1
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Banat R, Daoud S, Taha MO. Ligand-based pharmacophore modeling and machine learning for the discovery of potent aurora A kinase inhibitory leads of novel chemotypes. Mol Divers 2024:10.1007/s11030-024-10814-y. [PMID: 38446372 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-024-10814-y] [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: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Aurora-A (AURKA) is serine/threonine protein kinase involved in the regulation of numerous processes of cell division. Numerous studies have demonstrated strong association between AURKA and cancer. AURKA is overexpressed in many cancers, such as colon, breast and prostate cancers. Consequently, AURKA has emerged as promising target for therapeutic intervention in cancer management. Herein, we describe a computational workflow for the discovery of novel anti-AURKA inhibitory leads starting with ligand-based assessment of the pharmacophoric space of six diverse sets of inhibitors. Subsequently, machine learning/QSAR modeling was coupled with genetic function algorithm to search for the best possible combination of machine learner, ligand-based pharmacophore(s) and molecular descriptors capable of explaining variation in anti-AURKA bioactivities within a collected list of inhibitors. Two learners succeeded in achieving acceptable structure/activity correlations, namely, random forests and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). Three pharmacophores emerged in the successful ML models. These were then used as 3D search queries to mine the National Cancer Institute database for novel anti-AURKA leads. Top-ranking 38 hits were assessed in vitro for their anti-AURKA bioactivities. Among them, three compounds exhibited promising dose-response curves, demonstrating experimental IC50 values ranging from sub-micromolar to low micromolar values. Remarkably, two of these compounds are of novel chemotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajaa Banat
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Safa Daoud
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Sciences Private University, Amman, Jordan
| | - Mutasem Omar Taha
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
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2
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Boutin R, Lee HF, Guan TL, Nguyen TT, Huang XF, Waller DD, Lu J, Christine Chio II, Michel RP, Sebag M, Tsantrizos YS. Discovery and Evaluation of C6-Substituted Pyrazolopyrimidine-Based Bisphosphonate Inhibitors of the Human Geranylgeranyl Pyrophosphate Synthase and Evaluation of Their Antitumor Efficacy in Multiple Myeloma, Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, and Colorectal Cancer. J Med Chem 2023; 66:15776-15800. [PMID: 37982711 PMCID: PMC10832233 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Novel C6-substituted pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine- and C2-substituted purine-based bisphosphonate (C6-PyraP-BP and C2-Pur-BP, respectively) inhibitors of the human geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase (hGGPPS) were designed and evaluated for their ability to block the proliferation of multiple myeloma (MM), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine analogs were identified that induce selective intracellular target engagement leading to apoptosis and downregulate the prenylation of Rap-1A in MM, PDAC, and CRC cells. The C6-PyraP-BP inhibitor RB-07-16 was found to exhibit antitumor efficacy in xenograft mouse models of MM and PDAC, significantly reducing tumor growth without substantially increasing liver enzymes or causing significant histopathologic damage, usually associated with hepatotoxicity. RB-07-16 is a metabolically stable compound in cross-species liver microsomes, does not inhibit key CYP 450 enzymes, and exhibits good systemic circulation in rat. Collectively, the current studies provide encouraging support for further optimization of the pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-based GGPPS inhibitors as potential human therapeutics for various cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Boutin
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Hiu-Fung Lee
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Tian Lai Guan
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3A 0B8, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Tan Trieu Nguyen
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Xian Fang Huang
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Daniel D Waller
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1L3, Canada
| | - Jordan Lu
- Institute for Cancer Genetics, Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Iok In Christine Chio
- Institute for Cancer Genetics, Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - René P Michel
- Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Michael Sebag
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada
- Division of Hematology, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Québec H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Youla S Tsantrizos
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3A 0B8, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3G 1Y6, Canada
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3
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Daoud S, Alabed SJ, Bardaweel SK, Taha MO. Discovery of potent maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) inhibitors of novel chemotypes using structure-based pharmacophores. Med Chem Res 2023; 32:2574-2586. [DOI: 10.1007/s00044-023-03160-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
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4
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Lokesh K, Kumarswamyreddy N, Kesavan V. Diastereoselective Construction of Tetrahydro-Dispiro[indolinone-3,2'-pyran-5',4″-pyrazolone] Scaffolds via an Oxa-Michael Cascade [4 + 2] Annulation Reaction. J Org Chem 2023; 88:15540-15550. [PMID: 36111800 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c01370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
A straightforward metal-free oxa-Michael cascade [4 + 2] annulation reaction was established between isatin-derived Morita-Baylis-Hillman (Is-MBH) alcohols with alkylidene pyrazolones to access structural diverse tetrahydro-dispiro[indolinone-3,2'-pyran-5',4″-pyrazolone] scaffolds bearing two tertiary and two quaternary stereocenters. The Is-MBH alcohol was utilized as an oxa-Michael donor for the first time as a new approach in highly atom-economical transformations. This method offered a wide range of bioinspired novel tetrahydro-dispirooxindole-pyran-pyrazolone derivatives in excellent yields (up to 96%) and diastereoselectivities (up to >20:1) in a shorter reaction time (15 min).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanduru Lokesh
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh 517619, India
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Nandarapu Kumarswamyreddy
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh 517619, India
| | - Venkitasamy Kesavan
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai 600036, India
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5
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Zhu H, Zhou R, Cao D, Tang J, Li M. A pharmacophore-guided deep learning approach for bioactive molecular generation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6234. [PMID: 37803000 PMCID: PMC10558534 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41454-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The rational design of novel molecules with the desired bioactivity is a critical but challenging task in drug discovery, especially when treating a novel target family or understudied targets. We propose a Pharmacophore-Guided deep learning approach for bioactive Molecule Generation (PGMG). Through the guidance of pharmacophore, PGMG provides a flexible strategy for generating bioactive molecules. PGMG uses a graph neural network to encode spatially distributed chemical features and a transformer decoder to generate molecules. A latent variable is introduced to solve the many-to-many mapping between pharmacophores and molecules to improve the diversity of the generated molecules. Compared to existing methods, PGMG generates molecules with strong docking affinities and high scores of validity, uniqueness, and novelty. In the case studies, we use PGMG in a ligand-based and structure-based drug de novo design. Overall, the flexibility and effectiveness make PGMG a useful tool to accelerate the drug discovery process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Zhu
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
| | - Renyi Zhou
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
| | - Dongsheng Cao
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
| | - Jing Tang
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00290, Finland
- Department of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00290, Finland
| | - Min Li
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China.
