Inhibit Fibril Formation Research Articles

Eriocitrin ameliorates hepatic fibrosis and inflammation: The involvement of PPARα-mediated NLRP1/NLRC4 inflammasome signaling cascades

Ethnopharmacological relevanceCitri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chenpi) is a traditional Chinese medicine and recorded to have hepatoprotective therapeutic and condition value. Eriocitrin (ER) a natural compound isolated from Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium may ameliorate hepatic inflammation in chronic liver diseases. Aim of the studyThe current study investigates the hepatoprotective effect and potential mechanism of ER against hepatic fibrosis. Materials and methodsThe hepatic fibrosis mouse model was constructed by intraperitoneally injecting thioacetamide (TAA) for five weeks. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were treated with transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). Meanwhile, lipopolysaccharide/adenosine triphosphate (LPS/ATP) was given to excite the normal mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), and thus the cells could acquire the conditioned medium. Moreover, LX-2 cells were administrated with PPARα knockdown vector (siRNA-PPARα). ResultsRNA sequencing studies revealed that in mice induced by TAA, the PPARα/NOD-like receptor/neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) significantly influence ER-based hepatic protection. In TAA-induced mice, ER could up-regulate PPARα and down-regulate NLRP1/NLRC4 and the development of NETs. Our findings indicated that ER significantly up-regulated PPARα, inhibited NLRP1/NLRC4 inflammasome in HSCs. Deficiency of PPARα in the activated LX-2 weakened the regulatory effect of ER on inhibiting the NLRP1/NLRC4 inflammasome. In addition, ER might hinder the activation of BMDMs and also obstruct IL-1β and IL-6 passage in the extracellular space. ConclusionsThe results indicated that ER decreased inflammation by controlling the PPARα-NLRP1/NLRC4 signaling pathway and inhibiting fibril formation. Collectively, our results underscore the therapeutic potential of ER in addressing hepatic fibrosis.

Unveiling the Inhibitory Effect of Magnolol in the Aggregation of Human Calcitonin (hCT): A Comprehensive In-Silico Study.

Amyloid fibril formation by some peptides leads to several neurogenetic disorders. This limits their biological activity and increases cytotoxicity. Human calcitonin (hCT), 32 residue containing peptide, known for regulating calcium and phosphate concentration in the blood tends to form amyloids in aqueous medium. Polyphenols are very effective in inhibiting fibril formation. As part of our research, we have taken Magnolol (Mag), which is extracted from the Chinese herb Magnolia officinalis. To evaluate its effectiveness as an inhibitor in preventing hCT aggregation, we conducted an all-atom classical molecular dynamics simulation with varying concentrations of Mag. In presence of Mag, hCT maintains its helical conformation in higher order. Magnolol primarily interacts with hCT via van der Waals interaction. Asp15 residue of hCT, resides in the amyloid region (D15FNKF19) forms strong hydrogen bonding interaction with Mag. Moreover, aromatic residues of hCT interact with Mag through π-π stacking interactions. Our work gives insights into the molecular mechanism of Magnolol in the inhibition of hCT fibril formation to use it as a potential candidate for medicinal purpose.

Syntaxin-6 delays prion protein fibril formation and prolongs the presence of toxic aggregation intermediates.

Prions replicate via the autocatalytic conversion of cellular prion protein (PrPC) into fibrillar assemblies of misfolded PrP. While this process has been extensively studied in vivo and in vitro, non-physiological reaction conditions of fibril formation in vitro have precluded the identification and mechanistic analysis of cellular proteins, which may alter PrP self-assembly and prion replication. Here, we have developed a fibril formation assay for recombinant murine and human PrP (23-231) under near-native conditions (NAA) to study the effect of cellular proteins, which may be risk factors or potential therapeutic targets in prion disease. Genetic screening suggests that variants that increase syntaxin-6 expression in the brain (gene: STX6) are risk factors for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Analysis of the protein in NAA revealed, counterintuitively, that syntaxin-6 is a potent inhibitor of PrP fibril formation. It significantly delayed the lag phase of fibril formation at highly sub-stoichiometric molar ratios. However, when assessing toxicity of different aggregation time points to primary neurons, syntaxin-6 prolonged the presence of neurotoxic PrP species. Electron microscopy and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy revealed that, instead of highly ordered fibrils, in the presence of syntaxin-6 PrP formed less-ordered aggregates containing syntaxin-6. These data strongly suggest that the protein can directly alter the initial phase of PrP self-assembly and, uniquely, can act as an 'anti-chaperone', which promotes toxic aggregation intermediates by inhibiting fibril formation.

