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Shi W, Yang H, Xie L, Yin XX, Zhang Y. A review of machine learning-based methods for predicting drug-target interactions. Health Inf Sci Syst 2024; 12:30. [PMID: 38617016 PMCID: PMC11014838 DOI: 10.1007/s13755-024-00287-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The prediction of drug-target interactions (DTI) is a crucial preliminary stage in drug discovery and development, given the substantial risk of failure and the prolonged validation period associated with in vitro and in vivo experiments. In the contemporary landscape, various machine learning-based methods have emerged as indispensable tools for DTI prediction. This paper begins by placing emphasis on the data representation employed by these methods, delineating five representations for drugs and four for proteins. The methods are then categorized into traditional machine learning-based approaches and deep learning-based ones, with a discussion of representative approaches in each category and the introduction of a novel taxonomy for deep neural network models in DTI prediction. Additionally, we present a synthesis of commonly used datasets and evaluation metrics to facilitate practical implementation. In conclusion, we address current challenges and outline potential future directions in this research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Shi
- Cyberspace Institute of Advanced Technology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006 China
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004 China
| | - Hong Yang
- Cyberspace Institute of Advanced Technology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006 China
| | - Linhai Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing, 102206 China
| | - Xiao-Xia Yin
- Cyberspace Institute of Advanced Technology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006 China
| | - Yanchun Zhang
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004 China
- Department of New Networks, Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518000 China
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2
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Hurtle BT, Jana S, Cai L, Pike VW. Ligand-Based Virtual Screening as a Path to New Chemotypes for Candidate PET Radioligands for Imaging Tauopathies. J Med Chem 2024; 67:14095-14109. [PMID: 39108178 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Ligand-based virtual screening (LBVS) has rarely been tested as a method for discovering new structural scaffolds for PET radioligand development. This study used LBVS to discover potential chemotype leads for developing radioligands for PET imaging of tauopathies. ZINC12, a free database of over 12 million commercially available compounds, was searched to discover novel scaffolds based on similarities to four query compounds. Thirteen high-ranking hits were purchased and assayed for their ability to compete against three tritiated radioligands at their distinct binding sites in Alzheimer's disease brain tissue. Three hits were 2-substituted 6-methoxy naphthalenes. Synthetic elaboration of this new chemotype yielded three new ligands (25, 26, and 28) with high affinity for the [3H]6 (flortaucipur) neurofibrillary tangle binding site. Compound 28 showed remarkably high affinity (Ki, 7 nM) and other desirable properties for a candidate PET radioligand, including low topological polar surface area, moderate computed log D, and amenability for labeling with carbon-11. LBVS appears to be uniquely valuable for discovering new chemotypes for candidate PET radioligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan T Hurtle
- Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Susovan Jana
- Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Lisheng Cai
- Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Victor W Pike
- Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
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3
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Alanzi AR, A. Z. A, Alhazzani K. Insilico exploration C. koseri ATP synthase inhibitors by pharmacophore-based virtual screening, molecular docking and MD simulation. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0308251. [PMID: 39173004 PMCID: PMC11341028 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308251] [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: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Citrobacter koseri is a gram-negative rod that causes infections in people who have significant comorbidities and are immunocompromised. Antibiotic-resistant strains are becoming more common, which complicates infection treatment and highlights the need for innovative, effective drugs to fight these resistant strains. The enzyme complex ATP synthase participates in the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis, the fundamental energy currency of cells. This study used Computer-Aided Drug Design approaches to identify potential inhibitors of C. koseri ATP synthase. SWISS-MODEL was used to predict the 3D structure of C. koseri ATP synthase. A ligand-based pharmacophore model was developed using chemical features of ampicillin. Following ligand-based virtual screening across nine databases, the 2043 screened hits were docked to the ATP synthase active site using the standard precision mode of the glide tool. Based on their binding affinities, the top ten compounds were selected for additional investigation. The binding affinities of the chosen compounds ranged from -10.021 to -8.452 kcal/mol. The top four compounds (PubChem-25230613, PubChem-74936833, CHEMBL263035, PubChem-44208924) with the best ADMET characteristics and binding modes were chosen. Thus, the feasible binding mechanisms of the selected compounds were subjected to stability analysis using the MD Simulation study, which revealed the compounds' stability as potent inhibitors within the protein binding pocket. This computational approach provides important insights into the rational design of novel therapeutics and emphasizes the importance of targeting essential metabolic pathways when combating antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Future experimental validation and optimization of the identified inhibitors is required to determine their efficacy and safety profiles for clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah R. Alanzi
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alanazi A. Z.
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Alhazzani
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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4
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Moyano-Gómez P, Lehtonen JV, Pentikäinen OT, Postila PA. Building shape-focused pharmacophore models for effective docking screening. J Cheminform 2024; 16:97. [PMID: 39123240 PMCID: PMC11312248 DOI: 10.1186/s13321-024-00857-6] [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: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The performance of molecular docking can be improved by comparing the shape similarity of the flexibly sampled poses against the target proteins' inverted binding cavities. The effectiveness of these pseudo-ligands or negative image-based models in docking rescoring is boosted further by performing enrichment-driven optimization. Here, we introduce a novel shape-focused pharmacophore modeling algorithm O-LAP that generates a new class of cavity-filling models by clumping together overlapping atomic content via pairwise distance graph clustering. Top-ranked poses of flexibly docked active ligands were used as the modeling input and multiple alternative clustering settings were benchmark-tested thoroughly with five demanding drug targets using random training/test divisions. In docking rescoring, the O-LAP modeling typically improved massively on the default docking enrichment; furthermore, the results indicate that the clustered models work well in rigid docking. The C+ +/Qt5-based algorithm O-LAP is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 via GitHub ( https://github.com/jvlehtonen/overlap-toolkit ). SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION: This study introduces O-LAP, a C++/Qt5-based graph clustering software for generating new type of shape-focused pharmacophore models. In the O-LAP modeling, the target protein cavity is filled with flexibly docked active ligands, the overlapping ligand atoms are clustered, and the shape/electrostatic potential of the resulting model is compared against the flexibly sampled molecular docking poses. The O-LAP modeling is shown to ensure high enrichment in both docking rescoring and rigid docking based on comprehensive benchmark-testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Moyano-Gómez
- MedChem.fi, Institute of Biomedicine, Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
- InFLAMES Research Flagship, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
| | - Jukka V Lehtonen
- Structural Bioinformatics Laboratory, Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, 20500, Turku, Finland
- InFLAMES Research Flagship, Åbo Akademi University, 20500, Turku, Finland
| | - Olli T Pentikäinen
- MedChem.fi, Institute of Biomedicine, Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
- InFLAMES Research Flagship, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
- Aurlide Ltd, Lemminkäisenkatu 14A, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Pekka A Postila
- MedChem.fi, Institute of Biomedicine, Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
- InFLAMES Research Flagship, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
- Aurlide Ltd, Lemminkäisenkatu 14A, 20520, Turku, Finland.
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5
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Kataria A, Srivastava A, Singh DD, Haque S, Han I, Yadav DK. Systematic computational strategies for identifying protein targets and lead discovery. RSC Med Chem 2024; 15:2254-2269. [PMID: 39026640 PMCID: PMC11253860 DOI: 10.1039/d4md00223g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Computational algorithms and tools have retrenched the drug discovery and development timeline. The applicability of computational approaches has gained immense relevance owing to the dramatic surge in the structural information of biomacromolecules and their heteromolecular complexes. Computational methods are now extensively used in identifying new protein targets, druggability assessment, pharmacophore mapping, molecular docking, the virtual screening of lead molecules, bioactivity prediction, molecular dynamics of protein-ligand complexes, affinity prediction, and for designing better ligands. Herein, we provide an overview of salient components of recently reported computational drug-discovery workflows that includes algorithms, tools, and databases for protein target identification and optimized ligand selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arti Kataria
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH) Hamilton MT 59840 USA
| | - Ankit Srivastava
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH) Hamilton MT 59840 USA
| | - Desh Deepak Singh
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan Jaipur India
| | - Shafiul Haque
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan University Jazan-45142 Saudi Arabia
| | - Ihn Han
- Plasma Bioscience Research Center, Applied Plasma Medicine Center, Department of Electrical & Biological Physics, Kwangwoon University Seoul 01897 Republic of Korea +82 32 820 4948
| | - Dharmendra Kumar Yadav
- Department of Biologics, College of Pharmacy, Gachon University Hambakmoeiro 191, Yeonsu-gu Incheon 21924 Republic of Korea
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6
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Schuh M, Boldini D, Sieber SA. Synergizing Chemical Structures and Bioassay Descriptions for Enhanced Molecular Property Prediction in Drug Discovery. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:4640-4650. [PMID: 38836773 PMCID: PMC11200265 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
The precise prediction of molecular properties can greatly accelerate the development of new drugs. However, in silico molecular property prediction approaches have been limited so far to assays for which large amounts of data are available. In this study, we develop a new computational approach leveraging both the textual description of the assay of interest and the chemical structure of target compounds. By combining these two sources of information via self-supervised learning, our tool can provide accurate predictions for assays where no measurements are available. Remarkably, our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance on the FS-Mol benchmark for zero-shot prediction, outperforming a wide variety of deep learning approaches. Additionally, we demonstrate how our tool can be used for tailoring screening libraries for the assay of interest, showing promising performance in a retrospective case study on a high-throughput screening campaign. By accelerating the early identification of active molecules in drug discovery and development, this method has the potential to streamline the identification of novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian
G. Schuh
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department
of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching
bei München, Germany
| | - Davide Boldini
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department
of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching
bei München, Germany
| | - Stephan A. Sieber
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Department
of Bioscience, Center for Functional Protein Assemblies (CPA), Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching
bei München, Germany
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7
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Quintieri L, Caputo L, Nicolotti O. Recent Advances in the Discovery of Novel Drugs on Natural Molecules. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1254. [PMID: 38927461 PMCID: PMC11200856 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12061254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural products (NPs) are always a promising source of novel drugs for tackling unsolved diseases [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Quintieri
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council (CNR), Via G. Amendola, 122/O, 70126 Bari, Italy;
| | - Leonardo Caputo
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council (CNR), Via G. Amendola, 122/O, 70126 Bari, Italy;
| | - Orazio Nicolotti
- Dipartimento di Farmacia—Scienze del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy;
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8
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Liu H, Chen P, Hu B, Wang S, Wang H, Luan J, Wang J, Lin B, Cheng M. FaissMolLib: An efficient and easy deployable tool for ligand-based virtual screening. Comput Biol Chem 2024; 110:108057. [PMID: 38581840 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2024.108057] [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] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Virtual screening-based molecular similarity and fingerprint are crucial in drug design, target prediction, and ADMET prediction, aiding in identifying potential hits and optimizing lead compounds. However, challenges such as lack of comprehensive open-source molecular fingerprint databases and efficient search methods for virtual screening are prevalent. To address these issues, we introduce FaissMolLib, an open-source virtual screening tool that integrates 2.8 million compounds from ChEMBL and ZINC databases. Notably, FaissMolLib employs the highly efficient Faiss search algorithm, outperforming the Tanimoto algorithm in identifying similar molecules with its tighter clustering in scatter plots and lower mean, standard deviation, and variance in key molecular properties. This feature enables FaissMolLib to screen 2.8 million compounds in just 0.05 seconds, offering researchers an efficient, easily deployable solution for virtual screening on laptops and building unique compound databases. This significant advancement holds great potential for accelerating drug discovery efforts and enhancing chemical data analysis. FaissMolLib is freely available at http://liuhaihan.gnway.cc:80. The code and dataset of FaissMolLib are freely available at https://github.com/Superhaihan/FiassMolLib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haihan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design &Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Drug Design and New Drug Discovery of Liaoning Province, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China
| | - Peiying Chen
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design &Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Drug Design and New Drug Discovery of Liaoning Province, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China
| | - Baichun Hu
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design &Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Drug Design and New Drug Discovery of Liaoning Province, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China
| | - Shizun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design &Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Drug Design and New Drug Discovery of Liaoning Province, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China
| | - Hanxun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design &Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Drug Design and New Drug Discovery of Liaoning Province, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiasi Luan
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design &Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Drug Design and New Drug Discovery of Liaoning Province, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; School of Medical Devices, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design &Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Drug Design and New Drug Discovery of Liaoning Province, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China.
| | - Bin Lin
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design &Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Drug Design and New Drug Discovery of Liaoning Province, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China.
| | - Maosheng Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design &Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Drug Design and New Drug Discovery of Liaoning Province, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China.