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6
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Peerzada M, Vullo D, Paoletti N, Bonardi A, Gratteri P, Supuran CT, Azam A. Discovery of Novel Hydroxyimine-Tethered Benzenesulfonamides as Potential Human Carbonic Anhydrase IX/XII Inhibitors. ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:810-819. [PMID: 37312840 PMCID: PMC10258898 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
To discover novel carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitors for cancer treatment, a series of 4-{4-[(hydroxyimino)methyl]piperazin-1-yl}benzenesulfonamides were designed and synthesized using SLC-0111 as the lead molecule. The developed novel compounds 27-34 were investigated for the inhibition of human (h) isoforms hCA I, hCA II, hCA IX, and hCA XII. The hCA I was inhibited by compound 29 with a Ki value of 3.0 nM, whereas hCA II was inhibited by compound 32 with a Ki value of 4.4 nM. The tumor-associated hCA IX isoform was inhibited by compound 30 effectively with an Ki value of 43 nM, whereas the activity of another cancer-related isoform, hCA XII, was significantly inhibited by 29 and 31 with a Ki value of 5 nM. Molecular modeling showed that drug molecule 30 participates in significant hydrophobic and hydrogen bond interactions with the active site of the investigated hCAs and binds to zinc through the deprotonated sulfonamide group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mudasir
Nabi Peerzada
- Medicinal
Chemistry and Drug Discovery Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025, India
| | - Daniela Vullo
- Department
of NEUROFARBA, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences,
Laboratory of Molecular Modeling, Cheminformatics & QSAR, University of Florence, Polo Scientifico, Via U. Schiff 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Niccolò Paoletti
- Department
of NEUROFARBA, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences,
Laboratory of Molecular Modeling, Cheminformatics & QSAR, University of Florence, Polo Scientifico, Via U. Schiff 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bonardi
- Department
of NEUROFARBA, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences,
Laboratory of Molecular Modeling, Cheminformatics & QSAR, University of Florence, Polo Scientifico, Via U. Schiff 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Paola Gratteri
- Department
of NEUROFARBA, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences,
Laboratory of Molecular Modeling, Cheminformatics & QSAR, University of Florence, Polo Scientifico, Via U. Schiff 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Claudiu T. Supuran
- Department
of NEUROFARBA, Section of Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Sciences,
Laboratory of Molecular Modeling, Cheminformatics & QSAR, University of Florence, Polo Scientifico, Via U. Schiff 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Amir Azam
- Medicinal
Chemistry and Drug Discovery Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025, India
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7
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Hua Y, Huang D, Liang L, Qian X, Dai X, Xu Y, Qiu H, Lu T, Liu H, Chen Y, Zhang Y. FSDscore: An Effective Target-focused Scoring Criterion for Virtual Screening. Mol Inform 2023; 42:e2200039. [PMID: 36372777 DOI: 10.1002/minf.202200039] [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: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Improving screening efficiency is one of the most challenging tasks of virtual screening (VS). In this work, we propose an effective target-focused scoring criterion for VS and apply it to the screening of a specific target scaffold replacement library constructed by enumeration of suitable substitution fragments and R-groups of known ligands. This criterion is based on both ligand- and structure-based scoring methods, which includes feature maps, 3D shape similarity, and the pairwise distance information between proteins and ligands (FSDscore). It is precisely due to the hybrid advantages of ligand- and structure-based approaches that FSDscore performs far better on the validation dataset than other scoring methods. We apply FSDscore to the VS of different kinase targets, MERTK (Mer tyrosine kinase) and ABL1 (tyrosine-protein kinase ABL1) in order to avoid occasionality. Finally, a VS case study shows the potential and effectiveness of our scoring criterion in drug discovery and molecular dynamics simulation further verifies its powerful ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Hua
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Dingfang Huang
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Li Liang
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Xu Qian
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Xiaowen Dai
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Yuan Xu
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Haodi Qiu
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Tao Lu
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China.,State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Haichun Liu
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Yadong Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Yanmin Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Design and Drug Discovery, School of Science, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
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8
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Pinel P, Guichaoua G, Najm M, Labouille S, Drizard N, Gaston-Mathé Y, Hoffmann B, Stoven V. Exploring isofunctional molecules: Design of a benchmark and evaluation of prediction performance. Mol Inform 2023; 42:e2200216. [PMID: 36633361 DOI: 10.1002/minf.202200216] [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: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Identification of novel chemotypes with biological activity similar to a known active molecule is an important challenge in drug discovery called 'scaffold hopping'. Small-, medium-, and large-step scaffold hopping efforts may lead to increasing degrees of chemical structure novelty with respect to the parent compound. In the present paper, we focus on the problem of large-step scaffold hopping. We assembled a high quality and well characterized dataset of scaffold hopping examples comprising pairs of active molecules and including a variety of protein targets. This dataset was used to build a benchmark corresponding to the setting of real-life applications: one active molecule is known, and the second active is searched among a set of decoys chosen in a way to avoid statistical bias. This allowed us to evaluate the performance of computational methods for solving large-step scaffold hopping problems. In particular, we assessed how difficult these problems are, particularly for classical 2D and 3D ligand-based methods. We also showed that a machine-learning chemogenomic algorithm outperforms classical methods and we provided some useful hints for future improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Pinel
- Center for Computational Biology, Mines Paris-PSL, PSL Research University, 75006, Paris, France.,Institut Curie, 75248, Paris, France.,INSERM U900, 75428, Paris, France.,Iktos SAS, 75017, Paris, France
| | - Gwenn Guichaoua
- Center for Computational Biology, Mines Paris-PSL, PSL Research University, 75006, Paris, France.,Institut Curie, 75248, Paris, France.,INSERM U900, 75428, Paris, France
| | - Matthieu Najm
- Center for Computational Biology, Mines Paris-PSL, PSL Research University, 75006, Paris, France.,Institut Curie, 75248, Paris, France.,INSERM U900, 75428, Paris, France
| | | | | | | | | | - Véronique Stoven
- Center for Computational Biology, Mines Paris-PSL, PSL Research University, 75006, Paris, France.,Institut Curie, 75248, Paris, France.,INSERM U900, 75428, Paris, France
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9
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Tzeli D, Gerontitis IE, Petsalakis ID, Tsoungas PG, Varvounis G. Self Cycloaddition of o-Naphthoquinone Nitrosomethide to (±) Spiro{naphthalene(naphthopyranofurazan)}-one Oxide: An Insight into its Formation. Chempluschem 2022; 87:e202200313. [PMID: 36479609 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202200313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
2-Hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde oxime was oxidized by AgO (or Ag2O), in presence of N-methyl morpholine N-oxide (NMMO), to the title spiro adduct-dimer (±)-Spiro{naphthalene-1(2H),4'-(naphtho[2',1':2,3]pyrano[4,5-c]furazan)}-2-one-11'-oxide by a Diels-Alder(D-A) type self-cycloaddition, through the agency of an o-naphthoquinone nitrosomethide (o-NQM). Moreover, 2-hydroxy-8-methoxy-1-naphthaldehyde oxime was prepared and subjected to the same oxidation conditions. Its sterically guided result, 9-methoxynaphtho[1,2-d]isoxazole, was isolated, instead of the expected spiro adduct. The peri intramolecular H bonding in the oxime is considered to have a key contribution to the outcome. Geometry and energy features of the oxidant- and stereo-guided selectivity of both oxidation outcomes have been explored by DFT, perturbation theory and coupled cluster calculations. The reaction free energy of the D-A intermolecular cycloaddition is calculated at -82.0 kcal/mol, indicating its predominance over the intramolecular cyclization of ca. -37.6 kcal/mol. The cycloaddition is facilitated by NMMO through dipolar interactions and hydrogen bonding with both metal complexes and o-NQM. The 8(peri)-OMe substitution of the reactant oxime sterically impedes formation of the spiro adduct, instead it undergoes a more facile cyclodehydration to the isoxazole structure by ca. 4.9 kcal/mol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Demeter Tzeli
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou Athens, 157 84, Athens, Greece
- Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Ave., Athens, 116 35, Greece
| | - Ioannis E Gerontitis
- Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 451 10, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Ioannis D Petsalakis
- Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Ave., Athens, 116 35, Greece
| | - Petros G Tsoungas
- Department of Biochemistry, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 127 Vas. Sofias Ave., 115 21, Athens, Greece
| | - George Varvounis
- Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 451 10, Ioannina, Greece
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10
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Callis TB, Garrett TR, Montgomery AP, Danon JJ, Kassiou M. Recent Scaffold Hopping Applications in Central Nervous System Drug Discovery. J Med Chem 2022; 65:13483-13504. [PMID: 36206553 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The concept of bioisosterism and the implementation of bioisosteric replacement is fundamental to medicinal chemistry. The exploration of bioisosteres is often used to probe key structural features of candidate pharmacophores and enhance pharmacokinetic properties. As the understanding of bioisosterism has evolved, capabilities to undertake more ambitious bioisosteric replacements have emerged. Scaffold hopping is a broadly used term in the literature referring to a variety of different bioisosteric replacement strategies, ranging from simple heterocyclic replacements to topological structural overhauls. In this work, we have highlighted recent applications of scaffold hopping in the central nervous system drug discovery space. While we have highlighted the benefits of using scaffold hopping approaches in central nervous system drug discovery, these are also widely applicable to other medicinal chemistry fields. We also recommend a shift toward the use of more refined and meaningful terminology within the realm of scaffold hopping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy B Callis
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Taylor R Garrett
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | | | - Jonathan J Danon
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Michael Kassiou
- School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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11
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Novel covalent and non-covalent complex-based pharmacophore models of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M pro) elucidated by microsecond MD simulations. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14030. [PMID: 35982147 PMCID: PMC9386674 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17204-0] [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: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
As the world enters its second year of the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, intense efforts have been directed to develop an effective diagnosis, prevention, and treatment strategies. One promising drug target to design COVID-19 treatments is the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. To date, a comparative understanding of Mpro dynamic stereoelectronic interactions with either covalent or non-covalent inhibitors (depending on their interaction with a pocket called S1' or oxyanion hole) has not been still achieved. In this study, we seek to fill this knowledge gap using a cascade in silico protocol of docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and MM/PBSA in order to elucidate pharmacophore models for both types of inhibitors. After docking and MD analysis, a set of complex-based pharmacophore models was elucidated for covalent and non-covalent categories making use of the residue bonding point feature. The highest ranked models exhibited ROC-AUC values of 0.93 and 0.73, respectively for each category. Interestingly, we observed that the active site region of Mpro protein-ligand complex undergoes large conformational changes, especially within the S2 and S4 subsites. The results reported in this article may be helpful in virtual screening (VS) campaigns to guide the design and discovery of novel small-molecule therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro protein.
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12
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Wang Y, Xiong Y, Garcia EAL, Wang Y, Butch CJ. Drug Chemical Space as a Guide for New Herbicide Development: A Cheminformatic Analysis. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2022; 70:9625-9636. [PMID: 35915870 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c01425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Herbicides are critical resources for meeting agricultural demand. While similar in structure and function to pharmaceuticals, the development of new herbicidal mechanisms of action and new scaffolds against known mechanisms of action has been much slower than in pharmaceutical sciences. We hypothesized that this may be due in part to a relative undersampling of possible herbicidal chemistries and set out to test whether this difference in sampling existed and whether increasing the diversity of possible herbicidal chemistries would be likely to result in more efficacious herbicides. To conduct this work, we first identified databases of commercially available herbicides and clinically approved pharmaceuticals. Using these databases, we created a two-dimensional embedding of the chemical, which provides a qualitative visualization of the degree to which each chemotype is distributed within the combined chemical space and shows a moderate degree of overlap between the two sets. Next, we trained several machine learning models to classify herbicides versus drugs based on physicochemical characteristics. The most accurate of these models has an accuracy of 93% with the key differentiating characteristics being the number of polar hydrogens, number of amide bonds, LogP, and polar surface area. We then used several types of scaffold decomposition to quantitatively evaluate the chemical diversity of each molecular family and showed herbicides to have considerably fewer unique structural fragments. Finally, we used molecular docking as an in silico evaluation of further structural diversification in herbicide development. To this end, we identified herbicides with well-characterized binding sites and modified those scaffolds based on similar structural subunits from the drug dataset not present in any commercial herbicide while using the machine-learned model to ensure that required herbicide properties were maintained. Redocking the original and modified scaffolds of several herbicides showed that even this simple design strategy is capable of yielding new molecules with higher predicted affinity for the target enzymes. Overall, we show that herbicides are distinct from drugs based on physicochemical properties but less diverse in their chemistry in a way not governed by these properties. We also demonstrate in silico that increasing the diversity of herbicide scaffolds has the potential to increase potency, potentially reducing the amount needed in agricultural practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yisheng Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Youjin Xiong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | | | - Yiqing Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Christopher J Butch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Blue Marble Space Institute for Science, Seattle, Washington 98104, United States
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13
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Kumar G, Das C, Acharya A, Bhal S, Joshi M, Kundu CN, Choudhury AR, Guchhait SK. Organocatalyzed umpolung addition for synthesis of heterocyclic-fused arylidene-imidazolones as anticancer agents. Bioorg Med Chem 2022; 67:116835. [PMID: 35617791 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2022.116835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A strategy of "Nature-to-new" with iterative scaffold-hopping was considered for investigation of privileged ring/functional motif-elaborated analogs of natural aurones. An organocatalyzed umpolung chemistry based method was established for molecular-diversity feasible synthesis of title class of chemotypes i.e. (Z)-2-Arylideneimidazo[1,2-a]pyridinones and (Z)-2-Arylidenebenzo[d]imidazo[2,1-b]thiazol-3-ones. Various biophysical experiments indicated their important biological properties. The analogs showed characteristic anticancer activities with efficiency more than an anticancer drug. The compounds induced apoptosis with arrest in the S phase of the cell cycle regulation. The compounds' significant effect in up/down-regulation of various apoptotic proteins, an apoptosis cascade, and the inhibition of topoisomerases-mediated DNA relaxation process was identified. The analysis of the structure-activity relationship, interference with biological events and the drug-likeness physicochemical properties of the compounds in the acceptable window indicated distinctive medicinal molecule-to-properties of the investigated chemotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gulshan Kumar
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Chinmay Das
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Campus-11, Patia, Bhubaneswar, Orissa 751024, India
| | - Ayan Acharya
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India
| | - Subhasmita Bhal
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Campus-11, Patia, Bhubaneswar, Orissa 751024, India
| | - Mayank Joshi
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, Sector 81, S. A. S. Nagar, Manauli PO, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Chanakya Nath Kundu
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Campus-11, Patia, Bhubaneswar, Orissa 751024, India
| | - Angshuman Roy Choudhury
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, Sector 81, S. A. S. Nagar, Manauli PO, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Sankar K Guchhait
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 160062, India.
