Design of Druglike Small Molecules for Possible Inhibition of Antiapoptotic BCL-2, BCL-W, and BFL-1 Proteins

Abstract

New druglike small molecules with possible anticancer applications were computationally designed. The molecules formed stable complexes with antiapoptotic BCL-2, BCL-W, and BFL-1 proteins. These findings are novel because, to the best of the author's knowledge, molecules that bind all three of these proteins are not known. A drug based on them should be more economical and better tolerated by patients than a combination of drugs, each targeting a single protein. The calculated drug-related properties of the molecules were similar to those found in most commercial drugs. The molecules were designed and evaluated following a simple, yet effective procedure. The need for substantial computational resources often precludes researchers in many countries and small institutions from participating in the field. The procedure presented here offsets the problem by reducing the cost of involvement. The procedure can be used efficiently in the early phases of drug discovery to evaluate promising lead compounds in time- and cost-effective ways.