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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Biosensor-based High Throughput Biopanning and Bioinformatics Analysis Strategy for the Global Validation of Drug-protein Interactions
Published on: December 1, 2020
IKK-beta inhibitors: an analysis of drug-receptor interaction by using molecular docking and pharmacophore 3D-QSAR
Antonino Lauria1, Mario Ippolito, Marco Fazzari
1Dipartimento Farmacochimico, Tossicologico e Biologico, Università di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, Palermo, Italy. lauria@unipa.it
Abstract:
The IKK kinases family represents a thrilling area of research because of its importance in regulating the activity of NF-kB transcription factors. The discovery of the central role played by IKK-beta in the activation of transcription in response to apoptotic or inflammatory stimuli allowed to considerate its modulation as a promising tool for the treatment of chronic inflammation and cancer. To date, several IKK-beta inhibitors have been discovered and tested. In this work, an analysis of the interactions between different classes of inhibitors and their biological target was performed, through the application of Molecular Docking and Pharmacophore/3D-QSAR approaches to a set of 141 inhibitors included in the Binding Database. In order to overcome the difficulty due to the lack of crystallographic data for IKK-beta, a homology model of this protein has been built and validated. The results allowed to study in depth the structural bases for the interaction of each family of inhibitors and provided clues for further modifications, with the aim of improving the activity and selectivity of designed drugs targeting this enzyme.
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