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9
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Chua HM, Moshawih S, Kifli N, Goh HP, Ming LC. Insights into the computer-aided drug design and discovery based on anthraquinone scaffold for cancer treatment: A systematic review. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301396. [PMID: 38776291 PMCID: PMC11111074 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301396] [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: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the search for better anticancer drugs, computer-aided drug design (CADD) techniques play an indispensable role in facilitating the lengthy and costly drug discovery process especially when natural products are involved. Anthraquinone is one of the most widely-recognized natural products with anticancer properties. This review aimed to systematically assess and synthesize evidence on the utilization of CADD techniques centered on the anthraquinone scaffold for cancer treatment. METHODS The conduct and reporting of this review were done in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) 2020 guideline. The protocol was registered in the "International prospective register of systematic reviews" database (PROSPERO: CRD42023432904) and also published recently. The search strategy was designed based on the combination of concept 1 "CADD or virtual screening", concept 2 "anthraquinone" and concept 3 "cancer". The search was executed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and MedRxiv on 30 June 2023. RESULTS Databases searching retrieved a total of 317 records. After deduplication and applying the eligibility criteria, the final review ended up with 32 articles in which 3 articles were found by citation searching. The CADD methods used in the studies were either structure-based alone (69%) or combined with ligand-based methods via parallel (9%) or sequential (22%) approaches. Molecular docking was performed in all studies, with Glide and AutoDock being the most popular commercial and public software used respectively. Protein data bank was used in most studies to retrieve the crystal structure of the targets of interest while the main ligand databases were PubChem and Zinc. The utilization of in-silico techniques has enabled a deeper dive into the structural, biological and pharmacological properties of anthraquinone derivatives, revealing their remarkable anticancer properties in an all-rounded fashion. CONCLUSION By harnessing the power of computational tools and leveraging the natural diversity of anthraquinone compounds, researchers can expedite the development of better drugs to address the unmet medical needs in cancer treatment by improving the treatment outcome for cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Ming Chua
- PAP Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Said Moshawih
- PAP Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Nurolaini Kifli
- PAP Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Hui Poh Goh
- PAP Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Long Chiau Ming
- PAP Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei Darussalam
- School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
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10
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Hassanie H, Penteado AB, de Almeida LC, Calil RL, da Silva Emery F, Costa-Lotufo LV, Trossini GHG. SETDB1 as a cancer target: challenges and perspectives in drug design. RSC Med Chem 2024; 15:1424-1451. [PMID: 38799223 PMCID: PMC11113007 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00366c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Genome stability is governed by chromatin structural dynamics, which modify DNA accessibility under the influence of intra- and inter-nucleosomal contacts, histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) and variations, besides the activity of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. These are the main ways by which chromatin dynamics are regulated and connected to nuclear processes, which when dysregulated can frequently be associated with most malignancies. Recently, functional crosstalk between histone modifications and chromatin remodeling has emerged as a critical regulatory method of transcriptional regulation during cell destiny choice. Therefore, improving therapeutic outcomes for patients by focusing on epigenetic targets dysregulated in malignancies should help prevent cancer cells from developing resistance to anticancer treatments. For this reason, SET domain bifurcated histone lysine methyltransferase 1 (SETDB1) has gained a lot of attention recently as a cancer target. SETDB1 is a histone lysine methyltransferase that plays an important role in marking euchromatic and heterochromatic regions. Hence, it promotes the silencing of tumor suppressor genes and contributes to carcinogenesis. Some studies revealed that SETDB1 was overexpressed in various human cancer types, which enhanced tumor growth and metastasis. Thus, SETDB1 appears to be an attractive epigenetic target for new cancer treatments. In this review, we have discussed the effects of its overexpression on the progression of tumors and the development of inhibitor drugs that specifically target this enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haifa Hassanie
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Flávio da Silva Emery
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo Brazil
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11
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Kumar N, Acharya V. Advances in machine intelligence-driven virtual screening approaches for big-data. Med Res Rev 2024; 44:939-974. [PMID: 38129992 DOI: 10.1002/med.21995] [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] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Virtual screening (VS) is an integral and ever-evolving domain of drug discovery framework. The VS is traditionally classified into ligand-based (LB) and structure-based (SB) approaches. Machine intelligence or artificial intelligence has wide applications in the drug discovery domain to reduce time and resource consumption. In combination with machine intelligence algorithms, VS has emerged into revolutionarily progressive technology that learns within robust decision orders for data curation and hit molecule screening from large VS libraries in minutes or hours. The exponential growth of chemical and biological data has evolved as "big-data" in the public domain demands modern and advanced machine intelligence-driven VS approaches to screen hit molecules from ultra-large VS libraries. VS has evolved from an individual approach (LB and SB) to integrated LB and SB techniques to explore various ligand and target protein aspects for the enhanced rate of appropriate hit molecule prediction. Current trends demand advanced and intelligent solutions to handle enormous data in drug discovery domain for screening and optimizing hits or lead with fewer or no false positive hits. Following the big-data drift and tremendous growth in computational architecture, we presented this review. Here, the article categorized and emphasized individual VS techniques, detailed literature presented for machine learning implementation, modern machine intelligence approaches, and limitations and deliberated the future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeraj Kumar
- Artificial Intelligence for Computational Biology Lab (AICoB), Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, India
| | - Vishal Acharya
- Artificial Intelligence for Computational Biology Lab (AICoB), Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, India
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12
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Vázquez J, García R, Llinares P, Luque FJ, Herrero E. On the relevance of query definition in the performance of 3D ligand-based virtual screening. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2024; 38:18. [PMID: 38573547 PMCID: PMC10995064 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-024-00561-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Ligand-based virtual screening (LBVS) methods are widely used to explore the vast chemical space in the search of novel compounds resorting to a variety of properties encoded in 1D, 2D or 3D descriptors. The success of 3D-LBVS is affected by the overlay of molecular pairs, thus making selection of the template compound, search of accessible conformational space and choice of the query conformation to be potential factors that modulate the successful retrieval of actives. This study examines the impact of adopting different choices for the query conformation of the template, paying also attention to the influence exerted by the structural similarity between templates and actives. The analysis is performed using PharmScreen, a 3D LBVS tool that relies on similarity measurements of the hydrophobic/philic pattern of molecules, and Phase Shape, which is based on the alignment of atom triplets followed by refinement of the volume overlap. The study is performed for the original DUD-E+ database and a Morgan Fingerprint filtered version (denoted DUD-E+-Diverse; available in https://github.com/Pharmacelera/Query-models-to-3DLBVS ), which was prepared to minimize the 2D resemblance between template and actives. Although in most cases the query conformation exhibits a mild influence on the overall performance, a critical analysis is made to disclose factors, such as the content of structural features between template and actives and the induction of conformational strain in the template, that underlie the drastic impact of the query definition in the recovery of actives for certain targets. The findings of this research also provide valuable guidance for assisting the selection of the query definition in 3D LBVS campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Vázquez
- Pharmacelera, Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB), C/ Baldiri Reixac 4-8, Barcelona, 08028, Spain.
- Departament de Nutrició, Ciències de l'Alimentació i Gastronomia, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Institut de Química Teòrica I Computacional (IQTC-UB), Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Av. Prat de la Riba 171 , Santa Coloma de Gramenet, -08921, Spain.
| | - Ricardo García
- Pharmacelera, Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB), C/ Baldiri Reixac 4-8, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Paula Llinares
- Pharmacelera, Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB), C/ Baldiri Reixac 4-8, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
- Departament de Nutrició, Ciències de l'Alimentació i Gastronomia, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Institut de Química Teòrica I Computacional (IQTC-UB), Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Av. Prat de la Riba 171 , Santa Coloma de Gramenet, -08921, Spain
| | - F Javier Luque
- Departament de Nutrició, Ciències de l'Alimentació i Gastronomia, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Institut de Química Teòrica I Computacional (IQTC-UB), Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Av. Prat de la Riba 171 , Santa Coloma de Gramenet, -08921, Spain
| | - Enric Herrero
- Pharmacelera, Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB), C/ Baldiri Reixac 4-8, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
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13
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Zhu J, Meng H, Li X, Jia L, Xu L, Cai Y, Chen Y, Jin J, Yu L. Optimization of virtual screening against phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta: Integration of common feature pharmacophore and multicomplex-based molecular docking. Comput Biol Chem 2024; 109:108011. [PMID: 38198965 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2023.108011] [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] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Extensive research has accumulated which suggests that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase delta (PI3Kδ) is closely related to the occurrence and development of various human diseases, making PI3Kδ a highly promising drug target. However, PI3Kδ exhibits high homology with other members of the PI3K family, which poses significant challenges to the development of PI3Kδ inhibitors. Therefore, in the present study, a hybrid virtual screening (VS) approach based on a ligand-based pharmacophore model and multicomplex-based molecular docking was developed to find novel PI3Kδ inhibitors. 13 crystal structures of the human PI3Kδ-inhibitor complex were collected to establish models. The inhibitors were extracted from the crystal structures to generate the common feature pharmacophore. The crystallographic protein structures were used to construct a naïve Bayesian classification model that integrates molecular docking based on multiple PI3Kδ conformations. Subsequently, three VS protocols involving sequential or parallel molecular docking and pharmacophore approaches were employed. External predictions demonstrated that the protocol combining molecular docking and pharmacophore resulted in a significant improvement in the enrichment of active PI3Kδ inhibitors. Finally, the optimal VS method was utilized for virtual screening against a large chemical database, and some potential hit compounds were identified. We hope that the developed VS strategy will provide valuable guidance for the discovery of novel PI3Kδ inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyu Zhu
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China.
| | - Huiqin Meng
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Xintong Li
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Lei Jia
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Lei Xu
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Medical Engineering, School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001, China
| | - Yanfei Cai
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Yun Chen
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Jian Jin
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Li Yu
- School of Inspection and Testing Certification, Changzhou Vocational Institute of Engineering, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, China.
