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Balkrishna A, Sharma Y, Dabas S, Arya V, Dabas A. Molecular Mechanism of Cynodon dactylon Phytosterols Targeting MAPK3 and PARP1 to Combat Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Multifaceted Computational Approach. Cell Biochem Biophys 2024; 82:2625-2650. [PMID: 38961033 DOI: 10.1007/s12013-024-01375-w] [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] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) presents a global health concern, necessitating the development of innovative therapeutic strategies to combat its impact. This study was employed to investigate the unexplored therapeutic efficacy of Cynodon dactylon phytochemicals against EOC using a multifaceted computational approach. A total of 19 out of 89 rigorously curated phytochemicals were assessed as potential drug targets via ADMET profiling, while protein-protein interaction analysis scrutinized the top 20 hub genes among 264 disease targets, revealing their involvement in cancer-related pathways and underscoring their significance in EOC pathogenesis. In molecular docking, Stigmasterol acetate showed the highest binding affinity (-10.9 kcal/mol) with Poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase-1 (PDB: 1UK1), while Arundoin and Beta-Sitosterol exhibited strong affinities (-10.4 kcal/mol and -10.1 kcal/mol, respectively); additionally, Beta-Sitosterol interacting with Mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (PDB: 4QTB) showed a binding affinity of -10.1 kcal/mol, forming 2 hydrogen bonds and a total of 10 bonds with 10 residues. Molecular dynamics simulations exhibited the significant structural stability of the Beta-Sitosterol-4QTB complex with superior binding free energy (-36.61 kcal/mol) among the three complexes. This study identified C. dactylon phytosterols, particularly Beta-Sitosterol, as effective in targeting MAPK3 and PARP1 to combat EOC, laying the groundwork for further experimental validation and drug development efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Acharya Balkrishna
- Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Foundation, Haridwar, 249405, Uttarakhand, India
- University of Patanjali, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar, 249405, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Yoganshi Sharma
- Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Foundation, Haridwar, 249405, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Shakshi Dabas
- Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Foundation, Haridwar, 249405, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Vedpriya Arya
- Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Foundation, Haridwar, 249405, Uttarakhand, India
- University of Patanjali, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar, 249405, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Anurag Dabas
- Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Foundation, Haridwar, 249405, Uttarakhand, India.
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Gattan HS, Al-Ahmadi BM, Shater AF, Saeedi NH, Alruhaili MH. Structural exploration of the PfBLM Helicase-ATP Binding Domain and implications in the quest for antimalarial therapies. J Vector Borne Dis 2024; 61:389-399. [PMID: 38287768 DOI: 10.4103/jvbd.jvbd_176_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES The battle against malaria has witnessed remarkable progress in recent years, characterized by increased funding, development of life-saving tools, and a significant reduction in disease prevalence. Yet, the formidable challenge of drug resistance persists, threatening to undo these gains. METHODS To tackle this issue, it is imperative to identify new effective drug candidates against the malaria parasite that exhibit minimal toxicity. This study focuses on discovering such candidates by targeting PfRecQ1, also known as PfBLM, a vital protein within the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum . PfRecQ1 plays a crucial role in the parasite's life cycle and DNA repair processes, making it an attractive drug development target. The study employs advanced computational techniques, including molecular modeling, structure-based virtual screening (SBVS), ADMET profiling, molecular docking, and dynamic simulations. RESULTS The study sources ligand molecules from the extensive MCULE database and utilizes strict filters to ensure that the compounds meet essential criteria. Through these techniques, the research identifies MCULE-3763806507-0-9 as a promising antimalarial drug candidate, surpassing the binding affinity of potential antimalarial drugs. However, it is essential to underscore that drug-like properties are primarily based on in silico experiments, and wet lab experiments are necessary to validate these candidates' therapeutic potential. INTERPRETATION CONCLUSION This study represents a critical step in addressing the challenge of drug resistance in the fight against malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hattan S Gattan
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahad Medical Research center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bassam M Al-Ahmadi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Taibah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah F Shater
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences. University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Nizar H Saeedi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed H Alruhaili
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, King AbdulAziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahad Medical Research center, King AbdulAziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Balkrishna A, Sharma D, Thapliyal M, Arya V, Dabas A. Unraveling the therapeutic potential of Senna singueana phytochemicals to attenuate pancreatic cancer using protein-protein interactions, molecular docking, and MD simulation. In Silico Pharmacol 2023; 12:3. [PMID: 38108042 PMCID: PMC10719185 DOI: 10.1007/s40203-023-00179-9] [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: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) presents challenges due to limited treatment options and patients seek complementary therapies alongside conventional treatments to improve well-being. This study uses computational drug discovery approaches to find potential phytochemicals from S. singueana for PC treatment. Among the 38 phytochemicals screened from S. singueana, specific inhibitors against PC were selected. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis highlighted key targets with high degrees, including PTEN (8) and PTK2 (7) genes, along with their respective proteins 5BZX and 3BZ3, which were employed for molecular docking studies. 1-methylchrysene and 3-methyl-1,8,9-anthracenetriol showed strong binding affinities of - 9.2 and - 8.1 Kcal/mol, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations lasting 300 ns assessed structural stability and interaction energy of compound-target dockings: 1-methylchrysene-PTEN and 3-methyl-1,8,9-anthracenetriol-PTK2. In molecular dynamics simulations, the 3-methyl-1,8,9-anthracenetriol-PTK2 complex showed lower RMSD, RMSF, radius of gyration, solvent-accessible surface area, and more hydrogen bonds than the 1-methylchrysene-PTEN complex. The 3-methyl-1,8,9-anthracenetriol-PTK2 complex exhibited significantly stronger binding with a binding free energy (ΔG) of - 21.92 kcal/mol compared to the less favourable ΔG of - 10.65 kcal/mol for the 1-methylchrysene-PTEN complex. The consistent and stable binding interaction observed in the 3-methyl-1,8,9-anthracenetriol-PTK2 complex highlights its potential as a potent inhibitor of Focal Adhesion Kinase 1. Consequently, it emerges as a promising lead compound for the development of pancreatic cancer therapeutics. Conversely, the fluctuations observed in the 1-methylchrysene-PTEN complex indicate a less stable binding interaction. This indicates the potential of 3-methyl-1,8,9-anthracenetriol as a primary candidate for pancreatic cancer treatment. These findings improve our grasp of S. singueana's multi-target effects and its promise in addressing pancreatic cancer. Nevertheless, additional in-vivo and in-vitro studies are required to validate their effectiveness and therapeutic potential. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40203-023-00179-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Acharya Balkrishna
- Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Institute, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249405 India
- University of Patanjali, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249405 India
| | - Darshita Sharma
- Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Institute, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249405 India
| | - Manisha Thapliyal
- Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Institute, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249405 India
| | - Vedpriya Arya
- Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Institute, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249405 India
- University of Patanjali, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249405 India
| | - Anurag Dabas
- Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Institute, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249405 India
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Haq KU, Sa'adah NL, Siswanto I, Suwito H. Bioactivity of dihydropyrimidinone derivatives as inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2): an in silico approach. RSC Adv 2023; 13:34348-34357. [PMID: 38024961 PMCID: PMC10665647 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra05942a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an enzyme involved in inflammation. The overexpression of COX-2 causes chronic inflammation, which can be prevented by COX-2 inhibitors. Generally, COX-2 inhibitors possess a carboxyl group and an aromatic ring in their molecular structure. These moieties are involved in the interaction with the active site of COX-2, thus playing a pivotal role in the inhibitory activity. Regarding the requisite molecular structure of COX-2 inhibitors, derivatives of dihydropyrimidinone (DHPM) are ideal candidates to be explored as COX-2 inhibitors, due to the ease of synthesis and their versatility to be transformed chemically. In this study, we prepared a novel small library consisting of 288 designed DHPM derivatives by varying the constituent components. The selection criteria of potential candidates for the COX-2 inhibitor of the data bank involve in silico studies via molecular docking investigations, prediction of ADMET and druglikeness, as well as molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Molecular docking served as the initial step of selection, based on the comparison of grid score, docking pose, and interactions with those of lumiracoxib (LUR) as the original ligand of COX-2. The next criteria of selection were scores obtained from the ADMET and druglikeness by comparing the designed candidates with COX-2 inhibitors that were already marketed. Compound RDUE2 and SDT29 were the most potential candidates, which were further analyzed using the MD simulation. The results of the MD simulation indicated that RDUE2 and SDT29 interacted stably with amino acid residues on the active site of COX-2. The estimation of binding free energy indicated that SDT29 exhibited an inhibitory activity comparable to that of LUR, whereas RDUE2 showed a lower inhibitory activity than that of SDT29 and LUR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kautsar Ul Haq
- Bioinformatic Division, University CoE-Research Center for Bio-Molecule Engineering (BIOME), Airlangga University Surabaya 60115 Indonesia
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Airlangga University Surabaya 60115 Indonesia
| | - Nur Lailatus Sa'adah
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Airlangga University Surabaya 60115 Indonesia
| | - Imam Siswanto
- Bioinformatic Division, University CoE-Research Center for Bio-Molecule Engineering (BIOME), Airlangga University Surabaya 60115 Indonesia
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Airlangga University Surabaya 60115 Indonesia
| | - Hery Suwito
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Airlangga University Surabaya 60115 Indonesia
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Rehman ZU, Najmi A. Exploring EGFR inhibitors with the aid of virtual screening, docking, and dynamics simulation studies. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-21. [PMID: 37707987 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2256887] [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: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
In humans, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is linked to small-cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and glioblastoma. Receptor kinase inhibitors against EGFR have become a standard treatment option for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), breast cancer patients, and even for those with EGFR mutations or resistance. About 2734 FDA-approved medication compounds were subjected to virtual screening for EGFR kinase inhibitory activity. The top 30 molecules were chosen based on the binding affinity scores and subjected to extra-precision docking and binding free energy analysis. The ADMET profile of the top three hit molecules was verified to confirm their druggability nature. Top three hits- compound 1047 (ZINC000001550477), 1302 (ZINC00003781952), and 2332 (ZINC000019632618) were identified on account of their MMGBSA binding affinity values. The top three hit compounds were subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulation for 100 ns. The dynamic nature of the ligand-protein complex was analyzed which corroborated the results of molecular docking and MMGBSA analysis studies. All the top three hits were further subjected to steered MD studies for testing the strength of these ligand-receptor binding in the presence of an external force. Compound 2332 (ZINC000019632618) was identified as the best hit molecule that can be used as a lead to develop newer derivatives of EGFR kinase inhibitors.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zia Ur Rehman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Asim Najmi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
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Erdoğan M, Comert Onder F. Synthesis, anticancer activity and molecular modeling study of novel substituted triazole linked tetrafluoronaphthalene hybrid derivatives. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-20. [PMID: 37676264 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2252914] [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: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