Bifunctional halloysite nanotube-based Ripk1 siRNA delivery system rescues cognitive impairment by targeting amyloid β plaques for clearance and reducing necrotic neurons in Alzheimer’s disease mice

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is exacerbated by abnormal accumulation of toxic β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregates and Aβ-mediated neuronal cell death. Currently, no effective drugs for AD treatment are mainly due to the blood–brain barrier hindrance, which limits the most drugs for application in AD treatment. Accumulating evidence suggests that increased levels of Ripk1 and enhancement of Ripk1-mediated neuronal necroptosis are known to play an important role in neuronal death in AD. Targeting Ripk1 by pharmacological or genetic inhibition of Ripk1 has been demonstrated to prevent neuronal necroptosis and improve memory deficits in AD mice models. Here, we showed that halloysite (HNTs), one of the nanoclays, absorbed Aβ and reduced toxic Aβ aggregate production by inhibiting fibril formation and promoting the clearance of Aβ plaques. We also presented evidence that RVG29, a brain-penetrating peptide, bound directly to Aβ species and inhibited Aβ aggregation. In addition, Ripk1 is more dramatically expressed around Aβ plaques than those far from plaques in the brain of AD mice. Therefore, we designed a novel Aβ plaque-targeted nanomedicine (SH-RVG/siRipk1) via functionalizing with RVG29 onto short HNTs (SH) and loading Ripk1 siRNA (siRipk1) into the lumen of SH to prevent siRipk1 degradation. As we expected, SH-RVG/siRipk1 not only reduced plaques and improved memory impairment but also rescued necrotic neuronal loss around plaques by reducing Ripk1 expression around plaques in AD mice. These findings indicate that SH-RVG/siRipk1 may be an effective strategy for the treatment of AD.

Geniposide and Harpagoside Functionalized Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles as a Potential Neuroprotective.

Alzheimer's disease is associated with protein aggregation, oxidative stress, and the role of acetylcholinesterase in the pathology of the disease. Previous investigations have demonstrated that geniposide and harpagoside protect the brain neurons, and cerium nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) have potent redox and antioxidant properties. Thus, the effect of nanoparticles of Ce NPs and geniposide and harpagoside (GH/CeO2 NPs) on ameliorating AD pathogenesis was established on AlCl3-induced AD in mice and an aggregation proteins test in vitro. Findings of spectroscopy analysis have revealed that GH/CeO2 NPs are highly stable, nano-size, spherical in shape, amorphous nature, and a total encapsulation of GH in cerium. Treatments with CeO2 NPs, GH/CeO2 NPs, and donepezil used as positive control inhibit fibril formation and protein aggregation, protect structural modifications in the BSA-ribose system, have the ability to counteract Tau protein aggregation and amyloid-β1-42 aggregation under fibrillation condition, and are able to inhibit AChE and BuChE. While the GH/CeO2 NPs, treatment in AD induced by AlCl3 inhibited amyloid-β1-42, substantially enhanced the memory, the cognition coordination of movement in part AD pathogenesis may be alleviated through reducing amyloidogenic pathway and AChE and BuChE activities. The findings of this work provide important comprehension of the chemoprotective activities of iridoids combined with nanoparticles. This could be useful in the development of new therapeutic methods for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Adenosine triphosphate induces amorphous aggregation of amyloid β by increasing Aβ dynamics

Amyloid β (Aβ) aggregates into two distinct fibril and amorphous forms in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a biological hydrotrope that causes Aβ to form amorphous aggregates and inhibit fibril formation at physiological concentrations. Based on diffracted X-ray blinking (DXB) analysis, the dynamics of Aβ significantly increased immediately after ATP was added compared to those in the absence and presence of ADP and AMP, and the effect diminished after 30 min as the aggregates formed. In the presence of ATP, the β-sheet content of Aβ gradually increased from the beginning, and in the absence of ATP, the content increased rapidly after 180 min incubation, as revealed by a time-dependent thioflavin T fluorescence assay. Images of an atomic force microscope revealed that ATP induces the formation of amorphous aggregates with an average diameter of less than 100 nm, preventing fibrillar formation during 4 days of incubation at 37 °C. ATP may induce amorphous aggregation by increasing the dynamics of Aβ, and as a result, the other aggregation pathway is omitted. Our results also suggest that DXB analysis is a useful method to evaluate the inhibitory effect of fibrillar formation.

