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Kalnmals CA, Benko ZL, Hamza A, Bravo-Altamirano K, Siddall TL, Zielinski M, Takano HK, Riar DS, Satchivi NM, Roth JJ, Church JB. A New Class of Diaryl Ether Herbicides: Structure-Activity Relationship Studies Enabled by a Rapid Scaffold Hopping Approach. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2023; 71:18171-18187. [PMID: 37350671 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c01285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
We report on the development of a novel class of diaryl ether herbicides. After the discovery of a phenoxybenzoic acid with modest herbicidal activity, optimization led to several molecules with improved control of broadleaf and grass weeds. To facilitate this process, we first employed a three-step combinatorial approach, then pivoted to a one-step Ullmann-type coupling that provided faster access to new analogs. After determining that the primary target site of our benchmark diaryl ethers was acetolactate synthase (ALS), we further leveraged this copper-catalyzed methodology to conduct a scaffold hopping campaign in the hope of uncovering an additional mode of action with fewer documented cases of resistance. Our comprehensive and systematic investigation revealed that while the herbicidal activity of this area seems to be exclusively linked to ALS inhibition, our molecules represent a structurally distinct class of Group 2 herbicides. The structure-activity relationships that led us to this conclusion are described herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Kalnmals
- Discovery Chemistry, Small Molecule Discovery and Development, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
| | - Zoltan L Benko
- Discovery Chemistry, Small Molecule Discovery and Development, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
| | - Adel Hamza
- Discovery Chemistry, Small Molecule Discovery and Development, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
| | - Karla Bravo-Altamirano
- Discovery Chemistry, Small Molecule Discovery and Development, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
| | - Thomas L Siddall
- Discovery Chemistry, Small Molecule Discovery and Development, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
| | - Moriah Zielinski
- Mode of Action and Resistance Management Center of Expertise, Integrated Biology and Field Sciences, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
| | - Hudson K Takano
- Mode of Action and Resistance Management Center of Expertise, Integrated Biology and Field Sciences, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
| | - Dilpreet S Riar
- Herbicide Biology, Integrated Biology and Field Sciences, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
| | - Norbert M Satchivi
- Herbicide Biology, Integrated Biology and Field Sciences, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
| | - Joshua J Roth
- Discovery Chemistry, Small Molecule Discovery and Development, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
| | - Jeffrey B Church
- Herbicide Biology, Integrated Biology and Field Sciences, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, United States
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Iqbal M, Hasanah N, Arianto AD, Aryati WD, Puteri MU, Saputri FC. Brazilin from Caesalpinia sappan L. as a Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) Inhibitor: Pharmacophore-Based Virtual Screening, In Silico Molecular Docking, and In Vitro Studies. Adv Pharmacol Pharm Sci 2023; 2023:5932315. [PMID: 37860715 PMCID: PMC10584496 DOI: 10.1155/2023/5932315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a crucial regulator of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels, as it binds to and degrades the LDL receptor (LDLR) in the lysosome of hepatocytes. Elevated levels of PCSK9 have been linked to an increased LDL-c plasma levels, thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), making it an attractive target for therapeutic interventions. As a way to inhibit PCSK9 action, we searched for naturally derived small molecules which can block the binding of PCSK9 to the LDLR. Methods In this study, we carried out in silico studies which consist of virtual screening using an optimized pharmacophore model and molecular docking studies using Pyrx 0.98. Effects of the candidate compounds were evaluated using in vitro PCSK9-LDLR binding assays kit. Results Eleven natural compounds that bind to PCSK9 were virtually screened form HerbalDB database, including brazilin. Next, molecular docking studies using Pyrx 0.98 showed that brazilin had the highest binding affinity with PCSK9 at -9.0 (Kcal/mol), which was higher than that of the other ten compounds. Subsequent in vitro PCSK9-LDLR binding assays established that brazilin decreased the binding of PCSK9 to the EGF-A fragment of the LDLR in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 value of 2.19 μM. Conclusion We have identified brazilin, which is derived from the Caesalpinia sappan herb, which can act as a small molecule inhibitor of PCSK9. Our findings suggest that screening for small molecules that can block the interaction between PCSK9 and the LDLR in silico and in vitro may be a promising approach for developing novel lipid-lowering therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Iqbal
- Postgraduate Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, UI Depok Campus, Jakarta, West Java 16424, Indonesia
| | - Nur Hasanah
- Postgraduate Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, UI Depok Campus, Jakarta, West Java 16424, Indonesia
- Pharmacy Department, Widya Dharma Husada School of Health Science, South Tangerang, Banten 15417, Indonesia
| | - Aimee Detria Arianto
- Laboratory of Biomedical Computation and Drug Design, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, UI Depok Campus, Jakarta, West Java 16424, Indonesia
| | - Widya Dwi Aryati
- Laboratory of Biomedical Computation and Drug Design, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, UI Depok Campus, Jakarta, West Java 16424, Indonesia
| | - Meidi Utami Puteri
- Department of Pharmacology-Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, UI Depok Campus, Jakarta, West Java 16424, Indonesia
- National Metabolomics Collaborative Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, UI Depok Campus, Jakarta, West Java 16424, Indonesia
| | - Fadlina Chany Saputri
- Department of Pharmacology-Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, UI Depok Campus, Jakarta, West Java 16424, Indonesia
- National Metabolomics Collaborative Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, UI Depok Campus, Jakarta, West Java 16424, Indonesia
