Design of Novel IRAK4 Inhibitors Using Molecular Docking,Dynamics Simulation and 3D-QSAR Studies

Treatment of several autoimmune diseases and types of cancer has been an intense area of research over the past two decades. Many signaling pathways that regulate innate and/or adaptive immunity, as well as those that induce overexpression or mutation of protein kinases, have been targeted for drug discovery. One of the serine/threonine kinases, Interleukin-1 Receptor Associated Kinase 4 (IRAK4) regulates signaling through various Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and interleukin-1 receptor (IL1R). It controls diverse cellular processes including inflammation, apoptosis, and cellular differentiation. MyD88 gain-of-function mutations or overexpression of IRAK4 has been implicated in various types of malignancies such as Waldenström macroglobulinemia, B cell lymphoma, colorectal cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, breast cancer, etc. Moreover, over activation of IRAK4 is also associated with several autoimmune diseases. The significant role of IRAK4 makes it an interesting target for the discovery and development of potent small molecule inhibitors. A few potent IRAK4 inhibitors such as PF-06650833, RA9 and BAY1834845 have recently entered phase I/II clinical trial studies. Nevertheless, there is still a need of selective inhibitors for the treatment of cancer and various autoimmune diseases. A great need for the same intrigued us to perform molecular modeling studies on 4,6-diaminonicotinamide derivatives as IRAK4 inhibitors. We performed molecular docking and dynamics simulation of 50 ns for one of the most active compounds of the dataset. We also carried out MM-PBSA binding free energy calculation to identify the active site residues, interactions of which are contributing to the total binding energy. The final 50 ns conformation of the most active compound was selected to perform dataset alignment in a 3D-QSAR study. Generated RF-CoMFA (q² = 0.751, ONC = 4, r² = 0.911) model revealed reasonable statistical results. Overall results of molecular dynamics simulation, MM-PBSA binding free energy calculation and RF-CoMFA model revealed important active site residues of IRAK4 and necessary structural properties of ligand to design more potent IRAK4 inhibitors. We designed few IRAK4 inhibitors based on these results, which possessed higher activity (predicted pIC₅₀) than the most active compounds of the dataset selected for this study. Moreover, ADMET properties of these inhibitors revealed promising results and need to be validated using experimental studies.     

HIV-1整合酶链转移抑制剂的3D-QSAR、分子对接和分子动力学模拟研究

为了获得高活性、结构新颖的整合酶链转移(INST)抑制剂,本文采用Co MFA和Co MSIA两种方法对32个萘啶类INST抑制剂进行了三维定量构效关系研究,并建立了相关模型,其交叉验证系数分别为q~2=0. 809和q~2=0. 816,拟合验证系数分别为r~2=0. 998和r~2=0. 981,表明所建立的模型是可靠的且具有一定的预测能力。利用分子对接探讨小分子化合物与INST蛋白的相互作用模式,结果表明,萘啶类化合物主要通过疏水作用和氢键作用与INSTIs蛋白结合。最后通过分子动力学模拟进一步验证对接结果发现,对接的结合模式与分子动力学模拟得到的结果是一致的。本研究获得的综合模型和推论可以为开发有效的HIV INSTIs提供重要的理论信息。     

Molecular Docking, 3D-QSAR and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of Substituted Pyrimidines as Selective Covalent Janus Kinase 3 Inhibitors

Janus kinase 3(JAK3) is a member of Janus kinase(JAK) family, and it represents a promising target for the treatment of immune diseases and cancers. However, no highly selective inhibitors of JAK3 have been developed. For discovering the binding mechanism of JAK3 and these inhibitors, a molecular modeling study combining molecular docking, three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships(3D-QSAR), molecular dynamics and binding free energy calculations was performed on a series of pyrimidine-based compounds which could bind with the unique residue Cys909 of JAK3 kinase as the selective inhibitors of JAK3 in this work. The optimum Co MFA and Co MSIA models were generated based on the conformations obtained by molecular docking. The results showed that the models have satisfactory predicted capacity in both internal and external validation. Furthermore, a 50 ns molecular dynamics simulation was carried out to determine the detailed binding process of inhibitors with different activities. It was demonstrated that hydrogen bond interactions with Leu828, Glu903, Tyr904, Leu905 and Leu956 of JAK3 are significant for activity increase, and the Van der Waals interaction is mainly responsible for stable complex.     