To create some novel anticancer molecules, a library of novel series of various triazoles linked to the hydroxyl group of 5,6,7,8-tetrafluoronaphthalen-1-ol (3) was designed and synthesized via CuAAC reaction 'Click Chemistry' of tetrafluoronaphthalene based terminal alkyne with substituted organic azides. The structural characterizations of the targeted Click products 9-18 were confirmed by FTIR, 1H NMR, 19F NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS spectroscopy. Synthesized compounds were tested in two triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines to understand their anticancer potentials. According to our findings, compounds 14 and 13 showed high cytotoxicity in BT549 cells at 20 μM and 30 μM, respectively. Moreover, these compounds blocked the migration of BT549 cells. In the MDA-MB-231 cell line, compound 18 exhibited high cytotoxicity and can block cell migration for 24 h. Molecular docking study with synthesized novel compounds was performed by Glide/SP method against SphK1 drug target. Furthermore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was carried out for the compounds 12-14 and 18. The compounds 13 and 14 may be potential inhibitor candidates in place of a reference inhibitor. A pharmacophore model was generated with the most potent compound 14, and the approved drugs were screened using the modules of Discovery Studio to find similar drugs. Consequently, this comprehensive study encompassing design, synthesis, in vitro and in silico analyses were correlated with the structure-activity relationship between compounds. The findings have the potential to unveil promising drug candidates for future studies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Musa Erdoğan
- Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Kafkas University, Kars, Türkiye
| | - Ferah Comert Onder
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Türkiye
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Shahwan M, Hassan N, Ashames A, Alrouji M, Alhumaydhi F, Al Abdulmonem W, Muhsinah AB, Furkan M, Khan RH, Shamsi A, Atiya A. PF543-like compound, a promising sphingosine kinase 1 inhibitor: Structure-based virtual screening and molecular dynamic simulation approaches. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 245:125466. [PMID: 37348582 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) has been widely recognized as a significant contributor to various types of cancer, including breast, lung, prostate, and hematological cancers. This research aimed to find a potential SphK1 inhibitor through a step-by-step virtual screening of PF543 (a known SphK1 inhibitor)-like compounds obtained from the PubChem library with the Tanimoto threshold of 80 %. The virtual screening process included several steps, namely physicochemical and ADMET evaluation, PAINS filtering, and molecular docking, followed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that compound CID:58293960 ((3R)-1,1-dioxo-2-[[3-[(4-phenylphenoxy)methyl]phenyl]methyl]-1,2-thiazolidine-3-carboxylic acid) demonstrated high potential as SphK1 inhibitor. All-atom MD simulations were performed for 100 ns to evaluate the stability and structural changes of the docked complexes in an aqueous environment. The analysis of the time evolution data of structural deviations, compactness, PCA, and free energy landscape (FEL) indicated that the binding of CID:58293960 with SphK1 is relatively stable throughout the simulation. The results of this study provide a platform for the discovery and development of new anticancer therapeutics targeting SphK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moyad Shahwan
- Center of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research (CMBHSR), Ajman University, Ajman, P.O. Box 346, United Arab Emirates; Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Ajman University, Ajman, P.O. Box 346, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nageeb Hassan
- Center of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research (CMBHSR), Ajman University, Ajman, P.O. Box 346, United Arab Emirates; Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Ajman University, Ajman, P.O. Box 346, United Arab Emirates
| | - Akram Ashames
- Center of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research (CMBHSR), Ajman University, Ajman, P.O. Box 346, United Arab Emirates; Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Ajman University, Ajman, P.O. Box 346, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohammed Alrouji
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Shaqra University, Shaqra 11961, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Fahad Alhumaydhi
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 52571, Saudi Arabia
| | - Waleed Al Abdulmonem
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, P.O. Box 6655, Buraidah 51452, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullatif Bin Muhsinah
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University (KKU), Guraiger St., Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia; Complementary and Alternative Medicine Unit, King Khalid University (KKU), Guraiger St., Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad Furkan
- Department of Biochemistry, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
| | - Rizwan Hasan Khan
- Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
| | - Anas Shamsi
- Center of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research (CMBHSR), Ajman University, Ajman, P.O. Box 346, United Arab Emirates.
| | - Akhtar Atiya
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine Unit, King Khalid University (KKU), Guraiger St., Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia.
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Liu J, Zhao HL, He L, Yu RL, Kang CM. Discovery and design of dual inhibitors targeting Sphk1 and Sirt1. J Mol Model 2023; 29:141. [PMID: 37059848 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-023-05551-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Leukaemia has become a serious threat to human health. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been developed as targets for the remedy of leukaemia, drug resistance occurs. Research demonstrated that the simultaneous targeting of sphingosine kinase 1 (Sphk1) and Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) can downregulate myeloid cell leukaemia-1 (MCL-1), overcome the resistance of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and play a synergistic inhibitory impact on leukaemia treatment. METHODS In this study, virtual screening of 7.06 million small molecules was done by sphingosine kinase 1 and Sirtuin 1 pharmacophore models using Schrödinger version 2019; after that, ADME and Toxicity molecule properties were predicted using Discovery Studio. Molecular docking using Schrödinger selected five molecules, which have the best binding affinity with sphingosine kinase 1 and Sirtuin 1. The five molecules and reference inhibitors were constructed with a total of 12 systems with GROMACS that carried out 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation and molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) calculation. Due to compound 3 has the lowest binding energy, its structure was modified. A series of compounds docked with sphingosine kinase 1 and Sirtuin 1, respectively. Among them, QST-LC03, QST-LD05, QST-LE03, and QST-LE04 have the better binding affinity than reference inhibitors. Moreover, the SwissADME and PASS platforms predict that 1, 3, QST-LC03, and QST-LE04 have further study value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Liu
- School of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China
| | - Hui-Lin Zhao
- School of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China
| | - Lei He
- School of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China
| | - Ri-Lei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Cong-Min Kang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China.
