A computer aided drug discovery based discovery of lead-like compounds against KDM5A for cancers using pharmacophore

Asma Tariq1, Hafiz Muzzammel Rehman1, Rana Muhammad Mateen2

  • 1School of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

Proteins
|October 13, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Researchers identified potential lead compounds for KDM5A inhibitors to combat cancer. These compounds, identified via virtual screening and molecular docking, show promise for developing new KDM5A-targeted cancer therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Pharmacology
  • Computational Chemistry

Background:

  • KDM5A overexpression drives cancer proliferation and chemotherapy resistance via epigenetic modifications.
  • The precise mechanism of KDM5A remains incompletely understood, limiting the development of targeted drugs.
  • No KDM5A-specific drugs are currently available for clinical use.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify novel lead compounds for KDM5A inhibition through computational methods.
  • To evaluate potential drug candidates for their efficacy and drug-like properties.
  • To lay the groundwork for developing new therapeutic agents against KDM5A-associated cancers.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized pharmacophore modeling and high-throughput virtual screening of a large compound library.
  • Filtered virtual hits based on ADMET properties and performed docking analysis against KDM5A.
  • Selected top-ranked compounds for molecular dynamic simulations to assess stability and drug-like properties (CNS/non-CNS).

Main Results:

  • Identified N-{[(7-Methyl-4-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrocyclopenta [c] chromen-9-yl) oxy]acetyl}-l-phenylalanine (non-CNS) and 2-(3,4-Dimethoxy-phenyl)-7-methoxy-chromen-4-one (CNS) as promising lead compounds.
  • Both compounds demonstrated favorable docking scores and stability through molecular dynamic simulations.
  • The study successfully filtered and ranked compounds for their potential as KDM5A inhibitors.

Conclusions:

  • The identified compounds, N-{[(7-Methyl-4-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrocyclopenta [c] chromen-9-yl) oxy]acetyl}-l-phenylalanine and 2-(3,4-Dimethoxy-phenyl)-7-methoxy-chromen-4-one, can serve as valuable lead structures.
  • These lead compounds offer a promising starting point for the development of novel therapeutic agents targeting KDM5A in cancer treatment.
  • Further research and development are warranted to advance these compounds towards clinical application for KDM5A-driven cancers.