1
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Thai QM, Nguyen TH, Phung HTT, Pham MQ, Pham NKT, Horng JT, Ngo ST. MedChemExpress compounds prevent neuraminidase N1 via physics- and knowledge-based methods. RSC Adv 2024; 14:18950-18956. [PMID: 38873542 PMCID: PMC11167619 DOI: 10.1039/d4ra02661f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Influenza A viruses spread out worldwide, causing several global concerns. Hence, discovering neuraminidase inhibitors to prevent the influenza A virus is of great interest. In this work, a machine learning model was employed to evaluate the ligand-binding affinity of ca. 10 000 compounds from the MedChemExpress (MCE) database for inhibiting neuraminidase. Atomistic simulations, including molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, then confirmed the ligand-binding affinity. Furthermore, we clarified the physical insights into the binding process of ligands to neuraminidase. It was found that five compounds, including micronomicin, didesmethyl cariprazine, argatroban, Kgp-IN-1, and AY 9944, are able to inhibit neuraminidase N1 of the influenza A virus. Ten residues, including Glu119, Asp151, Arg152, Trp179, Gln228, Glu277, Glu278, Arg293, Asn295, and Tyr402, may be very important in controlling the ligand-binding process to N1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quynh Mai Thai
- Laboratory of Biophysics, Institute for Advanced Study in Technology, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - Trung Hai Nguyen
- Laboratory of Biophysics, Institute for Advanced Study in Technology, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | | | - Minh Quan Pham
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Kim Tuyen Pham
- Faculty of Environment, Sai Gon University 273 An Duong Vuong, Ward 3, District 5 Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - Jim-Tong Horng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University Kweishan Taoyuan Taiwan
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Biophysics, Institute for Advanced Study in Technology, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
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2
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Thai QM, Phung HTT, Pham NQA, Horng JT, Tran PT, Tung NT, Ngo ST. Natural compounds inhibit Monkeypox virus methyltransferase VP39 in silico studies. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-9. [PMID: 38419271 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2321509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
VP39, an essential 2'-O-RNA methyltransferase enzyme discovered in Monkeypox virus (MPXV), plays a vital role in viral RNA replication and transcription. Inhibition of the enzyme may prevent viral replication. In this context, using a combination of molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MDs) simulations, the inhibitory ability of NCI Diversity Set VII natural compounds to VP39 protein was investigated. It should be noted that the computed binding free energy of ligand via molecular docking and linear interaction energy (LIE) approaches are in good agreement with the corresponding experiments with coefficients of R = 0.72 and 0.75, respectively. NSC 319990, NSC 196515 and NSC 376254 compounds were demonstrated that can inhibit MPVX methyltransferase VP39 protein with the similar affinity compared to available inhibitor sinefungin. Moreover, nine residues involving Gln39, Gly68, Gly72, Asp95, Arg97, Val116, Asp138, Arg140 and Asn156 may be argued that they play an important role in binding process of inhibitors to VP39.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quynh Mai Thai
- Laboratory of Biophysics, Institute for Advanced Study in Technology, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Huong T T Phung
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Ngoc Quynh Anh Pham
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, ROC
| | - Jim-Tong Horng
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, ROC
| | - Phuong-Thao Tran
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Hanoi University of Pharmacy, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Thanh Tung
- Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Biophysics, Institute for Advanced Study in Technology, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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3
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Tam NM, Nguyen TH, Pham MQ, Hong ND, Tung NT, Vu VV, Quang DT, Ngo ST. Upgrading nirmatrelvir to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Mpro via DeepFrag and free energy calculations. J Mol Graph Model 2023; 124:108535. [PMID: 37295158 PMCID: PMC10233213 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2023.108535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The first oral drug for the treatment of COVID-19, Paxlovid, has been authorized; however, nirmatrelvir, a major component of the drug, is reported to be associated with some side effects. Moreover, the appearance of many novel variants raises concerns about drug resistance, and designing new potent inhibitors to prevent viral replication is thus urgent. In this context, using a hybrid approach combining machine learning (ML) and free energy simulations, 6 compounds obtained by modifying nirmatrelvir were proposed to bind strongly to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. The structural modification of nirmatrelvir significantly enhances the electrostatic interaction free energy between the protein and ligand and slightly decreases the vdW term. However, the vdW term is the most important factor in controlling the ligand-binding affinity. In addition, the modified nirmatrelvir might be less toxic to the human body than the original inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Minh Tam
- Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Phan Thiet, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan, Viet Nam
| | - Trung Hai Nguyen
- Laboratory of Biophysics, Institute for Advanced Study in Technology, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam; Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
| | - Minh Quan Pham
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Viet Nam; Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Nam Dao Hong
- University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
| | - Nguyen Thanh Tung
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Viet Nam; Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
| | - Van V Vu
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
| | - Duong Tuan Quang
- Department of Chemistry, Hue University, Thua Thien Hue Province, Hue City, Viet Nam.
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Biophysics, Institute for Advanced Study in Technology, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam; Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.
