Rational Discovery of BACE1-Selective Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutics for Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a major neurodegenerative disorder with limited therapeutic medication. Despite intensive efforts, the clinical development of β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) inhibitors has been hindered by off-target effects, poor brain penetration, and toxicity, which is often due to a lack of selectivity over BACE2. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of over 9,000 reported BACE1 inhibitors to identify key physicochemical properties and interaction fingerprints associated with effective binding. These criteria were used to filter a library of 1.4 million commercially available compounds, prioritizing candidates with better safety and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability properties. The top-ranked molecules were evaluated through molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, followed by selectivity assessments against BACE2 and additional off-targets. Among these, two compounds, MCULE-5138978734 and MCULE-2333131051, exhibited strong and stable binding to BACE1 with markedly reduced affinity for BACE2, suggesting improved selectivity. This integrative in silico framework demonstrates a rational strategy for the discovery of selective BACE1 inhibitors and highlights promising lead candidates for further experimental validation in the development of AD therapeutics.