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14
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Verma H, Narendra G, Raju B, Kumar M, Jain SK, Tung GK, Singh PK, Silakari O. 3D-QSAR and scaffold hopping based designing of benzo[d]ox-azol-2(3H)-one and 2-oxazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-2(3H)-one derivatives as selective aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 inhibitors: Synthesis and biological evaluation. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2022; 355:e2200108. [PMID: 35618489 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202200108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1A1), an oxidoreductase class of enzymes, is overexpressed in various types of cancer cell lines and is the major cause of resistance to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug, cyclophosphamide (CP). In cancer conditions, CP undergoes a sequence of biotransformations to form an active metabolite, aldophosphamide, which further biotransforms to its putative cytotoxic metabolite, phosphoramide mustard. However, in resistant cancer conditions, aldophosphamide is converted into its inactive metabolite, carboxyphosphamide, via oxidation with ALDH1A1. Herein, to address the issue of ALDH1A1 mediated CP resistance, we report a series of benzo[d]oxazol-2(3H)-one and 2-oxazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-2(3H)-one derivatives as selective ALDH1A1 inhibitors. These inhibitors were designed using a validated 3D-quantitative structure activity relationship (3D-QSAR) model coupled with scaffold hopping. The 3D-QSAR model was developed using reported indole-2,3-diones based ALDH1A1 inhibitors, which provided field points in terms of electrostatic, van der Waals and hydrophobic potentials required for selectively inhibiting ALDH1A1. The most selective indole-2,3-diones-based compound, that is, cmp 3, was further considered for scaffold hopping. Two top-ranked bioisosteres, that is, benzo[d]oxazol-2(3H)-one and 2-oxazolo[4,5-b]pyridin-2(3H)-one, were selected for designing new inhibitors by considering the field pattern of 3D-QSAR. All designed molecules were mapped perfectly on the 3D-QSAR model and found to be predictive with good inhibitory potency (pIC50 range: 7.5-6.8). Molecular docking was carried out for each designed molecule to identify key interactions that are required for ALDH1A1 inhibition and to authenticate the 3D-QSAR result. The top five inhibitor-ALDH1A1 complexes were also submitted for molecular dynamics simulations to access their stability. In vitro enzyme assays of 21 compounds suggested that these compounds are selective toward ALDH1A1 over the other two isoforms, that is, ALDH2 and ALDH3A1. All the compounds were found to be at least three and two times more selective toward ALDH1A1 over ALDH2 and ALDH3A1, respectively. All the compounds showed an IC50 value in the range of 0.02-0.80 μM, which indicates the potential for these to be developed as adjuvant therapy for CP resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himanshu Verma
- Molecular Modelling Lab (MML), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala, India
| | - Gera Narendra
- Molecular Modelling Lab (MML), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala, India
| | - Baddipadige Raju
- Molecular Modelling Lab (MML), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala, India
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Molecular Modelling Lab (MML), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala, India
| | - Subheet K Jain
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India
| | - Gurleen K Tung
- Centre for Basic and Translational Research in Health Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India
| | - Pankaj K Singh
- Faculty of Medicine, Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Om Silakari
- Molecular Modelling Lab (MML), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala, India
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15
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Wu D, Zheng X, Liu R, Li Z, Jiang Z, Zhou Q, Huang Y, Wu XN, Zhang C, Huang YY, Luo HB. Free energy perturbation (FEP)-guided scaffold hopping. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:1351-1362. [PMID: 35530128 PMCID: PMC9072250 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Scaffold hopping refers to computer-aided screening for active compounds with different structures against the same receptor to enrich privileged scaffolds, which is a topic of high interest in organic and medicinal chemistry. However, most approaches cannot efficiently predict the potency level of candidates after scaffold hopping. Herein, we identified potent PDE5 inhibitors with a novel scaffold via a free energy perturbation (FEP)-guided scaffold-hopping strategy, and FEP shows great advantages to precisely predict the theoretical binding potencies ΔG FEP between ligands and their target, which were more consistent with the experimental binding potencies ΔG EXP (the mean absolute deviations| Δ G FEP - Δ G EXP | < 2 kcal/mol) than those ΔG MM-PBSA or ΔG MM-GBSA predicted by the MM-PBSA or MM-GBSA method. Lead L12 had an IC50 of 8.7 nmol/L and exhibited a different binding pattern in its crystal structure with PDE5 from the famous starting drug tadalafil. Our work provides the first report via the FEP-guided scaffold hopping strategy for potent inhibitor discovery with a novel scaffold, implying that it will have a variety of future applications in rational molecular design and drug discovery.
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Key Words
- ABFE, absolute binding free energy
- BAR, Bennet acceptance ratio
- Binding potencies
- DCM, dichloromethane
- DMF, N,N-dimethylformamide
- DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide
- Drug discovery
- FEP, free energy perturbation
- Free energy perturbation
- GAFF, general AMBER force field
- HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography
- HRMS, High resolution mass spectra
- IC50, half-inhibitory concentration
- IPTG, isopropyl b-d-thiogalactopyranoside
- LV, left ventricle
- MAD, mean absolute deviations
- MD, molecular dynamics
- MM-GBSA, molecular mechanics/generalized born surface area
- Molecular design
- PAH, pulmonary arterial hypertension
- PDB, protein data bank
- PDE, phosphodiesterase
- PDE5 inhibitors
- PDE5, phosphodiesterase-5
- PME, particle mesh Ewald
- Privileged scaffolds
- Pulmonary arterial hypertension
- RBFE, relative binding free energy
- RED, restraint energy distribution
- RESP, restrained electrostatic potential
- RV, right ventricle
- RVHI, right ventricle hypertrophy index
- SARs, structure–activity relationships
- Scaffold hopping
- THF, tetrahydrofuran
- TLC, thin-layer chromatography
- WT, wall thickness
- ip, intraperitoneal injection
- iv, intravenous administration
- mPAP, pulmonary artery pressure
- po, oral administration (per os)
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Affiliation(s)
- Deyan Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xuehua Zheng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Runduo Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhe Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zan Jiang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Qian Zhou
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yue Huang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xu-Nian Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Chen Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yi-You Huang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hai-Bin Luo
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
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16
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Suay-García B, Bueso-Bordils JI, Falcó A, Antón-Fos GM, Alemán-López PA. Virtual Combinatorial Chemistry and Pharmacological Screening: A Short Guide to Drug Design. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031620. [PMID: 35163543 PMCID: PMC8836228 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Traditionally, drug development involved the individual synthesis and biological evaluation of hundreds to thousands of compounds with the intention of highlighting their biological activity, selectivity, and bioavailability, as well as their low toxicity. On average, this process of new drug development involved, in addition to high economic costs, a period of several years before hopefully finding a drug with suitable characteristics to drive its commercialization. Therefore, the chemical synthesis of new compounds became the limiting step in the process of searching for or optimizing leads for new drug development. This need for large chemical libraries led to the birth of high-throughput synthesis methods and combinatorial chemistry. Virtual combinatorial chemistry is based on the same principle as real chemistry—many different compounds can be generated from a few building blocks at once. The difference lies in its speed, as millions of compounds can be produced in a few seconds. On the other hand, many virtual screening methods, such as QSAR (Quantitative Sturcture-Activity Relationship), pharmacophore models, and molecular docking, have been developed to study these libraries. These models allow for the selection of molecules to be synthesized and tested with a high probability of success. The virtual combinatorial chemistry–virtual screening tandem has become a fundamental tool in the process of searching for and developing a drug, as it allows the process to be accelerated with extraordinary economic savings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Suay-García
- ESI International @ UCHCEU, Departamento de Matemáticas, Física y Ciencias Tecnológicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera—CEU, CEU Universities San Bartolomé 55, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain;
- Correspondence:
| | - Jose I. Bueso-Bordils
- Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Cardenal Herrera—CEU, CEU Universities, C/Ramón y Cajal s/n, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain; (G.M.A.-F.); (P.A.A.-L.); (J.I.B.-B.)
| | - Antonio Falcó
- ESI International @ UCHCEU, Departamento de Matemáticas, Física y Ciencias Tecnológicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera—CEU, CEU Universities San Bartolomé 55, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Gerardo M. Antón-Fos
- Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Cardenal Herrera—CEU, CEU Universities, C/Ramón y Cajal s/n, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain; (G.M.A.-F.); (P.A.A.-L.); (J.I.B.-B.)
| | - Pedro A. Alemán-López
- Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Cardenal Herrera—CEU, CEU Universities, C/Ramón y Cajal s/n, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain; (G.M.A.-F.); (P.A.A.-L.); (J.I.B.-B.)
