Caffeine is a methylxanthine alkaloid found in the seeds, nuts, or leaves of a number of plants native to South America and East Asia that acts as a natural pesticide. Structurally related to adenosine and acts primarily as an adenosine receptor antagonist with psychotropic and anti-inflammatory activities. Upon ingestion, caffeine binds to adenosine receptors in the central nervous system (CNS), which inhibits adenosine binding. This inhibits the adenosine-mediated downregulation of CNS activity; thus, stimulating the activity of the medullary, vagal, vasomotor, and respiratory centers in the brain. This agent also promotes neurotransmitter release that further stimulates the CNS. The anti-inflammatory effects of caffeine are due the nonselective competitive inhibition of phosphodiesterases (PDEs). Inhibition of PDEs raises the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP (cAMP), activates protein kinase A, and inhibits leukotriene synthesis, which leads to reduced inflammation and innate immunity. Inhibitor of Notum.
1 moreTitle: Theophylline Extracted from Fu Brick Tea Affects the Metabolism of Preadipocytes and Body Fat in Mice as a Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitor Liu TT, Liu XT, Huang GL, Liu L, Chen QX, Wang Q Ref: Int J Mol Sci, 23:, 2022 : PubMed
The dramatic increase in obesity is putting people under increasing pressure. Lipase inhibitors, as a kind of effective anti-obesity drug, have attracted more and more researchers' attention in recent years because of their advantages of acting on the intestinal tract and having no side effects on the central nervous system. In this study, lipase inhibitor Fu Brick Theophylline (FBT) was screened based on enzyme molecular dynamics, and the inhibition mechanism of lipase inhibitors on obesity was analyzed and discussed at the cellular level and animal model level. We found that FBT had high inhibition effects of lipase with an IC(50) of 1.02~0.03 microg/mL. Firstly, the laboratory used 3T3-L1 proadipocytes as models, flow cytometry was used to detect the effects of FBT on the cycle, apoptosis and intracellular ROS activity of proadipocytes. To study the contents of triglyceride, total cholesterol, related metabolites and related gene and protein expression in adipocytes. The results showed that FBT could reduce ROS production and inflammatory factor mRNA expression during cell differentiation. Secondly, by establishing the animal model of high-fat feed ob nutritional obese mice, the morphological observation and gene expression analysis of body weight, fat rate, adipocyte and hepatocyte metabolism of FBT obese mice were further discussed. It was proven that FBT can effectively reduce the degree of fatty liver, prevent liver fibrosis and fat accumulation, and improve the damage of mitochondrial membrane structure. This study provides a theoretical basis for the screening and clinical treatment of lipase inhibitors.
Title: Caffeine inhibits Notum activity by binding at the catalytic pocket Zhao Y, Ren J, Hillier J, Lu W, Jones EY Ref: Commun Biol, 3:555, 2020 : PubMed
Notum inhibits Wnt signalling via enzymatic delipidation of Wnt ligands. Restoration of Wnt signalling by small molecule inhibition of Notum may be of therapeutic benefit in a number of pathologies including Alzheimer's disease. Here we report Notum activity can be inhibited by caffeine (IC(50) 19 microM), but not by demethylated caffeine metabolites: paraxanthine, theobromine and theophylline. Cellular luciferase assays show Notum-suppressed Wnt3a function can be restored by caffeine with an EC(50) of 46 microM. The dissociation constant (K(d)) between Notum and caffeine is 85 microM as measured by surface plasmon resonance. High-resolution crystal structures of Notum complexes with caffeine and its minor metabolite theophylline show both compounds bind at the centre of the enzymatic pocket, overlapping the position of the natural substrate palmitoleic lipid, but using different binding modes. The structural information reported here may be of relevance for the design of more potent brain-accessible Notum inhibitors.
Title: Caffeine inhibits acetylcholinesterase, but not butyrylcholinesterase Pohanka M, Dobes P Ref: Int J Mol Sci, 14:9873, 2013 : PubMed
Caffeine is an alkaloid with a stimulant effect in the body. It can interfere in transmissions based on acetylcholine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine and glutamate. Clinical studies indicate that it can be involved in the slowing of Alzheimer disease pathology and some other effects. The effects are not well understood. In the present work, we focused on the question whether caffeine can inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and/or, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), the two enzymes participating in cholinergic neurotransmission. A standard Ellman test with human AChE and BChE was done for altering concentrations of caffeine. The test was supported by an in silico examination as well. Donepezil and tacrine were used as standards. In compliance with Dixon's plot, caffeine was proved to be a non-competitive inhibitor of AChE and BChE. However, inhibition of BChE was quite weak, as the inhibition constant, Ki, was 13.9 +/- 7.4 mol/L. Inhibition of AChE was more relevant, as Ki was found to be 175 +/- 9 micromol/L. The predicted free energy of binding was -6.7 kcal/mol. The proposed binding orientation of caffeine can interact with Trp86, and it can be stabilize by Tyr337 in comparison to the smaller Ala328 in the case of human BChE; thus, it can explain the lower binding affinity of caffeine for BChE with reference to AChE. The biological relevance of the findings is discussed.