Adsorption of alpha-synuclein and inhibition of fibril formation by nanocellulose and gold-coated-nanocellulose

Adsorption of alpha-synuclein and inhibition of fibril formation by nanocellulose and gold-coated-nanocellulose

Inhibition of fibril formation by polyphenols: molecular mechanisms, challenges, and prospective solutions.

Fibril formation is a key feature in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and systemic amyloidosis. Polyphenols, found in plant-based foods, show promise in inhibiting fibril formation and disrupting disease progression. The ability of polyphenols to break the amyloid fibrils of many disease-linked proteins has been tested in numerous studies. Polyphenols have their distinctive mechanism of action. They behave differently on various events in the aggregation pathway. Their action also differs for different proteins. Some polyphenols only inhibit the formation of fibrils whereas others break the preformed fibrils. Some break the fibrils into smaller species, and some change them to other morphologies. This article delves into the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effects of polyphenols on fibrillogenesis, shedding light on their interactions with amyloidogenic proteins and the disruption of fibril assembly pathways. However, addressing the challenges associated with solubility, stability, and bioavailability of polyphenols is crucial. The current strategies involve nanotechnology to improve the solubility and bioavailability, thus showing the potential to enhance the efficacy of polyphenols as therapeutics. Advancements in structural biology, computational modeling, and biophysics have provided insights into polyphenol-fibril interactions, offering hope for novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and amyloidosis.

Inhibition of bovine serum albumin fibril formation in sodium cholate solutions

Protein destabilization, misfolding and subsequent self-association into amyloid fibrils is associated with neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s diseases, etc. Many attempts were made to find effective inhibitors of fibril formation. In present study, we used natural surfactant, sodium cholate, widely used in pharmacology, to inhibit the fibril formation in BSA model system. From ThT assay we have determined that sodium cholate slows down fibril formation by 10 times. The intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence revealed the stabilizing effect of sodium cholate on the BSA thermal denaturation. FTIR-spectroscopy indicated that sodium cholate causes structural changes in BSA secondary structure which prevent fibril formation. The results of present study can recommend sodium cholate as potential therapeutic agent against neurodegenerative diseases.

Physicochemical mechanisms of aggregation and fibril formation of α-synuclein and apolipoprotein A-I.

Deposition and accumulation of amyloid fibrils is a hallmark of a group of diseases called amyloidosis and neurodegenerative disorders. Although polypeptides potentially have a fibril-forming propensity, native proteins have evolved into proper functional conformations to avoid aggregation and fibril formation. Understanding the mechanism for regulation of fibril formation of native proteins provides clues for the rational design of molecules for inhibiting fibril formation. Although fibril formation is a complex multistep reaction, experimentally obtained fibril formation curves can be fitted with the Finke-Watzky (F-W) two-step model for homogeneous nucleation followed by autocatalytic fibril growth. The resultant F-W rate constants for nucleation and fibril formation provide information on the chemical kinetics of fibril formation. Using the F-W two-step model analysis, we investigated the physicochemical mechanisms of fibril formation of a Parkinson's disease protein α-synuclein (αS) and a systemic amyloidosis protein apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I). The results indicate that the C-terminal region of αS enthalpically and entropically suppresses nucleation through the intramolecular interaction with the N-terminal region and the intermolecular interaction with existing fibrils. In contrast, the nucleation of the N-terminal fragment of apoA-I is entropically driven likely due to dehydration of large hydrophobic segments in the molecule. Based on our recent findings, we discuss the similarity and difference of the fibril formation mechanisms of αS and the N-terminal fragment of apoA-I from the physicochemical viewpoints.