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17
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Wang Z, Ran T, Xu F, Wen C, Song S, Zhou Y, Chen H, Lu X. Deep learning-driven scaffold hopping in the discovery of Akt kinase inhibitors. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:10588-10591. [PMID: 34560776 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc03392a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Scaffold hopping has been widely used in drug discovery and is a topic of high interest. Here a deep conditional transformer neural network, SyntaLinker, was applied for the scaffold hopping of a phase III clinical Akt inhibitor, AZD5363. A number of novel scaffolds were generated and compound 1a as a proof-of-concept was synthesized and validated by biochemical assay. Further structure-based optimization of 1a led to a novel Akt inhibitor with high potency (Akt1 IC50 = 88 nM) and in vitro antitumor activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuqin Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Ting Ran
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health - Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou 510530, China.
| | - Fang Xu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Chang Wen
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health - Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou 510530, China.
| | - Shukai Song
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Yang Zhou
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Hongming Chen
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health - Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou 510530, China.
| | - Xiaoyun Lu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou 510632, China.
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18
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Kosar Hashemi Y, Tavakkoli Yaraki M, Ghanbari S, Heidarpoor Saremi L, Givianrad MH. Photodegradation of organic water pollutants under visible light using anatase F, N co-doped TiO 2/SiO 2 nanocomposite: Semi-pilot plant experiment and density functional theory calculations. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 275:129903. [PMID: 33647684 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.129903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Visible-light driven photocatalysts are of great importance in wastewater treatment. In this work, fluorine and nitrogen co-doped titanium dioxide/silica nanocomposite (F-N-TiO2/SiO2) was synthetized using a sol-gel approach. The as-developed nanocomposite was well characterized using different techniques. In particular, an anatase structure with high surface area (345.69 m2/g) and a band gap of 2.97 eV were observed for the as-synthesized nanocomposite, which makes it a potential candidate for photocatalytic applications under visible light. A systematic density functional theory calculation was performed to get more insight into the effect of dopant atoms on the band gap of TiO2 nanoparticles. To enhance the reusability of the photocatalyst in semi-pilot scale, the as-developed nanocomposite was immobilized onto the glass beads by coupling dip-coating and heat attachment methods. A semi-pilot scale custom-designed fixed-bed photoreactor was used to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the as-developed nanocomposite under both visible and solar irradiations. A mixture of three azo dyes (i.e., basic red 29, basic blue 41 and basic yellow 51) was used as the model industrial wastewater. The analysis of the wastewater showed that the complete removal of the pollutants under visible light and sunlight can occurred at pH of 3 and flow rate of 280 mL/min. The durability results demonstrated the successful degradation of the pollutants for five cycles. The results of this study show how careful controlling the operational parameters as well as using a highly photocatalytic nanomaterial can lead to successful decontamination of organic water pollutants. This approach might open up new windows to the future applications of photocatalytic nanomaterials for wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeganeh Kosar Hashemi
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Sina Ghanbari
- Department of Chemistry, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Leily Heidarpoor Saremi
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hadi Givianrad
- Department of Chemistry, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
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19
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Xiong GL, Zhao Y, Liu L, Ma ZY, Lu AP, Cheng Y, Hou TJ, Cao DS. Computational Bioactivity Fingerprint Similarities To Navigate the Discovery of Novel Scaffolds. J Med Chem 2021; 64:7544-7554. [PMID: 34008979 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
As one of the central tasks of modern medicinal chemistry, scaffold hopping is expected to lead to the discovery of structural novel biological active compounds and broaden the chemical space of known active compounds. Here, we report the computational bioactivity fingerprint (CBFP) for easier scaffold hopping, where the predicted activities in multiple quantitative structure-activity relationship models are integrated to characterize the biological space of a molecule. In retrospective benchmarks, the CBFP representation shows outstanding scaffold hopping potential relative to other chemical descriptors. In the prospective validation for the discovery of novel inhibitors of poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase 1, 35 predicted compounds with diverse structures are tested, 25 of which show detectable growth-inhibitory activity; beyond this, the most potent (compound 6) has an IC50 of 0.263 nM. These results support the use of CBFP representation as the bioactivity proxy of molecules to explore uncharted chemical space and discover novel compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Li Xiong
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China.,Hunan Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Drug Research for Chronic Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Yue Zhao
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China.,Hunan Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Drug Research for Chronic Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Lu Liu
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China
| | - Zhong-Ye Ma
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China
| | - Ai-Ping Lu
- Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077 Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yan Cheng
- Department of Pharmacy, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China
| | - Ting-Jun Hou
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Dong-Sheng Cao
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China.,Hunan Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Drug Research for Chronic Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China.,Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, 999077 Hong Kong SAR, China
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20
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Mu XY, Wang ZJ, Feng B, Xu L, Gao LX, Satheeshkumar R, Li J, Zhou YB, Wang WL. Synthesis of 2-ethoxycarbonylthieno[2,3- b]quinolines in biomass-derived solvent γ-valerolactone and their biological evaluation against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B. RSC Adv 2021; 11:3216-3220. [PMID: 35424294 PMCID: PMC8694002 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra09247a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A series of 2-ethoxycarbonylthieno[2,3-b]quinolines were synthesized in the bio-derived "green" solvent γ-valerolactone (GVL) and evaluated for their inhibitory activities against PTP1B, the representative compound 6a displayed an IC50 value of 8.04 ± 0.71 μM with 4.34-fold preference over TCPTP. These results provided novel lead compounds for the design of inhibitors of PTP1B as well as other PTPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu-Yang Mu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 China
| | - Zhi-Jia Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 China
| | - Bo Feng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 China
| | - Lei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Li-Xin Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Rajendran Satheeshkumar
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 China
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago de Chile 702843 Chile
| | - Jia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Yu-Bo Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Wen-Long Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jiangnan University Wuxi 214122 China
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21
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Abstract
Molecular descriptors encode a variety of molecular representations for computer-assisted drug discovery. Here, we focus on the Weighted Holistic Atom Localization and Entity Shape (WHALES) descriptors, which were originally designed for scaffold hopping from natural products to synthetic molecules. WHALES descriptors capture molecular shape and partial charges simultaneously. We introduce the key aspects of the WHALES concept and provide a step-by-step guide on how to use these descriptors for virtual compound screening and scaffold hopping. The results presented can be reproduced by using the code freely available from URL: github.com/ETHmodlab/scaffold_hopping_whales .
