Farha Matin Juliana

TPX2, a spindle assembly factor encoded by the TPX2 gene, plays a pivotal role in tumor progression and cellular transformation. Overexpression of TPX2 has been widely documented across multiple malignancies, including breast cancer, and is associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased metastasis, recurrence, and poor prognosis. Functional studies using TPX2-specific siRNA have demonstrated its critical role in cancer cell proliferation, showing that TPX2 knockdown impairs key proteins involved in the G1-to-S phase transition, reduces motility, and limits cellular invasiveness. Moreover, TPX2 depletion has been shown to induce genomic instability in liver cancer cells, resulting in multinucleation and DNA damage, making it a promising therapeutic target in cancer treatment. Bioinformatic tools, including Oncomine, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Kaplan-Meier Plotter, and Breast Cancer Gene-Expression Miner, have been employed to elucidate TPX2’s prognostic significance in breast cancer. Additionally, plant-derived secondary metabolites, which contribute to over 60% of anticancer drugs, hold promise as therapeutic agents. However, discovering viable therapeutic compounds through high-throughput screening (HTS) and computer-aided drug design (CADD) remains a challenge. CADD techniques, including pharmacoinformatic, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and MM-PBSA (Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area) have been instrumental in identifying bioactive compounds. Because TPX2 itself lacks a canonical druggable pocket and acts largely through protein–protein interactions, Aurora kinase A (AURKA)—the mitotic kinase that TPX2 activates and stabilizes—was targeted as the druggable effector of the TPX2–AURKA axis. Computational screening of 61 phytochemicals against Aurora kinase A identified three candidates with high binding affinities. Pharmacokinetic evaluations revealed these compounds met Lipinski's Rule of Five, confirming their drug-likeness. In addition, in silico ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) profiling demonstrated favorable toxicity profiles for these compounds, a critical factor in early drug development. This study underscores the potential of integrating computational approaches to identify novel therapeutic agents targeting the TPX2–Aurora A axis, providing a promising strategy for developing treatments for breast cancer and other TPX2-associated malignancies.

The study was designed to investigate the effect of both the duration of storage and treatments (lemon, mustrard and garlic) methods on minerals (Ca, P, Fe, Mn, Cu, Mg and Zn) value of smoked hilsa in six selected regions (Chandpur, Barisal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Shariatpur and Cox’s Bazar). Minerals (Ca, P, Fe, Mn, Cu, Mg and Zn) composition was increased by treatments but gradually decreased variedly with duration of storage smoked hilsa. The calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu) magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) were found 910.55±11.79 to 853.57±11.09 mg/100g, 228.53±4.37 to 83.60±8.75 mg/100g, 12.45±0.97 to 7.07±1.85 mg/100g, 21.58±0.48 to 7.89±0.75 mg/100g, 3.15±0.16 to 0.90±0.05 mg/100g, 60.54±10.66 to 36.31±1.85 mg/100g and 2.97±0.10 to 0.92±0.02 mg/100g respectively. Generally, the minerals reduced more in the first month of storage. The results suggest that storage period to be a negative effect on the minearls values of smoked hilsa. Hence, smoked hilsa should be consumed while fresh and if it is to be stored, the period must be as short as possible to provide optimal levels of minerals.