Effects of variable selection on CoMFA coefficient contour maps in a set of triazines inhibiting DHFR

Summary An example of a CoMFA study is described with the aim to discuss one of the major problems of this 3D QSAR method: lack of variable selection. It is shown that the use of nonrelevant energy parameters might produce CoMFA contour maps which poorly reflect the actual nature of the binding site and are in part statistical artefacts. The data set employed in our analysis comparises triazine inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), isolated from chicken liver, which have already been the object of a QSAR study by other authors. Since three-dimensional structures of triazine-DHFR complexes are known, it was possible not only to reduce ambiguities in the superimposition of the ligands, but also to compare the resulting CoMFA contour maps with the enzyme active site.Supplementary material available: The Cartesian coordinates and the atomic charges of the PM3-optimized structures used in the CoMFA study are available as MOL2 files upon request.To whose memory this paper is dedicated.     

楝酰胺(Rocaglamide)类化合物的三维定量构效关系

采用比较分子力场分析(CoMFA)和比较分子相似因子分析(CoMSIA)方法,对训练集中的26个楝酰胺(Rocaglamide)类化合物进行了三维定量构效关系(3D-QSAR)研究,最终建立的CoMFA模型和CoMSlA模型的q<'2>分别为0.593和0.656.并对测试集中的5个化合物的生物活性进行了预测,结果表明...     

胆固醇酯转运蛋白抑制剂的3D-QSAR模型

利用VolSurf参数和比较分子场分析(CoMFA)方法对N,N-二取代三氟-3-氨基-2-丙醇衍生物类胆固醇酯转运蛋白抑制剂进行了三维定量构效关系(3D-QSAR)模型研究, 均得到较好的结果, 训练集模型具有良好的预测能力. VolSurf参数分析表明抑制活性高的分子必须具有合适的亲水性、多的氢键给体和少的氢键受体; 在一定范围内, 分子量大、表面光滑且非球性高的分子抑制活性高; 高疏水性以及质量中心与疏水区中心的高不平衡性对活性是不利因素. CoMFA结果表明, 立体作用对活性的影响较静电作用稍强, N-苯基取代基苯氧基的间位体积大且正电性强的基团对活性有利, N-苄基取代基的间位体积大且合适的电负性对活性有利, 而苄基的对位立体位阻的增加则对活性不利. VolSurf参数提供了分子整体性质信息, CoMFA提供了取代基信息, 两者互为补充, 对该类抑制剂新化合物的设计具有指导意义.     

QSAR analyses on avian influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitors using CoMFA, CoMSIA, and HQSAR

The recent wide spreading of the H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) in Asia, Europe and Africa and its ability to cause fatal infections in human has raised serious concerns about a pending global flu pandemic. Neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors are currently the only option for treatment or prophylaxis in humans infected with this strain. However, drugs currently on the market often meet with rapidly emerging resistant mutants and only have limited application as inadequate supply of synthetic material. To dig out helpful information for designing potent inhibitors with novel structures against the NA, we used automated docking, CoMFA, CoMSIA, and HQSAR methods to investigate the quantitative structure-activity relationship for 126 NA inhibitors (NIs) with great structural diversities and wide range of bioactivities against influenza A virus. Based on the binding conformations discovered via molecular docking into the crystal structure of NA, CoMFA and CoMSIA models were successfully built with the cross-validated q (2) of 0.813 and 0.771, respectively. HQSAR was also carried out as a complementary study in that HQSAR technique does not require 3D information of these compounds and could provide a detailed molecular fragment contribution to the inhibitory activity. These models also show clearly how steric, electrostatic, hydrophobicity, and individual fragments affect the potency of NA inhibitors. In addition, CoMFA and CoMSIA field distributions are found to be in well agreement with the structural characteristics of the corresponding binding sites. Therefore, the final 3D-QSAR models and the information of the inhibitor-enzyme interaction should be useful in developing novel potent NA inhibitors.     

