Aflavinine Alkaloids from Aspergillus sp.: Antibacterial Activity and Inosine 5'-Monophosphate Dehydrogenase (IMPDH) as a Potential Target in Bacillus subtilis

Autor(es)

Doring, Thiago Henrique ; Watanabe, Luciano A. ; Andricopulo, Adriano D. ; Marinho, Patricia S. B. ; Marinho, Andrey Moacir R.

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society; v. 36, n. 6, p. 14-pg., 2025-01-01.

Resumo

The search for antimicrobial compounds faces growing challenges due to resistance of bacteria to existing drugs. This study focuses on exploring Aspergillus sp. extracts from soil fungi as a valuable source of new lead compounds for drug discovery. Two aflavinine alkaloids isolated from mycelium methanolic extracts were tested against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhimurium bacteria. The compounds were docked with targets from the genus Bacillus to assess interactions, and global reactivity descriptors were calculated using density functional theory (DFT). The interactions of the compounds were assessed using molecular docking and dynamics simulations. Alkaloid 1, with an additional hydroxyl group, showed stronger inhibition of B. subtilis than the reference drugs, according to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) results. Energetic scores of 1 correlated with experimental results, indicating an electron-donor nature distinct from penicillin and tetracycline. Docking and dynamics studies showed that 1 had strong interactions with the active site of inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH). The results suggest that aflavinine alkaloids have potential as inhibitors of Gram-positive bacteria, suggesting possible antimicrobial mechanisms via interactions with IMPDH. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 23/00242-6 - Avaliação de Propriedades Biológicas e Farmacocinéticas de Candidatas a Fármacos
• Beneficiário: João Victor da Silva e Silva
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 13/07600-3 - CIBFar - Centro de Inovação em Biodiversidade e Fármacos
• Beneficiário: Glaucius Oliva
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Centros de Pesquisa, Inovação e Difusão - CEPIDs