Clay-Polymer Nanocomposites Mediated Inhibition of Protein Aggregation: Possible Role in the Prevention of Proteinopathies.

The transformation of proteins from their native conformation into highly ordered fibrillar structures due to their misfolding and aggregation under particular conditions are described as beta-sheet enriched amyloid fibrils. The accumulation of these fibrils in different body parts is the major cause of several neurological and non-neurological conditions (proteinopathies). To prevent these proteinopathies, inhibition of protein aggregation is considered a promising strategy. Therefore, in this study, we synthesized montmorillonite (MMT) based poly- orthophenylenediamine (PoPD) nanocomposites (NCs) and characterized their size and morphology due to their remarkable biological properties. Further, the effect of these nanocomposites on inhibition of fibril formation was assessed. These nanocomposites were evaluated for their anti-amyloidogenic potential on two model proteins of amyloidopathies, i.e., human lysozyme and human serum albumin (HL & HSA), by using several biophysical methods, such as Thioflavin T (ThT) and 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) fluorescence, congo red dye binding assay (CR). Secondary structural content was evaluated by Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Results demonstrated that synthesized nanocomposites significantly inhibited fibril formation in dose-dependent manner that corresponds to their ability to arrest fibrillation. It is suggested that they may adsorb proteins to protect them against aggregation when they are subjected to aggregating conditions. This study offers an opportunity to understand the mechanism of inhibition of fibril formation by nanocomposites, showing that they inhibit amyloid formation and amyloid diseases. Thus, the study concludes that these nanocomposites are promising candidates as therapeutic molecules for proteinopathies and are envisaged to enrich the area of personalized medicine, augmenting the human healthcare system.

The C-terminal domain of the antiamyloid chaperone DNAJB6 binds to amyloid-β peptide fibrils and inhibits secondary nucleation

The DNAJB6 chaperone inhibits fibril formation of aggregation-prone client peptides through interaction with aggregated and oligomeric forms of the amyloid peptides. Here, we studied the role of its C-terminal domain (CTD) using constructs comprising either the entire CTD or the first two or all four of the CTD β-strands grafted onto a scaffold protein. Each construct was expressed as WT and as a variant with alanines replacing five highly conserved and functionally important serine and threonine residues in the first β-strand. We investigated the stability, oligomerization, antiamyloid activity, and affinity for amyloid-β (Aβ42) species using optical spectroscopy, native mass spectrometry, chemical crosslinking, and surface plasmon resonance technology. While DNAJB6 forms large and polydisperse oligomers, CTD was found to form only monomers, dimers, and tetramers of low affinity. Kinetic analyses showed a shift in inhibition mechanism. Whereas full-length DNAJB6 activity is dependent on the serine and threonine residues and efficiently inhibits primary and secondary nucleation, all CTD constructs inhibit secondary nucleation only, independently of the serine and threonine residues, although their dimerization and thermal stabilities are reduced by alanine substitution. While the full-length DNAJB6 inhibition of primary nucleation is related to its propensity to form coaggregates with Aβ, the CTD constructs instead bind to Aβ42 fibrils, which affects the nucleation events at the fibril surface. The retardation of secondary nucleation by DNAJB6 can thus be ascribed to the first two β-strands of its CTD, whereas the inhibition of primary nucleation is dependent on the entire protein or regions outside the CTD.

Amphiphilic (di-)gradient copoly(2-oxazoline)s are potent amyloid fibril formation inhibitors.

Amyloidoses are diseases caused by the accumulation of normally soluble proteins in the form of insoluble amyloids, leading to the gradual dysfunction and failure of various organs and tissues. Inhibiting amyloid formation is therefore an important therapeutic target. We hypothesized that mono- and di-gradient amphiphilic copolymers of hydrophilic 2-(m)ethyl-2-oxazoline and hydrophobic 2-aryl-2-oxazolines may inhibit amyloid fibril formation. In the model system with hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) as amyloidogenic protein we determined the effect of these polymers on the amyloid formation by making use of the thioflavin T fluorescence, transmission electron microscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry, and dynamic light scattering. We found that some gradient copolymers possess very potent concentration-dependent inhibitory effects on HEWL amyloid formation. Structure-activity relationship revealed that copolymers with higher ratios of aromatic monomeric units had stronger amyloid suppression effects, most plausibly due to the combination of hydrophobic and π-π interactions. The measurements also revealed that the polymers that inhibit amyloid formation most plausibly do so in the form of micelles that interact with the growing amyloid fibril ends, not with isolated HEWL molecules in solution. These findings suggest the potential use of these gradient copolymers as therapeutic agents for amyloidoses.