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Sultan A, Ali R, Ishrat R, Ali S. Anti-HIV and anti-HCV small molecule protease inhibitors in-silico repurposing against SARS-CoV-2 M pro for the treatment of COVID-19. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 40:12848-12862. [PMID: 34569411 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1979097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is a global health emergency warranting development and implementation of targeted treatment. The enzyme main protease (Mpro; also known as 3C-like protease) is emerging as an attractive drug target. This enzyme plays an indispensable role in processing the translated polyproteins of viral RNA. Inhibiting the activity of Mpro would wedge viral replication. To facilitate the discovery of targeted therapy for COVID-19, we carried out the structure-assisted repurposing of existing protease inhibiting small molecules to target SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Based on the structure of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, here we report the small drug molecule namely saquinavir as its potent inhibitor. Findings support the premise that this promising antiviral protease inhibiting small drug molecule can be validated and implemented for the treatment and clinical management of COVID-19 pandemic disease.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armiya Sultan
- Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi, India
| | - Rafat Ali
- Computational Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi, India
| | - Romana Ishrat
- Computational Laboratory, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi, India
| | - Sher Ali
- Department of Life Sciences, Sharda University, Greater Noida, UP, India
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Jamal QMS, Alharbi AH. Molecular docking and dynamics studies of cigarette smoke carcinogens interacting with acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes of the central nervous system. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:61972-61992. [PMID: 34382170 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15269-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The free radicals produced by cigarette smoking are responsible for tissue damage, heart and lung diseases, and carcinogenesis. The effect of tobacco on the central nervous system (CNS) has received increased attention nowadays in research. Therefore, to explore the molecular interaction of cigarette smoke carcinogens (CSC) 4-(methylnitrosamine)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), 4-(methylnitrosamine)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), and N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) with well-known targets of CNS-related disorders, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) enzymes, a cascade of the computational study was conducted including molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations (MDS). The investigated results of NNAL+AChEcomplex, NNK+AChEcomplex, and NNK+BuChEcomplex based on intermolecular energies (∆G) were found to -8.57 kcal/mol, -8.21 kcal/mol, and -8.08 kcal/mol, respectively. MDS deviation and fluctuation plots of the NNAL and NNK interaction with AChE and BuChE have shown significant results. Further, Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) results shown the best total binding energy (Binding∆G) -87.381 (+/-13.119) kJ/mol during NNK interaction with AChE. Our study suggests that CSC is well capable of altering the normal biomolecular mechanism of CNS; thus, obtained data could be useful to design extensive wet laboratory experimentation to know the effects of CSC on human CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qazi Mohammad Sajid Jamal
- Department of Health Informatics, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, Qassim University, Al Bukayriyah, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Ali H Alharbi
- Department of Health Informatics, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, Qassim University, Al Bukayriyah, Saudi Arabia
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Khan MKA, Ahmad S, Rabbani G, Shahab U, Khan MS. Target-based virtual screening, computational multiscoring docking and molecular dynamics simulation of small molecules as promising drug candidate affecting kinesin-like protein KIFC1. Cell Biochem Funct 2022; 40:451-472. [PMID: 35758564 DOI: 10.1002/cbf.3707] [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: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The kinesin family member C1 (KIFC1) is an essential protein that facilitates the bipolar division of neoplastic cells. Inhibiting KIFC1 by small molecules is a lucrative strategy to impede bipolar mitosis leading to the apoptosis of cancerous cells. The research aims to envisage small-molecule inhibitors targeting KIFC1. The Mcule database, a comprehensive online digital platform containing more than five million chemical compounds, was used for structure-based virtual screening (SBVS). Druglikeness filtration sifted 2,293,282 chemical hits that further narrowed down to 49 molecules after toxicity profiling. Finally, 39 compounds that comply with the BOILED-Egg permeation predictive model of the ADME rules were carried forward for multiscoring docking using the AutoDock Vina inbuilt to Mcule drug discovery platform, DockThor and SwissDock tools. The mean of ΔG terms produced by docking tools was computed to find consensus top ligand hits. AZ82 exhibited stronger binding (Consensus ΔG: -7.99 kcal mol-1 ) with KIFC1 among reference inhibitors, for example, CW069 (-7.57 kcal mol-1 ) and SR31527 (-7.01 kcal mol-1 ). Ten ligand hits namely, Mcule-4895338547 (Consensus ΔG: -8.69 kcal mol-1 ), Mcule-7035674888 (-8.42 kcal mol-1 ), Mcule-5531166845 (-8.53 kcal mol-1 ), Mcule-3248415882 (-8.55 kcal mol-1 ), Mcule-291881733 (-8.41 kcal mol-1 ), Mcule-5918624394 (-8.44), Mcule-3470115427 (-8.47), Mcule-3686193135 (-8.18 kcal mol-1 ), Mcule-3955355291 (8.09 kcal mol-1 ) and Mcule-9534899193 (-8.01 kcal mol-1 ) depicted strong binding interactions with KIFC1 in comparison to potential reference inhibitor AZ82. The top four ligands and AZ82 were considered for molecular dynamics simulation of 50 ns duration. Toxicity profiling, physicochemical properties, lipophilicity, solubility, pharmacokinetics, druglikeness, medicinal chemistry attributes, average potential energy, RMSD, RMSF, SASA, ΔGsolv and Rg analyses forecast the ligand mcule-4895338547 as a promising inhibitor of KIFC1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saheem Ahmad
- Department of Biosciences, Integral University, Lucknow, India
| | - Gulam Rabbani
- Nano Diagnostics & Devices (NDD), IT Medical Fusion Center, Gumi-si, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Uzma Shahab
- Department of Biotechnology, KMC Language University, Lucknow, India
| | - Mohd Shahnawaz Khan
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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12
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Abstract