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Le TTH, Tran LH, Nguyen MT, Pham MQ, Phung HTT. Calculation of binding affinity of JAK1 inhibitors via accurately computational estimation. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:7224-7234. [PMID: 36069111 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2118830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) is a tyrosine kinase that is involved in the initiation of responses to a number of different cytokine receptor families. The JAK1-dependent pathway is a therapeutic target, and several JAK inhibitors have been developed thanks to intensive research. However, since the ATP binding sites of JAK family members are quite alike, JAK1 inhibitors can thus be less selective, resulting in unanticipated adverse effects. Despite this, minor variations in the ATP-binding site have been extensively used to find a variety of small compounds with different inhibitory properties. Stronger binding affinity of JAK1 inhibitors is believed to be able to reduce the negative effects, leading to better treatment results. Therefore, a thorough computational search that can effectively identify ligands with extremely high binding affinity for JAK1 to serve as promising inhibitors is required. Here, a method combining steered-molecular dynamic (SMD) simulations with a modified linear interaction energy (LIE) model has been developed to evaluate the binding affinities of known JAK1 inhibitors. The correlation coefficient between the estimated and experimental values was 0.72 and a root-mean-square error was 0.97 kcal•mol-1, revealing that the SMD/LIE method can precisely and quickly predict the binding free energies of JAK1 inhibitors. Furthermore, three marine fungus-derived compounds, namely hansforesters E, hansforesters G and tetroazolemycins B, were identified to be particularly promising JAK1 inhibitors, accordingly. These findings show that the SMD/LIE method has a lot of promise for in silico screening of possible JAK1 inhibitors from a vast number of compounds that are now accessible.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi-Thuy-Huong Le
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Linh Hoang Tran
- Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Minh Tam Nguyen
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Advanced Institute of Materials Science, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Minh Quan Pham
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Huong Thi Thu Phung
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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5
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Nguyen TH, Tam NM, Tuan MV, Zhan P, Vu VV, Quang DT, Ngo ST. Searching for potential inhibitors of SARS-COV-2 main protease using supervised learning and perturbation calculations. Chem Phys 2023; 564:111709. [PMID: 36188488 PMCID: PMC9511900 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2022.111709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Inhibiting the biological activity of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro can prevent viral replication. In this context, a hybrid approach using knowledge- and physics-based methods was proposed to characterize potential inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Initially, supervised machine learning (ML) models were trained to predict a ligand-binding affinity of ca. 2 million compounds with the correlation on a test set of R=0.748±0.044. Atomistic simulations were then used to refine the outcome of the ML model. Using LIE/FEP calculations, nine compounds from the top 100 ML inhibitors were suggested to bind well to the protease with the domination of van der Waals interactions. Furthermore, the binding affinity of these compounds is also higher than that of nirmatrelvir, which was recently approved by the US FDA to treat COVID-19. In addition, the ligands altered the catalytic triad Cys145 - His41 - Asp187, possibly disturbing the biological activity of SARS-CoV-2.
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Yang X, Zhang C, Yang X, Xu Z. Free energy reconstruction/decomposition from WHAM, force integration and free energy perturbation for an umbrella sampling simulation. Chem Phys 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2022.111736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Ngo ST, Nguyen TH, Tung NT, Vu VV, Pham MQ, Mai BK. Characterizing the ligand-binding affinity toward SARS-CoV-2 Mpro via physics- and knowledge-based approaches. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:29266-29278. [PMID: 36449268 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp04476e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Computational approaches, including physics- and knowledge-based methods, have commonly been used to determine the ligand-binding affinity toward SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro or 3CLpro). Strong binding ligands can thus be suggested as potential inhibitors for blocking the biological activity of the protease. In this context, this paper aims to provide a short review of computational approaches that have recently been applied in the search for inhibitor candidates of Mpro. In particular, molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are usually combined to predict the binding affinity of thousands of compounds. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) is the least computationally demanding and therefore can be used for large chemical collections of ligands. However, its accuracy may not be high. Moreover, the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) method is most commonly used for covalently binding inhibitors, which also play an important role in inhibiting the activity of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, machine learning (ML) models can significantly increase the searching space of ligands with high accuracy for binding affinity prediction. Physical insights into the binding process can then be confirmed via physics-based calculations. Integration of ML models into computational chemistry provides many more benefits and can lead to new therapies sooner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Advanced Institute of Materials Science, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. .,Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Trung Hai Nguyen
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Advanced Institute of Materials Science, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. .,Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Thanh Tung
- Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam. .,Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Van V Vu
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Minh Quan Pham
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Binh Khanh Mai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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8
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Mai NT, Lan NT, Vu TY, Tung NT, Phung HTT. A computationally affordable approach for accurate prediction of the binding affinity of JAK2 inhibitors. J Mol Model 2022; 28:163. [DOI: 10.1007/s00894-022-05149-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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9
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Ngo ST. 501Y.V2 spike protein resists the neutralizing antibody in atomistic simulations. Comput Biol Chem 2022; 97:107636. [PMID: 35066438 PMCID: PMC8769535 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2022.107636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks worldwide caused COVID-19 pandemic, which is related to several million deaths. In particular, SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein is a major biological target for COVID-19 vaccine design. Unfortunately, recent reports indicated that Spike (S) protein mutations can lead to antibody resistance. However, understanding the process is limited, especially at the atomic scale. The structural change of S protein and neutralizing antibody fragment (FAb) complexes was thus probed using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In particular, the backbone RMSD of the 501Y.V2 complex was significantly larger than that of the wild-type one implying a large structural change of the mutation system. Moreover, the mean of Rg, CCS, and SASA are almost the same when compared two complexes, but the distributions of these values are absolutely different. Furthermore, the free energy landscape of the complexes was significantly changed when the 501Y.V2 variant was induced. The binding pose between S protein and FAb was thus altered. The FAb-binding affinity to S protein was thus reduced due to revealing over steered-MD (SMD) simulations. The observation is in good agreement with the respective experiment that the 501Y.V2 SARS-CoV-2 variant can escape from neutralizing antibody (NAb).