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Yang J, Cai Y, Zhao K, Xie H, Chen X. Concepts and applications of chemical fingerprint for hit and lead screening. Drug Discov Today 2022; 27:103356. [PMID: 36113834 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2022.103356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Molecular fingerprints are used to represent chemical (structural, physicochemical, etc.) properties of large-scale chemical sets in a low computational cost way. They have a prominent role in transforming chemical data sets into consistent input formats (bit strings or numeric values) suitable for in silico approaches. In this review, we summarize and classify common and state-of-the-art fingerprints into eight different types (dictionary based, circular, topological, pharmacophore, protein-ligand interaction, shape based, reinforced, and multi). We also highlight applications of fingerprints in early drug research and development (R&D). Thus, this review provides a guide for the selection of appropriate fingerprints of compounds (or ligand-protein complexes) for use in drug R&D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingbo Yang
- Department of Pharmagenomics, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 150081 Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Yiyang Cai
- Department of Pharmagenomics, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 150081 Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Kairui Zhao
- Department of Pharmagenomics, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 150081 Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Hongbo Xie
- Department of Pharmagenomics, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 150081 Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
| | - Xiujie Chen
- Department of Pharmagenomics, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, 150081 Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
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Kumar A, Zhang KYJ. Advances in the Development of Shape Similarity Methods and Their Application in Drug Discovery. Front Chem 2018; 6:315. [PMID: 30090808 PMCID: PMC6068280 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2018.00315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular similarity is a key concept in drug discovery. It is based on the assumption that structurally similar molecules frequently have similar properties. Assessment of similarity between small molecules has been highly effective in the discovery and development of various drugs. Especially, two-dimensional (2D) similarity approaches have been quite popular due to their simplicity, accuracy and efficiency. Recently, the focus has been shifted toward the development of methods involving the representation and comparison of three-dimensional (3D) conformation of small molecules. Among the 3D similarity methods, evaluation of shape similarity is now gaining attention for its application not only in virtual screening but also in molecular target prediction, drug repurposing and scaffold hopping. A wide range of methods have been developed to describe molecular shape and to determine the shape similarity between small molecules. The most widely used methods include atom distance-based methods, surface-based approaches such as spherical harmonics and 3D Zernike descriptors, atom-centered Gaussian overlay based representations. Several of these methods demonstrated excellent virtual screening performance not only retrospectively but also prospectively. In addition to methods assessing the similarity between small molecules, shape similarity approaches have been developed to compare shapes of protein structures and binding pockets. Additionally, shape comparisons between atomic models and 3D density maps allowed the fitting of atomic models into cryo-electron microscopy maps. This review aims to summarize the methodological advances in shape similarity assessment highlighting advantages, disadvantages and their application in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kam Y. J. Zhang
- Laboratory for Structural Bioinformatics, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan
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Dasari T, Kondagari B, Dulapalli R, Abdelmonsef AH, Mukkera T, Padmarao LS, Malkhed V, Vuruputuri U. Design of novel lead molecules against RhoG protein as cancer target - a computational study. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2016; 35:3119-3139. [PMID: 27691842 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2016.1244492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell growth. Every year more than 2 million people are affected by the disease. Rho family proteins are actively involved in cytoskeleton regulation. Over-expression of Rho family proteins show oncogenic activity and promote cancer progression. In the present work RhoG protein is considered as novel target of cancer. It is a member of Rho family and Rac subfamily protein, which plays pivotal role in regulation of microtubule formation, cell migration and contributes in cancer progression. In order to understand the binding interaction between RhoG protein and the DH domain of Ephexin-4 protein, the 3D structure of RhoG was evaluated and Molecular Dynamic Simulations was performed to stabilize the structure. The 3D structure of RhoG protein was validated and active site identified using standard computational protocols. Protein-protein docking of RhoG with Ephexin-4 was done to understand binding interactions and the active site structure. Virtual screening was carried out with ligand databases against the active site of RhoG protein. The efficiency of virtual screening is analysed with enrichment factor and area under curve values. The binding free energy of docked complexes was calculated using prime MM-GBSA module. The SASA, FOSA, FISA, PISA and PSA values of ligands were carried out. New ligands with high docking score, glide energy and acceptable ADME properties were prioritized as potential inhibitors of RhoG protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thirupathi Dasari
- a Department of Chemistry , University College of Science, Osmania University , Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007 , Telangana , India
| | - Bhargavi Kondagari
- a Department of Chemistry , University College of Science, Osmania University , Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007 , Telangana , India
| | - Ramasree Dulapalli