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14
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Chitluri KK, Emerson IA. The importance of protein domain mutations in cancer therapy. Heliyon 2024; 10:e27655. [PMID: 38509890 PMCID: PMC10950675 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a complex disease that is caused by multiple genetic factors. Researchers have been studying protein domain mutations to understand how they affect the progression and treatment of cancer. These mutations can significantly impact the development and spread of cancer by changing the protein structure, function, and signalling pathways. As a result, there is a growing interest in how these mutations can be used as prognostic indicators for cancer prognosis. Recent studies have shown that protein domain mutations can provide valuable information about the severity of the disease and the patient's response to treatment. They may also be used to predict the response and resistance to targeted therapy in cancer treatment. The clinical implications of protein domain mutations in cancer are significant, and they are regarded as essential biomarkers in oncology. However, additional techniques and approaches are required to characterize changes in protein domains and predict their functional effects. Machine learning and other computational tools offer promising solutions to this challenge, enabling the prediction of the impact of mutations on protein structure and function. Such predictions can aid in the clinical interpretation of genetic information. Furthermore, the development of genome editing tools like CRISPR/Cas9 has made it possible to validate the functional significance of mutants more efficiently and accurately. In conclusion, protein domain mutations hold great promise as prognostic and predictive biomarkers in cancer. Overall, considerable research is still needed to better define genetic and molecular heterogeneity and to resolve the challenges that remain, so that their full potential can be realized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Kumar Chitluri
- Bioinformatics Programming Lab, Department of Bio-Sciences, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, TN, 632014, India
| | - Isaac Arnold Emerson
- Bioinformatics Programming Lab, Department of Bio-Sciences, School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, TN, 632014, India
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15
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Hanif N, Sari S. Discovery of novel IDO1/TDO2 dual inhibitors: a consensus Virtual screening approach with molecular dynamics simulations, and binding free energy analysis. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-17. [PMID: 38498355 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2329302] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
The pursuit of effective cancer immunotherapy drugs remains challenging, with overexpression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase 2 (TDO2) allowing cancer cells to evade immune attacks. While several IDO1 inhibitors have undergone clinical testing, only three dual IDO1/TDO2 inhibitors have reached human trials. Hence, this study focuses on identifying novel IDO1/TDO2 dual inhibitors through consensus structure-based virtual screening (SBVS). ZINC15 natural products library was refined based on molecular descriptors, and the selected compounds were docked to the holo form IDO1 and TDO2 using two different software programs and ranked according to their consensus docking scores. The top-scoring compounds underwent in silico evaluations for pharmacokinetics, toxicity, CYP3A4 affinity, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and MM-GBSA binding free energy calculations. Five compounds (ZINC00000079405/10, ZINC00004028612/11, ZINC00013380497/12, ZINC00014613023/13, and ZINC00103579819/14) were identified as potential IDO1/TDO2 dual inhibitors due to their high consensus docking scores, key residue interactions with the enzymes, favorable pharmacokinetics, and avoidance of CYP3A4 binding. MD simulations of the top three hits with IDO1 indicated conformational changes and compactness, while MM-GBSA analysis revealed strong binding free energy for compounds 10 (ΔG: -20.13 kcal/mol) and 11 (ΔG: -16.22 kcal/mol). These virtual hits signify a promising initial step in identifying candidates as supplementary therapeutics to immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer treatment. Their potential to deliver potent dual inhibition of IDO1/TDO2, along with safety and favorable pharmacokinetics, makes them compelling. Validation through in vitro and in vivo assays should be conducted to confirm their activity, selectivity, and preclinical potential as holo IDO1/TDO2 dual inhibitors.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naufa Hanif
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
- Cancer Chemoprevention Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Sekip Utara II, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Suat Sari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
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16
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Majoumo-Mbe F, Sangbong NA, Tadjong Tcho A, Namba-Nzanguim CT, Simoben CV, Eni DB, Alhaji Isa M, Poli ANR, Cassel J, Salvino JM, Montaner LJ, Tietjen I, Ntie-Kang F. 5-chloro-3-(2-(2,4-dinitrophenyl) hydrazono)indolin-2-one: synthesis, characterization, biochemical and computational screening against SARS-CoV-2. CHEMICKE ZVESTI 2024; 78:3431-3441. [PMID: 38685970 PMCID: PMC11055700 DOI: 10.1007/s11696-023-03274-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Chemical prototypes with broad-spectrum antiviral activity are important toward developing new therapies that can act on both existing and emerging viruses. Binding of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is required for cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2. Toward identifying new chemical leads that can disrupt this interaction, including in the presence of SARS-CoV-2 adaptive mutations found in variants like omicron that can circumvent vaccine, immune, and therapeutic antibody responses, we synthesized 5-chloro-3-(2-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)hydrazono)indolin-2-one (H2L) from the condensation reaction of 5-chloroisatin and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in good yield. H2L was characterised by elemental and spectral (IR, electronic, Mass) analyses. The NMR spectrum of H2L indicated a keto-enol tautomerism, with the keto form being more abundant in solution. H2L was found to selectively interfere with binding of the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) to the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.26 μM, compared to an unrelated PD-1/PD-L1 ligand-receptor-binding pair with an IC50 of 2.06 μM in vitro (Selectivity index = 7.9). Molecular docking studies revealed that the synthesized ligand preferentially binds within the ACE2 receptor-binding site in a region distinct from where spike mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants occur. Consistent with these models, H2L was able to disrupt ACE2 interactions with the RBDs from beta, delta, lambda, and omicron variants with similar activities. These studies indicate that H2L-derived compounds are potential inhibitors of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants, including those capable of circumventing vaccine and immune responses. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11696-023-03274-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicite Majoumo-Mbe
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Neba Abongwa Sangbong
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Alain Tadjong Tcho
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Cyril T. Namba-Nzanguim
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
- Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Conrad V. Simoben
- Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Donatus B. Eni
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
- Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Mustafa Alhaji Isa
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Maiduguri, PMB 1069, Maiduguri, Borno State Nigeria
| | | | - Joel Cassel
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Joseph M. Salvino
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Luis J. Montaner
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Ian Tietjen
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Fidele Ntie-Kang
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
- Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
- Institute of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Strasse 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
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17
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Tu G, Fu T, Zheng G, Xu B, Gou R, Luo D, Wang P, Xue W. Computational Chemistry in Structure-Based Solute Carrier Transporter Drug Design: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:1433-1455. [PMID: 38294194 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Solute carrier transporters (SLCs) are a class of important transmembrane proteins that are involved in the transportation of diverse solute ions and small molecules into cells. There are approximately 450 SLCs within the human body, and more than a quarter of them are emerging as attractive therapeutic targets for multiple complex diseases, e.g., depression, cancer, and diabetes. However, only 44 unique transporters (∼9.8% of the SLC superfamily) with 3D structures and specific binding sites have been reported. To design innovative and effective drugs targeting diverse SLCs, there are a number of obstacles that need to be overcome. However, computational chemistry, including physics-based molecular modeling and machine learning- and deep learning-based artificial intelligence (AI), provides an alternative and complementary way to the classical drug discovery approach. Here, we present a comprehensive overview on recent advances and existing challenges of the computational techniques in structure-based drug design of SLCs from three main aspects: (i) characterizing multiple conformations of the proteins during the functional process of transportation, (ii) identifying druggability sites especially the cryptic allosteric ones on the transporters for substrates and drugs binding, and (iii) discovering diverse small molecules or synthetic protein binders targeting the binding sites. This work is expected to provide guidelines for a deep understanding of the structure and function of the SLC superfamily to facilitate rational design of novel modulators of the transporters with the aid of state-of-the-art computational chemistry technologies including artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gao Tu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Tingting Fu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | | | - Binbin Xu
- Chengdu Sintanovo Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610200, China
| | - Rongpei Gou
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Ding Luo
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Panpan Wang
- College of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Huanghuai University, Zhumadian 463000, China
| | - Weiwei Xue
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
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18
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Jimenes-Vargas K, Pazos A, Munteanu CR, Perez-Castillo Y, Tejera E. Prediction of compound-target interaction using several artificial intelligence algorithms and comparison with a consensus-based strategy. J Cheminform 2024; 16:27. [PMID: 38449058 PMCID: PMC10919000 DOI: 10.1186/s13321-024-00816-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
For understanding a chemical compound's mechanism of action and its side effects, as well as for drug discovery, it is crucial to predict its possible protein targets. This study examines 15 developed target-centric models (TCM) employing different molecular descriptions and machine learning algorithms. They were contrasted with 17 third-party models implemented as web tools (WTCM). In both sets of models, consensus strategies were implemented as potential improvement over individual predictions. The findings indicate that TCM reach f1-score values greater than 0.8. Comparing both approaches, the best TCM achieves values of 0.75, 0.61, 0.25 and 0.38 for true positive/negative rates (TPR, TNR) and false negative/positive rates (FNR, FPR); outperforming the best WTCM. Moreover, the consensus strategy proves to have the most relevant results in the top 20 % of target profiles. TCM consensus reach TPR and FNR values of 0.98 and 0; while on WTCM reach values of 0.75 and 0.24. The implemented computational tool with the TCM and their consensus strategy at: https://bioquimio.udla.edu.ec/tidentification01/ . Scientific Contribution: We compare and discuss the performances of 17 public compound-target interaction prediction models and 15 new constructions. We also explore a compound-target interaction prioritization strategy using a consensus approach, and we analyzed the challenging involved in interactions modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Jimenes-Vargas
- Bio-Cheminformatics Research Group, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, 170504, Ecuador.
- Departament of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Faculty of Computer Science, Universidade da Coruña, Campus Elviña s/n, 15071, A Coruña, Spain.
| | - Alejandro Pazos
- Departament of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Faculty of Computer Science, Universidade da Coruña, Campus Elviña s/n, 15071, A Coruña, Spain
- CITIC-Research Center of Information and Communication Technologies, Universidade da Coruña, 15071, A Coruña, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute of A Coruña (INIBIC), University Hospital Complex of A Coruna (CHUAC), 15006, A Coruna, Spain
| | - Cristian R Munteanu
- Departament of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Faculty of Computer Science, Universidade da Coruña, Campus Elviña s/n, 15071, A Coruña, Spain
- CITIC-Research Center of Information and Communication Technologies, Universidade da Coruña, 15071, A Coruña, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute of A Coruña (INIBIC), University Hospital Complex of A Coruna (CHUAC), 15006, A Coruna, Spain
| | | | - Eduardo Tejera
- Bio-Cheminformatics Research Group, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, 170504, Ecuador.
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19
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Gahlawat A, Singh A, Sandhu H, Garg P. CRAFT: a web-integrated cavity prediction tool based on flow transfer algorithm. J Cheminform 2024; 16:12. [PMID: 38291536 PMCID: PMC10829215 DOI: 10.1186/s13321-024-00803-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Numerous computational methods, including evolutionary-based, energy-based, and geometrical-based methods, are utilized to identify cavities inside proteins. Cavity information aids protein function annotation, drug design, poly-pharmacology, and allosteric site investigation. This article introduces "flow transfer algorithm" for rapid and effective identification of diverse protein cavities through multidimensional cavity scan. Initially, it identifies delimiter and susceptible tetrahedra to establish boundary regions and provide seed tetrahedra. Seed tetrahedron faces are precisely scanned using the maximum circle radius to transfer seed flow to neighboring tetrahedra. Seed flow continues until terminated by boundaries or forbidden faces, where a face is forbidden if the estimated maximum circle radius is less or equal to the user-defined maximum circle radius. After a seed scanning, tetrahedra involved in the flow are clustered to locate the cavity. The CRAFT web interface integrates this algorithm for protein cavity identification with enhanced user control. It supports proteins with cofactors, hydrogens, and ligands and provides comprehensive features such as 3D visualization, cavity physicochemical properties, percentage contribution graphs, and highlighted residues for each cavity. CRAFT can be accessed through its web interface at http://pitools.niper.ac.in/CRAFT , complemented by the command version available at https://github.com/PGlab-NIPER/CRAFT/ .Scientific contribution: Flow transfer algorithm is a novel geometric approach for accurate and reliable prediction of diverse protein cavities. This algorithm employs a distinct concept involving maximum circle radius within the 3D Delaunay triangulation to address diverse van der Waals radii while existing methods overlook atom specific van der Waals radii or rely on complex weighted geometric techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuj Gahlawat
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar, 160062, Punjab, India
| | - Anjali Singh
- Department of Computer Science, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India
| | - Hardeep Sandhu
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar, 160062, Punjab, India
| | - Prabha Garg
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S.A.S. Nagar, 160062, Punjab, India.
