Identification of novel HIF2α inhibitors: a structure-based virtual screening approach

HIF2α is aberrantly upregulated in some renal cell carcinomas due to VHL mutations, supporting HIF2α inhibition as a compelling therapeutic approach for such cases. Therefore, the six compounds (designated as Compounds 1-6) were screened from the Maybridge database based on the constructed pharmacophore model and molecular docking. Subsequently, the docking models of Compounds 1-6 with HIF2α were analysed. Affinity assays revealed that both Compound-4 and Compound-5 exhibited robust affinity towards human recombinant HIF2α. MD simulations displayed that Compound-4 and Compound-5 stably bound to the active pocket of HIF2α. Cell experiments demonstrated that Compound-4 effectively inhibited the growth of the 786-O human renal cell carcinomas line (IC₅₀ = 1.35 ± 0.06 μM). This study demonstrates that Compound-4 may serve as a potential candidate compound for renal cell carcinomas therapy.