Tuberculosis remains a significant concern in global public health due to its intricate biology and propensity for developing antibiotic resistance. Discovering new drugs is a protracted and expensive endeavor, often spanning over a decade and incurring costs in the billions. However, computer-aided drug design (CADD) has surfaced as a nimbler and more cost-effective alternative. CADD tools enable us to decipher the interactions between therapeutic targets and novel drugs, making them invaluable in the quest for new tuberculosis treatments. In this review, the authors explore recent advancements in tuberculosis drug discovery enabled by in silico tools. The main objectives of this review article are to highlight emerging drug candidates identified through in silico methods and to provide an update on the therapeutic targets associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These in silico methods have not only streamlined the drug discovery process but also opened up new horizons for finding novel drug candidates and repositioning existing ones. The continued advancements in these fields hold great promise for more efficient, ethical, and successful drug development in the future.

Nowadays, boron-containing compounds have gained researchers’ attention because of the wide versatility and applicability of this element in both organic and medicinal chemistry. Since its discovery, its use in medicinal chemistry was neglected because of its possible toxic effects. However, in the past years, boron-containing compounds did not show such effects, and some drugs have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat diseases, including cancer, infections, and inflammation. Several boroncontaining compounds are used in organic and medicinal chemistry, either as a reagent or therapeutic agent. The chemical properties of this element make its use possible in organic synthesis as a reducing agent and catalyst, mainly in cross-coupling reactions. Among boroncontaining compounds, boranes, azaborines, benzoxaborole, boronic acid, and boron derivatives are most commonly described. This review article discusses the main properties of boron-containing compounds, their preparation by organic synthesis, as well as their applications in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry fields, developing new perspectives for further investigations.

Histone deacetylases (HDAC) are epigenetic enzymes responsible for repressing gene expression through the deacetylation of histone lysine residues. Therefore, inhibition of HDACs has become an interesting approach for the treatment of several diseases, including cancer, hematology, neurodegenerative, immune diseases, bacterial infections, and more. Resveratrol (RVT) has pleiotropic effects, including pan-inhibition of HDAC isoforms; however, its ability to interfere with membranes requires additional optimization to eliminate nonspecific and off-target effects. Thus, to explore RVT as a scaffold, we designed a series of novel HDAC-1 and -2 inhibitors containing the 2-aminobenzamide subunit. Using molecular modeling, all compounds, except unsaturated compounds (4) and (7), exhibited a similar mode of interaction at the active sites of HDAC 1 and 2. The docking score values obtained from the study ranged from −12.780 to −10.967 Kcal/mol. All compounds were synthesized, with overall yields ranging from 33% to 67.3%. In an initial screening, compounds (4), (5), (7), and (20)–(26), showed enzymatic inhibitory effects ranging from 1 to 96% and 6 to 93% against HDAC-1 and HDAC-2, respectively. Compound (5), the most promising HDAC inhibitor in this series, was selected for IC₅₀ assays, resulting in IC₅₀ values of 0.44 µM and 0.37 µM against HDAC-1 and HDAC-2, respectively. In a panel of selectivity against HDACs 3–11, compound (5) presented selectivity towards Class I, mainly HDAC-1, 2, and 3. All compounds exhibited suitable physicochemical and ADMET properties as determined using in silico simulations. In conclusion, the optimization of the RVT structure allows the design of selective HDAC inhibitors, mainly targeting HDAC-1 and HDAC-2 isoforms.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited disorder of red blood cells that is caused by a single mutation in the β -globin gene. The disease, which afflicts millions of patients worldwide mainly in low income countries, is characterized by high morbidity, mortality and low life expectancy. The new pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies for SCD is urgent in order to promote treatments able to reduce patient’s suffering and improve their quality of life. Since the FDA approval of HU in 1998, there have been few advances in discovering new drugs; however, in the last three years voxelotor, crizanlizumab, and glutamine have been approved as new therapeutic alternatives. In addition, new promising compounds have been described to treat the main SCD symptoms. Herein, focusing on drug discovery, we discuss new strategies to treat SCD that have been carried out in the last ten years to discover new, safe, and effective treatments. Moreover, non-pharmacological approaches, including red blood cell exchange, gene therapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation will be presented.

Class I histone deacetylases regulate gene transcription and are established therapeutic targets. HDAC1-3 form the catalytic subunit in several distinct multiprotein complexes; however, HDAC inhibitors are rarely studied in the context of these complexes. We evaluated multiple inhibitors, using seven HDAC complexes, and found that the inhibition profiles were highly complex-dependent, despite targeting the same enzyme. We also investigated the effect of the allosteric regulator inositol phosphate on these inhibitors. We observed very large, complex-selective reductions in the potency of benzamides bearing a "foot-pocket group", proposed to be selective for HDAC1/2. The potencies of these compounds are likely to be profoundly different in vivo compared with in vitro potencies in the absence of inositol phosphates. Our findings are supported by cell-based assays evaluating histone acetylation and HDAC degradation, highlighting the importance of evaluating HDACi in the context of HDAC complexes and inositol phosphates.