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20
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Geng C, Wang Z, Tang Y. Machine learning in Alzheimer's disease drug discovery and target identification. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 93:102172. [PMID: 38104638 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102172] [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] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) stands as a formidable neurodegenerative ailment that poses a substantial threat to the elderly population, with no known curative or disease-slowing drugs in existence. Among the vital and time-consuming stages in the drug discovery process, disease modeling and target identification hold particular significance. Disease modeling allows for a deeper comprehension of disease progression mechanisms and potential therapeutic avenues. On the other hand, target identification serves as the foundational step in drug development, exerting a profound influence on all subsequent phases and ultimately determining the success rate of drug development endeavors. Machine learning (ML) techniques have ushered in transformative breakthroughs in the realm of target discovery. Leveraging the strengths of large dataset analysis, multifaceted data processing, and the exploration of intricate biological mechanisms, ML has become instrumental in the quest for effective AD treatments. In this comprehensive review, we offer an account of how ML methodologies are being deployed in the pursuit of drug discovery for AD. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the utilization of ML in uncovering potential intervention strategies and prospective therapeutic targets for AD. Finally, we discuss the principal challenges and limitations currently faced by these approaches. We also explore the avenues for future research that hold promise in addressing these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaofan Geng
- Department of Neurology & Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, Beijing, China
| | - ZhiBin Wang
- Department of Neurology & Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Tang
- Department of Neurology & Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, Beijing, China; Neurodegenerative Laboratory of Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China.
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21
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Panwar U, Murali A, Khan MA, Selvaraj C, Singh SK. Virtual Screening Process: A Guide in Modern Drug Designing. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2714:21-31. [PMID: 37676591 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3441-7_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Due to its capacity to drastically cut the cost and time necessary for experimental screening of compounds, virtual screening (VS) has grown to be a crucial component of drug discovery and development. VS is a computational method used in drug design to identify potential drugs from enormous libraries of chemicals. This approach makes use of molecular modeling and docking simulations to assess the small molecule's ability to bind to the desired protein. Virtual screening has a bright future, as high computational power and modern techniques are likely to further enhance the accuracy and speed of the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umesh Panwar
- Computer Aided Drug Design and Molecular Modelling Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Science Block, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Aarthy Murali
- Computer Aided Drug Design and Molecular Modelling Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Science Block, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Mohammad Aqueel Khan
- Computer Aided Drug Design and Molecular Modelling Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Science Block, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Chandrabose Selvaraj
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sanjeev Kumar Singh
- Computer Aided Drug Design and Molecular Modelling Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Science Block, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
- Department of Data Sciences, Centre of Biomedical Research, SGPGIMS Campus, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
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22
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Menchon G, Maveyraud L, Czaplicki G. Molecular Dynamics as a Tool for Virtual Ligand Screening. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2714:33-83. [PMID: 37676592 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3441-7_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Rational drug design is essential for new drugs to emerge, especially when the structure of a target protein or nucleic acid is known. To that purpose, high-throughput virtual ligand screening campaigns aim at discovering computationally new binding molecules or fragments to modulate particular biomolecular interactions or biological activities, related to a disease process. The structure-based virtual ligand screening process primarily relies on docking methods which allow predicting the binding of a molecule to a biological target structure with a correct conformation and the best possible affinity. The docking method itself is not sufficient as it suffers from several and crucial limitations (lack of full protein flexibility information, no solvation and ion effects, poor scoring functions, and unreliable molecular affinity estimation).At the interface of computer techniques and drug discovery, molecular dynamics (MD) allows introducing protein flexibility before or after a docking protocol, refining the structure of protein-drug complexes in the presence of water, ions, and even in membrane-like environments, describing more precisely the temporal evolution of the biological complex and ranking these complexes with more accurate binding energy calculations. In this chapter, we describe the up-to-date MD, which plays the role of supporting tools in the virtual ligand screening (VS) process.Without a doubt, using docking in combination with MD is an attractive approach in structure-based drug discovery protocols nowadays. It has proved its efficiency through many examples in the literature and is a powerful method to significantly reduce the amount of required wet experimentations (Tarcsay et al, J Chem Inf Model 53:2990-2999, 2013; Barakat et al, PLoS One 7:e51329, 2012; De Vivo et al, J Med Chem 59:4035-4061, 2016; Durrant, McCammon, BMC Biol 9:71-79, 2011; Galeazzi, Curr Comput Aided Drug Des 5:225-240, 2009; Hospital et al, Adv Appl Bioinforma Chem 8:37-47, 2015; Jiang et al, Molecules 20:12769-12786, 2015; Kundu et al, J Mol Graph Model 61:160-174, 2015; Mirza et al, J Mol Graph Model 66:99-107, 2016; Moroy et al, Future Med Chem 7:2317-2331, 2015; Naresh et al, J Mol Graph Model 61:272-280, 2015; Nichols et al, J Chem Inf Model 51:1439-1446, 2011; Nichols et al, Methods Mol Biol 819:93-103, 2012; Okimoto et al, PLoS Comput Biol 5:e1000528, 2009; Rodriguez-Bussey et al, Biopolymers 105:35-42, 2016; Sliwoski et al, Pharmacol Rev 66:334-395, 2014).
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégory Menchon
- Inserm U1242, Oncogenesis, Stress and Signaling (OSS), Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Laurent Maveyraud
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Georges Czaplicki
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France.
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23
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Guendouzi A, Belkhiri L, Guendouzi A, Derouiche TMT, Djekoun A. A combined in silico approaches of 2D-QSAR, molecular docking, molecular dynamics and ADMET prediction of anti-cancer inhibitor activity for actinonin derivatives. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:119-133. [PMID: 36995063 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2192801] [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] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Inhibition of human mitochondrial peptide deformylase (HsPDF) plays a major role in reducing growth, proliferation, and cellular cancer survival. In this work, a series of 32 actinonin derivatives for HsPDF (PDB: 3G5K) inhibitor's anticancer activity was computationally analyzed for the first time, using an in silico study considering 2D-QSAR modeling, and molecular docking studies, and validated by molecular dynamics and ADMET properties. The results of multilinear regression (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) statistical analysis reveal a good correlation between pIC50 activity and the seven (7) descriptors. The developed models were highly significant with cross-validation, the Y-randomization test and their applicability range. In addition, all considered data sets show that the AC30 compound, exhibits the best binding affinity (docking score = -212.074 kcal/mol and H-bonding energy = -15.879 kcal/mol). Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations were performed at 500 ns, confirming the stability of the studied complexes under physiological conditions and validating the molecular docking results. Five selected actinonin derivatives (AC1, AC8, AC15, AC18 and AC30), exhibiting best docking score, were rationalized as potential leads for HsPDF inhibition, in well agreement with experimental outcomes. Furthermore, based on the in silico study, new six molecules (AC32, AC33, AC34, AC35, AC36 and AC37) were suggested as HsPDF inhibition candidates, which would be combined with in-vitro and in-vivo studies to perspective validation of their anticancer activity. Indeed, the ADMET predictions indicate that these six new ligands have demonstrated a fairly good drug-likeness profile.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lotfi Belkhiri
- Centre de Recherche en Sciences Pharmaceutiques CRSP, Constantine, Algeria
- Laboratoire de Physique Mathématique et Subatomique LPMS, Département de Chimie, Université des Frères Mentouri, Constantine, Algeria
| | - Abdelkrim Guendouzi
- Laboratoire de Chimie, Synthèse, Propriétés et Applications LCSPA, Département de Chimie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Dr Moulay Tahar de Saida, Saïda, Algeria
| | - Tahar Mohamed Taha Derouiche
- Centre de Recherche en Sciences Pharmaceutiques CRSP, Constantine, Algeria
- Laboratoire Innovation Développement des Actifs Pharmaceutiques LIDAP, Faculté de Médecine, Département Pharmacie, Université Salah Boubnider Constantine 3, El Khroub, Algeria
| | - Abdelhamid Djekoun
- Centre de Recherche en Sciences Pharmaceutiques CRSP, Constantine, Algeria
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24
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Provasi D, Filizola M. Enhancing Opioid Bioactivity Predictions through Integration of Ligand-Based and Structure-Based Drug Discovery Strategies with Transfer and Deep Learning Techniques. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:10691-10699. [PMID: 38084046 PMCID: PMC11252170 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c05306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
The opioid epidemic has cast a shadow over public health, necessitating immediate action to address its devastating consequences. To effectively combat this crisis, it is crucial to discover better opioid drugs with reduced addiction potential. Artificial intelligence-based and other machine learning tools, particularly deep learning models, have garnered significant attention in recent years for their potential to advance drug discovery. However, using these tools poses challenges, especially when training samples are insufficient to achieve adequate prediction performance. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of transfer learning in building robust deep learning models to enhance ligand bioactivity prediction for each individual opioid receptor (OR) subtype. This is achieved by leveraging knowledge obtained from pretraining a model using supervised learning on a larger data set of bioactivity data combined with ligand-based and structure-based molecular descriptors related to the entire OR subfamily. Our studies hold the potential to advance opioid research by enabling the rapid identification of novel chemical probes with specific bioactivities, which can aid in the study of receptor function and contribute to the future development of improved opioid therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Provasi
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Marta Filizola
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York 10029, United States
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25
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Pisoni LA, Semple SJ, Liu S, Sykes MJ, Venter H. Combined Structure- and Ligand-Based Approach for the Identification of Inhibitors of AcrAB-TolC in Escherichia coli. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:2504-2522. [PMID: 37888944 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The inhibition of efflux pumps is a promising approach to combating multidrug-resistant bacteria. We have developed a combined structure- and ligand-based model, using OpenEye software, for the identification of inhibitors of AcrB, the inner membrane protein component of the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump in Escherichia coli. From a database of 1391 FDA-approved drugs, 23 compounds were selected to test for efflux inhibition in E. coli. Seven compounds, including ivacaftor (25), butenafine (19), naftifine (27), pimozide (30), thioridazine (35), trifluoperazine (37), and meloxicam (26), enhanced the activity of at least one antimicrobial substrate and inhibited the efflux pump-mediated removal of the substrate Nile Red from cells. Ivacaftor (25) inhibited efflux dose dependently, had no effect on an E. coli strain with genomic deletion of the gene encoding AcrB, and did not damage the bacterial outer membrane. In the presence of a sub-minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the outer membrane permeabilizer colistin, ivacaftor at 1 μg/mL reduced the MICs of erythromycin and minocycline by 4- to 8-fold. The identification of seven potential AcrB inhibitors shows the merits of a combined structure- and ligand-based approach to virtual screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily A Pisoni
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
| | - Susan J Semple
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
| | - Sida Liu
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
| | - Matthew J Sykes
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
| | - Henrietta Venter
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
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26
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Tanabe M, Sakate R, Nakabayashi J, Tsumura K, Ohira S, Iwato K, Kimura T. A novel in silico scaffold-hopping method for drug repositioning in rare and intractable diseases. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19358. [PMID: 37938624 PMCID: PMC10632405 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46648-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In the field of rare and intractable diseases, new drug development is difficult and drug repositioning (DR) is a key method to improve this situation. In this study, we present a new method for finding DR candidates utilizing virtual screening, which integrates amino acid interaction mapping into scaffold-hopping (AI-AAM). At first, we used a spleen associated tyrosine kinase inhibitor as a reference to evaluate the technique, and succeeded in scaffold-hopping maintaining the pharmacological activity. Then we applied this method to five drugs and obtained 144 compounds with diverse structures. Among these, 31 compounds were known to target the same proteins as their reference compounds and 113 compounds were known to target different proteins. We found that AI-AAM dominantly selected functionally similar compounds; thus, these selected compounds may represent improved alternatives to their reference compounds. Moreover, the latter compounds were presumed to bind to the targets of their references as well. This new "compound-target" information provided DR candidates that could be utilized for future drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mao Tanabe
- Laboratory of Rare Disease Information and Resource Library, Center for Intractable Diseases and ImmunoGenomics Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN), Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Sakate
- Laboratory of Rare Disease Information and Resource Library, Center for Intractable Diseases and ImmunoGenomics Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN), Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Jun Nakabayashi
- Analysis Technology Center, FUJIFILM Corporation, 210 Nakanuma, Minami-ashigara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kyosuke Tsumura
- Analysis Technology Center, FUJIFILM Corporation, 210 Nakanuma, Minami-ashigara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Shino Ohira
- Analysis Technology Center, FUJIFILM Corporation, 210 Nakanuma, Minami-ashigara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kaoru Iwato
- Analysis Technology Center, FUJIFILM Corporation, 210 Nakanuma, Minami-ashigara, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Tomonori Kimura
- Reverse Translational Research Project, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN), Ibaraki-City, Osaka, Japan.
