Cancer is considered one of the most lethal diseases responsible for causing deaths worldwide. Although there have been many breakthroughs in anticancer development, cancer remains the major cause of death globally. In this regard, targeting cancer-causing enzymes is one of the efficient therapeutic strategies. Biological functions like cell cycle, transcription, metabolism, apoptosis, and other depend primarily on cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). These enzymes help in the replication of DNA in the normal cell cycle process, and deregulation in the functioning of any CDK can cause abnormal cell growth, which leads to cancer. This review is focused on anticancer drug discovery against cell cycle CDK enzyme using an in silico technique, i.e., molecular docking studies. Molecular docking helps in deciphering the key interactions formed within the inhibitor and the respective enzyme. This concise study provides an overview of the most current in silico research advancements made in the field of anticancer drug discovery. The findings presented in the current review article can help in understanding the nature of inhibitor-target interactions and provide information on the structural and molecular prerequisites for the inhibition of cell cycle CDKs.

Cancer has been viewed as one of the deadliest diseases worldwide. Among various types of cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) is a promising druggable target and is overexpressed in cancerous cells, like, breast cancer. We conducted structure-based modeling on the allosteric site of the enzyme. Targeting the allosteric site avoids the problem of drug resistance. Pharmacophore modeling, molecular docking, HYDE assessment, drug-likeness, ADMET predictions, simulations, and free-energy calculations were performed. The RMSD, RMSF, RoG, SASA, and Hydrogen-bonding studies showed that seven candidates displayed stable behaviour. As per the literature, average superimposed simulated structures revealed a similar protein conformational change in the αEʹ-βfʹ loop, causing its displacement away from the allosteric site. The MM-PBSA showed tight binding of six compounds with the allosteric pocket. The effect of inhibitors interacting in the allosteric site causes a decrease in the binding energy of J49 (active-site inhibitor), suggesting the effect of allosteric binding. The PCA and FEL analysis revealed the significance of the docked compounds in the stable behaviour of the complexes. The outcome can contribute to the development of potential natural products with drug-like properties that can inhibit the MTHFD2 enzyme.

An environmentally friendly, versatile multicomponent reaction for synthesizing isoxazol-5-one and pyrazol-3-one derivatives has been developed, utilizing a freshly prepared g-C₃N_4·OH nanocomposite as a highly efficient catalyst at room temperature in aqueous environment. This innovative approach yielded all the desired products with exceptionally high yields and concise reaction durations. The catalyst was well characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDAX, and TGA/DTA studies. Notably, the catalyst demonstrated outstanding recyclability, maintaining its catalytic efficacy over six consecutive cycles without any loss. The sustainability of this methodology was assessed through various eco-friendly parameters, including E-factor and eco-score, confirming its viability as a green synthetic route in organic chemistry. Additionally, the gram-scale synthesis verifies its potential for industrial applications. The ten synthesized compounds were also analyzed via a PASS online tool to check their several pharmacological activities. The study is complemented by in silico molecular docking, pharmacokinetics, and molecular dynamics simulation studies. These studies discover 5D as a potential candidate for drug development, supported by its favorable drug-like properties, ADMET studies, docking interaction, and stable behavior in the protein binding cavity.

3,5,6-trichlorosalicylic acid (TCSA) does not show a good antibacterial activity. In contrast, here metal complexes with TCSA have shown better antibacterial activity for selected bacterial strains with a good degree of selectivity. Amongst the eight synthesized essential metal complexes complexed with TCSA, Mn(II)-TCSA and Ni(II)-TCSA have been found to be more effective with MIC range 20-50 µg/L as compared to control (chloramphenicol). The activity of an individual complex against different microbes was not found to be identical, indicating the usage of an individual metal chelate against a targeted bacterial strain. Further, the protein (BSA) binding constant of TCSA and its metal complexes were determined and ordered as Ca(II)-TCSA > Cu(II)-TCSA > Mg(II)-TCSA >> Mn(II)-TCSA >> Zn(II)-TCSA >>> Ni(II)-TCSA >>> Co(II)-TCSA > Fe(II)-TCSA > TCSA. The present study has confirmed enhanced antibacterial activities and binding constants for metal chelates of TCSA as compared to free TCSA, which seems directly related with the antioxidant activities of these complexes. Further, bearing the ambiguity related to the structural characterization of the metal complexed with TCSA ligands, DFT calculations have been used as the tool to unravel the right environment around the metals, studying basically the relative stability of square planar and octahedral metal complexes with TCSA