In silico strategies on prion pathogenic conversion and inhibition from PrP^C -PrP^Sc

To date, various therapeutic strategies identified numerous anti-prion compounds and antibodies that stabilize PrP^C, block the conversion of PrP^C-PrP^Sc and increased effect on PrP^Sc clearance. However, no suitable drug has been identified clinically so far due to the poor oral absorption, low blood-brain-barrier [BBB] penetration, and high toxicity. Although some of the drugs were proven to be effective in prion-infected cell culture and whole animal models, none of them increased the rate of survival compared to placebo. Areas covered: In this review, the authors highlight the importance of in silico approaches like molecular docking, virtual screening, pharmacophore analysis, molecular dynamics, QSAR, CoMFA and CoMSIA applied to detect molecular mechanisms of prion inhibition and conversion from PrP^C-PrP^Sc. Expert opinion: Several in silico approaches combined with experimental studies have provided many structural and functional clues on the stability and physiological activity of prion mutants. Further, various studies of in silico and in vivo approaches were also shown to identify several new small organic anti-scrapie compounds to decrease the accumulation of PrP^res in cell culture, inhibit the aggregation of a PrP^C peptide, and possess pharmacokinetic characteristics that confirm the drug-likeness of these compounds.