- KAGAMI Project, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (NIBIOHN), Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan.
- Department of Nephrology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
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27
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Du H, Jiang D, Zhang O, Wu Z, Gao J, Zhang X, Wang X, Deng Y, Kang Y, Li D, Pan P, Hsieh CY, Hou T. A flexible data-free framework for structure-based de novo drug design with reinforcement learning. Chem Sci 2023; 14:12166-12181. [PMID: 37969589 PMCID: PMC10631243 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc04091g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Contemporary structure-based molecular generative methods have demonstrated their potential to model the geometric and energetic complementarity between ligands and receptors, thereby facilitating the design of molecules with favorable binding affinity and target specificity. Despite the introduction of deep generative models for molecular generation, the atom-wise generation paradigm that partially contradicts chemical intuition limits the validity and synthetic accessibility of the generated molecules. Additionally, the dependence of deep learning models on large-scale structural data has hindered their adaptability across different targets. To overcome these challenges, we present a novel search-based framework, 3D-MCTS, for structure-based de novo drug design. Distinct from prevailing atom-centric methods, 3D-MCTS employs a fragment-based molecular editing strategy. The fragments decomposed from small-molecule drugs are recombined under predefined retrosynthetic rules, offering improved drug-likeness and synthesizability, overcoming the inherent limitations of atom-based approaches. Leveraging multi-threaded parallel simulations combined with a real-time energy constraint-based pruning strategy, 3D-MCTS achieves remarkable efficiency. At a fixed computational cost, it outperforms other state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods by producing molecules with enhanced binding affinity. Furthermore, its fragment-based approach ensures the generation of more dependable binding conformations, exhibiting a success rate 43.6% higher than that of other SOTAs. This advantage becomes even more pronounced when handling targets that significantly deviate from the training dataset. 3D-MCTS is capable of achieving thirty times more hits with high binding affinity than traditional virtual screening methods, which demonstrates the superior ability of 3D-MCTS to explore chemical space. Moreover, the flexibility of our framework makes it easy to incorporate domain knowledge during the process, thereby enabling the generation of molecules with desirable pharmacophores and enhanced binding affinity. The adaptability of 3D-MCTS is further showcased in metalloprotein applications, highlighting its potential across various drug design scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Du
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
| | - Dejun Jiang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
| | - Odin Zhang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
| | - Zhenxing Wu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
| | - Junbo Gao
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
| | - Xujun Zhang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
| | - Xiaorui Wang
- Hangzhou Carbonsilicon AI Technology Co., Ltd Hangzhou 310018 Zhejiang China
- Dr. Neher's Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology Macao 999078 China
| | - Yafeng Deng
- Hangzhou Carbonsilicon AI Technology Co., Ltd Hangzhou 310018 Zhejiang China
| | - Yu Kang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
| | - Dan Li
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
| | - Peichen Pan
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
| | - Chang-Yu Hsieh
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
| | - Tingjun Hou
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 Zhejiang China
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28
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Horgan MJ, Zell L, Siewert B, Stuppner H, Schuster D, Temml V. Identification of Novel β-Tubulin Inhibitors Using a Combined In Silico/ In Vitro Approach. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:6396-6411. [PMID: 37774242 PMCID: PMC10598795 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Due to their potential as leads for various therapeutic applications, including as antimitotic and antiparasitic agents, the development of tubulin inhibitors offers promise for drug discovery. In this study, an in silico pharmacophore-based virtual screening approach targeting the colchicine binding site of β-tubulin was employed. Several structure- and ligand-based models for known tubulin inhibitors were generated. Compound databases were virtually screened against the models, and prioritized hits from the SPECS compound library were tested in an in vitro tubulin polymerization inhibition assay for their experimental validation. Out of the 41 SPECS compounds tested, 11 were active tubulin polymerization inhibitors, leading to a prospective true positive hit rate of 26.8%. Two novel inhibitors displayed IC50 values in the range of colchicine. The most potent of which was a novel acetamide-bridged benzodiazepine/benzimidazole derivative with an IC50 = 2.9 μM. The screening workflow led to the identification of diverse inhibitors active at the tubulin colchicine binding site. Thus, the pharmacophore models show promise as valuable tools for the discovery of compounds and as potential leads for the development of cancer therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark James Horgan
- Institute
of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy, Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Lukas Zell
- Institute
of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Strubergasse 21, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Bianka Siewert
- Institute
of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy, Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Hermann Stuppner
- Institute
of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy, Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Daniela Schuster
- Institute
of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Strubergasse 21, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Veronika Temml
- Institute
of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Strubergasse 21, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
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29
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Oliveira LPS, Lima LR, Silva LB, Cruz JN, Ramos RS, Lima LS, Cardoso FMN, Silva AV, Rodrigues DP, Rodrigues GS, Proietti-Junior AA, dos Santos GB, Campos JM, Santos CBR. Hierarchical Virtual Screening of Potential New Antibiotics from Polyoxygenated Dibenzofurans against Staphylococcus aureus Strains. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1430. [PMID: 37895901 PMCID: PMC10610096 DOI: 10.3390/ph16101430] [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: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a microorganism with high morbidity and mortality due to antibiotic-resistant strains, making the search for new therapeutic options urgent. In this context, computational drug design can facilitate the drug discovery process, optimizing time and resources. In this work, computational methods involving ligand- and structure-based virtual screening were employed to identify potential antibacterial agents against the S. aureus MRSA and VRSA strains. To achieve this goal, tetrahydroxybenzofuran, a promising antibacterial agent according to in vitro tests described in the literature, was adopted as the pivotal molecule and derivative molecules were considered to generate a pharmacophore model, which was used to perform virtual screening on the Pharmit platform. Through this result, twenty-four molecules were selected from the MolPort® database. Using the Tanimoto Index on the BindingDB web server, it was possible to select eighteen molecules with greater structural similarity in relation to commercial antibiotics (methicillin and oxacillin). Predictions of toxicological and pharmacokinetic properties (ADME/Tox) using the eighteen most similar molecules, showed that only three exhibited desired properties (LB255, LB320 and LB415). In the molecular docking study, the promising molecules LB255, LB320 and LB415 showed significant values in both molecular targets. LB320 presented better binding affinity to MRSA (-8.18 kcal/mol) and VRSA (-8.01 kcal/mol) targets. Through PASS web server, the three molecules, specially LB320, showed potential for antibacterial activity. Synthetic accessibility (SA) analysis performed on AMBIT and SwissADME web servers showed that LB255 and LB415 can be considered difficult to synthesize and LB320 is considered easy. In conclusion, the results suggest that these ligands, particularly LB320, may bind strongly to the studied targets and may have appropriate ADME/Tox properties in experimental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lana P. S. Oliveira
- Graduate Program in Biotechnology and Biodiversity-Network BIONORTE, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68903-419, Brazil; (L.P.S.O.); (R.S.R.); (F.M.N.C.); (A.V.S.); (A.A.P.-J.)
- Laboratory of Modeling and Computational Chemistry, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil; (L.R.L.); (L.B.S.); (J.N.C.)
| | - Lúcio R. Lima
- Laboratory of Modeling and Computational Chemistry, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil; (L.R.L.); (L.B.S.); (J.N.C.)
- Graduate Program in Network in Pharmaceutical Innovation, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Modeling, Health Science Institute, Federal Univesity of Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil
| | - Luciane B. Silva
- Laboratory of Modeling and Computational Chemistry, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil; (L.R.L.); (L.B.S.); (J.N.C.)
- Graduate Program in Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Modeling, Health Science Institute, Federal Univesity of Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil
| | - Jorddy N. Cruz
- Laboratory of Modeling and Computational Chemistry, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil; (L.R.L.); (L.B.S.); (J.N.C.)
| | - Ryan S. Ramos
- Graduate Program in Biotechnology and Biodiversity-Network BIONORTE, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68903-419, Brazil; (L.P.S.O.); (R.S.R.); (F.M.N.C.); (A.V.S.); (A.A.P.-J.)
- Laboratory of Modeling and Computational Chemistry, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil; (L.R.L.); (L.B.S.); (J.N.C.)
| | - Luciana S. Lima
- Special Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil;
| | - Francy M. N. Cardoso
- Graduate Program in Biotechnology and Biodiversity-Network BIONORTE, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68903-419, Brazil; (L.P.S.O.); (R.S.R.); (F.M.N.C.); (A.V.S.); (A.A.P.-J.)
- Laboratory of Modeling and Computational Chemistry, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil; (L.R.L.); (L.B.S.); (J.N.C.)
- Special Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil;
| | - Aderaldo V. Silva
- Graduate Program in Biotechnology and Biodiversity-Network BIONORTE, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68903-419, Brazil; (L.P.S.O.); (R.S.R.); (F.M.N.C.); (A.V.S.); (A.A.P.-J.)
- Laboratory of Modeling and Computational Chemistry, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil; (L.R.L.); (L.B.S.); (J.N.C.)
| | - Dália P. Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Bacterial Enteric Pathogens, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro 21045-900, Brazil;
| | - Gabriela S. Rodrigues
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém 68270-000, Brazil; (G.S.R.); (G.B.d.S.)
| | - Aldo A. Proietti-Junior
- Graduate Program in Biotechnology and Biodiversity-Network BIONORTE, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68903-419, Brazil; (L.P.S.O.); (R.S.R.); (F.M.N.C.); (A.V.S.); (A.A.P.-J.)
- Special Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil;
| | - Gabriela B. dos Santos
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Institute of Collective Health, Federal University of Western Pará, Santarém 68270-000, Brazil; (G.S.R.); (G.B.d.S.)
| | - Joaquín M. Campos
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Biosanitary Research ibs. GRANADA, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain;
| | - Cleydson B. R. Santos
- Graduate Program in Biotechnology and Biodiversity-Network BIONORTE, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68903-419, Brazil; (L.P.S.O.); (R.S.R.); (F.M.N.C.); (A.V.S.); (A.A.P.-J.)