It has been estimated that nearly 80% of anticancer drug-treated patients receive potentially nephrotoxic drugs, while the kidneys play a central role in the excretion of anticancer drugs. Nephrotoxicity has long been a serious complication that hampers the effectiveness of cancer treatment and continues to influence both mortality and length of hospitalization among cancer patients exposed to either conventional cytotoxic agents or targeted therapies. Kidney injury arising from anticancer drugs tends to be associated with preexisting comorbidities, advanced cancer stage, and the use of concomitant non-chemotherapeutic nephrotoxic drugs. Despite the prevalence and impact of kidney injury on therapeutic outcomes, the field is sorely lacking in an understanding of the mechanisms driving cancer drug-induced renal pathophysiology, resulting in quite limited and largely ineffective management of anticancer drug-induced nephrotoxicity. Consequently, there is a clear imperative for understanding the basis for nephrotoxic manifestations of anticancer agents for the successful management of kidney injury by these drugs. This article provides an overview of current preclinical research on the nephrotoxicity of cancer treatments and highlights prospective approaches to mitigate cancer therapy-related renal toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoling Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Dengpiao Xie
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - David A Gewirtz
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Ningjun Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States.
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13
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Ali F, Manzoor U, Khan FI, Lai D, Khan MKA, Chandrashekharaiah KS, Singh LR, Dar TA. Effect of polyol osmolytes on the structure-function integrity and aggregation propensity of catalase: A comprehensive study based on spectroscopic and molecular dynamic simulation measurements. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 209:198-210. [PMID: 35395280 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Owing to the ability of catalase to function under oxidative stress vis-à-vis its industrial importance, the structure-function integrity of the enzyme is of prime concern. In the present study, polyols (glycerol, sorbitol, sucrose, xylitol), were evaluated for their ability to modulate structure, activity and aggregation of catalase using in vitro and in silico approaches. All polyols increased catalase activity by decreasing Km and increasing Vmax resulting in enhanced catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of the enzyme, with glycerol being the most efficient with a kcat/Km increase from 4.38 × 104 mM-1 S-1 (control) to 5.8 × 105 mM-1 S-1. Correlatively with this, enhanced secondary structure with reduced hydrophobic exposure was observed in all polyols. Furthermore, increased stability, with an increase in melting temperature by 15.2 °C, and almost no aggregation was observed in glycerol. Overall, ability to regulate structure-function integrity and aggregation propensity was highest for glycerol and lowest for xylitol. Simulation studies were performed involving structural dynamics measurements, principal component analysis and free energy landscape analysis. Altogether, all polyols were stabilizing in nature and glycerol, in particular, has potential to efficiently prevent not only the antioxidant defense system but also might serve as a stability aid during industrial processing of catalase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fasil Ali
- Department of Studies and Research in Biochemistry, Jnana Kaveri Campus, Mangalore University, Karnataka 571232, India
| | - Usma Manzoor
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Faez Iqbal Khan
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
| | - Dakun Lai
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Md Khurshid A Khan
- School of Life Sciences, B. S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Vandalur, Chennai 600 048, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - K S Chandrashekharaiah
- Department of Studies and Research in Biochemistry, Jnana Kaveri Campus, Mangalore University, Karnataka 571232, India
| | | | - Tanveer Ali Dar
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
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14
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Mehmood A, Nawab S, Wang Y, Chandra Kaushik A, Wei DQ. Discovering potent inhibitors against the Mpro of the SARS-CoV-2. A medicinal chemistry approach. Comput Biol Med 2022; 143:105235. [PMID: 35123137 PMCID: PMC8789387 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The global pandemic caused by a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) virus known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still at its peak, with new cases being reported daily. Although the vaccines have been administered on a massive scale, the frequent mutations in the viral gene and resilience of the future strains could be more problematic. Therefore, new compounds are always needed to be available for therapeutic approaches. We carried out the present study to discover potential drug compounds against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro). A total of 16,000 drug-like small molecules from the ChemBridge database were virtually screened to obtain the top hits. As a result, 1032 hits were selected based on their docking scores. Next, these structures were prepared for molecular docking, and each small molecule was docked into the active site of the Mpro. Only compounds with solid interactions with the active site residues and the highest docking score were subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The post-simulation analyses were carried out using the in-built GROMACS tools to gauge the stability, flexibility, and compactness. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hydrogen bonding were also calculated to observe trends and affinity of the drugs towards the target. Among the five top compounds, C1, C3, and C6 revealed strong interaction with the target's active site and remained highly stable throughout the simulation. We believe the predicted compounds in this study could be potential inhibitors in the natural system and can be utilized in designing therapeutic strategies against the SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aamir Mehmood
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China; Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Sadia Nawab
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, PR China
| | - Yanjing Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody , School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
| | - Aman Chandra Kaushik
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China
| | - Dong-Qing Wei
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China; Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
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15
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Khan FI, Rehman MT, Sameena F, Hussain T, AlAjmi MF, Lai D, Khan MKA. Investigating the binding mechanism of topiramate with bovine serum albumin using spectroscopic and computational methods. J Mol Recognit 2022; 35:e2958. [PMID: 35347772 DOI: 10.1002/jmr.2958] [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: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Various spectroscopic techniques involving fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), and computational approaches were used to elucidate the molecular aspects of interaction between the antiepileptic drug topiramate and the multifunctional transport protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) under physiological conditions. Topiramate quenched BSA fluorescence in a static quenching mode, according to the Stern-Volmer quenching constant (Ksv ) data derived from fluorescence spectroscopy for the topiramate-BSA complex. The binding constant was also used to calculate the binding affinity for the topiramate-BSA interaction. Fluorescence and circular dichroism experiments demonstrate that the protein's tertiary structure is affected by the microenvironmental alterations generated by topiramate binding to BSA. To establish the exact binding site, interacting residues, and interaction forces involved in the binding of topiramate to BSA, molecular modeling and simulation approaches were used. According to the MMPBSA calculations, the average binding energy between topiramate and BSA is -421.05 kJ/mol. Topiramate was discovered to have substantial interactions with BSA, changing the structural dynamic and Gibbs free energy landscape patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faez Iqbal Khan
