{"title":"Repurposed drugs as PCSK9-LDLR disruptors for lipid lowering and cardiovascular disease therapeutics.","authors":"Shelly Singhal Nee Shelly Aggarwal, Divpreet Kaur, Daman Saluja, Kamna Srivastava","doi":"10.1007/s11030-024-11063-9","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The PCSK9 protein binds to LDL receptors (LDLR), leading to their degradation and reduced expression on cell surfaces. This decreased the clearance of LDL cholesterol from the bloodstream, thereby increasing the risk of coronary artery diseases. Targeting the PCSK9-LDL receptor interaction is crucial for regulating LDL cholesterol levels and preventing cardiovascular disease. This study aims to screen low molecular weight inhibitors to disrupt the PCSK9-LDLR interaction. We employed a comprehensive approach combining high-throughput virtual screening of DrugBank database, followed by molecular docking studies using CDOCKER and flexible docking methods. The top four lead compounds were further validated through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and binding free energy calculations using MM-PBSA. Finally, the in vitro assay confirmed that Benazepril and Quinapril exhibited the highest potency as PCSK9-LDLR disruptors among the top candidates. These lead compounds have the potential to be repurposed as lipid-lowering agents for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, offering a promising therapeutic strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":708,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Diversity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Molecular Diversity","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11030-024-11063-9","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, APPLIED","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The PCSK9 protein binds to LDL receptors (LDLR), leading to their degradation and reduced expression on cell surfaces. This decreased the clearance of LDL cholesterol from the bloodstream, thereby increasing the risk of coronary artery diseases. Targeting the PCSK9-LDL receptor interaction is crucial for regulating LDL cholesterol levels and preventing cardiovascular disease. This study aims to screen low molecular weight inhibitors to disrupt the PCSK9-LDLR interaction. We employed a comprehensive approach combining high-throughput virtual screening of DrugBank database, followed by molecular docking studies using CDOCKER and flexible docking methods. The top four lead compounds were further validated through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and binding free energy calculations using MM-PBSA. Finally, the in vitro assay confirmed that Benazepril and Quinapril exhibited the highest potency as PCSK9-LDLR disruptors among the top candidates. These lead compounds have the potential to be repurposed as lipid-lowering agents for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, offering a promising therapeutic strategy.
期刊介绍:
Molecular Diversity is a new publication forum for the rapid publication of refereed papers dedicated to describing the development, application and theory of molecular diversity and combinatorial chemistry in basic and applied research and drug discovery. The journal publishes both short and full papers, perspectives, news and reviews dealing with all aspects of the generation of molecular diversity, application of diversity for screening against alternative targets of all types (biological, biophysical, technological), analysis of results obtained and their application in various scientific disciplines/approaches including:
combinatorial chemistry and parallel synthesis;
small molecule libraries;
microwave synthesis;
flow synthesis;
fluorous synthesis;
diversity oriented synthesis (DOS);
nanoreactors;
click chemistry;
multiplex technologies;
fragment- and ligand-based design;
structure/function/SAR;
computational chemistry and molecular design;
chemoinformatics;
screening techniques and screening interfaces;
analytical and purification methods;
robotics, automation and miniaturization;
targeted libraries;
display libraries;
peptides and peptoids;
proteins;
oligonucleotides;
carbohydrates;
natural diversity;
new methods of library formulation and deconvolution;
directed evolution, origin of life and recombination;
search techniques, landscapes, random chemistry and more;