- Laboratory of Modeling and Computational Chemistry, Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil; (L.R.L.); (L.B.S.); (J.N.C.)
- Graduate Program in Network in Pharmaceutical Innovation, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá 68902-280, Brazil
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30
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Dragan P, Joshi K, Atzei A, Latek D. Keras/TensorFlow in Drug Design for Immunity Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15009. [PMID: 37834457 PMCID: PMC10573944 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241915009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Homeostasis of the host immune system is regulated by white blood cells with a variety of cell surface receptors for cytokines. Chemotactic cytokines (chemokines) activate their receptors to evoke the chemotaxis of immune cells in homeostatic migrations or inflammatory conditions towards inflamed tissue or pathogens. Dysregulation of the immune system leading to disorders such as allergies, autoimmune diseases, or cancer requires efficient, fast-acting drugs to minimize the long-term effects of chronic inflammation. Here, we performed structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) assisted by the Keras/TensorFlow neural network (NN) to find novel compound scaffolds acting on three chemokine receptors: CCR2, CCR3, and one CXC receptor, CXCR3. Keras/TensorFlow NN was used here not as a typically used binary classifier but as an efficient multi-class classifier that can discard not only inactive compounds but also low- or medium-activity compounds. Several compounds proposed by SBVS and NN were tested in 100 ns all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to confirm their binding affinity. To improve the basic binding affinity of the compounds, new chemical modifications were proposed. The modified compounds were compared with known antagonists of these three chemokine receptors. Known CXCR3 compounds were among the top predicted compounds; thus, the benefits of using Keras/TensorFlow in drug discovery have been shown in addition to structure-based approaches. Furthermore, we showed that Keras/TensorFlow NN can accurately predict the receptor subtype selectivity of compounds, for which SBVS often fails. We cross-tested chemokine receptor datasets retrieved from ChEMBL and curated datasets for cannabinoid receptors. The NN model trained on the cannabinoid receptor datasets retrieved from ChEMBL was the most accurate in the receptor subtype selectivity prediction. Among NN models trained on the chemokine receptor datasets, the CXCR3 model showed the highest accuracy in differentiating the receptor subtype for a given compound dataset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Dragan
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-903 Warsaw, Poland; (P.D.); (A.A.)
| | - Kavita Joshi
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-903 Warsaw, Poland; (P.D.); (A.A.)
| | - Alessandro Atzei
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-903 Warsaw, Poland; (P.D.); (A.A.)
- Department of Life and Environmental Science, Food Toxicology Unit, University of Cagliari, University Campus of Monserrato, SS 554, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Dorota Latek
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-903 Warsaw, Poland; (P.D.); (A.A.)
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Wu K, Karapetyan E, Schloss J, Vadgama J, Wu Y. Advancements in small molecule drug design: A structural perspective. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103730. [PMID: 37536390 PMCID: PMC10543554 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we outline recent advancements in small molecule drug design from a structural perspective. We compare protein structure prediction methods and explore the role of the ligand binding pocket in structure-based drug design. We examine various structural features used to optimize drug candidates, including functional groups, stereochemistry, and molecular weight. Computational tools such as molecular docking and virtual screening are discussed for predicting and optimizing drug candidate structures. We present examples of drug candidates designed based on their molecular structure and discuss future directions in the field. By effectively integrating structural information with other valuable data sources, we can improve the drug discovery process, leading to the identification of novel therapeutics with improved efficacy, specificity, and safety profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Wu
- Division of Cancer Research and Training, Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine and UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Eduard Karapetyan
- Division of Cancer Research and Training, Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine and UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - John Schloss
- Division of Cancer Research and Training, Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine and UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; School of Pharmacy, American University of Health Sciences, Signal Hill, CA 90755, USA
| | - Jaydutt Vadgama
- Division of Cancer Research and Training, Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine and UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; School of Pharmacy, American University of Health Sciences, Signal Hill, CA 90755, USA.
| | - Yong Wu
- Division of Cancer Research and Training, Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine and UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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32
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Zare F, Solhjoo A, Sadeghpour H, Sakhteman A, Dehshahri A. Structure-based virtual screening, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and MM/PBSA calculations towards identification of steroidal and non-steroidal selective glucocorticoid receptor modulators. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:7640-7650. [PMID: 36134594 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2123392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids have been used in the treatment of many diseases including inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Despite the wide therapeutic effects of synthetic glucocorticoids, the use of these compounds has been limited due to side effects such as osteoporosis, immunodeficiency, and hyperglycaemia. To this end, extensive studies have been performed to discover new glucocorticoid modulators with the aim of increasing affinity for the receptor and thus less side effects. In the present work, structure-based virtual screening was used for the identification of novel potent compounds with glucocorticoid effects. The molecules derived from ZINC database were screened on account of structural similarity with some glucocorticoid agonists as the template. Subsequently, molecular docking was performed on 200 selected compounds to obtain the best steroidal and non-steroidal conformations. Three compounds, namely ZINC_000002083318, ZINC_000253697499 and ZINC_000003845653, were selected with the binding energies of -11.5, -10.5, and -9.5 kcal/mol, respectively. Molecular dynamic simulations on superior structures were accomplished with the glucocorticoid receptor. Additionally, root mean square deviations, root mean square fluctuation, radius of gyration, hydrogen bonds, and binding-free energy analysis showed the binding stability of the proposed compounds compared to budesonide as an approved drug. The results demonstrated that all the compounds had suitable binding stability compared to budesonide, while ZINC_000002083318 showed a tighter binding energy compared to the other compounds.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fateme Zare
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Aida Solhjoo
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Hossein Sadeghpour
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Sakhteman
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Ali Dehshahri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Palazzotti D, Felicetti T, Sabatini S, Moro S, Barreca ML, Sturlese M, Astolfi A. Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance: Insights on How the Staphylococcus aureus NorA Efflux Pump Recognizes 2-Phenylquinoline Inhibitors by Supervised Molecular Dynamics (SuMD) and Molecular Docking Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:4875-4887. [PMID: 37515548 PMCID: PMC10428217 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
The superbug Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) exhibits several resistance mechanisms, including efflux pumps, that strongly contribute to antimicrobial resistance. In particular, the NorA efflux pump activity is associated with S. aureus resistance to fluoroquinolone antibiotics (e.g., ciprofloxacin) by promoting their active extrusion from cells. Thus, since efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) are able to increase antibiotic concentrations in bacteria as well as restore their susceptibility to these agents, they represent a promising strategy to counteract bacterial resistance. Additionally, the very recent release of two NorA efflux pump cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures in complex with synthetic antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) represents a real breakthrough in the study of S. aureus antibiotic resistance. In this scenario, supervised molecular dynamics (SuMD) and molecular docking experiments were combined to investigate for the first time the molecular mechanisms driving the interaction between NorA and efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs), with the ultimate goal of elucidating how the NorA efflux pump recognizes its inhibitors. The findings provide insights into the dynamic NorA-EPI intermolecular interactions and lay the groundwork for future drug discovery efforts aimed at the identification of novel molecules to fight antimicrobial resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Palazzotti
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Excellence 2018−2022, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo, 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Tommaso Felicetti
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Excellence 2018−2022, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo, 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Stefano Sabatini
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Excellence 2018−2022, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo, 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Stefano Moro
- Molecular
Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological
Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Maria Letizia Barreca
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Excellence 2018−2022, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo, 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Mattia Sturlese
- Molecular
Modeling Section (MMS), Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological
Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Andrea Astolfi
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Excellence 2018−2022, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo, 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy
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Provasi D, Filizola M. Enhancing Opioid Bioactivity Predictions through Integration of Ligand-Based and Structure-Based Drug Discovery Strategies with Transfer and Deep Learning Techniques. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.04.552065. [PMID: 37609329 PMCID: PMC10441297 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.04.552065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
The opioid epidemic has cast a shadow over public health, necessitating immediate action to address its devastating consequences. To effectively combat this crisis, it is crucial to discover better opioid drugs with reduced addiction potential. Artificial intelligence-based and other machine learning tools, particularly deep learning models, have garnered significant attention in recent years for their potential to advance drug discovery. However, utilizing these tools poses challenges, especially when training samples are insufficient to achieve adequate prediction performance. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of transfer learning using combined ligand-based and structure-based molecular descriptors from the entire opioid receptor (OR) subfamily in building robust deep learning models for enhanced bioactivity prediction of opioid ligands at each individual OR subtype. Our studies hold the potential to greatly advance opioid research by enabling the rapid identification of novel chemical probes with specific bioactivities, which can aid in the study of receptor function and contribute to the future development of improved opioid therapeutics.