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Grisoni
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, RETHINK, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Gisbert Schneider
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, RETHINK, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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22
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Schaller D, Pach S, Bermudez M, Wolber G. Exploiting Water Dynamics for Pharmacophore Screening. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2266:227-238. [PMID: 33759130 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1209-5_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Three-dimensional pharmacophore models have been proven extremely valuable in exploring novel chemical space through virtual screening. However, traditional pharmacophore-based approaches need ligand information and rely on static snapshots of highly dynamic systems. In this chapter, we describe PyRod, a novel tool to generate three-dimensional pharmacophore models based on water traces of a molecular dynamics simulation of an apo-protein.The protocol described herein was successfully applied for the discovery of novel drug-like inhibitors of West Nile virus NS2B-NS3 protease. By using this recent example, we highlight the key steps of the generation and validation of PyRod-derived pharmacophore models and their application for virtual screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Schaller
- Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Szymon Pach
- Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcel Bermudez
- Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gerhard Wolber
- Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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Abstract
Molecular Docking is used to positioning the computer-generated 3D structure of small
ligands into a receptor structure in a variety of orientations, conformations and positions. This
method is useful in drug discovery and medicinal chemistry providing insights into molecular
recognition. Docking has become an integral part of Computer-Aided Drug Design and Discovery
(CADDD). Traditional docking methods suffer from limitations of semi-flexible or static treatment
of targets and ligand. Over the last decade, advances in the field of computational, proteomics and
genomics have also led to the development of different docking methods which incorporate
protein-ligand flexibility and their different binding conformations. Receptor flexibility accounts
for more accurate binding pose predictions and a more rational depiction of protein binding
interactions with the ligand. Protein flexibility has been included by generating protein ensembles
or by dynamic docking methods. Dynamic docking considers solvation, entropic effects and also
fully explores the drug-receptor binding and recognition from both energetic and mechanistic point
of view. Though in the fast-paced drug discovery program, dynamic docking is computationally
expensive but is being progressively used for screening of large compound libraries to identify the
potential drugs. In this review, a quick introduction is presented to the available docking methods
and their application and limitations in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritu Jakhar
- Center for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, India
| | - Mehak Dangi
- Center for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, India
| | - Alka Khichi
- Center for Bioinformatics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, India
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Vásquez AF, Reyes Muñoz A, Duitama J, González Barrios A. Discovery of new potential CDK2/VEGFR2 type II inhibitors by fragmentation and virtual screening of natural products. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 39:3285-3299. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1763839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Felipe Vásquez
- Grupo de Diseño de Productos y Procesos (GDPP), Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Alejandro Reyes Muñoz
- Grupo de Biología Computacional Ecología Microbiana (BCEM), Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
- Max Planck Tandem Group in Computational Biology, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Jorge Duitama
- Systems and Computing Engineering Department, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Andrés González Barrios
- Grupo de Diseño de Productos y Procesos (GDPP), Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
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25
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Macalino SJY, Billones JB, Organo VG, Carrillo MCO. In Silico Strategies in Tuberculosis Drug Discovery. Molecules 2020; 25:E665. [PMID: 32033144 PMCID: PMC7037728 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25030665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious threat to global public health, responsible for an estimated 1.5 million mortalities in 2018. While there are available therapeutics for this infection, slow-acting drugs, poor patient compliance, drug toxicity, and drug resistance require the discovery of novel TB drugs. Discovering new and more potent antibiotics that target novel TB protein targets is an attractive strategy towards controlling the global TB epidemic. In silico strategies can be applied at multiple stages of the drug discovery paradigm to expedite the identification of novel anti-TB therapeutics. In this paper, we discuss the current TB treatment, emergence of drug resistance, and the effective application of computational tools to the different stages of TB drug discovery when combined with traditional biochemical methods. We will also highlight the strengths and points of improvement in in silico TB drug discovery research, as well as possible future perspectives in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephani Joy Y. Macalino
- Chemistry Department, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 0992, Philippines;
- OVPAA-EIDR Program, “Computer-Aided Discovery of Compounds for the Treatment of Tuberculosis in the Philippines”, Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila 1000, Philippines; (V.G.O.); (M.C.O.C.)
| | - Junie B. Billones
- OVPAA-EIDR Program, “Computer-Aided Discovery of Compounds for the Treatment of Tuberculosis in the Philippines”, Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila 1000, Philippines; (V.G.O.); (M.C.O.C.)
| | - Voltaire G. Organo
- OVPAA-EIDR Program, “Computer-Aided Discovery of Compounds for the Treatment of Tuberculosis in the Philippines”, Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila 1000, Philippines; (V.G.O.); (M.C.O.C.)
| | - Maria Constancia O. Carrillo
- OVPAA-EIDR Program, “Computer-Aided Discovery of Compounds for the Treatment of Tuberculosis in the Philippines”, Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila 1000, Philippines; (V.G.O.); (M.C.O.C.)
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26
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Walters WP, Murcko M. Assessing the impact of generative AI on medicinal chemistry. Nat Biotechnol 2020; 38:143-145. [DOI: 10.1038/s41587-020-0418-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Tuo W, Bollier M, Leleu-Chavain N, Lemaire L, Barczyk A, Dezitter X, Klupsch F, Szczepanski F, Spencer J, Chavatte P, Millet R. Development of novel oxazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidines as competitive CB2 neutral antagonists based on scaffold hopping. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 146:68-78. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Ehrlich S, Göller AH, Grimme S. Towards full Quantum-Mechanics-based Protein-Ligand Binding Affinities. Chemphyschem 2017; 18:898-905. [DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201700082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Ehrlich
- Mulliken Center for Theoretical Chemistry; Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie der Universität Bonn; Beringstr. 4 53115 Bonn Germany
| | - Andreas H. Göller
- Bayer Pharma AG, Drug Discovery-Chemical Research; Wuppertal Germany
| | - Stefan Grimme
- Mulliken Center for Theoretical Chemistry; Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie der Universität Bonn; Beringstr. 4 53115 Bonn Germany
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29
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Hu
- Department of Life Science
Informatics, B-IT, LIMES Program Unit Chemical Biology and Medicinal
Chemistry, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Dahlmannstrasse 2, D-53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - Dagmar Stumpfe
- Department of Life Science
Informatics, B-IT, LIMES Program Unit Chemical Biology and Medicinal
Chemistry, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Dahlmannstrasse 2, D-53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bajorath
- Department of Life Science
Informatics, B-IT, LIMES Program Unit Chemical Biology and Medicinal
Chemistry, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Dahlmannstrasse 2, D-53113 Bonn, Germany
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30
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Pharmacophore Models and Pharmacophore-Based Virtual Screening: Concepts and Applications Exemplified on Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases. Molecules 2015; 20:22799-832. [PMID: 26703541 PMCID: PMC6332202 DOI: 10.3390/molecules201219880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Revised: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Computational methods are well-established tools in the drug discovery process and can be employed for a variety of tasks. Common applications include lead identification and scaffold hopping, as well as lead optimization by structure-activity relationship analysis and selectivity profiling. In addition, compound-target interactions associated with potentially harmful effects can be identified and investigated. This review focuses on pharmacophore-based virtual screening campaigns specifically addressing the target class of hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases. Many members of this enzyme family are associated with specific pathological conditions, and pharmacological modulation of their activity may represent promising therapeutic strategies. On the other hand, unintended interference with their biological functions, e.g., upon inhibition by xenobiotics, can disrupt steroid hormone-mediated effects, thereby contributing to the development and progression of major diseases. Besides a general introduction to pharmacophore modeling and pharmacophore-based virtual screening, exemplary case studies from the field of short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) research are presented. These success stories highlight the suitability of pharmacophore modeling for the various application fields and suggest its application also in futures studies.