The interface of condensates of the hnRNPA1 low-complexity domain promotes formation of amyloid fibrils.

The maturation of liquid-like protein condensates into amyloid fibrils has been associated with several neurodegenerative diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this liquid-to-solid transition have remained largely unclear. Here we analyse the amyloid formation mediated by condensation of the low-complexity domain of hnRNPA1, a protein involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We show that phase separation and fibrillization are connected but distinct processes that are modulated by different regions of the protein sequence. By monitoring the spatial and temporal evolution of amyloid formation we demonstrate that the formation of fibrils does not occur homogeneously inside the droplets but is promoted at the interface of the condensates. We further show that coating the interface of the droplets with surfactant molecules inhibits fibril formation. Our results reveal that the interface of biomolecular condensates of hnRNPA1 promotes fibril formation, therefore suggesting interfaces as a potential novel therapeutic target against the formation of aberrant amyloids mediated by condensation.

Development of small molecules for disrupting pathological amyloid aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), encompassing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are often characterized by the formation of pathological amyloid aggregates, predominantly composed of proteins like amyloid-β, tau, α-synuclein, TDP-43, and others. These amyloid aggregates inflict significant neuronal harm and incite inflammation. This review underscores the potential of small molecules as innovative therapeutic interventions, designed to influence the formation, stability, and breakdown of these pathological amyloid aggregates, which could potentially modify the disease’s progression and minimize its neurotoxic effects. This review first sketches the pathways and mechanisms involved in amyloid aggregation, followed by an in-depth analysis of recent advances in formulating small molecules that directly target these damaging aggregates. This includes various strategies such as inhibiting fibril formation, fostering off-pathway non-toxic oligomers or amorphous aggregates, disaggregating established pathological amyloid fibrils, and enhancing the protein quality control system to combat amyloid aggregation. In the end, this review identifies the challenges and opportunities involved in transitioning these molecules into effective treatments, focusing on critical factors such as penetration of the blood-brain barrier, target specificity, and safety considerations. This review, thus, presents a comprehensive overview of the potential role of small molecules in tackling NDs typified by amyloid aggregation.

Synthesis, characterization, molecular docking studies, and in vitro elucidation of protein aggregation inhibition potential of 3β-acetoxy steroidal pyrazolines

Protein misfolding and amyloid fibril deposition may lead to several neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and similar amyloid polyneuropathies. Inhibition of fibril formation and disaggregation of mature fibrils by some chemical compounds could be a therapeutic approach toward such chronic diseases. In this study, we synthesized a series of novel steroidal pyrazolines and tested the effects of the series on the in vitro inhibition of human lysozyme aggregation. The effect of synthesized steroidal compounds on the kinetics of protein aggregation inhibition was elucidated by Tryptophan (Trp), 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS), and Congo red (CR) spectral analysis. Further, we examined that the ring closure reaction in the later step produced a mixture of two steroidal pyrazoline epimers that could only be separated in their acetylated form. The (5’S)-3β-acetoxy steroidal pyrazolines (5a-i) were found as the major product and their structures were examined using NMR techniques. The efficacy of various acid catalysts to catalyze the condensation reaction was also evaluated to obtain better yield in lesser time. In addition, molecular docking studies were also performed to understand the receptor-ligand binding interactions.