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Md Tabish Rehman
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fathima Sameena
- School of Life Sciences, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and technology, GST Road, Vandalur, Chennai
| | - Tabish Hussain
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mohamed F AlAjmi
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dakun Lai
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Md Khurshid Alam Khan
- School of Life Sciences, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and technology, GST Road, Vandalur, Chennai
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16
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Khan FI, Lobb KA, Lai D. The Molecular Basis of the Effect of Temperature on the Structure and Function of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:794960. [PMID: 35463957 PMCID: PMC9019816 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.794960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The remarkable rise of the current COVID-19 pandemic to every part of the globe has raised key concerns for the current public healthcare system. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 shows an important part in the cell membrane fusion and receptor recognition. It is a key target for vaccine production. Several researchers studied the nature of this protein under various environmental conditions. In this work, we applied molecular modeling and extensive molecular dynamics simulation approaches at 0°C (273.15 K), 20°C (293.15 K), 40°C (313.15 K), and 60°C (333.15 K) to study the detailed conformational alterations in the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Our aim is to understand the influence of temperatures on the structure, function, and dynamics of the S protein of SARS-CoV-2. The structural deviations, and atomic and residual fluctuations were least at low (0°C) and high (60°C) temperature. Even the internal residues of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein are not accessible to solvent at high temperature. Furthermore, there was no unfolding of SARS-CoV-2 spike S reported at higher temperature. The most stable conformations of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein were reported at 20°C, but the free energy minimum region of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein was sharper at 40°C than other temperatures. Our findings revealed that higher temperatures have little or no influence on the stability and folding of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faez Iqbal Khan
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Kevin A. Lobb
- Department of Chemistry, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
- *Correspondence: Dakun Lai, ; Kevin A. Lobb,
| | - Dakun Lai
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Dakun Lai, ; Kevin A. Lobb,
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17
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Khan FI, Hassan F, Lai D. In Silico Studies on Psilocybin Drug Derivatives Against SARS-CoV-2 and Cytokine Storm of Human Interleukin-6 Receptor. Front Immunol 2022; 12:794780. [PMID: 35095870 PMCID: PMC8796858 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.794780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Various metabolites identified with therapeutic mushrooms have been found from different sources and are known to have antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer properties. Over thousands soil growth-based mushroom metabolites have been discovered, and utilized worldwide to combat malignancy. In this study, psilocybin-mushroom that contains the psychedelic compounds such as psilacetin, psilocin, and psilocybine were screened and found to be inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mprotease. It has been found that psilacetin, psilocin, and psilocybine bind to Mprotease with −6.0, −5.4, and −5.8 kcal/mol, respectively. Additionally, the psilacetin was found to inhibit human interleukin-6 receptors to reduce cytokine storm. The binding of psilacetin to Mprotease of SARS-CoV-2 and human interleukin-6 receptors changes the structural dynamics and Gibbs free energy patterns of proteins. These results suggested that psilocybin-mushroom could be utilized as viable potential chemotherapeutic agents for SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faez Iqbal Khan
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Fakhrul Hassan
- Faculty of Rehabilitation and Allied Health Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Dakun Lai
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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18
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Lee C, Chen Y, Hernandez E, Pong R, Ma S, Hofstad M, Kapur P, Zhau H, Chung LWK, Lai C, Lin H, Lee M, Raj GV, Hsieh J. The central role of Sphingosine kinase 1 in the development of neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC): A new targeted therapy of NEPC. Clin Transl Med 2022; 12:e695. [PMID: 35184376 PMCID: PMC8858611 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is often diagnosed as a sub-type from the castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) recurred from the second generation of anti-androgen treatment and is a rapidly progressive fatal disease. The molecular mechanisms underlying the trans-differentiation from CRPC to NEPC are not fully characterized, which hampers the development of effective targeted therapy. METHODS Bioinformatic analyses were conducted to determine the clinical correlation of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) in CRPC progression. To investigate the transcriptional regulation SphK1 and neuroendocrine (NE) transcription factor genes, both chromosome immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter gene assays were performed. To demonstrate the role of SphK1 in NEPC development, neurosphere assay was carried out along with several biomarkers determined by quantitative PCR and western blot. Furthermore, in vivo NEPC xenograft models and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model were employed to determine the effect of SphK1 inhibitors and target validation. RESULTS Significant prevalence of SphK1 in NEPC development is observed from clinical datasets. SphK1 is transcriptionally repressed by androgen receptor-RE1-silencing transcription factor (REST) complex. Furthermore, sphingosine 1-phosphate produced by SphK1 can modulate REST protein turnover via MAPK signaling pathway. Also, decreased REST protein levels enhance the expression of NE markers in CRPC, enabling the transition to NEPC. Finally, specific SphK1 inhibitors can effectively inhibit the growth of NEPC tumors and block the REST protein degradation in PDX. CONCLUSIONS SphK1 plays a central role in NEPC development, which offers a new target for this lethal cancer using clinically approved SphK1 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng‐Fan Lee
