• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.67
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• pp.293-300
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• 2018

Lipocalins are diverse group of small extracellular proteins found in various organisms. In this study, members of 10 non-homologous lipocalin-ligand crystal complex structures were remodeled using rigid and flexible ligand modes to validate the prediction efficiency of molecular docking simulation. The modeled ligand conformations indicated a high prediction accuracy in rigid ligand mode using cluster based analysis for most cases whereas the flexible ligand mode required further considerations such as ligand binding energy and RMSD for some cases. This in silico study is expected to serve as a platform in the screening of novel ligands against lipocalin family of proteins.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7663-7670
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• 2015

DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) is a relatively large protein family responsible for maintenance of normal methylation, cell growth and survival in mammals. Toxic industrial chemical exposure associated methylation misregulation has been shown to have epigenetic influence. Such misregulation could effectively contribute to cancer development and progression. Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is a noxious industrial chemical used extensively in the production of carbamate pesticides. We here applied an in silico molecular docking approach to study the interaction of MIC with diverse domains of DNMT1, to predict cancer risk in the Bhopal population exposed to MIC during 1984. For the first time, we investigated the interaction of MIC and its hydrolytic product (1,3-dimethylurea) with DNMT1 interacting (such as DMAP1, RFTS, and CXXC) and catalytic (SAM, SAH, and Sinefungin) domains using computer simulations. The results of the present study showed a potential interaction of MIC and 1,3-dimethylurea with these domains. Obviously, strong binding of MIC with DNMT1 interrupting normal methylation will lead to epigenetic alterations in the exposed humans. We suggest therefore that the MIC-exposed individuals surviving after 1984 disaster have excess risk of cancer, which can be attributed to alterations in their epigenome. Our findings will help in better understanding the underlying epigenetic mechanisms in humans exposed to MIC.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2020.12a
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• pp.14-14
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• 2020

In December 2019, the COVID-19 epidemic was discovered in Wuhan, China, and since has disseminated around the world impacting human health for millions. Herein, in-silico drug discovery approaches were utilized to identify potential candidates as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease (M^pro) inhibitors. We investigated several databases including natural and natural-like products (>100,000 molecules), DrugBank database (10,036 drugs), major metabolites isolated from daily used spices (32 molecules), and current clinical drug candidates for the treatment of COVID-19 (18 drugs). All tested compounds were prepared and screened using molecular docking techniques. Based on the calculated docking scores, the top ones from each project under investigation were selected and subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations followed by molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) binding energy calculations. Combined long MD simulations and MM-GBSA calculations revealed the potent compounds with prospective binding affinities against M^pro. Structural and energetic analyses over the simulated time demonstrated the high stabilities of the selected compounds. Our results showed that 4-bis([1,3]dioxolo)pyran-5-carboxamide derivatives (natural and natural-like products database), DB02388 and Cobicistat (DB09065) (DrugBank database), salvianolic acid A (spices secondary metabolites) and TMC-310911 (clinical-trial drugs database) exhibited high binding affinities with SARS-CoV-2 M^pro. In conclusion, these compounds are up-and-coming anti-COVID-19 drug candidates that warrant further detailed in vitro and in vivo experimental estimations.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1835-1838
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• 2009

Inhibition of human phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (hPNMT) has been proposed as a method for the treatment of several mental processes which related on adrenaline metabolism. We performed in silico screening to identify flavonoid inhibitors of hPNMT using automated docking method and selected 9 inhibitor candidates based on ligand score (LigScore) and binding free energy (${\Delta}G_{bind}$) estimation. Among 9 flavonoid candidates, 7 flavonoids belong to flavones while the rest of them belong to flavanone. All candidates have common chemical features; two hydrogen bond interactions with side chain of Lys75 and backbone carbonyl oxygen of Asn39, and two hydrophobic interactions. One hydrophobic site is formed by Val53, Leu262, and Met258 and the other is made up of Phe182, Ala186, Tyr222, and Val269. This study can be helpful to understand the structural features for inhibition of PNMT and showed flavonoids as promising inhibitor candidates for hPNMT.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.104-112
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• 2023