Quantitative NMR analysis of the mechanism and kinetics of chaperone Hsp104 action on amyloid-β42 aggregation and fibril formation

The chaperone Hsp104, a member of the Hsp100/Clp family of translocases, prevents fibril formation of a variety of amyloidogenic peptides in a paradoxically substoichiometric manner. To understand the mechanism whereby Hsp104 inhibits fibril formation, we probed the interaction of Hsp104 with the Alzheimer's amyloid-β42 (Aβ42) peptide using a variety of biophysical techniques. Hsp104 is highly effective at suppressing the formation of Thioflavin T (ThT) reactive mature fibrils that are readily observed by atomic force (AFM) and electron (EM) microscopies. Quantitative kinetic analysis and global fitting was performed on serially recorded 1H-15N correlation spectra to monitor the disappearance of Aβ42 monomers during the course of aggregation over a wide range of Hsp104 concentrations. Under the conditions employed (50μM Aβ42 at 20 °C), Aβ42 aggregation occurs by a branching mechanism: an irreversible on-pathway leading to mature fibrils that entails primary and secondary nucleation and saturating elongation; and a reversible off-pathway to form nonfibrillar oligomers, unreactive to ThT and too large to be observed directly by NMR, but too small to be visualized by AFM or EM. Hsp104 binds reversibly with nanomolar affinity to sparsely populated Aβ42 nuclei present in nanomolar concentrations, generated by primary and secondary nucleation, thereby completely inhibiting on-pathway fibril formation at substoichiometric ratios of Hsp104 to Aβ42 monomers. Tight binding to sparsely populated nuclei likely constitutes a general mechanism for substoichiometric inhibition of fibrillization by a variety of chaperones. Hsp104 also impacts off-pathway oligomerization but to a much smaller degree initially reducing and then increasing the rate of off-pathway oligomerization.

β-Carotene, a Potent Amyloid Aggregation Inhibitor, Promotes Disordered Aβ Fibrillar Structure

The aggregation of amyloid beta (Aβ) into fibrillar aggregates is a key feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. β-carotene and related compounds have been shown to associate with amyloid aggregates and have direct impact on the formation of amyloid fibrils. However, the precise effect of β-carotene on the structure of amyloid aggregates is not known, which poses a limitation towards developing it as a potential AD therapeutic. In this report, we use nanoscale AFM-IR spectroscopy to probe the structure of Aβ oligomers and fibrils at the single aggregate level and demonstrate that the main effect of β-carotene towards modulating Aβ aggregation is not to inhibit fibril formation but to alter the secondary structure of the fibrils and promote fibrils that lack the characteristic ordered beta structure.

Blocking huntingtin oligomers from binding lipid membranes improves phenotype in a C. elegans model of Huntington's disease.

As protein aggregation is the defining hallmark of all amyloid diseases, a common therapeutic strategy is to develop molecules that inhibit aggregation. However, this approach has yielded limited success. Many amyloid proteins directly interact with lipid membranes. These interactions promote distinct aggregation pathways and often result in membrane damage leading to toxicity. As a result, directly targeting the ability of amyloids to bind lipid membranes represents a novel therapeutic strategy. As a proof of principle, the interaction between lipid membranes and mutant huntingtin (htt) aggregates was used to test this strategy. Using a colorimetric lipid binding assay over 1200 compounds were screened for their ability to block htt/lipid binding. The screen was set up to only identify compounds that directly interacted with htt, not the lipid membrane. Two promising compounds Ro-90-7501 and Benzamil hydrochloride were identified. Validation was achieved via two additional methods, a calcein dye leakage assay and in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). As these compounds directly interact with htt, ThT and AFM assays were performed to assess their impact on aggregation. Ro-90-7501 had a slight inhibitory effect on fibril formation, but aggregate morphologies were unchanged. Benzamil did not inhibit fibril formation; however, oligomer precursors were significantly smaller when exposed to Benzamil. Molecular dynamic simulations (MD) revealed that the two compounds have unique mechanisms of interaction with htt aggregates. Having established that the compound prevented htt from binding membranes, a C. elegans model of Huntington's disease was used to determine if this strategy could alleviate phenotype. Despite have a minimal impact on punctate formation, both compounds reduced a thrashing deficit in animals caused by mutant htt expression, suggesting that this strategy reduces htt toxicity.

An experimental evidence for the key role of diphenylalanine in fibril formation

N-Phenylglycine appended diphenylalanine self-aggregates to form entangled fibers with green-gold birefringence in Congo red assay. But, the tyrosine analogues exhibit hydrogen bonded supramolecular sheet-like structure and inhibit fibril formation.