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10
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In silico screening of potential β-secretase (BACE1) inhibitors from VIETHERB database. J Mol Model 2022; 28:60. [DOI: 10.1007/s00894-022-05051-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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11
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Umbrella Sampling-Based Method to Compute Ligand-Binding Affinity. METHODS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (CLIFTON, N.J.) 2022; 2385:313-323. [PMID: 34888726 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1767-0_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Many proteins have a solvent-exposed binding cleft, which permits their inhibitors to bind and unbind without significant protein conformation transforms. The binding/unbinding pathways of these protein-inhibitor complexes can be rather straightforwardly sampled by using umbrella sampling (US) simulation methods. During a US simulation, the Cα atoms of the protein are restrained via a harmonic force. The potential of mean force (PMF) along the binding pathway can be estimated by using the weighted histogram analysis method (WHAM). The binding affinity is then computed as the difference in PMF between the binding and unbinding states.
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12
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Ngo ST, Nguyen TH, Tung NT, Mai BK. Insights into the binding and covalent inhibition mechanism of PF-07321332 to SARS-CoV-2 M pro. RSC Adv 2022; 12:3729-3737. [PMID: 35425393 PMCID: PMC8979274 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra08752e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been causing the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in several million deaths being reported. Numerous investigations have been carried out to discover a compound that can inhibit the biological activity of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, which is an enzyme related to the viral replication. Among these, PF-07321332 (Nirmatrelvir) is currently under clinical trials for COVID-19 therapy. Therefore, in this work, atomistic and electronic simulations were performed to unravel the binding and covalent inhibition mechanism of the compound to Mpro. Initially, 5 μs of steered-molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to evaluate the ligand-binding process to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. The successfully generated bound state between the two molecules showed the important role of the PF-07321332 pyrrolidinyl group and the residues Glu166 and Gln189 in the ligand-binding process. Moreover, from the MD-refined structure, quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations were carried out to unravel the reaction mechanism for the formation of the thioimidate product from SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and the PF-07321332 inhibitor. We found that the catalytic triad Cys145–His41–Asp187 of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro plays an important role in the activation of the PF-07321332 covalent inhibitor, which renders the deprotonation of Cys145 and, thus, facilitates further reaction. Our results are definitely beneficial for a better understanding of the inhibition mechanism and designing new effective inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. The catalytic triad Cys145–His41–Asp187 of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro plays an important role in the activation of the PF-07321332 covalent inhibitor.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam .,Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - Trung Hai Nguyen
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam .,Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Thanh Tung
- Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi 11307 Vietnam.,Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi 11307 Vietnam
| | - Binh Khanh Mai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15260 USA
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Tam NM, Nguyen TH, Ngan VT, Tung NT, Ngo ST. Unbinding ligands from SARS-CoV-2 Mpro via umbrella sampling simulations. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211480. [PMID: 35116157 PMCID: PMC8790385 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The umbrella sampling (US) simulation is demonstrated to be an efficient approach for determining the unbinding pathway and binding affinity to the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro of small molecule inhibitors. The accuracy of US is in the same range as the linear interaction energy (LIE) and fast pulling of ligand (FPL) methods. In detail, the correlation coefficient between US and experiments does not differ from FPL and is slightly smaller than LIE. The root mean square error of US simulations is smaller than that of LIE. Moreover, US is better than FPL and poorer than LIE in classifying SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors owing to the reciever operating characteristic-area under the curve analysis. Furthermore, the US simulations also provide detailed insights on unbinding pathways of ligands from the binding cleft of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. The residues Cys44, Thr45, Ser46, Leu141, Asn142, Gly143, Glu166, Leu167, Pro168, Ala191, Gln192 and Ala193 probably play an important role in the ligand dissociation. Therefore, substitutions at these points may change the mechanism of binding of inhibitors to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Minh Tam
- Computational Chemistry Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Trung Hai Nguyen
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Vu Thi Ngan
- Laboratory of Computational Chemistry and Modelling, Department of Chemistry, Quy Nhon University, Quy Nhon, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Thanh Tung
- Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Tam NM, Pham DH, Hiep DM, Tran PT, Quang DT, Ngo ST. Searching and designing potential inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 Mpro from natural sources using atomistic and deep-learning calculations. RSC Adv 2021; 11:38495-38504. [PMID: 35493244 PMCID: PMC9044063 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra06534c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) worldwide has caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A hundred million people were infected, resulting in several millions of death worldwide. In order to prevent viral replication, scientists have been aiming to prevent the biological activity of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (3CL pro or Mpro). In this work, we demonstrate that using a reasonable combination of deep-learning calculations and atomistic simulations could lead to a new approach for developing SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) inhibitors. Initially, the binding affinities of the natural compounds to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro were estimated via atomistic simulations. The compound tomatine, thevetine, and tribuloside could bind to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with nanomolar/high-nanomolar affinities. Secondly, the deep-learning (DL) calculations were performed to chemically alter the top-lead natural compounds to improve ligand-binding affinity. The obtained results were then validated by free energy calculations using atomistic simulations. The outcome of the research will probably boost COVID-19 therapy. The hybrid DeepFrag/atomistic simulation approach could lead to a new scheme for developing SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro/Mpro inhibitors.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Minh Tam