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Schultes S, Kooistra AJ, Vischer HF, Nijmeijer S, Haaksma EEJ, Leurs R, de Esch IJP, de Graaf C. Combinatorial Consensus Scoring for Ligand-Based Virtual Fragment Screening: A Comparative Case Study for Serotonin 5-HT(3)A, Histamine H(1), and Histamine H(4) Receptors. J Chem Inf Model 2015; 55:1030-44. [PMID: 25815783 DOI: 10.1021/ci500694c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
In the current study we have evaluated the applicability of ligand-based virtual screening (LBVS) methods for the identification of small fragment-like biologically active molecules using different similarity descriptors and different consensus scoring approaches. For this purpose, we have evaluated the performance of 14 chemical similarity descriptors in retrospective virtual screening studies to discriminate fragment-like ligands of three membrane-bound receptors from fragments that are experimentally determined to have no affinity for these proteins (true inactives). We used a complete fragment affinity data set of experimentally determined ligands and inactives for two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the histamine H1 receptor (H1R) and the histamine H4 receptor (H4R), and one ligand-gated ion channel (LGIC), the serotonin receptor (5-HT3AR), to validate our retrospective virtual screening studies. We have exhaustively tested consensus scoring strategies that combine the results of multiple actives (group fusion) or combine different similarity descriptors (similarity fusion), and for the first time systematically evaluated different combinations of group fusion and similarity fusion approaches. Our studies show that for these three case study protein targets both consensus scoring approaches can increase virtual screening enrichments compared to single chemical similarity search methods. Our cheminformatics analyses recommend to use a combination of both group fusion and similarity fusion for prospective ligand-based virtual fragment screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Schultes
- †Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS), VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Albert J Kooistra
- †Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS), VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Henry F Vischer
- †Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS), VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia Nijmeijer
- †Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS), VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Eric E J Haaksma
- †Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS), VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rob Leurs
- †Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS), VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Iwan J P de Esch
- †Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS), VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Chris de Graaf
- †Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS), VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Kaserer T, Temml V, Kutil Z, Vanek T, Landa P, Schuster D. Prospective performance evaluation of selected common virtual screening tools. Case study: Cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and 2. Eur J Med Chem 2015; 96:445-57. [PMID: 25916906 PMCID: PMC4444576 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2015.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Revised: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Computational methods can be applied in drug development for the identification of novel lead candidates, but also for the prediction of pharmacokinetic properties and potential adverse effects, thereby aiding to prioritize and identify the most promising compounds. In principle, several techniques are available for this purpose, however, which one is the most suitable for a specific research objective still requires further investigation. Within this study, the performance of several programs, representing common virtual screening methods, was compared in a prospective manner. First, we selected top-ranked virtual screening hits from the three methods pharmacophore modeling, shape-based modeling, and docking. For comparison, these hits were then additionally predicted by external pharmacophore- and 2D similarity-based bioactivity profiling tools. Subsequently, the biological activities of the selected hits were assessed in vitro, which allowed for evaluating and comparing the prospective performance of the applied tools. Although all methods performed well, considerable differences were observed concerning hit rates, true positive and true negative hits, and hitlist composition. Our results suggest that a rational selection of the applied method represents a powerful strategy to maximize the success of a research project, tightly linked to its aims. We employed cyclooxygenase as application example, however, the focus of this study lied on highlighting the differences in the virtual screening tool performances and not in the identification of novel COX-inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Kaserer
- Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Veronika Temml
- Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Zsofia Kutil
- Laboratory of Plant Biotechnologies, Institute of Experimental Botany AS CR. v.v.i., Rozvojova 263, 165 02 Prague 6 - Lysolaje, Czech Republic; Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamycka 129, 165 21 Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Vanek
- Laboratory of Plant Biotechnologies, Institute of Experimental Botany AS CR. v.v.i., Rozvojova 263, 165 02 Prague 6 - Lysolaje, Czech Republic
| | - Premysl Landa
- Laboratory of Plant Biotechnologies, Institute of Experimental Botany AS CR. v.v.i., Rozvojova 263, 165 02 Prague 6 - Lysolaje, Czech Republic
| | - Daniela Schuster
- Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
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33
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Istyastono EP, Kooistra AJ, Vischer HF, Kuijer M, Roumen L, Nijmeijer S, Smits RA, de Esch IJP, Leurs R, de Graaf C. Structure-based virtual screening for fragment-like ligands of the G protein-coupled histamine H4 receptor. MEDCHEMCOMM 2015. [DOI: 10.1039/c5md00022j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Structure-based virtual screening using H1R- and β2R-based histamine H4R homology models identified 9 fragments with an affinity ranging from 0.14 to 6.3 μm for H4R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enade P. Istyastono
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry
- Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS)
- Faculty of Exact Sciences
- VU University Amsterdam
- 1081 HV Amsterdam
| | - Albert J. Kooistra
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry
- Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS)
- Faculty of Exact Sciences
- VU University Amsterdam
- 1081 HV Amsterdam
| | - Henry F. Vischer
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry
- Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS)
- Faculty of Exact Sciences
- VU University Amsterdam
- 1081 HV Amsterdam
| | - Martien Kuijer
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry
- Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS)
- Faculty of Exact Sciences
- VU University Amsterdam
- 1081 HV Amsterdam
| | - Luc Roumen
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry
- Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS)
- Faculty of Exact Sciences
- VU University Amsterdam
- 1081 HV Amsterdam
| | - Saskia Nijmeijer
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry
- Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS)
- Faculty of Exact Sciences
- VU University Amsterdam
- 1081 HV Amsterdam
| | | | - Iwan J. P. de Esch
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry
- Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS)
- Faculty of Exact Sciences
- VU University Amsterdam
- 1081 HV Amsterdam
| | - Rob Leurs
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry
- Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS)
- Faculty of Exact Sciences
- VU University Amsterdam
- 1081 HV Amsterdam
| | - Chris de Graaf
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry
- Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS)
- Faculty of Exact Sciences
- VU University Amsterdam
- 1081 HV Amsterdam
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Vuorinen A, Schuster D. Methods for generating and applying pharmacophore models as virtual screening filters and for bioactivity profiling. Methods 2014; 71:113-34. [PMID: 25461773 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2014.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2014] [Revised: 09/29/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological effects of small molecules in an organism result from favorable interactions between the molecules and their target proteins. These interactions depend on chemical functionalities, bonds, and their 3D-orientations towards each other. These 3D-arrangements of chemical functionalities that make a small molecule active towards its target can be described by pharmacophore models. In these models, chemical functionalities are represented as so-called features. Commonly, they are obtained either from a set of active compounds or directly from the observed protein-ligand interactions as present in X-ray crystal structures, NMR structures, or docking poses. In this review, we explain the basics of pharmacophore modeling including dataset generation, 3D-representations and conformational analysis of small molecules, pharmacophore model construction, model validation, and its benefits to virtual screening and other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Vuorinen
- Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck - CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Daniela Schuster
- Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck - CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
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Talaga ML, Fan N, Fueri AL, Brown RK, Chabre YM, Bandyopadhyay P, Roy R, Dam TK. Significant Other Half of a Glycoconjugate: Contributions of Scaffolds to Lectin–Glycoconjugate Interactions. Biochemistry 2014; 53:4445-54. [DOI: 10.1021/bi5001307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Yoann M. Chabre