- a Department of Chemistry , University College of Science, Osmania University , Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007 , Telangana , India
| | - Aboubakr Haredi Abdelmonsef
- a Department of Chemistry , University College of Science, Osmania University , Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007 , Telangana , India
| | - Thirupathi Mukkera
- a Department of Chemistry , University College of Science, Osmania University , Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007 , Telangana , India
| | - Lavanya Souda Padmarao
- a Department of Chemistry , University College of Science, Osmania University , Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007 , Telangana , India
| | - Vasavi Malkhed
- b Department of Chemistry , University College of Science, Osmania University , Saifabad, Hyderabad 500004 , Telangana , India
| | - Uma Vuruputuri
- a Department of Chemistry , University College of Science, Osmania University , Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500007 , Telangana , India
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Hamza A, Wagner JM, Wei NN, Kwiatkowski S, Zhan CG, Watt DS, Korotkov KV. Application of the 4D fingerprint method with a robust scoring function for scaffold-hopping and drug repurposing strategies. J Chem Inf Model 2014; 54:2834-45. [PMID: 25229183 PMCID: PMC4210175 DOI: 10.1021/ci5003872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
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Two
factors contribute to the inefficiency associated with screening
pharmaceutical library collections as a means of identifying new drugs:
[1] the limited success of virtual screening (VS) methods in identifying
new scaffolds; [2] the limited accuracy of computational methods in
predicting off-target effects. We recently introduced a 3D shape-based
similarity algorithm of the SABRE program, which encodes a consensus
molecular shape pattern of a set of active ligands into a 4D fingerprint
descriptor. Here, we report a mathematical model for shape similarity
comparisons and ligand database filtering using this 4D fingerprint
method and benchmarked the scoring function HWK (Hamza–Wei–Korotkov),
using the 81 targets of the DEKOIS database. Subsequently, we applied
our combined 4D fingerprint and HWK scoring function
VS approach in scaffold-hopping and drug repurposing using the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) databases,
and we identified new inhibitors with different scaffolds of MycP1 protease from the mycobacterial ESX-1 secretion system. Experimental
evaluation of nine compounds from the NCI database and three from
the FDA database displayed IC50 values ranging from 70
to 100 μM against MycP1 and possessed high structural
diversity, which provides departure points for further structure–activity
relationship (SAR) optimization. In addition, this study demonstrates
that the combination of our 4D fingerprint algorithm and the HWK scoring function may provide a means for identifying
repurposed drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases and may
be used in the drug-target profile strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Hamza
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, ‡Center for Structural Biology, §Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, College of Pharmacy, ∥Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, and ⊥Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky , Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
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Hamza A, Wagner JM, Evans T, Frasinyuk MS, Kwiatkowski S, Zhan CG, Watt DS, Korotkov KV. Novel mycosin protease MycP₁ inhibitors identified by virtual screening and 4D fingerprints. J Chem Inf Model 2014; 54:1166-73. [PMID: 24628123 PMCID: PMC4010288 DOI: 10.1021/ci500025r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The rise of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis lends urgency to the need for new drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). The identification of a serine protease, mycosin protease-1 (MycP₁), as the crucial agent in hydrolyzing the virulence factor, ESX-secretion-associated protein B (EspB), potentially opens the door to new tuberculosis treatment options. Using the crystal structure of mycobacterial MycP₁ in the apo form, we performed an iterative ligand- and structure-based virtual screening (VS) strategy to identify novel, nonpeptide, small-molecule inhibitors against MycP₁ protease. Screening of ∼485,000 ligands from databases at the Genomics Research Institute (GRI) at the University of Cincinnati and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) using our VS approach, which integrated a pharmacophore model and consensus molecular shape patterns of active ligands (4D fingerprints), identified 81 putative inhibitors, and in vitro testing subsequently confirmed two of them as active inhibitors. Thereafter, the lead structures of each VS round were used to generate a new 4D fingerprint that enabled virtual rescreening of the chemical libraries. Finally, the iterative process identified a number of diverse scaffolds as lead compounds that were tested and found to have micromolar IC₅₀ values against the MycP₁ target. This study validated the efficiency of the SABRE 4D fingerprints as a means of identifying novel lead compounds in each screening round of the databases. Together, these results underscored the value of using a combination of in silico iterative ligand- and structure-based virtual screening of chemical libraries with experimental validation for the identification of promising structural scaffolds, such as the MycP₁ inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Hamza
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Jonathan M. Wagner
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Timothy
J. Evans
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Mykhaylo S. Frasinyuk
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Center
for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Institute
of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry, Kyiv-94, 02660, Ukraine
| | - Stefan Kwiatkowski
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Center
for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Chang-Guo Zhan
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Center
for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - David S. Watt
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Center
for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Konstantin V. Korotkov
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
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