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Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: Multitarget-Directed Ligands for the Treatment of Multifactorial Diseases

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 3687

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: synthesis and biological studies on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents, on inhibitors of enzymes implicated in the inflammation and in the coagulation process in general; correlation of inflammation with cancer; neurodegeneration; antioxidant activity; theoretical and experimental calculation of physicochemical parameters implicated in biological response; use of computational chemistry in drug design as well as bioactive compounds of natural origin, e.g., essential oils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Interests: drug discovery; multitarget ligands; antioxidants; neuroprotective agents; autophagy; anticancer; kinase inhibitor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current disease treatments used in clinical use are based on the principle of “one molecule - one target - one malady”. However, problems are observed related to the development of resistance to therapy, overexpression of anti-apoptotic proteins, mutations in key signaling molecules, overexpression of drug efflux pumps, etc.

The design strategy for multi-target-directed ligands (MTDLs) is based on the incorporation of two or more distinct pharmacophores of different drugs in a single structure to develop hybrid molecules. MTDLs can bind/inhibit two or more targets simultaneously, following a poly-pharmacological/pleiotropic approach.

Modern drug discovery has the power to identify potential multifunctional ligands for biologically and clinically validated targets among a large number of compounds. The MTDL approach holds great potential in multifactorial diseases since it may significantly simplify treatment with respect to standard combination therapy, reduce the risk of possible drug–drug interactions, and most importantly, limit the insurgence of resistance in cancer therapy. Multi-factorial diseases such as cancer, neuroinflammation and stroke may greatly benefit from therapies that simultaneously target multiple key pathways and/or their pathogenic cross-talk.

In the present Special Issue, several multi-targeted approaches to multifactorial diseases are given in original articles, reviews and discussed from an interdisciplinary point of view, providing an updated picture of the latest progress in the field of “Multitarget-Directed Ligands for the Treatment of Multifactorial Diseases”.

Prof. Dr. Dimitra Hadjipavlou-Litina
Prof. Dr. Simona Rapposelli
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3017 KiB  
Article
Virtual Screening Approaches to Identify Promising Multitarget-Directed Ligands for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder
by Jakub Jończyk, Klaudia Przybylska, Marek Staszewski, Justyna Godyń, Tobias Werner, Monika Stefaniak-Napieralska, Holger Stark, Krzysztof Walczyński and Marek Bajda
Molecules 2024, 29(22), 5271; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29225271 - 7 Nov 2024
Viewed by 817
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder. The available medical treatment options for autism spectrum disorder are very limited. While the etiology and pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder are still not fully understood, recent studies have suggested that wide alterations in the [...] Read more.
Autism spectrum disorder is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder. The available medical treatment options for autism spectrum disorder are very limited. While the etiology and pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder are still not fully understood, recent studies have suggested that wide alterations in the GABAergic, glutamatergic, cholinergic, and serotonergic systems play a key role in its development and progression. Histamine neurotransmission is known to have complex interactions with other neurotransmitters that fit perfectly into the complex etiology of this disease. Multitarget-directed compounds with an affinity for the histamine H3 receptor indicate an interesting profile of activity against autism spectrum disorder in animal models. Here, we present the results of our research on the properties of (4-piperazin-1-ylbutyl)guanidine derivatives acting on histamine H3 receptors as potential multitarget ligands. Through the virtual screening approach, we identified promising ligands among 32 non-imidazole histamine H3 receptor antagonists/inverse agonists with potential additional activity against the dopamine D2 receptor and/or cholinesterases. The virtual screening protocol integrated predictions from SwissTargetPrediction, SEA, and PPB2 tools, along with molecular docking simulations conducted using GOLD 5.3 and Glide 7.5 software. Among the selected ligands, compounds 25 and 30 blocked radioligand binding to the D2 receptor at over 50% at a screening concentration of 1 µM. Further experiments allowed us to determine the pKi value at the D2 receptor of 6.22 and 6.12 for compounds 25 and 30, respectively. Our findings suggest that some of the tested compounds could be promising multitarget-directed ligands for the further research and development of more effective treatments for autism spectrum disorder. Full article
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19 pages, 4801 KiB  
Article
Amphetamine Derivatives as Potent Central Nervous System Multitarget SERT/NET/H3 Agents: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation
by Quxiang Li, Lili Ren, Dongli Wang, Junyong Luo, Changda Xu, Jian Feng, Yufan Qiu, Xiangqing Xu and Guoguang Chen
Molecules 2024, 29(22), 5240; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29225240 - 6 Nov 2024
Viewed by 760
Abstract
In this research, a variety of novel amphetamine derivatives were synthesized and assessed for their potential as multifaceted antidepressant agents. Among these compounds, compound 11b demonstrated potent inhibitory effects on both serotonin and noradrenaline transporters (SERT/NET) and high affinity for histamine H3 [...] Read more.
In this research, a variety of novel amphetamine derivatives were synthesized and assessed for their potential as multifaceted antidepressant agents. Among these compounds, compound 11b demonstrated potent inhibitory effects on both serotonin and noradrenaline transporters (SERT/NET) and high affinity for histamine H3 receptor (H3R), and displayed low affinity for off-target receptors (H1, α1) and hERG channels, which can reduce the prolongation of the QT interval. Molecular docking studies offered a rational binding model of compound 11b when it forms a complex with SERT, NET, and the histamine H3 receptor. In vivo behavioral studies, compound 11b dose-dependently reduced the immobility duration in the mouse FST and TST assays without a stimulatory effect on the locomotor activity. Furthermore, compound 11b had a favorable pharmacokinetic profile in rats. Thus, compound 11b has the potential to develop a novel class of drugs for the treatment of depression. Full article
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12 pages, 6688 KiB  
Article
New Adamantane-Containing Edaravone Conjugates as Potential Neuroprotective Agents for ALS Treatments
by Maria A. Lapshina, Elena F. Shevtsova, Vladimir V. Grigoriev, Aleksey Yu. Aksinenko, Aleksey A. Ustyugov, Daniil A. Steinberg, Grigoriy V. Maleev, Elena S. Dubrovskaya, Tatiana V. Goreva, Tatiana A. Epishina, Vladimir L. Zamoyski, Galina F. Makhaeva, Vladimir P. Fisenko, Ivan M. Veselov, Daria V. Vinogradova and Sergey O. Bachurin
Molecules 2023, 28(22), 7567; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28227567 - 13 Nov 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1621
Abstract
Currently, there are no effective drugs for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Only two drugs—edaravone and riluzole—have been approved, but they have very limited efficacy. The aim of this work was to modify the structural core of the Edaravone—phenylpyrazolone moiety and [...] Read more.
Currently, there are no effective drugs for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Only two drugs—edaravone and riluzole—have been approved, but they have very limited efficacy. The aim of this work was to modify the structural core of the Edaravone—phenylpyrazolone moiety and combine it with aminoadamantane pharmacophore in order to expand the spectrum of its action to a number of processes involved in the pathogenesis of ALS. New conjugates of edaravone derivatives with 1-aminoadamantanes combined with alkylene or hydroxypropylene spacers were synthesized, and their biological activity was investigated. Compounds were found that could inhibit lipid peroxidation and calcium-related mitochondrial permeability, block fast sodium currents of CNS neurons, and reduce aggregation of the mutated form of the FUS-protein typical to ALS. So, the proposed modification of the edaravone molecule has allowed the obtaining of new original structures that combine some prospective therapeutic mechanisms against key chains of the pathogenesis of ALS. The identified lead compounds can be used for further optimization and development of new promising drugs on this basis for the treatment of ALS. Full article
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