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Biology subjects

Shabalin, I. G.

Publications and source records attributed to Shabalin, I. G..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Transport of Ketoprofen in Mammalian Blood Plasma

Ketoprofen is a popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) transported in the bloodstream mainly by serum albumin (SA). Ketoprofen is known to have multiple side effects and interactions with hundreds of other drugs, which might be related to its vascular transport by SA. Our work reveals that ketoprofen binds to a different subset of drug binding sites on human SA than has been observed for other species, despite the conservation of drug sites between species. We discuss potential reasons for the observed differences in the drugs preferences for particular sites, including ketoprofen binding determinants in mammalian SAs and the effect of fatty acids on drug binding. The presented results show that the SA drug sites to which a particular drug binds cannot be easily predicted based only on a complex of SA from another species and the conservation of drug sites between species.

biophysics↗

Molecular determinants of vascular transport of dexamethasone in COVID-19 therapy

Dexamethasone, a widely used corticosteroid, has recently been reported as the first drug to increase the survival chances of patients with severe COVID-19. Therapeutic agents, including dexamethasone, are mostly transported through the body by binding to serum albumin. Herein, we report the first structure of serum albumin in complex with dexamethasone. We show that it binds to Drug Site 7, which is also the binding site for commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and testosterone, suggesting potentially problematic binding competition. This study bridges structural findings with our analysis of publicly available clinical data from Wuhan and suggests that an adjustment of dexamethasone regimen should be considered for patients affected by two major COVID-19 risk-factors: low albumin levels and diabetes. One Sentence SummaryStructure of serum albumin with dexamethasone reveals why the drug may not always help COVID-19 patients.

pharmacology and toxicology↗