Investigations on the mechanisms of interactions between matrix metalloproteinase 9 and its flavonoid inhibitors using a combination of molecular docking, hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (9) ◽  
pp. 821-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Guang Zhou ◽  
Qi-Zheng Yao ◽  
Dong Lei ◽  
Qing-Qing Zhang ◽  
Ji Zhang

Many experimental studies have found that flavonoids can inhibit the activities of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), but the relevant mechanisms are still unclear. In this paper, the interaction mechanisms of MMP-9 with its five flavonoid inhibitors are investigated using a combination of molecular docking, hybrid quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) calculations, and molecular dynamics simulations. The molecular dynamics simulation results show a good linear correlation between the calculated binding free energies of QM/MM−Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (PBSA) and the experimental −log(EC50) regarding the studied five flavonoids on MMP-9 inhibition in explicit solvent. It is found that compared with the MM−PBSA method, the QM/MM−PBSA method can obviously improve the accuracy for the calculated binding free energies. The predicted binding modes of the five flavonoid−MMP-9 complexes reveal that the different hydrogen bond networks can form besides producing the Zn−O coordination bonds, which can reasonably explain previous experimental results. The agreement between our calculated results and the previous experimental facts indicates that the force field parameters used here are effective and reliable for investigating the systems of flavonoid−MMP-9 interactions, and thus, these simulations and analyses could be reproduced for the other related systems involving protein−ligand interactions. This paper may be helpful for designing the new MMP-9 inhibitors having higher biological activities by carrying out the structural modifications of flavonoid molecules.

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (20) ◽  
pp. 1755-1768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Abu Turab Naqvi ◽  
Taj Mohammad ◽  
Gulam Mustafa Hasan ◽  
Md. Imtaiyaz Hassan

Protein-ligand interaction is an imperative subject in structure-based drug design and protein function prediction process. Molecular docking is a computational method which predicts the binding of a ligand molecule to the particular receptor. It predicts the binding pose, strength and binding affinity of the molecules using various scoring functions. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations are widely used in combination to predict the binding modes, binding affinities and stability of different protein-ligand systems. With advancements in algorithms and computational power, molecular dynamics simulation is now a fundamental tool to investigative bio-molecular assemblies at atomic level. These methods in association with experimental support have been of great value in modern drug discovery and development. Nowadays, it has become an increasingly significant method in drug discovery process. In this review, we focus on protein-ligand interactions using molecular docking, virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulations. Here, we cover an overview of the available methods for molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, and their advancement and applications in the area of modern drug discovery. The available docking software and their advancement including application examples of different approaches for drug discovery are also discussed. We have also introduced the physicochemical foundations of molecular docking and simulations, mainly from the perception of bio-molecular interactions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandrabhan Seniya ◽  
Ghulam Jilani Khan ◽  
Kuldeep Uchadia

Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChE-Is) are the standard for the therapy of AD associated disorders and are the only class of approved drugs by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additionally, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is the target for many Alzheimer’s dementia drugs which block the function of AChE but have some side effects. Therefore, in this paper, an attempt was made to elucidate cholinesterase inhibition potential of secondary metabolite fromCannabisplant which has negligible or no side effect. Molecular docking of 500 herbal compounds, against AChE, was performed using Autodock 4.2 as per the standard protocols. Molecular dynamics simulations have also been carried out to check stability of binding complex in water for 1000 ps. Our molecular docking and simulation have predicted high binding affinity of secondary metabolite (C28H34N2O6) to AChE. Further, molecular dynamics simulations for 1000 ps suggest that ligand interaction with the residues Asp72, Tyr70-121-334, and Phe288 of AChE, all of which fall under active site/subsite or binding pocket, might be critical for the inhibitory activity of AChE. This approach might be helpful to understand the selectivity of the given drug molecule in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The study provides evidence for consideration ofC28H34N2O6as a valuable small ligand molecule in treatment and prevention of AD associated disorders and furtherin vitroandin vivoinvestigations may prove its therapeutic potential.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243429
Author(s):  
Dimitrios A. Mitsikas ◽  
Nicholas M. Glykos

Both molecular mechanical and quantum mechanical calculations play an important role in describing the behavior and structure of molecules. In this work, we compare for the same peptide systems the results obtained from folding molecular dynamics simulations with previously reported results from quantum mechanical calculations. More specifically, three molecular dynamics simulations of 5 μs each in explicit water solvent were carried out for three Asn-Gly-containing heptapeptides, in order to study their folding and dynamics. Previous data, based on quantum mechanical calculations within the DFT framework have shown that these peptides adopt β-turn structures in aqueous solution, with type I’ β-turn being the most preferred motif. The results from our analyses indicate that at least for the given systems, force field and simulation protocol, the two methods diverge in their predictions. The possibility of a force field-dependent deficiency is examined as a possible source of the observed discrepancy.


Author(s):  
Mohammed A. Khedr ◽  
Omar M. M. Mohafez ◽  
Ibrahim A. Al-Haider

Background: Dipeptidyl peptidase IV has been reported to be an important target for the development and discovery of new therapies for diabetes mellitus type II. Objective: The main aim of this study is to discover chemical entities that target the inhibition of DPP IV and feature potent hypoglycemic action. Methods: A structure-based virtual screening was applied to discover new hypoglycemic agents. Molecular docking was performed to compute the binding free energies. Molecular dynamics simulations was done to evaluate the binding stability of resulted hits. Results: Seven small non-peptide potential inhibitors of Dipeptidyl peptidase IV with 3-imino-4-(4-substituted phenyl)-1, 2, 5-thiadiazolidine-1,1-dioxide scaffold that were discovered. The binding free energies ranged from -24.50 to -36.06 kJ/mol. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed high stability of all protein-ligand complexes with low root mean square deviation over 10 ns simulation time. The tested compounds expressed a significant reduction in blood glucose level up to 90% with excellent oral glucose tolerance test after 120 minutes of injection in a diabetes mellitus type II animal model. A promising release of insulin was observed with a potential hypoglycemic activity for all compounds. Conclusion: The virtual screening was successful to discover potent hypoglycemic agents with drug-like properties that may need more consideration for future studies and development.


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