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35
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Zhang Y, Cui L. Discovery and development of small-molecule heparanase inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 90:117335. [PMID: 37257254 PMCID: PMC10884955 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Heparanase-1 (HPSE) is a promising yet challenging therapeutic target. It is the only known enzyme that is responsible for cleavage of heparan sulfate (HS) side chains from heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), and is the key enzyme involved in the remodeling and degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Overexpression of HPSE is found in various types of diseases, including cancers, inflammations, diabetes, and viral infections. Inhibiting HPSE can restore ECM functions and integrity, making the development of HPSE inhibitors a highly sought-after topic. So far, all HPSE inhibitors that have entered clinical trials belong to the category of HS mimetics, and no small-molecule or drug-like HPSE inhibitors have made similar progress. None of the HS mimetics have been approved as drugs, with some clinical trials discontinued due to poor bioavailability, side effects, and unfavorable pharmacokinetics characteristics. Small-molecule HPSE inhibitors are, therefore, particularly appealing due to their drug-like characteristics. Advances in the chemical spaces and drug design technologies, including the increasing use of in vitro and in silico screening methods, have provided new opportunities in drug discovery. This article aims to review the discovery and development of small-molecule HPSE inhibitors via screening strategies to shed light on the future endeavors in the development of novel HPSE inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhao Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, UF Health Science Center, UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Lina Cui
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, UF Health Science Center, UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
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36
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Azad I, Khan T, Ahmad N, Khan AR, Akhter Y. Updates on drug designing approach through computational strategies: a review. Future Sci OA 2023; 9:FSO862. [PMID: 37180609 PMCID: PMC10167725 DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2022-0085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The drug discovery and development (DDD) process in pursuit of novel drug candidates is a challenging procedure requiring lots of time and resources. Therefore, computer-aided drug design (CADD) methodologies are used extensively to promote proficiency in drug development in a systematic and time-effective manner. The point in reference is SARS-CoV-2 which has emerged as a global pandemic. In the absence of any confirmed drug moiety to treat the infection, the science fraternity adopted hit and trial methods to come up with a lead drug compound. This article is an overview of the virtual methodologies, which assist in finding novel hits and help in the progression of drug development in a short period with a specific medicinal solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iqbal Azad
- Department of Chemistry, Integral University, Dasauli, P.O. Bas-ha, Kursi Road, Lucknow, 226026, UP, India
| | - Tahmeena Khan
- Department of Chemistry, Integral University, Dasauli, P.O. Bas-ha, Kursi Road, Lucknow, 226026, UP, India
| | - Naseem Ahmad
- Department of Chemistry, Integral University, Dasauli, P.O. Bas-ha, Kursi Road, Lucknow, 226026, UP, India
| | - Abdul Rahman Khan
- Department of Chemistry, Integral University, Dasauli, P.O. Bas-ha, Kursi Road, Lucknow, 226026, UP, India
| | - Yusuf Akhter
- Department of Biotechnology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow, UP, 2260025, India
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37
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Vázquez J, Ginex T, Herrero A, Morisseau C, Hammock BD, Luque FJ. Screening and Biological Evaluation of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitors: Assessing the Role of Hydrophobicity in the Pharmacophore-Guided Search of Novel Hits. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:3209-3225. [PMID: 37141492 PMCID: PMC10207366 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The human soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a bifunctional enzyme that modulates the levels of regulatory epoxy lipids. The hydrolase activity is carried out by a catalytic triad located at the center of a wide L-shaped binding site, which contains two hydrophobic subpockets at both sides. On the basis of these structural features, it can be assumed that desolvation is a major factor in determining the maximal achievable affinity that can be attained for this pocket. Accordingly, hydrophobic descriptors may be better suited to the search of novel hits targeting this enzyme. This study examines the suitability of quantum mechanically derived hydrophobic descriptors in the discovery of novel sEH inhibitors. To this end, three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) pharmacophores were generated by combining electrostatic and steric or alternatively hydrophobic and hydrogen-bond parameters in conjunction with a tailored list of 76 known sEH inhibitors. The pharmacophore models were then validated by using two external sets chosen (i) to rank the potency of four distinct series of compounds and (ii) to discriminate actives from decoys, using in both cases datasets taken from the literature. Finally, a prospective study was performed including a virtual screening of two chemical libraries to identify new potential hits, which were subsequently experimentally tested for their inhibitory activity on human, rat, and mouse sEH. The use of hydrophobic-based descriptors led to the identification of six compounds as inhibitors of the human enzyme with IC50 < 20 nM, including two with IC50 values of 0.4 and 0.7 nM. The results support the use of hydrophobic descriptors as a valuable tool in the search of novel scaffolds that encode a proper hydrophilic/hydrophobic distribution complementary to the target's binding site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Vázquez
- Departament
de Nutrició, Ciències de l′Alimentació
i Gastronomia, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l′Alimentació, Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Prat de la Riba 171, 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain
- Pharmacelera,
Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB), Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tiziana Ginex
- Departament
de Nutrició, Ciències de l′Alimentació
i Gastronomia, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l′Alimentació, Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Prat de la Riba 171, 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain
| | - Albert Herrero
- Pharmacelera,
Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB), Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christophe Morisseau
- Department
of Entomology and Nematology, and Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Bruce D. Hammock
- Department
of Entomology and Nematology, and Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - F. Javier Luque
- Departament
de Nutrició, Ciències de l′Alimentació
i Gastronomia, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l′Alimentació, Institut de Biomecidina (IBUB) and Institut de Química
Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Prat de la Riba 171, 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain
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Wu G, Liu Z, Mu C, Song D, Wang J, Meng X, Li Z, Qing H, Dong Y, Xie HY, Pang DW. Enhanced Proliferation of Visualizable Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Platelet Hybrid Cell for Versatile Intracerebral Hemorrhage Treatment. ACS NANO 2023; 17:7352-7365. [PMID: 37037487 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c11329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The intrinsic features and functions of platelets and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) indicate their great potential in the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, neither of them can completely overcome ICH because of the stealth process and the complex pathology of ICH. Here, we fabricate hybrid cells for versatile and highly efficient ICH therapy by fusing MSCs with platelets and loading with lysophosphatidic acid-modified PbS quantum dots (LPA-QDs). The obtained LPA-QDs@FCs (FCs = fusion cells) not only inherit the capabilities of both platelets and MSCs but also exhibit clearly enhanced proliferation activated by LPA. After systemic administration, many proliferating LPA-QDs@FCs rapidly accumulate in ICH areas for responding to the vascular damage and inflammation and then efficiently prevent both the primary and secondary injuries of ICH but with no obvious side effects. Moreover, the treatment process can be tracked by near-infrared II fluorescence imaging with highly spatiotemporal resolution, providing a promising solution for ICH therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanghao Wu
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
| | - Zhenya Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
| | - Changwen Mu
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
| | - Da Song
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
| | - Jiaxin Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
| | - Xiangxi Meng
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100142, P. R. China
| | - Ziyuan Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Hong Qing
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
| | - Yuping Dong
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
| | - Hai-Yan Xie
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, P. R. China
| | - Dai-Wen Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Frontiers Science Center for New Organic Matter, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
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39
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Cheng Z, Bhave M, Hwang SS, Rahman T, Chee XW. Identification of Potential p38γ Inhibitors via In Silico Screening, In Vitro Bioassay and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24087360. [PMID: 37108523 PMCID: PMC10139033 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087360] [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: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein kinase p38γ is an attractive target against cancer because it plays a pivotal role in cancer cell proliferation by phosphorylating the retinoblastoma tumour suppressor protein. Therefore, inhibition of p38γ with active small molecules represents an attractive alternative for developing anti-cancer drugs. In this work, we present a rigorous and systematic virtual screening framework to identify potential p38γ inhibitors against cancer. We combined the use of machine learning-based quantitative structure activity relationship modelling with conventional computer-aided drug discovery techniques, namely molecular docking and ligand-based methods, to identify potential p38γ inhibitors. The hit compounds were filtered using negative design techniques and then assessed for their binding stability with p38γ through molecular dynamics simulations. To this end, we identified a promising compound that inhibits p38γ activity at nanomolar concentrations and hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth in vitro in the low micromolar range. This hit compound could serve as a potential scaffold for further development of a potent p38γ inhibitor against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixuan Cheng
- School of Engineering and Science, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Kuching 93350, Malaysia
| | - Mrinal Bhave
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC 3122, Australia
| | - Siaw San Hwang
- School of Engineering and Science, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Kuching 93350, Malaysia
| | - Taufiq Rahman
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PD, UK
| | - Xavier Wezen Chee
- School of Engineering and Science, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Kuching 93350, Malaysia
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40
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Ang D, Kendall R, Atamian HS. Virtual and In Vitro Screening of Natural Products Identifies Indole and Benzene Derivatives as Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (M pro). BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12040519. [PMID: 37106720 PMCID: PMC10135783 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) resulted in serious health, social, and economic consequences. While the development of effective vaccines substantially reduced the severity of symptoms and the associated deaths, we still urgently need effective drugs to further reduce the number of casualties associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections. Machine learning methods both improved and sped up all the different stages of the drug discovery processes by performing complex analyses with enormous datasets. Natural products (NPs) have been used for treating diseases and infections for thousands of years and represent a valuable resource for drug discovery when combined with the current computation advancements. Here, a dataset of 406,747 unique NPs was screened against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) crystal structure (6lu7) using a combination of ligand- and structural-based virtual screening. Based on 1) the predicted binding affinities of the NPs to the Mpro, 2) the types and number of interactions with the Mpro amino acids that are critical for its function, and 3) the desirable pharmacokinetic properties of the NPs, we identified the top 20 candidates that could potentially inhibit the Mpro protease function. A total of 7 of the 20 top candidates were subjected to in vitro protease inhibition assay and 4 of them (4/7; 57%), including two beta carbolines, one N-alkyl indole, and one Benzoic acid ester, had significant inhibitory activity against Mpro protease. These four NPs could be developed further for the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dony Ang
- Computational and Data Sciences Program, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Riley Kendall
- Computational and Data Sciences Program, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Hagop S Atamian
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
- Biological Sciences Program, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
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41
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Erkin AV, Serebryakov EB, Krutikov VI. 2-[(2-Amino-6-methylpyrimidin-4-yl)sulfanyl]-N-arylacetamides: Discovery of a new class of anti-tubercular agents and prospects for their further structural modification. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2023; 83:129189. [PMID: 36805047 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2023.129189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
The synthesis of 2-[(2-amino-6-methylpyrimidin-4-yl)sulfanyl]-N-arylacetamides 6a-j was encouraged by their antibacterial activity and drug-likeness predictions. Of the compounds, two bearing 4‑isopropylphenyl 6c and 2,5‑dichlorophenyl 6i moieties were found to be threefold more potent than the first-line tuberculosis drug ethambutol. A molecular docking study revealed that compound 6c may selectively bind to cyclopropane mycolic acid synthase 1, an enzyme essential for the construction of the tuberculosis bacteria cell wall. Keeping this in mind, a recently developed ligand-based virtual screening strategy combining the molecular similarity search and docking approaches was adopted to identify more potent analogs of the parent compound. As a result, a series of new ligands 18p-w with phenyl-substituted azinyl amide groups were in silico discovered. Due to their high binding affinities to the enzyme and improved toxicity profiles, the ligands are undoubtedly worth future synthetic efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei V Erkin
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Synthetic Biologically Active Compounds, Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology (Technical University), Saint Petersburg 190013, Russia.
| | - Evgeny B Serebryakov
- Chemical Analysis and Materials Research Centre, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 198504, Russia
| | - Viktor I Krutikov
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Synthetic Biologically Active Compounds, Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology (Technical University), Saint Petersburg 190013, Russia
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42
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Hsieh CJ, Giannakoulias S, Petersson EJ, Mach RH. Computational Chemistry for the Identification of Lead Compounds for Radiotracer Development. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:317. [PMID: 37259459 PMCID: PMC9964981 DOI: 10.3390/ph16020317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of computer-aided drug design (CADD) for the identification of lead compounds in radiotracer development is steadily increasing. Traditional CADD methods, such as structure-based and ligand-based virtual screening and optimization, have been successfully utilized in many drug discovery programs and are highlighted throughout this review. First, we discuss the use of virtual screening for hit identification at the beginning of drug discovery programs. This is followed by an analysis of how the hits derived from virtual screening can be filtered and culled to highly probable candidates to test in in vitro assays. We then illustrate how CADD can be used to optimize the potency of experimentally validated hit compounds from virtual screening for use in positron emission tomography (PET). Finally, we conclude with a survey of the newest techniques in CADD employing machine learning (ML).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Ju Hsieh
- Division of Nuclear Medicine and Clinical Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Sam Giannakoulias
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - E. James Petersson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Robert H. Mach
- Division of Nuclear Medicine and Clinical Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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43
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Identification of a Family of Glycoside Derivatives Biologically Active against Acinetobacter baumannii and Other MDR Bacteria Using a QSPR Model. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/ph16020250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
As the rate of discovery of new antibacterial compounds for multidrug-resistant bacteria is declining, there is an urge for the search for molecules that could revert this tendency. Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a highly virulent Gram-negative bacterium that has acquired multiple resistance mechanisms against antibiotics and is considered of critical priority. In this work, we developed a quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) model with 592 compounds for the identification of structural parameters related to their property as antibacterial agents against A. baumannii. QSPR mathematical validation (R2 = 70.27, RN = −0.008, a(R2) = 0.014, and δK = 0.021) and its prediction ability (Q2LMO = 67.89, Q2EXT = 67.75, a(Q2) = −0.068, δQ = 0.0, rm2¯ = 0.229, and Δrm2 = 0.522) were obtained with different statistical parameters; additional validation was done using three sets of external molecules (R2 = 72.89, 71.64 and 71.56). We used the QSPR model to perform a virtual screening on the BIOFACQUIM natural product database. From this screening, our model showed that molecules 32 to 35 and 54 to 68, isolated from different extracts of plants of the Ipomoea sp., are potential antibacterials against A. baumannii. Furthermore, biological assays showed that molecules 56 and 60 to 64 have a wide antibacterial activity against clinically isolated strains of A. baumannii, as well as other multidrug-resistant bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Finally, we propose 60 as a potential lead compound due to its broad-spectrum activity and its structural simplicity. Therefore, our QSPR model can be used as a tool for the investigation and search for new antibacterial compounds against A. baumannii.
