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Akhilesh, Menon A, Agrawal S, Chouhan D, Gadepalli A, Das B, Kumar R, Singh N, Tiwari V. Virtual screening and molecular dynamics investigations using natural compounds against autotaxin for the treatment of chronic pain. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-21. [PMID: 38285669 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2308761] [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: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Chronic pain is a common and debilitating condition with a huge social and economic burden worldwide. Currently, available drugs in clinics are not adequately effective and possess a variety of severe side effects leading to treatment withdrawal and poor quality of life. Recent findings highlight the potential role of autotaxin (ATX) as a promising novel target for chronic pain management, extending beyond its previously established involvement in arthritis and other neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we used a virtual screening strategy by targeting ATX against commercially available natural compounds (enamine- phenotypic screening library) to identify the potential inhibitors for the treatment of chronic pain. After initial identification using molecular docking based virtual screening, molecular mechanics (MM/GBSA), ADMET profiling and molecular dynamics simulation were performed to verify top hits. The computational screening resulted in the identification of fifteen top scoring structurally diverse hits that have free energy of binding (ΔG) values in the range of -25.792 (for compound Enamine_1850) to -74.722 Kcal/mol (for compound Enamine_1687). Moreover, the top-scoring hits have favourable ADME properties as calculated using in-silico algorithms. Additionally, the molecular dynamics simulation revealed the stable nature of protein-ligand interaction and provided information about amino acid residues involved in binding. This study led to the identification of potential autotaxin inhibitors with favourable pharmacokinetic properties. Identified hits may further be investigated for their safety and efficacy potential using in-vitro and in-vivo models of chronic pain.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akhilesh
- Neuroscience & Pain Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India
| | - Arjun Menon
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Institute of Advance Research, Gandhinagar, India
| | - Somesh Agrawal
- Neuroscience & Pain Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India
| | - Deepak Chouhan
- Neuroscience & Pain Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India
| | - Anagha Gadepalli
- Neuroscience & Pain Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India
| | - Bhanuranjan Das
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India
| | - Rajnish Kumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India
| | - Neeru Singh
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Institute of Advance Research, Gandhinagar, India
| | - Vinod Tiwari
- Neuroscience & Pain Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India
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García-Morales V, Gento-Caro Á, Portillo F, Montero F, González-Forero D, Moreno-López B. Lysophosphatidic Acid and Several Neurotransmitters Converge on Rho-Kinase 2 Signaling to Manage Motoneuron Excitability. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:788039. [PMID: 34938160 PMCID: PMC8685439 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.788039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Intrinsic membrane excitability (IME) sets up neuronal responsiveness to synaptic drive. Several neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, acting through G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), fine-tune motoneuron (MN) IME by modulating background K+ channels TASK1. However, intracellular partners linking GPCRs to TASK1 modulation are not yet well-known. We hypothesized that isoform 2 of rho-kinase (ROCK2), acting as downstream GPCRs, mediates adjustment of MN IME via TASK1. Electrophysiological recordings were performed in hypoglossal MNs (HMNs) obtained from adult and neonatal rats, neonatal knockout mice for TASK1 (task1–/–) and TASK3 (task3–/–, the another highly expressed TASK subunit in MNs), and primary cultures of embryonic spinal cord MNs (SMNs). Small-interfering RNA (siRNA) technology was also used to knockdown either ROCK1 or ROCK2. Furthermore, ROCK activity assays were performed to evaluate the ability of various physiological GPCR ligands to stimulate ROCK. Microiontophoretically applied H1152, a ROCK inhibitor, and siRNA-induced ROCK2 knockdown both depressed AMPAergic, inspiratory-related discharge activity of adult HMNs in vivo, which mainly express the ROCK2 isoform. In brainstem slices, intracellular constitutively active ROCK2 (aROCK2) led to H1152-sensitive HMN hyper-excitability. The aROCK2 inhibited pH-sensitive and TASK1-mediated currents in SMNs. Conclusively, aROCK2 increased IME in task3–/–, but not in task1–/– HMNs. MN IME was also augmented by the physiological neuromodulator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) through a mechanism entailing Gαi/o-protein stimulation, ROCK2, but not ROCK1, activity and TASK1 inhibition. Finally, two neurotransmitters, TRH, and 5-HT, which are both known to increase MN IME by TASK1 inhibition, stimulated ROCK2, and depressed background resting currents via Gαq/ROCK2 signaling. These outcomes suggest that LPA and several neurotransmitters impact MN IME via Gαi/o/Gαq-protein-coupled receptors, downstream ROCK2 activation, and subsequent inhibition of TASK1 channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria García-Morales
- GRUpo de NEuroDEgeneración y NeurorREparación (GRUNEDERE), Área de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain
| | - Ángela Gento-Caro
- GRUpo de NEuroDEgeneración y NeurorREparación (GRUNEDERE), Área de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain
| | - Federico Portillo
- GRUpo de NEuroDEgeneración y NeurorREparación (GRUNEDERE), Área de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain
| | - Fernando Montero
- GRUpo de NEuroDEgeneración y NeurorREparación (GRUNEDERE), Área de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain
| | - David González-Forero
- GRUpo de NEuroDEgeneración y NeurorREparación (GRUNEDERE), Área de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain
| | - Bernardo Moreno-López
- GRUpo de NEuroDEgeneración y NeurorREparación (GRUNEDERE), Área de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain
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