- Department of UrologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyCollege of MedicineNational Taiwan UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Yu‐An Chen
- Department of UrologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Elizabeth Hernandez
- Department of UrologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Rey‐Chen Pong
- Department of UrologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Shihong Ma
- Department of UrologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Mia Hofstad
- Department of UrologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Payal Kapur
- Urology and PathologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Haiyen Zhau
- Uro‐Oncology ResearchDepartment of MedicineCedars‐Sinai Medical CenterLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Leland WK Chung
- Uro‐Oncology ResearchDepartment of MedicineCedars‐Sinai Medical CenterLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Chih‐Ho Lai
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyGraduate Institute of Biomedical SciencesCollege of MedicineChang Gung UniversityTaoyuanTaiwan
| | - Ho Lin
- Department of Life SciencesNational Chung Hsing UniversityTaichungTaiwan
| | - Ming‐Shyue Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyCollege of MedicineNational Taiwan UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Ganesh V Raj
- Department of UrologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Jer‐Tsong Hsieh
- Department of UrologyUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
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19
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Bu Y, Wu H, Deng R, Wang Y. Therapeutic Potential of SphK1 Inhibitors Based on Abnormal Expression of SphK1 in Inflammatory Immune Related-Diseases. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:733387. [PMID: 34737701 PMCID: PMC8560647 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.733387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Sphingosine kinase 1(SphK1) a key enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of sphingosine (Sph) to sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), so as to maintain the dynamic balance of sphingolipid-rheostat in cells and participate in cell growth and death, proliferation and migration, vasoconstriction and remodeling, inflammation and metabolism. The normal expression of SphK1 maintains the balance of physiological and pathological states, which is reflected in the regulation of inflammatory factor secretion, immune response in traditional immune cells and non-traditional immune cells, and complex signal transduction. However, abnormal SphK1 expression and activity are found in various inflammatory and immune related-diseases, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. In view of the therapeutic potential of regulating SphK1 and its signal, the current research is aimed at SphK1 inhibitors, such as SphK1 selective inhibitors and dual SphK1/2 inhibitor, and other compounds with inhibitory potency. This review explores the regulatory role of over-expressed SphK1 in inflammatory and immune related-diseases, and investigate the latest progress of SphK1 inhibitors and the improvement of disease or pathological state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhong Bu
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, China.,College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Formula, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Research and Development of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
| | - Hong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, China.,College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Formula, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Research and Development of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
| | - Ran Deng
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, China.,College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Formula, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Research and Development of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, China.,College of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Formula, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Research and Development of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
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20
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Khan FI, Kang T, Ali H, Lai D. Remdesivir Strongly Binds to RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase, Membrane Protein, and Main Protease of SARS-CoV-2: Indication From Molecular Modeling and Simulations. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:710778. [PMID: 34305617 PMCID: PMC8293383 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.710778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of new drugs is a time-taking and expensive process. Comprehensive efforts are being made globally toward the search of therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. Several drugs such as remdesivir, favipiravir, ritonavir, and lopinavir have been included in the treatment regimen and shown effective results in several cases. Among the existing broad-spectrum antiviral drugs, remdesivir is found to be more effective against SARS-CoV-2. Remdesivir has broad-spectrum antiviral action against many single-stranded RNA viruses including pathogenic SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). In this study, we proposed that remdesivir strongly binds to membrane protein (Mprotein), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDRP), and main protease (Mprotease) of SARS-CoV-2. It might show antiviral activity by inhibiting more than one target. It has been found that remdesivir binds to Mprotease, Mprotein, and RDRP with -7.8, -7.4, and -7.1 kcal/mol, respectively. The structure dynamics study suggested that binding of remdesivir leads to unfolding of RDRP. It has been found that strong binding of remdesivir to Mprotein leads to decrease in structural deviations and gyrations. Additionally, the average solvent-accessible surface area of Mprotein decreases from 127.17 to 112.12 nm2, respectively. Furthermore, the eigenvalues and the trace of the covariance matrix were found to be low in case of Mprotease-remdesivir, Mprotein-remdesivir, and RDRP-remdesivir. Binding of remdesivir to Mprotease, Mprotein, and RDRP reduces the average motions in protein due to its strong binding. The MMPBSA calculations also suggested that remdesivir has strong binding affinity with Mprotein, Mprotease, and RDRP. The detailed analysis suggested that remdesivir has more than one target of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faez Iqbal Khan
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Tongzhou Kang
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Haider Ali
- Faculty of Medicine, International Ala-Too University, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - Dakun Lai
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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21