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44
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Tiwari H, Raina D, Gupta M, Barik MR, Khan IA, Khan F, Nargotra A. Identification of novel MurA inhibitors using in silico approach, their validation and elucidation of mode of inhibition. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:457-468. [PMID: 34866550 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2007793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
UDP-N-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase (MurA) is an important enzyme involved in the first cytosolic step of bacterial cell wall synthesis. In this study a combination of ligand based and structure based in silico virtual screening methods were utilised for screening of more than 50,000 drug-like compounds from CSIR-IIIM in-house compound library in order to identify potent inhibitors of MurA. The identified hits were validated in vitro under various incubation conditions using Malachite green phosphate assay, and two potent hits viz 3772-9534 and D396-0012 were identified. Among these hits, compound 3772-9534 showed significant changes in the activity values in different assay conditions. The MD simulation study of 3772-9534 suggested a novel binding site in MurA enzyme, independent of the two-substrate binding sites. Binding of inhibitors at the allosteric site induces conformational changes in the enzyme, which leads to inhibition of enzymatic activity. Overall, the study offers new insight for targeting MurA, which may promote the discovery of novel MurA allosteric site inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harshita Tiwari
- Discovery Informatics, NPMC Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Diksha Raina
- Clinical Microbiology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Monika Gupta
- Discovery Informatics, NPMC Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India
| | - Manas Ranjan Barik
- Discovery Informatics, NPMC Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Inshad Ali Khan
- Clinical Microbiology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India.,Department of Microbiology, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
| | - Farrah Khan
- Clinical Microbiology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India
| | - Amit Nargotra
- Discovery Informatics, NPMC Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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45
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Sharma H, Sharma P, Urquiza U, Chastain LR, Ihnat MA. Exploration of a Large Virtual Chemical Space: Identification of Potent Inhibitors of Lactate Dehydrogenase-A against Pancreatic Cancer. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:1028-1043. [PMID: 36646658 PMCID: PMC9930117 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
It is imperative to explore the gigantic available chemical space to identify new scaffolds for drug lead discovery. Identifying potent hits from virtual screening of large chemical databases is challenging and computationally demanding. Rather than the traditional two-dimensional (2D)/three-dimensional (3D) approaches on smaller chemical libraries of a few hundred thousand compounds, we screened a ZINC library of 15 million compounds using multiple computational methods. Here, we present the successful application of a virtual screening methodology that identifies several chemotypes as starting hits against lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDHA). From 29 compounds identified from virtual screening, 17 (58%) showed IC50 values < 63 μM, two showed single-digit micromolar inhibition, and the most potent hit compound had IC50 down to 117 nM. We enriched the database and employed an ensemble approach by combining 2D fingerprint similarity searches, pharmacophore modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics. WaterMap calculations were carried out to explore the thermodynamics of surface water molecules and gain insights into the LDHA binding pocket. The present work has led to the discovery of two new chemical classes, including compounds with a succinic acid monoamide moiety or a hydroxy pyrimidinone ring system. Selected hits block lactate production in cells and inhibit pancreatic cancer cell lines with cytotoxicity IC50 down to 12.26 μM against MIAPaCa-2 cells and 14.64 μM against PANC-1, which, under normoxic conditions, is already comparable or more potent than most currently available known LDHA inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Horrick Sharma
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, Oklahoma73096, United States,, . Phone: (+1)580-774-3064. Fax: (+1)(580)-774-7020
| | - Pragya Sharma
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Southwestern Oklahoma
State University, Weatherford, Oklahoma73096, United States
| | - Uzziah Urquiza
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Southwestern Oklahoma
State University, Weatherford, Oklahoma73096, United States
| | - Lerin R. Chastain
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma73117, United States
| | - Michael A. Ihnat
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma73117, United States
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46
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Ye J, Yang X, Ma C. Ligand-Based Drug Design of Novel Antimicrobials against Staphylococcus aureus by Targeting Bacterial Transcription. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010339. [PMID: 36613782 PMCID: PMC9820117 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a common human commensal pathogen that causes a wide range of infectious diseases. Due to the generation of antimicrobial resistance, the pathogen becomes resistant to more and more antibiotics, resulting in methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and even multidrug-resistant S. aureus (MDRSA), namely 'superbugs'. This situation highlights the urgent need for novel antimicrobials. Bacterial transcription, which is responsible for bacterial RNA synthesis, is a valid but underutilized target for developing antimicrobials. Previously, we reported a novel class of antimicrobials, coined nusbiarylins, that inhibited bacterial transcription by interrupting the protein-protein interaction (PPI) between two transcription factors NusB and NusE. In this work, we developed a ligand-based workflow based on the chemical structures of nusbiarylins and their activity against S. aureus. The ligand-based models-including the pharmacophore model, 3D QSAR, AutoQSAR, and ADME/T calculation-were integrated and used in the following virtual screening of the ChemDiv PPI database. As a result, four compounds, including J098-0498, 1067-0401, M013-0558, and F186-026, were identified as potential antimicrobials against S. aureus, with predicted pMIC values ranging from 3.8 to 4.2. The docking study showed that these molecules bound to NusB tightly with the binding free energy ranging from -58 to -66 kcal/mol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiqing Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- School of Pharmacy, Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Xiao Yang
- Department of Microbiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Correspondence: (X.Y.); (C.M.)
| | - Cong Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Correspondence: (X.Y.); (C.M.)
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47
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Chang Y, Hawkins BA, Du JJ, Groundwater PW, Hibbs DE, Lai F. A Guide to In Silico Drug Design. Pharmaceutics 2022; 15:pharmaceutics15010049. [PMID: 36678678 PMCID: PMC9867171 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15010049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The drug discovery process is a rocky path that is full of challenges, with the result that very few candidates progress from hit compound to a commercially available product, often due to factors, such as poor binding affinity, off-target effects, or physicochemical properties, such as solubility or stability. This process is further complicated by high research and development costs and time requirements. It is thus important to optimise every step of the process in order to maximise the chances of success. As a result of the recent advancements in computer power and technology, computer-aided drug design (CADD) has become an integral part of modern drug discovery to guide and accelerate the process. In this review, we present an overview of the important CADD methods and applications, such as in silico structure prediction, refinement, modelling and target validation, that are commonly used in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqun Chang
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Bryson A. Hawkins
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Jonathan J. Du
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Paul W. Groundwater
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - David E. Hibbs
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Felcia Lai
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
- Correspondence:
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48
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Gomes AFT, de Medeiros WF, de Oliveira GS, Medeiros I, Maia JKDS, Bezerra IWL, Piuvezam G, Morais AHDA. In silico structure-based designers of therapeutic targets for diabetes mellitus or obesity: A protocol for systematic review. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0279039. [PMID: 36508447 PMCID: PMC9744281 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a significant risk factor for several chronic non-communicable diseases, being closely related to Diabetes Mellitus. Computer modeling techniques favor the understanding of interaction mechanisms between specific targets and substances of interest, optimizing drug development. In this article, the protocol of two protocols of systematic reviews are described for identifying therapeutic targets and models for treating obesity or diabetes mellitus investigated in silico. The protocol is by the guidelines from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes Protocols (PRISMA-P) and was published in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews database (PROSPERO: CRD42022353808). Search strategies will be developed based on the combination of descriptors and executed in the following databases: PubMed; ScienceDirect; Scopus; Web of Science; Virtual Health Library; EMBASE. Only original in silico studies with molecular dynamics, molecular docking, or both will be inserted. Two trained researchers will independently select the articles, extract the data, and assess the risk of bias. The quality will be assessed through an adapted version of the Strengthening the Reporting of Empirical Simulation Studies (STRESS) and the risk of bias using a checklist obtained from separate literature sources. The implementation of this protocol will result in the elaboration of two systematic reviews identifying the therapeutic targets for treating obesity (review 1) or diabetes mellitus (review 2) used in computer simulation studies and their models. The systematization of knowledge about these treatment targets and their in silico structures is fundamental, primarily because computer simulation contributes to more accurate planning of future either in vitro or in vivo studies. Therefore, the reviews developed from this protocol will guide decision-making regarding the choice of targets/models in future research focused on therapeutics of obesity or Diabetes Mellitus contributing to mitigate of factors such as costs, time, and necessity of in vitro and/or in vivo assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Francisca Teixeira Gomes
- Nutrition Postgraduate Program, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | | | - Gerciane Silva de Oliveira
- Nutrition Postgraduate Program, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Isaiane Medeiros
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Postgraduate Program, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Juliana Kelly da Silva Maia
- Nutrition Postgraduate Program, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Department of Nutrition, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Wilza Leal Bezerra
- Department of Nutrition, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Grasiela Piuvezam
- Public Health Postgraduate Program, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Department of Public Health, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Ana Heloneida de Araújo Morais
- Nutrition Postgraduate Program, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Postgraduate Program, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Department of Nutrition, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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49
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Budipramana K, Sangande F. Molecular docking-based virtual screening: Challenges in hits identification for Anti-SARS-Cov-2 activity. PHARMACIA 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/pharmacia.69.e89812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) requires finding new drugs or repurposing drugs for clinical use. Molecular docking belongs to structure-based drug design providing a fast method for identifying the hit compounds with antiviral activity against SARS-Cov-2. However, the weakness of the docking method is compounded by the limited crystallographic information and comparison drugs due to the novelty of this virus can present challenges in identifying hits of anti-SARS-Cov-2. In the current review, we highlighted several aspects, especially those related to the target structure, docking validation, and virtual hit selection, that need to be considered to obtain reliable docking results. Here, we discussed several cases pertaining to the issue highlighted and approaches that could be used to solve them.
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50
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Kumar N, Acharya V. Machine intelligence-driven framework for optimized hit selection in virtual screening. J Cheminform 2022; 14:48. [PMID: 35869511 PMCID: PMC9306080 DOI: 10.1186/s13321-022-00630-7] [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: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractVirtual screening (VS) aids in prioritizing unknown bio-interactions between compounds and protein targets for empirical drug discovery. In standard VS exercise, roughly 10% of top-ranked molecules exhibit activity when examined in biochemical assays, which accounts for many false positive hits, making it an arduous task. Attempts for conquering false-hit rates were developed through either ligand-based or structure-based VS separately; however, nonetheless performed remarkably well. Here, we present an advanced VS framework—automated hit identification and optimization tool (A-HIOT)—comprises chemical space-driven stacked ensemble for identification and protein space-driven deep learning architectures for optimization of an array of specific hits for fixed protein receptors. A-HIOT implements numerous open-source algorithms intending to integrate chemical and protein space leading to a high-quality prediction. The optimized hits are the selective molecules which we retrieve after extreme refinement implying chemical space and protein space modules of A-HIOT. Using CXC chemokine receptor 4, we demonstrated the superior performance of A-HIOT for hit molecule identification and optimization with tenfold cross-validation accuracies of 94.8% and 81.9%, respectively. In comparison with other machine learning algorithms, A-HIOT achieved higher accuracies of 96.2% for hit identification and 89.9% for hit optimization on independent benchmark datasets for CXCR4 and 86.8% for hit identification and 90.2% for hit optimization on independent test dataset for androgen receptor (AR), thus, shows its generalizability and robustness. In conclusion, advantageous features impeded in A-HIOT is making a reliable approach for bridging the long-standing gap between ligand-based and structure-based VS in finding the optimized hits for the desired receptor. The complete resource (framework) code is available at https://gitlab.com/neeraj-24/A-HIOT.
Graphical Abstract
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