Rational drug design implies usage of molecular modeling techniques such as pharmacophore modeling, molecular dynamics, virtual screening, and molecular docking to explain the activity of biomolecules, define molecular determinants for interaction with the drug target, and design more efficient drug candidates. Kinases play an essential role in cell function and therefore are extensively studied targets in drug design and discovery. Kinase inhibitors are clinically very important and widely used antineoplastic drugs. In this review, computational methods used in rational drug design of kinase inhibitors are discussed and compared, considering some representative case studies.
HIGHLIGHTS Many CNS targets are being explored for multi-target drug designNew databases and cheminformatic methods enable prediction of primary pharmaceutical target and off-targets of compoundsQSAR, virtual screening and docking methods increase the potential of rational drug designThe diverse cerebral mechanisms implicated in Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases together with the heterogeneous and overlapping nature of phenotypes indicated that multitarget strategies may be appropriate for the improved treatment of complex brain diseases. Understanding how the neurotransmitter systems interact is also important in optimizing therapeutic strategies. Pharmacological intervention on one target will often influence another one, such as the well-established serotonin-dopamine interaction or the dopamine-glutamate interaction. It is now accepted that drug action can involve plural targets and that polypharmacological interaction with multiple targets, to address disease in more subtle and effective ways, is a key concept for development of novel drug candidates against complex CNS diseases. A multi-target therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer‘s disease resulted in the development of very effective Multi-Target Designed Ligands (MTDL) that act on both the cholinergic and monoaminergic systems, and also retard the progression of neurodegeneration by inhibiting amyloid aggregation. Many compounds already in databases have been investigated as ligands for multiple targets in drug-discovery programs. A probabilistic method, the Parzen-Rosenblatt Window approach, was used to build a “predictor” model using data collected from the ChEMBL database. The model can be used to predict both the primary pharmaceutical target and off-targets of a compound based on its structure. Several multi-target ligands were selected for further study, as compounds with possible additional beneficial pharmacological activities. Based on all these findings, it is concluded that multipotent ligands targeting AChE/MAO-A/MAO-B and also D1-R/D2-R/5-HT2A-R/H3-R are promising novel drug candidates with improved efficacy and beneficial neuroleptic and procognitive activities in treatment of Alzheimer's and related neurodegenerative diseases. Structural information for drug targets permits docking and virtual screening and exploration of the molecular determinants of binding, hence facilitating the design of multi-targeted drugs. The crystal structures and models of enzymes of the monoaminergic and cholinergic systems have been used to investigate the structural origins of target selectivity and to identify molecular determinants, in order to design MTDLs.
Imidazoline I 2 receptors (I 2-IR), widely distributed in the CNS and altered in patients that suffered from neurodegenerative disorders, are orphan from the structural point of view and new I 2-IR ligands are urgently required for improving their pharmacological characterization. We report the synthesis and 3D-QSAR studies of a new family of bicyclic -iminophosphonates endowed with relevant affinities for human brain I 2-IR. Acute treatment in mice with a selected compound significantly decreased the FADD protein in the hippocampus, a key marker in neuroprotective actions. Additionally, in vivo studies in the familial Alzheimer's disease 5xFAD murine model revealed beneficial effects in behavior and cognition. These results are supported by changes in molecular pathways related to cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore bicyclic -iminophosphonates are tools that may open new therapeutic avenues for I 2-IR, particularly for unmet neurodegenerative conditions.
A group of 3,5-diaryl-2-pyrazoline and hydrazone derivatives was prepared via the reaction of various chalcones with hydrazide compounds in ethanol. Twenty original compounds were synthesized. Ten of these original compounds have a pyrazoline structure, nine of these original compounds have a hydrazone structure, and one of these original compounds has a chalcone structure. Structural elucidation of the compounds was performed by IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, mass spectral data, and elemental analyses. These compounds were tested for their inhibitory activities toward the A and B isoforms of human monoamine oxidase (MAO). Except for 3k and 6c, all compounds were found to be competitive, reversible, and selective inhibitors for either one of the isoforms (hMAO-A or MAO-B). Compounds 3k and 6c were found to be competitive, reversible, but non-selective MAO inhibitors. Compound 6h showed hMAO-B inhibitory activity whereas the others potently inhibited hMAO-A. Compound 5c showed higher selectivity than the standard drug moclobemide. According to the experimental K(i) values, compounds 6i, 6d, and 6a exhibited the highest inhibitory activity toward hMAO-A. The AutoDock 4.2 program was employed to perform automated molecular docking. The calculated results obtained computationally were in good agreement with the experimental values.
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