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Khan FI, Hassan F, Anwer R, Juan F, Lai D. Comparative Analysis of Bacteriophytochrome Agp2 and Its Engineered Photoactivatable NIR Fluorescent Proteins PAiRFP1 and PAiRFP2. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10091286. [PMID: 32906690 PMCID: PMC7564321 DOI: 10.3390/biom10091286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Two photoactivatable near infrared fluorescent proteins (NIR FPs) named “PAiRFP1” and “PAiRFP2” are formed by directed molecular evolution from Agp2, a bathy bacteriophytochrome of Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58. There are 15 and 24 amino acid substitutions in the structure of PAiRFP1 and PAiRFP2, respectively. A comprehensive molecular exploration of these bacteriophytochrome photoreceptors (BphPs) are required to understand the structure dynamics. In this study, the NIR fluorescence emission spectra for PAiRFP1 were recorded upon repeated excitation and the fluorescence intensity of PAiRFP1 tends to increase as the irradiation time was prolonged. We also predicted that mutations Q168L, V244F, and A480V in Agp2 will enhance the molecular stability and flexibility. During molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the average root mean square deviations of Agp2, PAiRFP1, and PAiRFP2 were found to be 0.40, 0.49, and 0.48 nm, respectively. The structure of PAiRFP1 and PAiRFP2 were more deviated than Agp2 from its native conformation and the hydrophobic regions that were buried in PAiRFP1 and PAiRFP2 core exposed to solvent molecules. The eigenvalues and the trace of covariance matrix were found to be high for PAiRFP1 (597.90 nm2) and PAiRFP2 (726.74 nm2) when compared with Agp2 (535.79 nm2). It was also found that PAiRFP1 has more sharp Gibbs free energy global minima than Agp2 and PAiRFP2. This comparative analysis will help to gain deeper understanding on the structural changes during the evolution of photoactivatable NIR FPs. Further work can be carried out by combining PCR-based directed mutagenesis and spectroscopic methods to provide strategies for the rational designing of these PAiRFPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faez Iqbal Khan
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China;
| | - Fakhrul Hassan
- School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China; (F.H.); (F.J.)
| | - Razique Anwer
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 13317, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Feng Juan
- School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China; (F.H.); (F.J.)
| | - Dakun Lai
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-182-0052-9516
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22
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Mechanistic insights into the urea-induced denaturation of human sphingosine kinase 1. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 161:1496-1505. [PMID: 32771517 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.07.280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) plays a significant role in various cellular processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. SphK1 is considered as an attractive target for drug development owing to its connection with several diseases, including cancer. In the current work, the urea-induced unfolding of SphK1 was performed at pH 8.0 and 25 °C using CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. SphK1 follows a biphasic unfolding transition (N ⇌ I ⇌ D) with an intermediate (I) state populated around 4.0 M urea concentration. The circular dichroism ([θ]222) and fluorescence emission spectra (λmax) of SphK1 with increasing concentrations of urea were analyzed to calculate Gibbs free energy (ΔG0) for both the transitions (N ⇌ I and I ⇌ D). A significant overlap of both the transitions obtained by two spectroscopic properties ([θ]222 and λmax) was observed, indicating that both N ⇌ I and I ⇌ D transition follow two-step equilibrium unfolding pattern. Also, we performed 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to get atomistic insights into the structural changes in SphK1 with increasing urea concentrations. Our results showed a consistent pattern of the SphK1 unfolding with increasing urea concentrations. Together, spectroscopic and MD simulation findings provide deep insights into the unfolding mechanism and conformational features of SphK1.
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23
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Papakyriakou A, Cencetti F, Puliti E, Morelli L, Tricomi J, Bruni P, Compostella F, Richichi B. Glycans Meet Sphingolipids: Structure-Based Design of Glycan Containing Analogues of a Sphingosine Kinase Inhibitor. ACS Med Chem Lett 2020; 11:913-920. [PMID: 32435405 PMCID: PMC7236250 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.9b00665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid mediator associated with diverse homeostatic and signaling roles. Enhanced biosynthesis of S1P, mediated by the sphingosine kinase isozymes (SK1 and SK2), is implicated in several pathophysiological conditions and diseases, including skeletal muscle fibrosis, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. Therefore, therapeutic approaches that control S1P production have focused on the development of SK1/2 inhibitors. In this framework, we designed a series of natural monosaccharide-based compounds to enhance anchoring of the known SK1 inhibitor PF-543 at the polar head of the J-shaped substrate-binding channel. Herein, we describe the structure-based design and synthesis of new glycan-containing PF-543 analogues and we demonstrate their efficiency in a TGFβ1-induced pro-fibrotic assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanasios Papakyriakou
- Institute
of Biosciences & Applications, National
Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, GR-15341 Agia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece
| | - Francesca Cencetti
- Department
of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale GB Morgagni 50, 50134 Firenze, Italy
| | - Elisa Puliti
- Department
of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale GB Morgagni 50, 50134 Firenze, Italy
| | - Laura Morelli
- Department
of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Via Saldini 50, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Jacopo Tricomi
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy)
| | - Paola Bruni
- Department
of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale GB Morgagni 50, 50134 Firenze, Italy
| | - Federica Compostella
- Department
of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Via Saldini 50, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Federica Compostella,
| | - Barbara Richichi
- Department
of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy)
- Barbara Richichi,
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24
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Khan FI, Hassan F, Ali H, Lai D. Mechanism of pH-induced conformational changes in MurE ligase obtained from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 39:1898-1905. [PMID: 32141393 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1739560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faez Iqbal Khan
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Fakhrul Hassan
- School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Haider Ali
- Faculty of medicine, International Ala-too University, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - Dakun Lai
- School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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