Acetylcholinesterase immobilized on MIL-88B-NH2 MOF for rapid screening inhibitors from herbal medicines: Ligand fishing coupled with mass spectrometry

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease, and is characterized by impaired acetylcholine-mediated neurotransmission. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition is a well-established therapeutic strategy for AD. Medicinal plants exhibit multi-target effects, low toxicity, and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, screening AChE inhibitors from botanical sources holds considerable pharmacological potential. In this study, a metal-organic framework was used as a novel support for immobilizing AChE, resulting in the creation of AChE@MIL-88B-NH₂, which served as a tool for screening potential AChE inhibitors. The immobilized enzyme exhibited excellent reusability, stability against pH fluctuations and thermal stress, and resistance to organic solvents. The constructed AChE@MIL-88B-NH₂-based ligand fishing strategy coupled with mass spectrometry was applied to screen for AChE inhibitors in Nelumbinis plumula extracts. Seven compounds were identified as potent AChE inhibitors. Enzyme kinetic assays revealed that these ligands exhibit a mixed inhibition mechanism against AChE. Molecular docking demonstrated that the seven compounds effectively bound to the AChE active site, with binding affinities ranging from −9.7 to −8.5 kcal/mol. The established AChE@MIL-88B-NH₂-based ligand fishing strategy provides a simple and efficient approach for screening potential AChE inhibitors from complex botanical matrices, offering a promising avenue for discovering novel therapeutic agents for AD.