Comparative molecular field analysis and molecular modeling studies of 20-(S)- camptothecin analogs as inhibitors of DNA topoisomerase I and anticancer/antitumor agents

Conformational studies and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) were undertakenfor a series of camptothecin (CPT) analogs to correlate topoisomerase I inhibition with thesteric and electrostatic properties of 32 known compounds. The resulting CoMFA modelshave been used to make predictions on novel CPT derivatives. Using the newly derived MM3parameters, a molecular database of the 32 CPT analogs was created. Various point atomiccharges were generated and assigned to the MM3 minimized structures, which were used inpartial least-squares analyses. Overall, CoMFA models with the greatest predictive validitywere obtained when both the R- and S-isomers were included in the data set, andsemiempirical charges were calculated for MM3 minimized low-energy lactone structures. Across-validated R2 of 0.758 and a non-cross-validated R2 of 0.916 were obtained for MM3minimized structures with PM3 ESP charges for the 32 CPT analogs. The derived QSARequations were used to assign topoisomerase I inhibition values for compounds in this studyand compounds not included in the original data set. Prior to its appearance in the literature,an IC50 of 103 nM was predicted for the 10,11-oxazole derivative. This CoMFA predictedvalue compared favorably with the recently reported value of 150 nM. The CoMFA modelwas also evaluated by predicting the activities of recently reported 11-aza CPT and trionederivatives. The predicted activity (IC50 = 249 nM) for 11-aza CPT compared well with thereported value of 383 nM.     

Comparative molecular field analysis of artemisinin derivatives: Ab initio versus semiempirical optimized structures

Based on the belief that structural optimization methods, producing structures more closely to the experimental ones, should give better, i.e. more relevant, steric fields and hence more predictive CoMFA models, comparative molecular field analyses of artemisinin derivatives were performed based on semiempirical AM1 and HF/3-21G optimized geometries. Using these optimized geometries, the CoMFA results derived from the HF/3-21G method are found to be usually but not drastically better than those from AM1. Additional calculations were performed to investigate the electrostatic field difference using the Gasteiger and Marsili charges, the electrostatic potential fit charges at the AM1 level, and the natural population analysis charges at the HF/3-21G level of theory. For the HF/3-21G optimized structures no difference in predictability was observed, whereas for AM1 optimized structures such differences were found. Interestingly, if ionic compounds are omitted, differences between the various HF/3-21G optimized structure models using these electrostatic fields were found.     

6-氮杂吲唑类Pim-1激酶抑制剂的3D-QSAR、药效团模型研究和分子设计

Pim-1 激酶通过作用于多种信号通路或靶点影响肿瘤的发生发展,近年来被认为是肿瘤治疗的良好靶标。本文采用SYBYL-X2. 1. 1软件中的TopomerCoMFA、GALAHAD模块建立计算机模型,研究39个基于6-氮杂吲唑环的Pim-1激酶抑制剂的三维定量构效关系及药效团特征元素。结果显示,TopomerCoMFA建模所得交叉验证系数（q2）和相关系数（r2）分别为0. 756和0. 951,结合外部验证表明此3D-QSAR模型具有较高预测能力及较好的统计学稳定性,同时,用等势图描述了R1、R2基团处立体场、静电场对活性的具体影响。药效团研究结果表明,含氢键受体的芳香杂环母核结构,以及侧链取代基中含有芳香杂环结构对化合物的活性贡献较大。最后根据上述模型信息新设计了15个Pim-1激酶抑制剂分子并完成活性预测及分子对接模式研究,其中4个分子的预测pIC50高于建模分子中活性最好的化合物17,Surflex-Dock分析显示新设计分子均与Pim-1激酶形成较强氢键相互作用。基于6-氮杂吲唑环的Pim-1激酶抑制剂的3D-QSAR模型以及药效团模型可用于指导新型抑制剂的结构优化,为设计和开发具有较高活性的新型Pim-1激酶抑制剂提供有效帮助。     

CoMFA and CoMSIA 3D-quantitative structure-activity relationship model on benzodiazepine derivatives, inhibitors of phosphodiesterase IV