COVID-19 caused a catastrophe in human health. People infected with COVID-19 also suffer from various clinical illnesses during and after the infection. The Boerhavia diffusa plant is well known for its antihypertensive activity. ACE-II inhibitors and calcium channel blockers are reported as mechanisms for the antihypertensive activity of B. diffusa phytoconstituents. Various studies have said ACE-II is the virus's binding site to attack host cells. COVID-19 treatment commonly employs a variety of synthetic antiviral and steroidal drugs. As a result, other clinical illnesses, such as hypertension and hyperglycemia, emerge as serious complications. Safe and effective drug delivery is a prime objective of the drug development process. COVID-19 is treated with various herbal treatments; however, they are not widely used due to their low potency. Many herbal plants and formulations are used to treat COVID-19 infection, in which B. diffusa is the most widely used plant. The current study relies on discovering active phytoconstituents with ACE-II inhibitory activity in the B. diffusa plant. As a result, it can be used as a treatment option for patients with COVID-19 and related diseases. Different phytoconstituents of the B. diffusa plant were selected from the reported literature. The activity of phytoconstituents against ACE-II proteins has been studied. Molecular docking and ligand-protein interaction computation tools are used in the in-silico experiment. Physicochemical, drug-likeness, water solubility, lipophilicity, and pharmacokinetic parameters are used to evaluate phytoconstituents. Liriodenine has the best drug-likeness, bioactivity, and binding score characteristics among the selected ligands. The in-silico study aims to find the therapeutic potential of B. diffusa phytoconstituents against ACE-II. Targeting ACE-II also shows an effect against SARS-CoV-2. It can serve as a rationale for designing a drug for patient infected with COVID-19 and associated diseases.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.64-70
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• 2014

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women worldwide. The life-threatening infection caused by HPV demands the need for designing anticancerous drugs. In the recent years, different compounds from natural origins, such as carrageenan, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, indole-3-carbinol, jaceosidin, and withaferin, have been used as a hopeful source of anticancer therapy. These compounds have been shown to suppress HPV infection by different researchers. In the present study, we explored these natural inhibitors against E6 oncoprotein of high-risk HPV-16, which is known to inactivate the p53 tumor suppressor protein. A robust homology model of HPV-16 E6 was built to anticipate the interaction mechanism of E6 oncoprotein with natural inhibitory molecules using a structure-based drug designing approach. Docking analysis showed the interaction of these natural compounds with the p53-binding site of E6 protein residues 113-122 (CQKPLCPEEK) and helped the restoration of p53 functioning. Docking analysis, besides helping in silico validation of natural compounds, also helps understand molecular mechanisms of protein-ligand interactions.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.45-52
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• 2022

The identification of Plasmodium falciparum enoyl acyl-carrier protein reductase (pfENR) is considered as a potential biological target against malaria. Trema orientalis is considered a rich source of phytochemicals useful in malaria treatment. This study evaluated the in-vitro inhibitory activity of the extract and isolated compounds of T. orientalis leaf; the isolated compounds and the analogues of the most active compound were subjected to in-silico molecular docking studies on pfENR. The methanolic extract of T. orientalis was subjected to repeated chromatographic separation which led to the isolation of some compounds. The isolated compounds from the plant were examined for their antimalarial activity using β-hematin inhibition assay. Virtual screening via molecular docking and ADMET studies were conducted to gain insight into the mechanism of binding of ligand and to identify effective pfENR inhibitors. The isolated compounds and the analogues of the most active isolates were gotten from PubChem library for use in docking study. Hexacosanol and β-sitosterol showed inhibition of the β-hematin formation. The docking results showed that hexacosanol, β-sitosterol and the analogues of β-sitosterol displayed binding energy ranging between -6.1 kcal/mol and -11.6 kcal/mol. Sitosterol glucoside has the highest docking score. Some of the ligands showed more binding affinity than known bioactive compounds used as reference. Analogues of β-sitosterol has been shown to be potential inhibitors of pfENR, therefore, the findings from this study suggest that sitosterol glucoside and ergosterol peroxide could act as antimalarial agents after further lead optimisation investigations.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.1051-1054
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• 2013

