Evaluation of biotransformed berberine derivatives as anti inflammatory drugs: an in silico study

The anti inflammatory potential of the human and microbial biotransformed derivatives of berberine were determined by molecular docking. It was revealed that almost all derivatives formed as a result of biotransformation showed increase in phospholipase A(2) binding affinity compared to berberine. The newly introduced -OH group/groups establish stronger hydrogen bonding interactions and more number of van der Waals contacts with the protein. As phospholipase A(2) is a target of anti inflammatory drugs, it might be concluded that certain biotransformed derivatives of berberine could be better anti inflammatory agents compared to berberine.