Discovery of Benzimidazole Derivatives as Novel Aldosterone Synthase Inhibitors:QSAR,Docking Studies,and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Aldosterone synthase inhibitors can lessen the production of aldosterone in organisms, which effectively affecting the treatment of hypertension. A series of computational approaches like QSAR, docking, DFT and molecular dynamics simulation are applied on 40 benzimidazole derivatives of aldosterone synthase（CYP11B2） inhibitors. Statistical parameters: Q² = 0.877, R² = 0.983（Co MFA） and Q² = 0.848, R² = 0.994（Co MSIA） indicate on good predictive power o...     

From Myricetin to the Discovery of Novel Natural Human ENPP1 Inhibitors: A Virtual Screening,Molecular Docking,Molecular Dynamics Simulation,and MM/GBSA Study

It was recently revealed that naturally occurring myricetin can inhibit ectonucleotidase ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1), which, in turn, can treat ischemic cardiac injury. However, due to myricetin’s poor druggability, its further developments are relatively limited, which necessitates the discovery of novel ENPP1-inhibiting myricetin analogs as alternatives. In this study, the binding model of myricetin with ENPP1 was elucidated by molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies. Subsequently, virtual screening on the self-developed flavonoid natural product database (FNPD), led to the identification of two flavonoid glycosides (Cas No: 1397173-50-0 and 1169835-58-8), as potential ENPP1 inhibitors. Docking scores and MM/GBSA binding energies predicted that they might have higher inhibitory effects than myricetin. This study provides a strong foundation for the future development of ischemic cardiac injury drugs.     

酪氨酸蛋白磷酸酯酶1B抑制剂的分子对接和三维定量构效关系研究

用一种柔性分子对接方法(FlexX)将12个2-草酰胺苯甲酸类抑制剂和酪氨酸蛋白磷酸酯酶(PTP1B)活性口袋进行分子对接,对接程序预测的抑制剂和酶之间的相互作用能与抑制活性之间有很好的相关性(非线性相关系数R²达0.859),这说明对接结果可以比较准确地预测抑制剂和PTP1B之间的结合模式.然后,将33个同类抑制剂的骨架叠合在分子对接预测的结合构象上,用比较分子力场分析方法(CoMFA)对其进行三维定量活性构效关系研究,得到的CoMFA模型具有很好的统计相关性(交互验证回归系数q²为0.650),并可以准确地预测测试集6个化合物的活性(平均标准偏差为0.177).同时,由CoMFA模型得出的抑制剂改造信息与用FlexX预测的结合模式是一致的,进一步证明我们预测的结合模式是正确的.为研究这类抑制剂和PTP1B的结合模式及对抑制剂进行结构改造提供了信息.     

靛玉红类CDK1抑制剂的同源模建、分子对接及3D-QSAR研究

细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶1的异常表达会导致G2期的停滞及多种肿瘤的发生,故CDK1近年来已成为一个理想的治疗靶点. 本文以细胞分裂调控蛋白2的同源体为模板,同源模建了CDK1的结构,并与靛玉红类小分子抑制剂进行分子对接. 分别运用三种叠合方法进行分子叠合,并在此基础上采用Sybyl 7.1中的比较分子场分析(CoMFA)模块及Discovery Studio 3.0中的三维定量构效关系(3D-QSAR)模块(以下简称为DS)分别建立了3D-QSAR模型. 其中,将分子对接叠合与公共骨架叠合联合运用的叠合方法所得3D-QSAR模型的评价参数是最佳的(CoMFA：q²=0.681,r²=0.909,r_pred.²=0.836; DS：q²=0.579,r²=0.971,r_pred.²=0.795,其中q²为交叉验证系数,r²为非交叉验证系数). 本文的研究结果在对靛玉红类小分子进行结构修饰设计出新的CDK1抑制剂方面,可提供重要的理论基础.     

