Imene Derardja

Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains one of the most aggressive malignancies, largely due to late diagnosis, rapid metastatic progression, and the limited efficacy of current therapeutics. Piperlongumine, a bioactive alkaloid isolated from Piper longum, has attracted attention for its selective cytotoxicity toward cancer cells and its ability to modulate multiple oncogenic pathways. However, its molecular mechanisms in PC remain insufficiently understood. In this computational systems pharmacology study, a network pharmacology strategy combined with molecular docking was used to investigate the molecular targets and pathways associated with piperlongumine anticancer activity. Targets of piperlongumine and PC-related genes were retrieved from public databases and intersected to identify shared targets. Overlapping targets were used to construct a protein–protein interaction network using the STRING (v.12.0) platform. Hub genes were identified using the CytoHubba plugin using six topological algorithms. Functional enrichment analyses (Gene ontology and KEGG pathway) were performed using the ShinyGO 0.85.1 platform. Prognostic relevance of the hub targets was evaluated using Kaplan–Meier Plotter platform, while immune cell infiltration patterns were explored using the TIMER-2 database. Molecular docking was conducted using AutoDock Vina (1.5.7) to validate ligand-target interactions. A total of 237 intersecting genes were identified. Network analysis revealed several central hub genes, including TP53, Akt-1, STAT-3, CTNNB-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and Bcl-2. KEGG pathway analysis highlighted PC as the most enriched pathway, together with chronic myeloid leukemia, the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, prostate cancer, and C-type lectin receptor signaling. Survival analysis revealed significant prognostic associations for several hub genes, while TIMER analysis suggested correlations with tumor-associated immune cell infiltration. Molecular docking confirmed favorable binding affinities of piperlongumine toward key oncogenic targets, particularly Bcl-2 (−7.2 kcal/mol), TP53 (−6.2 kcal/mol), CTNNB-1 (−6.2 kcal/mol), and Akt-1 (−5.8 kcal/mol). Collectively, this study uncovers piperlongumine anticancer potential in PC, mediated through coordinated regulation of apoptosis, inflammatory, and immune pathways, highlighting its promise for future experimental and translational investigations.

Astragalus species have long been recognized for their pharmacological relevance, yet the antidiabetic properties of Astragalus cruciatus Link (Ac) remain poorly explored. This study aimed to investigate the antidiabetic potential of A. cruciatus Link and to elucidate possible underlying mechanisms. The ethanolic extract of Ac (AcEE) was prepared and analyzed for phenolic and flavonoid content. Antioxidant activity was assessed through a series of in vitro assays. The in vitro inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase was assessed, followed by molecular docking to probe ligand-enzyme interactions. LC-ESI-MS analysis revealed a polyphenol-rich profile, with rutin (953.54 µg/g extract) and quinic acid (797.18 µg/g of extract) identified as main compounds. The AcEE showed significant inhibitory activity against both α-amylase and α-glucosidase (IC₅₀ = 239.30 ± 7.40 and 192.60 ± 15.51 μg/mL, respectively). Moreover, low cytotoxic effects were observed in hepatic cell lines. Computational analysis revealed stable interactions between rutin and both enzymes (−12.935 and −8.073 Kcal/mol, respectively). Network pharmacology revealed that AcEE may modulate key targets, including IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, Akt-1, STAT3, EGFR, and INSR as well as pathways related to insulin resistance, AGE-RAGE, and inflammation. These findings suggest that AcEE exerts significant antidiabetic effects through multitarget modulation, highlighting its potential as a natural therapeutic agent for T2DM.

Background/Objectives: Essential oils are increasingly recognized for their therapeutic potential, yet Ammoides verticillata essential oil (AVEO) remains relatively unexplored, particularly for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. This study aimed to profile AVEO’s chemical composition and evaluate its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects, with a focus on its novel pharmacological actions. Methods: The chemical composition of AVEO was determined using GC-MS analysis, and antioxidant capacity was assessed through in vitro assays. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory potential was investigated using a carrageenan-induced paw edema model in rats, complemented by the inhibition assays of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. The analgesic effects were evaluated through acetic acid-induced writhing and tail immersion tests. Additionally, a computational study was performed to explore the binding affinity of AVEO’s major constituents to COX-2. Results: GC-MS analysis revealed a rich monoterpene profile dominated by carvacrol (32.51%). It was found that AVEO exhibited significant antioxidant activity. Similarly, in vivo, AVEO showed significant anti-inflammatory effects, achieving a percentage inhibition of 52.23% at 200 mg/kg, comparable to diclofenac, along with potent COX-2 inhibition observed (IC50 = 1.51 ± 0.20, SI = 5.56). Moreover, analgesic tests demonstrated dose-dependent pain relief, in which the dose of 200 mg/kg significantly prolonged tail latency to 14.00 ± 1.45 s and markedly reduced abdominal constriction to 21.17 ± 1.62. Computational analysis further corroborated the high binding affinity of carvacrol and thymol with COX-2 (−7.381 and −6.939 Kcal/mol, respectively). Conclusions: These findings underscore AVEO’s potential as a promising therapeutic agent for managing inflammation and pain.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a class of drugs commonly used worldwide for their analgesic and antipyretic effects. However, an overdose of NSAIDs can have negative effects on various systems, including the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, and neural systems. The search for new, safer, and more effective anti-inflammatory agents has now become a necessity. The aim of the present study is to identify new natural compounds that act against cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), one of the main anti-inflammatory targets, using computational approaches. For this purpose, molecular docking and MM/GBSA binding free energy calculations were utilized to discover new natural inhibitors for COX-2. In addition, several prediction tools, such as SwissADME server, QikProp, and Pro-Tox II, were used in this study to elucidate the pharmacokinetic properties, drug-likeness ability, safety, and the lethal dose (LD₅₀) of the studied compounds. The results of molecular docking have indicated that among all phytochemicals under examination, canniprene, oroxylin A and luteolin show high docking scores and binding affinities toward COX-2 (−10.587, −10.254, and −9.494 Kcal.mol⁻¹, respectively) when compared with the reference inhibitor. Moreover, the top hits demonstrated stability during molecular dynamics simulation and were found to conform to drug-like rules with good bioavailability. Toxicity parameters of the best hits indicate that these compounds could be safe COX-2 inhibitors, but further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to confirm these findings.

In the present study, a new galectin designated Cyclocybe cylindracea lectin (CCL) was extracted from the fruiting bodies of the wild black popular mushroom C. cylindracea grown in Algeria. The protein was isolated using sepharose 4B as affinity chromatography matrix, and galactose as elutant. The purified galectin was composed of two subunits of 17.873 kDa each, with a total molecular mass of 35.6 kDa. Its agglutinant activity was impeded by galactose and its derivatives, as well as melibiose. Lactose showed the highest affinity, with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 0.0781 mM. CCL was sensitive to extreme pH conditions, and its binding function decreased when incubated with 10 mM EDTA, and it could be restored by metallic cations such as Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Zn²⁺. CCL agglutinated human red blood cells, without any discernible specificity. Circular dichroism spectra demonstrated that its secondary structure contained β-sheet as dominant fold. In addition, bioinformatics investigation on their peptide fingerprint obtained after MALDI-TOF/TOF ionization using mascot software confirmed that CCL was not like any previous purified lectin from mushroom: instead, it possessed an amino acid composition with high similarity to that of the putative urea carboxylase of Emericella nidulans (strain FGSC A4/ATCC 38163/CBS 112.46/NRRL 194/M139) with 44% of similarity score.