- Computational Chemistry Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam.,Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - Duc-Hung Pham
- Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati Ohio 45229 USA
| | - Dinh Minh Hiep
- Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Ho Chi Minh City 71007 Vietnam
| | | | - Duong Tuan Quang
- Department of Chemistry, Hue University, Thua Thien Hue Province Hue City Vietnam
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam.,Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
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Pham TNH, Nguyen TH, Tam NM, Y Vu T, Pham NT, Huy NT, Mai BK, Tung NT, Pham MQ, V Vu V, Ngo ST. Improving ligand-ranking of AutoDock Vina by changing the empirical parameters. J Comput Chem 2021; 43:160-169. [PMID: 34716930 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.26779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
AutoDock Vina (Vina) achieved a very high docking-success rate, p ^ , but give a rather low correlation coefficient, R , for binding affinity with respect to experiments. This low correlation can be an obstacle for ranking of ligand-binding affinity, which is the main objective of docking simulations. In this context, we evaluated the dependence of Vina R coefficient upon its empirical parameters. R is affected more by changing the gauss2 and rotation than other terms. The docking-success rate p ^ is sensitive to the alterations of the gauss1, gauss2, repulsion, and hydrogen bond parameters. Based on our benchmarks, the parameter set1 has been suggested to be the most optimal. The testing study over 800 complexes indicated that the modified Vina provided higher correlation with experiment R set 1 = 0.556 ± 0.025 compared with R Default = 0.493 ± 0.028 obtained by the original Vina and R Vina 1.2 = 0.503 ± 0.029 by Vina version 1.2. Besides, the modified Vina can be also applied more widely, giving R ≥ 0.500 for 32/48 targets, compared with the default package, giving R ≥ 0.500 for 31/48 targets. In addition, validation calculations for 1036 complexes obtained from version 2019 of PDBbind refined structures showed that the set1 of parameters gave higher correlation coefficient ( R set 1 = 0.617 ± 0.017 ) than the default package ( R Default = 0.543 ± 0.020 ) and Vina version 1.2 ( R Vina 1.2 = 0.540 ± 0.020 ). The version of Vina with set1 of parameters can be downloaded at https://github.com/sontungngo/mvina. The outcomes would enhance the ranking of ligand-binding affinity using Autodock Vina.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Ngoc Han Pham
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Trung Hai Nguyen
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.,Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Minh Tam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.,Computational Chemistry Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Thien Y Vu
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Nhat Truong Pham
- Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Truong Huy
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Binh Khanh Mai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nguyen Thanh Tung
- Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Minh Quan Pham
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Van V Vu
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.,Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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16
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Ngo ST, Vu KB, Pham MQ, Tam NM, Tran PT. Marine derivatives prevent wMUS81 in silico studies. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210974. [PMID: 34527278 PMCID: PMC8424343 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The winged-helix domain of the methyl methanesulfonate and ultraviolet-sensitive 81 (wMUS81) is a potential cancer drug target. In this context, marine fungi compounds were indicated to be able to prevent wMUS81 structure via atomistic simulations. Eight compounds such as D197 (Tryptoquivaline U), D220 (Epiremisporine B), D67 (Aspergiolide A), D153 (Preussomerin G), D547 (12,13-dihydroxyfumitremorgin C), D152 (Preussomerin K), D20 (Marinopyrrole B) and D559 (Fumuquinazoline K) were indicated that they are able to prevent the conformation of wMUS81 via forming a strong binding affinity to the enzyme via perturbation approach. The electrostatic interaction is the dominant factor in the binding process of ligands to wMUS81. The residues Trp55, Arg59, Leu62, His63 and Arg69 were found to frequently form non-bonded contacts and hydrogen bonds to inhibitors. Moreover, the influence of the ligand D197, which formed the lowest binding free energy to wMUS81, on the structural change of enzyme was investigated using replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations. The obtained results indicated that D197, which forms a strong binding affinity, can modify the structure of wMUS81. Overall, the marine compounds probably inhibit wMUS81 due to forming a strong binding affinity to the enzyme as well as altering the enzymic conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Khanh B. Vu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, International University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Minh Quan Pham
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Minh Tam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Phuong-Thao Tran
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Hanoi University of Pharmacy, Hanoi, Vietnam
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17
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Tam NM, Pham MQ, Nguyen HT, Hong ND, Hien NK, Quang DT, Thu Phung HT, Ngo ST. Potential inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 Mpro from marine compounds. RSC Adv 2021; 11:22206-22213. [PMID: 35480831 PMCID: PMC9034196 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra03852d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Preventing the biological activity of SARS-CoV-2 main protease using natural compounds is of great interest. In this context, using a combination of AutoDock Vina and fast pulling of ligand simulations, eleven marine fungi compounds were identified that probably play as highly potent inhibitors for preventing viral replication. In particular, four compounds including M15 (3-O-(6-O-α-l-arabinopyranosyl)-β-d-glucopyranosyl-1,4-dimethoxyxanthone), M8 (wailupemycins H), M11 (cottoquinazolines B), and M9 (wailupemycins I) adopted the predicted ligand-binding free energy of −9.87, −9.82, −9.62, and −9.35 kcal mol−1, respectively, whereas the other adopted predicted ligand-binding free energies in the range from −8.54 to −8.94 kcal mol−1. The results were obtained using a combination of Vina and FPL simulations. Notably, although, AutoDock4 adopted higher accurate results in comparison with Vina, Vina is proven to be a more suitable technique for rapidly screening ligand-binding affinity with a large database of compounds since it requires much smaller computing resources. Furthermore, FPL is better than Vina to classify inhibitors upon ROC-AUC analysis. Preventing the biological activity of SARS-CoV-2 main protease using natural compounds is of great interest.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Minh Tam