3C-like蛋白酶抑制剂的构效关系、分子对接和分子动力学

3C-like蛋白酶是中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒（MERS-CoV）等其它冠状病毒的繁殖过程中极为重要的蛋白酶。它已成为人类在抗冠状病毒领域中的研究热点。本文基于计算生物学方法对与MERS-CoV同属的蝙蝠冠状病毒HKU4（HKU4-CoV）的43个肽类3C-like蛋白酶抑制剂分子,建立三维定量构效关系（3D-QSAR）模型。在基于配体叠合的基础上,发现比较分子相似性指数分析法（CoMSIA）中的四个场组合（位阻场、静电场、氢键供体场与氢键受体场）为最优的模型（Q²=0.522,R_ncv²=0.996,R_pre²=0.904;Q²：交叉验证相关系数,R_ncv²：非交叉验证相关系数,R_pre²：验证集分子的预测值相关系数）,并借助该模型通过分子对接（docking）与分子动力学（MD）方法阐明了配受体结合作用。实验结果表明：（1）基于最优的CoMSIA模型基础上的三维等势图形象地说明了分子基团的位阻作用、静电作用、氢键供体与氢键受体作用对分子生物活性的影响;（2）分子对接研究结果显示了疏水性以及结晶水、氨基酸His166和Glu169在配体和受体结合过程中产生重要作用;（3）分子动力学模拟进一步验证了分子对接模型的可靠性,并发现了两个新的关键氨基酸Ser24与Gln192,它们与配体产生了两个较强的氢键。此外,根据这些结果,一些新的具有潜在抑制活性的肽类化合物作为3C-like蛋白酶抑制剂被获得。以上结果能够帮助深入了解3C-like蛋白酶与肽类抑制剂的作用机理,并且能够为今后的抗MERS-CoV药物设计提供有价值的参考。     

A selectivity study of benzenesulfonamide derivatives on human carbonic anhydrase II/IX by 3D-QSAR,Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Nowadays, different approaches have been pursued with the intent to develop sulfonamide-like carbonic anhydrase inhibitors that possess better selectivity profiles toward the different human isoforms of the enzyme. Here, we used conventional 3D-QSAR methods, including comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA), and Topomer CoMFA, to construct three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) models for benzenesulfonamide derivatives as human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) II/IX inhibitors. The theoretical models had good reliability (R²>0.75) and predictability (Q²>0.55), and the contour maps could graphically present the contributions of the force fields for activity and identify the structural divergence between human carbonic anhydrase II inhibitors and human carbonic anhydrase IX inhibitors. Consequently, we explored the selectivity of inhibitor for human carbonic anhydrase II and IX through molecular docking, and the difference of activity coincides with the potential binding mode well. According to the results of the predicted values and the molecule docking, we found that the inhibitors published in the literature had stronger inhibition on the hCA IX; based on the theoretical models, we designed seven new compounds with good potential activity and reasonably good ADMET profile, which could selectively inhibit hCA IX. Molecular Dynamics Simulation showed that newly-designed compound D7 had good selectivity on hCA IX. The findings from 3D-QSAR and docking studies maybe helpful in the rational drug design of isoform-selective inhibitors.     

Molecular Docking and 3D-QSAR Research of Biphenyl Carboxylic Acid MMP-3 Inhibitors

The molecular docking by LigandFit docking of Discovery Studios 2.5 was employed to the three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship(3D-QSAR) studies of biphenyl carboxylic acid MMP3 inhibitors.A significant correlation coefficient was obtained between dock scores and biological activities.Based on the optimal docking conformations,3D-HoVAIF was employed to the QSAR studies of 51 biphenyl carboxylic acid MMP-3 inhibitors.R2 and Q_CV2(leave-one-out,LOO) of the optimal 3D-HoVAIF-PLS model were 0.873 and 0.841 respectively.The conclusions obtained from the PLS analysis were in agreement with the docking results.     

