Antibacterial effect

Antibacterial agents are a group of materials that fight against pathogenic bacteria. Thus, by killing or reducing the metabolic activity of bacteria, their pathogenic effect in the biological environments will be minimized. The most widely used antibacterial agents exert their effects on bacterial cell wall synthesis, protein synthesis, DNA replication and metabolic pathways. However, resistance to antimicrobial agents has become a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The main mechanisms of resistance are limiting uptake of a drug, modification of a drug target, inactivation of a drug, and active efflux of a drug. Therefore, it is an urgent need to develop new drugs targeted at resistant organisms.

MCE offers a unique collection of 1,416 compounds with validated antibacterial activities. MCE antibacterial compound library is an effective tool for drug repurposing screening, combination screening and biological investigation.

Heat-clearing and detoxification is a specific treatment method in the research of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which is clinically used to treat infectious diseases with remarkable effect. Over the past decades, the research of heat-clearing and detoxification treatment has been one of the most active fields of combining traditional Chinese and western medicines, and has made remarkable achievements. Nowadays, the application field of heat-clearing and detoxification traditional Chinese medicine is not only limited to antibacterial and antiviral, but also has made progress in the research fields of anti-inflammatory reaction, anti-endotoxin, anti-peroxidative damage, anti-inflammatory cytokines, enhancement of immune function, protection of cellular organelles, and maintenance of calcium homeostasis. In addition to this, clearing heat and removing toxins has also made significant research progress in non-infectious diseases, for example, in tumors, cardiovascular diseases, renal diseases, blood diseases, geriatrics, and diabetes, all of which have shown good curative effect.

MCE can supply 1,348 monomer component from more than a hundred sources of heat-clearing and detoxification TCM, which can be used in TCM studies, drug development and mechanism-based studies.

Antibiotics are types of antimicrobial products used for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections. Antibiotics can kill or inhibit bacterial growth. Although the target of an antibiotic is bacteria, some antibiotics also attack fungi and protozoans. However, antibiotics rarely have an effect on viruses. The major mechanism underlying antibiotics is the inhibition or regulation of enzymes involved in cell wall biosynthesis, nucleic acid metabolism and repair, protein synthesis, or disruption of membrane structure. Many of these cellular functions targeted by antibiotics are most active in multiplying cells. Since there is often overlap in these functions between prokaryotic bacterial cells and eukaryotic mammalian cells, it is not surprising that some antibiotics have also been found to be useful as anticancer agents.

MCE supplies a unique collection of 688 antibiotics, including penicillins, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, macrolides, etc. MCE Antibiotics Library is a useful tool for anti-bacterial or anti-cancer drugs discovery.

Macrophages are effector cells of the innate immune system, engulfing bacteria and secreting pro-inflammatory and antibacterial mediators. They are an important component of the first line defense against pathogens and tumor cells. In addition, macrophages play an important role in eliminating damaged cells through programmed cell death. Like all immune cells, macrophages originate from pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. Macrophages play key functions in many physiological processes beyond homeostasis and innate immunity, including metabolic function, cell debris clearance, tissue repair, and remodeling. In order to fulfill their different functional roles, macrophages can polarize into a series of phenotypes, including classic (pro inflammatory, M1) and alternative (anti-inflammatory, healing promoting, M2) activation states, as well as a wide range of regulatory phenotypes and subtypes. Macrophages exist in all vertebrate tissues and have a dual function in host protection and tissue damage, maintaining a good balance.

MCE designs a unique collection of 173 macrophage related compounds. It is a good tool to be used for research on Inflammation, cancer and other diseases.

Chinese herbal therapy is an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It has been used for centuries in China, where herbs are considered fundamental therapy for many acute and chronic conditions. Many studies indicated TCM exerted an overall regulatory effect via multi-component and multi-target network. Active components from Traditional Chinese Medicine possess many medicinal properties such as antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-bacterial effects, which makes it an important source of new drugs. Nearly 200 modern medicines have been developed either directly or indirectly from the plants used as medicines in China. For example, artemisinin, used in multidrug resistant malaria, was first isolated from the Chinese herb Artemisia annua L. Today, scientists continue to identify compounds in Chinese herbal remedies that may be useful in the development of new therapeutic agents applicable in Western medicine.

MCE designs a unique collection of 2,924 active compounds of Chinese Herbal Medicines. MCE Traditional Chinese Medicine Active Compound Library is a useful tool for discovery new drugs from TCM.