1 lessTitle: Theophylline Extracted from Fu Brick Tea Affects the Metabolism of Preadipocytes and Body Fat in Mice as a Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitor Liu TT, Liu XT, Huang GL, Liu L, Chen QX, Wang Q Ref: Int J Mol Sci, 23:, 2022 : PubMed
The dramatic increase in obesity is putting people under increasing pressure. Lipase inhibitors, as a kind of effective anti-obesity drug, have attracted more and more researchers' attention in recent years because of their advantages of acting on the intestinal tract and having no side effects on the central nervous system. In this study, lipase inhibitor Fu Brick Theophylline (FBT) was screened based on enzyme molecular dynamics, and the inhibition mechanism of lipase inhibitors on obesity was analyzed and discussed at the cellular level and animal model level. We found that FBT had high inhibition effects of lipase with an IC(50) of 1.02~0.03 microg/mL. Firstly, the laboratory used 3T3-L1 proadipocytes as models, flow cytometry was used to detect the effects of FBT on the cycle, apoptosis and intracellular ROS activity of proadipocytes. To study the contents of triglyceride, total cholesterol, related metabolites and related gene and protein expression in adipocytes. The results showed that FBT could reduce ROS production and inflammatory factor mRNA expression during cell differentiation. Secondly, by establishing the animal model of high-fat feed ob nutritional obese mice, the morphological observation and gene expression analysis of body weight, fat rate, adipocyte and hepatocyte metabolism of FBT obese mice were further discussed. It was proven that FBT can effectively reduce the degree of fatty liver, prevent liver fibrosis and fat accumulation, and improve the damage of mitochondrial membrane structure. This study provides a theoretical basis for the screening and clinical treatment of lipase inhibitors.
Organophosphate (OP) pesticides are commonly known for their neurotoxicity. In the current experiments, two OPs used agriculturally, chlorpyrifos and dimethoate, were separately adminis- tered with centrally acting caffeine that is known to affect the pharmacological action of other substances. The aim of this study was to determine whether the combination of OP and caffeine may influence their neurotoxic potential. For this purpose, some neurobehavioral effects of this concomitant exposure were assessed in adult Swiss mice. All substances were given intra- peritoneally (i.p.) as single injections. In the passive avoidance task, chlorpyrifos (100 mg/kg) administered together with caffeine (40 mg/kg) significantly impaired acquisition. In the rota-rod test, the addition of caffeine at doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg, induced motor coordination impairment in chlorpyrifos (100 mg/kg)-treated mice. Neurobehavioral impairments were not observed for caffeine, chlorpyrifos and dimethoate (50 mg/kg) given separately as well as for the combina- tion of dimethoate and caffeine. Chlorpyrifos (100 mg/kg) alone and in combination with caffeine (40 mg/kg) significantly reduced acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. The current study shows that concomitant exposure to caffeine and chlorpyrifos can cause neurotoxic effects in mice despite the absence of these effects when caffeine and chlorpyrifos are administered alone. How- ever, the possible mechanisms involved need further investigations.
Title: Caffeine inhibits Notum activity by binding at the catalytic pocket Zhao Y, Ren J, Hillier J, Lu W, Jones EY Ref: Commun Biol, 3:555, 2020 : PubMed
Notum inhibits Wnt signalling via enzymatic delipidation of Wnt ligands. Restoration of Wnt signalling by small molecule inhibition of Notum may be of therapeutic benefit in a number of pathologies including Alzheimer's disease. Here we report Notum activity can be inhibited by caffeine (IC(50) 19 microM), but not by demethylated caffeine metabolites: paraxanthine, theobromine and theophylline. Cellular luciferase assays show Notum-suppressed Wnt3a function can be restored by caffeine with an EC(50) of 46 microM. The dissociation constant (K(d)) between Notum and caffeine is 85 microM as measured by surface plasmon resonance. High-resolution crystal structures of Notum complexes with caffeine and its minor metabolite theophylline show both compounds bind at the centre of the enzymatic pocket, overlapping the position of the natural substrate palmitoleic lipid, but using different binding modes. The structural information reported here may be of relevance for the design of more potent brain-accessible Notum inhibitors.
Title: Caffeine inhibits acetylcholinesterase, but not butyrylcholinesterase Pohanka M, Dobes P Ref: Int J Mol Sci, 14:9873, 2013 : PubMed
Caffeine is an alkaloid with a stimulant effect in the body. It can interfere in transmissions based on acetylcholine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine and glutamate. Clinical studies indicate that it can be involved in the slowing of Alzheimer disease pathology and some other effects. The effects are not well understood. In the present work, we focused on the question whether caffeine can inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and/or, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), the two enzymes participating in cholinergic neurotransmission. A standard Ellman test with human AChE and BChE was done for altering concentrations of caffeine. The test was supported by an in silico examination as well. Donepezil and tacrine were used as standards. In compliance with Dixon's plot, caffeine was proved to be a non-competitive inhibitor of AChE and BChE. However, inhibition of BChE was quite weak, as the inhibition constant, Ki, was 13.9 +/- 7.4 mol/L. Inhibition of AChE was more relevant, as Ki was found to be 175 +/- 9 micromol/L. The predicted free energy of binding was -6.7 kcal/mol. The proposed binding orientation of caffeine can interact with Trp86, and it can be stabilize by Tyr337 in comparison to the smaller Ala328 in the case of human BChE; thus, it can explain the lower binding affinity of caffeine for BChE with reference to AChE. The biological relevance of the findings is discussed.