- Department
of Chemistry, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3P8
| | | | - René Roy
- Department
of Chemistry, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3P8
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Lepailleur A, Freret T, Lemaître S, Boulouard M, Dauphin F, Hinschberger A, Dulin F, Lesnard A, Bureau R, Rault S. Dual histamine H3R/serotonin 5-HT4R ligands with antiamnesic properties: pharmacophore-based virtual screening and polypharmacology. J Chem Inf Model 2014; 54:1773-84. [PMID: 24857631 DOI: 10.1021/ci500157n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, preclinical and clinical studies have generated considerable interest in the development of histamine H3 receptor (H3R) antagonists as novel treatment for degenerative disorders associated with impaired cholinergic function. To identify novel scaffolds for H3R antagonism, a common feature-based pharmacophore model was developed and used to screen the 17,194 compounds of the CERMN (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche sur le Médicament de Normandie) chemical library. Out of 268 virtual hits which have been gathered in 34 clusters, we were particularly interested in tricyclic derivatives also exhibiting a potent 5HT4R affinity. Benzo[h][1,6]naphthyridine derivatives showed the highest H3R affinity, and compound 17 (H3R Ki = 41.6 nM; 5-HT4R Ki = 208 nM) completely reversed the amnesiant effect of scopolamine at 3 mg/kg in a spatial working memory experiment. For the first time we demonstrated the feasibility to combine H3R and 5-HT4R activities in a single molecule, raising the exciting possibility that dual H3R antagonist/5HT4R agonist have potential for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
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Drwal MN, Agama K, Pommier Y, Griffith R. Development of purely structure-based pharmacophores for the topoisomerase I-DNA-ligand binding pocket. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2013; 27:1037-49. [PMID: 24293134 PMCID: PMC7578780 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-013-9695-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2013] [Accepted: 11/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Purely structure-based pharmacophores (SBPs) are an alternative method to ligand-based approaches and have the advantage of describing the entire interaction capability of a binding pocket. Here, we present the development of SBPs for topoisomerase I, an anticancer target with an unusual ligand binding pocket consisting of protein and DNA atoms. Different approaches to cluster and select pharmacophore features are investigated, including hierarchical clustering and energy calculations. In addition, the performance of SBPs is evaluated retrospectively and compared to the performance of ligand- and complex-based pharmacophores. SBPs emerge as a valid method in virtual screening and a complementary approach to ligand-focussed methods. The study further reveals that the choice of pharmacophore feature clustering and selection methods has a large impact on the virtual screening hit lists. A prospective application of the SBPs in virtual screening reveals that they can be used successfully to identify novel topoisomerase inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malgorzata N Drwal
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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38
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Drwal MN, Griffith R. Combination of ligand- and structure-based methods in virtual screening. DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY. TECHNOLOGIES 2013; 10:e395-e401. [PMID: 24050136 DOI: 10.1016/j.ddtec.2013.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The combination of ligand- and structure-based molecular modelling methods has become a common approach in virtual screening. This review describes different strategies for integration of ligand- and structure-based methods which can be divided into sequential, parallel or hybrid approaches. Although no thorough performance comparisons between combined approaches are available, examples of successful applications in prospective and retrospective virtual screening are discussed. Most published studies use a sequential approach, utilising well-documented single methods successfully.
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Evers A, Hessler G, Wang LH, Werrel S, Monecke P, Matter H. CROSS: An Efficient Workflow for Reaction-Driven Rescaffolding and Side-Chain Optimization Using Robust Chemical Reactions and Available Reagents. J Med Chem 2013; 56:4656-70. [DOI: 10.1021/jm400404v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Evers
- Struct., Design & Informatics, R&D LGCR, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Industriepark Höchst, 65926 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Gerhard Hessler
- Struct., Design & Informatics, R&D LGCR, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Industriepark Höchst, 65926 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Li-hsing Wang
- F2S IAIS PnS, Sanofi-Aventis
Deutschland GmbH, Industriepark Höchst, 65926 Frankfurt am
Main, Germany
| | - Simon Werrel
- Struct., Design & Informatics, R&D LGCR, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Industriepark Höchst, 65926 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Peter Monecke
- Chemistry, R&D LGCR, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Industriepark Höchst, 65926 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Hans Matter
- Struct., Design & Informatics, R&D LGCR, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, Industriepark Höchst, 65926 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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40
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Is computer-assisted rescaffolding the future in lead generation? Future Med Chem 2013; 5:237-9. [DOI: 10.4155/fmc.13.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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41
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Natural-product-derived fragments for fragment-based ligand discovery. Nat Chem 2012; 5:21-8. [DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 217] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2012] [Accepted: 10/19/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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42
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Database of bioactive ring systems with calculated properties and its use in bioisosteric design and scaffold hopping. Bioorg Med Chem 2012; 20:5436-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2012.02.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2012] [Revised: 02/22/2012] [Accepted: 02/24/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Sun H, Tawa G, Wallqvist A. Classification of scaffold-hopping approaches. Drug Discov Today 2012; 17:310-24. [PMID: 22056715 PMCID: PMC3328312 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2011.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 247] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2011] [Revised: 10/17/2011] [Accepted: 10/19/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
The general goal of drug discovery is to identify novel compounds that are active against a preselected biological target with acceptable pharmacological properties defined by marketed drugs. Scaffold hopping has been widely applied by medicinal chemists to discover equipotent compounds with novel backbones that have improved properties. In this article we classify scaffold hopping into four major categories, namely heterocycle replacements, ring opening or closure, peptidomimetics and topology-based hopping. We review the structural diversity of original and final scaffolds with respect to each category. We discuss the advantages and limitations of small, medium and large-step scaffold hopping. Finally, we summarize software that is frequently used to facilitate different kinds of scaffold-hopping methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmao Sun
- Biotechnology HPC Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
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Waltenberger B, Wiechmann K, Bauer J, Markt P, Noha SM, Wolber G, Rollinger JM, Werz O, Schuster D, Stuppner H. Pharmacophore modeling and virtual screening for novel acidic inhibitors of microsomal prostaglandin E₂ synthase-1 (mPGES-1). J Med Chem 2011; 54:3163-74. [PMID: 21466167 PMCID: PMC3088311 DOI: 10.1021/jm101309g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
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Microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1) catalyzes prostaglandin E2 formation and is considered as a potential anti-inflammatory pharmacological target. To identify novel chemical scaffolds active on this enzyme, two pharmacophore models for acidic mPGES-1 inhibitors were developed and theoretically validated using information on mPGES-1 inhibitors from literature. The models were used to screen chemical databases supplied from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Specs. Out of 29 compounds selected for biological evaluation, nine chemically diverse compounds caused concentration-dependent inhibition of mPGES-1 activity in a cell-free assay with IC50 values between 0.4 and 7.9 μM, respectively. Further pharmacological characterization revealed that also 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) was inhibited by most of these active compounds in cell-free and cell-based assays with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. Together, nine novel chemical scaffolds inhibiting mPGES-1 are presented that may possess anti-inflammatory properties based on the interference with eicosanoid biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Waltenberger
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmacognosy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52c, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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