二芳基三嗪类HIV-1逆转录酶抑制剂的分子对接及3D-QSAR研究

对40个二芳基三嗪类HIV-1逆转录酶抑制剂进行了分子对接研究,结果表明,2个疏水性芳香取代基团与结合口袋底部形成的疏水和范德华相互作用、三嗪环母核及其R4取代基与结合位点产生的氢键和静电作用以及R4取代基与袋口形成的空间位阻效应是影响该系列化合物活性的重要因素.根据对接优势构象进行分子叠合和比较分子相似性指数分析(C...     

3-氨磺酰苯甲酸类AKR1C3抑制剂的3D-QSAR和分子对接研究

醛酮还原酶1C3(AKR1C3)作为治疗前列腺癌的新靶点已成为研究热点,3-氨磺酰苯甲酸衍生物对其具有高效的选择性和抑制活性。本文采用比较分子场分析(COMFA)和比较分子相似性指数分析(COMSIA)方法,将经分子对接后的34个优势构象组成训练集和11个优势构象组成测试集,构建三维定量构效关系(3D-QSAR)模型。COMFA模型的交叉验证系数(q2),非交叉验证系数(R2),标准偏差(SEE)和F值分别为0.761,0.973,0.122,185.963;自举法回归系数为R2bs=0.98。最佳组合COMSIA模型的q2,R2,SEE,F和R2bs分别为0.734,0.984,0.097,147.850,0.994。COMFA和COMSIA模型的系统外部测试R2pred分别为0.864和0.756,r2m分别为0.8127和0.5377。这些结果表明,所建立的QSAR模型具有较高的可靠性和较强预测能力。经三维等势图分析可知,在2、5或6位适当增加取代基体积,或在5位引入氢键受体,或在7位引入负电性取代基则能提高化合物的生物活性。该模型为进一步设计具有更优选择性和活性的化合物提供了理论依据。     

DCN1-UBE2M相互作用抑制剂的3D-QSAR、分子对接和分子动力学研究

类泛素化是一种蛋白质翻译后修饰,其异常会导致神经退行性疾病和多种肿瘤的发生,因此它被视为有希望的抗肿瘤靶标.研究表明,抑制DCN1-UBE2M相互作用可选择性阻遏类泛素化.本文基于哌啶基脲类DCN1-UBE2M相互作用抑制剂进行3D-QSAR、分子对接和分子动力学模拟研究.利用3D-QSAR中的CoMFA和CoMSIA...     

螺环吲哚类MDM2抑制剂的分子对接、定量构效关系和分子动力学模拟

采用分子对接、三维定量构效关系(3D-QSAR)和分子动力学方法研究了21个螺环吲哚类化合物与MDM2蛋白的相互作用, 并建立了相关预测模型. 比较分子场分析法(CoMFA)和比较分子相似性指数分析法(CoMSIA)模型的交互验证相关系数q²分别为0.573 和0.651, 非交互验证相关系数r²分别为0.948和0.980. 分子对接得到的结合模式与分子动力学模拟得到的结果一致, 结合模式表明该类螺环吲哚化合物主要通过疏水相互作用和氢键与MDM2结合. 基于上述相互作用模型设计并合成了6个新结构螺环吲哚化合物, 并在MDM2高表达的前列腺癌LNCaP细胞株上测定其活性, 结果表明化合物5, 6的半数抑制浓度均低于1μg·mL^-1, 可作为新的抗肿瘤药物先导化合物进一步深入研究. 本研究对以MDM2为靶点的新结构螺环吲哚类抑制剂的开发提供了理论和实验依据.     

