mechanism of action

Viruses are much simpler organisms than bacteria, and they are made from protein substances and nucleic acid. Despite the fact that the exact mechanism of infection is extremely specific to each type of virus, the general scheme of infection can be represented in the following manner: A virus is absorbed at the surface of a host cell and then permeates through the membrane, where it releases nucleic acid from its protein protection. Then the viral nucleic acid begins to replicate, and transcription of the viral genome takes place either in the cytoplasm, or in the nucleus of the host cell. As a result of these events, a large amount of viral nucleic acid and protein are made to make new generations of virions. Therefore, one mechanism of action of antiviral drugs is to interfere with the ability of a virus to get into a target cell. A second mechanism of action is to target the processes that synthesize virus components after a virus invades a cell, such as nucleotide or nucleoside analogs.

MCE designs a unique collection of 1,316 anti-virus compounds that target several viruses, including SARS-CoV, HBV, HCV, HIV, HSV and Influenza Virus. It’s an effective tool for anti-virus drug discovery.

Methylation is an epigenetic modification mechanism that involves adding methyl groups to molecules such as DNA and histones, which can alter gene expression without changing the DNA sequence. This process is catalyzed by enzymes such as DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and histone methyltransferases (HMTs), and can be reversed by demethylases. The balance of methylation and demethylation is crucial for maintaining cellular function and genomic stability. Abnormal regulation of methylation may lead to a variety of diseases, including cancer, neurological disorders, and developmental abnormalities. A deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms of methylation metabolism is essential for developing therapeutic strategies for diseases associated with methylation dysregulation.

MCE contains 241 compounds targeting methylation/demethylation enzymes, which is of significant value for studying the pathways of methylation metabolism and exploring their mechanisms of action in diseases.

Chemotherapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer. It can be used alone for some types of cancer or in combination with other treatments such as radiation or surgery. Chemotherapy drugs usually target cells at different phases of the cell cycle and inhibit tumor proliferation and avoid cancer cell invasion and metastasis. It is a cancer treatment method that kills cancer cells with drugs.

Chemotherapeutic agents can be classified into alkylating agents, antimetabolites, antimicrotubular agents, antibiotics, etc. according to the mechanism of action. MCE offers a unique collection of 103 chemotherapy drugs, which is a useful tool for cancer treatment research.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are members of a therapeutic drug class with potent anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activity, and are among the most widely used drugs worldwide. The most prominent NSAIDs are aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.

The main mechanism of action of NSAIDs is the inhibition of the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX), based on which NSAIDs can be classified into two types: non-selective and COX-2 selective. Most NSAIDs are non-selective and inhibit both COX-1 and COX-2 activity.

MCE offers a unique collection of 616 non-steroidal compounds with identified anti-inflammatory activity. MCE non-steroidal anti-inflammatory library is a useful tool for the study of anti-inflammatory drugs and pharmacology.

Since ancient times, promoting blood circulation for removing blood stasis (PBCRBS) has been one of the most popular research contents in the area of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and integrated medicine. Rhizoma, Persicae Semen, Carthami Flos, Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and so on are common TCM with PBCRBS characteristic. Studies have shown that the mechanism of action of PBCRBS TCM is to promote blood circulation (improving cardiovascular and cerebrovascular functions, physical and chemical properties of blood, platelet and coagulation system and other physiological functions) and remove blood stasis (anti-myocardial ischemia, cerebral ischemia, inhibition of platelet aggregation, anti-coagulation, anti-thrombosis, etc.). Not only that, PBCRBS TCM has anti-infection, inhibit inflammation, regulate immune function, inhibit immune response, inhibit abnormal tissue proliferation and other functions. Therefore, PBCRBS TCM has high research value in all- field disease research fields.

MCE can supply 1,066 monomer component from more than a hundred sources of PBCRBS TCM, which can be used in TCM studies, drug development and mechanism-based studies.

Traditional Chinese medicine provides abundant natural resources for medicinal compounds, which are often considered effective and safe for drug discovery. Traditional Chinese medicine is based on the principle of "multiple components, multiple targets, and multiple pathways", and naturally has multiple pharmacological effects. As herbal medicine, the secondary plant metabolites in Chinese herbal medicine play an important role in alleviating many diseases in Traditional medicine and folk use. Therefore, the identification of traditional Chinese medicine derived compounds is also an important process in drug development and a necessary factor in dissecting the overall mechanism of action of traditional Chinese medicine. FDA listed compounds have completed extensive preclinical and clinical studies, exhibiting good biological activity, safety, and bioavailability.

MCE designs a unique collection of 332 FDA-approved traditional Chinese medicine active compounds, including flavonoids, polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenoids, and other structural types. It is a good tool for drug reuse and screening drugs from traditional Chinese medicine sources.

The most prominent mechanism of action of kinase inhibitors is their competition with ATP by binding to the hinge region of the kinase protein. Once the kinase is blocked by an inhibitor, it loses the ability to transfer phosphate groups from ATP to other molecules, resulting in the loss of kinase activity.

The hinge-binding region of kinase inhibitors mimics the interaction pattern between the ATP nucleobase and the kinase. MCE extracted thousands of kinase inhibitors from the ChEMBL database and isolated their molecular fragments. In certain cases, the amino and amide groups on the molecular fragments are crucial for binding in the hinge region. Therefore, we enhanced the diversity of the collected results by adding these two groups to unoccupied positions on the ring system. Subsequently, the fragments were assessed for their hinge region binding ability via docking at distinct kinases, we also applied pharmacophore constraints to ensure interactions with key amino acids in the kinase hinge region, ultimately obtaining kinase-related molecular fragments.

MCE provides over 10,000 kinase fragment molecules that meet the above requirements and are available off the shelf, serving as an effective tool for screening and developing drugs targeting kinases.