Closo-carborane has been considered as an efficient boron-carrier for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and an attractive surrogate of lipophilic phenyl or cyclohexyl ring in drug design. Despite a great number of carborane-containing ligands have been synthesized and evaluated, molecular modeling studies of carborane ligands with macromolecules have been rarely reported. We herein describe a facile docking and scoring-function strategy of 16 carborane ligands with an estrogen receptor by using the commercial Gaussian, Chem3D Pro and Discovery Studio (DS) computational programs. Docked poses of the carborane ligands in silico exhibited similar binding modes to that of the crystal ligand in the active site of estrogen receptor. Score analysis of the best docked pose for each ligand indicated that the Ligscore1 and the Dockscore have a moderate correlation with in vitro biological activity. This is the first report on the scoring-correlation studies of carborane ligands with macromolecules. The integrated Gaussian-DS approach has a potential application for virtual screening, De novo design, and optimization of carborane ligands in medicinal chemistry.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1717-1722
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• 2008

The 70 kDa heat-shock protein (Hsp70) involved in various cellular functions, such as protein folding, translocation and degradation, regulates apoptosis in cancer cells. Recently, it has been reported that the green tea flavonoid (−)-epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) induces apoptosis in numerous cancer cell lines and could inhibit the anti-apoptotic effect of human Hsp70 ATPase domain (hATPase). In the present study, docking model between EGCG and hATPase was determined using automated docking study. Epi-gallo moiety in EGCG participated in hydrogen bonds with side chain of K71 and T204, and has metal chelating interaction with hATPase. Hydroxyl group of catechin moiety also participated in metal chelating hydrogen bond. Gallate moiety had two hydrogen bondings with side chains of E268 and K271, and hydrophobic interaction with Y15. Based on this docking model, we determined two pharmacophore maps consisted of six or seven features, including three or four hydrogen bonding acceptors, two hydrogen bonding donors, and one lipophilic. We searched a flavonoid database including 23 naturally occurring flavonoids and 10 polyphenolic flavonoids with two maps, and myricetin and GC were hit by map I. Three hydroxyl groups of B-ring in myricetin and gallo moiety of GC formed important hydrogen bonds with hATPase. 7-OH of A-ring in myricetin and OH group of catechin moiety in GC are hydrogen bond donors similar to gallate moiety in EGCG. From these results, it can be proposed that myricetin and GC can be potent inhibitors of hATPase. This study will be helpful to understand the mechanism of inhibition of hATPase by EGCG and give insights to develop potent inhibitors of hATPase.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.195-200
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• 2018

Beta-asarone is the well-known active ingredient of Rhizoma acori graminei. In this study, we investigated and compared the binding affinity of mosquito oviposition pheromone (MOP; (5R,6S)-6-acetoxy-5-hexadecanolide) and beta-asarone on the A domain of the mosquito odorant binding protein 1 (CquiOBP1) by in silico computational docking studies. The three-dimensional crystallographic structure of CquiOBP1 was obtained from the PDB database (PDB ID: 3OGN). In silico computational auto-docking analysis was performed using PyRx, Autodock Vina, Discovery Studio Version 4.5, and the NX-QuickPharm option based on scoring functions. The beta-asarone showed optimum binding affinity (docking energy) with CquiOBP1 as -6.40 kcal/mol as compared to the MOP (-6.00 kcal/mol). Among the interacting amino acids (LEU76, LEU80, ALA88, MET89, HIS111, TRP114, and TYR122), tryptophan 114 in the CquiOBP1 active site significantly interacted with both MOP and beta-asarone. Amino acids substitution (mutation) from non-polar groups to the polar (or charged) groups of the CquiOBP1 dramatically changed the X, Y, Z grid position and binding affinity of both ligands. These results significantly indicated that beta-asarone could be a more potent ligand to the CquiOBP1 than MOP. Therefore, the extract of Rhizoma acori graminei or beta-asarone can be applied to the fields of insecticidal and repellant biomaterial development.