Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains a global health concern with high mortality and is expected to increase as a proportion of overall cancer cases in the coming years. Most patients are diagnosed at a late stage of disease progression, which contributes to the extremely low 5-year survival rates. Presently, screening for PC remains costly and time consuming, precluding the use of widespread testing. Biomarkers have been explored as an option by which to ameliorate this situation. The authors conducted a search of available literature on PubMed to present the current state of understanding as it pertains to the use of microbial biomarkers and their associations with PC. Carriage of certain bacteria in the oral cavity (e.g., Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Streptococcus sp.), gut (e.g., Helicobacter pylori, Synergistetes, Proteobacteria), and pancreas (e.g., Fusobacterium sp., Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae) has been associated with an increased risk of developing PC. Additionally, the fungal genus Malassezia has likewise been associated with PC development. This review further outlines potential oncogenic mechanisms involved in the microbial-associated development of PC.
Summary Introduction: The main protease (Mpro) and the papain-like protease (PLpro) are essential for the replication of SARS-CoV-2. Both proteases can be targets for drugs acting against SARS-CoV-2. Objective: This paper aims to investigate the in silico activity of nine xanthophylls as inhibitors of Mpro and PLpro. Methods: The structures of Mpro (PDB-ID: 6LU7) and PLpro (PDB-ID: 6W9C) were obtained from RCSB Protein Data Bank and developed with BIOVIA Discovery Studio. Active sites of proteins were performed using CASTp. For docking the PyRx was used. Pharmacokinetic parameters of ADMET were evaluated using SwissADME and pkCSM. Results: β-cryptoxanthin exhibited the highest binding energy: –7.4 kcal/mol in the active site of Mpro. In PLpro active site, the highest binding energy had canthaxanthin of –9.4 kcal/mol, astaxanthin –9.3 kcal/mol, flavoxanthin –9.2 kcal/mol and violaxanthin –9.2 kcal/mol. ADMET studies presented lower toxicity of xanthophylls in comparison to ritonavir and ivermectin. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that xanthophylls can be used as potential inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 main protease and papain-like protease.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.