that, female silkworm larvae showed comparatively increased trend rather than male individuals as well as hybrids exhibited upward trend response to the higher temperature when compared to crossbreed. This finding provide a better understanding of cellular protective mechanisms against environmental stress (high temperature) and gives knowledge about effect and significance difference between the lipidogenic and quantitative changes in male and female larvae of different breeds.

A Multi-epitope Peptide Vaccine Design Against Neisseria Gonorrhoeae: An In Silico Approach

Khodakaram Jahanbin — 2024-12-31

introduction: One of the most common sexually transmitted diseases is gonorrhea. The World Health Organization has identified gonorrhea as a major public health problem in the world and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported gonorrhea as the second most important bacterial infection in the United States. The increasing antibiotic resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains to conventional antibiotics has necessitated efforts to identify alternative strategies.

Methods: The amino acid sequences of five selected proteins were extracted from NCBI protein database. The appropriate epitopes were extracted by NetCTL, IEDB, and ABCpred for T and B cells. These epitopes were joined by suitable linkers, and the amino acid sequence of 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 was added as an adjuvant. AlgPred and ANTIGENpro were used to evaluate the antigenicity and allergenicity. EXPASY was used for physicochemical properties evaluation. The secondary and third structures were predicted by PSIPRED, Phyre2, and Raptor X. ClusPro was used for the molecular docking process and GROMACS used for molecular dynamics simulations.

Results: The designed vaccine had high antigenicity, no allergenicity, good half-life, suitable epitopes for B and T cells, appropriate physicochemical properties, and high stability. The adjuvant sequence on the vaccine had high binding strength for TLR-4, and the vaccine-TLR-4 complex had satisfactory results in molecular dynamics simulation.

Conclusion: Given to the good immunogenicity of the designed vaccine and its high binding score for TLR-4, and its satisfactory stability, it can be used for further evaluation in the laboratory.

In-Silico Exploration of the Antiviral Potential of Madhuca indica (Liquiritin) and Terminalia chebula (Ellagic Acid), and Inhibition of 2019-nCoV Fusion Mechanism to Prevent Viral Entry into Host Cells

MOHAMMAD NADEEM KHAN — 2025-05-06

Amidst the looming threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global scientific community has fervently pursued understanding SARS-CoV-2 and its pathophysiology to uncover potential therapeutic avenues. In this investigational study, in-silico methods were employed to screen potential therapeutic interventions against SARS-CoV-2. The study involves screening the interaction of the 2019-nCoV spike protein with Phytoderivatives Liquiritin and Ellagic acid, along with the known inhibitor V607, using the AutoDock Vina suite. The binding energies obtained from the docking are -13.4 kcal/mol for Liquiritin, -9.1 kcal/mol for Ellagic acid, and -8.1 kcal/mol for VE607. The results suggest a higher affinity of the Phytoderivatives, particularly Ellagic acid and Liquiritin, and VE607 against the spike protein. Both Phytoderivatives (Liquiritin and Ellagic acid) bind to the HR-1 (fusion peptide) domain of the spike protein. Other parametric results indicate good absorption activity for the studied molecules. The studied molecules do not violate the Lipinski score of drug-likeness. The study suggests that Liquiritin and Ellagic acid, along with VE607, may have pharmacological and therapeutic potential in inhibiting or blocking the fusion mechanism of the virus particle during entry into host cells. The inhibition of the fusion mechanism may contribute to preventing or treating COVID-19.It's important to note that in-silico studies provide valuable insights, but experimental validation is crucial to confirm the effectiveness of potential drug candidates.