Discovery of novel glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase inhibitor via docking-based virtual screening

Glycolysis is enhanced in cancer cells. Cancer cells utilize glycolysis as their primary energy source, even under aerobic conditions. This is known as the Warburg effect. Thus, effective inhibition of the glycolytic pathway is a crucial component of cancer therapy. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is an important enzyme in glycolysis and overexpresses in cancers. Therefore, targeting GAPDH to inhibit its role in glycolysis is important for GAPDH functional studies and the treatment of cancers. However, only a few GAPDH inhibitors have been reported. In our current study, we identified a GAPDH inhibitor, DC-5163, using docking-based virtual screening and biochemical and biophysical analysis. DC-5163 is a small molecule compound that inhibits GAPDH enzyme activity and cancer cell proliferation (normal cells were tolerant to it). It can inhibit glycolysis pathway partially, which was manifested by decreased glucose uptake and lactic acid production. And it also leaded to cell death through apoptotic pathways. This study reflects the pivotal role of GAPDH in cancer cells and demonstrates that DC-5163 is a useful inhibitor and can be of value in studying the role of GAPDH and the development of new clinical cancer treatments.