- Computational Chemistry Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam.,Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - Minh Quan Pham
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam.,Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Huy Truong Nguyen
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - Nam Dao Hong
- University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Khoa Hien
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam.,Mientrung Institute for Scientific Research, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hue City Thua Thien Hue Province Vietnam
| | - Duong Tuan Quang
- Department of Chemistry, Hue University Hue City Thua Thien Hue Province Vietnam
| | | | - Son Tung Ngo
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam.,Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
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18
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Cao DT, Huong Doan TM, Pham VC, Minh Le TH, Chae JW, Yun HY, Na MK, Kim YH, Pham MQ, Nguyen VH. Molecular design of anticancer drugs from marine fungi derivatives. RSC Adv 2021; 11:20173-20179. [PMID: 35479875 PMCID: PMC9033662 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra01855h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is one of the most potential targets in cancer therapy. We have demonstrated using a combination of molecular docking and fast pulling of ligand (FPL) simulations that marine fungi derivatives can be possible inhibitors, preventing the biological activity of Hsp90. The computational approaches were validated and compared with previous experiments. Based on the benchmark of available inhibitors of Hsp90, the GOLD docking package using the ChemPLP scoring function was found to be superior over both Autodock Vina and Autodock4 in the preliminary estimation of the ligand-binding affinity and binding pose with the Pearson correlation, R = -0.62. Moreover, FPL calculations were also indicated as a suitable approach to refine docking simulations with a correlation coefficient with the experimental data of R = -0.81. Therefore, the binding affinity of marine fungi derivatives to Hsp90 was evaluated. Docking and FPL calculations suggest that five compounds including 23, 40, 46, 48, and 52 are highly potent inhibitors for Hsp90. The obtained results enhance cancer therapy research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duc Tuan Cao
- Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy Haiphong Vietnam
| | - Thi Mai Huong Doan
- Institute of Marine Biochemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Van Cuong Pham
- Institute of Marine Biochemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Thi Hong Minh Le
- Institute of Marine Biochemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Jung-Woo Chae
- College of Pharmacy, Chungnam National University Daejeon Republic of Korea
| | - Hwi-Yeol Yun
- College of Pharmacy, Chungnam National University Daejeon Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Kyun Na
- College of Pharmacy, Chungnam National University Daejeon Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Ho Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Chungnam National University Daejeon Republic of Korea
| | - Minh Quan Pham
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Van Hung Nguyen
- Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy Haiphong Vietnam
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19
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Ngo ST, Tam NM, Pham MQ, Nguyen TH. Benchmark of Popular Free Energy Approaches Revealing the Inhibitors Binding to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:2302-2312. [PMID: 33829781 PMCID: PMC8043216 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed millions of people worldwide since its outbreak in December 2019. The pandemic is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus whose main protease (Mpro) is a promising drug target since it plays a key role in viral proliferation and replication. Currently, developing an effective therapy is an urgent task, which requires accurately estimating the ligand-binding free energy to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. However, it should be noted that the accuracy of a free energy method probably depends on the protein target. A highly accurate approach for some targets may fail to produce a reasonable correlation with the experiment when a novel enzyme is considered as a drug target. Therefore, in this context, the ligand-binding affinity to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro was calculated via various approaches. The molecular docking approach was manipulated using Autodock Vina (Vina) and Autodock4 (AD4) protocols to preliminarily investigate the ligand-binding affinity and pose to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. The binding free energy was then refined using the fast pulling of ligand (FPL), linear interaction energy (LIE), molecular mechanics-Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA), and free energy perturbation (FEP) methods. The benchmark results indicated that for docking calculations, Vina is more accurate than AD4, and for free energy methods, FEP is the most accurate method, followed by LIE, FPL, and MM-PBSA (FEP > LIE ≈ FPL > MM-PBSA). Moreover, atomistic simulations revealed that the van der Waals interaction is the dominant factor. The residues Thr26, His41, Ser46, Asn142, Gly143, Cys145, His164, Glu166, and Gln189 are essential elements affecting the binding process. Our benchmark provides guidelines for further investigations using computational approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational
Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000,
Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc
Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000,
Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Minh Tam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc
Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000,
Vietnam
- Computional Chemistry Research Group, Ton
Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000,
Vietnam
| | - Minh Quan Pham
- Graduate University of Science and Technology,
Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi 100000,
Vietnam
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry,
Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi 100000,
Vietnam
| | - Trung Hai Nguyen
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational
Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000,
Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc
Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000,
Vietnam
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20
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Tam NM, Nam PC, Quang DT, Tung NT, Vu VV, Ngo ST. Binding of inhibitors to the monomeric and dimeric SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. RSC Adv 2021; 11:2926-2934. [PMID: 35424256 PMCID: PMC8694027 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra09858b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 rapidly infects millions of people worldwide since December 2019. There is still no effective treatment for the virus, resulting in the death of more than one million patients. Inhibiting the activity of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), 3C-like protease (3CLP), is able to block the viral replication and proliferation. In this context, our study has revealed that in silico screening for inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro can be reliably done using the monomeric structure of the Mpro instead of the dimeric one. Docking and fast pulling of ligand (FPL) simulations for both monomeric and dimeric forms correlate well with the corresponding experimental binding affinity data of 24 compounds. The obtained results were also confirmed via binding pose and noncovalent contact analyses. Our study results show that it is possible to speed up computer-aided drug design for SARS-CoV-2 Mpro by focusing on the monomeric form instead of the larger dimeric one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Minh Tam
- Computational Chemistry Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - Pham Cam Nam
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Danang, University of Science and Technology Danang Vietnam
| | | | - Nguyen Thanh Tung
- Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Van V Vu
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
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21
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Tam NM, Pham MQ, Ha NX, Nam PC, Phung HTT. Computational estimation of potential inhibitors from known drugs against the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. RSC Adv 2021; 11:17478-17486. [PMID: 35479689 PMCID: PMC9032918 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra02529e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread worldwide recently, leading to global social and economic disruption. Although the emergently approved vaccine programs against SARS-CoV-2 have been rolled out globally, the number of COVID-19 daily cases and deaths has remained significantly high. Here, we attempt to computationally screen for possible medications for COVID-19 via rapidly estimating the highly potential inhibitors from an FDA-approved drug database against the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2. The approach combined molecular docking and fast pulling of ligand (FPL) simulations that were demonstrated to be accurate and suitable for quick prediction of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors. The results suggested that twenty-seven compounds were capable of strongly associating with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Among them, the seven top leads are daclatasvir, teniposide, etoposide, levoleucovorin, naldemedine, cabozantinib, and irinotecan. The potential application of these drugs in COVID-19 therapy has thus been discussed. Approved drugs predicted to interact with critical residues in the substrate-binding site of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro can be promising inhibitors.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Minh Tam
- Computational Chemistry Research Group
- Ton Duc Thang University
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences
| | - Minh Quan Pham
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry
- Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology
- Hanoi
- Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology
| | - Nguyen Xuan Ha
- Faculty of Chemistry and Environment
- Thuyloi University
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
- Hanoi
- Vietnam
| | - Pham Cam Nam
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- The University of Da Nang
- University of Science and Technology
- Da Nang City
- Vietnam
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22
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Ngo ST, Quynh Anh Pham N, Thi Le L, Pham DH, Vu VV. Computational Determination of Potential Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:5771-5780. [PMID: 32530282 PMCID: PMC7323056 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has infected several million people and caused thousands of deaths worldwide since December 2019. As the disease is spreading rapidly all over the world, it is urgent to find effective drugs to treat the virus. The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is one of the potential drug targets. Therefore, in this context, we used rigorous computational methods, including molecular docking, fast pulling of ligand (FPL), and free energy perturbation (FEP), to investigate potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. We first tested our approach with three reported inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, and our computational results are in good agreement with the respective experimental data. Subsequently, we applied our approach on a database of ∼4600 natural compounds, as well as 8 available HIV-1 protease (PR) inhibitors and an aza-peptide epoxide. Molecular docking resulted in a short list of 35 natural compounds, which was subsequently refined using the FPL scheme. FPL simulations resulted in five potential inhibitors, including three natural compounds and two available HIV-1 PR inhibitors. Finally, FEP, the most accurate and precise method, was used to determine the absolute binding free energy of these five compounds. FEP results indicate that two natural compounds, cannabisin A and isoacteoside, and an HIV-1 PR inhibitor, darunavir, exhibit a large binding free energy to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, which is larger than that of 13b, the most reliable SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitor recently reported. The binding free energy largely arises from van der Waals interaction. We also found that Glu166 forms H-bonds to all of the inhibitors. Replacing Glu166 by an alanine residue leads to ∼2.0 kcal/mol decreases in the affinity of darunavir to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Our results could contribute to the development of potential drugs inhibiting SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and
Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang
University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000,
Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences,
Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh
City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Ngoc Quynh Anh Pham
- Faculty of Chemical Engineering,
Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology
(HCMUT), Ho Chi Minh City 700000,
Vietnam
| | - Ly Thi Le
- School of Biotechnology,
International University, Ho Chi Minh
Ciy 700000, Vietnam
| | - Duc-Hung Pham
- Division of Immunobiology,
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, United
States
| | - Van V. Vu
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen
Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000,
Vietnam
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23
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Ngo ST, Vu VV, Phung HTT. Computational investigation of possible inhibitors of the winged-helix domain of MUS81. J Mol Graph Model 2020; 103:107771. [PMID: 33340918 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2020.107771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The methyl methanesulfonate and ultraviolet sensitive 81 (MUS81) is a structure-specific endonuclease that is highly conserved in eukaryotes and essential for homologous recombination repair. The winged-helix domain at the N-terminus of MUS81 (wMUS81) can bind DNA substrates and regulate the endonuclease activity. The repression of MUS81 activity could enhance the sensitivity to antitumor compounds of different tumour cells. Thus, MUS81 is a potential therapeutic target in cancer therapy. However, specific inhibitors of MUS81 have remained elusive. Here, for the first time, we attempt to discover the compounds disrupting the wMUS81 activity. The binding affinity of available drugs to wMUS81 was first estimated by molecular docking. pKa values were taken into consideration to eliminate unlikely protonation states of the ligands. Top-lead compounds were then estimated the binding affinity using the fast pulling ligand simulations. Finally, the free energy perturbation method accurately defined the absolute binding free energy of the top four ligands, revealing the most potential inhibitors of wMUS81 including simeprevir and nilotinib. Binding of simeprevir destabilizes the β-hairpin region of wMUS81, likely disturbing the wMUS81 function. The van der Waals free binding energy majorly modulates the ligand-binding mechanism. The two conserved residues Leu189 and Arg196 are likely important in monitoring the interacting process of simeprevir to wMUS81.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Viet Nam; Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Viet Nam.
| | - Van Van Vu
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Viet Nam
| | - Huong Thi Thu Phung
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Viet Nam.
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24
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Ngo ST, Nguyen HM, Thuy Huong LT, Quan PM, Truong VK, Tung NT, Vu VV. Assessing potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease from available drugs using free energy perturbation simulations. RSC Adv 2020; 10:40284-40290. [PMID: 35692857 PMCID: PMC9119318 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra07352k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The main protease (Mpro) of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, is responsible for the maturation of its key proteins. Thus, inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 Mpro could prevent SARS-CoV-2 from multiplying. Because new inhibitors require thorough validation, repurposing current drugs could help reduce the validation process. Many recent studies used molecular docking to screen large databases for potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. However, molecular docking does not consider molecular dynamics and thus can be prone to error. In this work, we developed a protocol using free energy perturbation (FEP) to assess the potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. First, we validated both molecular docking and FEP on a set of 11 inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with experimentally determined inhibitory data. The experimentally deduced binding free energy exhibits significantly stronger correlation with that predicted by FEP (R = 0.94 ± 0.04) than with that predicted by molecular docking (R = 0.82 ± 0.08). This result clearly shows that FEP is the most accurate method available to predict the binding affinity of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro + ligand complexes. We subsequently used FEP to validate the top 33 compounds screened with molecular docking from the ZINC15 database. Thirteen of these compounds were predicted to bind strongly to SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, most of which are currently used as drugs for various diseases in humans. Notably, delamanid, an anti-tuberculosis drug, was predicted to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Mpro in the nanomolar range. Because both COVID-19 and tuberculosis are lung diseases, delamanid has higher probability to be suitable for treating COVID-19 than other predicted compounds. Analysis of the complexes of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and the top inhibitors revealed the key residues involved in the binding, including the catalytic dyad His14 and Cys145, which is consistent with the structural studies reported recently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
| | - Hung Minh Nguyen
- Center for Molecular Biology, Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University Da Nang 550000 Vietnam
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Duy Tan University Da Nang 550000 Vietnam
| | - Le Thi Thuy Huong
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
| | - Pham Minh Quan
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
| | - Vi Khanh Truong
- School of Science, RMIT University GPO Box 2476 Melbourne 3001 Australia
| | - Nguyen Thanh Tung
- Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi 100000 Vietnam
| | - Van V Vu
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University Ho Chi Minh City 700000 Vietnam
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25
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Ngo ST. Estimating the ligand-binding affinity via λ-dependent umbrella sampling simulations. J Comput Chem 2020; 42:117-123. [PMID: 33078419 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.26439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The umbrella sampling (US) approach has been demonstrated to be a very efficient method for estimating the ligand-binding affinity. However, most of the calculated values overestimate experimental ones that are probably caused by the inaccurate representation of the interaction between the ligand and the surrounding molecules. The issue can be resolved via the implementation aspects of λ-alteration simulation into the US approach, which we call the λ-dependent umbrella sampling (λUS) scheme. In particular, the electrostatic and van der Waals interactions were simultaneously changed by using the coupling parameter λ during λUS simulations. The mean value of obtained results, ∆ G US λ = 0.20 = - 11.59 ± 1.51 kcal mol-1 , is in good fitting to the mean value of respective experiments, ∆GEXP = - 11.26 ± 0.89 kcal mol-1 . Moreover, the correlation between the proposed approach and experiment is quite good with a value of R US λ = 0.20 = 0.82 ± 0.10 . The λUS scheme significantly enhances the calculated accuracy since the RMSE of the proposed scheme is smaller than traditional US simulations, RMSE US λ = 0.20 = 2.99 ± 0.82 kcal mol-1 versus RMSE US λ = 0.00 = 5.48 ± 0.81 kcal mol-1 . Furthermore, the precision is increased since the computed error via λUS approach, δ US λ = 0.20 = 1.51 kcal mol-1 , was smaller than those of the US simulation, δ US λ = 0.00 = 1.78 kcal mol-1 . Overall, the proposed approach perhaps provides an efficient way to accurately and precisely estimate the ligand-binding free energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Science, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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26
