Scabies is a contagious parasitic skin infection caused by Sarcoptes scabiei mites, which is classified by WHO as a neglected tropical disease. The current study aims at shedding light on the scabicidal potential of some bioactive Amaryllidaceae alkaloids. All collected compounds were filtered based on ADME analysis, to yield 74 compounds for further in silico screening analysis. Network pharmacology predicted the anti-scabies and antipruritic potential of these alkaloids, via identification of key protein targets associated with scabies. This was achieved by analyzing data from bioinformatics databases. A Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network was constructed. Gene ontology analysis was performed. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was also conducted. The investigations highlighted the genes crucial for immune response as CDC42BPA, PAK4, PAK6, PIK3CB, skin integrity as CTNND1), detoxification as EPHX1, GSTZ1 and cytoskeletal dynamics as IQGAP2, BAIAP2, and RTN). The docking results against the Glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzyme showed that most of the molecules attained moderate to strong docking scores with a special focus on cliviamartine and cripowellin B (S = −6.79 and −6.26 kcal/mol, respectively); compared to the co-crystallized ligand (S = −6.01 kcal/mol). The current work suggests that Amaryllidaceae alkaloids hold great potential as future candidates and offer novel therapeutic strategies for treating scabies.

Human scabies, a highly contagious parasitic skin infestation caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis mites, spreads rapidly through interpersonal contact. This study employed an integrated network pharmacology and molecular docking approach to identify shared therapeutic targets of seven structurally diverse Amaryllidaceae alkaloids (1–7) and evaluate their anti-scabies potential. A scabies-associated protein network was constructed, revealing interleukin-6 as the highest-degree node and a pivotal therapeutic target, alongside caspase-3. Sub sequent molecular docking analyses assessed the binding affinities and interaction stability of two promising alkaloids, narcissidine methyl ether (2) and crinine (3), with IL-6 and glutathione S-transferase (GST). Narcis sidine methyl ether demonstrated the strongest binding affinity to IL-6 (ΔG =–4.618 kcal/mol), while both compounds exhibited notable interactions with GST (ΔG =–5.917 and 4.885 kcal/mol, respectively). Computational screening confirmed their adherence to Lipinski’s and Veber’s rules, indicating favorable drug likeness properties. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed significant acaricidal activity, with narcissidine methyl ether showing potent scabicidal effects. Histopathological evaluation of treated rabbit models demon strated marked improvement in ear auricle skin architecture three weeks post-treatment, supporting the thera peutic efficacy of both compounds. These findings highlight narcissidine methyl ether and crinine as promising anti-scabietic drugs, offering a foundation for future preclinical studies.

The present work rationalizes the construction of a cutting-edge electrochemical sensor and its utilization in establishing the unique square wave voltammetric (SWV) procedure for the concurrent analysis of a ternary mixture of anti-Parkinson drugs (L-dopa (LVD), Carbidopa (CRD), and Istradefylline (ISF)) in bulk forms and plasma specimens. The sensor, denoted as TbNPs@poly-PRS/PGE, was designed which based on terbium nanoparticles (TbNPs) decorated Pyrosin (PRS) stain polymer platform on the surface of pencil graphite electrode (PGE). The improved electrochemical efficiency and morphological features of the sensor was assured through various investigations including cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and theoretical computational modelling. This sensor was devoted to electrooxidization and simultaneous quantitation of LVD-CRD-ISF …

Based on a previous study from our group, fifteen new tetrahydrocarbazoles (THC) incorporating 5-arylidene-4-thiazolinone scaffolds at one position were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic, elemental and X-ray crystallographic techniques. The new hybrids were evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity against a panel of eight human cancer cell lines utilizing Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay with doxorubicin as a reference. Among all synthesized THC based hybrids, compounds 11c and 12c revealed the highest potency and selectivity against Jurkat (IC₅₀ 1.44 ± 0.09 μM), U937 (IC₅₀ 1.77 ± 0.08 μM) and HCT-116 (IC₅₀ 6.75 ± 0.08 μM) cell lines, while against normal cell line HME1 (IC₅₀ > 50 μM). To validate the multitarget approach, topoisomerases, tubulin and EGFR inhibition assays were performed. Results indicate that compound 11c inhibited Topo Iα (IC₅₀ 52.12 μM), Topo IIα …

Two series of benzofuran-based thiosemicarbazides 7, 8(a-l) are evaluated as P. aeruginosa quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs). The studied compounds resulted in reduction of violacein production of C. violaceum, at ¼ MIC, up to 26.04 – 67.36%, relative to the reference drug azithromycin (54%). In vitro evaluation of QS and antivirulence activities, at the same concentration, against P. aeruginosa, showed promising inhibitory effect of biofilms formation, bacterial motility and virulence factors production (pyocyanin, and rhamnolipids). Compounds 7a, 7d, and 7k inhibit biofilm formation up to 57.31%, 67.54%, 78.38%, respectively, in addition to > 50% inhibition of hemolysin production. On the other hand, compounds 8a, 8d, 8f and 8k of the bromobenzofuran series showed, 55.66%, 50.67%, 73.34%, 79.93%, reduction in biofilm formation, respectively. Compounds 8d and 8f exhibit > 50% reduction of hemolysin

Accumulating evidence has indicated that immune regulatory cells are involved in the establishment of the anti-tumor activity, however; the role of regulatory B cells (B-regs) in breast cancer (BC) remains unclear. This study intended to assess the frequency of peripheral B-regs phenotypes in patients with BC, and to determine the relation between these phenotypes and the patient's clinicopathological characters. The expressions of the immune cell populations were analyzed by four-color flow cytometry in 40 naïve BC patients and 10 age-matched apparently healthy individuals as controls attending the department of Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine at Assiut University Hospitals. The percentages of B-regs phenotypes CD19+IL10+ and CD19+CD24hiCD27+IL10+ were higher in BC patients than in the controls. The percentage of CD19+IL10+ B cells phenotype was significantly associated with the HER-2 expression levels, T, and N stages of BC. In conclusion, high percentage of B-regs phenotypes CD19+IL10+ and CD19+CD24hiCD27+IL10+ in BC patients indicates a possible role in immune suppression during the development of BC.