Recently, we reported structurally novel PDE4 inhibitors based on 1,4-benzodiazepine derivatives. The main interest in developing bezodiazepine-based PDE4 inhibitors is in their lack of adverse effects of emesis with respect to rolipram-like compounds. A large effort has thus been made toward the structural optimization of this series. In the absence of structural information on the inhibitor binding mode into the PDE4 active site, 2D-QSAR (H-QSAR) and two 3D-QSAR (CoMFA and CoMSIA) methods were applied to improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism controlling the PDE4 affinity of the benzodiazepine derivatives. As expected, the CoMSIA 3D contour maps have provided more information on the benzodiazepine interaction mode with the PDE4 active site whereas CoMFA has built the best tool for activity prediction. The 2D pharmacophoric model derived from CoMSIA fields is consistent with the crystal structure of the PDE4 active site reported recently. The combination of the 2D and 3D-QSAR models was used not only to predict new compounds from the structural optimization process, but also to screen a large library of bezodiazepine derivatives.     

STAT3环烷烃并噻吩类衍生物抑制剂的三维定量构效关系研究

本文对STAT3抑制剂的化学结构与生物活性之间的关系进行研究。采用三维定量构效关系(3D-QSAR)中的比较分子力场分析(CoMFA)和比较分子相似性指数分析(CoMSIA)方法针对52个STAT3抑制剂建立3D-QSAR模型,阐明了抑制剂化学结构与其生物活性之间的关系。所构建的CoMFA模型交叉验证系数为0.548,非交叉验证系数为0.754,标准偏差为0.278,显著系数为58.297;所构建的CoMSIA模型交叉验证系数为0.892,非交叉验证系数为0.597,标准偏差为0.192,显著系数为57.794。结果显示CoMFA和CoMSIA模型具有良好的稳定性和预测能力。3D-QSAR模型等势图提供的相关场信息对新型STAT3抑制剂的设计具有指导意义。     

Three-dimensional Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship Analyses of a Series of Butenolide ETA Antagonists

Two kinds of Three-dimensional Quantitative Structure-activity Relationship(3D-QSAR) methods,comparative molecular filed analysis(CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) ,were applied to analyze the structure-activity relationship of a series of 63 butenolide ETA selective antagonists with respect to their inhibition against human ETA receptor,The CoMFA and CoMSIA models were developed for the conceivable alignment of the molecules based on a template structure from the crystallized data.The statistical results from the initial orientation of the aligned molecules show that the 3D-QSAR model from CoMFA(q^2=0.543) is obviously superior to that from the conventional CoMSIA(q^2=0.407).In order to refine the model,all-space search (ASS) was applied to minimize the field sampling process.By rotating and translating the molecular aggregate within the grid systematically,all the possible samplings of the molecular fields were tested and subsequently the one with the highest q^2 was picked out .The comparison of the sensitivity of CoMFA and CoMSIA to different space orientation shows that the CoMFA q^2 values are more sensitive to the translations and rotations of the aligned molecules with respect to the lattice than those of CoMSIA.The best CoMFA model from ASS was further refined by the region focused technique.The high quality of the best model is indicated by the high corss-validated correlation and the prediction on the external test set.The CoMFA coefficient contour plots identify several key features that explain the wide range of activities,which may help us to design new effective ETA selective antagonists.     

Regularized regression analysis of digitized molecular structures in organic reactions for quantification of steric effects

In organic chemistry, Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) can be defined as a regression analysis between reaction outcomes and molecular fields, wherein we can extract and visualize important structural information from the coefficients of the constructed regression models. In CoMFA, partial least‐squares (PLS) regression, which determines all coefficients in the model, is used for fitting the regression models. However, in organic reactions, steric effects are observed only near the reactive site, indicating that a large number of regression coefficients in the CoMFA of organic reactions should be assigned as 0. The regularized regression method, LASSO/Elastic Net, allows us to fit the regression model while assigning 0 values to unimportant coefficients. Although LASSO/Elastic Net should be suitable for CoMFA, there is no example of its use for organic reaction analysis. Herein, we examine the performance of LASSO/Elastic Net for the quantification of steric effects in CoMFA. We employ digitized molecular structures (the indicator field) as molecular fields that represent steric effects. LASSO/Elastic Net regressions provide highly interpretable models that include less noise than those from PLS regression. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.