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Design, synthesis, structure, in vitro cytotoxic activity evaluation and docking studies on target enzyme GSK-3β of new indirubin-3'-oxime derivatives. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11429. [PMID: 32651416 PMCID: PMC7351726 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68134-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The addition of chalcone and amine components into indirubin-3′-oxime resulted in 15 new derivatives with high yields. Structures of new derivatives were also elucidated through 1D, 2D-NMR and HR-MS(ESI) spectra and X-ray crystallography. All designed compounds were screened for cytotoxic activity against four human cancer cell lines (HepG2, LU-1, SW480 and HL-60) and one human normal kidney cell line (HEK-293). Compound 6f exhibited the most marked cytotoxicity meanwhile cytotoxicity of compounds 6e, 6h and 6l was more profound toward cancer cell lines than toward normal cell. These new derivatives were further analyzed via molecular docking studies on GSK-3β enzyme. Docking analysis shows that most of the derivatives exhibited potential inhibition activity against GSK-3β with characteristic interacting residues in the binding site. The fast pulling of ligand scheme was then employed to refine the binding affinity and mechanism between ligands and GSK-3β enzyme. The computational results are expected to contribute to predicting enzyme target of the trial inhibitors and their possible interaction, from which the design of new cytotoxic agents could be created in the future.
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Wang E, Liu H, Wang J, Weng G, Sun H, Wang Z, Kang Y, Hou T. Development and Evaluation of MM/GBSA Based on a Variable Dielectric GB Model for Predicting Protein–Ligand Binding Affinities. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:5353-5365. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ercheng Wang
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Hui Liu
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Gaoqi Weng
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Huiyong Sun
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Yu Kang
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Tingjun Hou
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Zhejiang 310058, China
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Minh Hung H, Nguyen MT, Tran PT, Truong VK, Chapman J, Quynh Anh LH, Derreumaux P, Vu VV, Ngo ST. Impact of the Astaxanthin, Betanin, and EGCG Compounds on Small Oligomers of Amyloid Aβ 40 Peptide. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:1399-1408. [PMID: 32105466 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b01074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
There is experimental evidence that the astaxanthin, betanin, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) compounds slow down the aggregation kinetics and the toxicity of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. How these inhibitors affect the self-assembly at the atomic level remains elusive. To address this issue, we have performed for each ligand atomistic replica exchange molecular dynamic (REMD) simulations in an explicit solvent of the Aβ11-40 trimer from the U-shape conformation and MD simulations starting from Aβ1-40 dimer and tetramer structures characterized by different intra- and interpeptide conformations. We find that the three ligands have similar binding free energies on small Aβ40 oligomers but very distinct transient binding sites that will affect the aggregation of larger assemblies and fibril elongation of the Aβ40 peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huynh Minh Hung
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Minh Tho Nguyen
- Computational Chemistry Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Phuong-Thao Tran
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Hanoi University of Pharmacy, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Vi Khanh Truong
- School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne 3001, Australia
| | - James Chapman
- School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne 3001, Australia
| | - Le Huu Quynh Anh
- Department of Climate Change and Renewable Energy, Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Philippe Derreumaux
- Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam.,Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam.,Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, UPR9080, CNRS, Université de Paris, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, F-75005 Paris, France.,Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique-Fondation Edmond de Rothschild, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Van V Vu
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam.,Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
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29
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Nguyen NT, Nguyen TH, Pham TNH, Huy NT, Bay MV, Pham MQ, Nam PC, Vu VV, Ngo ST. Autodock Vina Adopts More Accurate Binding Poses but Autodock4 Forms Better Binding Affinity. J Chem Inf Model 2019; 60:204-211. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Thanh Nguyen
- Department of Theoretical Physics, Ho Chi Minh City University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Trung Hai Nguyen
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - T. Ngoc Han Pham
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Truong Huy
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Mai Van Bay
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Da Nang, University of Science and Technology, Da Nang City 550000, Vietnam
| | - Minh Quan Pham
- Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Pham Cam Nam
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Da Nang, University of Science and Technology, Da Nang City 550000, Vietnam
| | - Van V. Vu
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Son Tung Ngo
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Biophysics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
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