Synthesis,Bioactivity Evaluation,3D-QSAR,and Molecular Docking of Novel Pyrazole-4-carbohydrazides as Potential Fungicides Targeting Succinate Dehydrogenase

To screen novel antifungal agents targeting the succinate dehydrogenase(SDH),a series of pyrazole-4-carbohydrazides were rationally designed,synthesized,and characterized under the guidance of the structures of succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors(SDHIs).Bioassay results in vitro indicated that most of the target compounds exhibited excellent activity against Rhizoctonia solani(R.solani),Fusarium graminearum(F.graminearum),Botrytis cinerea(B.cinerea)and Colletotrichum capsica(C.cinerea).Compounds 7d,7l,7t and 7x were identified as the most promoting candidates,and their anti-F.graminearum EC50 values were as low as 0.56,0.47,0.46 and 0.49μg/mL,respectively,presenting the similar antifungal activity as that of the commonly used fungicide carbendazim(0.43μg/mL).The 3D-QSAR models were built for a systematic structure-activity relationship profile to explore more potent pyrazole-4-carbohydrazides as novel fungicides.Molecular docking of 7d,7l and 7r with SDH was performed to reveal the binding modes in active pocket and analyze the interactions between the molecules and the SDH protein.     

Discovery of 4-Thiazol-N-(pyridin-2-yl)pyrimidin-2-amine as Novel Cyclin-dependent Kinases 4 and 6 Dual Inhibitors via 3D-QSAR and Molecular Simulation

Cyclin D dependent kinases 4/6 regulate the entry of cells into S phase and are effective target for the discovery of anticancer drugs.In this article,3D-QSAR modeling including comparative molecular field analysis (Co MFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis fields (Co MSIA) was implemented on 52 dual CDK4/6 inhibitors.As a result,we obtained a pretty good 3D-QSAR model,which is Co MFA_CDK4 with q² to be0.543 and r² to be 0.967;Co MSIA_CDK4<...     

含磷嘧啶类CDK9抑制剂的分子对接、3D-QSAR和分子动力学模拟

选取64个具有潜力的含磷嘧啶类细胞周期依赖性蛋白激酶(CDK9)小分子抑制剂,采用分子对接方法研究了该类小分子与CDK9的结合作用,结果表明,分子构象、氢键形成、疏水性和氨基酸残基Cys106在此类抑制剂与CDK9的结合过程中具有重要作用.在配体叠合的基础上,运用比较分子力场分析(Co MFA)、比较分子相似性指数分析(Co MSIA)和Topomer Co MFA(T-COMFA)研究了分子结构与抑制活性的关系,发现由训练集立体场、静电场和疏水场组合的Co MSIA模型为最优模型,其内部交叉验证相关系数(Q2=0.557)、非交叉验证相关系数(R2=0.959)和外部预测相关系数(r2=0.863)具有统计学意义,该模型的三维等值线图直观显示了化合物的活性与其三维结构的关系.根据这些结果设计了10个具有新结构的含磷嘧啶类化合物,分子对接和分子动力学模拟结果表明,新化合物和CDK9的结合模式与原化合物64相同,自由能分析从理论上证明了新化合物64d的CDK9抑制活性优于化合物64,并且显示含磷基团与残基Asp109的静电场能在化合物与CDK9作用过程中有重要作用.     

3D-QSAR和分子对接研究吲哚咔唑类细胞周期蛋白激酶抑制剂的选择性

细胞周期蛋白激酶(cyclin-dependent kinases, CDKs)是近年来治疗肿瘤的重要靶标. 由于大多数激酶ATP结合位点的保守性, CDK选择性激酶抑制剂的开发成为当前的研发难点和热点. 针对吲哚咔唑类CDK抑制剂, 我们采用比较分子力场分析方法(CoMFA)建立了CDK2-QSAR(quantitative structure-activity relationship)和CDK4-QSSR(quantitative structure-selectivity relationship)模型. 所建模型的交叉验证系数q2分别为0.722和0.703; 非交叉验证系数r2分别为0.977和0.946, 表明其具有较好的预测能力. 同时, 用分子对接的方法分析了这类化合物与CDK4同源模建结构的作用模式, 根据这两个模型发现, 吲哚咔唑类化合物的R5和R6位长链取代对CDK4的选择性具有一定的影响, 而且结合其作用模式比较合理地解释了这类抑制剂的选择性原因, 这对CDKs的选择性研究具有一定的指导意义.